Mike Masnick
@masnick.com
Techdirt guy. Writes about social media, copyright, free speech, content moderation, civil liberties and stuff like that. Once wrote a paper that may have helped inspire this service & now I'm on its board: https://bit.ly/protocolnotplatform
So... I keep changing my mind between "this is deep satire" and "this is real." I *think* it's satire. But, dammit, I'm just not sure...
February 1, 2026 at 6:28 AM
So... I keep changing my mind between "this is deep satire" and "this is real." I *think* it's satire. But, dammit, I'm just not sure...
Seems like a harbinger of something...
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
February 1, 2026 at 5:52 AM
Seems like a harbinger of something...
Reposted by Mike Masnick
‼️‼️‼️‼️ Per reporters on scene, Leigh Wambsganss has shut down her party. She hasn't conceded to Taylor Rehmet yet, but apparently told supporters that “we’ll be back in November.”
Hard to overstate how big a deal a Rehmet win would be. Tarrant County is the epicenter of Christian nationalism in Texas, an incubator for far-right policies, and nexus of billionaire Tim Dunn's network, which is riding hard for Wambsganss. Rehmet almost entirely funded by donations of $100 or less
‼️‼️ Still a lot TBD, but Rehmet is leading early vote count by **13 POINTS** in a district that Trump won by 17 points. I'll be updating in this thread throughout the night.
February 1, 2026 at 4:36 AM
‼️‼️‼️‼️ Per reporters on scene, Leigh Wambsganss has shut down her party. She hasn't conceded to Taylor Rehmet yet, but apparently told supporters that “we’ll be back in November.”
Reposted by Mike Masnick
They aren’t deescalating anything. They’re claiming new extra-constitutional powers.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 11:30 PM
They aren’t deescalating anything. They’re claiming new extra-constitutional powers.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Retiring GOP Senator Thom Tillis calls Noem and Miller sycophants. Note his avoidance of any criticisms of the person who hired and directs the actions of those two people.
February 1, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Retiring GOP Senator Thom Tillis calls Noem and Miller sycophants. Note his avoidance of any criticisms of the person who hired and directs the actions of those two people.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Q: On ICE protests, what did you mean when you said 'people will suffer an equal or greater consequence'?
TRUMP: If they do anything bad to our people, they will have to suffer, I'm sorry. If they throw bricks at one of our very expensive vehicles, they are gonna be met with very very serious force
TRUMP: If they do anything bad to our people, they will have to suffer, I'm sorry. If they throw bricks at one of our very expensive vehicles, they are gonna be met with very very serious force
February 1, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Q: On ICE protests, what did you mean when you said 'people will suffer an equal or greater consequence'?
TRUMP: If they do anything bad to our people, they will have to suffer, I'm sorry. If they throw bricks at one of our very expensive vehicles, they are gonna be met with very very serious force
TRUMP: If they do anything bad to our people, they will have to suffer, I'm sorry. If they throw bricks at one of our very expensive vehicles, they are gonna be met with very very serious force
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Thousands of union members staged a nonviolent march today. iCE gassed the crowd of nurses and teaches. The neighborhood is in a cloud. Flash bangs are being fired.
February 1, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Thousands of union members staged a nonviolent march today. iCE gassed the crowd of nurses and teaches. The neighborhood is in a cloud. Flash bangs are being fired.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
This is tear gassing protesters just for protesting. There is no threat, and the only danger presented is ICE behaving recklessly. There is no provocation; this is just straight up assault.
Just experienced the most intense tear gassing of my life by federal officers outside the ICE facility in Portland where marchers gathered. There was no fast exit as they indiscriminately threw loads of gas and flash bangs. Children were in the crowd screaming. @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:07 AM
This is tear gassing protesters just for protesting. There is no threat, and the only danger presented is ICE behaving recklessly. There is no provocation; this is just straight up assault.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
remember when trump was saying that the epstein files were a hoax? lmfao
February 1, 2026 at 1:02 AM
remember when trump was saying that the epstein files were a hoax? lmfao
Reposted by Mike Masnick
I have been trying to write an essay for four weeks now about Article II under the Trump administration and I keep having to restart because the draft never appropriately conveys the insanity of whatever happened during the last week.
