Julia Claire
@thecephalopodess.bsky.social
It's what I do. I knit and I know things. Family/Appellate lawyer, theatre nerd, knitter, aquarium volunteer, and lover of all things ridiculous. she/her
Reposted by Julia Claire
Journalists often go on hand-fed ride-alongs with agents.
Seldom, though, do they get into the cars of everyday people protecting their communities from those same agents.
We just did exactly that, in ICE-occupied Minneapolis:
Seldom, though, do they get into the cars of everyday people protecting their communities from those same agents.
We just did exactly that, in ICE-occupied Minneapolis:
January 13, 2026 at 3:47 AM
Journalists often go on hand-fed ride-alongs with agents.
Seldom, though, do they get into the cars of everyday people protecting their communities from those same agents.
We just did exactly that, in ICE-occupied Minneapolis:
Seldom, though, do they get into the cars of everyday people protecting their communities from those same agents.
We just did exactly that, in ICE-occupied Minneapolis:
Reposted by Julia Claire
“The Trump administration’s vice signals are not just cultural messages or aesthetic poses. They also come with a body count.”
@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social’s latest column:
@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social’s latest column:
Empire of Vice
In a perverse twist on virtue signaling, the Trump administration is training Americans in the politics of raw domination.
www.bostonreview.net
January 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM
“The Trump administration’s vice signals are not just cultural messages or aesthetic poses. They also come with a body count.”
@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social’s latest column:
@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social’s latest column:
Reposted by Julia Claire
This, from Minnesota's new lawsuit against Kristi Noem and senior ICE officials, sure seems worth following up on:
January 13, 2026 at 2:38 PM
This, from Minnesota's new lawsuit against Kristi Noem and senior ICE officials, sure seems worth following up on:
Reposted by Julia Claire
Yeah, people are fixating on a Cabinet Secretary being given a sovereign country to run because the president waged war without congressional approval and kidnapped the old leader. Weird that they’d get hung up on that.
WELKER: Mr. Secretary, are you running Venezuela right now?
MARCO RUBIO: Yeah. People are fixating on that. Here's the bottom line -- we expect to see changes in Venezuela
MARCO RUBIO: Yeah. People are fixating on that. Here's the bottom line -- we expect to see changes in Venezuela
January 4, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Yeah, people are fixating on a Cabinet Secretary being given a sovereign country to run because the president waged war without congressional approval and kidnapped the old leader. Weird that they’d get hung up on that.
Reposted by Julia Claire
No one believes this. We don't, they don't, even their supporters don't. There's no point on having these guys on to tell lies that no one believes and not push back.
WELKER: If the purpose of the operation was to capture Maduro and bring him to justice, why does the US need to take over the Venezuela oil industry?
RUBIO: Well, we don't *need* to. We have plenty of oil in the US. We want to see the oil proceeds of the country benefit the people of Venezuela.
RUBIO: Well, we don't *need* to. We have plenty of oil in the US. We want to see the oil proceeds of the country benefit the people of Venezuela.
January 4, 2026 at 3:50 PM
No one believes this. We don't, they don't, even their supporters don't. There's no point on having these guys on to tell lies that no one believes and not push back.
Reposted by Julia Claire
This is the perfect illustration of the emptiness of political reporting that stresses “access”
Trump picked up the phone, but didn’t say anything. What a scoop! You got proof of life! Yay!
Trump picked up the phone, but didn’t say anything. What a scoop! You got proof of life! Yay!
From the perspective of reporting the news, it doesn’t strike me that there is a functional difference between a president who answers the phone at 4:30am in the morning but doesn’t answer a reporter’s questions, versus a president who doesn’t agreed to be interviewed.
January 4, 2026 at 3:55 PM
This is the perfect illustration of the emptiness of political reporting that stresses “access”
Trump picked up the phone, but didn’t say anything. What a scoop! You got proof of life! Yay!
Trump picked up the phone, but didn’t say anything. What a scoop! You got proof of life! Yay!
Reposted by Julia Claire
It was because my work started being going into audio and using the "said" dialogue tag over and over becomes extremely noticeable when someone is speaking it. The dividing line for this is between Redshirts and Lock In. It was my choice and entirely intentional and I think makes for better books.
Now I'm curious. Mr. @scalzi.com was it a personal or editorial decision to rely less on dialog tags as you moved on to later work?
I compare Old Man's War to The Dispatcher and it is almost night and day comparatively speaking. I definitely prefer it, as well.
Hope you're awesome.
I compare Old Man's War to The Dispatcher and it is almost night and day comparatively speaking. I definitely prefer it, as well.
Hope you're awesome.
January 4, 2026 at 4:11 PM
It was because my work started being going into audio and using the "said" dialogue tag over and over becomes extremely noticeable when someone is speaking it. The dividing line for this is between Redshirts and Lock In. It was my choice and entirely intentional and I think makes for better books.
