Ken Hughes
@fatalpolitics.bsky.social
Author of Chasing Shadows and Fatal Politics. Bylines: @NYTimes @WashingtonPost @ConversationUS
Pinned
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s accounts of the notorious false flag operations proposed during the Kennedy years omit the most important part of the story. Hint: It's a family affair.
buff.ly/FGFFBPy
buff.ly/FGFFBPy
What Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t tell you about ‘Operation Northwoods,’ the false flag operation he loves to denounce
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s accounts of the notorious false flag operations proposed during the Kennedy years omit the most important part of the story. Hint: It’s a family affair.
theconversation.com
Thank you to the 15,000+ people who read my debunking of RFK Jr.'s false account of #OperationNorthwoods. Please share it with people who only know the false version. They deserve better.
Operation Condor: A Network of Transnational Repression 50 Years Later
nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...
nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...
Operation Condor: A Network of Transnational Repression 50 Years Later
Washington, D.C., November 26, 2025 - On General Augusto Pinochet’s 60th birthday, November 25, 1975, four delegations of Southern Cone secret police chieftains gathered in Santiago, Chile, at the inv...
nsarchive.gwu.edu
November 27, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Operation Condor: A Network of Transnational Repression 50 Years Later
nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...
nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Dutch Historian Accuses BBC of Censoring Trump Criticism
Rutger Bregman said his comment that President Trump was the “most openly corrupt president in American history” was removed before his lecture was broadcast on Tuesday.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/w...
Rutger Bregman said his comment that President Trump was the “most openly corrupt president in American history” was removed before his lecture was broadcast on Tuesday.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/w...
Dutch Historian Accuses BBC of Censoring Trump Criticism
www.nytimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Dutch Historian Accuses BBC of Censoring Trump Criticism
Rutger Bregman said his comment that President Trump was the “most openly corrupt president in American history” was removed before his lecture was broadcast on Tuesday.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/w...
Rutger Bregman said his comment that President Trump was the “most openly corrupt president in American history” was removed before his lecture was broadcast on Tuesday.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/w...
Good morning, #FirstAmendmentPeople.
Happy Thanksgiving!
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
Happy Thanksgiving!
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
November 27, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Good morning, #FirstAmendmentPeople.
Happy Thanksgiving!
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
Happy Thanksgiving!
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
Reposted by Ken Hughes
By Wednesday morning, the court had withdrawn the opinion from its website and replaced it with a partial correction—without publicly acknowledging the mistake. slate.trib.al/YUTum92
Why Did a State Supreme Court Justice Put a Fake SCOTUS Quote in a Major Dissent?
It is not clear how Ziegler’s misquotation wound up in the published opinion of a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice.
slate.trib.al
November 26, 2025 at 6:47 PM
By Wednesday morning, the court had withdrawn the opinion from its website and replaced it with a partial correction—without publicly acknowledging the mistake. slate.trib.al/YUTum92
Reposted by Ken Hughes
A highly classified leaked phone-call transcript sheds new light on Trump/Witkoff's cozy ties to the Kremlin--and the real nature of the discarded 28-point "peace" plan. slate.com/news-and-pol...
A Stunning Leak Just Shed New Light on How Cozy the Trump Admin Really Is With Russia
It confirms that the 28-point Ukraine peace plan was largely a Kremlin product.
slate.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:48 PM
A highly classified leaked phone-call transcript sheds new light on Trump/Witkoff's cozy ties to the Kremlin--and the real nature of the discarded 28-point "peace" plan. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Nothing to worry about, just a US official advising our nuclear-armed adversary how to manipulate the President of the United States, a notoriously weak-minded mark
November 25, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Nothing to worry about, just a US official advising our nuclear-armed adversary how to manipulate the President of the United States, a notoriously weak-minded mark
Reposted by Ken Hughes
How has support for political violence in America shifted over the past year and who has the highest levels of support?
My new piece at @brookings.edu provides answers by comparing data from #NoKings2.0 with a national survey fielded right after: www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
My new piece at @brookings.edu provides answers by comparing data from #NoKings2.0 with a national survey fielded right after: www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
What the No Kings Day protest reveals about support for political violence in America | Brookings
New survey data from the No Kings Day protests reveal shifting public attitudes toward political violence in the second Trump administration.
www.brookings.edu
November 26, 2025 at 12:54 PM
How has support for political violence in America shifted over the past year and who has the highest levels of support?
My new piece at @brookings.edu provides answers by comparing data from #NoKings2.0 with a national survey fielded right after: www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
My new piece at @brookings.edu provides answers by comparing data from #NoKings2.0 with a national survey fielded right after: www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Boats already stopped in the water. People about to die. Clues to drone and manned aircraft fighting systems.
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
What the Pentagon’s Attack Videos Reveal About the Boat Strikes at Sea
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Boats already stopped in the water. People about to die. Clues to drone and manned aircraft fighting systems.
