There'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.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 6d ago

The situation in Haiti is terrifying. On Sunday, 150 gunmen swept down on a town to kill, rape, loot, and burn. 22 people were executed in a churchyard. 52 were taken hostage. Stephen Miller mockingly says Haiti is safe and ICE just sent its second deportation flight this month; with kids on board.

"Gibney’s basic take on Musk is that he’s a confidence man whose power comes only from the stock market and disappears the minute we see through the facade of sales pitches"

Elon 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 may also be the most dangerous.

hollywoodreporter.com

18 AMERICANS ARE DEAD. Imagine being this detached from reality…. "I think the way the president is playing Iran, right? There's not, there haven't been American deaths.” ~ Secretary Howard Lutnick

Nepal is seeking $5 billion in aid from the UN’s climate-disaster recovery fund after devastating floods. The fund, established in 2023, has received $820 million in pledges but faces a significant financing gap because wealthy nations, including the US, haven't been willing to contribute.

Nepal Puts Cost of Disaster at $5 Billion, Blaming Climate Change (Gift Article)

The country is seeking urgent help from a special U.N. climate fund, but the program lacks money because the United States and others have been reluctant to contribute.

nytimes.com

This change grants Commerce political appointees veto power over data and research releases by scientists and statisticians at NOAA, NIST, Census, and BEA.

Hansi Lo Wang (he/him)@hansilowang.bsky.social · 3d ago

SCOOP: After the Census Bureau issued a highly unusual report tied to a President Trump-aligned think tank, the bureau’s parent agency, the Commerce Department, cut language banning political interference from its scientific integrity policy, @npr.org has learned www.npr.org/2026/08/31/n...

This is no coincidence. This is a multi-part plan by the GOP to make it harder for you to vote and easier for them to cheat. Please read and share. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Republicans, Trump DOJ press Supreme Court to weaken federal protection against last-minute voter purges

If the Supreme Court accepts their reading, states could have substantially more freedom to run systematic purge program in the final weeks before federal elections — precisely when an erroneous match...

democracydocket.com

It's like a parody, but it's deadly serious; the Commerce Department (which includes Census, NOAA, and others) has outright deleted "don't alter or suppress scientific findings for political reasons" from its scientific integrity rules. Seriously.

Hansi Lo Wang (he/him)@hansilowang.bsky.social · 3d ago

SCOOP: After the Census Bureau issued a highly unusual report tied to a President Trump-aligned think tank, the bureau’s parent agency, the Commerce Department, cut language banning political interference from its scientific integrity policy, @npr.org has learned www.npr.org/2026/08/31/n...

Medicare for All is the guarantee of healthcare from cradle to grave—without premiums, copays, or deductibles. That’s it. Pass it.

My advice to every Dem politico is to immediately remove "I agree with Trump" and any other variations of that phrase from your communications with the public.

Sen. Adam Schiff@schiff.senate.gov · 3d ago

I am in strong agreement with the President. Congress should immediately take up and pass a federal film tax incentive to bring back these good-paying jobs that we've lost to other countries.

Hegseth has taken out more American generals than Iranian ones.

one of the craziest things about American politics is that Republican media figures and politicians are constantly threatening to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale unless they are allowed to win and it literally never makes the news

Rest easy to the great Wendell Berry. He challenged us to think differently about living a fast, technologically complex life. He probably wouldn’t have loved me posting this on social media. Time for me to touch grass. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/u...

Wendell Berry, Writer Who Extolled America’s Agrarian Past, Dies at 92

A Kentucky farmer, he railed against agribusiness and championed small family farms and the environment, winning widespread acclaim.

nytimes.com

“Trump was surprised when Driscoll told him how many generals and other top officers had been fired, pushed out, or passed over for promotion under Hegseth, one of the people said.” Commander in chief on top of things it seems.

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 3d ago

Exclusive: Prior to his resignation, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll took his concerns about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership directly to President Trump, Nancy A. Youssef, Missy Ryan, and Michael Scherer report:

A 76-year-old green card holder with stage 4 cancer was arrested at his citizenship application interview and has been held by ICE for two months. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Your ever-regular reminder that Republicans in Congress fully support what Hegseth and the president are doing to the American military. It’s disgraceful and disqualifying

Daniel Drezner@dandrezner.bsky.social · 3d ago

“Hegseth, more than ever, now owns every aspect of the Pentagon’s dysfunction.” www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

For those keeping score at home, the United States is now without an Army Secretary, Army Deputy Secretary, and Senate-confirmed Army Chief of Staff -- all in the midst of an ongoing War with Iran that everyone in D.C. has quietly conceded Trump already lost.

Reup: Whiskey Pete Hegseth responded to being told that we're too overstretched to remain in the Persian Gulf by 1) fighting culture wars 2) trolling and 3) floating a bid for President. emptywheel.net/2026/08/31/t...

