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"Former Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Dies of Sepsis After Botched Black-Market Penis Enlargement Injections" - headline five years from now

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Everybody understands Abdul El-Sayed is going to pay a racism tax of a couple of points, but is it possible that Ramaswamy will too? Brown is a stronger candidate than Acton with a long history in office, but they're doing about the same. That could be part of what's going on. Or not! But maybe.

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Just tried this and it still goes bonkers. Then I said "Play Asteroids" and it just said it doesn't play games. This is Gen X erasure, I'm feeling oppressed

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Every politician says "Like you, I am a fan of Local Sports Franchise!" but that barely gets them anywhere. Mamdani, on the other hand, is CONSTANTLY communicating about his city and trying to get people to feel good about it and its history. The guy's gonna get reelected with 80% of the vote.

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

If Trump started injecting every immigrant with bubonic plague, the Supreme Court would rule that while they take a year or two to decide if it's constitutional, the program should go forward because to not let Trump inject people with bubonic plague would do irreparable harm to the government

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Reposted by Paul Waldman

"In 2026, the people yearn for Bill Clinton." — Gavin Newsom, apparently. (www.vanityfair.com/story/gavin-...)

A clue to how Newsom might navigate the rocky terrain comes almost as soon as we sit down. I notice, as he starts talking, a vintage hand gesture: the thumb resting on bent forefinger to emphasize a point, unmistakably borrowed from a certain former president. “I watch videos of Clinton,” he tells me. “I seek his counsel, his advice, and even in his absence, do that. I’ve been a student of his from day one.”

The two have an actual relationship, talking late at night about strategy and ideas, including how to tackle the California problem. “He calls me late at night, wanting to talk about it, and he goes, ‘I’ve been thinking just nonstop about this. I just think you represent what they fear.’”

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Not to be a party pooper but a Democratic Congress is absolutely not going to lower costs; it just won't be in their power no matter how much they'd like to. Hard to tell what the political consequences of being unable to follow through on their central campaign promise will be.

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Jim Lokay @jimlokay.com · 29/09/2026

Also Eric Schmitt's dumbass conspiracy theory was based on the idea that the Fulton County DA and the special counsel, both well-known public figures, said "We must discuss our nefarious plan to get Trump. No, a phone call won't do - let's meet in the stands at an NBA game, with cameras everywhere."

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Reposted by Paul Waldman

If you want to really know how the outrage machine gets fired up: 1. Schmitt plans to drop “bombshell” on Smith 2. Someone plants story that Schmitt is a Vance VP contender to run same day 3. Right-wing Twittersphere gets talking points 4. Schmitt steps in it 5. Scheduled tweets go out anyway

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Donald Trump: "Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion" (actual quote!) Zohran Mamdani:

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This has to be reported to the FEC as an in-kind contribution to Josh Turek's campaign

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Every time I see a headline like this I say "Wait, is that a 'One of Last Remaining Competent People Gets Pushed Out' story or a 'Far-Right Nutball Too Crazy Even for Administration Full of Wackos' story?"

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Reposted by Paul Waldman

Whenever you see a pollster or consultant give a take like this, it’s always worth following the money. In this case, Emanuel has paid Anzalone’s firm nearly $300k (maybe more but that’s what I found so far). A consultant class is devouring the Dem Party www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisc...

John Anzalone &
@JohnAnzo
X.com
Underestimate @RahmEmanuel at your own risk.
He knows how to win. He knows how to fight.
And he knows how to message.
And no one will out work him. Regardless of whether he wins the Democratic nomination in 2028 he will make an impact on the race. You can be sure of that. Don't take your eyes off of him. At the minimum, learn from him.
Rahm Emanuel Makes His 2026 Play
Rahm Emanuel Makes His 2026 Play
From nytimes.com
6:47 AM • 9/26/26 • 274K Views

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Chart of the day, from Michael Tesler: There's a tight correlation between Trump support and Google searches for testosterone boosters. A bunch of insecure little men being told to feel even more insecure by their insecure media and political leaders. goodauthority.substack.com/p/republican...

Chart showing correlation between Trump support and google searches for testosterone boosters

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"Donald Trump increased the price of gas, and now he wants you to have to buy more of it." Doesn't seem like a difficult messaging challenge for Democrats.

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Reposted by Paul Waldman

Trump's press ban actually shows he's a weak, diminished figure, says @paulwaldman.bsky.social: "To find a president at this level, you’ve got to go back to Nixon in Watergate or Bush in a historic financial crisis." On the pod, Paul is so good on Trump's shrinking: newrepublic.com/article/2158...

newrepublic.com

Trump’s Rage over Failing Press Ban Goes Off Rails in Epic Self-Own

As Trump’s fury at news organizations grows after he loses in court, the writer of a piece on Trump’s shrinking stature explains how the media can collectively resist his abuses of power.

