Recent posts by Public Intellectuals and Advocates on Bluesky

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the United States his government has kept imprisoned for what he called “political prisoners” in Venezuela.

"Americans have always had nuanced views of immigration and they usually don’t include disappearing innocent men to El Salvador or stripping U.S. citizens of their rights." ICYMI @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social on Trump's immigration overreach: www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-zeal...

Yes, Hegseth must resign. But so should everyone on the 1st Signal Chat. Especially those that lied about it. And Dems need to hit Trump for the Hegseth choice CONSTANTLY Everyone told Trump he was a shitty, stupid choice and he did it anyway.

You have exactly 24 hours left to vote for Francie! www.gogophotocontest.com/hsccfabfelin...

1. NEW John Ullyot, who until last week was chief Pentagon spokesman, has written a piece in Politico in which he says the Pentagon is in “total chaos” and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unlikely to remain in his role.

And Thom Tillis, up for reelection in 2026, was the key vote to confirm Hegseth along with Joni Ernst. Despite the fact that they knew he was unfit, they were afraid of Trump and put their political futures ahead of the country. Now they own every bit of this debacle.

⚡️Belarus welcomes Easter truce, hopes for 'de-escalation,' foreign ministry claims. Belarus has welcomed an Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 20.

Three of Pete Hegseth’s top aides joined forces on Saturday to blast their “unconscionable” suspensions from the Pentagon and cast doubt on the investigation into internal leaks that reportedly led to their ouster.

Trans people are going to be front and center aren't we.

“The Pentagon is in ‘total chaos’ and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unlikely to remain in his role, according to its former top spokesperson, who painted a scene of dysfunction, backstabbing and continuous missteps at the highest levels of the department.”

This just gets worse. Hegseth needs to go now. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/u...

Yet another security breach that put American troops and lives at risk. Pete Hegseth has no business serving as Defense Secretary. Donald Trump must fire him.

👀

“a scene of dysfunction, backstabbing and missteps at the highest levels” describes the whole Trump Administration.

Who’s your bet for the next SECDEF?

Democracy Docket is not on Substack. That means it is more expensive for Democracy Docket to get new sign-ups and add features. But, DD has no corporate overlords and is not dependent on investors. It depends only on you. If this is what you value, sign-up today. newsletters.democracydocket.com

Nobody does religious holidays quite like MAGA

Just after a fresh rain. Spring time!

My mom gave me the most wonderful Easter gift - this kitty book she loved as a child. Her own copy is long gone but she found this one in beautiful condition with the original bell and ribbon!

Political Stress is Killing Us: Here’s How to Fight Back www.jackhopkinsnow.com

AP's Tara Copp reports that there were 13 people on Whiskey Pete's family Signal thread. x.com/TaraCopp/sta...

Former Senate aide Aidan Maese-Czeropski has opened up about the scandal that rocked the internet in 2023.

Is it spam or is it just Pete Hegseth texting you classified information?

Congressman Jamie Raskin joins Anthony Davis to discuss Trump’s abuse of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law, over deportations, tariffs and mass firings. Watch The Weekend Show at 8p ET/5p PT!

The Pentagon is in "total chaos" and Pete Hegseth is unlikely to remain in his role, according to its former top spokesperson, who painted a scene of dysfunction, backstabbing and missteps at the highest levels of the department. "The building is in disarray." www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

EXCLUSIVE: A former top Pentagon official warns dysfunction could topple Hegseth — describing a department collapsing from backstabbing and constant missteps. Read the full opinion piece from former top spokesperson John Ullyot, who resigned last week👇 ow.ly/SSoq50VEvPC

Is being “a wife guy” a crime?

As a Tennessean, it brings me endless delight that Jim Comer, the dumbest person to ever serve as a committee chair in Congress, is from Kentucky.

People from across Chicagoland flocked to Jackson Park over the weekend to see the pink and white cherry blossom trees in bloom.