Three Days after Learning He Had Lost the Empire, Whiskey Pete Hegseth Campaigned To Be President - emptywheel

In response to being warned that the military is dangerously overstretched, Whiskey Pete Hegseth has offered little but trolling and culture wars.

emptywheel.net

It really bothers when people dismiss victims of bigotry and discrimination standing up for their rights as being 'culture wars', much 'identity politics'. Civil rights, and the ability to live your life free of harassment and bigotry is a material, serious political subject.

Lee Hurley@hleehurley.com · 3d ago

Normalise saying 'fascist propaganda' instead of 'culture wars'

I've confirmed Walgreens will let people self-attest that they qualify for an updated Covid shot—meaning they won't require proof of a high-risk condition—in all states EXCEPT AZ/OR/UT, where prescription is required for now. (Rx requirement in those states could change) Pls see next post in thread

F.D.A. Approves New Covid Vaccines, and They Should Be Available Soon (Gift Article)

The shots have been approved for people 65 and older, and for younger people with underlying conditions. Others may be able to get them off label.

nytimes.com

All the money in the world can’t make up for the crippling loss of leadership caused by Hegseth’s purges. Trump and Hegseth may be buying more hardware, but they are endangering the apolitical professionalism—the operating system--that made the U.S. military the envy of the world. wapo.st/4gFl3Ey

Opinion | Hegseth’s purges are endangering national security

The Iran quagmire wouldn’t have happened under Trump’s first-term military leaders.

wapo.st

NEW FROM ME: On a hellish third-country removal flight last month, passengers say ICE-contracted guards got drunk, teased and beat them, tied them up, refused to let them use the lavatory. One says he witnessed an ICE agent admit to illegal chain refoulement. prospect.org/2026/08/31/w...

‘What America Did to Me Is Wrong’: Inside One of the Largest Third-Country Removal Flights So Far - The American Prospect

On July 31, an estimated 71 detainees were expelled to various countries on a hellish flight to Africa. Many were then illegally returned to their home countries.

prospect.org

Trump's executive order directing federal actors to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America isn't just stupid and petty. It's also illegal. In my new column for @justiaverdict.bsky.social, I explain how NYS and affected businesses could successfully sue under the APA to block the change 👇

Renaming Lake Ontario is Not Just Stupid and Petty. It is also Illegal.

Cornell Law professor Michael C. Dorf discusses President Trump’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” explaining its political symbolism, historical ignorance, and legal limits. Pro...

verdict.justia.com

Wow: the federal government is paying MAGA influencers on X and other social media to post pro-regime propaganda. Actual paid crisis actors. Incredible reporting here. wapo.st/4x0p3pf

I think it's worth pointing out that Olivia Rodrigo is 23, has a fan base that in part skews as young as middle school and she has been vocal and consistent in her support of abortion access.

Molly Knight@mollyknight.bsky.social · 4d ago

Just let women run everything. The other way isn’t working. Let’s give the matriarchy a shot. www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-ne...

to keep functioning a society must discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities

Parker Molloy@parkermolloy.com · 4d ago

This is should be a big scandal that he and his supporters get absolutely hounded over. But I'm guessing that this week will still be like... 90% Hasan Piker nonsense vs. 10% substance in the Michigan senate race www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

this is, by the way, expressly a decision of the policy team and not automated, as you may have been told

Thomas Seal@twseal.bsky.social · 4d ago

Google updates maps to display Lake Ontario as Lake America in US, Canadian Press reports

I can no longer in good faith recommend anyone to study in the US, or stay stateside for work and further education after completing degree programs they had started during the Biden era. US higher ed is unrecognizable even compared to a year ago when ICE was kidnapping students from their homes

Alex Ip 葉清霖@alexip718.com · 6d ago

Jesus Christ: UC Berkeley international students will no longer be allowed to complete internships or co-ops for course credit unless they form an “integral part of an established curriculum,” following repeated threats from ICE. This is going to send shockwaves across SF and Silicon Valley

This is a new nationwide rule. It effectively bans international students from being able to do an internship unless specifically required for the major. Absolutely devastating.

Alex Ip 葉清霖@alexip718.com · 6d ago

Jesus Christ: UC Berkeley international students will no longer be allowed to complete internships or co-ops for course credit unless they form an “integral part of an established curriculum,” following repeated threats from ICE. This is going to send shockwaves across SF and Silicon Valley

In the past week, reporters learned Pete Hegseth: - blocked more minority promotions - cut DOD's civilian protections against unanimous advice of commanders - was told by his brass that Iran ops are unsustainable - secretly hired far-right milbloggers - is exploring a 2028 presidential run

We’re headed into another one of those weeks with an awful lot going on. I understand the temptation to tune out, but unfortunately, we’re at a point where what this administration is doing is too important for us to turn away. joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-a...

The Week Ahead

August 30, 2026

joycevance.substack.com