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Dan O’Sullivan @osullyville.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Don't tell Brendan Carr but The Great British Baking Show is the wokest show on TV - super-diverse cast of contestants (this season has a woman who uses a wheelchair AND a guy in a throuple!), and everyone is supportive and nice to each other. Clearly this must be stopped.

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Reposted by Paul Waldman

Today I saw the new 4 hour documentary Musk, directed by Alex Gibney. There were too many times to count that a sold out theater burst out laughing at Elon Musk, something he said or did, even sometimes just how he looked. I believe that is his worst nightmare come to life.

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My take on "Choosin' Texas" is that I can't see why anyone would hear it and say "This is the greatest pop country song ever, I will never stop listening to it." Like, it's fine. No worse than a thousand other pop country songs, and no better. I don't really get why it's been so successful.

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

How is it possible to have $180 billion and not be able to find a competent hair care professional to save you from that kind of dyeing catastrophe

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One of the most appalling parts of this story: if you can't pay for the finance seminars (which cost 10s of thousands) they'll help you acquire a "stack" of credit cards and charge it to the cards! But don't worry about that debt because once God sees your devotion you'll be rewarded with wealth

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

New York Times builds on the Haaretz report showing Netanyahu was warned by the UAE that October 7 was coming, but he never told the military and security services. He was happy to have Hamas in charge of Gaza and thought he could control it: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/w...

nytimes.com

Netanyahu Said to Have Been Warned by Emirati Leader About Hamas Attack Before Oct. 7

The warning from the leader of the United Arab Emirates, which lacked specific details about the nature of an attack, never reached the chiefs of Israel’s security establishment, Israeli officials sai...

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Reposted by Paul Waldman

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 25/09/2026

New episode of the PN Pod is live! @paulwaldman.bsky.social and I discuss Trump’s pathetic thirstiness to be besties with Xi, his almost unfathomable ignorance about AI, taxpayers footing the bill for Trump propaganda ads the administration is placing on right-wing cable, and more! Check it out:

publicnotice.co

Won’t Xi be my friend?

The guy who says he hates communism is quite fond of communist dictators.

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Why do all these soon-to-be candidates insist on pretending they aren’t going to run for president? Just admit it, everyone will be happier. Even better, the press will stop its inane “Are you running? Are you?” questions. From my newsletter: paulwaldman.substack.com/p/please-sto...

paulwaldman.substack.com

Please Stop Pretending You Don’t Want to Be President

And reporters: stop badgering them with “Are you running? Are you? Are you?”

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Reposted by Paul Waldman

Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Over the past months, I've seen a lot of headlines/news coverage written like this: "WH does [fill in the blank] *despite* court order." No! It is *in violation* of the court order. "Despite" makes it seem like their choice. It is not!

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

There's a voice telling me that this year's election could be an absolutely historic blowout, like almost every Republican running in a district or state Trump won by 15 points or less winds up losing, and I keep saying to the voice "Hush, that's hope not reason" but the voice gets louder by the day

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Remember when everyone demanded to see Kavanaugh's LSAT scores because it was clear he was such a mediocrity who hadn't gotten where he did on merit? JK, that only happened to Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, they must have something in common, not sure what it could be

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Isn't it a little weird that Melania has lived in the US for 30 years but still barely speaks English? That can be true of people who live in communities where everyone speaks the language of their birth so they don't need to learn English. But it's not like she's been sequestered in Sloveniatown.

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Zionism is an actual thing you can condemn, but if you're just throwing "Zionist" as an insult at anyone you don't like when the subject at hand has nothing to do with Israel - which is becoming far too common - then yeah, that's antisemitic. Hope that clarifies things!

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The trickle of Republicans opposing Trump will become a flood

We've crossed a key line, where the calculation for many Republicans has shifted. Now the greater risk lies not in departing from Trump, incurring his wrath, and alienating his cultists; the greater risk lies in sticking with him. My latest at Public Notice: www.publicnotice.co/p/republican...

publicnotice.co

The risk of bucking him is now outweighed by the risk of NOT opposing him.

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Centrists Won’t Tell You Where “Moderating” on Trans Rights Ends Up

Truly excellent piece from @polphilpod.bsky.social on why the centrist "Maybe if we give the right some of what they want on trans rights they'll stop there and the issue will go away" approach is not just morally repugnant but strategically foolish: newrepublic.com/article/2155...

newrepublic.com

The recent example of the U.K. Labour Party shows that “compromising” rarely stops at some acceptable midpoint.

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How morally vacuous do you have to be to say "You know what the world needs more of? GAMBLING. It's having such a wonderful effect already, I'm going to help this industry colonize every corner of society it hasn't already poisoned." JFC, do these mercenary creeps not have enough money already?

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