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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 1h

OxBridge-trained Brits pride themselves on debating flourishes, especially when in former provinces. (Eg: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a... Steve Hilton is not doing a lot to hold up that image, vs plain old Xavier Becerra on CNN. Maybe softened by life in bubble of right-wing talk radio.

theatlantic.com

"The Economics of the Colonial Cringe," about The Economist magazine; Washington Post, 1991

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 5h

Ivy League-ology: -Princeton has long preened on being #1 in US News rankings -DAMHIK about those rankings, as former USN editor -Most prominent Tigers on current scene are this guy, Alito, Cruz -(Yeah, Harvard has J Roberts—but also Buttigieg, KBJackson etc) -History lectures from this clown???

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 7h

Would love to watch Bill Clinton's spit-take when he hears Newt intro'd as "one of our nation's best minds." (History lesson: Clinton wrapped Speaker Newt around his little finger in the 1990s, much as Xi et al are doing to Trump now.)

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Mykael Wyvern — 🔮🧙🏻‍♂️🐉 @wyvern.bsky.social · 7h

I legitimately thought this was a joke post

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 8h

Who has a bigger heart than me? I find myself with zero sympathy for people in recent stories saying, "Yeah, I was fine with all the mass roundups, until they arrested my brother[uncle/neighbor/wife]." Who has a case for a more charitable outlook?

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Someone should ask Trump, just as a lark, how far Iran is from closest point in the US—and what the range of their missiles is. He won't know the answer to either. (During Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK pointed out that Soviet missiles had range of 1,000+ miles, so from Cuba could hit DC etc)

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

'Guess what?' — which happened to be one of Biden's favorite phrases — pays off roughly 00.01% of the time as a rhetorical device. Paxton lowers the payoff ratio here.

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Headquarters @headquartersnews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Ken Paxton: The criticism has been that I let a child predator out after one day. Well guess what? They served 60 days.

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I've reported first-hand on steel mills in Korea, China, Japan, Illinois, and Mississippi. This is 100% not going to happen. Disagree? Bet me. (Though I'm against online betting. It's just not going to happen.)

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If I Were Still Voting in Calif dept: —US needs much, much more progressive tax code, w much more robust IRS enforcement, than now. Doesn't have either, via Reagan/Gingrich-era-onward GOP —Doing it state-by-state won't work. They just move to Nevada —Worked for smog/car emission stds. But not tax

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Anyone who knows Bill Maher producers: He said "Xi," as in Xi Jinping, maybe 50+ times in his show this wknd. And every time he said "Gee" or "Zhee." Arrgh. (So did his guest Kirchick.) How hard is this? (Didn't take the clue when guest Jonathan Swan kept saying "She," as in "he and she.")

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This is going great. (*Average* US price now above $6.50)

Chart of diesel prices, showing them about 50% higher than one year ago.

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I've had fire insurance on my house for decades and never had a fire. Obviously a fraudster.

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I still pay for online sub to WaPo, out of support for handful of dogged reporters still there, and despite cravenness of owner, evisceration of whole sections, cheesy ed page, and all the rest. (Please, God, lead Bezos to sell the paper to someone who cares.) But stories like this ...

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Q: Who could possibly have foreseen this? A: Anyone who knows anything about China. Also A: Anyone who knows how autocrats make Trump eat out of their hands. (Putin, Kim, Orban, Musk, Bezos, et al.)

Headline: "Trump, Xi wrap state visit centered on spectacle over substance."

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My dad was a small-town doctor who made late-night house calls on most nights I can remember growing up—and to my personal knowledge forgave (or delayed) payments from people who were on hard times. This story makes me want to move to Kansas and spend next 5+ weeks canvassing.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 25/09/2026

really fascinating to see isgur conduct this interview as if conservative election mistrust has materialized out of nowhere or as if liberal claims of voter suppression are totally baseless. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | How Worried Should We Be About the Midterm Elections?

And how we learn to trust elections again.

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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 25/09/2026

Two thing can be true. The WH kicking out media it doesn’t like is absolutely a First Amendment violation. And There is little journalism of value to be found in the highly controlled, substance-free halls of power—wall-to-wall navel-gazing about one’s access probably being of the least value.

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Dr. Dawn Wright @deepseadawn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

And one is in the middle of a tectonic plate over a hotspot, the other split in half by a major plate tectonic boundary. ⛰️ You're welcome. 😆

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

What do I expect out of this "summit"? Zero. Why? Because it's in the Chinese interest just to endure this, as they humor an obviously incapacitated Trump and collapsing MAGA Dynasty. They'll take tribute from all the tech barons tonight. Make some token 'deal." Then back home to real business.

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David Rothschild @davmicrot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

If the goal was to inform the American people on actions & impact of President on US, they could do a much better job if they did not prioritize his steady stream of lies & hate. Ending access to White House would be the best thing that ever happened to journalism of covering the presidency.

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Jess Craven ❌👑 @jesscraven101.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This courage— from the woman who witnessed and filmed Alex Pretti’s murder—is like nothing I’ve ever seen OMG 😭 Thank you to Senator Blumenthal and Rep. Garcia for giving Stella an opportunity to finally tell her story.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23/09/2026

can't make it up -- the Trump administration is literally rolling a red carpet out right now for President Xi

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I thought this *had* to be fake. But you can see the [insert polite word for "moron"] Tuberville ACTUALLY SAYING this, in Congressional Record: www.govinfo.gov/link/crec/la... This guy is running against Doug Jones for governor. God save Alabama. fallows.substack.com/p/running-as...

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Paul M. @brooklynbanker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

youtube.com/playlist?lis... youtu.be/waIBA6_0GQc?...

youtu.be

Peg - Steely Dan - The Making Of

YouTube video by Russ Harris

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

When you're a UK right-winger and you've lost Jacob Rees-Mogg.... Not quite like Trump losing Dick and Liz Cheney. More like if GW Bush (subject of chapter in new 'Profiles in Cowardice' book) had stepped up against Trump in 2024, or before 'Liberation Day,' or about Iran invasion, or now.

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Just deleted a post with a fake Stephen Miller quote. But this is 100% real: This morning Donald Trump said the following at the UN. "The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate." Again, Everything Is Projection.

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Byron Donalds makes Howard Lutnick, Doug Burgum, Mike Johnson, and Natalie Harp look "independent-minded."

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

UN charter (Article 2, sec 4): >>All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against ... any State<< Trump at UN: >>I have a big decision to make... Do I annihilate the Islamic Republic?... Do I drive them into hell??<<

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If you'd like to read the Greenland agreement in English, a PDF is here, on the official Danish website: stm.dk/media/fx1h4f... (In case you missed it, the download link on the Danish site is labelled "Aftalen på engelsk herunder" That may be a little subtweet on the Dansk side.)

stm.dk

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

No coincidence that GW Bush is one of the starring figures in Jacob Weisberg's excellent new book 'Profiles in Cowardice.'

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This is a genuinely terrible piece of journalism: Reporting, editing, writing, all of it. (Photos OK). Will appear alongside the word "credulous" in dictionaries. I had thought that the WaPo's news section was still "mainly good," in contrast to its laughable editorial section. But...

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Did Substack post yesterday including plaque from downtown Montgomery AL recognizing civil rights newspaper The Southern Courier. Where I worked for a while. fallows.substack.com/p/running-as... For space reasons had pic only of front side of plaque in original post. That's shown here. (cont..)

Historical plaque honoring The Southern Courier, in Alabama, which operated 1965-1968.

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Cautionary tale: I "checked" important fact w two AI systems: Name of political figure in a photo. —Gemini was absolutely 100% certain in its answer, on triple-check. And was 100% wrong. —Claude said it couldn't be sure. I checked w event organizers and got the name. Mistrust. And verify.

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Correct. This "deal" gives the US nothing it didn't have before—ie, before Trump threatened a previously close and loyal US ally, said "who cares about NATO?", and unleashed lackeys in search of their own financial deals in Greenland. (See also: Trade war with Canada. War on Iran, etc)

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Yet again, in words neither of us foresaw a generation ago: I agree here 100% with @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social .

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The 51st @51st.news · 18/09/2026

Are you worried about the future of the Kennedy Center? Tonight, @kcunions.bsky.social, Hands Off the Arts, @tarahoot.bsky.social, and more supporters are gathering at the closed arts complex for a protest. More details in @ecwilliams.bsky.social's reporting:

51st.news

How to support DC arts amid the Kennedy Center drama

Patronize theaters, join a protest, and other ways to get involved.

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Rex Huppke @rexhuppke.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

At the end of the day, beyond the hatefulness, he's really just a spectacularly dumb guy. Like I'm not sure he's achieved object permanence yet. He has to be reminded which hole the food goes in. His internal monologue is the sound of one hand clapping. He calls electrical sockets "finger zappers."

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

People of DC (and the country): Let's be prepared to be out there surrounding the Kennedy Center, "tank-man" style.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 18/09/2026

It's so funny that Mamdani is doing *exactly* what the abundance types are calling for -- competent government in service of constituents' quality of life -- but they can't embrace him because their billionaire donors hate Muslims.

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Walter Mondial @dabenner.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I hate dismissing the Kennedy Center as a "building." First of all, it's an architecturally significant building, art in itself, but also it's a place where people work. It's a place where people in the DMV gather to see art and music. ....

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