Trump on his multiple suits against the federal government: "I'm supposed to work out a settlement with myself ... We could make it a substantial amount, nobody would care, because it's gonna go to numerous, very good charities."
February 1, 2026 at 2:39 AM
I have been trying to write an essay for four weeks now about Article II under the Trump administration and I keep having to restart because the draft never appropriately conveys the insanity of whatever happened during the last week.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Constitutional crisis doesn’t do enough to convey how absurd our current situation is.
Trump on his multiple suits against the federal government: "I'm supposed to work out a settlement with myself ... We could make it a substantial amount, nobody would care, because it's gonna go to numerous, very good charities."
February 1, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Constitutional crisis doesn’t do enough to convey how absurd our current situation is.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
if you’re tear gassing little kids you lose your job, you get arrested, tried, and jailed
simply no other option in a civilized society, these goons must face consequences
simply no other option in a civilized society, these goons must face consequences
February 1, 2026 at 3:17 AM
if you’re tear gassing little kids you lose your job, you get arrested, tried, and jailed
simply no other option in a civilized society, these goons must face consequences
simply no other option in a civilized society, these goons must face consequences
Reposted by Mike Masnick
I've seen videos of the indiscriminate use of tear gas on a large crowd that was clearly peaceful and filled with Portlanders of all ages, and well off the macadam facility. We banned tear gas for a reason. I join Councilor Green in calling for enforcement of our laws.
I just got tear gassed along with thousands of union members, many of whom had their families with them. Federal agents at the ICE facility tear gassed children. We must abolish ICE, DHS, and we must have prosecutions. I expect to see enforcement of our city code prohibiting the use of tear gas.
February 1, 2026 at 2:54 AM
I've seen videos of the indiscriminate use of tear gas on a large crowd that was clearly peaceful and filled with Portlanders of all ages, and well off the macadam facility. We banned tear gas for a reason. I join Councilor Green in calling for enforcement of our laws.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
ICE is assaulting and at war with americans. we are all their enemy. no other way to look at it at this point
Just experienced the most intense tear gassing of my life by federal officers outside the ICE facility in Portland where marchers gathered. There was no fast exit as they indiscriminately threw loads of gas and flash bangs. Children were in the crowd screaming. @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 1, 2026 at 2:49 AM
ICE is assaulting and at war with americans. we are all their enemy. no other way to look at it at this point
Reposted by Mike Masnick
He's looting the U.S. Treasury, people. Most crooked dictators find covert ways to get rich. Trump intends to simply order his government to transfer money into his bank account.
Trump on his multiple suits against the federal government: "I'm supposed to work out a settlement with myself ... We could make it a substantial amount, nobody would care, because it's gonna go to numerous, very good charities."
February 1, 2026 at 2:49 AM
He's looting the U.S. Treasury, people. Most crooked dictators find covert ways to get rich. Trump intends to simply order his government to transfer money into his bank account.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Jeffrey Epstein did not stop raping children after his 2008 conviction. Jeffrey Epstein did not stop facilitating the rape of children after his 2008 conviction. He kept doing it.
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
Jeffrey Epstein allegedly sexually abused girls in the US Virgin Islands through 2018 | CNN
Jeffrey Epstein allegedly transported underage girls to his secluded homes in the US Virgin Islands and forced them into sex work from 2001 through 2018, according to a lawsuit filed by the Attorney G...
www.cnn.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Jeffrey Epstein did not stop raping children after his 2008 conviction. Jeffrey Epstein did not stop facilitating the rape of children after his 2008 conviction. He kept doing it.
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
Reposted by Mike Masnick
It's hard to overstate how ell-organized the portland march that got gassed was... organizers made the crowd promise to be peaceful, said the march would slow in front of the ICE building but not stop, that we would stick to one chant (ICE Out). They did absolutely everything right and got gassed.