Reposted by Julia Claire
The irony is deafening.
January 4, 2026 at 4:22 PM
The irony is deafening.
Reposted by Julia Claire
It seems increasingly clear that the President of the United States just made up a bunch of stuff about the future of Venezuela and the American role in its governance after he extracted Maduro and his wife, and now his cabinet secretaries are having to walk it all back.
BRENNAN: To be clear, there is no plan for US occupation of this country of nearly 30 million people?
MARCO RUBIO: The president always retains optionality on anything and on all of these matters
MARCO RUBIO: The president always retains optionality on anything and on all of these matters
January 4, 2026 at 4:24 PM
It seems increasingly clear that the President of the United States just made up a bunch of stuff about the future of Venezuela and the American role in its governance after he extracted Maduro and his wife, and now his cabinet secretaries are having to walk it all back.
Reposted by Julia Claire
3/ Maduro is a monster, but the U.S. action is also unravelling protections for Heads of State and Foreign Ministers around the world.
Just recently the United States government made this point on the "personal inviolability" of such foreign officials from criminal arrest.⤵️
Just recently the United States government made this point on the "personal inviolability" of such foreign officials from criminal arrest.⤵️
January 4, 2026 at 4:17 PM
3/ Maduro is a monster, but the U.S. action is also unravelling protections for Heads of State and Foreign Ministers around the world.
Just recently the United States government made this point on the "personal inviolability" of such foreign officials from criminal arrest.⤵️
Just recently the United States government made this point on the "personal inviolability" of such foreign officials from criminal arrest.⤵️
Reposted by Julia Claire
Well, yes, “people are fixating on that” because the President of the United States announced it from the lectern at a major press conference.
WELKER: Mr. Secretary, are you running Venezuela right now?
MARCO RUBIO: Yeah. People are fixating on that. Here's the bottom line -- we expect to see changes in Venezuela
MARCO RUBIO: Yeah. People are fixating on that. Here's the bottom line -- we expect to see changes in Venezuela
January 4, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Well, yes, “people are fixating on that” because the President of the United States announced it from the lectern at a major press conference.
Reposted by Julia Claire
See, it’s not hard to denounce this and toe it into the larger pattern of criminality.
Chris Murphy: "Clearly this is wildly illegal. This is a president who has been operating illegally since he was sworn in -- stealing from the American people, seizing spending power, now dragging America into a war overseas ... Donald Trump's entire foreign policy is corrupt."
January 4, 2026 at 4:11 PM
See, it’s not hard to denounce this and toe it into the larger pattern of criminality.
Reposted by Julia Claire
Zohran Mamdani’s third day as New York City mayor was supposed to be dedicated to a pedestrian safety plan. Instead, the U.S. military captured Venezuela’s leader and jailed him in Brooklyn to face drug charges, in what could become a major test of Mamdani’s relationship with President Trump.
For Mamdani, a Break With the President Just Three Days Into His New Job
New York City’s newly elected mayor planned to spend Saturday announcing a pedestrian safety plan. Then President Trump brought a captured foreign leader to his doorstep.
nyti.ms
January 4, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Zohran Mamdani’s third day as New York City mayor was supposed to be dedicated to a pedestrian safety plan. Instead, the U.S. military captured Venezuela’s leader and jailed him in Brooklyn to face drug charges, in what could become a major test of Mamdani’s relationship with President Trump.
Reposted by Julia Claire
A regime that accidentally shared military attack plans with a reporter says it can't follow the law and consult Congress because it's worried about leaks.
January 4, 2026 at 4:15 PM
A regime that accidentally shared military attack plans with a reporter says it can't follow the law and consult Congress because it's worried about leaks.
Reposted by Julia Claire
What grounds me in my community work aside from parenthood:
“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this
may be incapable of morality”.
- James Baldwin
“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this
may be incapable of morality”.
- James Baldwin
January 4, 2026 at 4:28 PM
What grounds me in my community work aside from parenthood:
“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this
may be incapable of morality”.
- James Baldwin
“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this
may be incapable of morality”.
- James Baldwin
Reposted by Julia Claire
You don’t have to want kids or even enjoy being around them. But it’s also worth unpacking why kids simply existing, learning, or having unmet needs reads as “annoying,” “unlikeable,” or “bad behavior.”
This collective discomfort with noise, need, & vulnerability is why many ADULTS are struggling.
This collective discomfort with noise, need, & vulnerability is why many ADULTS are struggling.
January 4, 2026 at 3:44 PM
You don’t have to want kids or even enjoy being around them. But it’s also worth unpacking why kids simply existing, learning, or having unmet needs reads as “annoying,” “unlikeable,” or “bad behavior.”
This collective discomfort with noise, need, & vulnerability is why many ADULTS are struggling.
This collective discomfort with noise, need, & vulnerability is why many ADULTS are struggling.
