Speaking of caring about things other than yourself, who else has been feeding monarchs, inadvertently or not?
Totally open thread
Someone Has Been Eating My Parsley, and It Isn’t Me Open ThreadPost + Comments (100)
Raise Your Hand If You’re Surprised (Bueller? Bueller?)
Trump supporters report higher levels of psychopathy, manipulativeness, callousness, and narcissism
Raise your hand if you’re surprised about that.
Anyone?
shocking
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) August 29, 2025 at 5:25 PM
h/t to the jackal who posted this tweet in a thread yesterday. I left it open in a tab to read today, so I have no idea who first linked to it. If that was you, speak up! prostratedragon
A new psychological study has found that people who report favorable views of Donald Trump also tend to score higher on measures of callousness, manipulation, and other malevolent traits—and lower on empathy and compassion. The findings, based on two large surveys of U.S. adults, shed light on how personality traits relate to political beliefs, including support for Trump and conservative ideology. The research was recently published in the Journal of Research in Personality.
Malevolent personality traits—sometimes called “dark” traits—include tendencies such as manipulativeness, callousness, narcissism, and a lack of empathy. These traits are often captured by concepts like psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism, which together reflect a general disposition toward exploiting or disregarding others for personal gain.
People with stronger malevolent traits may be more comfortable with aggression, dominance, or cruelty and less likely to value fairness or kindness. These tendencies are associated with lower levels of affective empathy (concern for others’ suffering) and, in some cases, higher levels of dissonant empathy (enjoyment of others’ pain). In contrast, benevolent traits reflect the opposite—a disposition marked by compassion, humanism, and a belief in treating others with dignity and respect.
The researchers conducted the study to better understand the psychological traits that underlie political ideology, particularly support for Donald Trump and conservative beliefs. Prior work had already linked conservative ideology with right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance, but the researchers hypothesized that malevolent personality traits might also play a role—especially given Trump’s rhetoric and behavior, which often display dominance, callousness, and disregard for social norms.
They were especially interested in whether support for Trump was associated with higher malevolent traits and lower empathy, and whether benevolent traits might predict a more liberal or non-authoritarian outlook. The study aimed to clarify how these personality dispositions relate to political beliefs and what this might reveal about the deeper psychological dimensions of ideology.
“This paper was several years in the making, starting as a result of the 2016 election, and was designed to address why some people might view favorably a political figure with a history of business failures, bankruptcies, misogynistic statements caught on video, use of charity money for a self-portrait, etc,” explained study author Craig Neumann, a Regents Professor of Psychology at the University of North Texas.
Click the link for more details about how the study was conducted.
Participants in both samples completed a range of validated questionnaires measuring political attitudes, personality traits, and empathy. Political ideology was assessed through questions about general political orientation, preferences for military versus social spending, support for gun control, and evaluations of Trump’s first term as president. The researchers used structural equation modeling, a statistical technique that allows for the testing of relationships between multiple variables at once, while accounting for measurement errors.
In the first sample of men, all three predictors — social dominance, authoritarianism, and psychopathic tendencies — predicted conservative ideology and favorable views of Trump, but only for white participants. Among men of minority status, psychopathic traits were not significantly related to political ideology. This suggests that the psychological pathways to conservatism may differ based on racial or ethnic identity, possibly due to different experiences with social power and marginalization.
Support for Trump was also associated with distinct patterns in empathy. Compared to those who did not support Trump, Trump supporters reported lower affective empathy (less emotional concern for others) and higher dissonant empathy (greater enjoyment of others’ suffering). These differences held even after controlling for age, education, and racial background.
In the second, larger sample that included both men and women, the researchers focused on how broad personality dispositions—benevolent versus malevolent—related to political beliefs. They found that people who reported stronger benevolent traits, such as valuing the dignity and worth of others, were more likely to hold liberal views and reject Trump. In contrast, people who reported more malevolent traits—such as manipulation, selfishness, and emotional coldness—were more likely to support Trump and identify as conservative.
