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Jim Whitney

@jimwhitney.bsky.social
1.2K followers 584 following 3.1K posts

Fan of our national parks, baseball, dogs, good journalism, West Coast IPAs. Father, husband, biker. Ex JEC, Dem politics. A bit uncertain about the future.

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Reposted by Jim Whitney
Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 2h
Hegseth seems more intent on waging war against the Pentagon than against Iran. @sbg1.bsky.social www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
newyorker.com
Pete Hegseth Just Declared Victory in the Wrong War
The combative culture warrior in the Pentagon may soon be Congress’s top target.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 3h
Fox News releases two new polls. —Iowa: Josh Turek (D) up 49/47 for Senate. —Texas: James Talarico (D) up 51/49 for Senate. That's among likely voters. Strikingly (& against CW?), Dems lead by more among registered voters: Talarico +7, Turek +4.
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Team Talarico @teamtalaricohq.bsky.social · 8h
Over 4,000 Texans showed up for James Talarico in Ken Paxton's home county 👀
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The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 10h
Mortgage rates posted their biggest one-week jump in four years, soaring to 7.28% in another blow to the housing market.
on.wsj.com
Mortgage Rates Surge, Notching Largest Weekly Gain in Four Years
The rise to 7.28% follows the bond-market rout and deals another blow to a limping housing market.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h
New in PN: Scenes from a personality cult "The ads are unambiguously illegal — & that’s the point. Again & again, this regime has broken the law not just to accomplish some immediate goal, but as a dominance display to say to everyone: Donald Trump does whatever he wants, & nobody can stop him."
publicnotice.co
Scenes from a personality cult
Trump’s taxpayer-funded agitprop is clearly illegal — and that’s the point.
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Steve Rattner @steverattner.bsky.social · 12h
The 10-year Treasury yield is at its highest since 2007; the 30-year, its highest since 2002. Meanwhile, mortgage rates are back above 7%. My @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social Chart
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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 13h
Diesel near a record $6.50 a gallon in the US is weighing on all corners of the economy, right as midterm elections near.
bloom.bg
Diesel’s Record Run Sidelines Truckers and Hits Voters’ Wallets
Fuel costs are near their all-time high as the war in Iran enters its seventh month, squeezing households and small businesses ahead of the US midterms.
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Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 13h
New AP poll: Trump’s job approval rating falls to 31%, while 69% disapprove. • His approval rating on the economy: 26% • On the cost of living: 17% • On Iran: 28% • Trade negotiations: 38% • AI: 31% • Immigration: 39% • Border security: 48% apnorc.org/wp-content/u...
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Reuters @reuters.com · 23h
AI agents tried to hack Canadian government website, research firm says reut.rs/3VozHJh
reut.rs
AI agents tried to hack Canadian government website, research firm says
AI agents tried to hack into a Canadian ​government website, an AI ​research firm said on Wednesday.
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 23h
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...
nytimes.com
Jack Smith Defends Trump Charges as Senator’s Perjury Claim Falls Apart
A Republican eager to prove the former special counsel was dishonest appeared to instead demonstrate his own confusion over basic facts.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Holy crap. Can’t make this stuff up
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David Gura @davidgura.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
TMZ asked Sen. Eric Schmitt about his Q&A with former special counsel Jack Smith. Schmitt said, “The only NBA game that was going on that night (February 3rd, 2024) was in Atlanta. So, I asked him if he was there.” NBA games that night:
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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
We don’t spend enough time talking about just how WEIRD all these people are. This is just an incredibly weird and insecure thing to say. Imagine any other SecDef ever being this weird and insecure?!
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Adam Isacson @adamisacson.com · 30/09/2026
Can GOP midterm voter enthusiasm get any lower in South Texas and Miami-Dade? Let's find out:
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Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Hegseth Talks Tough as Republican Doubts About His Leadership Grow www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/u...
nytimes.com
Hegseth Talks Tough as Republican Doubts About His Leadership Grow
Pete Hegseth has held onto his job by projecting a tough guy image, but his relationship with Republican lawmakers has never been worse.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Four-byline alert: “.. Meta claimed that $4.1 billion of stock options exercised by Mr. Zuckerberg counted as a research expense ..” @nytimes.com $META www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...
