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marktl.bsky.social

@marktl.bsky.social
769 followers 358 following 3.5K posts

Wiki description of US Gov-punitive and incompetent governance laced through with corruption and self-dealing.

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Reposted by @marktl.bsky.social
Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 10h
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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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 5h
For a long time I've wanted a sense of how trump has or hasn't interacted with chatbots (we know he posts a lot of slop sure). And this TIME anecdote about Grok arguably leading Trump into war is just extremely bracing
Since returning to office, Trump has marveled at AI’s capabilities. He is increasingly in thrall to the tech executives courting him. In December 2025, Elon Musk returned to the Oval Office for a clandestine meeting. Trump spent hours asking Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot, questions about his presidency and legacy, according to an official present. At the time, Trump was ordering missile strikes against Venezuelan boats he alleged were smuggling drugs into the U.S. He asked Grok how Venezuelans would react if the U.S. captured Maduro. According to the official present, the chatbot responded that Maduro was a repressive and deeply unpopular dictator and that many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his downfall. After Trump ordered the mission to seize Maduro, the following month, celebrations broke out in the streets. Trump, according to officials, came away thinking Grok was ingenious.
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Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 4h
Trump endorsed him. Trump's cabinet funded him. Trump's prosecutor funded him. Trump's ambassador funded him. Michael Whatley is the most expensive 15-point loss in North Carolina history. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/trumps-sen...
dworkinsubstack.com
Trump’s Senate Pick Is Losing. Look Who’s Paying For Him.
Also: The judge, the lawyer, and the peanut farmer Trump didn’t see coming
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Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 4h
Chris Wright had one job: run the Energy Department. He found time for a second one: funding Trump's Senate pick, employer line "US Dept of Energy." Your government, used as a return address. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/trumps-sen...
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Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 4h
Kelly Loeffler lost her own Senate seat in 2021. Now she's spending $62,000 trying to buy one for Trump's guy. Her listed employer on the check? "Federal Government." She means you. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/trumps-sen...
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Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 4h
Christine Toretti got her ambassadorship from Trump in September. By December 26 she was wiring $10,000 to Trump's Senate pick from Stockholm. Fastest thank-you note in the Foreign Service. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/trumps-sen...
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Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 4h
Linda McMahon is dismantling the Education Department by day. By December she'd found $66,300 for Trump's Senate pick. By March she was posing next to him in High Point. Priorities, filed in triplicate. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/trumps-sen...
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Steven T. Dennis @steventdennis.bsky.social · 4h
President Trump plans another dinner for the top holders of his memecoin, which has plummeted in value even as he made hundreds of millions of dollars last year — more than the salaries of all of Congress. Last year, he spoke and top holders got a WH tour. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Trump Memecoin Dinner Returns as Democrats Threaten Scrutiny
The promoter of Donald Trump’s memecoin is marketing another chance for top holders to attend an event with the president, just as Democratic lawmakers threaten fresh scrutiny of his crypto business d...
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The Editorial Board @editorialboard.bsky.social · 7h
It would be very good for Michigan to have a senator who thinks like this. This is a *special* way of thinking about human problems and the challenge of addressing those problems collectively. I hope Michiganders can see that.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 19h
Never gonna end well.
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The Lever @levernews.com · 20h
SCOOP: The SEC just quietly rewrote its own rules so ONE Trump appointee can make decisions for the entire agency, no public comment required. This is right as the SEC preps rules on crypto and AI mega-IPOs like Anthropic’s. www.levernews.com/sec-quorum-r...
levernews.com
Trump SEC Quorum Rule Lets One Commissioner Act Alone
A quiet rule change could signal “the end of independent financial regulators” just as the SEC prepares to deregulate crypto, mega-IPOs, and corporate governance.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Tomorrow, on October 1, the biggest transfer of wealth from the working class to the wealthy hits a critical milestone. Many of the provisions from the Big Ugly Bill will go into effect, harming hundreds of thousands of Michiganders in order to create tax cuts for the richest people in America.
