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timoconnorbl.bsky.social @timoconnorbl.bsky.social · 1h

I mean, frankly and without exaggeration, this would be considered debased swart gevaar stuff coming from an apartheid-era NP minister.

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 1h

Mass deportation is the agenda By legal and legitimate means and via illegitimate abuses of power Mass deportation doesn't imply an absence of suffering

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 1h

The NYT is missing the mark with its overall framing of "crackdown" when a lot of its own articles describe lawless abuses of authority rather than legitimate if severe use of authority But Mass Deportation agenda seems accurate in this case so I don't find fault with what author Aleaziz wrote

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 2h

Expanded ACA subsidies were possible Happened during D control of Congress and presidency Eliminated by Republicans Maybe that doesn't matter to you

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 3h

Here's hoping that the EU, UK and Canada have their Blocking Statutes ready tomorrow, to insulate the ICC from incoming U.S. sanctions...

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 3h

A Certain Idea of Vance #1 bestseller guaranteed

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Gabriel Malor @gabrielmalor.bsky.social · 3h

There's also a noteworthy footnote on the government's attempt to distinguish the prosecutors from DHS officers involved in Petrova's habeas case. Judge Sorokin says he doesn't want to get into it, but he points to recent SCOTUS decision in which they slobber all over Trump's Unitary Executive.

5 Though the Court need not presently delve deeply into the “unitary executive” theory, it does note that court-established doctrines resting on concepts of division among, or independent decision-making by, different agencies within the Executive Branch are potentially called into question by the Supreme Court’s recent decisions emphasizing the unitary nature of that Branch. See, e.g., Trump v. Slaughter, 609 U.S. 422, 146 S. Ct. 2283, 2293–95 (2026) (discussing Founders’ views of Executive authority and their intent to prevent “the President’s so-called assistance” from exercising “his power against his wishes”); Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593, 607, 610 (2024) (describing unique nature of President’s role, “as the only person who alone composes a branch of government,” therefore bearing “responsibility for the actions of the many departments and agencies within the Executive Branch”).

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Gabriel Malor @gabrielmalor.bsky.social · 3h

The administration's inability to shut the fuck up on social about pending cases plays a role.

At the center of the government’s argument on this issue is its attempts to separate the motives of the prosecutors in this District from those of immigration officers and other Executive Branch actors who played a role in the events concerning Petrova. See Doc. No. 63 at 12, 14.5 But for present purposes in this case, the record belies the distinction the government proposes for at least two reasons. First, the close timing of crucial events in this prosecution and proceedings concerning Petrova’s ongoing habeas matter in Vermont—for example, the filing of a criminal complaint charging Petrova only two days before a hearing on a dispositive motion in the habeas case, and the unsealing of the complaint coupled with a public statement by the United States Attorney within hours of the habeas hearing—ties the evidence concerning motive to the decisionmakers here at least for discovery purposes. Second, and relatedly, the public posting of a videotaped statement by the United States Attorney overseeing this prosecution referencing Petrova’s Harvard affiliation and visa and endorsing the actions of other relevant agency actors can itself reasonably be viewed (and Judge Dein did view it) as a meaningful piece of objective evidence tending to show the requisite vindictiveness. And, as noted earlier, the law

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 4h

Not true I look forward to Vance’s forthcoming book A Certain Idea of Hillbilly

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 4h

In fact JD Vance’s forthcoming book is A Certain Idea of Hillbilly

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5h

FOX NEWS: If you lose the House, whose fault is that? MIKE JOHNSON: If we lose the House, it will be because the people were misled FOX NEWS: It doesn't fall on your shoulders? MIKE JOHNSON: I don't know how it could. I mean, I'm traveling nonstop

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4h

Trump disses his supporters: "We have an extremely high IQ audience for a change. For a change. It's very nice."

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4h

Trump: "One of the great water hurricanes of all time"

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4h

Trump tries to say "rapid" but it comes out "rappert"

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 4h

maybe Congress gave too much discretion but $90 checks seem to be outside the scope of legitimate purposes

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 6h

National Republicans just pulled nearly $2 million of spending out of the Georgia Senate race, per Dem source who shared ad-tracking data with me. The source believes some of it might get redeployed to South Carolina. Another sign of the times.

