Sign in

vakell21.bsky.social

@vakell21.bsky.social
4.1K followers 5.6K following 13 posts

Northern Virginia; fan of all things Pittsburgh…Pirates, Pens, Stillers; member of the resistance; 💙🌊

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 4h
There's all the Trumpsters who are making bank off stealing Venezuela's oil. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/1...
washingtonpost.com
Ex-Trump officials find new jobs in Venezuela’s lucrative oil industry
Companies and investors are eager to hire those with recent access to the White House and knowledge of the administration’s Venezuela policy or contacts.
114150
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 4h
There's Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack (most people forget he was prosecuted, but acquitted, in a case that accused him of shaping US policy for UAE for big contracts) failing to disclose a financial tie in his confirmation disclosures. www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
reuters.com
Trump envoy kept financial ties to firm behind $15 billion Hormuz-bypass oil pipeline plan
Thomas Barrack, a top US diplomat in the Middle East, advocated for a firm run by his business partner to take part in the development of an oil pipeline from Iraq to Syria, three people said, activit...
313848
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 4h
There's ANOTHER angle on selling out Ukraine, getting Jared to invest in Nordstream. From Reuters. www.reuters.com/business/ene...
reuters.com
EXCLUSIVE: US, Russia explore gas sale to Europe amid Ukraine war, say sources
Top Russian and US officials, including Special Envoy Jared Kushner, have held talks about bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines that delivered gas to Germany before Russia invaded Ukr...
39038
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 3h
Here's the Cook Political Report, which moved some more races toward Dems today.
Solid D (185)
182 Dem  2 Rep
AL-07
Sewell
AZ-03
Ansari
AZ-04
Stanton
AZ-07
Grijalva
CA-01
Gallagher
CA-02
Huffman
CA-03
Bera
CA-04
Thompson
CA-06
Kiley
CA-07
Matsui
CA-08
Garamendi
CA-09
Harder
CA-10
DeSaulnier
CA-11
OPEN (Pelosi)
CA-12
Simon
CA-14
Wahab
CA-15
Mullin
CA-16
Liccardo
CA-17
Khanna
CA-18
Lofgren
CA-19
Panetta
CA-24
Carbajal
CA-25
Ruiz
CA-26
OPEN (Brownley)
CA-27
Whitesides
CA-28
Chu
CA-29
Rivas
CA-30
Friedman
CA-31
Cisneros
CA-32
Sherman
CA-33
Aguilar
CA-34
Gomez
CA-35
Torres
CA-36
Lieu
CA-37
Kamlager-Dove
CA-38
OPEN (Sánchez)
CA-39
Takano
CA-41
Sánchez
CA-42
Garcia
CA-43
Waters
CA-44
Barragán
CA-46
Correa
CA-47
Min
CA-49
Levin
CA-50
Peters
CA-51
Jacobs
CA-52
Vargas
CO-01
OPEN (DeGette)
CO-02
Neguse
CO-06
Crow
CO-07
Pettersen
CT-01
OPEN (Larson)
CT-02
Courtney
CT-03
DeLauro
CT-04
Himes
CT-05
Hayes
DE-AL
McBride
FL-10
Frost
FL-20
Wasserman Schultz
FL-23
Frankel
FL-24
OPEN (Wilson)
GA-02
Bishop
GA-04
Johnson
GA-05
Williams
GA-06
McBath
GA-13
OPEN (Blair)
HI-01
Case
HI-02
Tokuda
IL-01
Jackson
IL-02
OPEN (Kelly)
IL-03
Ramirez
IL-04
OPEN (García)
IL-05
Quigley
IL-06
Casten
IL-07
OPEN (Davis)
IL-08
OPEN (Krishnamoorthi)
IL-09
OPEN (Schakowsky)
IL-10
Schneider
IL-11
Foster
IL-13
Budzinski
IL-14
Underwood
IL-17
Sorensen
IN-07
Carson
KS-03
Davids
KY-03
McGarvey
LA-02
Carter
MA-01
Neal
MA-02
McGovern
MA-03
Trahan
MA-04
Auchincloss
MA-05
Clark
MA-06
OPEN (Moulton)
MA-07
Pressley
MA-08
Lynch
MA-09
Keating
MD-02
Olszewski
MD-03
Elfreth
MD-04
Ivey
MD-05
OPEN (Hoyer)
MD-06
McClain Delaney
MD-07
Mfume
MD-08
Raskin
ME-01
Pingree
MI-03
Scholten
MI-06
Dingell
MI-11
OPEN (Stevens)
MI-12
Tlaib
MI-13
OPEN (Thanedar)
MN-03
Morrison
MN-04
McCollum
MN-05
Omar
MO-01
Bell
MO-05
Cleaver
MS-02
Thompson
NC-02
Ross
NC-04
Foushee
NC-12
Adams
NH-02
Goodlander
NJ-01
Norcross
NJ-03
Conaway
NJ-05
Gottheimer
NJ-06
Pallone
NJ-08
Menendez
NJ-10
McIver
NJ-11
Mejia
NJ-12
OPEN (Watson Coleman)
NM-01
Stansbury
NM-03
Leger Fernández
NY-05
Meeks
NY-06
Meng
NY-07
OPEN (Velázquez)
NY-08
Jeffries
NY-…
119419
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 4h
Which would be your favorite House District for Dems to flip if it were to happen? I can't decide between: Derrick Van Order (WI-3, Rebecca Cooke) Scott Perry (PA-10, Janelle Stelson) NY-21 (Blake Gendebien (D); Anthony Constantino (R); Elise Stefanik's seat) I'm also probably missing some.
