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Mike Fancher

@mikefancher.bsky.social
127 followers 71 following 316 posts

Retired newspaper editor (The Seattle Times), president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government. Comments are my own.

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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Hegseth knows no shame. Hegseth greets USS Abraham Lincoln near the end of record-long deployment - ABC News
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We don’t know what explains Trump’s fealty to Putin. Until we do, we must assume the worst, in order to protect our country. Trump’s actions suggest he is beholden to Putin, in betrayal to America.
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Reposted by Mike Fancher
Ali Velshi @velshi.com · 02/10/2026
Trump's "trapped in a fantasy world" where "he is doing a great job, he's fantastic, the economy's great," says John Harwood. "His psychological disfigurement will not allow him to feel the voters' pain."
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This powerful statement has gotten lost in all of the coverage of Sen. Schmitt’s face plant.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Trump pardoned this pathetic guy. What more do you need to know? Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Is Accused of Touching Woman’s Hair on D.C. Metro www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/u...
nytimes.com
Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Is Accused of Touching Woman’s Hair on D.C. Metro
Bryan Betancur, 29, was taken into custody on Thursday in Arlington, Va., two days after he completed a sentence for the same offense in the District of Columbia.
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Ari Berman @ariberman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Thanks to SCOTUS GOP-appointed majority (same ones who attended Trump's state dinner last night), Trump admin will use faulty & inaccurate data to wrongly label eligible voters non-citizens & pressure states to remove them from rolls. Sets a chilling precedent www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Supreme Court allows Trump to use flawed database to vet voter citizenship
While the impact on the midterms might be minimal, Justice Jackson warns some eligible voters could be disenfranchised.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Trump Supreme Court majority wants to ensure the Trump regime isn’t deprived of its plan to end democracy.
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Connect with Jacob Soboroff @connectwithjacob.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
MS NOW, CNN, and POLITICO have been denied access to the White House grounds, one day after Trump said he was banning the outlets from the White House. On Friday, Trump called the targeted outlets "fake news" and said they "never write a good story." @jacobsoboroff.bsky.social reports.
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All In with Chris Hayes @allinwithchris.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“When the president of the United States says he is going to 'cheat like hell,’ we should take him seriously and we should take him literally,” says Jacob Soboroff.
youtube.com
Trump leads crowd in pledge to 'cheat like hell' in this election
YouTube video by MS NOW
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Trump “is demonstrating that he is no longer even trying to govern and is instead retreating into a world where he simply does whatever he wants without regard for the country.” heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
September 7, 2026
Since yesterday, President Donald J.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Stop what you are doing and watch this. Fascinating and frightening.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
'Zero doubt': The story of WA's 100% accurate mail-in election www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
seattletimes.com
‘Zero doubt’: The story of WA’s 100% accurate mail-in election
President Donald Trump and the Republicans keep maligning mail-in voting, saying it’s slipshod and corrupt. But one such local election just got a perfect score, Danny Westneat writes.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
“It’s outrageous conduct on so many levels. It’s hard to know where to begin,” said John Roth, former inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security. “This is an improper use of the subpoena under any circumstances.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump’s DHS is using an obscure law to secretly snoop on journalists, non-profits and unions: ‘It’s outrageous’
Even after judges rejected the same ploy, the Trump administration is going directly to social media and telecommunications companies
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Trump corruption and chaos: “If voters put Democrats in control of either or both chambers of Congress this fall, investigations and hearings into the machinations of administration officials will be epic.” heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-27-...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
August 27, 2026
This morning, a headline in the Guardian read: “RFK Jr lied in Senate confirmation hearings, newly revealed documents indicate.” The story by Michelle R.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
“A long-term worry is that the firings send a message that officers who provide frank military advice or fail ideological litmus tests have no place in a force that is supposed to be nonpartisan…” Hegseth’s Purge of Top Generals Leaves the Army Rudderless www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/u...
nytimes.com
Hegseth’s Purge of Top Generals Leaves the Army Rudderless
The leadership vacuum comes as the Army is trying to adapt to a new kind of war dominated by deadly drones.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Roberts says he just call balls and strikes. Except they’re all balls when Trump is batting and all strikes when he’s pitching.
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Norm Ornstein @normornstein.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The president has no role in elections. Six disgraceful partisan hacks on the Supreme Court have just given him a lawless green light to manipulate votes by mail for voter suppression. The Roberts Court majority fits more in Putin’s Russia
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Court majority says “time will tell” if Trump’s order is lawful. Time will show that Trump won’t care whether it is or not. Wake up, America. Supreme Court Allows Trump Plan to Restrict Mail-In Voting, for Now www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/u...
nytimes.com
Supreme Court Allows Trump Plan to Restrict Mail-In Voting, for Now
The administration asked the court to clear the way for President Trump’s order that creates “state citizenship lists” and directs the Postal Service to decide who gets a mail-in ballot.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Disheartening as it is, this NPR report is must listening to appreciate how hard the Iran war is on American military families. Says one officer, the Navy is "just making itup as we go." www.npr.org/2026/08/24/n...
npr.org
Navy holds town hall to reassure military families displaced by Iran war
Hundreds of military families were evacuated from Bahrain during the opening days of the war with Iran. The Navy recently held a town hall to try to reassure them that they had not been forgotten.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 20/08/2026
The Bureau of Land Management is rounding up thousands of mustangs around the U.S. and quietly selling them on the cheap to buyers who are exporting them for slaughter abroad, an examination of government records by The New York Times found. nyti.ms/4grb8Co
