Rob Fardon
@robfardon.bsky.social
“Everyone says he is crazy – which maybe he is – but the scarier thing about him is that he is stupid. You do not know anyone as stupid as Donald Trump. You just don’t.” --Fran Lebowitz
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/u...
The U.S. Is Burning Through Weapons in Iran. Russia and China Are Taking Note. (Gift Article)
The Iran war has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles, resulting in a significant erosion of firepower. A more drawn-out Iran conflict benefits Moscow and Beijing, some analysts say.
nytimes.com
“Todd Blanche now becomes the symbol of Donald Trump's corruption of the rule of law in America” Retired Judge J Michael Luttig minces no words over what it means that Todd Blanche has been confirmed as attorney general and the danger that poses to the upcoming midterm elections.
This missile shortage. The U.S. will not be able to defend any of it allies for as many years as it takes to scale up production. Drone production, too. And this has to start yesterday because it's only a matter of time before an adversary seizes the moment
Cornyn wants brownie points for integrity for a cynical and performative wisp of symbolic delay before ultimately enabling an AG who, by his own stated standards, is disqualifyingly corrupt.
A handy scoreboard from the indefatigable Marc Elias. On behalf of our Democracy, I'm grateful to him and all his staff
Marc Elias@marcelias.bsky.social · 2d agoDOJ sued 30 states for access to their unreacted voter files. It is 0-21. States where DOJ has lost: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, VA, WI, WV States where we don't yet have decisions: DE, GA, HI, ID, MN, NV, UT, VT, WA
Kevin Hassett on Fox News argues that if you exclude the sectors that lost hundreds of thousands of jobs, "you actually had a number that was about plus 100,000" 🙃
“The bank executives knew Epstein was dirty, and they basically looked the other way.” @wyden.senate.gov tells @crampell.bsky.social his investigation found Epstein’s sex trafficking operation could not have continued for so long without top banking officials ignoring the law.
Dear New Jersey Transit, please tell everyone involved in installing these Antarctic air conditioners in Penn Station that they are absolute lifesavers. Thanks
This DHS Report shows that Timothy Gerber (his name is redacted but initials are there) started lying almost immediately about Georgia Fort and Don Lemon chanting with protestors. DOJ has admitted that's wrong, but it showed up in ~10 sworn affidavits. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Bill Cassidy now has a chance to cement his legacy as the man who cast the deciding vote to confirm Todd Blanche and RFK Jr, or the man who finally stepped up after a career of groveling to people who despise him and go out the door finally doing something right.
This is well reported. It's worth a read if you'd like an intro to some of the methods used to protect the identities of small numbers of minorities. (Guess who wants to weaken these protections?) These are the sorts of machinations that Trump's minions are working across government
Josh Marshall@joshtpm.bsky.social · 2d agoCensus Bureau Officials Field Questions About Politicization and Data Loss After Controversial Rule Change talkingpointsmemo.com/news/census-...
What I can promise you if you subscribe to Democracy Docket: No spam. No selling your emails. No ActBlue. No Substack. We respect your privacy and only send you the newsletters you want. Try it and see: demdock.com/4w6emld
Andy Ogles lost his primary! Good riddance, although one has to wonder what Charlie Hatcher--endorsed by Bill Lee--will be like
A group of Democratic lawmakers have asked the Pentagon's official watchdog to open an investigation after WaPo revealed that 15 companies with investment from Trump's sons have garnered $3.2 billion in federal contracts, investments, and loans — most coming after Trump took office the second time.
Lawmakers call for Pentagon probe of Trump family-backed companies
The letter to the Pentagon’s inspector general was prompted by reporting from The Post that startups affiliated with the president’s sons have won $3.2 billion in defense contracts.
washingtonpost.com
One noncitizen who was registered to vote in error in NJ is now facing a cascade of consequences from the state’s screw up: >Green card denied >Lost work authorization >Now, federal immigration officials have initiated removal proceedings. “Deportation court,” his lawyer told me.
Voter-Registration Error Could Cost Immigrants a Shot at a Green Card (Gift Article)
New Jersey improperly added as many as 6,600 noncitizens to its voter rolls. Those people could now be forced out of the country.
nytimes.com
A grown judge wrote this
Quinn Yeargain@yeargain.bsky.social · 3d agoThis 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...
McConnell has been discharged and will continue his recovery at home abc7ny.com/story/republ...
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell discharged from rehab facility
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell was discharged Thursday from the rehabilitation center and will continue his recovery at home.
abc7ny.com
Number of times I have asked "is that even legal?" since arriving in the U.S. (I know, I know. It's not enough.)
As Vanderbilt announces new rules barring "political" speech by faculty, it's helpful to realize that Chancelor Daniel Diermeier was a "Founding Fellow" of Peter Thiel's secret Dialog society. Diermeier's been marinating in tech fascism since 2020. He's a corporal in the authoritarian project. 1/
Erin J. Wamsley 🧠📈😴@wamsleylab.bsky.social · 3d ago🚨🚨🚨 ALERT: Vanderbilt's board just launched a horrifying assault on academic freedom that threatens the legitimacy of their university. 1/x #AAUP #academicsky #edusky
🚨BREAKING: Federal Court REJECTS Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to compel Washington, D.C. to provide the DOJ with access to its complete voter registration database. DOJ is now 0-21 in these cases. Elias Law Group remains undefeated. www.democracydocket.com/cases/washin...
🚨 United States of America v. Evans
Learn more.
democracydocket.com
You have to spend extended physical time in DC to appreciate gross misuse of public dollars wasted to deploy NG
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2... I need a new "shocked face" GIF
Elon Musk’s DOGE made big errors in claims of government savings, GAO finds
The government watchdog found that billions of dollars in DOGE’s public tally could not be verified and that some claimed cuts never happened.
washingtonpost.com
Captivating interview on the Brian Lehrer show with Jill Wine-Banks about Watergate and the contrast with today. Will absolutely listen to this in full again later @jillwine-banks.bsky.social
