Stephanie Willerton
@stephwillerton.bsky.social
Strategic comms for nonprofits/international orgs. Progressive politics. KC native. Former: PBSNews.bsky.social, ED.gov, U.S. Senate, two top PR firms and three tech companies. @mujschool.bsky.social and @fletcherschool.bsky.social mafias. Dog lover.
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
On X, a senior U.S. Justice Department official is promoting a post that praises colonization as “one of the greatest things that ever happened to the backwards parts of the world.”👇
January 5, 2026 at 12:44 AM
On X, a senior U.S. Justice Department official is promoting a post that praises colonization as “one of the greatest things that ever happened to the backwards parts of the world.”👇
Paging Gloria Allred and @debrakatz.bsky.social for a massive class action.
“If a woman dares to show herself in public in any way, then she can and will be sexually harassed with the aid of genAI-driven tools that can easily turn her face into highly realistic pornography” is an absolute red-alarm human rights disaster
The end goal of Grok sexual harassment is to make women afraid to be visible. It’s a punishment for daring to exist in a way the perpetrators can’t control. There’s no one solution to this, because the problem isn’t just technological. It’s cultural. It’s misogyny. This is just one expression of it.
January 5, 2026 at 4:36 AM
Paging Gloria Allred and @debrakatz.bsky.social for a massive class action.
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
BREAKING: An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said in the first official acknowledgement of the deaths.
Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in US action in Venezuela
An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said Sunday in the first official acknowledgement of the deaths.
bit.ly
January 5, 2026 at 2:27 AM
BREAKING: An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said in the first official acknowledgement of the deaths.
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
Good lord
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 3:45 AM
Good lord
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
he’s not going to stop until someone makes him stop bsky.app/profile/paul...
January 4, 2026 at 9:06 PM
he’s not going to stop until someone makes him stop bsky.app/profile/paul...
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
Joint statement by Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain & Uruguay rejecting “military actions carried out unilaterally on Venezuelan territory, which contravene fundamental principles of int’l law…an extremely dangerous precedent for peace/regional security & puts the civilian population at risk.”
January 4, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Joint statement by Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain & Uruguay rejecting “military actions carried out unilaterally on Venezuelan territory, which contravene fundamental principles of int’l law…an extremely dangerous precedent for peace/regional security & puts the civilian population at risk.”
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
‘“What stops [Russian President] Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine's president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse,+authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it."’
BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen: ‘"If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan's leadership?”’ 1/
Trump's Maduro raid could set precedent for authoritarian powers across globe
Trump seems to believe he makes the rules and others cannot have the same privileges.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 4, 2026 at 9:10 PM
‘“What stops [Russian President] Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine's president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse,+authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it."’
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
Denmark PM urges Trump to stop threats to take over Greenland reut.rs/4aFAXNP
Denmark PM urges Trump to stop threats to take over Greenland
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after he reiterated his wish to do so in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.
reut.rs
January 4, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Denmark PM urges Trump to stop threats to take over Greenland reut.rs/4aFAXNP
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
🇸🇪🇩🇰🇬🇱 PM of Sweden:
Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. Sweden fully stands up for our neighboring country.
Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. Sweden fully stands up for our neighboring country.
January 4, 2026 at 8:32 PM
🇸🇪🇩🇰🇬🇱 PM of Sweden:
Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. Sweden fully stands up for our neighboring country.
Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. Sweden fully stands up for our neighboring country.
💯
Trump sees dollar signs with Venezuelan oil, has designs on other countries, and clearly sees himself as some kind of emperor of the world. I don’t think he has plans to leave in 2028. And he’s showing he’ll use the military however he wants
January 4, 2026 at 7:17 PM
💯
We are a rogue state.
I want to remind everyone that the US has sanctioned members of the International Criminal Court for going through a formal legal process to identify international leaders who engaged in war crimes, making them vulnerable to arrest.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why wasn't congressional authorization necessary?
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
January 4, 2026 at 7:15 PM
We are a rogue state.
