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Michael Markman

@mickeleh.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.7K following 7.3K posts

Avid news reader. Occasional news kibbitzer. Retired marketer. Retired YouTuber. NYer transplanted to PNW. Blue to the core.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Michael Markman
UNITED24 Media @united24media.com · 01/10/2026
🔴 Unable to halt Ukraine’s advance on the front line, Russia is intensifying missile and drone strikes against civilians and critical infrastructure. Ukrainian forces have reclaimed 176 square kilometers in Operation Vivaldi, prompting the Kremlin to turn to terror tactics against cities.
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💙💛Deranged Pixie 🏳️‍⚧️ @edwardreese.bsky.social · 21h
This morning I couldn't get to my office - last night russians fired a drone at a bridge connecting two banks of the Dnipro River in Kyiv. Most likely, I will be trapped in my district for a while, because they've just done it again. The bridge is closed. #UkrainianView 1/2
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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 10h
These hideous Trump ads are outright theft from the taxpayers and election misconduct at the same time. $20 million in OUR MONEY spent on Illegal ads glorifying the would-be king. And his co-conspirators told him it was OK.
nytimes.com
Trump Directed Use of Taxpayer Money for Ads Praising His Presidency (Gift Article)
The government-funded ads show just how much President Trump has been able to use federal money for his own aims.
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 10h
If USA Today is indeed unilaterally putting source interviews in some sort of database, in their entirety, allowing them to be cherry-picked by other reporters—and *AI*(!!)—that is journalistically indefensible and no one should ever talk to them again. Is this true? Is it Gannett wide?
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Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 15h
What could go wrong? Everything. www.politico.com/news/2026/10...
politico.com
Musk-led war commission triggers alarms in Pentagon
Two of the Defense Department’s biggest contractors will help lead a project that could directly benefit them.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 14h
remember the real rocket docket is when Republicans have to jam another corrupt justice on to SCOTUS in three weeks.
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 14h
When a rapist sticks up for other rapists it's called a professional courtesy.
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John Sheehan @jsheehan901.bsky.social · 16h
I find it absolutely disgusting and reprehensible that Jonathan Ross has still not been charged with any crime in the cold-blooded murder of Renee Good. What a moral failing of our country, our government, our system of laws and justice.
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 15h
In his new book 'Profiles in Cowardice,' Jacob Weisberg devotes his final chapter to John Roberts. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/b... -Preening to be seen as another John Marshall. -Destined to be known forever as this era's Roger Taney.
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 14h
How could those ads NOT be illegal? Argh! presswatchers.org/2026/09/the-polit…
presswatchers.org
The political equivalent of Trump shooting someone on Fifth Avenue | Press Watch
Trump using tax dollars for a campaign commercial should trigger every thinking American, even White House political reporters
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 19h
New Fox poll of Texas has Talarico +7 with registered voters and +2 with likely voters. This is striking: *He's winning half of working class *In mid-60s w/Latinos *Winning 22% of non-MAGA Rs (!) The kicker: Non-MAGA Rs *disapprove* of Trump New piece from me: newrepublic.com/article/2161...
newrepublic.com
New Fox Poll—a Disaster for Trump—Rattles Fox Anchors: “Wake Up!”
They were freaking out on Fox News Friday morning over a new Texas poll. A look at the internals shows they had every reason to.
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 19h
This actual *reporting* was utterly buried in the Time article that accompanied their feeble and shameful Trump interview: www.ms.now/rachel-maddo... This is terrifying, even by Trump standards!
ms.now
Trump reportedly sought input from Musk’s AI chatbot on military strikes
This was almost certainly the first time in U.S. history that a president consulted an AI chatbot about a provocative foreign policy gambit.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22h
not that you should expect anything more than rank idiocy from this pair of racists, but the idea that whiteness means a "high trust" society of "social cohesion" is some of the stupidest shit i have ever heard. these people live in a fantasy land that you could dispel by simply opening a book.
talkingpointsmemo.com
Chris Rufo — Known For ‘DEI’ and ‘CRT’ Panics — Tries to Make ‘the Indian Question’ a Thing
To the degree that a “respectable” or “moderate” right exists today in...
