Reposted by Sean MaertensKevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 03/10/2026It is 2006, and Karl Rove is mocking people for calling Republicans "Nazis" It is 2026, and Karl Rove is encouraging people to call Republicans "Nazis" 1272392590
Reposted by Sean MaertensDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Unless Congress reclaims its power, this will just become the new normal. A good first step would be to impeach Vought. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/u...nytimes.comNational Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by CongressThe move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants. 8830721175
Reposted by Sean MaertensAaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Technologically very impressive but this stuff scares the crap out of me from a societal perspective. Just the sheer amount of fraud alone that these models will enable is chilling, let alone all the other harms. 1539663
Reposted by Sean MaertensDan O’Sullivan @osullyville.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Today 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. 14195342206
Reposted by Sean MaertensApoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I’ve been reporting on the CDC for years, and have written about many of its troubles over the past year. I was still shocked by the extent of the staff losses and political interference I found when reporting this one. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/h...nytimes.com‘Zombified’ C.D.C., Hobbled by Cuts, Struggles to Fulfill Scientific Mission (Gift Article)The agency has lost its independence and nearly a third of its staff, as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and associates have tightened control. 381374572
Reposted by Sean MaertensBrian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Wild. This should create a Streisand effect, which Dem ranking members can enhance by sending the companies document preservation demands. www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...hollywoodreporter.comThe Major Social Media Platforms Are All Rejecting Paid Ads for Alex Gibney’s ‘Musk’ (Exclusive)YouTube, TikTok and Meta have all turned down the trailer for the Oct. 9 doc, citing “political” content. X won't even take Bleecker Street's calls. The distributor is appealing. 211198350
Reposted by Sean MaertensMark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026NEWS: My new investigation uncovers the horrific ChatGPT history of the Tumbler Ridge school shooter. OpenAI’s chatbot fueled the shooter's violent fantasies and plans up to the day of the massacre. Chats about guns, timing of attacks, becoming infamous, and more. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...motherjones.comChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation revealsOpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre. 411470807
Reposted by Sean MaertensAaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Incredible. First Secretary Mullin claimed that DHS had identified 15,903 noncitizens on Nevada’s voter roll. Then DHS officials told a skeptical Nevada, no no no, that’s just people we flagged. Here are the names of 185 people we KNOW aren’t citizens. All 185 were citizens. DHS got 100% wrong. 21188123852
Reposted by Sean MaertensJoseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 22/09/2026New: hackers say they have personal data on all FBI employees and spouses. I got a sample of 5,000 alleged employees, including name, physical address, phone number, and in some cases spouses. Could be a massive national security and counterintelligence risk www.404media.co/we-hacked-th...404media.co‘We Hacked the FBI:’ Hackers Say They Have Data on All FBI EmployeesA sample of 5,000 alleged agents seen by 404 Media includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and details on FBI employees' spouses. 1351368582
Reposted by Sean MaertensScott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026NYT has now independently corroborated all the major allegations against Susan Collins in the ProPublica report, including that investigators were prepared to move against her and then Trump intervened to shut it down. This put Trump in a position of exceptional and extortionate leverage over her.nytimes.comF.B.I. Shut Down Inquiry Into Top Ally of Senator Susan CollinsThe inquiry was closed last year because senior bureau officials questioned the veracity of a campaign donor’s account, according to current and former officials. 24982253351
Reposted by Sean MaertensDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026International criminals preparing to punish International Criminal Court 25735244
Reposted by Sean MaertensDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Her family also raised a shit ton of money to create America First Legal to sue others. Her husband has helped weaponize the DOJ to sue others. Using the legal system to intimidate and threaten people or force them to adopt MAGA views is a core tactic of these people. 8481120