Reposted by Julia Claire
I want to remind everyone that the US has sanctioned members of the International Criminal Court for going through a formal legal process to identify international leaders who engaged in war crimes, making them vulnerable to arrest.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why wasn't congressional authorization necessary?
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
January 4, 2026 at 4:50 PM
I want to remind everyone that the US has sanctioned members of the International Criminal Court for going through a formal legal process to identify international leaders who engaged in war crimes, making them vulnerable to arrest.
Reposted by Julia Claire
Politicians have always done this. Vote to defund public media but never miss the premiere or fail to shake everyone's hand.
Burns and his team have held advance screenings of "The American Revolution" across the country, including in DC. Kerger described GOP lawmakers who voted against PBS $$$ waiting in line to shake his hand:
November 17, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Politicians have always done this. Vote to defund public media but never miss the premiere or fail to shake everyone's hand.
Reposted by Julia Claire
QANON CULTIST IN 2017: "In this 1,879 page thread I will unravel the byzantine system of codewords and phrases the global elite use to mask their pedophile cabal."
JEFFREY EPSTEIN WRITING AN EMAIL AT THE SAME TIME: "helo its me jeff had fun cmmitting sex crimes wit u lst weeknd"
JEFFREY EPSTEIN WRITING AN EMAIL AT THE SAME TIME: "helo its me jeff had fun cmmitting sex crimes wit u lst weeknd"
pretty funny in retrospect that QAnon hinged on the idea that powerful elites at the highest levels of government were smart enough to talk in code when sending emails to each other about their despicable crimes
November 12, 2025 at 10:15 PM
QANON CULTIST IN 2017: "In this 1,879 page thread I will unravel the byzantine system of codewords and phrases the global elite use to mask their pedophile cabal."
JEFFREY EPSTEIN WRITING AN EMAIL AT THE SAME TIME: "helo its me jeff had fun cmmitting sex crimes wit u lst weeknd"
JEFFREY EPSTEIN WRITING AN EMAIL AT THE SAME TIME: "helo its me jeff had fun cmmitting sex crimes wit u lst weeknd"
Reposted by Julia Claire
Epstein mocked Trump for “leaving his nose print on the glass” while watching young women, wrote that Trump knew about illicit activity tied to Mar-a-Lago, and visited “many times,” and noted Trump’s planned visit to his neighbor Howard Lutnick’s house.
November 12, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Epstein mocked Trump for “leaving his nose print on the glass” while watching young women, wrote that Trump knew about illicit activity tied to Mar-a-Lago, and visited “many times,” and noted Trump’s planned visit to his neighbor Howard Lutnick’s house.
Reposted by Julia Claire
This is one of the weirder bits of fundamentalist rhetoric. There's an school of thought in several churches including some old Catholic ones that women are supposed to suffer because of Eve. I am not telling you it makes sense. I am telling you he's parroting a line that is a giant warning sign
JD Vance is working for Big Menstrual Cramps and maybe that's not even a joke
JD Vance calls ibuprofen "useless medication" and implies it's not "necessary, safe and effective."
November 12, 2025 at 11:55 PM
This is one of the weirder bits of fundamentalist rhetoric. There's an school of thought in several churches including some old Catholic ones that women are supposed to suffer because of Eve. I am not telling you it makes sense. I am telling you he's parroting a line that is a giant warning sign
Reposted by Julia Claire
Lutnick is the current Secretary of Commerce and Epstein sent this email three months before he died.
Epstein mocked Trump for “leaving his nose print on the glass” while watching young women, wrote that Trump knew about illicit activity tied to Mar-a-Lago, and visited “many times,” and noted Trump’s planned visit to his neighbor Howard Lutnick’s house.
November 13, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Lutnick is the current Secretary of Commerce and Epstein sent this email three months before he died.
Reposted by Julia Claire
Maybe it’s just the Humanities professor in me, but let it be noted that events of today (ahem) have demonstrated the value of being able to assess a large volume of qualitative data and do careful textual analysis with deep attention to context.
November 13, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Maybe it’s just the Humanities professor in me, but let it be noted that events of today (ahem) have demonstrated the value of being able to assess a large volume of qualitative data and do careful textual analysis with deep attention to context.
Reposted by Julia Claire
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
November 13, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
Reposted by Julia Claire
So, uh, the Jed Rubenfeld referenced here was disciplined by Yale Law for sexually harassing students. He's married to Amy Chua who among other things took to the pages of the NYT to defend Kavanaugh when he was under fire for sexually harassment. Ken Starr, well we know. This is just incredible.
Ken Starr signed an email to Jeffery Epstein with "hugs"
November 13, 2025 at 1:03 AM
So, uh, the Jed Rubenfeld referenced here was disciplined by Yale Law for sexually harassing students. He's married to Amy Chua who among other things took to the pages of the NYT to defend Kavanaugh when he was under fire for sexually harassment. Ken Starr, well we know. This is just incredible.