The same old Susan Collins charade. As soon as a controversial nominee or a bill has enough votes to pass, she announces she will vote no when it doesn’t matter. She never casts a deciding vote against Trump. Now she will claim this shows how she is so “independent.”

Susan Collins is the Queen of the Meaningless Vote.

Charlotte Clymer@charlotteclymer.bsky.social · yesterday

Susan Collins announcing she'll vote against a controversial nominee is basically the moment it becomes clear that nominee will be confirmed. It means Thune has enough votes to confirm, and thus, Collins gets a pass to look independent.

I can't deny drones are the present & future of fighting wars (remote-driven by humans, not AI), BUT, F47's sons own part of a drone company. They're looking to cash in...again...stealing American's tax dollars. apnews.com/article/dron...

New drone maker partly owned by Trump sons hopes to win Pentagon contracts

Among dozens of companies competing for Pentagon contracts to supply attack drones, one stands out: Powerus, flush with cash and ballooning in size as it buys up rivals.

apnews.com

Michael McFaul@mcfaulmike.bsky.social · yesterday

From the (recent) archive: "What the U.S. and the Free World Could Learn from Ukraine on Drone Warfare" This learning and cooperation should have started years ago, but it's better late than never. michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/what-the-u...

Ukraine has cards. The battlefield has changed.

Zelenskyy claims Russia is sharing satellite imagery of U.S. military bases with Iran. Trump's response when asked about this? "I'll ask Putin." That's an embarrassing answer from the president of the United States.

Same, @mcfaulmike.bsky.social, same. It's going to take years, though, for any other country to trust America again.

Michael McFaul@mcfaulmike.bsky.social · 6d ago

I miss the Department of Defense. Our security is best advanced when we deter wars, not when we start them. That’s defense, not offense. Hope we get back to that mindset.

We need more soldiers who know how to pilot drones, not do push-ups. Xbox skills are becoming more important than bench pressing. Study the war in Ukraine to understand why.

Sound familiar?👇 This (Putin) is whom F47 admires & models himself after, along w/Netanyahu. A lot of the world has been taken over by sociopaths in leadership positions who only want to conquer & steal land, minerals, oil & other natural resources, & who care *nothing* about their own people.

Michael McFaul@mcfaulmike.bsky.social · 2d ago

Putin’s brutal war is a vanity project. He doesn’t care about Ukrainians, but he doesn't care about his own citizens either. This war ends when we strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield, tighten sanctions to starve Russia's war machine & force Moscow to negotiate on equal terms.

A reminder: when Zelenskyy offered to share Ukraine’s anti-drone expertise with the US back in March, Trump said he was “the last person we need help from”. Trumps assessment was arrogant and naïve. Ukrainian companies are world leaders in drone production and innovation.

Ex Obama staffer Ben Rhodes calls out AIPAC’s disingenuous effort to make it seem like Obama has endorsed Haley Stevens in Michigan (and Neera Tanden for defending it)

And what did he spend the other 30% of his limited mental capacity on? 1. Cheating at golf. 2. Bilking taxpayers via tariffs. 3. The Iran War. 4. Taking bribes. 5. Using the government to self-deal. 6. Tax breaks for his pals. That's it. He's by far the worst POTUS in history.

Yup. This entire 🧵👇. F47's legacy will be his utter contempt for his country & its people, his lifetime of failures, & his blatant corruption in stealing $billions$ from American taxpayers. Worst POTUS **ever**. All because his parents didn't teach him empathy, & bailed him out of his failures.

Seth Abramson@sethabramson.bsky.social · yesterday

The garbage, utterly f*cked up White House we have because of our garbage, utterly f*cked up president And you're paying for every cent of this nonsensical vanity-project slop White House reporters say Trump spends 70% of his mental energy focusing on this sh*t rather than you

I’m headed to the Senate Floor to ask my colleagues if we can all agree on this one, simple truth: climate change-driven extreme weather events are increasing at the same time that the government is dismantling weather monitoring and alert systems.

A vote to confirm Todd Blanche is a vote against justice for Epstein survivors.

🎉 Happy Birthday, President @barackobama.bsky.social! Wishing you many positive wishes for today & the year ahead, & sending you gratitude for making me feel safe when you were in the WH. Thank you. 🙏🇺🇸☮️

The Obama Foundation@obamafoundation.bsky.social · 2w ago

You never know who you’re going to see at the Obama Presidential Center.

The respect & absolute joy in these girls' faces at seeing & listening to @barackobama.bsky.social warms my heart. I'd be over-the-top thrilled, too! Compassion & kindness matter. Encouragement matters. Recognition matters. 💜

The Obama Foundation@obamafoundation.bsky.social · 5d ago

Still basking in the glow of Chicago’s historic @wnba.com All-Star Game. Check out the moment when President @barackobama.bsky.social surprised a group of young girls participating in the WNBA’s Changemaker Day.