Reposted by Sean Maertensemptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Katie Miller, who is a co-conspirator in actions Elon Musk took that will kill millions, RTs interview of Maggie Haberman describing that everyone is counting on pardons, whining that "her family" had to pay for lawyers. (There is abundant evidence Trump paid for it & ALSO laundered $$ to Stephen). 1431848536
Reposted by Sean MaertensAllison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 19/09/2026This is a thread of memes about Kash Patel’s defense of bestiality sent to me by current and former FBI employees. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 🧵 1/ 28440501169
Reposted by Sean Maertenseliko thalia @museinrevolt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026just learned this today 6868363718
Reposted by Sean MaertensJess Miers 🦝 @jmiers230.bsky.social · 13/09/2026I did a somewhat deep dive into the recent OpenAI and Anthropic "hacks" for an upcoming interview. IMO, the AI companies are better off running with the "rogue AI" story because the real story is actually pretty embarrassing. Like making your Wi-Fi password "wifi" embarrassing. 🧵 341835794
Reposted by Sean MaertensBrandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Last month, the Pentagon fired the publisher and editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes. Two opposite headlines this morning show the results were swift. 271444516
Reposted by Sean MaertensJessica DuLong @jessicadulong.bsky.social · 11/09/2026The Great Boat Lift — the largest maritime evacuation that rescued 500,000 stranded people from Manhattan — began seconds after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into 1 World Trade Center at 8:46 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. 327093
Reposted by Sean MaertensMatthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 11/09/2026For those who are new, Joe DiGenova has spent the last 30 years baselessly accusing Democrats of committing crimes. If he is saying publicly the Trump administration pushed him out because he wouldn’t bring cases because there was no evidence, things are really bad. 8043231250
Reposted by Sean MaertensEric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 04/09/2026The Hugging Face incident may turn out to be one of the most important milestones/warnings in technological revolution now underway. History may look back at this moment/point to it. Everyone should be reading ab it and thinking about it. Here are a few good pieces: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/t...nytimes.comWhy the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I. (Gift Article)The attack by an aggressive “collective” of OpenAI agents shows the danger of artificial intelligence systems that organize themselves. 29284120
Reposted by Sean MaertensDavid Roberts @volts.wtf · 04/09/2026“Someone who worked closely with Elon told me, ‘He’s the most miserable man I’ve ever met.’ So he’s inflicting his misery on everyone else.”hollywoodreporter.comElon Musk Unmasked in Alex Gibney Documentary: “Insane a Person This Chaotic Has So Much Power”He is the richest man on earth. An explosive new film from the Oscar-winning director suggests he also may be among the most dangerous. 15507133
Reposted by Sean MaertensAaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 03/09/2026🚨NEW from @propublica.org: over "the strongest possible" objection from the Minnesota federal prosecutor in charge of the case, senior Trump officials reportedly rejected civil rights charges against the ICE officer who shot a man and then lied about it. He'll be charged with false statements only. 291100474
Reposted by Sean MaertensJim Swift @jimswift.bsky.social · 01/09/2026The cruelty is the point. Shame on this administration and shame on the people who voted for this. www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/spring...springfieldnewssun.comSpringfield Haitian student takes his own life after being fitted with ICE ankle monitor, advocates sayA 20-year-old Wright State student took his own life on Interstate 70 out of anguish over a required ICE ankle monitor, according to local community advocates. 431277513
Reposted by Sean Maertensjamelle @jamellebouie.net · 28/08/2026it is in fact just the media, which has devoted more attention to this than it has to the fact that multiple republican lawmakers are dealing with “we hired nazis” scandals and that the “we hired nazis” problem extends to the white house 17457611334
Reposted by Sean MaertensRadley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 28/08/2026There's no forgiving this. No living it down. It's a stain on our humanity. When all this is over, the monsters who did this should be pariahs. And the soulless thugs who cheered it on while dehumanizing Haitian immigrants should be reminded of what they did every day of their lives. 14584492882
