Matthew Budman, book guy
@matthewbudman.bsky.social
News junkie, editor, faculty spouse, author of “Book Collecting Now.”
Fourteen, sure, but four of these are among the worst-written novels I've ever picked up, and I would *never* categorize another several as "thrillers."
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 7h agoWhat are the best thrillers published since 2000? We sent ballots to hundreds of writers of every kind of crime fiction, as well as librarians, editors, critics and more to decide. Explore the full list. nyti.ms/3TBby1f
El-Sayed: "My commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters. Because if there is one question of political philosophy that ought to animate us all, it's what would we do if we treated all our kids like they were all of our kids?"
Fourteen, sure, but four of these are among the worst-written novels I've ever picked up, and I would *never* categorize another several as "thrillers."
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 7h agoWhat are the best thrillers published since 2000? We sent ballots to hundreds of writers of every kind of crime fiction, as well as librarians, editors, critics and more to decide. Explore the full list. nyti.ms/3TBby1f
“There are few signs that Mr. Trump’s months of dealing with Iran’s regime have given him a clearer understanding of it.” Trump routinely insists that whatever the subject, he already knows more than anyone. He is incapable of learning from experience or anything else.
Brian Finucane@bcfinucane.bsky.social · yesterdayForeign leaders can be so difficult when you kill their families and launch surprise attacks on their countries. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/u...
A definitive tick-tock feature, with four WaPo bylines, about what @rephuffman.bsky.social calls “pretty close to a textbook definition of kakistocracy.” Everyone at the White House offers no-comments. We're days away from Trump complaining that the press is still talking about the Reflecting Pool.
Dan Diamond@ddiamond.bsky.social · 2d agoTrump vowed his Reflecting Pool changes would last 50 years. They lasted a few days. Our deep dive into a saga that has embarrassed the administration, ensnared passerby and threatened Jeanine Pirro's job. More with @jakespring.bsky.social @megkelly.bsky.social and more.
A deeply reported and beautifully written account of how Whiskey Pete and the Trump administration are warping bureaucratic rules to punish good soldiers simply for their identities, for the benefit of absolutely no one.
Greg Jaffe@gregjaffe.bsky.social · 2d ago"The Pentagon has treated the trans separation board hearings with levels of security and silence usually reserved for state secrets... In some cases, service members’ spouses and even the service members themselves are kept out." w/ Dave Philipps www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
If I were still on Facebook, I would TOTALLY post this
“The story behind Mr. Trump’s personal intervention in Coast Guard ships provides new insights into how his administration has cut corners and flouted rules in pursuit of projects that suit the president’s desires, regardless of whether they fit any broader strategic rationale.”
Trump’s Fixation on Arctic Ships Led to Billions in No-Bid Contracts
The president decided to buy 11 polar icebreakers after a game of golf with Finland’s president. Experts say it’s far from clear the United States needs so many.
nytimes.com
Just thinking how funny it is that Trump's Cabinet officials had to go on TV and push this line of BS knowing that it would almost certainly come back to blow up in their face.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last mo.BASH: But it peeled off. Why did that happen? BURGUM: It didn't peel off. There was vandalism. There was box cutters. There have been 7 arrests. BASH: There are photographs of people cutting a 350 foot gash in the reflecting pool? BURGUM: Dana, I'm not sure why you keep questioning it
I mean, the DoJ was *always* going to drop this case—it was a question of how much embarrassment Jeanine Pirro would inflict upon herself first
Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool case, blaming damage on ‘botched’ installation
The Justice Department said “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”
nbcnews.com
Once again I'll reiterate that the way AIPAC has been transformed into this creeping villain behind every unwanted election result is feeding a resurgence of antisemitism, and that goes triple if the winner is Jewish and was opposed by AIPAC. Please please think about your words here!
Republicans and Dr. Fauci still disagree on covid origins.
Startling to see this story. Several tracks from Linda Perhacs' 1970 album PARALLELOGRAMS have been in heavy rotation in our lives for a quarter century.
Linda Perhacs, Experimental Folk Singer, Is Reported Missing (Gift Article)
Friends of the influential psychedelic folk songwriter said they had been unable to reach her since her discharge from a care facility eight months ago.
nytimes.com
For Monday's newsletter, I wrote about Trump's "joke" that he will run in 2028.