As disturbing is the fact that so far no Democratic leaders have been able to articulate the scale of this disaster. Schumer and Jeffries are out there tweeting about domestic issues.
We must also marvel at the titanic idiocy of our new "Donroe Doctrine" for it turns America from a global power into a regional one by choice.
I still can't really believe they are going through with this for it is so batshit f-ing crazy, and does so much lasting harm to our interests.
I still can't really believe they are going through with this for it is so batshit f-ing crazy, and does so much lasting harm to our interests.
So is it really possible the Trump regime had no real plan for Venezuela beyond snatching Maduro? That like Putin in Ukraine they thought Caracas would fall in three days? That Trump just imagined himself in charge? That its already FUBARed?
My latest 👇
www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/trump-star...
My latest 👇
www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/trump-star...
January 4, 2026 at 7:12 PM
As disturbing is the fact that so far no Democratic leaders have been able to articulate the scale of this disaster. Schumer and Jeffries are out there tweeting about domestic issues.
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
We need to be honest with ourselves and our leaders about Venezuela
We are a rogue state, a global pariah
Trump is ruling as a dictator, period
An axis of evil wants to carve up small, resource-rich nations
The message for 2026 is clear: No kings!
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/trum...
We are a rogue state, a global pariah
Trump is ruling as a dictator, period
An axis of evil wants to carve up small, resource-rich nations
The message for 2026 is clear: No kings!
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/trum...
America launches its 250th birthday year by becoming a rogue state | Will Bunch
Trump's illegal war on Venezuela cemented his claim to dictatorship and marked the U.S. as a global pariah.
www.inquirer.com
January 4, 2026 at 6:21 PM
We need to be honest with ourselves and our leaders about Venezuela
We are a rogue state, a global pariah
Trump is ruling as a dictator, period
An axis of evil wants to carve up small, resource-rich nations
The message for 2026 is clear: No kings!
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/trum...
We are a rogue state, a global pariah
Trump is ruling as a dictator, period
An axis of evil wants to carve up small, resource-rich nations
The message for 2026 is clear: No kings!
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/trum...
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
🚨 BREAKING News: Death toll from U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela rises to 80, number could rise.- NYT
January 4, 2026 at 6:51 PM
🚨 BREAKING News: Death toll from U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela rises to 80, number could rise.- NYT
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
UPDATED LIST of countries the Trump administration has threatened to invade, annex, or otherwise attack in the 85 hours of 2026 so far:
🇻🇪 Venezuela
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇬🇱 Greenland
🇮🇷 Iran
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇲🇽 Mexico
Insane.
🇻🇪 Venezuela
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇬🇱 Greenland
🇮🇷 Iran
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇲🇽 Mexico
Insane.
January 4, 2026 at 6:09 PM
UPDATED LIST of countries the Trump administration has threatened to invade, annex, or otherwise attack in the 85 hours of 2026 so far:
🇻🇪 Venezuela
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇬🇱 Greenland
🇮🇷 Iran
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇲🇽 Mexico
Insane.
🇻🇪 Venezuela
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇬🇱 Greenland
🇮🇷 Iran
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇲🇽 Mexico
Insane.
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
New euphemism for "bottomless corruption and naked abuses of power" just dropped
January 4, 2026 at 11:35 AM
New euphemism for "bottomless corruption and naked abuses of power" just dropped
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
“.. If what has happened in Caracas sets a new standard, those who praise the might of the American hammer while ignoring its dangers will bitterly regret their complacency when their own interests, just as arbitrarily, are crushed to dust.”
@lemonde.fr
www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/a...
@lemonde.fr
www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/a...
January 4, 2026 at 6:48 PM
“.. If what has happened in Caracas sets a new standard, those who praise the might of the American hammer while ignoring its dangers will bitterly regret their complacency when their own interests, just as arbitrarily, are crushed to dust.”
@lemonde.fr
www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/a...
@lemonde.fr
www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/a...
