"Donald Trump is a dictator – and we are further along the road of authoritarianism than people want to admit." Marc Elias
An American Gen X’er lucky enough to live in New Zealand 🇳🇿(and hurting for my peeps back home 🇺🇸). #SlavaUkraini!!! 🇺🇦💙💛
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"Donald Trump is a dictator – and we are further along the road of authoritarianism than people want to admit." Marc Elias
The biggest news story in the news right now is that the president of the United States hasn't made a public appearance or spoken to the protective pool in four days and the White House is actively lying about his activities, yet no news organization is covering it.
Ok but hear me out, what if we taxed the fuck out of really rich people
I hope you understand that if you show up at a hospital with an infection no one has ever seen before that the US had somewhere you could call. That place would answer, offer testing you can’t get anywhere else and come visit you to solve if necessary.
U.S citizen temporarily detained by ICE says he regrets voting for Trump "We were brainwashed!"
can’t sleep need to know what actually happened on that highway in new hampshire
If he DOES come back for a press briefing, first question should be EPSTEIN, EPSTEIN, EPSTEIN. And as a follow up, EPSTEIN.
If you know California voters, tell them that if Trump rigs the next election and Republicans keep Congress, they will most certainly not certify the election in 2028 if they don't like the result. No one is saying gerrymandering is good, but unilaterally disarming could be the end of our democracy.
🎯🎯🎯
At least while alienating all of our allies, Trump has been instrumental in bringing others closer together.
Pete Hegseth in December on military training: “We’re bringing a war-fighting ethos back to the Pentagon. Everything else that distracts from lethality shouldn’t be happening.”
I said a prayer.
This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 196. A wild weekend with news coming from all different directions and speculation running rampant about Trump’s health. open.substack.com/pub/meidasto...
So the photos we get of the “golf outing” today is a pale and feeble looking one of him getting to a car at the WH and this one of him returning. Nothing from the course.
TRUMP just now: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE” Are you guys buying this? Because I’m not. His account has posted over a dozen times in the last hour. Someone’s overcompensating for him. What are they hiding? We deserve proof of health, not just a grainy photo of a man looking like a stroke victim.
The LGML case came very close to being JGG redux. But just before the hearing began, the judge decided not to wait. She entered a TRO barring removal of all the children. That made all the difference: DHS already had the kids loaded on planes. One plane even took off (then turned around).
Pour one out for Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s clerks this Labor Day weekend
This is the way
Don't forget that Britain already has CGT, stamp duty AND Inheritance Tax. Aotearoa has NONE of the above, and we wonder why public services are crumbling🤦🏻♂️ #wealthtax #nzpol
THANK YOU 🙏!!!
NEW: Since corporate media won't call for Trump's resignation, I will. My latest: www.muellershewrote.com/p/trump-must...
Tomorrow
I remain a one-issue voter for the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries, and that issue is the promise of prosecutions.
When you’ve been drinking and driving and the cop asked how the accident happened…
Reminder: Most mass shootings are carried out by cisgender men.
Mary Shelley wrote an entire book trying to warn us about extremely arrogant nerds who create things irresponsibly and take no accountability for them for when they wreck society, by the way.
If we don’t stand up for these victims, who will ?
They're both lying to you.
❗️As a result of the missile strike on 26.08, 8 officers of the Border Service of the FSB of the 🇷🇺Russian Federation were eliminated at once. According to preliminary data, this happened in the Belgorod direction.
Layoffs hit International Paper, J.B. Hunt, Hormel and more www.freightwaves.com/news/layoffs...
❗️The plane Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu was on was forced to land in Bulgaria due to suspected Russian GPS interference -FT There are reports that the pilots even had to use paper maps due to GPS jamming as they made the emergency landing.
#SlavaUkraini!!! 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Prymary unit carried out drone strikes on a Russian airbase in Hvardiiske,in Russian-occupied Ukrainian Crimea,successfully hitting Mi-8 helicopters The estimated value of helicopters ranges from 20 to 30million$ A Russian tugboat,likely the BUK-2190,was also attacked
Take several seats, JD.
I’m here to reaffirm Europe’s solidarity with Lithuania. Europe needs a strong Lithuania to protect our borders and our people. That's why cohesion policy will remain at the heart of the EU budget. So we continue to support both border security and strong livelihoods.
During his meeting with Putin, PM Modi said: Even in the most difficult situations, India and Russia have always walked shoulder to shoulder. Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both the countries but also for global peace, stability and memory.
