Top recent posts by Public Intellectuals and Advocates on Bluesky

New in PN: The worst chief justice of all time "American history has no shortage of legendarily bad chief justices and disgraceful decisions. But John Roberts has overseen the wholesale corruption and capture of the Supreme Court, and history should look back on his tenure with revulsion."

The first time Charlie Chaplin used his voice in a film, he wielded it to forcefully condemn the rising forces of fascism around the globe. Will we listen to his words today?

Kristi Noem didn’t approve FEMA rescue teams for over 72 hours after the Texas floods, following a rule she imposed that required her personal sign-off on any operation over $100K. This is inexcusable. She should resign.

When a government starts targeting former intelligence officials, law enforcement leaders, and anyone who once investigated or criticized those in power, it’s not just a red flag, it’s a page straight from the authoritarian playbook.

These people are out of control. www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/i...

We shouldn't need a Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, but here we are. Still underpaid. Still undervalued. 66 cents on the dollar means we lose thousands every year, for doing the same job. Over a lifetime? That’s hundreds of thousands gone. Pay Black women. Period.

This is just sick. via @ktla.com: Footage obtained by KTLA shows a young man crying, saying his mother had just been taken, and children and protesters running from tear gas that was deployed when a crowd gathered at an immigration raid at a Ventura County farm this afternoon

"While the wildfires were raging in California, Ben and Ted Cruz had a podcast where they just attacked Governor Newsom and Karen Bass—that was while the fires were still raging. So spare us the grandstanding and virtue signaling about how this stuff shouldn't be partisan."

Associate Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will end up being one of the heroes of this era if ever there are historians in the future who write about the fall of the United States She will almost never be in the majority on a major ruling, but she will have been the conscience of America

BREAKING: MeidasTouch Podcast Takes #1 Spot in July Industry Rankings, Tripling Joe Rogan in Downloads and Views

“If ICE was a military, it would have the 16th biggest budget in the world. You wanna talk about America First? Think about all the things we could do in this country, like giving a [hurricane] warning system to these folks in rural Texas, instead of plucking brown people out of their homes.”

Fox News: "A shocking poll shows Texas Democrat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is leading in the race for incumbent Republican John Cornyn's Senate seat."

PENCE: “TARIFFS ARE A TAX… American importers, businesses and ultimately consumers end up paying all of that $300 BILLION. We're paying that.”

A newly completed investigation by Wyoming’s largest county found no evidence of noncitizen voting in the 2024 elections, undercutting claims used to justify the state’s controversial proof of citizenship law. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

We need a new generation of leaders who are the voices of democracy, freedom, social justice, & the rule of law.  A new generation that gives meaning to the “we” in “we the people.” Instead of fretting over Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party should embrace him as the future.

The Ku Klux Klan Acts (passed in 1870 & 1871 to protect 14th amend rights) were a response to masked violent men who terrorized Black communities, violating their civil rights.The deployment of violent masked ICE ofcrs are tapping into this unique form of terror. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

Dersh weighs in on the Epstein controversy: “I know for a fact docs are being suppressed to protect individuals. I know their names & why they’re being suppressed, but I’m bound by confidentiality so I can’t disclose it. Files are being suppressed to protect them & that’s wrong.”

Rolling Stone continues to teach a masterclass in headline writing www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

On this date in 1776 the statue of King George III was pulled down in New York City. Because America didn't want a king who lived above the law.

this would be active duty US troops deployed indefinitely on US streets? www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Kim: I'm very concerned that if a hurricane hits, are we going to have to be begging Kristi Noem to be able to get off Instagram, to be able to actually go and do her job

That's when you know it's bad.

FOX: CNN has a report accusing you of slowing the process in Texas. NOEM: Well there you go. Fake news CNN is absolutely trash, what they are doing. (That's not a denial.)

DHS appears to accidentally confirm CNN's reporting in an unhinged reply to MeidasTouch on X, noting that "by Tuesday, FEMA had deployed" staffers. This aligns with CNN's reporting that Noem didn't authorize FEMA's deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday.

😂😂😂😂😂😂

"At 4:22am on Friday, as Texas' Hill Country began to flood, a firefighter in Ingram – just upstream from Kerrville – asked the Kerr County Sheriff's Office to alert nearby residents. But Kerr County officials took nearly six hours to heed this call."

If you're enforcing the law, show your face. As the son of a cop, brother to two, and a former prosecutor, I know credibility comes with transparency—not terror.

Phang: They never learn, do they? There’s a slew of federal district court and appellate court judges telling this administration that what they’re doing is illegal and unconstitutional—but they don’t care. In response, they just call them “rogue judges.”

BREAKING: Emails given to Congress by DOJ whistleblower reveal new details about the Abrego Garcia fiasco. They show how Trump officials searched for ways to paint him as a dangerous criminal and gang "leader" and couldn't find any. But smears continued. New piece: newrepublic.com/article/1977...

A+ It doesn't matter where you stand on the underlying issues. We can't tolerate this.

This is Taco. He is the most relaxed little guy in the world. Mostly because he does not know about emails or the economy, but shoulder rubs help too. 13/10 (IG: tacofoxyhuahua)

Don’t buy the polished crap from the White House. Texas flood deaths weren’t a surprise...they were the price of gutting services. Cut first responders...ignore warnings...and act shocked when people die? That’s not weather. That’s political manslaughter.