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
On top of this, Trump also told Scherer "We do need Greenland, absolutely". NATO allies are going to have a nightmare if that occurs.
“.. In a telephone interview this morning, .. Trump issued a not-so-veiled threat against the new Venezuelan leader, Delcy Rodríguez, saying that ‘if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,’ ..”
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
January 4, 2026 at 5:36 PM
On top of this, Trump also told Scherer "We do need Greenland, absolutely". NATO allies are going to have a nightmare if that occurs.
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
“During our call, Trump […] was in evident good spirits, and reaffirmed to me that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention. “We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said, describing the island—a part of Denmark, a NATO ally—as “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.””
On top of this, Trump also told Scherer "We do need Greenland, absolutely". NATO allies are going to have a nightmare if that occurs.
“.. In a telephone interview this morning, .. Trump issued a not-so-veiled threat against the new Venezuelan leader, Delcy Rodríguez, saying that ‘if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,’ ..”
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
January 4, 2026 at 5:44 PM
“During our call, Trump […] was in evident good spirits, and reaffirmed to me that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention. “We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said, describing the island—a part of Denmark, a NATO ally—as “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.””
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
You don’t kill the suspect’s security team and a few dozen civilians in an arrest operation.
The military doesn’t provide cover in an arrest operation.
You don’t trot out the president to say “we run Venezuela now” when it’s an arrest operation.
An invasion, even if brief, is an act of war.
The military doesn’t provide cover in an arrest operation.
You don’t trot out the president to say “we run Venezuela now” when it’s an arrest operation.
An invasion, even if brief, is an act of war.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why wasn't congressional authorization necessary?
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
January 4, 2026 at 4:40 PM
You don’t kill the suspect’s security team and a few dozen civilians in an arrest operation.
The military doesn’t provide cover in an arrest operation.
You don’t trot out the president to say “we run Venezuela now” when it’s an arrest operation.
An invasion, even if brief, is an act of war.
The military doesn’t provide cover in an arrest operation.
You don’t trot out the president to say “we run Venezuela now” when it’s an arrest operation.
An invasion, even if brief, is an act of war.
“40 Venezuelans reportedly died during the so-called “law enforcement operation” raising the toll of this prolonged anti-Venezuela engagement to about 150 actual once-living human beings with families many or all of whom did not deserve to die.” 🎯
What did those guys standing alongside Trump remind of you of yesterday? I had some thoughts...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
The FAFO Boys Are About to Find Out
The US is being run by a bunch of guys from the back of high school detention room
open.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:38 PM
“40 Venezuelans reportedly died during the so-called “law enforcement operation” raising the toll of this prolonged anti-Venezuela engagement to about 150 actual once-living human beings with families many or all of whom did not deserve to die.” 🎯
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
What did those guys standing alongside Trump remind of you of yesterday? I had some thoughts...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
The FAFO Boys Are About to Find Out
The US is being run by a bunch of guys from the back of high school detention room
open.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:31 AM
What did those guys standing alongside Trump remind of you of yesterday? I had some thoughts...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
"If we hadn’t already, we’ve unquestionably joined the league of ordinary nations—a league in which we’re acting as little more than a bully, and in circumstances in which no obvious principle of self-defense, human rights, or even humantarianism writ large justifies our bellicosity."
Me on Maduro:
Me on Maduro:
200. Five Questions About the Maduro Arrest Operation
Friday night's U.S. military operation in Venezuela was a textbook violation of international law. It's also entirely unauthorized by U.S. law, which ought to (but probably won't) matter.
www.stevevladeck.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:32 PM
"If we hadn’t already, we’ve unquestionably joined the league of ordinary nations—a league in which we’re acting as little more than a bully, and in circumstances in which no obvious principle of self-defense, human rights, or even humantarianism writ large justifies our bellicosity."
Me on Maduro:
Me on Maduro:
Reposted by Stephanie Willerton
From WaPo National Security reporter John Hudson:
January 4, 2026 at 2:16 PM
From WaPo National Security reporter John Hudson: