Kris Stern
@goldenzgirl.bsky.social
230 followers 93 following 730 posts
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness ...” - Mark Twain
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goldenzgirl.bsky.social
Our shame continues.
nbcnews.com
Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova during today’s Oval Office meeting with President Trump, VP Vance and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. (via White House pool)

nbcnews.to/4ilvKLp
Reposted by Kris Stern
billkristolbulwark.bsky.social
Pope Leo quotes Hannah Arendt:

“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."

www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
Pope Leo calls for news agencies to stand as bulwark against "post-truths," lies and manipulation
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the "ancient art of lying" and manipulation.
www.cbsnews.com
Reposted by Kris Stern
justinelliott.bsky.social
Here is our full story that Vance is dismissing, with primary source documents showing Trump cabinet members with multiple primary-residence mortgages

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Kris Stern
brandonfriedman.bsky.social
This is great. Normally, with U.S. press, when a Republican lies, they go, "well, we'll have to leave it there because I want to move on."

In this case, however, Vance lies and Stephanopoulos is immediately, "into the trebuchet, my dude."
atrupar.com
STEPHANOPOULOS: I didn't insinuate anything. I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50k as was heard on an audio tape recorded by the FBI in September 2024. You did not answer the question. Thank you for your time.

VANCE: No, George, I sai--

STEPHANOPOULOS: We'll be right back
goldenzgirl.bsky.social
Made them do it, or let them do it?
Reposted by Kris Stern
thebulwark.com
"Making the rigged election claim to the military now, retroactively, is a half-step. By stating it as fact and forcing the general staff to accept it, he is laying the predicate to make such a claim directly to the military in the future."
“Legal Orders” and Trump’s Military
Authoritarians don’t take power by openly flouting the law. They look for pretexts and legal theories.
www.thebulwark.com
Reposted by Kris Stern
kjephd.bsky.social
Republicans feel empowered by their leader's autocratic coup against the Constitution to pursue their most cartoonishly evil agenda items, like literally making it easier to kill seals and whales

abcnews.go.com/Politics/wir...
Republicans try to weaken 50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears

One of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction, is the subject of an effort for cutbacks from Republican lawmakers who now feel they have the political will to do so
Reposted by Kris Stern
gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social
It's incredible the extent to which Congress just utterly refuses to defend itself. You'd think for entirely self-interested reasons you would stridently oppose having the power of the purse arbitrarily ripped from you, ya know?

Why would you allow yourself to become the Roman Senate circa 27 BC.
kjephd.bsky.social
Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.
Reposted by Kris Stern
kjephd.bsky.social
Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.
Reposted by Kris Stern
longtimehistory.bsky.social
ICE secretly kidnap autistic boy during bathroom break—never notify parents.

Mother reported him missing a week ago—turns out ICE had him detained the whole time.

He was helping sell fruit and asked to go to the restroom—by the time she was done helping a customer he was gone.

Houston, Texas
Reposted by Kris Stern
apparentlynormal.bsky.social
"If the American people accept what is happening right now, then I guess the American experiment is over. And that's really the most terrifying thing. Not what Donald Trump is doing, but what Americans might allow Donald Trump to do"
Charlie Sykes (@sykescharlie.bsky.social)
Susan Glasser: TrumpSchmerz | To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes
shows.acast.com
Reposted by Kris Stern
thebulwark.com
"The president has already announced that if a judge does rule against him, he will invoke the Insurrection Act and then continue the military deployments. This is where we’ve been headed since January 6, 2021."
Emergency Triad: The Chicago Rubicon and What Comes Next
We aren’t at the worst-case scenario yet. But if you squint, you can see it looming out there, just over the horizon.
www.thebulwark.com
Reposted by Kris Stern
kylec.bsky.social
Colorado AG Phil Weiser (D) is calling on Coloradans to turn out en masse for Oct 18 demonstrations against President Trump’s use of the military in American cities. “Don’t be afraid,” Weiser said. “Don’t be afraid to show up.” #copolitics
Reposted by Kris Stern
thetnholler.bsky.social
Amazing what happens when you give the guy a plane
Reposted by Kris Stern
astroterry.bsky.social
Qatar does:
- $5.5B Trump resort deal
- $1.5B to Jared Kushner’s fund
- $400M 747 for Trump’s AF1 jet

US does:
- NATO-like security guarantees
- Qatari F-15s based at Mt Home AFB in Idaho

Working Americans get nothing while the Trump family gets rich.

www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/p...
US announces it will allow Qatar to build an Air Force facility in Idaho | CNN Politics
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that the US will allow Qatar to build an Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, which will host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and...
www.cnn.com
Reposted by Kris Stern
robertscotthorton.bsky.social
A peaceful protest rally under the Tom Paine motto "No Kings" is being held on the mall in Washington and in hundreds of other sites around the country. Prior No Kings rallies have attracted 11-12 million attendees, the largest political rallies in US history. bsky.app/profile/atru...
atrupar.com
Mike Johnson: "We're so angry about it. I mean, I'm a very patient guy, but I've had it with these people. The theory we have right now -- they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It's the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people ... "
Reposted by Kris Stern
chrismurphyct.bsky.social
When Republicans are pre-butting a pro-democracy rally like No Kings and making shit up left and right to scare people, you know they're losing and in panic mode.

Pedal to the floor.
Reposted by Kris Stern
petebuttigieg.bsky.social
If you look closely, you can see signs of GOP lawmakers fearing the long-term political consequences of paying more attention to Trump's demands than to the voices of their own constituents - or consciences.
goldenzgirl.bsky.social
🧵
gregsargent.bsky.social
Trump and Stephen Miller have relied on an army of MAGA "influencers" widely disseminating a fraudulent picture of Portland in chaos, to bolster the case for deploying military.

NYT has a good new piece on this. But it made several missteps worth highlighting. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...
Reposted by Kris Stern
whstancil.bsky.social
This is insane. I feel like I’m going insane when I’m watching this. Not just the fact that it’s clearly their fault, but the way a heavily-armed squad of masked thugs immediately jumps into the street and brutalizes the woman they just hit, despite having no idea who she is.
iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social
ICE GOONS crash into car and then point weapons to kidnap man.
Reposted by Kris Stern
leahlitman.bsky.social
More judges speak to the press (the NYT) about what a disaster the Supreme Court (specifically the shadow docket) has been - “incredibly demoralizing & troubling”; a “judicial crisis”; a “slap in the face to district courts.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...
Excerpts Excerpts
Reposted by Kris Stern
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Luttig has it right here: “[T]he Supreme Court has given them no choice but to speak out.”
leahlitman.bsky.social
More judges speak to the press (the NYT) about what a disaster the Supreme Court (specifically the shadow docket) has been - “incredibly demoralizing & troubling”; a “judicial crisis”; a “slap in the face to district courts.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...
Excerpts Excerpts
Reposted by Kris Stern
danielsilvabooks.bsky.social
Sitting Federal Judges don’t normally talk about this, or like this.
jamiegangel.bsky.social
New - “Dozens of sitting federal judges have shared their concerns about risks to the courts’ legitimacy as the Supreme Court releases opaque orders about Trump administration policies.”

Gift Article - www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...
Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders
www.nytimes.com