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Is the IRS going to get aggressive on Trumps boys? “Meta’s savings from the credit have soared, trimming almost $4 billion off its tax bill last year” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...
nytimes.com
How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes (Gift Article)
Meta is exploiting a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation. Its own accountants say the gambit is risky.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Yet another reason to run on oversight and accountability. Those are promises they can actually keep.
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Charles Gaba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 29/09/2026
👀 Holy Shit.
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Josh Manning @joshmanning.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Here’s a gift link for this piece, which hits on so many themes I have been struggling with recently. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | I’m Exhausted. You’re Demoralized. We Weren’t Built for a World Like This. (Gift Article)
A greatly underappreciated virtue of other presidents was that you could forget about them for weeks at a time.
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
You just know Schmitt had prebooked this show along with probably Ingraham and Hannity to launch his media tour after his big gotcha moment on Jack Smith that was going to propel him to be Vance's running mate. Instead, it's the Clown Show Power Hour. bsky.app/profile/atru...
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
CHARLIE KIRK SHOW: Dang! So you had texts from Smith's team confirming he was going to a Hawks game, and he acted dumbfounded? ERIC SCHMITT: It was the only NBA game going on in Atlanta. He claimed later he was at another game. My job is to ask the questions (All of Schmitt's "facts" were wrong!)
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Eric Schmitt is on The Charlie Kirk Show (yes it's still called that) -- and believe it or not, hosts are pretending he owned Smith with his embarrassingly botched gotcha "You caught him in this NBA game too in Atlanta" "Yeah," Schmitt says There's no mention that Schmitt had all his facts wrong
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Scott Lincicome @scottlincicome.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"16 trucking companies hit bankruptcy court in less than a month" www.freightwaves.com/news/16-truc...
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Odd story coming: “Police said investigators contacted both the toddler’s parents, Bialy said, noting one is a police officer with a neighboring jurisdiction, but that parent is not the one who was arrested.”
freep.com
Toddler found with loaded gun at Canton daycare, parent arrested
A parent was arrested after a toddler was found with a loaded gun inside a Canton daycare facility.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Good job Donnie- “The United States can no longer be trusted as a reliable trading partner… “This is the new new,” ... “Canada is busting its ass to get out and diversify its markets. This has been a lesson learned. I think it will never go back. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/b...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Tariffs Push Canadian Companies to Look Past American Links
Shaken by tariffs and threats from the Trump administration, Canadian businesses are seeking markets and suppliers beyond the United States.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Apparently anyone can declare it- “Trafigura executives told the White House that Venezuelan gold was a national security issue,” Trump Brought Venezuelan Gold to the U.S., but Refiners Won’t Touch It www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/w...
nytimes.com
Trump Brought Venezuelan Gold to the U.S., but Refiners Won’t Touch It (Gift Article)
The administration is brokering deals in a notoriously corrupt industry, including one with a company that the United States deems a security threat.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“For the sake of the nation, and to establish at least one guardrail against Trump’s extreme impulses during his final two years in office, Democrats must capture control of the U.S. House….the Free Press endorses Democrat WILLIAM LAWRENCE for the 7th District House seat”- Detroit Free Press
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Scott Lincicome @scottlincicome.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"Immigration crackdown hits Kansas, disrupts beef processing" www.ksl.com/article/5162... "Immigration enforcement could be ​the latest to work at cross purposes, causing record-high beef prices to tick ⁠up even higher"
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 27/09/2026
Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/kQdKbY1
trib.al
Trump Moves to Cut Off Student Loans for Tons of Degrees
Under a new rule, if your degree doesn’t make enough money, you won’t be able to get a student loan.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This, and it is easier to pronounce.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
They are playing in our faces
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
So a AI agent was talking in an online forum and pulled statistics for discussion from the SEC database? All on its own “Separately, OpenAI’s agents shared public data from the S.E.C. website on an online forum.”
nytimes.com
OpenAI’s A.I. Went Rogue and Meddled With U.S. Government Websites
The company did not learn until recently that its technology had meddled with websites for the Education and Commerce Departments and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Is this usual ? “pulled data from the Census Bureau website, which is housed at the Commerce Department, using login credentials it found online.”
nytimes.com
OpenAI’s A.I. Went Rogue and Meddled With U.S. Government Websites
The company did not learn until recently that its technology had meddled with websites for the Education and Commerce Departments and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Well reported, imagine if only people were honest. Especially law enforcement.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I am trying to find where part was a donation from President Trump.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“But we want to live in a world — we’re in the richest, most powerful country in the world — where you have structures and institutions that a) prevent the worst things that happened to her and b) can catch you when you fall into those cracks.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What Does Abdul El-Sayed Believe?