No way would Marco Rubio allow foreign visitors into the United States on an explicit mission to undermine the Trump administration, so I hope these MAGA operatives aren’t too disappointed at being denied the chance to do the same in Brazil.
Brazil denies visas to U.S. officials who aimed to impugn electoral system
The U.S. delegation had planned to visit the Brazilian capital and cast doubt on the integrity of the voting system before a presidential election this fall, officials said.
washingtonpost.com
“In a rambling hour-long speech, Trump insulted journalists by name, repurposed old nicknames for political opponents, made a strange number of fat jokes that weren’t funny at all, and sounded mad at his unnamed writers for giving him weak material to work with.” Oof.
Brian Stelter@brianstelter.bsky.social · 2w agoSome of Trump's remarks were "vicious," as press secretary Karoline Leavitt promised. But more than anything, his speech was just… boring. And boring is one thing Trump never, ever wants to be. My analysis for CNN: www.cnn.com/2026/07/25/m...
NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
"We changed the terms of the Deal." Least trustworthy negotiator EVER
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoTrump: “Canada disinvited the US to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is fine, considering they are paying substantial TARIFFS, but the original Deal on the Bridge, which was terribly negotiated by a previous Administration, no longer stands. We changed terms so that the US now gets 50%”
At least a 50% chance that Trump thinks he can sell the Saudis the “nuclear dust” he plans to take from Iran
U.S. signs nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that gives it path to enriching fuel
The agreement with a kingdom signaling it wants a nuclear weapon has sparked alarm among nonproliferation experts. Congress has 90 days to act on the deal.
washingtonpost.com
Walter White: You're Goddamn Right
ALT: Walter White: You're Goddamn Right
static.klipy.com
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoTrump: "The Democrats are gonna terminate the filibuster as soon as they have a chance and then they're gonna approve DC and Puerto Rico as states. They get 4 more senators, 12 more congressmen, like 40 electoral votes ... you don't want to see me cry."
I can testify that looking up '90s concerts and inputting them in Encore is as pleasurable a timesuck as doing films on Letterboxd and books on Goodreads was!
adam offitzer@aoffitzer.bsky.social · 3w agohere we go: just launched Encore, the "letterboxd/goodreads/beli for concerts" platform i've been building. log all your shows, share your photos + videos, follow friends + tastemakers, and relive your favorite moments. it's invite-only for now — sign up here: encoreconcerts.fm
SCOOP: After pardoning hundreds of allies over the course of his 1st 18 months back in the White House, Trump this month quietly rejected clemency applications from nearly 6,000 people who mostly lacked connections & had been waiting in a queue at the Justice Department.
Trump Rejected Nearly 6,000 Clemency Applications Amid Hope of Pardon Wave (Gift Article)
Expectations were raised for a raft of pardons in connection with the country’s 250th birthday but the president granted fewer than 20 on July 3.
nytimes.com
So the overt war against Iran has failed and we’re on to plan B
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoKUDLOW: Why shouldn't we have a covert war against Iran the way Reagan conducted a covert war against Soviet communism? RON JOHNSON: I think we should
Haha. Have fun handing out that trophy.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4w agoTrump: "Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way. I'd like to cut it off. Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. Cut off all trade with Spain, please. Including visits. We don't want anything to do. They're hopeless. Bad people."
"Someone has to win this thing!" If you say so, man
I don't think we should mince words. Transphobia and hatred killed May Pollard. The Idaho legislature killed her as surely as if they'd pointed a gun at her head and pulled the trigger. Anti-trans laws were the gun. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Idaho pushed anti-trans laws for years. Then a teen died.
The life and death of May Pollard, 16, provides a window into the tragic effect that legislation and political rhetoric have had on trans people in America.
nbcnews.com
In other pop-culture news, Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS premiered forty-five years ago tonight, in the U.K. My favorite film of 1981.
In unrelated #BookSky news, @aaknopf.bsky.social published Roald Dahl's delightfully wicked JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH sixty-five years ago today. "A Children's Story" . . . or is it?