3 rounds of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations have already been held at the Istanbul platform since,which have made it possible to advance in resolving a number of practical issues in the humanitarian sphere.I’m confident that Turkey's special role in these matters will continue to be in demand"
Putin at his meeting with President Erdogan: "I am grateful to the Turkish friends for their significant contribution to the political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
Xi Jinping put forward the "global governance" initiative at the SCO summit. "I would like to put forward the global governance initiative and work with all countries to jointly build a more just and equitable global governance system and a community with a shared future for mankind," Xi said.
Military training of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)started in Vitebsk,Belarus.They’re called "Interaction-2025" &2,000 troops from Russia, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Belarus will take part in them Among other things,the training will include planning to use nuclear weapons
We need to improve our defence posture, at speed and at scale. At the informal European Council in October, we’ll present our Roadmap for the next 5 years. Looking at defence investment and capacity gaps – and how to close them ↓ europa.eu/!nDBn8q
Exactly. It doesn't give him implicit authority, either.
This is exactly what Putin has always wanted. www.cnn.com/2025/09/01/c...
UK HOUSE PRICES POST SURPRISE AUGUST FALL, NATIONWIDE SAYS
... @aclu.org says it wants to ensure parties can’t evade even answering questions about their possible defiance of court orders. Here, DOJ attys “chose to ignore the order & then retroactively manufacture ambiguity”—“remarkable step for any litigant, much less the DOJ" ... /3
... Recall that on 8/8 all 3 panelists had agreed that Boasberg’s order was not appealable, yet 2 Trump appointees, on different theories, voted to grant mandamus. @aclu.org says the outcome “would have dire consequences for the Judiciary’s ability to enforce its orders.” ... /2
On Thurs (while I was on vacation), @aclu.org sought full DC Circuit review of the splintered panel decision that would vacate Judge Boasberg’s order finding probable cause to believe DOJ attys committed criminal contempt in the JGG case. ... storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... 1/5
White House staffers lining up to use the autopen to sign their pardons.
Assuming he's sick, l just pray he follows the medical advice of "one of the world's foremost voices, advocates and experts on public health," RFK Jr.
What exactly has this Supreme Court done to give us confidence they *won't* find a tortuous way to greenlight Trump firing Powell if he decides that's what he wants to do? ICYMI @kimwehle.bsky.social: www.thebulwark.com/p/if-trump-t...
In the early hours of 1 September 1939, Germany's Luftwaffe started bombarding the Polish town of Wieluń. The attack is considered to be the first war crime committed by Nazi Germany in World War II. Bombs destroyed ca. 70 percent of the town's buildings. Video: https://www.wielun.pl
Putin spoke at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit. He blamed the West for the "Ukrainian crisis" and said that "the root causes of the crisis" must be removed in order for peace to come. Looks like Putin has made his choice: he's going to continue the war.
'Existential dread': Trump renews health concerns with 'very weird' email about 'heaven' www.rawstory.com/trump-weird-...
September 1, 1939 I sit in one of the dives On Fifty-second Street Uncertain and afraid As the clever hopes expire Of a low dishonest decade: Waves of anger and fear Circulate over the bright And darkened lands of the earth...
The Good Liars - Respecting The Flag youtu.be/c4NkgHUoKMs
The Good Liars - Talking About Guns youtu.be/v8U3TuQN3Ro
Trump wants you to forget Epstein. Or at least, trust the lady whose been convicted of the crime. My latest adamkinzinger.substack.com/p/maxwell-th...
He’s providing them with valuable mulching experience though.
Blue states need to be STONEWALL against GOP terrorism.
wow
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JIQ...
🙏♥️
DOL is trying to take away minimum wage and overtime from millions of workers. Just thought I’d mention that.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6GvjPcr/ How in the HELL does any government lawfully deport 600 unaccompanied minors? Who does that? Who the fuck are we? What are we? What have we become?
Grapes 'Big Hit' At Area Picnic https://theonion.com/grapes-big-hit-at-area-picnic-1819568649/
JD Vance Asks National Guard Member If He Can Touch Gun https://theonion.com/jd-vance-asks-national-guard-member-if-he-can-touch-gun/
Taylor Swift Hints New Album Could Be About Her https://theonion.com/taylor-swift-hints-new-album-could-be-about-her/
(You’ll remember Macron stunned everyone by dissolving the Assembly in June of 2024 for no reasons whatsoever. It took a lot of alliances and strategic voting, fire against Macron’s wishes, for the left and center parties to prevent the far-right from winning — but the chamber ended up very split.)
The thing is: Macron, the president, has to decide whether to call early elections. And the collapse of his bloc to just 13.5% implies he could face a wipeout. So that really suggests he’ll try everything to not call elections. But the political crisis could escalate enough he feeels compelled to.