Another win for pro-democracy & the American People! Thank you, @marcelias.bsky.social & team! 🙏🇺🇸💪 Unfortunately, DeSantis turned over voter records to him long ago. 😡

Marc Elias@marcelias.bsky.social · yesterday

DOJ is now 0-20 in cases to obtain state voter files. Here is the list: Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Illinois Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin

Remember he is also allowing roadbuilding in once protected 722,000 acres of Blue Mountains forests where it has largely been banned for two decades. Billions of Trees in Oregon and billions more ancient Trees in Alaska At a time when Trees are needed more than ever www.opb.org/article/2026...

Trump administration to propose tripling logging in Blue Mountains forests

The proposal could bring drastic changes to 5 million acres of forests and grasslands in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.

opb.org

Go Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · yesterday

Nature hater Trump is putting 2,840 acres of Ohio’s only national forest out to bid for fracking He will lay waste to one of Americas most precious forest Where is the uproar -where is the protest ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/07/30/f...

Nature hater Trump is putting 2,840 acres of Ohio’s only national forest out to bid for fracking He will lay waste to one of Americas most precious forest Where is the uproar -where is the protest ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/07/30/f...

Federal government will put 2,840 acres of Ohio’s only national forest out to bid for fracking • Ohio Capital Journal

The Bureau of Land Management announced 41 parcels totaling 2,840 acres in Wayne National Forest will go up for a bid on Sept. 15.

ohiocapitaljournal.com

DOGE cut $700M. “Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, & knows that other states were hit, too,” Walz said. “This is what modern warfare looks like, & it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran...DOGE took an ax to CISA & left the U.S. exposed to cyberattacks,” 👇

Steve Benen@stevebenen.com · 3d ago

After Trump tried to blame Americans for Iranian cyberattacks on U.S. water systems, Democrats pushed back with an underappreciated question: Maybe now’s a good time to turn the spotlight onto Trump’s own record on cybersecurity? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

After Trump tried to blame Americans for Iranian cyberattacks on U.S. water systems, Democrats pushed back with an underappreciated question: Maybe now’s a good time to turn the spotlight onto Trump’s own record on cybersecurity? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

As scope of cyberattacks on U.S. water systems grows, Trump’s record faces new scrutiny

Almost immediately after the president tried to blame Americans, key Democratic officials turned the spotlight on the Republican’s cuts to cybersecurity.

ms.now

ABC has picked it up now. "Capital One says it closed hundreds of Trump's bank accounts in 2021 'for anti-money laundering reasons'"

Capital One says it closed hundreds of Trump's bank accounts in 2021 'for anti-money laundering reasons'

Capital One says it closed hundreds of accounts associated with President Trump and his businesses in 2021 "for anti-money laundering reasons," according to a filing.

abcnews.com

James Talarico tells Rachel Maddow that if Democrats win the Senate seat he is running for, "I think we can build the political will to restore the Voting Rights Act." Watch:

"Politicians like Ken Paxton, they use those difficult issues to rile people up, to divide us, to distract us in order to win power for themselves." -James Talarico on not taking the bait on trans panic.

The best measure of how America is doing isn’t the stock market, or GDP growth. It’s how well most Americans are living — and right now most are struggling.

The Biggest Economic Lies We’re Told | Robert Reich

Robert Reich

youtube.com

Solid article. Therein lies a lesson as old as dirt: never hire someone whose main drive is pure profit, esp. corporate profit. They have no principles & will take over, despite their denial re: seeking leadership. (Appalling, surprise twist on Karp's advising Epstein.)

Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 4d ago

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...

I correct people all the time about this exact thing. The U.S. never had "lockdowns". Thank you, @luckytran.com 🙏

Dr. Lucky Tran@luckytran.com · 3d ago

Please stop saying “lockdowns.” There were never true lockdowns in the US, and it fuels far right narratives to repeat this inaccurate statement. You can say closures, you can say restrictions, or better, you can say public health measures which saved many lives.

Trump says Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Iran convinced him to call off a planned attack on Iran, adding: “I think there’s a deal.” Reminder: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar all have business ties to the Trump family. Nothing about this is normal.

Thank you, both! @muellershewrote.com @katiephang.bsky.social 🙏🇺🇸💪

Allison Gill@muellershewrote.com · 3d ago

NEW: Todd Blanche just admitted in a court filing in the @katiephang.bsky.social lawsuit that the Epstein Files redaction process was flawed. I'll speak to Katie in ONE HOUR about what could come next. Link here: www.muellershewrote.com/p/new-todd-b...

Gee,don't you love it when men say women are too emotional to hold positions of power? RFK Jr goes off the rails! I watched the full 20-min interview because I wanted to see a woman take him down. & Dana Bash?She kept her cool.Well done! 👏👏👏 I'd have rolled my eyes,too. www.cnn.com/2026/08/02/p...

RFK Jr. targets Fauci and pushes medical misinformation in fiery CNN interview | CNN Politics

In attempting to rewrite the history of the US Covid-19 response, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday pinned the blame for pandemic lockdowns on Dr. Anthony Fauci, while simultaneously re...

cnn.com