@mkarlesky.bsky.social
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If Donald Trump can illegally add his name to a national memorial, then we should celebrate his greatness by adding his name to all appropriate national monuments far and wide…
Reposted
Here’s to 2026
December 27, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Here’s to 2026
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All of the money that changed hands in the Teapot Dome scandal totaled less than $10 million after adjusting for inflation, and it was considered so corrupt we still teach it in high school government classes a century later.
Corruption so pungent, it wafts right off the page:
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 27, 2025 at 9:24 PM
All of the money that changed hands in the Teapot Dome scandal totaled less than $10 million after adjusting for inflation, and it was considered so corrupt we still teach it in high school government classes a century later.
Reposted
Insane NY Post column suggesting that the new First Lady who is sad about leaving her longtime neighbors in a not fancy NYC neighborhood is an ungrateful brown woman
December 28, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Insane NY Post column suggesting that the new First Lady who is sad about leaving her longtime neighbors in a not fancy NYC neighborhood is an ungrateful brown woman
Reposted
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Barely a blip in the news. 🦗from the New York Times editorial and opinion pages. Compare with days of Hunter Biden Hysteria about unprecedented abuse of the pardon power.
December 27, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Barely a blip in the news. 🦗from the New York Times editorial and opinion pages. Compare with days of Hunter Biden Hysteria about unprecedented abuse of the pardon power.
Reposted
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
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“The U.S. government just banned five people from entering the country because it doesn’t like their speech. This ban, according to the State Department, is necessary to protect free speech.
If that sounds insane to you, congratulations on your reading comprehension.”
Via @mmasnick.bsky.social
If that sounds insane to you, congratulations on your reading comprehension.”
Via @mmasnick.bsky.social
Opinion | Marco Rubio is using real censorship to fight fake censorship
Mike Masnick: In the name of protecting free speech, the U.S. government just banned five Europeans from entering the country because it doesn’t like their speech.
www.ms.now
December 27, 2025 at 6:03 PM
“The U.S. government just banned five people from entering the country because it doesn’t like their speech. This ban, according to the State Department, is necessary to protect free speech.
If that sounds insane to you, congratulations on your reading comprehension.”
Via @mmasnick.bsky.social
If that sounds insane to you, congratulations on your reading comprehension.”
Via @mmasnick.bsky.social
Reposted
Thanks to Jim Moylan, who pulled a borrowed car into a filling station on the wrong side on a rainy day & vowed to protect the rest of us from that annoying fate.
What are some of your favorite inventions that make life just a smidge better?
What are some of your favorite inventions that make life just a smidge better?
December 27, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Thanks to Jim Moylan, who pulled a borrowed car into a filling station on the wrong side on a rainy day & vowed to protect the rest of us from that annoying fate.
What are some of your favorite inventions that make life just a smidge better?
What are some of your favorite inventions that make life just a smidge better?
If Donald Trump can illegally add his name to a national memorial, then we should celebrate his greatness by adding his name to all appropriate national monuments far and wide…
December 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
If Donald Trump can illegally add his name to a national memorial, then we should celebrate his greatness by adding his name to all appropriate national monuments far and wide…
Reposted
In February, Pam Bondi told the world that she had the Epstein files on her desk and she was poised to release them to the public
Now, during Christmas, the Trump administration has suddenly found an additional 1 million pages
Never has there been a more incompetent bunch in charge of our country
Now, during Christmas, the Trump administration has suddenly found an additional 1 million pages
Never has there been a more incompetent bunch in charge of our country
Trump: “Now 1,000,000 more pages on Epstein are found. DOJ is being forced to spend all of its time on this Democrat inspired Hoax. When do they say NO MORE, & work on Election Fraud etc. The Dems are the ones who worked with Epstein, not the Republicans. Release all of their names, embarrass them”
December 27, 2025 at 1:51 AM
In February, Pam Bondi told the world that she had the Epstein files on her desk and she was poised to release them to the public
Now, during Christmas, the Trump administration has suddenly found an additional 1 million pages
Never has there been a more incompetent bunch in charge of our country
Now, during Christmas, the Trump administration has suddenly found an additional 1 million pages
Never has there been a more incompetent bunch in charge of our country
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Freaking love this city and all the people in it so much….a bunch of people went and turned the 4 train into the Polar Express giving out toys to kids along the way from the Bronx to Brooklyn….shoutout to the @newyorkers.live account on IG for doing this 🙏 www.instagram.com/reel/DSnsvWS...
December 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Freaking love this city and all the people in it so much….a bunch of people went and turned the 4 train into the Polar Express giving out toys to kids along the way from the Bronx to Brooklyn….shoutout to the @newyorkers.live account on IG for doing this 🙏 www.instagram.com/reel/DSnsvWS...
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Not sure I understand why the Trump administration cares about Christians in Nigeria and not Christians in Ukraine
December 26, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Not sure I understand why the Trump administration cares about Christians in Nigeria and not Christians in Ukraine
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Can someone please respond to Stephen Miller with this message from Frank Sinatra?
December 26, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Can someone please respond to Stephen Miller with this message from Frank Sinatra?
Reposted
There are only two offenses the Constitution goes out of its way to specifically say merit impeachment, and this is one of them.
