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Justin Mikulka

@justinmikulka.bsky.social
12K followers 1K following 11K posts

Research, analysis and opinion on the ongoing energy transition. Writing about it at: powering-the-planet.ghost.io

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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Stephen Leahy @stephenleahy.bsky.social · 10h
US households pay 62% more for water than they did a decade ago, study finds For-profit water corporations, federal cuts and climate crisis are ‘supercharging water rate hikes’, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
US households pay 62% more for water than they did a decade ago, study finds
For-profit water corporations, federal cuts and climate crisis are ‘supercharging water rate hikes’, study co-author says
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 16h
Great work on oil and gas industry lies about "routine" flaring. “It’s a deliberate greenwash that establishes a target that’s meaningless,” says Richard Ward, a former Shell sustainability manager.... "Those loopholes are so big that they don’t have to do anything.” Gift link. Please read.
bloomberg.com
Living Next Door to the Oil Sector’s Toxic Flames
Routine gas flaring continues globally, despite pledges by major companies to curb the practice.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 17h
White supremacist cops take a minority citizen, drive him out to the woods as a threat, and leave him there. No, it's not Mississippi in the 1930s, why do you ask?
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 16h
Some LNG news from the past week. In Vietnam, the financial hurdles are piling up for LNG. "Vietnam’s LNG imports will reach 3 million tons by 2030, BNEF forecast, down from an estimate of 4.9 million tons made in 2025."
bloomberg.com
Vietnam’s Plan to Expand LNG-Fired Power Is Well Behind Schedule
Vietnam’s ambitions to rapidly expand liquefied natural gas imports to feed growing electricity demand are unraveling, as red tape and financial hurdles delay nearly all of the country’s planned power...
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 16h
"Vietnam’s ambitions to rapidly expand liquefied natural gas imports to feed growing electricity demand are unraveling, as red tape and financial hurdles delay nearly all of the country’s planned power projects." Financial hurdles. Those are the ones that matter.
bloomberg.com
Vietnam’s Plan to Expand LNG-Fired Power Is Well Behind Schedule
Vietnam’s ambitions to rapidly expand liquefied natural gas imports to feed growing electricity demand are unraveling, as red tape and financial hurdles delay nearly all of the country’s planned power...
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 16h
Great work on oil and gas industry lies about "routine" flaring. “It’s a deliberate greenwash that establishes a target that’s meaningless,” says Richard Ward, a former Shell sustainability manager.... "Those loopholes are so big that they don’t have to do anything.” Gift link. Please read.
bloomberg.com
Living Next Door to the Oil Sector’s Toxic Flames
Routine gas flaring continues globally, despite pledges by major companies to curb the practice.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Across the world, from India to Ireland, fossil fuels are heavily subsidized. And getting very expensive compared to clean energy. Good incentive for governments to accelerate the transition and end the costly subsidies.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"Gasoline-only cars fell below 50% of global new vehicle sales for the first time, as the Hormuz crisis and record fuel prices accelerated the shift toward EVs."
oilprice.com
Fuel Price Shock Pushes Global Gas Car Sales Below 50% for First Time | OilPrice.com
The share of gasoline cars in global vehicle sales fell below 50% for the first time ever as the Hormuz shock and the resulting record-high fuel prices accelerated the previously sluggish shift toward...
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
For more years than I'd like to count, I've been noting that the transition to clean energy is being driven by favorable economics. It's simple math and Fed Ex did it.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Back in 2024 Bloomberg's oil columnist wrote a column with the title "Nevermind Those EVs" Today he wrote a column saying he bought an EV and noted how EVs are causing oil demand destruction. 😀
bloomberg.com
Our Oil Columnist Got an EV. A Bad Omen for Big Petroleum?
I have some news: I just bought an electric vehicle. I fueled up my old car for the last time in September — when my shiny new EV arrived last week, that was the end of my relationship with gasoline.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Big News!! Trump announces new steel mill in Iowa. Trump piped up to say, "They've already started building." And yet... "Company officials say they don't have details about its plans, and no permits have been filed."
yahoo.com
Local Iowa Report Provides Scathing Fact-Check of Trump’s New Steel Mill: ‘That’s Not True’
Donald Trump announced a "done deal" to build a $15 billion steel plant in Lee County, Iowa, but local media reported that Trump's claims "don't match reality."
