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Cole Brecheen

@cbrecheen.bsky.social
55 followers 28 following 214 posts
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Thank you @joycewhitevance.bsky.social for your careful analysis of this outrage. As a former lawyer with lots of friends in the profession, I understand the pressure on them to stay off social media platforms, but we need their thinking and writing skills here. joycevance.substack.com/p/why-now
joycevance.substack.com
Why Now?
DOJ executed a search warrant at Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. residence Monday
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
After sensible people regain power in the federal government, we will need to do something about the cesspool that the DOJ has become. Any lawyer who would even take seriously this outrage against decency and the First Amendment should at least be disbarred. joycevance.substack.com/p/can-the-sh...
joycevance.substack.com
Can the Sherman Act Be Used To Silence the Press?
Apparently, Trump’s DOJ thinks so.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I need a concise answer -- something transmittable in a text message -- for people who point to these payments as evidence that Trump is doing a good job for people who struggle to pay for their health insurance. www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I'd say the most disgraceful thing he did was give us the Hastert Rule (i.e., the rule that a majority OF THE MAJORITY must support a measure before it can be brought to the House floor). Am I describing it correctly? Is it still followed? It corrodes bipartisanship. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/o...
nytimes.com
Dennis Hastert, Powerful Politician Disgraced by Child Sexual Abuse, Dies
The longest-serving Republican speaker of the House admitted in 2016 to abusing teenage boys decades earlier. He was 84.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Good God. charliesykes.substack.com/p/putin-buys...
charliesykes.substack.com
Putin Buys Off Trump and His Toadies
Plus: A week in review.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
How do we get Red America to pay attention to this? www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump Is Getting Desperate. It Shows. (Gift Article)
The Justice Department is trawling to find perpetrators on whom to pin conspiracies. Ordinary citizens are being ensnared.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
You shouldn't have to pay for this. newrepublic.com/post/215866/...
newrepublic.com
You Just Paid for This Deranged “Love Me” Ad by Trump
Trump used taxpayer funds for this ad campaign about himself, calling it a “public service announcement.”
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Wow. Smart people on both sides of the U.S. political divide will surely read this and draw different conclusions, but none will question that Putin's growing influence, especially over and through Trump and the shifting cadre of Trump insiders, is disturbing. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Russia’s Elite Has Lost Its Room to Maneuver (Gift Article)
Vladimir Putin has taken complete control.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Not exactly news, but the best current reckoning of where we are, from @jvl.bsky.social today: www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-vs-t...
thebulwark.com
Trump vs. The Leaders of the Free World
We’re the baddies.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
But people like Putin and Trump would never use technology like this against their own people, right? Right? www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/w...
nytimes.com
A Drone Killed Three Ukrainians. It Was Guided Entirely by A.I.
An attack by what Ukrainian officials said was a Russian drone with an Nvidia chip presages a dystopian future of weaponry untethered to humans.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I'd say this is one of the most shameful and outrageous things that Trump's DOJ has done, and that's saying something. Disbarment is coming for these lawyers. Guaranteed. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump’s justice department arrests expert on far right as part of SPLC crackdown
Prosecutors charge Heidi Beirich with financial crimes as part of case against the Southern Poverty Law Center
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Gift link courtesy of Robert Hubbell. Do Republicans still trust the Wall Street Journal? I wonder what they think of this. substack.com/redirect/0fa...
substack.com
Trump Thought Opening the Strait of Hormuz Was Imminent. Iran Had Other Plans.
Tehran’s new demands for major concessions come days after the White House had signaled a deal to clear commercial passage was within reach.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Thanks for the gift link, Anna! I thought of you while reading an Eboo Patel piece this morning: www.persuasion.community/p/we-must-sa.... Have to admit that I stopped a few pages in because I didn't know how much to trust what he's saying. What do you think?
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
From @jenrubin.bsky.social this morning, referring to Bill Cassidy's shameful announcement on the senate floor this morning. Original at www.contrariannews.org/p/breaking-b...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I'd like to see more discussion of this, particularly well-sourced well-vetted well-edited publications on the right (if there are any willing to take it up). washingtonspectator.org/the-wrecking...
washingtonspectator.org
The Wrecking Ball Comes For the Midterms | Washington Spectator
Last October, I wrote in The Washington Spectator that the Trump administration was constructing an integrated system to constrain voting and criminalize political opposition. Claims of election fraud...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Here's another reminder that I should become a paid subscriber to Judd Legum's substack. How does he always seem to know exactly where to focus? How does he get astonishing results from such a tiny journalistic platform? Smart readers, I guess. @juddlegum.bsky.social popular.info/p/update-cbs...
popular.info
UPDATE: CBS News reverses course, airs story on 9/11 families supporting Mamdani
Last week, CBS News New York falsely reported that “thousands of 9/11 victims’ families are asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend this year’s solemn remembrance ceremony.” The articl...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
theatlantic.com
A Brief Exchange That Shows the Enormous Difference Between Trump and Obama
This is what a president sounds like.
