@m34t0r.bsky.social
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Apparently Exxon won't have the privilege of having their stuff nationalized a third time in Venezuela bc Darren Woods told the truth at what was meant to be a performed loyalty session.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
January 12, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Apparently Exxon won't have the privilege of having their stuff nationalized a third time in Venezuela bc Darren Woods told the truth at what was meant to be a performed loyalty session.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
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Russ Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances:
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published Oct. 2025 with @newyorker.com)
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published Oct. 2025 with @newyorker.com)
Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that inside...
www.propublica.org
January 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Russ Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances:
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published Oct. 2025 with @newyorker.com)
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published Oct. 2025 with @newyorker.com)
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Um…LaMalfa used his position as much as he could to try to block certification of the 2020 election. He opposed abortion access and celebrated the end of Roe v Wade. He denied manmade effects on climate for his entire life. And he criticized the antiracism movement, saying “racism will always exist”
LaMalfa was known for his dedication to water access and forestry management, key issues for his largely rural district. His death leaves House Republicans with an even more precarious majority that could struggle to pass Republican legislation. bit.ly/4sAX2DF
📸 Salvador Ochoa
📸 Salvador Ochoa
January 12, 2026 at 3:56 AM
Um…LaMalfa used his position as much as he could to try to block certification of the 2020 election. He opposed abortion access and celebrated the end of Roe v Wade. He denied manmade effects on climate for his entire life. And he criticized the antiracism movement, saying “racism will always exist”
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The HHS Bill and the Defense Spending bill are the big appropriations bills. Democrats are using Defense as leverage with Republicans. HHS will be the real test for trans people.
Incredibly important: they're most likely to put anti-trans bullshit in the HHS approps bill, we don't yet have that leg text yet.
Keep the pressure up.
Keep the pressure up.
BREAKING and HUGE news for transgender people: The bipartisan final negotiated text for these spending bills REMOVED language to restrict gender-affirming care as part of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.
docs.house.gov/billsthiswee...
docs.house.gov/billsthiswee...
January 12, 2026 at 3:18 AM
The HHS Bill and the Defense Spending bill are the big appropriations bills. Democrats are using Defense as leverage with Republicans. HHS will be the real test for trans people.
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Congratulations to all the bankers, hedge-fund managers, private-equity honchos, tech titans, corporate executives and op-ed writers for backing the man who will do more to undermine the system that made them insanely wealthy than any other presidential candidate in their lifetimes.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank had been served grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department threatening a criminal indictment, a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s attacks on the Fed.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Fed Served With DOJ Subpoenas, Powell Vows to Stand Firm
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank had been served grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department threatening a criminal indictment, a dramatic escalation of the Trump admi...
www.bloomberg.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:08 AM
Congratulations to all the bankers, hedge-fund managers, private-equity honchos, tech titans, corporate executives and op-ed writers for backing the man who will do more to undermine the system that made them insanely wealthy than any other presidential candidate in their lifetimes.
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i think powell's response here is a demonstration of the folly of the idea that democratic accountability requires presidential control. what if the president is not acting in the public interest? you want independent agencies to be able to push back and pursue their *congressional mandate*
Powell, showing more guts than almost any GOP legislators:
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Fed setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Fed setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
January 12, 2026 at 1:43 AM
i think powell's response here is a demonstration of the folly of the idea that democratic accountability requires presidential control. what if the president is not acting in the public interest? you want independent agencies to be able to push back and pursue their *congressional mandate*
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hi, political philosopher here! this is not funny, central banks only do this when they're in extreme distress
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 1:04 AM
hi, political philosopher here! this is not funny, central banks only do this when they're in extreme distress
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When I talk about leaving the door open for Trump voters, and about looking for recruits instead of alliances or convenience, this is exactly what I mean
No one had to compromise any values here. No one made the left more paletable by throwing trans people under the bus. And yet, here she is
No one had to compromise any values here. No one made the left more paletable by throwing trans people under the bus. And yet, here she is
Losing my shit at Ashley St Clair doing a reverse Naomi Wolf.
January 11, 2026 at 9:26 PM
When I talk about leaving the door open for Trump voters, and about looking for recruits instead of alliances or convenience, this is exactly what I mean
No one had to compromise any values here. No one made the left more paletable by throwing trans people under the bus. And yet, here she is
No one had to compromise any values here. No one made the left more paletable by throwing trans people under the bus. And yet, here she is
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WELKER: Do you bear any responsibility to bring down the temperature?
FREY: Of course. But I dropped an F bomb and they killed somebody. I think the killing somebody is the inflammatory element here and not the F bomb.
FREY: Of course. But I dropped an F bomb and they killed somebody. I think the killing somebody is the inflammatory element here and not the F bomb.