The Senate nominee talks about his view for the future of the Democratic Party.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Always had my vote: “ Yes, there are some people who want to define America as being smaller, that it can’t include certain groups of people, whoever the out-group is that they want to point to. “ What Does Abdul El-Sayed Believe? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What Does Abdul El-Sayed Believe? (Gift Article)
The Senate nominee talks about his view for the future of the Democratic Party.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 24/09/2026
OMG
pic of himself and the troops posted on X by Army Secretary Hon. Adam Telle.his pants are too tight, and yeah ... be glad if you can't see it
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ceej @ceej.online · 24/09/2026
impeach them all. fuck em. why should they get to fly around on our dime and hurt people? “they’ll never actually removed from office” who gives a shit? I want them miserable every day for the rest of the term. I hope they have nightmares. air their dirty laundry. make em sweat
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 22/09/2026
Trump: "Where's Marco?" (Marco is sitting literally right next to him!)
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
WAPO: The architect quit “after warning repeatedly that Trump was insisting on a preliminary design that did not provide adequate emergency exit routes or fire-containment measures .. .. ‘I am the code,” Trump said.” @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Don't download the Trump app. Everything he does is underhanded and dishonest.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
“Deters pushed back on speculation that concerns about low attendance prompted the cancellation,” It was because they didn’t buy tickets!
freep.com
Conservative Freedom Fest with Kid Rock canceled after only 6 VIP tickets sell
Patriots Day Freedom Fest was canceled days before it was set to take place in northern Kentucky due to low VIP ticket sales.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I wish Detroit Free Press had articles to gift, this is cruel : Check out this article from Detroit Free Press: A judge's personal nightmare: 'ICE tricked us and grabbed our foster son' www.freep.com/story/news/i...
freep.com
A judge's personal nightmare: 'ICE tricked us and grabbed our foster son'
An African refugee lived lawfully and freely in the U.S. for more than seven years, committed no crimes, attended all his required visits and held a good job. Then ICE came.
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Senator Elissa Slotkin @slotkin.senate.gov · 23/09/2026
Chinese companies are fueling Iran’s war machine by buying oil, providing targeting information, and selling weapons and components to the Iranian government. We now know that some of that targeting information may have led to the death of three U.S. soldiers.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22/09/2026
this is a genuinely crazy story
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Its going to take a lot of work to untangle all the business Trump cronies are involved in.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
all corruption investigations have been made gone. The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 22/09/2026
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has admitted his country doesn't have enough potash to satisfy Donald Trump's demands for the critical fertilizer.
politico.eu
Lukashenko says Belarus doesn’t have enough potash for Trump
“Even if we wanted to supply [potash] to other, Western markets, we simply do not have those volumes,” said the Belarusian president.
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This right here is part of the problem : “Last May, Ms. Graham’s daughter ordered deli ham from Walmart using a coupon for drone delivery. She had been in a rush to make a sandwich. “ It’s Raining Boxes: Amazon Drones Overwhelm a Texas Suburb www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/u...
nytimes.com
It’s Raining Boxes: Amazon Drones Overwhelm a Texas Suburb
In Richardson, a fleet of drones has started to deliver goods quickly. But the noise is drowning out life for some residents: ‘We can’t live like this.’
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Living free in Texas : Richardson was a suburb known as a hub for tech…A massive new A.I. data center sits across the street from one neighborhood, and as recently as last month, 20 Flock cameras, which read license plates and track vehicles, were used at 14 major intersections.
nytimes.com
It’s Raining Boxes: Amazon Drones Overwhelm a Texas Suburb (Gift Article)
In Richardson, a fleet of drones has started to deliver goods quickly. But the noise is drowning out life for some residents: ‘We can’t live like this.’
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marktl.bsky.social @marktl.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
love this
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