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Reposted by Cole Brecheen
JTMLX @jtmlx.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
MIKE LUCKOVICH
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I read this thing from @juddlegum.bsky.social this morning and before finishing the first paragraph thought "Oh wow - he's right - why didn't I notice that earlier?" Original at popular.info/p/a-nuclear-...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Important article in today's @nytimes.com. Can't imagine that there are any socially responsible Republicans left in this God Forsaken World, but since they run things, please push the gift-link below in their direction. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Grim Lessons of Israel’s War in Gaza (Gift Article)
Israel has not been held accountable for its actions in Gaza. The nation and the individuals and countries enabling it to escape punishment may only benefit.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
More evidence that we are now living in a police state. My guess is that Republicans know the administration is lying and know the terror is real, but justify it by saying that our terrified reactions create unprecedented dangers for ICE agents. "Relax and enjoy it." popular.info/p/ice-is-lyi...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
OMG www.thebulwark.com/p/truth-soci...
thebulwark.com
Truth Social Legalizes Insider Trading
Trump corruption machine go brrrrrrrrrrrrr!
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
I really want to be calm about Trump's ratcheting up of his bullshit, and it helped to read Robert Hubbel's careful analysis of the panicky point of view this morning: roberthubbell.substack.com/p/trumps-not... But then I read HCR: heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-17-2026 What to think?
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Surely @saletan.bsky.social, who literally wrote the book on The Corruption of Lindsey Graham, has written elsewhere about Graham's death, but if so I haven't seen it. That makes this piece all the more worth reading: www.thebulwark.com/p/the-fausti...
thebulwark.com
The Faustian Tragedy of Lindsey Graham
His loyalty to Trump would have guaranteed him another six years in the Senate. Instead, it became the closing irony of his life.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
A reminder that this summer is not about fun in the sun. No time to waste. www.thebulwark.com/p/a-season-o...
thebulwark.com
A Season of Death and Fear
From nervous Haitians in Ohio to a grieving family in Texas, the real-world effects of Trump’s assault on immigrants.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I'd love to read this article, but am not currently willing to pay the high price of a subscription to The Economist. Gift link would be much appreciated. www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
economist.com
The man who would change Russia
A leading oligarch speaks out, warning of the looming disaster facing his country
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Posting this interview mostly because I want to come back to it when I have time to read the whole thing, but in just the first few paragraphs there are signs of valuable insight that don't appear elsewhere: writing.yaschamounk.com/p/arvind-nar...
writing.yaschamounk.com
Arvind Narayanan on Why AI Isn’t All That Revolutionary
Yascha Mounk and Arvind Narayanan discuss why the real transformation from AI will take decades rather than months—and what that means for how we should prepare.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Thanks @sykescharlie.bsky.social for the gift link -- @jonathanbchait.bsky.social has been a reliable guide to the issues I care about for a long time: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
There’s Nothing Democratic About These Socialists
The DSA was formed in opposition to the very thing it has become.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
William Kristol's message today (@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social) is worth your time. It begins "This July 4th, Ignore Trump. Listen to Gerald Ford. Our past Republican presidents understood that we are proudly a nation of immigrants." www.thebulwark.com/p/this-july-...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I'm curious about how much news like this penetrates right-wing filter bubbles: www.thebulwark.com/p/please-mr-... My guess is most rank-and-file Republicans know that people like me can point to evidence of corruption, but they don't believe it and don't care. But is it possible they don't know?
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Reposted by Cole Brecheen
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 27/06/2026
Ossoff: "Just think, 250 years on, what the Founders would see if they visited us today. *crowd groans* But wait -- they would see that slavery had been abolished. They would see that Americans without land, and then women, and then the descendants of slaves had secured voting rights ... "
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Yes. www.thebulwark.com/p/pay-her-pa...
thebulwark.com
Pay Her. Pay That Woman Her Money.
