Sarah Matthews: "It's very clear to me what JD Vance is trying to do. He's trying to do Trump lite. We already saw how that played out for Ron DeSantis — it failed miserably…Trump is at least, like him or not, charismatic. JD Vance has negative charisma."

This has been ICE’s playbook. They threatened the Ithaca sheriff with criminal charges in early 2025 and of course nothing came of it because it was legally flimsy at best, we reported at the time: boltsmag.org/new-york-she...

Minnesota Star Tribune@startribune.com · 19h ago

Federal officials have threatened Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt that failure to provide immigration agents access to inmates eligible for deportation could result in criminal charges.

Generic Ballot Polling: 🔵 DEM: 51% 🔴 GOP: 40% Zogby / August 5, 2026

This is just an absurdly stupid, deeply unserious thing to put in a judicial opinion. But it is absolutely real, image and all, courtesy of Judge Brantley Starr of the Northern District of Texas: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The Senate committee chaired by Rand Paul voted 8-7 this morning to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. If the full Senate agrees, Fauci will be referred to the Justice Dept for potential prosecution. Despicable. Read @saletan.bsky.social on the Republican lies at last week's Fauci hearing:

Here Are the Republicans’ Biggest Lies From Their Fauci Show Trial

In their retelling of the COVID story, the doctor was the bad guy, the vaccines were deadly, and Trump did everything right.

thebulwark.com

MUST-WATCH: Fetterman can’t grasp what Jon Stewart is asking 😕 STEWART: “Do you think maybe economic populism/DSA momentum is rising because you establishment Dems haven’t delivered? And capitalism has left them behind?” FETTERMAN: “something something China A.I…”🤔 👀

DOJ's watchdogs play an important role because their work is often the only effective tool for making sure the nation's top law enforcement agency follows the law. Prosecutors generally can't be sued. Courts have limited power. And state bars have limited capacity to investigate without DOJ's help.

The Trump administration has sidelined the Justice Department's two internal watchdogs, even as it faced an extraordinary series of findings that it had trampled legal rules. New investigations by the office that oversees legal ethics fell to a two-decade low. www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

"I'm not downplaying a bad flu season, but ... "-- over a million Americans died, but Ron Johnson is still out here arguing that covid wasn't that bad and we didn't need mitigation measures

I never thought I’d see testimonies like this before the U.S. Congress. These are grown men who should know fact from fiction, yet they stand there shamelessly gaslighting the American people & performing for an audience of one. It’s both astonishing & deeply sad to see how far the U.S. has fallen.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

holy shit -- Schiff ties Trump's judicial nominees in knots by asking them who won the 2016 before *before* asking them who won in 2020, which results in them sounding like election deniers about Trump's victories!

I am very pleasantly surprised and reassured by how fast people have turned on AI and data centers Brings a tear to my eye

Damn. Can't wait until you hear about your boss.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

Dr Oz: "When you steal money from the federal government, you ought to go jail and go to jail for a long time"

Were you aware that “goes to Michigan” was reasonable suspicion?

Jason Koebler@jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 2d ago

New: Police in Wisconsin used Flock to create a pretext to search a man's car for weed. Their justification? He drove from Wisconsin to Michigan, a “known source state for marijuana as it is legal there,” and Flock showed he "travels to Michigan frequently." www.404media.co/cops-used-fl...

Hope no one out there needs a kidney or some other organ.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

RFK Jr: "I'm announcing that HHS has begun the decertification of Network for Hope, the organ procurement organization."

These guys are all skilled & clever lawyers. That they can’t get & do their jobs without desultory attempts to assert Donald Trump’s reality over the reality we all share outside his demented brain & narcissistic psyche shows why DOJ loses keeps losing; loser cases for an unhinged client

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

😮 Trump's nominees are the most pathetic men in the world 😮 During a hearing, Blumenthal made Trump nominees squirm by asking them who won the 2020 election -- a question they refuse to answer -- but then Schiff upped the ante by asking them *who won the 2016 election.* Here's a supercut:

The fucking nerve of this woman of all people to play the “WNBA media cover everything except basketball” card WHOSE FUCKING FAULT HAS THAT BEEN LATELY, SOPH?????????

jesse@jesseltaylor.bsky.social · 2d ago

sophie cunningham just wants to go back to doing sports, guys

Didn't even wait 12 hours.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 2d ago

Gross — Mike Rogers 🤥 is already lying about @abdulelsayed.bsky.social, saying he said “🇺🇸 deserved 9/11” (he did not) He also says “I’ve never seen someone so radical and extreme get nominated”😵‍💫 The fearmongering and lies is so laughably predictable and stale

If you were the secretary of transportation, you might also get to go on vacations funded by the corporations you regulate that are supposed to be for a television show that for some reason never airs

What the Hell Happened to Sean Duffy’s Road-Trip TV Show?

Three months after it was announced, the secretary of transportation’s summer show—funded by companies he regulates—hasn’t aired a single episode.

lnk.thebulwark.com

Hearings like this are a reminder that if you work for Donald Trump, you are a person of low character and have no integrity. There are no exceptions.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

😮 Trump's nominees are the most pathetic men in the world 😮 During a hearing, Blumenthal made Trump nominees squirm by asking them who won the 2020 election -- a question they refuse to answer -- but then Schiff upped the ante by asking them *who won the 2016 election.* Here's a supercut:

Here's the Polling USA Senate Model For August 2, 2026 Democrats are at 52 seats (+2) Republicans are at 48 seats (-2)

The “Barack HUSSEIN Obama” people are going to go all in on racism in Michigan.

BOOKER: Let me make this easy. Be a man. Yes or no -- did Joe Biden win the 2020 election? CANDEUB: ... the Congress certifie-- BOOKER: There you go. Stop! Can you please tell me yes or no, did President Biden win the 2020 election? CANDEUB: The Congress certified-- B: You are showing cowardice.

holy shit -- Schiff ties Trump's judicial nominees in knots by asking them who won the 2016 before *before* asking them who won in 2020, which results in them sounding like election deniers about Trump's victories!

SCHIFF: When Trump ran against Hillary Clinton, who won? CANDEUB: Um. Trump was certified as winner S: Did he in fact win? C: He was certified S: Do you have some doubt about if he won? C: I have no doubt he was certified S: When did it become so difficult to answer such a simple question?

Every judge that is receiving a lifetime appointment here is signaling that they are pretty flexible when it comes to defending American democracy donmoynihan.substack.com/p/scenes-fro...

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

BLUMENTHAL: Judge Cronan, you're already on the district court. Who won the 2020 election? CRONAN: Joseph Biden received the majority of electoral votes B: You have nothing to lose. You have a lifetime appointment, and yet you're unwilling to state the simple fact that Biden won the 2020 election

SCHIFF: You told my staff you stood by your article in white nationalist website VDARE where you wrote, 'Muslim immigrants & their kids seem prone to terrorism' C: I wrote that article in support of Trump's travel ban S: Do you stand by it? C: I stand by that article S: That's all I need to know

"i know a guy"

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

Lindell: "I know a guy. I have an advantage over everyone up here. I can call up the president!"

Taking my time to really listen and learn from the very valid concerns of the MAHA movement:

Memento (artemis) Morty 🌙@mementomorty.bsky.social · 2d ago

we should hear MAHA out about this they might be onto something

DURBIN: You wrote an article in which you claimed 'Black inmates are most like to become sexual aggressors.' Why should people of color believe you've changed? CRONAN: I co-authored the article. I haven't re-read it in a long time. DURBIN: Do you believe it? CRONAN: I'm not in a position to opine