February 1, 2026 at 3:10 AM
It's hard to overstate how ell-organized the portland march that got gassed was... organizers made the crowd promise to be peaceful, said the march would slow in front of the ICE building but not stop, that we would stick to one chant (ICE Out). They did absolutely everything right and got gassed.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Federal paramilitaries running up on the rooftops to fire irritants and flash bangs down into a peaceable assembly full of little kids
I was there. They were indiscriminately firing multiple canisters into a huge peaceful crowd. Fucking cowards
February 1, 2026 at 3:01 AM
Federal paramilitaries running up on the rooftops to fire irritants and flash bangs down into a peaceable assembly full of little kids
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Oh, this Wormtongue thing is catching on!
January 31, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Oh, this Wormtongue thing is catching on!
Reposted by Mike Masnick
This fucking guy had the fucking nerve to fucking complain how unfair and unjust it was that a pierogi vendor at a farmer's market was rude to him.
Dershowitz enters the chat by providing PBPD with social media evidence that one of the victims posted on her blog that she smoked weed and loved her boyfriend.
January 31, 2026 at 10:28 PM
This fucking guy had the fucking nerve to fucking complain how unfair and unjust it was that a pierogi vendor at a farmer's market was rude to him.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Y’all wanna see bots try to throw a dead body over a wall
February 1, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Y’all wanna see bots try to throw a dead body over a wall
Reposted by Mike Masnick
Armenian Worker in Van Nuys Responds to Dr. Oz: I’ve been an American citizen for 26 years. We are hardworking. I’ve worked here almost 20 years. We are in the United States. It doesn’t matter if you are Mexican, Armenian, Russian—we are all American.
January 31, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Armenian Worker in Van Nuys Responds to Dr. Oz: I’ve been an American citizen for 26 years. We are hardworking. I’ve worked here almost 20 years. We are in the United States. It doesn’t matter if you are Mexican, Armenian, Russian—we are all American.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
It rules how every other government worker is subject to incredible scrutiny for like everything but if you're a cop you can just do blatant fraud and everyone kinda just shrugs at it
I know this from researching police salaries for a recent paper: many cities have a set of officers taking home more than $500k and they can’t really explain why
oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/o...
oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/o...
One Oakland police officer made $490,000 in overtime. The city can’t find records detailing much of what he did
One OPD officer logged 5,242 total working hours, racking up $490,000 in overtime pay. If he worked more than half of the time in a calendar year, why can't the city tell us what he did?
oaklandside.org
January 31, 2026 at 10:32 PM
It rules how every other government worker is subject to incredible scrutiny for like everything but if you're a cop you can just do blatant fraud and everyone kinda just shrugs at it
Reposted by Mike Masnick
I'm so old, I remember January 2025 when this racist letter circulated in Lincoln County, OR encouraging people to report on their neighbors who are undocumented. The letter ended by saying this would bring houses prices down. What was condemned as racist vigilantism last year is now gov't policy.
January 31, 2026 at 11:47 PM
I'm so old, I remember January 2025 when this racist letter circulated in Lincoln County, OR encouraging people to report on their neighbors who are undocumented. The letter ended by saying this would bring houses prices down. What was condemned as racist vigilantism last year is now gov't policy.
Reposted by Mike Masnick
1/ Ian Austin has since been re-arrested along with Don Lemon, which he believes is bc the video we made of him (below) criticizing the Trump regime and encouraging fellow vets to wake up had gotten millions of views.
It's not just journalists. It's ANYONE. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
It's not just journalists. It's ANYONE. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
January 31, 2026 at 8:28 PM
1/ Ian Austin has since been re-arrested along with Don Lemon, which he believes is bc the video we made of him (below) criticizing the Trump regime and encouraging fellow vets to wake up had gotten millions of views.
It's not just journalists. It's ANYONE. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
It's not just journalists. It's ANYONE. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...