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Robert Karsten

@rwkar.bsky.social
2.4K followers 418 following 3.2K posts

Former chemist, financial planner, politician, and current amateur house designer.

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Reposted by Robert Karsten
Tea Pain @teapainusa.bsky.social · 16h
Mike Johnson promises permanent vacations if Republicans win.
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Team Talarico @teamtalaricohq.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
John Oliver lists off just some of Ken Paxton’s scandals: “Paxton spent nearly 9 years under indictment for securities fraud... He was also accused of bribery and abuse of office by eight of his own top deputies... But wait, because I'm still not done.”
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Rick Pidcock @rickpidcock.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As a reminder, tomorrow is launch day, which means that's when reviews can be posted at places like Amazon. So if you wouldn't mind giving it a rating or better yet, writing a few short sentences and posting them there when it opens up, it would be really helpful to draw people to the book. Thanks!
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 26/09/2026
Amazing detail in this @wsj article about Kimberly Guilfoyle, US ambassador to Greece: she told a Greek minister, in a conversation about the collapse of the Romanian government,“We can do that to any country we want. We can do that here." www.wsj.com/articles/kim...
wsj.com
The Mystery Man Shadowing Kimberly Guilfoyle as She Pushes Deals Across Europe
Christos Marafatsos works as an energy lobbyist while also closely advising the U.S. ambassador to Greece.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
How do we Recover the Politics of Jesus? instituteforchristianstudies.substack.com/p/how-do-we-...
instituteforchristianstudies.substack.com
How do we Recover the Politics of Jesus?
Matthew D. Taylor contrasts the politics of Jesus with the hierarchies of empire and the power claims of Christian nationalism.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
💥 The Bond Market Is Flashing RED: $40 Trillion in Debt, 7% Mortgages, & Where Money Goes Next open.substack.com/pub/fluentin...
open.substack.com
💥 The Bond Market Is Flashing RED
Our debt hit $40 trillion. Mortgage rates just crossed 7%. The Fed isn’t controlling interest rates anymore - supply is. And what this all means for you.
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Rick Pidcock @rickpidcock.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I have a new website! You can learn more about me and my book, "Weapons of Worship," as well as explore more than 300 links to articles, 165 links to podcasts, hundreds of citations and interviews from other platforms, and even some music I’ve written along the way. rickpidcock.com
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John Fugelsang @johnfugelsang.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Trump calls Democrats communists, attacks Canada & NATO, then rolls out the red carpet for China's communist dictator. Go back to sleep, MAGA bro's. Your ruler is brilliant and you're not gullible suckers at all. And hey; invest in some crypto while you’re drowsy.
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Paislie Giraffe Arts @paisliegiraffe.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It's funny watching all these pundits scratch their heads and wonder "why now" the republicans are turning on him. The war? Gas prices? Ground beef? No. *Sigh* He failed to dole out any campaign cash for midterms. Period. That's the watershed moment you're missing.
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 25/09/2026
With Xi in town, let's flasback a bit, shall we?
ft.com
Eric Trump joins Beijing trip as family-linked group chases China deal
Company with ties to US president’s son has MOU with chipmaker that Congress warned is connected to Communist Party
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𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 @sundaedivine.lol · 25/09/2026
“We will drive down the rate so you will be able to pay 2 percent again, and we will be able to finance or refinance your homes drastically at much lower costs.” - presidential candidate Donald Trump, 2024.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Why Is the President Pointing Sanctions at America? open.substack.com/pub/platypus...
open.substack.com
Why Is the President Pointing Sanctions at America?
We block Iranian and Russian energy exports to weaken their economies. Now the White House wants to do the same thing to our own diesel.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
September 23, 2026 heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
September 23, 2026
Yesterday, William Turton, Avi Asher-Schapiro, Molly Redden, and Kirsten Berg of ProPublica published a blockbuster story reporting that the anti-corruption group of the Federal Bureau of Investigatio...
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 24/09/2026
Many of the babies’ autopsy reports were clear: Vitamin K deficiency was the immediate cause of death, or contributed to it. The reports also included details about parents refusing the vitamin K shot, a long-standard injection, for their newborns. (Published May)
propublica.org
What I Can’t Forget About the Babies Who Died After Not Receiving a Vitamin K Shot
Babies have died after not receiving the vitamin K shot at birth. Their autopsy records underscore how preventable their deaths could have been.