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Ken Hughes
This reporter will get vile death threats and may need security just for doing her job. Not acceptable.
November 26, 2025 at 2:20 PM
This reporter will get vile death threats and may need security just for doing her job. Not acceptable.
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Some may take comfort in Trump not being able (yet) to jail his enemies, but these attacks are costly and deter people from opposing him. In that way, they tilt the playing field even when the efforts at retribution are not fully successful. Precisely what competitive authoritarian regimes look like
NYT: “.. Trump is facing obstacles as he tries to use the Justice Department to investigate, prosecute and jail those he targets.”
But his appointees “are harnessing a range of departments .. and rarely used powers outside the Justice Department to inflict pain.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
But his appointees “are harnessing a range of departments .. and rarely used powers outside the Justice Department to inflict pain.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
November 26, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Some may take comfort in Trump not being able (yet) to jail his enemies, but these attacks are costly and deter people from opposing him. In that way, they tilt the playing field even when the efforts at retribution are not fully successful. Precisely what competitive authoritarian regimes look like
Reposted by Ken Hughes
I'm deeply skeptical of mainstream disinformation discourse, and it's pretty clear that most of the foreign X accounts are just engagment farming. But to the extent they're politically important, it's to X's gathered elites, not the masses nymag.com/intelligence...
November 26, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I'm deeply skeptical of mainstream disinformation discourse, and it's pretty clear that most of the foreign X accounts are just engagment farming. But to the extent they're politically important, it's to X's gathered elites, not the masses nymag.com/intelligence...
Reposted by Ken Hughes
To be clear, Skandalakis assigned this case to himself. And I disagree with his assessment.
Anyone with this kind of bullshit take of that infamous "find me 11,780 votes" call to Sec. of State Raffensperger was never going to prosecute Trump, Meadows, & the other defendants:
Anyone with this kind of bullshit take of that infamous "find me 11,780 votes" call to Sec. of State Raffensperger was never going to prosecute Trump, Meadows, & the other defendants:
November 26, 2025 at 4:37 PM
To be clear, Skandalakis assigned this case to himself. And I disagree with his assessment.
Anyone with this kind of bullshit take of that infamous "find me 11,780 votes" call to Sec. of State Raffensperger was never going to prosecute Trump, Meadows, & the other defendants:
Anyone with this kind of bullshit take of that infamous "find me 11,780 votes" call to Sec. of State Raffensperger was never going to prosecute Trump, Meadows, & the other defendants:
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Bolsonaro to jail for 27 years. Trump completely free 🤡
Other, more serious countries, etc. etc.
Other, more serious countries, etc. etc.
Breaking News: The last pending criminal prosecution against President Trump was dismissed by a judge in Georgia, effectively ending efforts to hold Trump criminally responsible for attempts to overturn the 2020 election. trib.al/EnJu57H
November 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Bolsonaro to jail for 27 years. Trump completely free 🤡
Other, more serious countries, etc. etc.
Other, more serious countries, etc. etc.
Reposted by Ken Hughes
For non-lawyers: this is the largest sanction against an attorney for frivolous conduct that I've ever heard of*. When attorneys are sanctioned $10-$20k is a big deal. This is a MASSIVE deal.
*- not counting the slightly different issue of defendants having their answer struck for misconduct.
*- not counting the slightly different issue of defendants having their answer struck for misconduct.
NEW: An unanimous appeals court panel — authored by conservative Judge William Pryor and joined by Trump appointee Andrew Brasher — upheld a $1 million sanction againt Trump/Habba for filing a "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
November 26, 2025 at 3:53 PM
For non-lawyers: this is the largest sanction against an attorney for frivolous conduct that I've ever heard of*. When attorneys are sanctioned $10-$20k is a big deal. This is a MASSIVE deal.
*- not counting the slightly different issue of defendants having their answer struck for misconduct.
*- not counting the slightly different issue of defendants having their answer struck for misconduct.
Reposted by Ken Hughes
“When you write your political opinions on social media, you are exercising your freedom of the press, or when you record law enforcement or record anything else you see that you believe to be of public interest, you’re exercising your freedom of the press, whether you’re a journalist or not.”
As Charlotte immigration enforcement fears linger, activists from Chicago offer advice
As federal immigration enforcement departs Charlotte, organizers and advocates share lessons they’ve learned from Chicago’s immigration raids — lessons that could inform responses to future crackdowns...
www.wfae.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:30 PM
“When you write your political opinions on social media, you are exercising your freedom of the press, or when you record law enforcement or record anything else you see that you believe to be of public interest, you’re exercising your freedom of the press, whether you’re a journalist or not.”
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Hey there, you’re using WhatsApp?
Recently, researchers found a significant privacy flaw that enabled them to uncover phone numbers associated with 3.5 billion accounts.