14318827
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
ProPublica @propublica.org · 4h
NEW: Records show Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken nearly 1,000 trips during his tenure, costing $3.3 million in security. We could only connect 138 of those trips and $553,000 in security costs to state business. with @texastribune.org
propublica.org
Ken Paxton’s Security for Travel Cost Taxpayers Millions. Just 1 in 6 of His Trips Had a Stated Business Purpose.
Records show the Texas attorney general has taken nearly 1,000 trips during his tenure, costing $3.3 million in security. We could only connect 138 of those trips and $553,000 in security costs to sta...
531899923
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Trump delivered exactly the energy policy that conservatives and the oil industry wanted, promising that it would bring us to “energy independence.” So how’s that working out? paulwaldman.substack.com/p/hows-drill...
paulwaldman.substack.com
How’s “Drill Baby Drill” Working Out For You?
Trump delivered exactly the energy policy the fossil fuel industry and conservatives wanted, yet we didn’t get the “energy independence” they promised.
15821
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Inflation was 3% when Trump took office; it's 3.4% now.
54215
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 19h
Don't know if any journalist has explored this, but the fact that Elissa Slotkin is now working hard for El-Sayed shows she's a smart pol. No doubt she realized that if she held back and he lost, presidential primary voters in '28 would never forgive her.
6483
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · 14h
In bombshell interview, the man who served as Netanyahu’s military secretary on October 7, 2023 says that the Israeli pm passed up clear-cut opportunities to bring more hostages home from Gaza alive because doing so would have risked his political career! www.timesofisrael.com/pms-ex-milit...
timesofisrael.com
PM’s ex-military secretary: Netanyahu prioritized political survival when he could have saved hostages’ lives
In bombshell interview, Avi Gil, who was in post on Oct. 7, alleges PM's chief of staff falsified his phone records from that day; PM issues denial; opposition leaders call for criminal probe
7234122
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 13h
More revelations every day, but even if he loses this election, Netanyahu is like a cockroach; I fully expect that 30 years from now we'll be seeing headlines saying "Benjamin Netanyahu returns for unprecedented 12th term as Israeli PM at age 106"
36516
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 3h
As I've said before: On January 20, 2029, every ICE agent hired in the prior 4 years should be immediately fired. Any who think they're one of the good ones can reapply and try to prove they aren't the last kind of people we want given a gun and a badge.
1521365
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Joseph Rezek @rezekjoe.bsky.social · 15h
“Smart” appliances are evil af
711418
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Mac It Look Like An Accident @macrogers.bsky.social · 18h
Okay so we have a number now: the Onion is officially 6 months ahead of reality.
4048531243
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 14h
nationalize everything Elon Musk owns.
562276469
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 23h
my main comment is, do they remember who won the battle of the alamo bsky.app/profile/dber...
1501782246
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 16h
US inflation is "entirely" due to Trump's tariffs. I am hard pressed to think of a worse decision by any President. The consequences were predicted, he did them anyway and here we are. www.cnbc.com/2026/10/08/i...
cnbc.com
Inflation on many everyday items was entirely due to tariffs, NY Fed says
Tariffs added 2.9 percentage points to inflation in 67 categories of goods by February 2026, researchers at the New York Federal Reserve found.
5336100
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 16h
Megyn Kelly has been criticizing the Cornell Jane Doe for how she responded after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by multiple men in one night. But Kelly seems to have forgotten what it feels like to be blamed after coming forward with allegations:
4133478
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 11h
NEW: Footage from Thursdays shooting shows an ICE agent in a construction vest brandishing a rifle. His name is Brenden Cuni. Federal judges have found multiple arrests involving Cuni unlawful. He has been accused of repeatedly Tasing a handcuffed man and tackling a pregnant woman in Minneapolis.
wired.com
ICE Agent at NYC Shooting Has History of Alleged Violence and Illegal Arrests
Brenden Cuni, an ICE supervisor, has been accused of excessive force and tackling a pregnant woman to the ground. Several of his arrests were later found to be unlawful in federal court.
5820941029
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 6h
> @cnn.com $SPCX www.cnn.com/2026/10/08/i...
691014489
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Mike Zaccardi, CFA, CMT @mikezaccardi.bsky.social · 5h
Cembalest JPMAM: Only 30% of S&P 500 constituents are outperforming the index, among the lowest shares since 1991. @soberlook thedailyshot.com/sub...