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This is what we can look forward to after we peacefully and democratically toss Trump into the dust bin of history. Keep hope alive. www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
wbur.org
Rebuilding democracy in Hungary
Over the course of his 16 years as Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orbán eroded the country's democratic institutions. Now, a new government is in power and is working to fix it.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Trump’s justice is for sale. At long last, sir, have you no shame, no sense of decency.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
www.cnn.com/2026/08/12/u...
cnn.com
Protesters gather at Big Bend National Park | CNN
Protesters arrive at Big Bend National Park in Texas as federal contractors begin to clear land for a major border security project. CNN’s Ed Lavandera reports.
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Connect with Jacob Soboroff @connectwithjacob.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
This year, there are 92 races for statewide offices that administer and oversee elections—including governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Election deniers are running in at least 32 of those races! This is a "MAYDAY" situation. @jacobsoboroff.bsky.social
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Mona Burns @monaburns.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Just a note on Trump's Las Vegas speech yesterday: Trump: “Michael Whatley should be your governor.” *Michael Whatley is running for the US Senate in North Carolina We have a problem, America ..
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Everything Trump touches dies.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
@connectwithjacob.bsky.social Can a revival of the House Committee on Un-American Activities be far off? Loyalty oaths? Blacklists? We’ve seen this movie before.
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Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Don Jr.’s firm jumping from $200M to $3B in assets since Trump retook office isn’t a sudden burst of business acumen The American people deserve answers I explain on @ms.now w/ @nicollewallace.bsky.social👇
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Silvija (still) stands with Ukraine @svecrumba.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Echoes of Stalin—in 1937 he received an 11 minute standing ovation. Everyone was too afraid to be the first to stop clapping.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Serious question. Is there any aspect of the Trump presidency that is working for the American people?
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
In case you missed it, here is Trump’s speech about rigged elections, here it is: m.youtube.com/shorts/lfNxl...
m.youtube.com
"Ahh, but the strawberries!" 🍓 Humphrey Bogart - The Caine Mutiny | The Good, The Bad, & The Quoted
YouTube video by No Rules Film School 🎓
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
My bet, Trump tells Patel, “I’ve got your back as long as you’ve got mine.”
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Trump says he had a 90-minute phone call with Putin on July 4. That’s the same day he condemned Democrats as communists. Who gets to tell him that Putin is a communist?
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Headline on page A3 of hometown newspaper: “Rollback of federal gun regulations unnerves critics.” What could possibly go wrong? Headline on A4: “Shootings in 9 states mar Independence Day celebrations”
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Everything Trump touches is tainted. Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Watching Trump disingenuously exploit America’s oldest living veteran’s and others as props for his self-aggrandizing stage show is soul crushing. And then he turns to the stock market. Completely indifferent to those props.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Watching fireworks from New York on CNN. Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and skyline. Amazing and celebratory. Switched to Fox. Brett Baier was interviewing Shawn Hannity from a low-ceiled room. Hannity said they’ve had festive moments. Back to CNN and Sinatra. Start spreading the news.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Happy 4th of July. This is America: www.c-span.org/program/amer...
c-span.org
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
I’m with her. White Nationalists March in Washington Amid 250th Anniversary Celebrations www.nytimes.com/2026/07/04/u...
nytimes.com
White Nationalists March in Washington Amid 250th Anniversary Celebrations
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
To celebrate America, watch this speech: m.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Je...
m.youtube.com
America 250: New York City Mayor Mamdani Marks 250th Anniversary
YouTube video by C-SPAN
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
@johnjharwood.bsky.social on MS Now: Trump is “psychologically deformed” and exclusively concerned about things in his own self interest — money, praise, flattery, honorifics. He is not a public servant trying to solve the problems of the American people. That is undeniably true.
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The 2026 election denialism strategy: Change the rules, create chaos and uncertainty, tilt the playing field in their favor, work the refs (election officials and certifiers), and deny result they don’t like.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 01/07/2026
If you undermine independent judges, media and civil service, shroud decisions in secrecy and let it be known that government is for sale.... Then corruption is what results. America and Zimbabwe in this sense are no different.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
“The level of abuse of power that is the basis of these dissents can only be seen as criminal in nature and grows from the culture of corruption and impunity that now reigns on the Court.” The Birthright Citizenship Decision Is More Evidence for Court Reform talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-b...
talkingpointsmemo.com
The Birthright Citizenship Decision Is More Evidence for Court Reform
As you’ve seen, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of birthright citizenship...
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
One or both families have financial ties to at least 14 companies working with the government on mining deals. Federal $ the admin has or is considering providing to the companies exceeds $8.9 billion. Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/w...
nytimes.com
Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Citizenship is a birthright. I pray the Roberts Court agrees.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Snyder: “There is, in other words, no consolation. It is not that we used evil means to some good purpose. We used evil means foolishly and left the world far worse than it was before, in every conceivable respect.”
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
This is a tour de force. Chapter 1 in the history book “Trump: The Man Who Would Be King.” open.substack.com/pub/marygedd...
open.substack.com
The Hall of Mirrors
Trump went to Versailles for a tribute and signed a surrender. He couldn't tell the difference.
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Mike Fancher @mikefancher.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Donald Trump may have relished his cage fight on the White House lawn—but the world is turning against him, and his movement is breaking apart, Peter Wehner argues:
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Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
More of this please
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