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James McLeod @jamespmcleod.ca · 30/09/2026
As the article notes, it's pretty wild that the U.S. tourism numbers are crashing like this in a year when they literally hosted the World Cup. www.semafor.com/article/09/2...
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Ken Paxton, Donald Trump’s pick in the crucial Texas Senate race, has been caught badmouthing the president.
thedailybeast.com
Must-Win MAGA Senate Candidate Caught Secretly Trashing Trump
Audio of the embarrassing private comments has been leaked.
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Katherine Clark @whipkclark.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Even Trump’s new AI admits that Republicans are making life more expensive.
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Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 30/09/2026
The man who found a way to bankrupt a casino is on the verge of bankrupting the Kennedy Center. Everything he touches he destroys.   The reflecting pool, the East Wing, the Kennedy Center, & every monument in America belong to the PEOPLE. They're not his to remake, remodel, or destroy.
washingtonpost.com
The Kennedy Center was solvent when Trump took over. Then its finances collapsed.
The Post examined 15 years of the institution’s financial records to see why it went south after the president took over.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
".. Three of the Paramount bonds to be sold are poised to yield at least 8%. Just two US high-grade notes priced this year with such yields .." @bloomberg.com $PSKY www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Paramount Cuts Pricing on $30 Billion High-Grade Bond Sale
Spreads on the largest portion of Paramount Skydance Corp.’s $52 billion financing to fund its buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. tightened as banks prepare to wrap up the long-awaited transaction.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
GATES: “.. I almost can’t believe you’re asking that.” @ezraklein.bsky.social @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/u...
nytimes.com
Ken Paxton, G.O.P. Nominee in Texas, Privately Said Trump’s Convention Hurt Him
Ken Paxton, one of the party’s top Senate candidates and a Trump loyalist, said that “everybody’s numbers dropped” after the event, according to audio obtained by The Times.
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Please keep saying this so everyone in Iowa can hear it. I'll rephrase slightly -- "we appreciate your unending war against Iran, the $1.50 per gallon increase in gas prices that resulted, your nonstop corruption and self enrichment, using your position to put billions in your pockets."
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Thank god for the Super Pacs....people love them.
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Mike Lee really an embarrassment -- even by the standards of Republicans in the Senate. www.aol.com/articles/us-...
aol.com
US senator blocks bill to ban Trump from demolishing Kennedy Center without Congress’s approval - AOL
Mike Lee objected to the safeguard against the demolition of any presidential memorial Congress designates
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Politico @politico.com · 29/09/2026
Appeals court seems likely to let Boasberg’s contempt probe continue
dlvr.it
Appeals court seems likely to let Boasberg’s contempt probe continue
The appeals court seemed to favor giving U.S. District Judge James Boasberg more leeway to continue probing whether officials flouted his orders when they deported hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador.
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
GOP clown show in the US Senate www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
Eric Schmitt pins down Jack Smith — as a Caitlin Clark fan
It appeared that the Missouri Republican misinterpreted a text message reference to the "hawks."
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CNN @cnn.com · 29/09/2026
Anthropic says its AI models could pose a "catastrophic or existential risk to humanity" and can "resist shutdown," according to an initial public offering prospectus obtained by Reuters. cnn.it/4AEWi4u
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...
nytimes.com
A Tough Ad Reminds Nebraska Voters About a Brutal Crime and a Pardon
A group supporting Dan Osborn, the independent Senate candidate in Nebraska, is airing an ad attacking Senator Pete Ricketts, a Republican, for pardoning a man convicted of sexual assault.
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For those thinking self regulation is the answer www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/t...
nytimes.com
OpenAI Ignored Employees’ Warnings About Safely Testing A.I. Models
Employees and security researchers said they had cautioned the company on safely testing its A.I. models and strengthening its corporate infrastructure, but OpenAI did not listen.
