Reposted by Michael DerbyClaire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 5himagine telling the pope “you’re not even an AI influencer” like that’s a sick burn 2900135
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 42mGuardian: “Thomas said Strada’s response suggested he had ‘no regard for the experience of the individual being executed other than that they end up dead.’”theguardian.comOutgoing prison chief in Christa Pike case oversaw five ‘botched’ executions, lawyers sayFrank Strada will leave role next month after uproar over execution attempt, which sent Pike to hospital in critical condition 042
Reposted by Michael DerbyDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 2hThe GOP has put $2 million to this campaign, and the billionaires have put $23 million in. Their contribution is 92% of the money Tiffany raised. 11461194
Reposted by Michael Derbyjon christian @jonchristian.net · 2hNEW: After we investigated a company that buys struggling news sites and turns them into AI-powered content mills that churn out garbage using fake journalists and subject matter experts, Google has officially cracked down on the scheme: futurism.com/artificial-i...futurism.comGoogle Updates Guidelines to Punish Sites That Use Fake Bylines and AI-Generated HeadshotsGoogle has updated its guidelines to forbid the use of fake bylines, AI-generated headshots, and other acts of "deception." 26521
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 3hWSJ on China’s demands for extensive rest periods for its aged leader during Xi visit with Trump.apple.newsUnusual Rest Breaks for Xi Jinping Sucked Hours Out of Summit With Trump — The Wall Street JournalBeijing pared back the schedule and insisted on private downtime for China’s 73-year-old leader 274
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 3hNotably that cash goes out just before the election. 5206
Reposted by Michael DerbyCullen Hendrix @cullenhendrix.bsky.social · 4hSchool music programs are getting absolutely bodied by tariffs, per @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/b... 1316073
Reposted by Michael DerbyDavid Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 12hI don’t think everyone realizes how bad things are for US science: For the fiscal year that just ended, the Trump regime withheld $1.4 billion from the National Science Foundation’s research budget, which is about 1/5 of its primary research budget.nytimes.comNational Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress (Gift Article)The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants. 131345654
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 4hTrump Ukraine war negotiations “have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives with ties to the two main U.S. negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.” Via NYTnytimes.comU.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump AlliesPresident Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter... 042
Reposted by Michael DerbyChase Mitchell @chasemit.bsky.social · 22hLike displaying heads on pikes 461385317
Reposted by Michael DerbyMolly White @molly.wiki · 18hAs the Trump administration boosts prediction markets and clears the way for them to operate without pesky oversight, Donald Trump Jr. is leading a $1 billion funding round into Polymarket through his 1789 Capital VC firm. 36811
Reposted by Michael DerbyDhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 22hNEW: DHS agents tracked people observing ICE arrests, photographed them, ran their plates, pulled personal information, and added them to a Palantir database, according to newly unsealed court filings. w/ @regret.bsky.socialwired.comICE Has Been Dumping Protester Photos Into a Palantir DatabaseDHS agents not only tracked and intimidated people observing ICE activity in Maine, but stored information about them in a Palantir-built database, newly unsealed court filings say. 11828131667
Reposted by Michael DerbyOriana González @oriana.bsky.social · 02/10/2026SCOOP: White House officials, led by Susie Wiles, have told DOJ to delay any abortion-related action until after the midterms Wiles suggested to Todd Blanche that an aggressive approach on abortion would be negative for the GOP in November @washingtonsun.com www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/ab...washingtonsun.comWhite House Officials Told the DOJ to Delay Action on Abortion Ahead of the MidtermsAttorney General Todd Blanche has moved slowly in abortion pill litigation and department officials have told advocates to wait until after the election. 1031166612
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 20hWashPost: Taxpayer funded Trump political ads seen by many as illegal draw on government cash that was in part devoted to "memorials for officers killed in the line of duty."washingtonpost.comCampaign-style Trump ads use money meant for border security, memorialsThe White House Office of Management and Budget added $20 million to the pot for commemorative events a day before DHS awarded an advertising contract of the same amount. 15194111
Reposted by Michael DerbyMatt Peterson @mattpeterson.bsky.social · 22hThe DOJ says it is not reopening the Powell investigation. The White House is not calling for Michael Barr to be fired over the SVB allegations. However, as of Thursday the White House told me that *is still considering* firing Lisa Cook. www.cnbc.com/2026/10/02/d...cnbc.comDOJ says it will not reopen criminal probe into former Fed Chair Powell 2116