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I ❤️ WaPo readers so much! wapo.st/3TX3acS
*. Conversation Summary
Automatically generated from recent comments
The comments express strong skepticism and criticism towards Donald Trump's claims about the Secret Service suggesting changes to the Oval Office.
Many commenters highlight a pattern where Trump's stories involving someone addressing him as "Sir" are perceived as fabrications. There is a general disdain for Trump's aesthetic changes to the White House, with many expressing a desire for these changes to be reversed once he leaves office. Additionally, there is a broader critique of Trump's leadership and mental state, with some commenters expressing a wish for his presidency to end. Show less
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
AI investments will average about 3.6% of GDP annually between 2025 and 2032. Van Nieuwerburgh calculates that, using a 10% rate of return, the industry would need to generate annual revenues of about $3.7 trillion by 2032 to recover these costs (growing from its current levels of about $200bn
brookings.edu
Financing the AI buildout | Brookings
AI's data center boom could demand 3.6% of GDP in annual investment through 2032—financed increasingly through debt structures that mask real risk.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Getting ready for a reinvigorated Iran War just in time for Thanksgiving. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and three accompanying destroyers left their port in San Diego earlier this week and are expected to arrive in the Middle East by the end of November. ft.trib.al/ZzidYwc
ft.trib.al
US deploys thousands of troops to Middle East as Donald Trump weighs strikes on Iran
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt expected to arrive in the region by the end of November, a US official says
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Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Justice Dept sinks at The Reflecting Pool
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Grudgie the Wail @grudgie.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
No one who isn’t a Nazi should be on Xitter
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Current Affairs @currentaffairs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The people who run our government are are obsessed with appearance, unfamiliar with blue collar work, and worship President McCheese
In a Facebook post, the American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100, the union that represents the officers, expressed concern over the agency's "consequential decision.
The ergonomic chairs, the union argued, provide safety and support for officers who stand and walk on hard surfaces for extended periods.
"TSA is treating this matter like it is a privilege, the union said in its statement. "It is not; it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce."
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The President is unable to stay awake during Oval Office press conferences
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
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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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Pod Reco: The most impressive interview with a Democrat I’ve heard this cycle. If Dems win big, what must they do? Clear strategic thinking from @slotkin.senate.gov
podcasts.apple.com
Elissa Slotkin Spots a Big Warning Sign for Trump’s GOP | Command Post
Podcast Episode · Bulwark Takes · October 1 · 22m
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Boiling it down to the true essence:
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Feels like skipping past the Civil War and World War II are sorta big tells here? I wonder why he doesn't want to talk about the times the US military waged war against white supremacists. Probably a totally innocent explanation, right? Right?
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Tennessee's bumbling executioners, as they tried in vain to kill Christa Pike last night, stuck "at least 7 needles into her left arm. "One of them appeared bent when it was withdrawn." Now, Pike is in critical condition and is - yes - "receiving lifesaving medical care" Gift link wapo.st/4j02JJ6
wapo.st
Christa Pike in critical condition after botched Tennessee execution, lawyers say
A lawyer for Pike demanded that the governor commute her sentence after an attempt to execute her by lethal injection failed.
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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Dictator Move of the Day.
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Mediagazer @mediagazer.com · 01/10/2026
Sources: Disney plans a TV restructuring that is expected to result in more layoffs and consolidation of divisions as it pivots from linear TV toward streaming (Wall Street Journal) Main Link | Mediagazer Permalink
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“Tennessee’s attempted, but botched, execution of Christa Pike was an extreme display of cruelty and the latest reminder that the death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment." I'm with @amnesty.org. www.amnestyusa.org/press-releas...
amnestyusa.org
After Botched Execution Attempt, Tennessee Must Commute Christa Pike’s Death Sentence as a First Step
The death penalty is a violation of human rights, and no government should have the power to carry it out.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Calling Vance "the most ordinary man imaginable" is so softly savage, you have to admire it.