January 11, 2026 at 3:42 PM
WELKER: Do you bear any responsibility to bring down the temperature?
FREY: Of course. But I dropped an F bomb and they killed somebody. I think the killing somebody is the inflammatory element here and not the F bomb.
FREY: Of course. But I dropped an F bomb and they killed somebody. I think the killing somebody is the inflammatory element here and not the F bomb.
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Somali aunties were giving out samosas to the anti ICE protesters in Minneapolis.
January 11, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Somali aunties were giving out samosas to the anti ICE protesters in Minneapolis.
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This slogan adopted by Kristi Noem, "One of Ours, All of Yours," is taken from the Nazis, who retaliated for the killing of an SS officer by murdering all the inhabitants of the Czech village of Lidice, apparently none of whom had anything to do with it, and razing the village to the ground.
January 11, 2026 at 7:04 PM
This slogan adopted by Kristi Noem, "One of Ours, All of Yours," is taken from the Nazis, who retaliated for the killing of an SS officer by murdering all the inhabitants of the Czech village of Lidice, apparently none of whom had anything to do with it, and razing the village to the ground.
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Right wingers: I’m a “I hate my wife guy”
January 11, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Right wingers: I’m a “I hate my wife guy”
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"It wasn't murder, and if you say it was murder we will kill you, which again will not be murder."
Homan: "We gotta stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It's just ridiculous. It's gonna infuriate people more which means there's gonna be more incidents like this."
January 11, 2026 at 5:04 PM
"It wasn't murder, and if you say it was murder we will kill you, which again will not be murder."
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Social media monitoring systems, cellphone location tracking, facial recognition, remote hacking tools — now being turned on Americans by ICE to target protesters. bit.ly/3Kq348R
ICE Wants to Go After Dissenters as well as Immigrants
The Trump administration is being open about its plans to violate Americans’ First and Fourth Amendment rights.
www.brennancenter.org
January 10, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Social media monitoring systems, cellphone location tracking, facial recognition, remote hacking tools — now being turned on Americans by ICE to target protesters. bit.ly/3Kq348R
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I am incandescently angry at this & the total cowardice of the Republicans in Congress who are not putting an end to this & this presidency immediately over this, the most important pillar of our entire national security strategy for 80 years.
Seeing Europeans contemplate creating a tripwire in Greenland is just depressing. That the US is now becoming Europe's enemy is so infuriating. So much wasted time, effort, capital, and so on for a non-threat (US has access to Greenland, it is protected by US already under NATO treaty).
“The US should thank Denmark for being a loyal ally,” says 🇸🇪 PM Kristersson at the annual Swedish Security Conference in Sälen.
Social Democratic opposition leader Andersson is open for sending European and Swedish troops to Greenland.
Social Democratic opposition leader Andersson is open for sending European and Swedish troops to Greenland.
January 11, 2026 at 2:47 PM
I am incandescently angry at this & the total cowardice of the Republicans in Congress who are not putting an end to this & this presidency immediately over this, the most important pillar of our entire national security strategy for 80 years.
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Mental note -- when mentioning the Washington Post's past reporting in lecture, be sure to add as an aside that it was once an outlet with a good reputation, otherwise students will be confused.
In which the English editors that Jeff Bezos hired from Rupert Murdoch to run WaPo demonstrate (1) that they don't understand the First Amendment and how it works and (2) that they're also basically illiterate.
January 10, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Mental note -- when mentioning the Washington Post's past reporting in lecture, be sure to add as an aside that it was once an outlet with a good reputation, otherwise students will be confused.
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One of the takeaways of my current book is that the ability of the federal government to exert real power in domestic settings has always been largely overblown.
They don’t have the juice or manpower for it. This is not late 1930s Germany. There is no state monopoly on media. They are wildly unpopular.
The goal here is martial law. It’s martial law. Let’s be clear about that.
January 10, 2026 at 7:30 PM
One of the takeaways of my current book is that the ability of the federal government to exert real power in domestic settings has always been largely overblown.
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The MPD union, at least, has made it clear which side they are on.
This is the cost of DECADES of (everyone, everywhere) refusing to deal with the rising right-wing and white-nationalist involvement in policing.
This is the cost of DECADES of (everyone, everywhere) refusing to deal with the rising right-wing and white-nationalist involvement in policing.
January 10, 2026 at 9:31 PM
The MPD union, at least, has made it clear which side they are on.
This is the cost of DECADES of (everyone, everywhere) refusing to deal with the rising right-wing and white-nationalist involvement in policing.
This is the cost of DECADES of (everyone, everywhere) refusing to deal with the rising right-wing and white-nationalist involvement in policing.
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If you are a veteran, this kind of visible presence at anti-ICE protests is really valuable.
