Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Fight them, without becoming them!

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Stay strong, because they are weak.

People are weird.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Keep the Immigrants and deport the fascists!

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

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Open Thread: Our Current FBI, An Insult to Honest Goat Rodeos

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This article gives the impression that local authorities and the FBI have essentially no leads at all in the shooting of Charlie Kirk. I'm curious how much of this has to do with the post-purge state of the FBI and its previous focus on domestic extremist activity. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/u…

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— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) September 12, 2025 at 12:01 AM

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Note the date:

Absolute Christmas for actual gangs, terrorists, spies, crime syndicates, child predators and…most crucially…white collar criminals.

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— Zeddy (@zeddary.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 4:33 PM

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Donald Trump is diverting law enforcement from going after human traffickers, child predators, and terrorists. He's the most pro-predator president in history.

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— Senator Ron Wyden (@wyden.senate.gov) September 10, 2025 at 12:43 PM

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Current status:

Time to bring in the experts.

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— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 3:42 PM

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War for Ukraine Day 1,295: You Probe with Bayonets – if You Find Mush, You Push.

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Another very busy day, so I’m just going to run through the basics.

Ahem:

“The United States is lifting sanctions on the Belarusian airline Belavia.” – U.S. Special Representative John Cole announced during his visit to Minsk.

According to him, U.S. President made this decision after a phone call with Lukashenko.
The U.S. also plans to reopen its embassy in Minsk.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 10:59 AM

One day after a swarm of drones violated NATO airspace in Poland, with some entering from Belarus and crashing into a civilian building and the territory of a military base, the U.S. lifted sanctions on Belarus’s flag carrier airline “Belavia”.

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 8:05 AM

Trump gave Lukashenko cufflinks featuring an image of the White House.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 10:52 AM

Trump continues to give Russia break after break and benefit of the doubt. This will encourage Russia to further escalate, knowing the US won’t step up and respond. “I’m not happy about anything having to do with that whole situation. But hopefully it’s going to come to an end.”

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— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.ft.com) September 11, 2025 at 5:50 PM

A black and white picture of the Three Stooges. They are wearing hats, seated at a table, and all 3 are face palming themselves so that you cannot see their faces. The caption says: Triple Face Palm Because Even the Three Stooges Can See That You Fail.

President Zelenskyy did not make an address today. Rather, he held a joint presser with Alexander Stubb, the President of Finland.

Here was President Zelenskyy’s assessment of the Russian attack on Poland:

One possible reason for Russia’s drone attack on Poland last night may have been its desire to influence our partners so that they would not provide Ukraine with air defense systems ahead of winter. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this during a joint press conference with President of Finland Alexander Stubb in Kyiv.

The Head of State also emphasized that with this attack, Russia sought to test both the political reaction of the North Atlantic Alliance and its physical ability to repel such strikes.

“In my view, the most terrible thing is that this attack is psychologically similar to Crimea. And what is the difference? Right now, it is technological warfare. Today, there is no need for so-called ‘little green men’ who simply entered your territory. Today it is a different war. In Poland, that same role was carried out by Russian-made drones,” the President noted.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine has already offered Poland its assistance, training, and the experience gained in defending against Russian aggression. According to the President, Patriot and SAMP/T systems cannot help in combating ‘shaheds,’ since these are expensive weapons designed to intercept ballistic missiles: a single Patriot missile costs about $2–3 million, while a strike drone costs about $100,000.

The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine has unique experience in building multi-system defense and is ready to share it with its partners.

“The Air Force is engaged when necessary, and so are mobile fire groups, interceptor drones, and various types of weaponry, including helicopters and aircraft. In other words, only with a multi-system setup is it possible to counter a massive drone attack,” the President explained.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy underscored that it is now important to focus on creating a reliable, comprehensive, and effective defense system for Europe.

It’s a good time to remember how the russian propaganda machine operates, especially in light of the russian drone attack on Poland, and confusing conspiracies that surround it already.

Rather than presenting a believable alternative version of events,

1/3👇

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM

it floods tv and social media timelines with numerous baseless and easily debunked narratives.

The ultimate goal isn’t to persuade people to believe their version, but instead, it aims to bury the actual facts under a deluge of falsehoods.

2/3

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM

By sowing confusion, they prevent meaningful discussion and encourage people to dismiss the issue as too complex to unravel.