Reposted by Michael DerbyCatherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Economist analysis of more than 3,000 US counties finds that in reliably GOP counties, annual deaths now exceed births by 0.4 per 1k residents, while in reliably Democratic counties, births exceed deaths by 2.8 per 1k. Population growth in the GOP counties is largely driven by internal migration.economist.comIn MAGA-land people are dying faster than they are being bornOur analysis suggests Trump country is only growing because of migration 46751224
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 22hBloomberg is reporting that the Trump administration is done with its legal attacks on Fed's Powell, who is still at the central bank as a governor. Does this clear the way for Powell to finally retire, thus opening a gov slot for Trump to fill?bloomberg.comDOJ Not Reopening Criminal Probe Into Fed’s Powell, Blanche SaysThe US Justice Department isn’t reopening a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for cost overruns related to the central bank’s building renovation project. 391
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 22hI'm telling you folks, if Trump actually did something like this, you'd be living in a pretty miserable world, maybe even for the rest of your days. 0101
Reposted by Michael DerbyBrandy Zadrozny @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Scoop: Podcaster Benny Johnson is being sued for defamation over his ICE ride-along videos calling protesters "terrorists." www.ms.now/news/benny-j...ms.nowMAGA podcaster Benny Johnson sued for defamation over ICE ride-along videos calling protesters ‘terrorists’Johnson accompanied top DHS officials last year to an ICE protest, where he pointed out “left-wing terrorists” for his millions of followers across social media. 642007393
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I'm always curious about how they staff the jobs that do the actual killing at these executions.nytimes.comChrista Pike Is in Critical Condition as Tennessee Pauses ExecutionsGov. Bill Lee ordered a review of the state’s lethal injection process after the botched attempt to execute the lone woman on Tennessee’s death row. 252
Reposted by Michael DerbyJustin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I'm not sure who saw this coming, but so far nearly all the jobs created during the second Trump administration have gone to women. 1361187284
Reposted by Michael DerbyMike Madowitz @mikemadowitz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Spoiler: Real wages are falling for another month (before I even see September CPI I can tell you this) 096
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026September jobs up a modest and below expected 29K coupled with rise in unemployment rate to 4.2% is making this week's move by Fed officials to pump the brakes on on the rate hike expectations look pretty good. 042
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026An actual post by an American government official in the year 2026. 6184
Reposted by Michael DerbyElizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Withdraw from Iraq yesterday, send 10,000 troops and another carrier to fight Iran today. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...wsj.comU.S. Sending Third Aircraft Carrier, Up to 10,000 More Troops, to Middle EastThe deployments come as President Trump weighs resuming bombing Iran after the midterms. 21208103
Reposted by Michael DerbyRyan Teague Beckwith @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social · 01/10/2026One of my rules of thumb is that when a president says they just didn’t do a good job of getting the word out, it’s mostly over 3458
Reposted by Michael DerbyLauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Cop is subject of community complaints (including for punching a driver in the face during a traffic stop). Local newsroom files a public records request about him. Eugene, Ore says sure thing, that’ll cost $2.5 million and take at least 44,000 hours to complete. My latest for @theintercept.com:theintercept.comOregon Police Are Charging a Local News Outlet $2.5M for Records About One CopEugene-based Double Sided Media requested police officer Justin Peckels’s records. The city slapped the publication with an exorbitant fee. 110845
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Fed officials wash away market bets on October rate increasereuters.comFed officials wash away market bets on October rate increaseTwo of the Federal Reserve’s top policymakers this week drove financial market participants to price out expectations of an interest rate increase at the central bank's late October policy meeting as... 021
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Trump may be about to dip even deeper into the dwindling stock of munitions.washingtonpost.comPentagon prepares for potential surge of naval forces in Middle EastThe U.S. military may soon have three aircraft carriers in the region as the Trump administration figures out its next steps in the months-long war with Iran. 250
