The Justice Dept’s theory of the case— that the group that single-handedly disassembled the Ku Klux Klan defrauded its donors by concealing that it was using paid informant to do that work and more— has about as much merit as the now-dismissed charges against Jim Comey.
Of course US-Iran negotiations have gone nowhere. The Iranians are prioritizing national interests. The Americans are prioritizing presidential image management.
My latest in @foreignpolicy.com:
The one thing that has taken a U.S. aircraft carrier offline in recent years was not enemy action. It was COVID.
Deciding now to put anti-science culture war signaling over military readiness is a bad idea.
Really not a fan of this new conception of masculinity that’s all whiny entitlement and permissiveness with none of the responsibility.
I'm so tired of this "false sense of victimization" these weak men feel.
"Oh no, women don't worship. Women don't want me. Women are too independent. Women should be sex toys. Women shouldn't have rights."
Like fuck that. Only weak men are screaming victimization.
FBI Director Kash Patel sued the Atlantic & a reporter for defamation, alleging they recklessly disregarded truth in suggesting FBI officials are concerned his drinking compromises his ability to do his job. Here’s the breakdown you need to understand the complaint. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...
New, from me: Take the Palantir manifesto seriously, if not literally.
It reveals that our tech philosopher kings want public money, but without public accountability. This creates a dilemma for governments unaligned with its techno-fascist vision. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/palantir-w...
I think our society really is grossly underestimating how important visible accountability is for social cohesion.
May we re-learn this lesson.
"Strategically, Ukraine has a theory of victory that looks increasingly plausible, while Russia’s is crumbling....Russia bet the farm on the theory that meat waves would overwhelm Ukraine while the United States and Hungary blocked Western support, and failed."
www.thebulwark.com/p/ukraines-s...
This is a snapshot of the failure of MSM and the concomitant ignorance within the American electorate about what is happening in and to their country.
Gil Duran tweet: TLDR: Fascism in response to Palantir's long fascists screed on X.
"Your Account is Suspended" Message on X
The CEO of Palantir posted a fascist manifesto on X.
I pointed out that it was fascist—which resulted in a permanent suspension from X (my second time!).
So, when you hear the tweeters complaining that BlueSky is intolerant, remember why many of us came here in the first place.
I’ll put many fake* dollars on Trump extending the deadline past Wednesday, lying that Iran has agreed to things it hasn’t actually agreed to.
*I wouldn’t bet for real on real world events. Doing so seems… unhealthy.
We must use US taxpayer dollars to backstop the UAE
Which is facing economic problems caused by the war Trump started and doesn't know how to win
A war encouraged by leaders of the UAE
Who have given hundreds of millions in bribes to Trump, his family, and associates
If not illegal bribery, why so bribery shaped?
This morning, just after 8 a.m., Trump had a long ramble on Truth Social that concluded, “if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” That’s our start to the week ahead.
open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...
Did they just get healthy or something?
They haven’t won yet, so no.
1) Academic specialists make jargon when studying [thing]
2) A few activists/posters use [jargon] when criticizing [thing]
3) Right-wing media says all Dems’ want to [caricature using jargon]
5) “To win, Dems must stop saying [jargon] all the time, normal people don’t talk that way.”
6) Repeat 1
Palantir put plans for techno-fascism in a document. Like a techno-fascist manifesto with themselves at the center. Features fascistic distortions of language and declarations of inherent superiority that should be acknowledged and made permanent, but driven by and with a more central role for tech.
I’m not a lawyer, and I’m exhausted, so I can’t say exactly which part of the constitution forbids it, but if the constitution does not forbid the president from suing the government in his personal capacity and then ordering the government to settle in his official one, it forbids nothing.
DOJ seeks to vacate insurrectionists’ convictions, while going after a former CIA Director: If Trump can make convictions disappear for allies while prosecuting critics, the damage isn’t just theoretical. Once that line is crossed, it doesn’t easily uncross itself. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...
I don’t think I even would have noticed the article if Kash hadn’t gotten so mad about it.
Wait, psychedelics are actually good, so you might want to bone up on this. Broken clock, etc. Like when he sort of pretended he was for prison reform.
"Fascism cannot be appeased; this is a core assertion of resistance liberalism."
Good overview here of the new anti-Trump counter-mobilization and the deeper forces driving it:
New euphemism for "pure, unadulterated horseshit" just dropped
2/By contrast, the papers reveal a court wielding those same powers to block Mr. Obama. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned that if the court failed to stop the president, its own ‘institutional legitimacy’ would be threatened.”
1/The NYT is releasing internal SCOTUS documents re: 2016 creation of the modern “Shadow Docket” noting Justice Roberts & “other conservative justices have repeatedly empowered [Trump] through their shadow docket rulings. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...
Iran is under considerable economic pressure, and surely wants an end to the blockade, funds unfrozen immediately, and long-term sanctions relief. But an ongoing standoff over Hormuz keeping energy supplies choked while bombs are not falling is about as good a strategic position as they could have.