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 04/10/2026
Think tanks will soon start releasing non-peer-reviewed modeling of how the permitting bill might affect pollution, if they haven't already. Most will secretly have lots of ideology-driven thumbs on scales. One big way to tip the scales is by ignoring pollution associated with oil and gas exports.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Good Trailcams @goodtrailcams.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Big News!! Trump announces new steel mill in Iowa. Trump piped up to say, "They've already started building." And yet... "Company officials say they don't have details about its plans, and no permits have been filed."
yahoo.com
Local Iowa Report Provides Scathing Fact-Check of Trump’s New Steel Mill: ‘That’s Not True’
Donald Trump announced a "done deal" to build a $15 billion steel plant in Lee County, Iowa, but local media reported that Trump's claims "don't match reality."
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Jaap Burger @jaapburger.eu · 03/10/2026
The diesel car is not only harmful to our lungs, but is now also considered toxic to its owner. Dutch motorists looking to sell their diesel cars are finding it difficult; the second-hand car market for diesels has collapsed, and even exports of second-hand diesel cars are falling.
nos.nl
Auto op dure diesel amper nog verkocht: 'Dieselrijder is een uitstervend ras'
Sinds de oorlog tussen de VS en Iran zijn de brandstofprijzen enorm gestegen. Diesel is de laatste tijd vaak duurder dan benzine.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
We may want to remember this one for referring back to in the future. "It stopped for the ducks," Baron said [about his Tesla autopilot] If you are a duck, perhaps you should invest. Otherwise, maybe not.
finance.yahoo.com
Ron Baron: Elon Musk’s ‘unbelievable’ new product that all Americans will want — and ‘now’ is the time to buy stock
Billionaire investor Ron Baron says one Tesla experience has him convinced there’s even more growth ahead for the company.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
darren32359.bsky.social @darren32359.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"To justify staggering investment sums, Americans will have to spend as much of their income on this one technology [AI] as they do on food" I'm pretty sure that ain't happening.
bar chart showing that for AI to work as a business Americans would need to spend as much on AI as they do on food.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is how we fund real journalism these days. Throw Mike some money if you can.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"The 2027 BMW 3 Series comes in both gas and electric versions, and the EV is $4,400 cheaper." But I have range anxiety....
techcrunch.com
BMW built the same car for gas and electric. The EV is $4,400 cheaper. | TechCrunch
The new BMW 3 Series shows just how quickly EVs have caught up to fossil fuel vehicles on pricing.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Did not expect to find these words in the NYT. "Changes of a few percentage points in [oil] supply and demand may not seem like much. But it is in the margins where you find the seeds of collapse." Seeds of collapse.
nytimes.com
Opinion | If You Think Rising Oil Prices Are Bad, Just Wait for the Inevitable Crash (Gift Article)
An oil bust is on the horizon.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Maas Goote gets it. "Maas Goote, the European Union’s former lead climate negotiator and an independent policy advisor, said there is no evidence that the methane regulations, if left in place, would cause price spikes or reduce supply."
insideclimatenews.org
EU Weighs Delaying Methane Rules as Energy Prices Rise - Inside Climate News
Concerned climate policy experts and investor groups warn against weakening the landmark regulation.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In the Trump era so many people have to find new ways to say he is lying but in a nice way. “what was reported today went beyond what had been agreed” S. Korea will only invest in Alaska LNG if it is proven to be commercially viable. It isn't and it won't ever be. So there is that.
bloomberg.com
Korea Disputes Trump’s Claim It Agreed to Invest in Alaska LNG
South Korea has pushed back on the Trump administration’s announcement that the country would invest $54 billion in a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, saying it had agreed to do so only if the...