Reposted by Michael DerbyReuters @reuters.com · 02/10/2026Fed's Logan calls for '50 bps or more' in rate hikes reut.rs/4z1flnKreut.rsFed's Logan calls for '50 bps or more' in rate hikesThe US central bank will need to raise short-term borrowing costs by at least another half of a percentage point to turn monetary policy "modestly restrictive" and get inflation back on track to the Federal Reserve's 2% goal, Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said on Thursday. 0154
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Just bought tix for Sugar in a couple of weeks, never would have thought I'd get to see them live. 040
Reposted by Michael DerbyReuters @reuters.com · 01/10/2026Fed's Kashkari expects more rate hikes, unsure on need to act this month reut.rs/3U0UBhereut.rsFed's Kashkari expects more rate hikes, unsure on need to act this monthMinneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on Thursday that he expects additional rate increases will be needed to restrain the economy going into 2027, though he is unsure about whether the next move should happen later this month. 1114
Reposted by Michael DerbyDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026America today is a country where regulators won't allow private companies to air interviews of the opposition on TV, but declare that taxpayer funded propaganda is fine. 462215777
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Minneapolis Fed leader Kashkari expects more Fed rate hikes, but is "open minded" if it needs to happen at the October FOMC meeting, via a Reuters interview.reuters.comFed's Kashkari expects more rate hikes, unsure on need to act this monthMinneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on Thursday that he expects additional rate increases will be needed to restrain the economy going into 2027, though he is unsure about whethe... 131
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Trump timing more war until after the election? 022
Reposted by Michael DerbyCharlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026For 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 14237731247
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Ok now I'm interested: "if Nixon’s last days in office were documented by Andy Kaufman." 080
Reposted by Michael DerbyLis Power @lispower.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Fox News is honing in on the enemy ... and it's ... Ms. Rachel? 3015276745
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026My special skill remains misspelling words so badly spellcheck can't even offer good alternatives. 1141
Reposted by Michael DerbyYonette Joseph @sugarcane99.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Public anger comes for John Roberts The chief justice’s summer retreat in Maine used to be one of boating, potluck dinners, touch football and easy friendships. Locals called him “John.” Now a swirl of anger has been rising at him, transforming his getaways. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/u...nytimes.comJohn Roberts Retreated to His Island. Supreme Court Critics Found Him. (Gift Article)After decades of potlucks and paddle-boarding on Maine’s midcoast, rising anger and protests have left the Supreme Court’s chief justice more isolated than ever. 2311831406
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Defensive Trump: "You haven't asked me one fucking positive question…All of this. What about this? What about that? What about that? What about this? All negative." Via Rolling Stoneapple.newsTrump Explodes on Reporter: 'You Haven't Asked Me One F--king Positive Question' — Rolling StoneThe president’s interview with Time didn’t go so well 3104
Reposted by Michael DerbyZach Everson @zacheverson.com · 01/10/2026"Financial regulator investigates Adam Kinzinger over Kalshi trading The CFTC is targeting trades the former House Republican made related to his Biden-era pardon." Aiden Reiter for @politico.compolitico.comFinancial regulator investigates Adam Kinzinger over Kalshi tradingThe CFTC is targeting trades the former House Republican made related to his Biden-era pardon. 197
Reposted by Michael DerbyClaudia Sahm @claudia-sahm.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Growth in FRED users well above 20% *per year* for 30 years. That's impressive! 67410
Reposted by Michael DerbyCarl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 01/10/2026(Reuters) - US President Donald Trump said he regretted nominating three Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, .. according to a Time Magazine interview. ".. What can I do? .. I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they vote against me often." 100735212
Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026America, 2026: "The failed execution is the second in Tennessee this year, after prison officials in May aborted attempts to execute a man convicted of murders after failing to find a suitable vein for his lethal injection."reuters.comTennessee death row inmate Christa Pike survives execution attemptChrista Pike, convicted of murdering a schoolmate three decades ago, survived Tennessee's effort to execute her by means of lethal injection late on Wednesday, prison officials said, foiling the stat... 251
Reposted by Michael DerbyJames Hell Brooks @kleinman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026If we're going to have a death penalty it should be firing squad. 5 bullets to the head do quick work. There's no kind, compassionate way to kill someone. Let people see what it is that they support. 1726127