BREAKING: Pete Hegseth Shared War Plans With Wife, Brother, and Personal Lawyer and more Americans have been detained by ICE. More here: open.substack.com/pub/aaronpar...

New: Pete Hegseth shared sensitive information about military strikes to another Signal group chat that included his wife and brother.

Do you need some Fergus snores?

I'm getting asked this a lot, so I need to clarify. I get regular requests to be on MSNBC and the BBC and be interviewed by outlets from around the world. If you've seen my bio you know I used to give TV, radio and pod interviews all the time. I got extremely burned out—so I retired from interviews.

the scream i scrumpt over “cherry slices”

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to four people with knowledge of the chat.”

SINNERS. Go see it. In a theater. 70mm if possible. I’d read nothing about the movie, watched no trailers — went in blind and was BLOWN AWAY. And Delroy Lindo better get an Oscar nomination.

⚡️Update: Russia violates Easter 'truce' nearly 3,000 times, Zelensky says. The military reported 96 Russian assaults on Ukrainian positions, 1,882 instances of shelling, and 950 uses of Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones throughout the temporary "ceasefire."

Important pushback on Trump’s assertions of outsize power by the Supreme Court & Harvard, raising prospect that the Administration may have to cede ground. Coming bright & early, an ALL NEW @talkingfeds.bsky.social w/ a great set of guests breaks down whether gov will double down or trim its sails.

Pete Hegseth had another sensitive Signal chat he used to discuss upcoming strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen—this one including his wife, brother and even his personal lawyer.

Me waiting to be added to the pentagon signal chat.

Trump photoshopping MS-13 onto Kilmar Abrego Garcia's knuckles should be CRIMINAL and a MUCH BIGGER STORY! Pls ❤️ and share wide!

⚡️Belarus welcomes Easter truce, hopes for 'de-escalation,' foreign ministry claims. Belarus has welcomed an Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 20.

Sounds like Navarro is back in the oval.

Please help if you can. And find and help others- many of the victims in Gaza who are here looking for help are easily verified. 🙏 www.gofundme.com/f/help-tasne...

If you were wondering “who would be stupid enough to fall for Bukele’s dumb little stunt?” well, it’s no surprise the answer is Rep. Jim Comer.

❤️ if you think Trump is a radical domestic terrorist.

JUST IN: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared Yemen strike details in a second Signal chat that included his wife and brother, three sources told CNN. cnn.it/3EpM8fP

I don't see MS-13 on his knuckles. Why would Felon Trump photoshop shitty letters on his "proof?"

Did a Costco run yesterday and every single employee was a goddamn delight.

What if a white dude was accidentally deported?

The concentration of wealth in the hands of an elite few isn't just bad for our economy. It's corrosive to our democracy. When the wealthy and well-connected control our political system, the American people don't have a voice. The result? Demagoguery and corruption.

Global Mass Incarceration Racketeering

All of it. Just don't tell Trump that Jesus was technically brown.

Aaaaaaaaaaaa-FUCKING-men

Interesting that the only time Trump "screws up" it's when marginalized communities are affected.

Shit - what if none of this is funny?

Another Easter post from Trump

Thinking of our military members & intel officers who have to serve under the reckless & incompetent Pete Hegseth. They deserve better. Sharing war plans in a Signal chat w/ his brother & wife? This is a nat’l security crisis not just a headline. As I’ve said before—how many more chats are there?

Fifteen years after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the Gulf Coast, killing 11 and sending 134 million gallons of crude gushing into the ocean, the effects of the nation’s worst offshore oil spill are still being felt.

Confirming Hegseth really was insanely reckless.

Hegseth must go! Using his personal phone to share classified strike plans with his wife and brother.

Bukele proposes to swap 275 US Venezuelan deportees he’s holding in exchange for what he characterizes as political prisoners including a human rights lawyer, a journalist and foreigners including US citizens. No word on whether he would like incarcerate or free them www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Add in Peter Capaldi doing Malcolm Tucker

Trump posts argument against judicial review and implying it is not constitutional (it is)

It’s so adorable that Pete Hegseth thought it was going to be *Pentagon leakers* who made him look bad. Bless his little heart.