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Arbaz Kakkar5 @arbazkakkar5.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"Peter Thiel: -mentioned in ~3,000 Epstein file documents -exchanged ~2,000 emails with Epstein -swapped strategies with Epstein to avoid the IRS tracking their hidden wealth This is the guy who helped our vice-president in key moments in his career."
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Mike Rogers' estimated net worth in 2013: $380,000 Mike Rogers' estimated net worth in 2026: $14,600,000 He cashed in and sold out Michiganders.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Gutting the Fourth Estate sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/gutting-th... No one tells it like Sarah. "a klatch of botoxed Riefenstahls" may be one of the best descriptions ever. This is a must read,
sarahkendzior.substack.com
Gutting the Fourth Estate
The US media were willing cogs in Trump’s machine. Now he’s tearing it down.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It’s “Underwear on the Outside” Time paulkrugman.substack.com/p/its-underw...
paulkrugman.substack.com
It’s “Underwear on the Outside” Time
Trump’s continuing downward spiral into sundowning
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
What Economists Know About Kicking Out Reporters open.substack.com/pub/platypus...
open.substack.com
What Economists Know About Kicking Out Reporters
Trump banned three news organizations from the White House last week — and there’s a research literature on exactly where that leads.
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darren32359.bsky.social @darren32359.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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Sean Brodrick @seanbrodrick.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Just 9 likes? This is a heartbreakingly underappreciated piece of humor. I hope our AI overlords and evolutionary successors share a quiet chuckle as they read it while sitting on thrones of human skulls.
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Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers @platypuseconomics.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In September 2020, the federal SPM working group voted to add home internet to their measure. They found it to be an essential cost, which adds to the story that internet is an essential right.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The person who thinks that he has the ability to decide which science to fund out of hundreds of subfields is exactly the person who should not make that decision. There is a reason that expert committees of scientists review and give recommendations for funding. No one person can know all of it.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
As Health Director for Wayne County, we put vending machines with free Narcan and fentanyl test strips in 100 locations. We hoped to make even a small dent in offsetting the opioid epidemic that Mike Rogers made even worse by voting with the pharmaceutical industry his entire career in Congress.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
What Is White Christian Nationalism? jemartisby.substack.com/p/what-is-wh...
jemartisby.substack.com
What Is White Christian Nationalism?
A definition you can share next time someone asks the question.
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California Dreamin’… 😎 @jerasikehorn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Trump appointed more than 20 former Fox News hosts and contributors to cabinet and senior administration positions during his second term. We’re literally being governed by propagandists… And, bad ones, at that. Enjoy. 😎✨
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Should’ve happened a long time ago tbh
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Steven Beschloss @stevenbeschloss.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The tragedy has been so knowable. This from seven years ago — and we’re still paying for so many Americans letting it happen.
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juhneenhow she/her @juhneenhowe.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The fact all news organizations haven’t immediately left the White House in solidarity is all you need to know about these supposed journalists You can get the same exact info from his tweets and avoid the smell Win win really
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Americans for Tax Fairness @4taxfairness.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
You don't need a private company to pay a parking ticket. You don't need one to get Social Security or Medicare. But somehow you NEED a private company to file your taxes. And that company pays $0 in taxes on $6 billion in profits. And gets $1 billion in tax breaks. RIGGED.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As gas prices in Michigan hit $5/gallon and diesel hits a record $6.59, it shouldn't be this hard to buy gas, groceries, or afford healthcare. Our economy has been rigged against the very people who make it work. I'm running for Senate to change that.
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Rex Huppke @rexhuppke.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I'll say it for the thousandth time: No legitimate news organization has any business being in the White House press briefing room. If a source lies to you repeatedly, you stop using that source. Period. The only thing you gain by proximity to this administration is access to propaganda.
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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
If the White House Correspondents’ Association stood for more than partying with fascists, it would: A) Boycott White House news conferences to protest the banning of CNN, MSNOW and Politico. or B) Show up and make every question about Trump’s assault on the 1st Amendment.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The FCC will allow the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, & Abu Dhabi to own nearly 50% of a merged Paramount-Warner Bros — potentially giving them sway over our media. This of course comes after Trump received gifts or struck business deals with these countries. See the problem?
variety.com
FCC Approves 49.5% Foreign Ownership of Paramount-Warner Bros.