Big Qs here are if left manages to ally again as it did in 2024 (definitely will be tricky), & if Macron’s party & the conservatives (who have been governing together) ally. The whole R1 stakes is to see who makes it to runoffs to face the far-right, which would be in a position to win again.
As a national poll of what’s a two-round system per district, it’s hard to project. But here’s what the poll shows: The leading far-right party at 31%. The Left Bloc’s two halves at 16.5% & at 10%. Macron’s party at just 13.5%. And the traditional conservatives at 10%.
People who followed me in mid-2024 already know I follow French elections very closely; and it’s possible there may be new parliamentary elections this fall as the government is about to collapse next week. So we just got a first poll of a possible election… and it’s predictably messy. (1/?)
Put differently, if a) what we're looking at is an unfair playing field but +/- free elections and b) the regime faces a unified opposition, Ds have a decent chance of taking the House. I am also cautiously optimistic about the Senate, but I wouldn't bet money (see @jonathanbernstein.bsky.social) ▼▼
3) GOP states will also ratchet up voter suppression, with help from the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court. Expect some *very* aggressive efforts. We won't be able to stop them. But there is a non-zero chance that they miscalculate and drive angry voters to the polls.
2) GOP states will continue to aggressively gerrymander. When all is said and done, Ds will be able to offset some of this but not all of it. The GOP will still likely lose the House, but keep in mind that the we're in a long-term existential struggle. Bigger majorities > smaller than ones.
1) We will still have an on-balance independent media. The MSM will be subject to state coercion, some of it successful, but it will also continue to break stories that are damaging to the regime.
Okay. So there's a lot of uncertainty about how "free and fair" the 2026 midterms are going to be. If you forced me to speculate, my *low confidence* prediction is that they'll be less free and much less fair than in 2024.
But it was too late. To understand what happened, you *must* read @kimlanelaw.bsky.social's @jodemocracy.bsky.social article ▼▼ In fact, just drop what you're doing and read it now.
I have bad news and worse news. The bad news: the more consolidated the authoritarian regime becomes, the harder it is to dislodge it. The opposition in Hungary finally got its act together in 2022, and formed a coalition that included far-right and far-left parties.
One of the many ways the regime fights back is to try to use its considerable resources to wedge apart those coalitions. And it often succeeds, because it is *very* hard to hold together politically diverse coalitions *even* when elections are free and fair.
We have a decades of scholarship on how pro-democracy forces win in competitive authoritarian systems: they form a united opposition that brings together people with otherwise profound political disagreements.
1) it will be difficult — but not impossible — for the opposition to win elections; and 2) if the government overtly steals an election, it can be toppled via widespread popular mobilization *if* the security services split or abandon the regime.
Let's start with the "best" scenario right now: that the US. remains a "competitive authoritarian" system. We have elections that are unfree and unfair, but not total and complete shams. This means that:
This consensus is correct. But I don't think enough people have actually internalized the implications. That is, they're perfectly happy to point out that too many Dem officials don't understand this, but they haven't updated their own understanding of what this means for taking the country back.
🧵 Authoritarianism, Democratization, and Coalition Politics. The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
"Fun really is the name of the game for Trump & co. It’s fun for them to see a majority-Democratic city like DC live in fear of violence/deportation, to flood the trains/buses with armed law enforcement just because they can, to unleash troops who understand that they will not be held accountable."
Many thanks to independent journalist Amanda Moore (@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social) for all the footage she captured.
BURGUM: “I was shocked to find out, like, ‘oh, [USPP] pull somebody over and they just drive away and you can't pursue them?’ And they said ‘no, we can't.’ We got that rule changed in 24 hours because of President Trump's leadership. The next night they had so much fun. They pulled people over.”
NEW: A week or so ago, one federal agent kept popping up in videos from Trump's violent DC crackdown—so @jsweetli.bsky.social and I investigated. Turns out he's a 26-year-old US Parks Police officer, a lesser known law enforcement unit currently championed by Interior Sec. Doug Burnum. Our report:
"How Dems Come Back: Be Real; FIGHT #DonaldTrump & His MAGA Mobsters!" I debate w @jonathanlarsen.bsky.social how Dems can win on policy/politically based on my 1st piece in a series of 4 on this called, simply, "Be Sherrod Brown" Please check out & Share! www.blueamp.co/p/cliff-v-jo...
How many of the liberals complaining about the National Guard occupying American cities even know what the M in M17 stands for
Good use of scare quotes tbh
I'm going on record. You don't cover up dead. He's not dead. However, he's sick as shit. That you can cover up for a bit. But just a bit. Mostly I hope he feels like absolute shit and is very scared of death. That I can work with.