We're, like, two days away from news that Hegseth shared classified intel to his White Lotus discussion chat group on Signal.

If you wondered whether PROOF was correct that Trump and Bukele are now in the international slave trade, here is breaking news revealing that Bukele wants to sell the 250 slaves Trump sold _him_ to Venezuela. Unreal. Vile. And a Crime Against Humanity.

I think Jesus never said this

Peeps. Yay or nay?

I care less about Signal chats and more about the blacksite offshore concentration camps we're sending random people to without any semblance of a trial, so I'll be interested to see if the national media can rub their bellies and pat their heads at the same time this week. Historically they can't.

I care less about the Signal chats and more about the blacksite offshore concentration camps we're sending random people to without any semblance trial, so it'll be interesting to see if the national media can rub their bellies and pat their heads at the same time this week. Historically they can't.

BREAKING - Hegseth shared military bombing plans in 2nd Signal chat - with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer Now we see why he fired 2 scapegoats - and his top 3 deputies were pushed out Total MESS at the Pentagon, putting America at risk HEGSETH MUST BE FORCED OUT - NOW

So hiring an incompetent alcoholic wasn’t a good idea?

Pete Hegseth shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer per NYT

Everyone deserves due process. These rights are either unalienable and God-given as we were taught or they aren’t.

From the #Signalgate #1

We actually gave them all raises Lenny.

Easter was getting too much attention so Trump started posting about his fake MAGA holiday

Every Dem in Congress and the Senate must demand that Pete Hegseth resign

Ryan Coogler’s supernatural horror “Sinners” drove a stake through the competition this weekend to finish No. 1 at the box office while shattering industry expectations. cnn.it/3YwtIkv

Trump claims that VATs “act as tariffs and export subsidies and complains that the EU doesn’t want U.S. “genetically engineered corn.”

Ive been saying this for years. The war on drugs has never worked & it caused cartels to proliferate

MORE RECESS: “A bill has passed in Tennessee that aims to enhance academic outcomes and student well-being by increasing daily recess time for elementary students… mandates that school districts provide at least 40 minutes of recess each day…” fox17.com/news/local/b...

Trump’s Easter message to America is about all the Americans he hates and has nothing to do with Easter.

Harvard is free for students whose family income is $100,000 & below. This covers tuition, food, housing, health insurance, travel cost. Additionally, each of these students will receive $2000 in their first year & a $2000 grant during junior year to help support the transition beyond Harvard.

To be fair Hegseth's wife can be counted on to keep it secret because she knows what he'll do if she doesn't

The most disturbing possibility isn’t that millions have been brainwashed. It’s that they haven’t.

Heard the same from another business owner in Virginia today. Business has gone way down. But MAGA, right? ‘It’s just not sustainable’: D.C. restaurants pushed to the brink www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/04...

I mean, it's not like we didn't point out that a loudmouth drunkard with poor impulse control and a history of abuse wouldn't make a great SECDEF...

Signalgate 2.0 www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/u...

Watch: Want 45 mins of laughs and pure terror? Watch The Dangerous Ones podcast. I’m in it and it’s freakin naughty! youtu.be/fEcBrjikQlA?...

There is one song that basically every time I hear it seems to stick in my head for at least 24 hours, can you guess what it is

"We are clean on OPSEC." www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/u...

We are watching The Matrix. Portia has never seen it. Has no idea what it's about. She thinks the red pill/blue pill thing might be choose your own adventure.

2025 is like when they inject the filler into your cheekbones 😵‍💫

I find this amusing

The day after the election, I rewatched every policy promise Trump made on videos he posted on his campaign website. There were 93 total. Here is my Day 90 scorecard on those he has kept and broken. open.substack.com/pub/meidasto...

New York’s subway is dependent on an antiquated method of maintaining safe distances between trains. Here’s a look inside.

Omg. This just in. Another Signal group chat scandal, reported by @nytimes.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...