GOP operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, convicted election fraudsters, were paid $960,000 in the second quarter to secure a pardon for a former nursing-home operator who defrauded the government of $38 million. Trump pardoned the man, Joseph Schwartz, last month.
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 25, 2025 at 10:47 PM
There are only two offenses the Constitution goes out of its way to specifically say merit impeachment, and this is one of them.
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Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” speech *defended* conservatives.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Kind of wild how the take that some of Trump's supporters were "deplorable" was some huge scandal, but regularly screaming about "radical left scum" is just a thing he'll say with no media backlash.
December 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” speech *defended* conservatives.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Paraphrasing: “Some call all Republicans racist, homophobic, and otherwise bigoted, but that’s unfair to millions. It’s only half, the rest are good people.”
But the press made calling an openly bigoted campaign bigoted a scandal.
Reposted
A government that can officially declare that Jesus is your savior can just as easily declare the opposite.
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
December 25, 2025 at 7:09 PM
A government that can officially declare that Jesus is your savior can just as easily declare the opposite.
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To me, the Christmas message is that we should care for the needy and vulnerable. I don't understand people who think it means we should smash the car windows of immigrants, tear-gas neighborhoods and zip-tie children.
May federal agents lose their masks and find their souls.
May federal agents lose their masks and find their souls.
December 25, 2025 at 1:21 PM
To me, the Christmas message is that we should care for the needy and vulnerable. I don't understand people who think it means we should smash the car windows of immigrants, tear-gas neighborhoods and zip-tie children.
May federal agents lose their masks and find their souls.
May federal agents lose their masks and find their souls.
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I never again want to hear about how the Republican Party is the party of national security. You don’t incinerate our diplomatic capacity & violate all of our treaty commitments if you care about national security.
Context for Trump withdrawing dozens of ambassadors
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
December 25, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I never again want to hear about how the Republican Party is the party of national security. You don’t incinerate our diplomatic capacity & violate all of our treaty commitments if you care about national security.
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Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building
Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Chuck Redd said.
dlvr.it
December 24, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building
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"If you don't fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”
-James Mattis as Secretary of Defense testifying before Congress in 2017.
Succeeding with soft power is greatly preferable—and a lot cheaper—than having to address something with hard power.
-James Mattis as Secretary of Defense testifying before Congress in 2017.
Succeeding with soft power is greatly preferable—and a lot cheaper—than having to address something with hard power.
Context for Trump withdrawing dozens of ambassadors
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
December 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
"If you don't fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”
-James Mattis as Secretary of Defense testifying before Congress in 2017.
Succeeding with soft power is greatly preferable—and a lot cheaper—than having to address something with hard power.
-James Mattis as Secretary of Defense testifying before Congress in 2017.
Succeeding with soft power is greatly preferable—and a lot cheaper—than having to address something with hard power.
Reposted
Since we’re on the topic of asking people for comment …
In 2021, Bari Weiss famously published a resignation letter by former Smith College librarian Jodi Shaw.
Shortly after, I asked Smith if Weiss had reached out for comment first.
“She did not,” spokesperson Stacey Schmeidel said via email.
Weiss’ agents declined my requests for comment.
Shortly after, I asked Smith if Weiss had reached out for comment first.
“She did not,” spokesperson Stacey Schmeidel said via email.
Weiss’ agents declined my requests for comment.
December 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Since we’re on the topic of asking people for comment …
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Bari Weiss just sent this Christmas Eve email to the CBS News staff about "building trust," which includes her tripling down on spiking the CECOT piece "to make sure it's comprehensive and fair."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
December 24, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Bari Weiss just sent this Christmas Eve email to the CBS News staff about "building trust," which includes her tripling down on spiking the CECOT piece "to make sure it's comprehensive and fair."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
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You know how Americans are surprised to learn that gun deaths are rare in most other countries, pedestrian-centered cities are normal, or everybody else uses metric? That, but discovering that the rest of the world moved to EVs.
It's funny how us parochial Americans generally seem to perceive that the EV revolution is stalling or reversing when in fact it's accelerating rapidly worldwide. 25% of cars sold globally in 2025 were EVs!
It's mostly just the US that's being left behind
It's mostly just the US that's being left behind
December 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
You know how Americans are surprised to learn that gun deaths are rare in most other countries, pedestrian-centered cities are normal, or everybody else uses metric? That, but discovering that the rest of the world moved to EVs.
Reposted
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Advocates in New Jersey say lawmakers should codify into state law a directive that restricts local collaboration with ICE.
“We need to do whatever we can in New Jersey to protect our people,” says the director of the ACLU in the state.
“We need to do whatever we can in New Jersey to protect our people,” says the director of the ACLU in the state.
Immigration Protections Are Uncertain in New Jersey even as Democrats Keep Governorship
Advocates want to promptly codify the limits on immigration enforcement put in place by the outgoing governor. Mikie Sherill, Tuesday’s winner, has declined to say if she
boltsmag.org
December 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Advocates in New Jersey say lawmakers should codify into state law a directive that restricts local collaboration with ICE.
“We need to do whatever we can in New Jersey to protect our people,” says the director of the ACLU in the state.
“We need to do whatever we can in New Jersey to protect our people,” says the director of the ACLU in the state.