The russian propaganda machine isn’t aims to convince, but to confuse.

3/3🔚

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) September 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM

Here is the video of his joint presser with President Stubb. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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Open Thread: Charlie Kirk’s Impact

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Don't be surprised if whoever killed Charlie Kirk has no coherent political ideology, didn't do it for any particular reason, and doesn’t fall anywhere neat on the left/right paradigm.

— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM

Tom Scocca, at Indignity, on “The rational outcome”:

… The last thing Charlie Kirk tweeted before he died was a video denouncing—that is, celebrating as useful—the fatal knifing of a blonde woman, a Ukrainian refugee, by a Black man on public transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina. The world that made Charlie Kirk and that Charlie Kirk helped make, from Charlie Kirk’s president on down, has been enthralled by watching the blonde woman die on video at the hands of the Black man, an exhilarating and exploitable death, a death for which they can demand more death. Even if the man who did the stabbing said he did it because “she was reading his mind“; even if the president might have deported the victim to a war zone if she’d lived…

This country seems inflammable right now, in large part because there is a well-funded industry dedicated to keeping it inflamed. Charlie Kirk was one of the mostly interchangeable products of that industry: taller than Ben Shapiro, less dysfunctionally flamboyant than James O’Keefe, more comfortable as a performer than Chris Rufo. Most normal healthy citizens had no idea who he was. Maybe, even so, his killing really will bring on a new and terrible crisis. Maybe nobody really cares, and it’s one more thing to shout about. Maybe both of those things will turn out to be true at once.

I have serious doubts as to whether, after all of its politically-motivated firings, the FBI has the capacity and expertise to actually investigate Kirk’s murder. The lawsuit filed today against Patel and the Bureau describes a complete clown show that leaves all of us less safe

— Asha Rangappa (@asharangappa.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 8:25 PM

Because we have people who subscribe to conspiracy theories running our government, it is highly likely that confirmation bias, rather than actual facts, are going to drive this investigation. Which means wasted time, wasted resources, and less justice. But I guess that’s what America voted for

— Asha Rangappa (@asharangappa.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 8:45 PM


 
But, for right-wing courtiers of the current Oval Office court, Kirk was a shining star. From the Atlantic, “The Funereal White House” [gift link]:

…Kirk was close friends with Vice President J. D. Vance and with Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., regularly texting on small-group threads with them and a coterie of young male aides and allies. He was a frequent and welcome presence at the White House and at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club. And his conservative youth organization, Turning Point USA, helped elect Trump in 2024.

By early this evening—after the visceral, gutting visuals of Kirk, 31, being shot in the neck during an event on a Utah college campus, followed by the sudden, jarring news that he had died—the mood at the White House was, unsurprisingly, funereal. In the West Wing, young aides, some red-eyed, others grim-faced, watched the TVs, all of which were sharing images of their friend and news of his death…

Kirk was one of the most influential unelected people in America. He was not just a friend of the president’s family and a confidant to multiple Cabinet officials, but also an authority for millions of young people who flocked to his events and tuned in to his podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show. For Trump supporters, he was a crucial interpreter not just of politics but also of faith and family, a William F. Buckley Jr. updated for MAGA world.

Tapped as a teenager by Republican megadonors eager to create a unified conservative youth movement, Kirk delivered spectacularly on their investment. Turning Point USA remade MAGA for a younger generation, piercing the party’s stuffy image and taking over online turf once claimed by Democrats. Kirk was a tireless Trump evangelist, credited in MAGA circles for helping steer young voters—particularly white men—to the president. Trump regularly appeared at Kirk’s conferences, including one in Arizona just after his 2024 victory.

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Open Thread: Speaking of Right-Wing ‘Martyrs’…

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ALERT: Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego seeks to block Ashli Babbitt from military funeral honors
www.cbsnews.com/news/democra…

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— Scott MacFarlane (@macfarlanenews.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 6:34 PM

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Sen. Ruben Gallego: "Ashli Babbitt was a traitor. She was a traitor to this country. She was part of a violent mob that tried to overthrow our democracy…She didn't die protecting our country. She died trying to turn it down…She wasn't a martyr. She was and is a traitor."