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Reposted by Jim Whitney
Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A phenomenal moment in the Senate. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., claims he has evidence Jack Smith went to a HAWKS game in Atlanta. Smith denies it. Schmitt declares he has busted Jack Smith for perjury. Smith, vexed, says he went to HAWKEYES game in Maryland. WATCH IN FULL, UNINTERRUPTED
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Good ad in Ohio Senate race
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 29/09/2026
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Michigan’s pivotal Senate seat, is releasing a “Building a Healthier America” policy agenda focusing on cracking down on pesticides, changing drinking water standards and boosting access to healthy food.
washingtonpost.com
This Senate Democratic candidate is making a play for RFK Jr.’s MAHA supporters
Abdul El-Sayed unveils a health-focused agenda to persuade Michigan supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement to back his campaign.
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Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New MARIST poll of U.S. Senate race in Ohio
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Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Bessent has now transformed himself into the Baghdad Bob of bonds.” paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-beclow...
paulkrugman.substack.com
The Beclowning of Scott Bessent
Another Trump enabler pays the price
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Trump has... -Run blatantly political ads using taxpayer money -Shuttered a longstanding arts & culture institution because he can’t put his name on the building -Hung banners with his face on them from a government building If you saw this happening in another country, what would you call it?
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The most amazing thing is that this is like a page 29 story across the US
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"An admission that the American president offered to sell arms to China is extraordinary. The Communist-ruled nation is considered by most policymakers and legislators of both parties to be the greatest military, economic and diplomatic rival of the United States..." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Offered to Sell Arms to China, U.S. Ambassador Says
President Trump made the offer to Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said David Perdue, the ambassador to China. The White House later said the U.S. had no plans for such a sale.
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Peggy Flanagan @peggyflanagan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Trump’s illegal war may be happening over there, but we're paying the price right here. My TV ad on rising prices is premiering during the Vikings game today. I hope you’ll tune in.
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Eric Champnella @echamp.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Dear Maine Democrats -- Here's your new commercial. You're welcome.
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Meredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 27/09/2026
Scherzer’s strength as a union lead when the owners tried to turn people against him because he drove a nice car to CBA negotiations is something I’ll remember as much as any play on the field.
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Collins Watch @collinswatch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Washington Post confirms @propublica.org's reporting that the FBI shuttered a pay-to-play investigation into Susan Collins after Trump took over last year. #MEpolitics
WaPo: Three people familiar with the matter confirmed to The Washington Post that the FBI last year closed an early-stage inquiry into allegations that a defense contractor made concealed political contributions benefiting Collins in exchange for help securing federal contracts. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the previously undisclosed investigation.
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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
US goes boldly into its pro-pollution policy... www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/c...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Plans to Gut Clean Car Rules
New fuel-economy standards, which President Trump said he finalized Saturday, would kill a federal effort to speed the transition to electric vehicles.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 26/09/2026
Talarico: "I am extending an open hand to all of our neighbors who supported the president in the last election and inviting them to join this movement we are building across the state"
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Since 1990 when the @WSJ began polling, no president has been as unpopular as Trump is at this point before a midterm election. His 37% approval is lower than Clinton, Bush or Obama had before big midterm defeats. www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
wsj.com
Trump Is Predicting Midterms Success but Republicans Are Starting to Panic
The president’s approval rating drops to 37% in a WSJ poll, the lowest of any president heading into a midterm election in Journal polls dating to 1990.
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Stevenof1 @stevenof1.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Just a Reminder...
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Grassley has repeatedly made clear to Iowa GOP grandees that in the event of his death in office, he expects his grandson and designated heir, Pat Grassley, speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, to succeed to his senate seat. Applying the principle of dynastic succession.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 26/09/2026
In response to our reporting, Susan Collins has mustered a defense that is full of incorrect and misleading claims. We’ve reviewed FBI evidence, examined thousands of pages of records and interviewed dozens of people. Here are the receipts.
propublica.org
ProPublica Debunks Susan Collins’ Claims About FBI Anti-Corruption Probe
ProPublica revealed that the FBI was circling Sen. Collins over a defense contractor’s donations — until President Trump gutted the unit in charge. Collins has since mustered a defense with a series o...
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