Reposted by Sean MaertensAdam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 28/08/2026"For more than a year, the National Park Service has been quietly working to fulfill an unprecedented directive from Trump officials: Parcel off a corner of Yosemite National Park to give to a private developer." www.notus.org/agencies/tru...notus.orgTrump’s Quietly Working to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private DeveloperThe National Park Service is under pressure to make an unprecedented deal that cedes a quarter-mile strip of the park. 62668450
Reposted by Sean MaertensDavid Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026It’s all about the grift. 50436120
Sean Maertens @seanmaertens.bsky.social · 27/08/2026This is what journalists should be doing, imo, whenever they platform these insane amd influential people. Hold a mirror up to them over the insane things they say and write to hold them to account. Obama had to disavow his pastor while running for President while Hegseth magically got a pass. 010
Reposted by Sean MaertensRolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 25/08/2026Dolly Parton's family asked that, in lieu of flowers, fans make a donation to the singer's Imagination Library. Here's what the charity does ⬇️ www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...rollingstone.comTurning Pages: Inside Dolly Parton's Imagination LibraryCore team of 15 staff and thousands of volunteers and partners help the country-music philanthropist deliver books to kids around the world. 128190498287
Reposted by Sean MaertensDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 23/08/2026An employe at McMahon's company, WWE was accused of systematically sexually assaulting vulnerable boys who worked at the company. McMahon persuaded them not to sue, and told one she would support his education. When his grades dropped, she stopped paying tuition support. He later killed himself. 431617758
Reposted by Sean MaertensBarb McQuade @barbmcquade.bsky.social · 21/08/2026This is really outrageous. Not only did a judge find probable cause to believe that sensitive national defense documents would be found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, the documents were actually found! apnews.com/article/just...apnews.comInvestigators examining foes of Trump seek interviews related to Mar-a-Lago search, AP sources sayInvestigators are seeking to interview law enforcement officials in connection with the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of a Florida-based inquiry aiming to establish a conspira... 722412798
Reposted by Sean MaertensHelen Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 21/08/2026The Trump administration fired the editor of Stars & Stripes. The military newspaper's publisher, who announced he would retire earlier this week, was also fired. The paper had revealed the deplorable conditions on the USS Lincoln, embarrassing Hegseth and Trump. 241510651
Reposted by Sean MaertensPeter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 21/08/2026This is the report the President is threatening a lawsuit over. #StreisandEffecting www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...americanprogress.orgThe Trump Administration’s $1.7 Billion National Guard Deployments Fail To Reduce Urban CrimeNew CAP analysis reveals the Trump administration’s costly National Guard deployments have failed to reduce violent crime despite its claims of success. 26747322
Reposted by Sean MaertensPeter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 21/08/2026As someone who has obsessed about the transformation of politics into theater, this is of great interest. But there’s one quote about acting he leaves out, usually attributed to George Burns: “Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Great Actors Are More Believable Than Democrats (Gift Article)Democrats often don’t sound as if they believe themselves. To fix that, they should listen more to acting teachers and less to pollsters. 915416
Reposted by Sean MaertensChance the Lawyer @chancethelawyer.bsky.social · 21/08/2026say what you will about the myriad valid concerns with current LLMs but I personally will never get over the fact that Aaron Swartz was prosecuted to his literal death for downloading JSTOR and then a decade later, they downloaded & ingested the entire world and our IP laws just went ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 4645481568
Sean Maertens @seanmaertens.bsky.social · 20/08/2026If the GOP didn't have double standards they would have no standards at all! 000
Reposted by Sean MaertensTom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Great job from the president yesterday, basically telling Iran "yes, you should get a nuke ASAP, so you can get the same treatment I give my friends in North Korea." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...theatlantic.comDonald Trump Just Explained Why Iran Should Have a Nuclear WeaponHe may also have blurted out classified information about North Korea. 48881249