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
As the EU continues to rely even more heavily on importing US LNG and is kicking the can on methane regulations to make this happen, perhaps they should ponder the risks of handing this sort of energy dependence to a country that elected Trump. Because it gives him leverage...like with diesel.
yahoo.com
Trump threatens diesel export ban to pressure Europe on reserves
The White House has asked the E.U. to release 120 million barrels of diesel over the next six months, according to Reuters
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New interview of Andreas Schroeder by @nickcunningham.bsky.social "Definitely for Europe, yes. It’s the market I know best because I know the policy talk and I’m following it day-to-day. For Europe, I can say there is a move away from gas." Andreas Schroeder
gasoutlook.substack.com
Gas Outlook Monthly - September 2026
Hormuz, high prices, and the LNG glut: an interview with Andreas Schroeder, head of energy analytics at ICIS
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“We will no longer be consumers of imported energy. We will be solar power producers,” he told parliament earlier this month. Guess which country? Not an easy guess since so many will choose this path.
bloomberg.com
The LNG Boom Is Losing Its Biggest Asian Bet
Emerging Asia is the future of the LNG market — one that never seems to show up in present-day reality.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Last year I wrote, "The global LNG industry has an economics problem." It seems a lot more people are starting to realize this. "Despite expanding access to LNG imports, gas is losing market share to cheaper coal." "The shift in Bangladesh's power mix is primarily driven by costs."
reuters.com
COMMENTARY: Bangladesh's coal turn is a fresh bad sign for LNG exporters
Bangladesh should be one of the global LNG industry's success stories, but instead it is a warning sign.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The oil industry and the US are working hard to ramp up fracking and oil and gas production in Latin America. And having success. Meanwhile these countries have the opportunity to get off fossil fuels and onto cheap and secure renewables.
amazonwatch.org
As Ecuador Courts Oil Investors, Indigenous Nations Warn Amazon Expansion Is Not Viable | Amazon Watch
“The government is asking investors to bet on the future of Ecuadorian oil. They should look carefully at the history of this region before placing that bet."
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Does anyone know what this might be? They have been moving these the past few weeks in upstate NY. Big oversized trucks with several lead cars and cops and several more behind.
large unknown object that looks like its destined for an industrial site of some kind.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Nice headline to go with this photo. Turns out this announcement is just like the "I'll give everyone $5000" bit.
headline South Korea Contests U.S. Claims of New $50 Billion Alaska Investment

Subhed: 
The Trump administration asserted this week that South Korea will fund an LNG pipeline, but Seoul denies any agreement
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Just straight up lying. But that is nothing new.
cnbc.com
South Korean President Lee pushes back on Alaska LNG project after Trump touts Seoul's participation
The U.S. announced plans for up to $200 billion in South Korean investment, though Seoul has yet to finalize the participation in the Alaska LNG project.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Trump says South Korea will put up $54 billion for Alaska LNG project. South Korea says, "Say what?" "the South Korean government has only said that it is considering the Alaska project and has not confirmed that it approved funding" Desperate midterm lies.
politico.com
Trump set to unveil $54B South Korean investment in Alaska LNG
The Korean government has yet to confirm funding for the project.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This article is great but it misses one thing. "The revival of power plants burning imported coal is expected to be temporary, with batteries and natural gas better suited to a role complementing a rising share of intermittent solar and wind." Natural gas awaits the same fate as coal.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
After reading this article, it would be good to read @jlappen1.bsky.social, @gruberte.bsky.social and @jmijin.bsky.social 's work. www.tandfonline.com/eprint/DJ88Z...
tandfonline.com
How to Save the Energy Transition: What Coal Scholars Can See Coming, and What to Do About It
The energy transition requires rapid, coordinated retirement of essentially all fossil fuel infrastructure with careful attention to impacts on workers and affected communities. Experience with the...
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
China's solar domination even surprised its coal bankers. "The scale of that clean energy influx has brought huge benefits for consumers. Solar has provided not only a cheaper source of power, it’s also added electricity access in some underserved regions." Electricity to the underserved! gift
bloomberg.com
China’s Coal Past and Solar Present Are Colliding in Pakistan
A wave of clean technology imports is challenging a power sector that owes billions to Beijing, exposing snarls in the No. 2 economy’s drive to dominate the global energy transition.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
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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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Clearly there is a major discrepancy between what President Trump is saying and what we’re hearing from local police,” said Roz Savage, a lawmaker from the area that houses the base.
wsj.com
Mystery Deepens Over Alleged U.K. Terror Incident After Suspects Are Freed
The release of the five men has raised questions about the initial narrative and has left officials on both sides of the Atlantic scratching their heads.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 30/09/2026
I'm absolutely fascinated by "journalism" that can't seem to tell readers an obvious truth. Like the fact this is absolutely meaningless bullshit designed to pre-empt real oversight
reuters.com
Trump releases AI accord with tech executives
President Donald Trump released a document on Tuesday that his administration cast as an accord ​on artificial intelligence and which he said earlier was signed by ‌him and tech executives that he met...