The FCC has approved Paramount's petition to allow 49.5% ownership by Gulf state sovereign wealth funds as part of its W
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Fear Strikes Out paulkrugman.substack.com/p/fear-strik...
paulkrugman.substack.com
Fear Strikes Out
But the hatred remains
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Fascinating
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
How Christian Women Have Upheld MAGA and White Supremacy in America thelefthook.substack.com/p/how-christ...
thelefthook.substack.com
How Christian Women Have Upheld MAGA and White Supremacy in America
Author and scholar Kristin Du Mez grew up in conservative America and was a dutiful consumer of “traditional” mainstream Christian culture, such as Amy Grant CDs and frequent trips to Christian book t...
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Stock Trades by Presidents While in Office: Bill Clinton: ZERO George W. Bush: ZERO Barack Obama: ZERO Donald Trump (first term): 517 Joe Biden: ZERO Donald Trump (second term): 24,000+, averaging >60 trades per trading day. This is why the crook in the Oval Office manipulates the markets.
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
What If We Just Gave Poor People Money? open.substack.com/pub/platypus...
open.substack.com
What If We Just Gave Poor People Money?
It’s more complicated than it sounds. Well, sort of.
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Rick Pidcock @rickpidcock.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Also, this paradigm of putting people down by building God up and then losing your composure while getting whipped up into a frenzy by a modern worship band in the promotion of men like Trump and Hegseth is unfortunately setting the world on fire. Literally. 3/3
broadleafbooks.com
Weapons of Worship: How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism
In a sweeping investigation into the music of megachurches and political rallies, a journalist asks: How did praise and worship music beloved by millions of white evangelicals become the soundtrack of...
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
He’s got a point!
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Pete Buttigieg @petebuttigieg.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
How can they justify leaving right now? Diesel costs just hit an all-time high. Our nation is at war. The bond market is quivering. The urgency of AI regulation has come to a critical moment. Congress should be working overtime. Instead Speaker Johnson sent them home.
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Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 16/09/2026
Trump's immigration policy operates at three levels: cruelty ordered from the top, cruelty institutionalized by bureaucracy, and cruelty casually inflicted by agents. www.thebulwark.com/p/inside-tru...
thebulwark.com
Inside Trump’s Summer of Cruelty
Behind the ICE arrest numbers are hospital arrests, families torn apart, and children asking why they’re being treated like criminals.
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Andrew Rogers @asr-cascadian.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
What a great day! Long-awaited new titles by @bradleyonishi.bsky.social and @kkdumez.bsky.social have landed to join @robertpjones.bsky.social's, which got here a day or two ago. No less critical, @adriandaub.bsky.social , @js-tan.bsky.social and Clarissa Redwine are here to disassemble tech. 📚
A photo of "Live, Love, Laugh" by KK du Mez, "American Caesar" by Brad Onishi, "Backslide" by Robert Jones, "Against Tech Oligarchy" by JS Tan and Clarissa Redwine, and "What Tech Calls Governing" by Adrian Daub, all on my desk.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The anti-vaccine, anti-science position of RFK Jr.‘s HHS is killing people. It’s not in question. Yet Republican shitbirds have nothing to say about it. They’re just sitting there, letting people die. Then they claim they’re “rebuilding trust” in public health.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Samuel Alito flew flags used by insurrectionists. Clarence Thomas' wife plotted to overturn the 2020 election. Both justices refused to recuse themselves from SCOTUS cases related to the Jan 6 plot. Both ruled in favor of Trump's mail-in ballot sabotage. I don't think I'll ever get over this.
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Congressman Greg Landsman @repgreglandsman.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Haitians living legally in Ohio have built families, careers, and churches here. Ending their protections and treating them like criminals serves neither justice nor humanity.
cincinnati.com
Don't send Ohio's Haitian neighbors 'back to hell' | Opinion
Opinion: Haitians found safety in Ohio. America shouldn't send them back.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15/09/2026
Ossoff: "We are witnessing people drunk with power who are utterly reckless, utterly corrupt, and obviously believe that they live with impunity. They believe they're untouchable. They believe they're invincible. Let's prove them wrong."
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Robert Karsten @rwkar.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I Wandered Lonely in The Cloud sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/i-wandered...
sarahkendzior.substack.com
I Wandered Lonely in The Cloud
How AI is destroying the life of the mind.
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M Meerkat @kackbro.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
THIS 👇 HERE.......
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