While both men and women showed this pattern, the associations were stronger for men. In other words, malevolent traits were more predictive of conservative ideology among men than among women. Women in the sample tended to score higher on benevolent traits overall and lower on malevolent ones.
Those who viewed Trump favorably reported higher levels of malevolent traits and lower levels of benevolent ones. In other words, Trump supporters scored higher on traits such as Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy—which reflect manipulativeness, entitlement, emotional callousness, impulsivity, and antisocial behavior—and lower on traits such as humanism, faith in humanity, and Kantianism, which reflect compassion, belief in others’ basic goodness, and a commitment to treating people as ends rather than means.
These differences were not explained by other factors such as age, income, education level, or minority status. The authors concluded that personality traits linked to callousness and self-centeredness may shape how people engage with politics—and in particular, how they relate to the Trumpist strain of conservatism.
One of the study’s most striking findings was the consistent link between empathy and political orientation. While people across the political spectrum are capable of empathy, the results suggest that those on the political right—especially those aligned with Trump—may experience and express empathy differently.
Supporters of Trump were less likely to feel concern for others’ suffering (lower affective empathy) and more likely to enjoy or be indifferent to others’ distress (higher dissonant empathy). Importantly, these differences were not found in cognitive empathy. Trump supporters were just as able as others to recognize emotions in others—they simply appeared to care less, on average.
As they say, read the whole thing!
Raise Your Hand If You’re Surprised (Bueller? Bueller?)Post + Comments (98)
Genocide Jared
Saw a report the other day that Trump was holding a meeting about Gaza with a group that included Tony Blair and Jared Kushner. “That can’t be good,” I thought.
It’s not good. It is, in fact, downright obscene. Exclusive from WaPo:
Gaza postwar plan envisions ‘voluntary’ relocation of entire population
A postwar plan for Gaza circulating within the Trump administration, modeled on President Donald Trump’s vow to “take over” the enclave, would turn it into a trusteeship administered by the United States for at least 10 years while it is transformed into a gleaming tourism resort and high-tech manufacturing and technology hub.
The 38-page prospectus seen by The Washington Post envisions at least a temporary relocation of all of Gaza’s more than 2 million population, either through what it calls “voluntary” departures to another country or into restricted, secured zones inside the enclave during reconstruction.
Those who own land would be offered a digital token by the trust in exchange for rights to redevelop their property, to be used to finance a new life elsewhere or eventually redeemed for an apartment in one of six to eight new “AI-powered, smart cities” to be built in Gaza. Each Palestinian who chooses to leave would be given a $5,000 cash payment and subsidies to cover four years of rent elsewhere, as well as a year of food.
The genocide blueprint was developed by the same incompetent and evil Americans and Israelis who set up food distribution sites in Gaza that frequently turn into killing zones.
The plan estimates that every individual departure from Gaza would save the trust $23,000, compared with the cost of temporary housing and what it calls “life support” services in the secure zones for those who stay.
Called the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, or GREAT Trust, the proposal was developed by some of the same Israelis who created and set in motion the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) now distributing food inside the enclave. Financial planning was done by a team working at the time for the Boston Consulting Group.
Trump has been telegraphing such a plan since at least February. In March, he and Netanyahu nixed a proposal from Arab leaders that featured a new Palestinian Authority government and Arab peacekeepers backed by funding from Persian Gulf states.
“I’ve studied this very closely over a lot of months, and I’ve seen it from every different angle,” Trump said. “I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so magnificent.”…
Shortly after his February vow to take over Gaza, Trump reposted on his Truth Social account an AI-generated video of his vision. It begins with children picking through the rubble amid gun-toting militants, then quickly shifts to a wonderland of sparkling high-rises, pristine beaches and money falling from the sky. Trump and Netanyahu appear sunbathing on the Gaza shore, and a golden Trump statue lords benevolently over a clean and lively urban scene.
A catchy song provides the soundtrack. “Donald’s coming to set you free/ Bringing delight to all you see. No more tunnels, no more fear/ Trump Gaza is finally here.”
According to the WaPo article, the so-called “GREAT Trust” would be funded by a public and private investments that would receive “a nearly fourfold return on a $100 billion investment after 10 years, with ongoing ‘self-generating’ revenue streams.”