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"It is also an undeniable fact that most of the economy still runs on fossil fuels, but that is a weakness to be worked around, not something the government and business should be aiming to double down on." Good overview on Mexico's energy dilemma.
mxpe.org
Fossil fuels have trapped Mexico in a cycle of short-sightedness
To double down on hydrocarbons destines the Mexican economy to eternal catchup.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The Cornell Daily Sun: "This is not a dark chapter in Cornell’s history, it’s a morbid pattern, only rectified with thorough criminal investigations in the hands of parties independent of the University — the Ithaca Police Department and the Tompkins County district attorney."
cornellsun.com
EDITORIAL | Cornell Won’t, We Will
The Editorial Board demands that Cornell stops protecting the alleged Chi Phi rapists through the University's opaque sexual assault policies.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
You see how political spending is now referred to as "investing?" In a functioning society this would not be allowed. That said, did you see how little money it took to bribe Senator Susan Collins (Republican) in Maine and the amazing return on investment on that "investment"?
Headline: A google co founder is spending $100 million to defeat California's wealth tax.  It could become one of his best investments.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
So Canada is going all in on LNG exports to supply Asia. “If Qatar never comes back,” the West Coast project could be fine, Columbia University’s Anne-Sophie Corbeau, one of the world’s leading experts on global LNG markets, told Energi Media. “But if it does, there will be some unhappy people”
energi.media
LNG Canada Phase 2: The $33-Billion Bet on Asian Demand
LNG Canada Phase 2 is a $33-billion bet on Asian demand, Qatar recovery and a historic wave of new global LNG supply.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Last November I wrote this: "The rapid transition to clean energy and electric transportation is about money. And electric trucks will make money for the trucking industry. Trying to compete using diesel will be a disadvantage." And now....
bloomberg.com
China Has an 18-Wheel Answer to Soaring Global Diesel Prices
Around a third of trucks sold in China this year will run on electricity, furthering Beijing’s goal of bolstering energy security.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"The electrification of road freight is emerging as a structural force that could undermine long-term oil demand across the world." Yeah it is. gift link
bloomberg.com
China Has an 18-Wheel Answer to Soaring Global Diesel Prices
Around a third of trucks sold in China this year will run on electricity, furthering Beijing’s goal of bolstering energy security.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
Nick Cunningham @nickcunningham.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
ah so much for the "cleanest" LNG in the world. FWIW I looked at these claims 5 years ago, yet Canadian and BC officials routinely touted hydro-powered LNG facilities as a reason not to worry about climate impacts Shell will instead use gas turbines www.desmog.com/2021/08/13/l...
desmog.com
LNG Projects Make Claims of 'Net-Zero' to Ease Way for Expansion
Under growing pressure to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, developers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are turning to questionable claims about “carbon neutrality,” “net-zero,” or “green LNG,” in order...
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"The coal sector's decline has created strong empirical evidence about how energy transitions play out, but most decarb scholarship and policymaking ignore it. That has to change."
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
China's LNG exports downward travels of the past few years. It's almost becoming a trend
Chart showing China's LNG imports are less than last year for September after a big earlier drop in August.  And after big drops last September and October as well.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Despite concerns that fracking will cause severe, potentially irreversible environmental damage, the hydrocarbon technique offers Bogotá the ability to restore Colombia’s energy self-sufficiency while shoring up battered finances." Concerns validated in Texas as being correct.
oilprice.com
Can Fracking Reverse Colombia’s Oil and Gas Decline? | OilPrice.com
Colombia’s new government plans to revive fracking as shrinking gas reserves and rising LNG imports intensify pressure on the country’s energy system and public finances.
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
kenofseattle @kenofseattle.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seattle
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Reposted by Justin Mikulka
JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
And shame on everyone, including Bernie Sanders specifically, who talks about the importance of “securing the border” without acknowledging that it means precisely this.
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