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Alexandra Petri

@petridishes.bsky.social

110K followers 620 following 870 posts

I’m not in James Thurber’s attic any more! right now I’m home yay ! I’m the one who writes this column https://www.theatlantic.com/author/alexandra-petri/ and loves puns

www.theatlantic.com

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · Feb 26

“what could possibly happen when I’m on parental leave”

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 14h

oh great I’m an open source auditing tool now

Petri: An open-source auditing tool to accelerate AI safety research

A new automated auditing tool for AI safety research

www.anthropic.com

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 21h

I’m on deadline for a Big Thing so please enjoy some pieces I wrote earlier that are unfortunately still topical! mm beef tallow

A Dispatch From the MAHA Future

Featuring wearables, roadkill, and lots of astrology

www.theatlantic.com

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 21h

counterpoint: that speech was bad, actually, and even if it had been an email it would have been a bad email

If the Urgent Trump-Hegseth Address to the Military Had Been an Email

THIS IS NOT SPAM.

www.theatlantic.com

2 24 200

Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 22h

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b----' before shooting chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorn...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 6d

the world is a piñata that he is smashing, blindfolded

Is Trump’s TV Lying to Him?

If it is, then everything falls apart.

www.theatlantic.com

10 29 230

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 3d

old possum’s book of practical cats!!

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 3d

I saw it at a formative age myself which was what made me think it might be fun to inflict! glad to hear this is an excellent choice

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 3d

she knows I find it unsettling and feel the urge to yell “WHAT SIZE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BE” at the screen so that may contribute to the appeal

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 3d

anyway we made it through three songs and then she requested “spooky scary skeletons” instead

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 3d

so it is in this context that i told her taylor swift (of macavity fame) has a new album out! she was excited and expressed the hope that it would be like macavity

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 3d

but one time she saw a clip from the MOVIE by mistake and now she requests Taylor Swift singing Macavity every night before bed

an outcome I did not anticipate

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 3d

so I’ve shown the preschooler many songs from CATS the stage musical, figuring that it has lots of fun dance and is likely to make as much sense to a three year-old as it will to anyone in any context

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 4d

All that time
I thought I’d see a school friend
You said “I know how this ends
He’s not a flute you can learn (don’t take the chance)
Stay in Wittenberg
I hear he’s fighting in graves”
Saved my heart from the fate of
Guildenstern (and Rosencrantz)

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Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Jessica Pishko @jesspish.bsky.social · 5d

This raid is disgusting, abominable behavior, traumatizing children and families in their homes.
abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chi...

"They was terrified. The kids was crying. People was screaming. They looked very distraught. I was out there crying when I seen the little girl come around the corner, because they was bringing the kids down, too, had them zip tied to each other," Watson said. "That's all I kept asking. What is the morality? Where's the human? One of them literally laughed. He was standing right here. He said, 'f*** them kids.'"

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 5d

this piece from last month continues to sum up my feelings about a lot of things www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Apologies: You Have Reached the End of Your Free-Trial Period of America!

Want rule of law? That’s premium.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 5d

"Jones, 27, is among the residents left at 7500 S. South Shore Drive who are trying to piece together what remains after an early morning, high-powered federal immigration raid led to the arrests of dozens of their neighbors at their South Shore apartment building."

Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'

The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 37 people in the raid.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 5d

oooOo

Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Mr. Joshua @pantspants.bsky.social · 6d

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Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 7d

a piece exploring this concept www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

If the Urgent Trump-Hegseth Address to the Military Had Been an Email

THIS IS NOT SPAM.

www.theatlantic.com

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 6d

thanks, much appreciated!

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 6d

the world is a piñata that he is smashing, blindfolded

Is Trump’s TV Lying to Him?

If it is, then everything falls apart.

www.theatlantic.com

10 29 230

Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 7d

if the Trump Hegseth address had been an email www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

To: Entire Military Leadership of the United States, Stationed All Over the World, Who Would Have to Be Flown In Very Disruptively and Expensively If This Weren't an Email but for Some Reason Were an Urgent In-Person Address
From: Pete Hegseth
CC: Donald J. Trump
Subject: WARFIGHTER ETHOS
PLEASE DROP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING TO READ THIS EMAIL AT ATTENTION. THIS IS NOT SPAM AND I AM EXTREMELY SOBER! YOU ARE TOO FAT TO FIGHT WARS!

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 7d

a man talking to a robot with the words if you 'll not be needing me

Alt: a man talking to the robot C-3PO with the words if you 'll not be needing me I’ll close down for a while

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Alexandra Petri

Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 7d

New: ICE has bought a tool that tracks the locations of hundreds of millions of phones globally, updates every single day. Usually harvested from apps and advertising

www.404media.co/ice-to-buy-t...

ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day

Documents show that ICE has gone back on its decision to not use location data remotely harvested from peoples' phones. The database is updated every day with billions of pieces of location data.

www.404media.co

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 7d

congratulations on beating the algorithm! all Facebook ever recommends me is something called Super News Supes, an extremely bottom-of-the-barrel compendium of screenshots of Ranker articles with titles like Most Shocking Moments in Non-Horror Movies and 15 Celebrities Who Overshared in Interviews