The investment scheme explains Kushner’s presence. Not sure why Tony Blair was there. Just being the Forrest Gump of world-historical American fuck-ups, maybe.
***
As a token of my contrition for bringing the above horror to your attention, please accept this picture of a nearby spring that I took this morning from our filthy canoe:
I didn’t jump in because rain was on the way. On the way home, we saw an extra-large gator, and Bill learned how fast I can paddle a canoe when properly motivated.
Open thread.
Sunday Morning Open Thread: Twenty Years After Katrina
ABC's Robin Roberts revisits New Orleans 20 years after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina for a news special on rebuilding after the storm.
— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) August 28, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Revisiting the time she broke down on “Good Morning America” while covering Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of her hometown Pass Christian, Mississippi, Robin Roberts said she feared losing her job.
Only three months after she was named a host of the ABC News show with industry vets Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, Roberts had played it straight on the Gulf Coast. That’s what reporters do: they keep a lid on emotions to get the work done. Then Gibson asked, during a live shot, if Roberts had determined that her mother and other family members were safe.
So much for professional reserve…
That clip of a much younger Roberts — still a “Good Morning America” host — is replayed on her ABC News special looking back at Katrina after 20 years. It airs Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern and is streamed on Disney+ and Hulu starting the next day…
New Orleans grieves, issues warnings at Hurricane Katrina second line in Lower 9
Former Vice President Al Gore was among the speakers at the event held to commemorate the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.— Verite News (@veritenews.org) August 29, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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Thinking about how proud the Times Picayune was to be operating in spite of it all. We don’t have local coverage to help document it all like we did then. And even then, we all knew it was in the middle of a death spiral.
— Clean Observer (@hammbear2024.bsky.social) August 29, 2025 at 11:49 AM
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Hurricane Katrina: New Orleans mark 20th anniversary
20 years after Katrina, New Orleans’ levees are sinking and short on money | grist.org/extreme-weat…— it's Candy Love (@candylovely.bsky.social) August 30, 2025 at 1:24 AM
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"Pride and resolve": @trymainelee.bsky.social’s documentary looks at New Orleans 20 years after Katrina
— The Weeknight on MSNBC (@weeknightmsnbc.bsky.social) August 29, 2025 at 10:59 PM
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Sunday Morning Open Thread: Twenty Years After KatrinaPost + Comments (103)
War for Ukraine Day 1,283: Assassination
Given how late it is and that I’ve just gotten in, I’m just going to do a brief update tonight.
Andriy Parubiy, a leader of the Revolution of Dignity/EuroMaidan Movement in 2014 and former Speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, was assassinated in Lviv today.
I am completely shocked and devastated. Andriy Parubiy was assassinated today in Lviv.
He was a true statesman, a core driver of Euromaidan, Parliament Speaker in 2016-19 — his initiatives were always aimed at defending Ukraine’s identity and nationhood. This loss is enormous. Eternal memory.
— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) August 30, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Former Speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in Lviv today. The attacker, disguised as a Glovo courier on an e-bike, fired 8 shots and fled. President Zelensky called it a “horrific murder” and vowed a full investigation as security services hunt the suspect.
— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) August 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM
While we wait for official findings from the investigation, we also need to keep in mind that unless one is living in very specific locations, if you hear hooves, expect horses not zebras.
The cost:
Now we know where the jumbo teddy bear from the photo on the right came from… 💔
— Natalka (@natalkakyiv.bsky.social) August 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Here’s the Ukrainian air defense tally from last night:
Another massive attack on Ukraine, the second in two days – this time the fascist Russian Blitz was focused on Dnipro, which was attacked by Russian/Iranian Shahed Doodlebug drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Zaporizhzhya and Pavlohrad also attacked by ballistics.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) August 30, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
War for Ukraine Day 1,283: AssassinationPost + Comments (13)
Saturday Night Open Thread: Sad Commentary
At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Donald Trump’s performance “seemed right out of the Kremlin playbook,” @sbg1.bsky.social writes. What did he reveal about his Administration’s true plans?