Reposted by Sean MaertensMark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Nothing to see here, folks. Just the president of the United States standing outside the White House and advertising for a private company after it gave him a campaign contribution. 1292652721
Reposted by Sean MaertensJustin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 19/08/2026According to CNN, Natalie Harp once jumped into the trunk of an SUV after getting into a screaming match with other Trump staffers after being denied a seat in the motorcade heading to a Trump trial appearance. www.cnn.com/2026/08/18/p...cnn.comMeet Natalie Harp, the aide so close to Trump she once rode in an SUV trunk to accompany him | CNN PoliticsNatalie Harp has become a main conduit between President Donald Trump and the outside world, sources say. 63937351054
Reposted by Sean MaertensDavid Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026These people live in universe in which the “Access Hollywood” tape doesn’t exist—let alone the hundreds of misogynistic statements Trump has made about women, the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against him by dozens of women, and the E. Jean Carroll verdict. 64909190
Reposted by Sean MaertensCarl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 18/08/2026ZITRON: ".. I know you’re gonna call me a firebrand or a hater or a skeptic or try to capture me and put me in a zoo, but I must be clear that OpenAI has set expectations — and made commitments — that range from ridiculous to outright impossible." @edzitron.com www.wheresyoured.at/what-happens...wheresyoured.atWhat Happens If OpenAI Dies?If you liked this piece, you should subscribe to my premium newsletter. It's $70 a year, $18 a quarter, or $7 a month, and in return you get a weekly newsletter that’s usually anywhere from 10,000 to... 1325271
Reposted by Sean MaertensAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18/08/2026"This isn’t just meant to stop liberals from engaging in anti-ICE activism. It’s meant to destroy trust among activists, who must now constantly worry about whether HSI has infiltrated them. It’s meant to drive out of public life anyone the administration disfavors." — @snipy.bsky.socialpublicnotice.coDHS's abuse of power in Minnesota was even worse than we knewIt's the stuff of East Germany. 541782746
Reposted by Sean MaertensCarl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 18/08/2026(AP) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday, seeking to compel the extradition of an [ICE] agent to stand trial for assault and falsely reporting a crime in the wounding of a man during the agency’s crackdown in Minneapolis. apnews.com/article/minn... 151055307
Reposted by Sean MaertensRon Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 18/08/2026So to summarize the right-wing news cycle on Jon Ossoff over the last 24 hours. Trump supporters are saying Ossoff is a bad guy because he inherited wealth, is a misogynist, and wears makeup. 1311516265
Reposted by Sean MaertensKetan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 18/08/2026This is 100% why people who've been on X for years now get so weirdly bummed out by Bluesky or any other site. It isn't that bsky is a 'bubble', it's that being a shithead in the replies gets you an immediate nuclear-block, rather than immediately rewarded with Skinner-box treats404media.coX's Algorithm Feeds Off Ragebait and Impacts Democrats More, Study FindsX is driving engagement by making users fight in the replies. 6150051342
Sean Maertens @seanmaertens.bsky.social · 18/08/2026"ICE isn't targeting the worst of the worst, ICE is the worst of the worst," Cardozo Law's Peter Moskowitz said during a Wednesday morning briefing on the report." Sums it up pretty well. 010
Sean Maertens @seanmaertens.bsky.social · 15/08/2026An excellent summarization of the bad faith behind this "issue" as well as what Democrats SHOULD do to turn it around against the GOP. Stop accepting their framing and start hammering them on how freaking weird these people are instead! The pedo protectors ALSO want to inspect children's genitals! 052
Reposted by Sean MaertensJesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026You and I — all of us taxpayers — funded this $533 million artillery plant outside of Dallas. It hasn’t produced a single usable shell. Yet the defense contractor, General Dynamics, has never been held publicly accountable. Nor has it had to pay a penny back… 1/ 7925221093
Reposted by Sean MaertensRude Law Dog @esghound.com · 14/08/2026arday was clearly an academic fraud and a ridiculous fabulist, but this was the press hounding a man to death to please nazi freaks on twitter who clapped like seals the whole way. it's all gross and bad 231500183
Reposted by Sean MaertensBen Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Man who was the laser-eyed target of Twitter and rightwing media for the last month found dead today. 311337268