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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 5h

a sure sign that something is "highly accepted" is if you have to threaten to impose the power of the state against those who don't accept it

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 5h

@ddiamond.bsky.social is @washingtonpost.com doing a story on the email many of us received today from the president about the $90 check? It doesn’t look like “executing the laws” to me Does the law Congress passed authorize rebate checks? How does that improve the Medicare program?

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 5h

Could you give an interpretation of the email I received today from President Trump? I can’t imagine how a $90 check = executing the laws properly Could Congress have intended a $90 check as “improvement to the Medicare program“? was #47 the first president to lower prescription prices?

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8h

JD Vance on H-1B recipients: "It's one thing if you were to bring in a person like Elon Musk. I think 99% of American citizens look at somebody like Elon Musk and say, 'if that person wants to come in and build something great in the US, we support that.' But if you're bringing in an accountant... "

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 7h

It was not immediately clear if the New York Times was still in the denial phase of grief

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 19h

WHOA. This is big news. Mr. Soliman is a 31-year-old gay man from Egypt who came here at 3 with a green card. He lost his green card after a conviction, but an immigration judge found that he would be persecuted in Egypt and barred sending him there. He's locked in a hotel in Equatorial Guinea now.

A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to return Ahmed Soliman to the United States, five months after he was expelled to Equatorial Guinea, a country where he has no ties, in a decision that could have far-reaching implications for thousands of others subjected to the Trump administration’s third-country removal scheme.

Arizona District Court Judge John C. Hinderaker, a Trump appointee, ruled that DHS violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment and “must facilitate Plaintiff’s release from custody in Equatorial Guinea and return to the United States and must ensure his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to Equatorial Guinea.”

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Portland Mercury @portlandmercury.com · 19h

Dan Ryan is under a court order not to delete messages from his personal phone, which may contain public records. In court documents, Ryan said he no longer has the phone he's been using, because his spouse traded it in the same day a judge barred him from deleting records. He says nothing was lost.

portlandmercury.com

Councilor Ryan’s Phone is Traded In On the Same Day a Judge Bars Him from Deleting Messages - Portland Mercury

A Multnomah County judge granted a temporary restraining order October 1, barring District 2 City Councilor Dan Ryan from deleting messages held on his private cell phone and other devices. The restra...

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Elon Green @elongreen.bsky.social · 19h

Relatedly, stop saying Trump is joking about this violence. The job is simply to tell readers/viewers he said it. www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfe...

aljazeera.com

Trump jokes about letting Iran bomb Los Angeles and San Diego

At a campaign rally in Nebraska, US President Donald Trump joked about letting Iran bomb Los Angeles and San Diego.

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Amanda Becker @amandabecker.bsky.social · 19h

It's even more notable given newsroom discussions re use of "lie." The command from many on highs is that you cannot determine intent, so you cannot say he is lying, just that it is false. Interestingly, many of the same newsrooms can now determine whether he intends to "joke" or be serious.

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 19h

If Trump wants to present himself as a president aiming to protect all Americans regardless of how we vote he's not succeeding and it's fair to assume depraved indifference if not active malice

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 20h

View from West Coast If Trump wants to evoke apocalypse in Texas while speaking in Texas that's one thing Or apocalypse in Omaha or Scottsbluff while he's in Grand Island But speaking of the destruction of blue cities while in Nebraska or Texas is not innocent regardless of the phrasing

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 20h

A corrupt pardon is impeachable if the House thinks it is The pardon power in the US Constitution tho is a residue of royal prerogative It's unlimited and not reviewable

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Steven T. Dennis @steventdennis.bsky.social · 21h

This is entirely because the US does not have portable mortgages.

