iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 14h

Congress gets the headlines, but if you want to know where the fight against authoritarianism will actually be won, look down the ballot. States and local jurisdictions are the real bulwark. Know your ballot before Nov. 3.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time" – Maya Angelou. John Fetterman needs to go.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Iowa's family farmers aren't sitting this one out. The Iowa Farmers Union endorsed Democrats in all five federal races, from Josh Turek for Senate on down. Trade wars, consolidation, water quality, rural hospitals: farmers are paying attention.

wcfcourier.com

Iowa Farmers Union endorses Democrats in all federal elections

The Iowa Farmers Union announced its endorsements of the five Iowa Democrats running for Congress.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Each day I think we have to have reached peak stupid for the Trump regime – and then we have things like this. The very idea that the FBI Director would be sitting in front of a senate panel, defending embezzlement and bestiality, would be unfathomable at any other time in history. But, here we are.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

You know, I kinda think that if Trump wants to fully brand this utter debacle – a military and foreign policy failure of epic proportions – he should go for it. I suspect it would also greatly incentivize Iran to really double down. 🙄

A social media post from Donald Trump, posted on September 2, 2026: “Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be "hotter" than ever before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

AI fantasy slop. But from the person with the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, a sycophantic and lawless military, and no meaningful legislative or judicial checks.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This is Trumpism and the GOP. Their idea of “make America great again” is going back to the 50s – the 1850s – when black people were shackled and sold as property. It’s a racist regime, led by the stupid, the corrupt, and those with evil at their core. An “R” after your name is a modern swastika.

Haitians in chains, framed as policy communication. The white garments and shackles evoke a specific historical image the account is trading on. Screenshot of a post from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (@DHSgov, verified) via X.com. Text reads: “Haiti TPS has been TERMINATED. Those with terminated TPS are in our nation Illegally. They have two options: LEAVE IMMEDIATELY or be DEPORTED.” followed by a link, “DHS.GOV/CBPHOME.” Below the text is a dark, low-light photo of two people in white hooded sweatshirts standing outdoors at night. The person in the foreground faces away from the camera; their hands are cuffed and chained behind their back. One hand is raised near their face. A light source glows in the upper background.

Political cartoon by Slyngstad. Donald Trump’s distinctive jagged signature is drawn so that its tall, pointed peaks form a row of Ku Klux Klan figures in white hoods, each with narrowed, menacing eyes. Below the drawing, handwritten text reads “-Donald J. Trump”

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

This. State legislatures, governors, and election officials are the real bulwark protecting liberal democracy in this country.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Good reminder that immigration judges are part of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which sits within the Department of Justice, not the judicial branch. They're appointed by the Attorney General, and they're DOJ employees. So they operate under the executive branch, not the judiciary.

notus.org

Judge to Baby: File an Asylum Application

The 1-year-old is one of the migrant children who advocates say appeared in immigration court without legal representation.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I’m am starting to get the sense that if the Democrats take the House and Senate in the midterms, the Supreme Court will somehow determine Congress is unconstitutional.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

This is the 100% correct point of view.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

“Grow our way out” is what you say when you have no intention of cutting the deficit and every intention of cutting taxes again. It costs nothing to say, commits you to nothing, and buys time to pass another tax cut before anyone does the math.

thehill.com

Bessent: US can ‘grow our way’ out of $40 trillion debt

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday said the U.S. can “grow” its way out of the $40 trillion national debt, a milestone reached Wednesday. “Well, I mean, look Sara, there…

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

A good (short) read by @justinwolfers.bsky.social "The president is selling something you and I own...but only to people willing to write a six-figure check to a company owned in large part by the president himself."

newsletter.platypuseconomics.com

The President Is Selling You Out — One Second at a Time

How early access to Trump’s "truths" will drain ordinary investors

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

With Elon Musk planning to spend millions for Susan Collins’ U.S. Senate bid, I thought it might be an appropriate time to revive the Downfall parody I made when he decided to influence a political race in Wisconsin.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

They rescheduled this whole thing to honor a war criminal and insurrectionist. The White House pre-billed Trump’s speech as “unifying yet vicious.” The WHCA is fine with someone who is bent on jailing them. This is the most pathetic organization. These people have zero credibility.

