ence morse
@ence.bsky.social
3.4K followers 130 following 28 posts
data & politics @washingtonpost.com texan in dc 🕯️
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
ence.bsky.social
Three different people at my bus stop this morning were reading this column... and one guy had a printout of Sietsema's latest piece on appetizers in DC. Impact!
katzish.bsky.social
Tom Sietsema is stepping down from his longtime gig as WaPo restaurant critic, and showing his face. A terrific critic and absolutely lovely guy — big loss for the Post and I’m sure he will do something great next www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
Column | Food critic Tom Sietsema is stepping down — and dropping his anonymity
After a quarter-century of reviewing restaurants, donning disguises and turning down photos, The Post’s food critic is ready for his next course.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by ence morse
jennagiesta.bsky.social
Check out our new CNN poll deep dive into who political independents are, how they engage with politics and what they think about the current political moment. The classic swing voter appears to be a thing of the past. www.cnn.com/interactive/...
What does an independent mean in politics?
New CNN poll results identify five distinct types of independents.
www.cnn.com
Reposted by ence morse
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
Talked to 23 people who suddenly have to pay huge tariffs or otherwise cannot get chainmail from Pakistan, yarn from France, retro computers from Japan, metal music from the Netherlands, DVDs from Germany, cosplay supplies, sunscreen, etc.

www.404media.co/its-just-a-m...
‘It's Just a Mess:' 23 People Explain How Tariffs Have Suddenly Ruined Their Hobby
"The real kick in the teeth is no matter how much manufacturing is brought back to the US these items will never be made in the USA. There is no upside."
www.404media.co
Reposted by ence morse
davidenrich.bsky.social
NEW: JPMorgan, the largest US bank, enabled the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

The bank lent him money, created accounts for his victims, disregarded suspicious transactions and overruled employees who raised concerns.
@mattgoldstein26.bsky.social @jsgatnyt.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/m...
How JPMorgan Enabled the Crimes of Jeffrey Epstein
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by ence morse
kevinschaul.bsky.social
Great analysis of how Grok's political bias has changed. NYT tested Grok on a political bias survey, using different versions of its system prompt. Shows much tweaking these system prompts affects model outputs. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/technology/elon-musk-grok-conservative-chatbot.html
Screenshow of a chart showing how xAI tweaked Grok
ence.bsky.social
gasped the first time i read this kicker www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Tom Petek, 54, conceded in an interview that he was a little nervous about coming to Washington from his hometown of Medina, Ohio, which has a population just shy of 26,000 people. It’s his first trip to D.C. in more than four years, when he joined protests outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He remains a Trump supporter and has seen news reports about a rise in crime and a slew of homicides, he said. He joked that he and his wife would have to wear bulletproof vests when visiting historic sites.

But on Monday, their first full day in the city, Petek and his wife went to the National Archives, Arlington National Cemetery, the Smithsonian and the Washington Monument without incident. They planned to go on tours of the White House, the FBI building and the Capitol on Tuesday and remained unwary.

“You hear the news, and the stuff about the murder rates and things, and you think, ‘Man, you’ve got to dodge bullets when you’re at the sites,’ but it’s safe,” Petek said. “You feel safe. You feel welcome.”
Reposted by ence morse
qjurecic.bsky.social
1. per the washington post, it seems very unclear what federal control of MPD actually entails and if anything is going to change in terms of the actual functioning of the police department www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Bondi has not met with the police chief, but had been expecting and prepared for Monday’s announcement, according to two people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to speak publicly. Terry Cole, the head of the DEA and the newly named commissioner of the D.C. police, met on Monday evening with D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith.

Cole told Smith that “the federal team involved in this know that they don’t know the city, and they are looking for [the D.C. police department] to lead” the effort, said a D.C. police official who was not authorized to speak publicly. An administration official disputed that Cole had said federal officials did not know the city and that D.C. would lead the partnership, but said that he had relayed a desire for a collaborative relationship.
Reposted by ence morse
washingtonpost.com
Exclusive: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a minimally redacted version of a highly classified document on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election after an intense behind-the-scenes struggle over secrecy with the CIA.
Gabbard overrode CIA officials’ concerns in push to release classified Russia report
CIA officials worried the release of the House Intelligence Committee report on 2016 Russian election interference could reveal top-secret spying techniques and sources. Tulsi Gabbard overrode their c...
www.washingtonpost.com
ence.bsky.social
The right-wing internet couldn't stop talking about Epstein after Bondi said there was no client list... until the admin accused Obama of planning "essentially a years-long coup" against Trump. Immediately, attention flipped. my latest, w/ Cleve Wootson: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
ence.bsky.social
The right-wing internet couldn't stop talking about Epstein after Bondi said there was no client list... until the admin accused Obama of planning "essentially a years-long coup" against Trump. Immediately, attention flipped. my latest, w/ Cleve Wootson:
washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
ence.bsky.social
This money was promptly spent: the PAC spent over $47 million out the door, with the majority going to "PETITION INCENTIVES" ($27 mil) and "SPOKESPERSON CONSULTANT" (3 payments of $1m each). Remember the Wisconsin Supreme Court petition?
ence.bsky.social
Happy FEC filing day, everyone. In the first half of the year, Elon Musk put another $45 million into his America PAC. docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/form...
FEC Disclosure Form 3X for America PAC
docquery.fec.gov
Reposted by ence morse
Reposted by ence morse
emgusk.bsky.social
In their own words: Why Americans are paying attention to the Epstein file news wapo.st/3HaN2hv
I’m curious, seems like a big story and seemingly important people could be implemented in it.

Ohio man, 45, independent

I want to find out who went to the island.

Nevada man, 61, MAGA Republican

I want to know what government officials, celebrities, and other public figures were at his island based on what we know about his case.

Indiana man, 27, independent

It is super suspicious that the Trump administration is now not releasing the files.

Oregon woman, 34, Democrat

I want to know if President Trump is involved.

New Jersey woman, 81, Democrat

I want to know who is on the list and if Donald Trump is on the list.

Illinois man, 25, MAGA Republican

We were told that they would be released and that's another promise unkept.

Arizona woman, 49, independent

Curious who is involved. Trump needs to own up to his involvement.
Reposted by ence morse
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
At a time when the Trump administration has taken a hands-off approach to regulating digital currencies, The Post identified nearly 70 nominees and officials who held cryptocurrency or have invested in crypto or blockchain companies
By @ence.bsky.social, @cqzakrz.bsky.social & Arfa Momin:
Over 1 in 5 high-level Trump picks held crypto, Post analysis finds
Over 1 in 5 top Trump appointees reported investments in crypto and other digital assets, far more than previous administrations, a Post analysis found.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by ence morse
timobrien.bsky.social
“The Washington Post identified nearly 70 nominees and officials of the Trump administration who held cryptocurrency or have invested in crypto or blockchain companies. Individual holdings ranged from small investments to at least $120 million.”
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Over 1 in 5 high-level Trump picks held crypto, Post analysis finds
Over 1 in 5 top Trump appointees reported investments in crypto and other digital assets, far more than previous administrations, a Post analysis found.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by ence morse
drewharwell.com
One in five Trump nominees and top officials own crypto, which the administration is now basically choosing not to regulate. Bitcoin's price has surged 70% since the election. Doesn't get more swamp-drainy than this www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int... @ence.bsky.social @cqzakrz.bsky.social