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 21h

and Trump talked about LA and SD tonight in Texas if a president wants to evoke apocalypse while speaking in Nebraska, go ahead and say Omaha or Offutt AFB, if in San Antonio talk about Fort Worth or Lubbock or Galveston if a president invokes a blue state 1000 miles away I assume malice

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 22h

Ah she might talk to him now and then I suppose correcting his pronunciation of words might amuse her

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 22h

Why doesn't he take the chance to say that and thereby deal with the accusations of depraved indifference to the lives of Americans? My nonpartisan analysis: it's more important for him to present himself as an infallible arbitrary ruler than to present himself as a public servant

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 22h

Since Trump walked away from a question about his meaning I would not credit WH for forceful pushback or say Cheung was backed up by nonpartisan analysis I can't say what Trump intended I could see him take note of applause He could say "my job is protecting all Americans however they vote"

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 22h

Agree in part Trump speaks equivocally and ambiguously all the time, now he's handed adversaries an opportunity And he has a history of hostility to regions where voters (not adversaries) don't support him He didn't correct the crowd He could answer Qs about his meaning but refused so far

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Chat is it good when an Ambassadorial nominee writes "Stop papering all these things. It’s really dangerous ... if you write an email or a text about, l’m gonna kill you cause I love you but you’re so out of control" to the man who paid her $300,000 to help resolve his tax issues with the IRS?

That same month, Guilfoyle sent a congratulatory note to Long after his confirmation as IRS commissioner. She attached a letter Deters had written outlining his tax dispute: “Don Jr. and I are very close with Eric Deters and his wife and I know he sent you a letter,” she wrote. “I am hoping I know how busy you are that you could give some time and attention to it.”

Two days later, Deters sent her a photo of a printed memo addressed to her: “I have paid you $300,000 over the years,” he wrote. “As of this memo, I have not received one favor. I am not naive or a sucker. I need results.”

In response, she told Deters to “stop papering all these things. It’s really dangerous.”

“Just call me on signal,” she wrote.

As for Long, she would call him the next day, she assured Deters. “I wrote him a very nice message. Told him how important it was that you’re close to me and to don.”

“Also very privately,” she continued, “if you write an email or a text about, l’m gonna kill you cause I love you but you’re so out of control.”

That afternoon she texted an update: Long had written her back.

“BOOM,” she added.

A week later, on July 3, she placed two missed calls to Deters’ phone, and sent him instructions on how to wire money to an American Express account.

“Your needing $100,000 urgent unfortunately is not going to work,” he wrote. “I can’t do this without getting a divorce.”

“I’ve been calling you for over a week straight,” she replied. “You could be here meeting with Billy Long.”

Long is now the U.S. ambassador to Iceland. Embassy officials there referred reporters to a State Department media office that didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Haha wow is this comically corrupt. /he didn't end up paying her the money because he said he'd get in trouble with his wife.

By
Dana Mattioli
,
Drew Hinshaw
,
Rebecca Ballhaus
and
Joe Parkinson
Oct. 7, 2026 4:53 pm ET

Kimberly Guilfoyle was preparing for her congressional hearing to become U.S. ambassador to Greece when she reached out to a Trump donor with an urgent request: She needed $100,000 that she said she owed American Express—in a way that wouldn’t leave a paper trail.

“It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she wrote on Signal, according to messages reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Please.”

Underneath is a screenshot of a text. First text is a link to an American Express instructions PDF. Next text says: "You can just send it here. It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express that's all that will show." Final text: "Please."

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bryan newbold @bnewbold.net · 07/10/2026

ah damn, RIP Margaret Hamilton. she took safety-critical software engineering seriously, and got people to the moon and back. news.mit.edu/2026/margare...

old photos of a woman (Margaret Hamilton) standing next to a tall stack of books (printouts of Apollo space mission software source code)

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

1) do you have a link to your legislative text, @warren.senate.gov? 2) "break up big medicine" might be a good thing, but are you playing into the Republican framing that bigness in the world of healthcare is always bad? iow are you implying the Very Big Medicare/Medicaid system is bad?

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Real Benisons @realbenisons.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

at this Jammer's Sports Bar in Liverpool NY Jesus is still waiting for the parousia of the Syracuse Nationals

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Micah @rincewind.run · 07/10/2026

oh do people not like it when you're a predatory asshole who tries to get people jailed for small medical bills should he not have done that

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Casey Drottar @caseydrottar.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The Padres are still alive. Michael King, who started Game 2 Sunday (and would likely start Game 5 if it gets that far) comes on in the eighth to secure the final six outs, with the last two coming on a game-ending double play. Playoff baseball, man.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 07/10/2026

"What will it take for you to admit you are ever wrong?" -- Troy Jackson nails Susan Collins on her vote to confirm Kavanaugh, 8 years to the day after Collins cast the vote that doomed Roe v Wade

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