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Francis Wilkinson @franciswilkinson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I just learned that the chancellor of the NY State board of regents is Lester Young, Jr — son of THE Lester Young.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Still one of the five most consistently underreported stories of 2026. Corporate media are afraid to talk about it. bsky.app/profile/chen...
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Translation: “Send me to lose to the Redcoats, send me to lose to the Communists, send me to lose to the Islamists. Send me."
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Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is half-baked but I feel like there is a sort of ambient belief out there that holding the richest people in the world accountable for horrifying crimes is sort of unthinkable, meaning impossible to actually achieve. Do not like.
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Are the awful stories that @theatlantic.com insists on publishing stopping you from reading the good ones?
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Mary Geddry reminds us that Schmitt’s stunt successfully buried the big story: Jack Smith has the evidence of Trump’s J-6 crimes.
marygeddry.com
The Wrong Story Went Viral
A Senate hearing became a basketball farce while Jack Smith testified about serious crimes and the rule of law.
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
File under FFS. (Although, at this point that file is bursting at the seams.)
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here’s hoping we get another couple of days of ruthlessly mocking Senator Schmitt before he scrolls off the page. I’ll be watching him like a hawk. Or a Hawkeye. Or a Seahawk. With my eagle eyes.
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Can we start a MAVA movement? Make America Vaccinated Again.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 30/09/2026
A policy expert described Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s push in favor of private schools as a “great American heist,” funneling money from public schools: “It’s a strategic theft of the future of our country, our kids and our democracy.” (Published Oct. 2025)
propublica.org
These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.
Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...
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The Contrarian @contrariannews.org · 30/09/2026
Trump threatened the Center for American Progress (CAP) with a $5 billion lawsuit for reporting that the National Guard deployed in D.C. had failed to meet their purpose of reducing crime. Norm spoke with CAP CEO Neera Tanden on the latest @americanprogress.bsky.social @neeratanden.bsky.social
contrariannews.org
When Trump Attacks Free Speech, We're All in Danger
Trump’s assaults on the First Amendment are not limited to the press, and the press isn’t the only group with the respon
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 30/09/2026
Donald Trump’s handpicked board has spent all the money the prestigious institution has. trib.al/ueMXjmE
trib.al
New Details Show Trump Is Running the Kennedy Center Into the Ground
Donald Trump’s handpicked board has spent all the money the prestigious institution has.
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 30/09/2026
The president signed his name right above the obvious error. trib.al/fQ1OmJe
trib.al
Only Trump Would Spell United States Wrong in an Executive Order
The president signed his name right above the obvious error.
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
If you know your Bible, you know that anointing with oil is how the Prophet Samuel designated Saul as King. The Hebrew for anointed one is “מָשִׁיחַ” (Messiah). The Greek is “Xristós” (Christos). What’s this guy saying?
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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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David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There's a shit-ton of actual anti-Semitism in the world today, but Netanyahu's fraudulent misuse of the term devalues it dangerously. Hamas is anti-Semitic and murderous. Netanyahu is a cynical, murderous shitheel. Mamdani is an American politician with a perverse impulse to tell blunt truths.
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
ahem
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Dear @nytimespr.bsky.social: How do you square this article, which stenographically recounts and amplifies DHS lies, with this policy statement? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...
Post on Twitter:
NYTimes Communications
@NYTimesPR
Our reporting on this and other ICE shootings reflects what we can independently verify at the time of publication. We publish statements provided by government agencies and officials, but only report these details as facts once we’ve been able to independently verify the claims.
9:34 AM · Jan 15, 2026
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Michael Markman @mickeleh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I have only one complaint to make about @markjacob.bsky.social. His posts are so good. I want to repost every one of them. You can save me that anguish by following him and reading them all for yourself.
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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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