These clowns all want to play dress-up soldier, so actual soldiers mocking them to their faces is devastating.
These clowns all want to play dress-up soldier, so actual soldiers mocking them to their faces is devastating.
🇺🇸 MINNEAPOLIS VETERAN: "They are terrorizing the population, in Afghanistan we never wore masks.” (From @statuscoupnews.bsky.social )
January 10, 2026 at 10:16 PM
If you are a veteran, this kind of visible presence at anti-ICE protests is really valuable.
These clowns all want to play dress-up soldier, so actual soldiers mocking them to their faces is devastating.
These clowns all want to play dress-up soldier, so actual soldiers mocking them to their faces is devastating.
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This would be a great question to pose to the White House.
If you believe that federal officers can kill individuals who disobey their orders, does that mean you think the Capitol Police should have opened fire on January 6th?
Do you think Ashli Babbitt deserved to die and others should have too?
If you believe that federal officers can kill individuals who disobey their orders, does that mean you think the Capitol Police should have opened fire on January 6th?
Do you think Ashli Babbitt deserved to die and others should have too?
Also, by their own standards, the cops protecting the Capitol on Jan 6 should have opened fire all over.
January 11, 2026 at 1:31 AM
This would be a great question to pose to the White House.
If you believe that federal officers can kill individuals who disobey their orders, does that mean you think the Capitol Police should have opened fire on January 6th?
Do you think Ashli Babbitt deserved to die and others should have too?
If you believe that federal officers can kill individuals who disobey their orders, does that mean you think the Capitol Police should have opened fire on January 6th?
Do you think Ashli Babbitt deserved to die and others should have too?
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"Paywalled" is the word you're looking for. They didn't turn it off. The only thing that changed is X now explicitly makes money off CSAM.
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
X to limit editing function to paying subscribers after platform threatened with fines and regulatory action
Grok, Elon Musk’s AI tool, has switched off its image creation function for the vast majority of users after widespread outcry over its use to create sexually explicit and violent imagery.
It comes after Musk was threatened with fines, regulatory action and reports of a possible ban on X in the UK. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:57 AM
"Paywalled" is the word you're looking for. They didn't turn it off. The only thing that changed is X now explicitly makes money off CSAM.
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"The texts suggest a degree of involvement by the governor’s administration in university operations that is atypical in modern Virginia history, according to multiple former board members."
My alma mater is the gift that keeps on giving.
My alma mater is the gift that keeps on giving.
Exclusive: Texts messages offer an unfiltered account of University of Virginia board members speaking about ending “chemical and surgical mutilation” for transgender youth at its hospitals and undoing “regimes of racial classification” in its classrooms.
‘This is war’: In texts, U-Va. board members plot with Youngkin, decry DEI
Private messages between University of Virginia board members and other officials show how they deliberated on key issues and Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s involvement in university operations.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:28 PM
"The texts suggest a degree of involvement by the governor’s administration in university operations that is atypical in modern Virginia history, according to multiple former board members."
My alma mater is the gift that keeps on giving.
My alma mater is the gift that keeps on giving.
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As a reminder, here are texts Charles Exum wrote bragging abt shooting Marimar Martinez in Chicago on 10/4.
Exum yelled "Do something bitch" as he shot, first through windshield, then side window. ALSO a Greg Bovino deployment. ALSO a weapons instructor.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Exum yelled "Do something bitch" as he shot, first through windshield, then side window. ALSO a Greg Bovino deployment. ALSO a weapons instructor.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 10, 2026 at 3:27 PM
As a reminder, here are texts Charles Exum wrote bragging abt shooting Marimar Martinez in Chicago on 10/4.
Exum yelled "Do something bitch" as he shot, first through windshield, then side window. ALSO a Greg Bovino deployment. ALSO a weapons instructor.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Exum yelled "Do something bitch" as he shot, first through windshield, then side window. ALSO a Greg Bovino deployment. ALSO a weapons instructor.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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maybe relatedly, dental offices are an absolute hotbed of employment law violations. it's wild. you've got handsy dentists. you've got constant pregnancy discrimination because everyone who works there is a woman under 35.
can't tell you how many cases we've had against dental offices.
can't tell you how many cases we've had against dental offices.
total side note has anyone ever noticed that seemingly everyone who works in dentistry is like jaw-droppingly attractive? what the hell is up with that. my dentist looks like he could be an actor and all of the assistants look like models. what do they have in the fluoride???
January 10, 2026 at 7:31 PM
maybe relatedly, dental offices are an absolute hotbed of employment law violations. it's wild. you've got handsy dentists. you've got constant pregnancy discrimination because everyone who works there is a woman under 35.
can't tell you how many cases we've had against dental offices.
can't tell you how many cases we've had against dental offices.