04918
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4h
Microsoft. Caterpillar. Deere. AGCO. American Express. Quite the corporate regulatory crackdown this week: @apnews.com @yahoofinance.com
2920254
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Mohamed A. El-Erian @elerianm.bsky.social · 4h
Still on what would have been deemed unlikely if not unthinkable not so long ago... 👇🏼 #economy #markets #energy
1225292
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Will Oremus @willoremus.com · 06/10/2026
Fun fact: Tesla went with a giant touchscreen instead of knobs for the Model 3 purely to save time and money. Knobs would have required spinning up a whole supply chain. The company spun it as a luxury feature and much of the industry followed suit. But it was always an inferior substitute.
421990380
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 @patriottakes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The following GOP Senators are on 2026 midterm ballots and voted to confirm Kimberly Guilfoyle: Shelley Moore Capito Susan Collins Tom Cotton Bill Hagerty Jon Husted Cindy Hyde-Smith Roger Marshall Ashley Moody Pete Ricketts Jim Risch Mike Rounds Dan Sullivan Marsha Blackburn Tommy Tuberville
19382183
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
hilzoy @hilzoy.bsky.social · 18h
“On October 6, representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland introduced a bill directing officials from the Smithsonian Institution to collect and preserve “artifacts related to the President’s narcissistic self-worship.” (from Artnet article quoted in LGM.)
15725
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
David Waldman @kagrox.bsky.social · 18h
Say it now, and repeat it every once in a while, so nobody pretends to faint when the day comes. No state funeral for Trump. #NoStateFuneralForTrump www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Fort Hood shooter’s execution will be live-streamed, Defense Dept. says
“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday about the firing squad execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.
66019
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
digby @digby56.bsky.social · 21h
Trump won't be able to do anything about Guilfoyle. She was on the inside for years. In the *family.* She knows where all the bodies are buried.
1511319
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
digby @digby56.bsky.social · 20h
Put it on the mall like the Freedom 250 State Fair! Maybe we could have venders with merch there. And food trucks! Fireworks! Hegseth is a sociopath. Remember, he got Trump's attention defending war criminals, the kind of people they both revere.
75915
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
digby @digby56.bsky.social · 18h
They are going to livestream the execution by firing squad of a man in a wheelchair?
137727
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
ashley (birthday month) 🕸️ @clearlyashley.bsky.social · 19h
WHAT THE FUCK DONALD TRUMP?
3449365
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Thor Benson @thorbenson.bsky.social · 19h
Stochastic terrorism
24843146
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
John Moe @johnmoe.bsky.social · 19h
As completely deranged and fucked up and wrong as he is, I gotta say it is stressful to have the damn president of the United States constantly attacking my state of Minnesota, sending violence, calling for violence, putting all lives at risk, killing our neighbors. Like it really takes a toll.
562145383
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 19h
This is so dangerous! President Trump is deliberately inciting race hatred against an ethnic minority, calling on the people of Minnesota to "fight back" against "Somali immigrants." This must be a terrifying moment for the Somali community (who are overwhelmingly US citizens).
972020570
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 19h
This is incitement. Racist incitement.
1302257518
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Micah @rincewind.run · 22h
the reason “AI will create so much abundance we will have a utopian society” rhetoric falls so flat is that the people building it will never, ever share their bounty unless it is taken from them and we all know it
92106692507
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 18h
she works for you marco maybe play the fuckin game
332114
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 18h
i would think the secretary of state might be a little more informed about possible corruption with the us ambassador to greece or at least a little curious
2363998
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 18h
White people attended public lynchings in droves and had picnics with their children there. I mean, PLEASE.
251770371
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 18h
I think people should listen to what the administration trying to bring back spectacle lynchings, race riots, and middle passage-esque deportation voyages are trying to tell you about themselves. bsky.app/profile/bren...
8244821662
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 18h
impeach hegseth should be on the list day one it is not even debatable tbh
563338383
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 20h
No, a plan to use prison ships to deport our neighbors does not "represent another escalation of the Trump administration’s evolving strategy for carrying out mass deportations." It represents the administration's insatiable desire to make immigrants suffer. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Considers Using Ships to Deport Immigrants (Gift Article)
Journeys to destinations including El Salvador and Venezuela could take days and cost millions. Officials cautioned that discussions are still preliminary.
47331
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 19h
He is explicitly calling for pogroms. (I ask again: at what point will our major news organizations finally acknowledge that he is either mentally ill or a vile racist or both?)
23375122
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
When she was running for governor 32 years ago she couldn’t afford health care, so she can relate to what Mainers are going through under the regime she supports and votes with 96% of the time. 🙄
1553388805
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
‘But I got road salt exempted from Trump’s tariffs’ is really the perfect way to sum up Susan Collins during the Trump era. While he does hundreds of things to hurt Mainers, she brags about one small thing she did to help her reelection, while doing nothing on the big things.
23356851342
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Hilarious. Mike Rogers is now running against … Donald Trump.
60452251189
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
You can’t eat road salt.
1762409304
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
bsky.app/profile/ronf...
951677604
Reposted by @vakell21.bsky.social
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A BFD. As people get ready to fill their heating oil tanks for the winter, they learn it will cost 80% more than last year. Your early Christmas Gift from Trump and the Republican Party is that your Christmas present budget will now go to their friends in the oil business.
29341711722