— The New Yorker (@newyorker.com) August 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Feels like a media vibe shift… Susan Glasser, Peter Baker’s wife, at the New Yorker, “The Sycophancy Must Be Televised”:
When Donald Trump began to speak on Tuesday, during what would become the longest televised Cabinet meeting ever, he did not exactly advertise his plans to make history. There was a lot of the usual Trump palaver about how windmills are “ruining our country” and about the transformative power of his tariffs, which, he insisted, will completely revitalize the American economy. “It’s going to happen like magic,” he vowed. “It’s going to happen without question.” Standard stuff, at least for Trump 2.0, with the President’s top advisers gazing adoringly as Trump vamps for the cameras.
But, in hindsight, the warning signs were there. For starters, it was more than seventeen minutes before anyone else said a word at the meeting, and, even then, the speaker—Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—only managed a “Yes, sir” before Trump resumed speaking. No one else said anything of substance after that for another fifteen minutes, at which point the President called not on a member of the Cabinet but on Iris Tao, a reporter for the Epoch Times, a far-right news organization linked to an exiled Chinese opposition movement. “I heard you were very savagely mugged in the city,” he said, inviting her to recount the episode. She did so, recalling a terrifying incident of a man in a ski mask striking her in the face with the butt of a gun, and concluded with profuse thanks to the President for his decision to send in federal troops to fight crime in Washington. “Thank you for now making D.C. safer,” Tao said. “For us, for our families, for my parents, on behalf of my parents, and now my baby on the way. Thank you so much.” This is what passes for journalism these days at the White House, now that Trump’s staff has taken control of the formerly independent press rotation and started deciding on its own which news organizations get access to the President. The Kremlin press pool could not have played the moment any better.
As for Trump, his performance, too, seemed right out of the Kremlin playbook. As the meeting dragged on, I remembered Vladimir Putin’s tradition of a marathon annual press conference, in which he holds forth on matters as varied as street cleaning and the perfidy of the West. Putin’s all-time record for one of these appearances, set in 2008, was four hours and forty minutes, so I guess there is still something for Trump to aspire to. In the end, Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting clocked in at three hours and seventeen minutes, which, if it did not beat Putin, was still significantly longer than “The Godfather,” as was quickly noted. (Can you imagine the Rotten Tomatoes score if audiences were actually forced to watch Tuesday’s meeting in full?) The first Cabinet member to be called on, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., did not get to speak until more than forty-eight minutes had elapsed. The first questions to the press did not come until nearly two and a half hours in.
There is a strong argument to be made for not wasting time with what followed. We already know that this live-streaming President is addicted to his own show; of course, he’ll let it run as long as possible. As for the rest, it’s hardly a revelation that Trump’s fellow cast members are so desperate for a bit of his airtime—and approbation—that they’ll say anything to get it. Besides, it’s been a week with so many other truly extraordinary developments emanating from the Trump Administration, “a Watergate every day,” as the author Garrett Graff put it. Does another Trump talkfest actually rate?…
With so many truly existential threats to the democracy unfolding during what is supposed to be the final vacation week before the post-Labor Day rush, it seems almost wrong to get worked up watching a hundred and ninety-seven minutes of Trump and his team of “butt-snorkelers,” as the retired Army General Ben Hodges memorably called them.
When the doctors confirm that Grandpa is dying, his loving relatives indulge his penchant for long, rambling monologues. His disenchanted employees, however, start circulating nasty rumors!
It’s Tasteless to Speculate That Trump Might Soon Be Buried on Red Square Like Lenin
www.thedailybeast.com/its-tasteles…— Pete Quily (@pqpolitics.bsky.social) August 29, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Saturday Night Open Thread: Sad CommentaryPost + Comments (63)
Oh, Yikes, Looks Like We Could Use an Open Thread!
I imagine Cole and Adam will be along sometime soon, but it looks like we could use a new thread in the meantime.
Here you go!
Oh, Yikes, Looks Like We Could Use an Open Thread!Post + Comments (116)