Trump smirking at the July 2026 White House Correspondents Association dinner.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Federal officials acknowledged this month that they had terminated the funding “based solely” on political criteria, targeting projects in states that were represented by Democrats and had voted for Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee, in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I don’t typically find myself rooting for cannibals, but…

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

This is disturbing – and dangerous, and unacceptable.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Maybe someone can get him to comprise, and go with, say, three-fifths. FFS. 🤦🏻

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Appointing Lindsey Graham's sister to his seat isn't unprecedented — Jean Carnahan, Muriel Humphrey, and Jocelyn Burdick all got there the same way. The tradition is real. It's also bad. Constituents deserve a qualified senator chosen for what they can do, not simply who they are related to.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

There’s an unwritten rule that we soften our tongues when someone dies. And for most people, that’s a decent instinct. Death makes small grievances look small. But, when someone spent their life causing real harm to others, dying doesn’t wash it clean. Nobody is obligated to mourn evil.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

The Game Was Never the Point They spent years manufacturing the trans-athlete case and still can't cite a single number. That's the tell. The ruling was never about sports — it certified a method for sorting Americans by who holds rights fully and who holds them at someone else's discretion.

open.substack.com

The Game Was Never the Point

The trans athlete ban was never about sports. It's a template for who gets rights and who has to ask.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

For those enjoying the World Cup soccer, I invite you to check out Gaelic Football.

youtu.be

Gaelic Football - The Original Beautiful Game

YouTube video by Eamonn

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

I only recently discovered the Playing Along podcast hosted by the amazing Norah Jones. This week she did an episode with the legendary Ron Carter and one of the most unique and important modern guitarists, Bill Frisell. It’s wonderful. Ron Carter just turned 89! @adamkeiper.com might enjoy this.

youtu.be

Norah Jones Is Playing Along with Ron Carter & Bill Frisell (Podcast Season 2 Episode 36)

YouTube video by Norah Jones

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

@dansinker.com and the teams that are producing whistles are doing important work. If you are in a community that has the need, reach out. We’re all in this mess together. And if you are able to help these folks offset their costs, there is a button on the linked page where you can donate.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

I think this is a deliberate statement, not just an ignorance of history. To Hegseth and Trump, democracy was/is the dangerous ideology, and the Nazis are good guys in their world view. We are being governed by halfwit TV entertainers – who tell us every day, out loud, what they really believe.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

The Pope released his encyclical on AI and what it’s doing to the human person. It’s one of the clearest reflections I’ve found on the technology and our place inside it – and an important read, particularly for those of us who actively work with, and are creating things with these tools.

vatican.va

Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Leo XIV Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026)

ENCYCLICAL LETTER MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE TIME OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE [ Multimedia ] ___________________________

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Sonny Rollins died today at 95. The Bridge was the album that showed me what jazz actually asks for – not technique, not cleverness, but the willingness to pour your whole self into the sound. His tone was so human, and so completely honest. There was nobody else like him.

youtube.com

Sonny Rollins - The Bridge (1962) FULL ALBUM

YouTube video by Fran Villaveirán

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

I aspire to someday be as relaxed and comfortable as this dog.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

The Trump family is systematically converting the United States government into a revenue stream, and doing it openly, because they have determined — correctly, so far — that no one is going to stop them. I suppose the question for all of us is whether they’re right.

substack.com

Trump's Open Looting

The Brazen Corruption That Counts on Your Exhaustion

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Honestly, does it get more good than Matt Nelson and @weratedogs.com ?

A smiling young man with curly light brown hair and a light beard sits on a gray upholstered ottoman against a neutral gray studio background. He is wearing a teal short-sleeve button-up shirt, white rolled-cuff trousers, and white sneakers. A tattoo sleeve is visible on his right forearm. He is holding a medium-sized golden-brown mixed breed dog with large ears, who is lounging beside him on the ottoman with legs stretched out. The man is looking slightly off-camera with a broad, natural smile.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

🧵 Energy Secretary Chris Wright just told the Senate that oil & gas has had “a rough couple decades.” I did the math. In today’s dollars, four companies alone – ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP – netted $1.87 TRILLION in profit since 2006. Rough for whom, exactly?

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Happy 100th, Sir David. At a moment when the natural world needs defending more than ever, you’ve shown us what’s worth saving. The rest is up to us.

open.substack.com

Sir David Attenborough: The Wonder He’s Shown Us Is Ours to Defend.

On David Attenborough’s centennial — and what his life’s work means right now

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Trump’s media company: 29 employees, zero patents, no proprietary tech. Full-year revenue in 2025: $3.7M — less than a busy Applebee’s. Net loss: $712M. Q1 2026: another $406M gone. Cumulative losses top $1 billion. At best it’s a meme with a login page. More likely, it’s a money laundering scheme.

variety.com

Trump Media, Parent of Truth Social, Reports Q1 Sales of $871,000 and $405.9 Million Net Loss

Trump Media and Technology Group, operator of the social media platform Truth Social, reported a massive net loss for the first three months of 2026 -- and less than $1 million in total sales.

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Brian White @brianwhite.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

I think his core personal mission is to kill as many people via otherwise preventable causes as he possibly can.

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