Returning to work tomorrow after a glorious week off. Here to celebrate @dirquez.bsky.social’s excellent coverage of the Moda debacle in my absence. Get caught up here:
Portland City Council gets an earful as it contemplates Moda Center deal
Hours of public testimony Wednesday revealed divergent takes on how the city should negotiate with the Trail Blazers.
opb.org
Sen. Wyden: It seems that every time Republicans get their hands on Social Security, life gets worse for older people. Thanks to Trump and the Big Beautiful Bill, the crisis is speeding up. It gave huge tax breaks to billionaires and corporations, and plundered Social Security by $168 billion.
Dying at the right-wing activists that (1) held a call with Todd Blanche in which Blanche made a lot of anti-abortion promises, (2) said "uh this is off the record" like doing so would magically ward off journalists, and then (3) UPLOADED IT TO THEIR YOUTUBE CHANNEL www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
The historic lodge is the second to be placed under evacuation orders as the Grasshopper fire grows. https://mrf.lu/21Gk_
Jon Husted looked this mother in the eye, and promised he wouldn't vote to cut her daughter's health care. One week later, that's exactly what he did.
If you're wondering where the fuck they get these weirdos, "Amanda holds a B.A. in history from Yale and an M.Phil. in international relations from the University of Cambridge." This is the chattering class. This is the ruling elite. This is how their rotted brains work.
Michael Hobbes@michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 10h agoIf I had a terminal illness, my My Make A Wish request would be to sit in on an editorial meeting at this magazine www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...
as noted yesterday, Trump has now come around to treating an Iranian toll system covering the Strait of Hormuz as a given. Hard to overstate the level of strategic failure. US started the war purely as a war of choice and ends up dramatically empowering Iran and given the Iranian govt big wins.
Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 10h agoReuters: Iran wants fees of 5%-7% of the price of cargo from ships using the strait; Oman wants 3%. "Making fees voluntary, at least nominally, could be a way out of the impasse, although an implied threat of Iranian attacks could mean shippers would be unlikely to risk transit without paying."
This deal solidifies the Trump family's immunity from tax audits. Under no circumstances should the American people believe that Trump‘s former personal attorney will stop his schemes to funnel taxpayer dollars to his allies and supporters.
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 2d agoFLAG: Trump gets to keep tax immunity for himself, his sons, and the Trump Organization under the new 'deal' struck by Todd Blanche. The new order also reaffirms that Trump won't have to pay any taxes he might have owed the IRS.
Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.
This NYT article on the once-ethical Paul Weiss law firm's abject surrender to Trump got extolled yesterday. But a friend points out it may have buried the lede: that Karp's Epstein ties presented a blackmail opportunity for Trump long before they went public. 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...
Caitlin Flanagan was a prominent Atlantic staff writer for 25 years. Explain to me again how the Atlantic is a serious-minded, left-center publication.
THINGS ALLOWED TO BE ANXIOUS WHEN THEY HAVE UNEXPRESSED THOUGHTS - infants - cocker spaniels - your buddy Craig who works at 7-11 and is high all the time THINGS NOT ALLOWED TO BE ANXIOUS - people who can launch nuclear weaponry
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3d agoSen. John Kennedy on Trump's blatant reflecting pool lies: "The president says it was caused by vandals. I don't know if he really believes that or it's part of his political messaging or he's just thinking out loud ... he grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought."
you should be in jail, but instead you are describing an incredibly common abuse dynamic where the victim tries to keep the abuser happy to avoid another explosion this guy makes me sick
The Bulwark@thebulwark.com · 3d agoRep. Max Miller: "These are incredibly serious criminal accusations. If these accusations were true, I would be in jail — I would be. My former wife would not have been offering to cook me dinner and inviting me to playgrounds. Think about that."
Now, that's a totally different Ohio Republican than Rep. David Taylor, whom you might remember getting into trouble when a staffer at his office was seen on camera with an American flag in the background that had been altered to include a swastika.
The Trump family said they were “debanked” for political reasons after Jan. 6—and used that to justify going hard into crypto. Turns out Capital One flagged them for money laundering. And then Blanche wrote the memo shielding the Trump family from IRS audits? Hm.