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— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) September 10, 2025 at 2:27 PM

Sen. Ruben Gallego: "Today we had a chance to stand with the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country in uniform. Ashli Babbitt is not that. She is a traitor. She will be a traitor. She died a traitor."

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— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) September 10, 2025 at 2:29 PM

Former Marine Gallego’s brave move got largely overlooked yesterday, for some reason. Per the Military Times, “Senate Democrat Tries to Formally Condemn Funeral Honors for Ashli Babbitt”:

Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic effort to put the upper chamber on record opposing the Trump administration’s decision to grant military funeral honors to Air Force veteran and Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., went to the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon to request what’s known as “unanimous consent” to pass a resolution that would have stated the Senate believes Babbitt is not eligible for military funeral honors.

But Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., objected to Gallego’s request, thereby blocking the resolution from passing.

“Ashli Babbit was a traitor,” Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran, said on the Senate floor. “She didn’t die protecting our country. She died trying to tear it down.

“Military honors are sacred,” he continued. “They are reserved for the men and women who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution and the rule of law, and actually live up to it. To give them to Babbitt would be a spit in the face to all of them and to every veteran who died defending this country.”…

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‘If this was your reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death’

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Yesterday evening, debit linked to this outstanding 7-minute YouTube video by Angela at the Parkrose Permaculture account.

Really smart, interesting, nuanced take.  I’ll be keeping an eye on what she has to say going forward.

A very nice change from a lot of the hysteria you see on social media.

Watch the video, please, and share your thoughts.

‘If this was your reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death’Post + Comments (198)

Thursday Odds & Ends

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From the Associated Press:

UK fires ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson over his links to Jeffrey Epstein

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday fired the country’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said the decision came in the wake of the publication this week of emails Mandelson sent to Epstein in the 2000s, in which he gave his support to the disgraced financier even when he was facing jail for sex offenses.

Doughty said the emails showed that the “depth and extent” of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different” from what was known when he was appointed ambassador to Washington last year in the wake of the Labour Party’s election victory.

Meanwhile, Epstein’s best friend still gets to be president.

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The cops are still trying to find the person who shot Horst Wessel. (AP)

Authorities in Utah are working to identify the shooter, who jumped off a roof and fled after firing the fatal shot. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle was recovered from area where the suspected Kirk shooter fled, the FBI said. Kirk’s killer “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with the college population on the Utah campus where Kirk had drawn a crowd of thousands, an official said.

Meanwhile, Trump recorded a four-minute Oval Office address yesterday. He called Kirk a “martyr,” condemned “radical leftists,” and decried other incidents of alleged political violence, including the wounding of GOP Rep Steve Scalise, the murder of a health insurance CEO in NYC and that time Trump’s own precious ear was winged in an assassination attempt in PA.

He didn’t say a word about the assassinations in Minnesota earlier this year, let alone the January 6th attack carried out by his own supporters. Those incidents aren’t helpful to him politically.

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Prices are rising even as the job market softens: (AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation rose last month as the price of gas, groceries, and airfares jumped, while a measure of layoffs also increased, putting the Federal Reserve in a tough spot as it prepares to cut rates at its meeting next week despite persistent price pressures.

Consumer prices increased 2.9% in August from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up from 2.7% the previous month and the biggest increase since January. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 3.1%, the same as in July. Both figures are above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target…

Hiring has slowed sharply in recent months and was lower than previously estimated last year. The unemployment rate ticked up in August to a still-low 4.3%. And weekly unemployment claims rose sharply last week, the government also reported Thursday, a sign layoffs may be picking up.

Authoritarians who come to power via democratic means usually manage to deliver a tangible benefit to people so they can maintain a baseline of popular support before they choke out democracy. Our would-be authoritarian isn’t that competent.

What Steve said:

Radio Rwanda.

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— Steve M. (@stevemnomoremister.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 7:22 PM

This is all sucks, so here’s a puffin:

Atlantic Puffin with a full beak of sand eels heading on to Skomer Island ~ Pembrokeshire ~ West Wales back in June this year😍🦉 #birdingwales #ukbirding #birds #naturephotography #ukwildlife #photography #naturetherapy #birdphotography #seabirds @bbcspringwatch.bsky.social
@rspbcymru.bsky.social

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— Fraggs Photography 📸🦊🦉🦋🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@fraggenstein.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 8:26 AM

Open thread.

Thursday Odds & EndsPost + Comments (183)