Read more about this and learn how to limit who can see your WhatsApp information in our digital security newsletter:
Recently, researchers found a significant privacy flaw that enabled them to uncover phone numbers associated with 3.5 billion accounts.
Read more about this and learn how to limit who can see your WhatsApp information in our digital security newsletter:
Researchers find flaw exposing billions of WhatsApp numbers
Researchers discovered phone numbers and, in some instances, associated profile photos and names through WhatsApp’s contact discovery tool
freedom.press
November 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Hey there, you’re using WhatsApp?
Recently, researchers found a significant privacy flaw that enabled them to uncover phone numbers associated with 3.5 billion accounts.
Read more about this and learn how to limit who can see your WhatsApp information in our digital security newsletter:
Recently, researchers found a significant privacy flaw that enabled them to uncover phone numbers associated with 3.5 billion accounts.
Read more about this and learn how to limit who can see your WhatsApp information in our digital security newsletter:
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Here's a gift link to the @nytimes.com article about Trump aging in office. Fair? Unfair? Enough? Too much? Should we require presidents to release certain health details? (Also, remember "executive time" from the first term?) 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Here's a gift link to the @nytimes.com article about Trump aging in office. Fair? Unfair? Enough? Too much? Should we require presidents to release certain health details? (Also, remember "executive time" from the first term?) 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Reposted by Ken Hughes
“After Ferreira was detained, Dos Santos Rodrigues said Michael Leavitt Sr. and his father, Bob Leavitt, reached out to her.”
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
‘Brazil is not her home.’ Mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, brought to US as child, detained by ICE. - The Boston Globe
Bruna Ferreira, 33, was brought to the United States as a child in 1998. She is now in removal proceedings in Louisiana.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
“After Ferreira was detained, Dos Santos Rodrigues said Michael Leavitt Sr. and his father, Bob Leavitt, reached out to her.”
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
Nobody Should Go to Jail for a Harmless Meme
"In my 25 years working as a lawyer on free-speech cases, I have seen a lot of overreach. I have never seen anything quite like this."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
"In my 25 years working as a lawyer on free-speech cases, I have seen a lot of overreach. I have never seen anything quite like this."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Opinion | Nobody Should Go to Jail for a Harmless Meme
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Nobody Should Go to Jail for a Harmless Meme
"In my 25 years working as a lawyer on free-speech cases, I have seen a lot of overreach. I have never seen anything quite like this."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
"In my 25 years working as a lawyer on free-speech cases, I have seen a lot of overreach. I have never seen anything quite like this."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Reposted by Ken Hughes
How DARE anyone suggest senior Trump officials might act in ways that do not respect the law?
www.cbsnews.com/news/noem-de...
www.cbsnews.com/news/noem-de...
Noem made decision not to turn around deportation flights bound for El Salvador after judge's order, DOJ says
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem made the final decision to allow a group of deportees to be handed over to El Salvador after a judge said their flights must be returned to the U.S., the DOJ said.
www.cbsnews.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:51 PM
How DARE anyone suggest senior Trump officials might act in ways that do not respect the law?
www.cbsnews.com/news/noem-de...
www.cbsnews.com/news/noem-de...
Mark Kelly Is Being Investigated for Telling the Truth
"If anything is lawless here, it’s the investigations."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
"If anything is lawless here, it’s the investigations."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Opinion | Mark Kelly Is Being Investigated for Telling the Truth
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Mark Kelly Is Being Investigated for Telling the Truth
"If anything is lawless here, it’s the investigations."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
"If anything is lawless here, it’s the investigations."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Good morning, #FirstAmendmentPeople.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
bsky.app/profile/us.t...
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
bsky.app/profile/us.t...
4 out of 5 active-duty service members surveyed say there are clear lines they won’t cross — harming civilians tops the list, followed by torture and unlawful deportations. Yet training gaps still leave many unsure how to recognize illegal orders in real time. buff.ly/w0UZupD
Just follow orders or obey the law? What US troops told us about refusing illegal commands
A majority of service members understand the distinction between legal and illegal orders.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Reposted by Ken Hughes
Antarctica’s melt affects everybody but won’t hit every coastline the same.
New maps show where seas could rise the fastest, and why millions of coastal residents should pay attention now 🌊
New maps show where seas could rise the fastest, and why millions of coastal residents should pay attention now 🌊
Sea level doesn’t rise at the same rate everywhere – we mapped where Antarctica’s ice melt would have the biggest impact
Understanding what happens to Antarctica’s ice matters, because as it melts, sea levels rise, affecting lives and economies around the world.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Antarctica’s melt affects everybody but won’t hit every coastline the same.
New maps show where seas could rise the fastest, and why millions of coastal residents should pay attention now 🌊
New maps show where seas could rise the fastest, and why millions of coastal residents should pay attention now 🌊