Eliot Higgins@eliothiggins.bsky.social · 4d agoCapital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money-laundering review www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Perfect example of this IRL. Political science says he'd drop out. Gender studies says he runs as an abuser bsky.app/profile/theb...
The Bulwark@thebulwark.com · 3d agoRep. Max Miller: "My former wife has claimed that during a custody exchange at my home that day, I assaulted her…If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?"
This is one deeply reported, beautifully written (or edited) story, and you should find time this Sunday morning to read every word of it. 1/2 Gift link www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...
How a Top Law Firm Went From Standing Up to Trump to Bending the Knee (Gift Article)
Paul Weiss was a progressive stalwart for decades and led the legal resistance against President Trump in his first term. Then it surrendered without a fight. This is the inside story of its transform...
nytimes.com
I think about this guy a lot, and how sometimes the most useful thing you can do is refuse to have conversations that are in bad faith or are otherwise flawed in their premise. m.youtube.com/shorts/g7kym...
Master Debater, "I refuse the question"
YouTube video by Know Your Meme
m.youtube.com
Mark Jacob@markjacob.bsky.social · 4d agoHere's where the show's host should say: "If you don't stop lying, we're going to end this interview."
she does not support abortion rights. that is a flat-out lie being made by The Very Respected Newspaper, and it's something that can easily be debunked by looking at her public voting record.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 4d agoSenator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican who supports abortion rights, endorsed Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court in 2018. That has emerged as a major issue in her first re-election campaign since Roe v. Wade was overturned. nyti.ms/4xatnT9
@kelseybaker.bsky.social is so good with a camera. #RCTID
Beloved Flag Point Lookout, home to a spectacular view of Mount Hood and one of the few places you could stay in a lookout during winter, burned down in the Grasshopper Fire last night. Just a major blow: tinyurl.com/y4hmwfn6
Some ethics institute should commission a study on Doug Burgum. Raised on a farm in North Dakota, started a software firm, sold it for $1 billion, became governor as a relatively moderate GOP politician. Then he threw it all away to parrot lies for a boss who’ll abandon him at the first opportunity
Jonathan Larsen@jonathanlarsen.bsky.social · 4d agoOn July 5, DOI Secretary Doug Burgum told CNN's Dana Bash: "...we have got all the photographs ... I'm not sure why you and others in the media think that you want to keep trying to question ... Think: This is an industrial liner. … literally, it would never just like peel off or fall off."
It really really really bugs me how many people simply do not understand what it means when the government tries to convict you even IF THEY FAIL TO DO IT. Do you know how many thousands of dollars in legal fees it costs? You will most likely lose your job. You might lose your home.
Doug Burgum, welcome to the Under the Bus Club, courtesy of the White House.
Helen Kennedy@helenkennedy.com · 5d agoPirro repeatedly and strenuously blames the Dept of Interior for this debacle, alleging they withheld info that the lining was botched. "Had DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment."
I can't stress enough what a crisis this is. Trump's own intelligence agencies concluded that Iran attacked Minnesota's critical infrastructure and Trump is saying that it's Minnesota's own fault and denying it was Iran. The federal government won't defend blue states in a literal war.
U.S. Sees Iran as Likely Behind Cyberattack on Minnesota Water Systems (Gift Article)
Investigators cautioned that the assessment was preliminary. There were no indications that any water supply had been rendered unsafe to drink.
nytimes.com
Watching Laura Ingraham make faces at Fauci's hearing while listening to Laura Ingraham complain about other people making faces
THIS is why Bernie Moreno has been silent. In March 2024, the AP reported that he used a work email to create a dating profile looking for gay sex. Max Miller has some dirt on him.
Trump-backed Senate candidate faces GOP worries that he could be linked to adult website profile
For Republicans eager to regain the Senate majority this year, Ohio offers a prime opportunity to pick up a critical seat.
apnews.com
remember when the white house tried to claim this was just “doing the weave” and the press was like “oh right just doing the weave” did i dream this