The Supreme Court’s version of balance.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
By odd coincidence I was thinking yesterday about the last book of non-fiction I read (if listening to an audio-book counts), and this morning find @timothysnyder.bsky.social applying it to the monsters who now lead our country: snyder.substack.com/p/of-stoicis...
snyder.substack.com
Of Stoicism and Stupor
The Wars of Marcus Aurelius and Donald Trump
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
A sobering piece from @jvl.bsky.social -- essential reading for people like me: www.thebulwark.com/p/what-cletu...
thebulwark.com
What Cletus Thinks About “Democracy”
They are who we thought they were. And we let them off the hook.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
@andrewsullivan.skystack.xyz is in fine form today: andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/americas-s...
andrewsullivan.substack.com
America's Suez Moment
Why the failure of American aggression in the Middle East gives me hope.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
@jenrubin.bsky.social has always had an unusual talent for keeping her eye on the ball. This needs to be front and center for those of us talking to Republican friends and family between now and November: www.contrariannews.org/p/republican...
contrariannews.org
Republicans Starved Social Security
Now they want to wreck it.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
From @jamellebouie.net this morning, if you need more evidence that it's pointless to engage with Republicans on matters of policy. People who still think it's okay to wear that label -- to run for office as a member of a party like it has become -- are not fit. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Real Reason Trump Never Stops Talking About Voter Fraud
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Jesus Christ. This is getting close to home. newrepublic.com/post/211755/...
newrepublic.com
The FBI Just Raided a Pro-Democracy Group in an Act of “Intimidation”
“They had agents all across the state going to civil rights leaders’ and community leaders’ doors intimidating them.”
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Someday, when our world is not so broken, it would be nice to get back to work on problems like this. If you're smart enough to see its importance and willing to run for office, willing also not to be stupid when you get there, I can help you win an election. writing.yaschamounk.com/p/rebecca-ha...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Andrew Egger: "How far beyond the pale, how ludicrously far outside the bounds of law and morality, is Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” slush fund? Far enough, apparently, to shock even the dead, embalmed consciences of GOP lawmakers back to life." www.thebulwark.com/p/is-that-a-...
thebulwark.com
Is That... a Republican Spine?!
Believe it or not, the House and Senate GOP actually said no to Trump.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Watch this clip of Representative Sean Casten talking about men in robes who are angry about the outcome of the Civil War. Sorry it has to be a link to FB -- is it on Bluesky somewhere? www.facebook.com/reel/2213415...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
We are in the jaws of a monster. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/u...
nytimes.com
7 Republicans Voted to Convict Trump. Most Are No Longer in Office.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
I trust this news source (Tim Mak's Counteroffensive). Why is this story not getting more attention? www.counteroffensive.news/p/newsflash-...
counteroffensive.news
NEWSFLASH: Putin launches massive attacks after signaling war’s end
Some say it was the largest aerial attack since the full-scale invasion began. Over 100 people dead and 50 residential buildings hit across Ukraine.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Normally I just skim and delete articles that give advice to Democratic Party leaders, but this one does point to some chronic confusion in our ranks -- something we really have to start understanding better. Thank you, Monica Potts (bsky.app/profile/moni...): newrepublic.com/article/2103...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I just don't have the stomach for fighting this way. www.thebulwark.com/p/a-civil-co...
thebulwark.com
A Civil Cold War Is Coming
The redistricting wars are only the beginning. Get ready for winner-take-EVERYTHING.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
Putin’s War Comes Home to Moscow
He can no longer hide the consequences from the Russian public.
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Another great article from a historian (@thejohnsonpost.bsky.social) who happens to live nearby, and is an example of someone who has more knowledge, more insight, but less certainty than I do. Point me to more of those people when you find them, please: marccjohnson.substack.com/.../reconstr....
marccjohnson.substack.com
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Good God. I guess this is not that big a deal, but for crying out loud. Do Republicans not realize that we need a functional Department of Justice? Do they not even remember what our country used to be like? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/u...
nytimes.com
Adopting Trump’s Voice, Justice Dept. Asks Judge to Let Ballroom Proceed
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Thank you, @rbhubbell.bsky.social : substack.com/redirect/b52...
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Cole Brecheen @cbrecheen.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Can't decide which one to recommend this morning. Anne Applbaum? anneapplebaum.substack.com/p/goulash-au... Or Joyce Vance? joycevance.substack.com/p/investigat... Both are essential reading for people who pay attention. Not dissing those of you who don't -- it's hard to fight back the nausea.
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