Hmmmm

Holy shit wait for it

I’m gonna post this every day so nobody forgets exactly who Donald Trump is and why the Epstein files have suddenly disappeared.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Münchhausen) hasn't held a town hall in his district, but he *has* been calling for Rep. Omar to be stripped of her citizenship and deported. Instead, she's going to his district to convene the town hall he's too scared to hold.

Congrats everyone, we now have 35% tariffs on Canada for no apparent reason

Senator @johnfetterman.com — whose wife was an undocumented immigrant, and who said he was grateful that her family “broke the law” — now speaks up supportively of ICE as they terrorize others. What a tremendous hypocrite. WATCH:

Study: 97% Of Average American’s Day Spent Retrieving 6-Digit Codes theonion.com/study-9...

This is Cupcake. She overheard you describe something as having more rolls than a bakery. Thinks you better be talking about culinary school. 12/10

BREAKING: Federal judge in New Hampshire blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship ban for all affected babies in nationwide class action

I can’t believe this is real.

"All of these people, House Freedom Caucus included, predicated so much of their identities on not saddling future generations with all of this debt we can't pay off... All of these motherfuckers voted for it!"

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Trump wanting the states and not FEMA to handle disaster response: "We don't get a huge storm every year. The country does. It doesn't make sense for each state to have a fully staffed emergency response team."

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

This is Patty Hartman, a 17 year veteran of the Justice Department. She was fired on Monday by Pam Bondi. She is warning of a wave of retribution inside the agency. You must hear her words for yourself.

Here is a list of reported conditions at the Florida Everglades immigration “camp”. These reports come directly from detainees and their loved ones.

Paxton’s wife left him because he had a wandering eye.

The rules are simple:

Rep. Sara Jacobs is one of the top 15 wealthiest members of Congress. She is set to introduce legislation today that would—if enacted—work against her own self-interest by increasing her own taxes. “I think of it as taxing trust-fund kids, to create a trust fund for all American kids.”

An “anti-government militia” is “targeting Oklahoma weather radars, days after a man vandalized News 9’s weather radar Meteorologists are trying to explain that weather radars do not control the weather

Would love to know what’s going on here

Internet controversy in 2015: Oh no, I did something wrong and people are mad at me on the internet. My career is over!! Internet controversy in 2025: Excellent, my carefully crafted outrage bait has landed. My career is taking off!!

drop your pet pics 👇

Yep. JD Vance told Ross Douthat in a high profile interview that Abrego Garcia is a "high-level" member of MS-13 long after top administration officials internally debated this claim and thus knew there was no evidence that he was a "leader," as I try to show. Extraordinarily degenerate misconduct.

-Trump palled around with Epstein for years -Epstein called Trump his "closest friend" -Trump appointed Alex Acosta, who gave Epstein a sweetheart deal, to his Cabinet "Despite the about-face from everybody in his WH, the buck falls to one person. It's not Leavitt or Bongino or Patel. It's Trump."

Fix This Sign xkcd.com/3113/

Our thoughts are with North Carolina, New Mexico, and Texas. There are many ways to help, whether by donating or, if you’re able, volunteering on the ground. 💚

Brita Unveils New In-Throat Water Filters theonion.com/brita-u...

Trump is pledging full support to Texas after its deadly floods – and rightfully so. But California has yet to receive $40 billion in aid to rebuild from January’s devastating wildfires. A president is supposed to govern for all Americans – not just those who voted for him.

So Congress which holds the power to tariff, per our Constitution, is expected to just watch while the President practices tariff imperialism? Do Dems in Congress have standing to sue? Does any American or org that is harmed by these illegal tariffs?

get this guy the fuck outta here www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

WOW: Trump weighed pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell for fear that she would spill secrets about his decade-long friendship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A win! A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship, a major win for the Constitution. The order, which would’ve stripped citizenship from babies born in the U.S. to undocumented parents or visiting academics, was halted nationwide.

Reminder: When billionaires take control of communication platforms, it’s not a win for free speech. It’s a win for oligarchy. And when those billionaires justify their business motives by citing “freedom,” what they really seek is freedom from accountability. Don't be fooled.

BREAKING: Epstein victim says her friend has a Tape of Donald Trump having sex with 'many girls' recorded by Jeffrey Epstein

"Since the start of Trump’s second term, the Court has routinely allowed the administration to implement objectively unconstitutional actions by pretending that they’re simply making a narrow procedural ruling rather than blessing Trump’s wholesale destruction of democracy."

Mahmoud Khalil has filed a $20 million damages claim against the Trump admin — alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests at Columbia.

Trump is touting the no tax on tips provision in his budget bill. But many tipped workers won't benefit because their earnings are so low. And the provision expires in 2028. The estate tax cuts that primarily benefit the rich? Those were made permanent. Funny how that works.

Name something Ted Cruz loves more than going on vacation when Texas needs him.

1. Earlier this year, Trump erased transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument webpage, digitally burning the history we helped create. Now, he's doing the same to bisexual people. No marginalized group will be safe from the admin's moving targets. Subscribe to support our journalism.

"The nation has faced, many times, a conservative Court aligned with bigotry and big business. But the nation has not previously faced a conservative Court aligned with helping the president become a king." — @snipy.bsky.social

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee released a trove of documents Thursday that back up a whistleblower’s claim that Emil Bove, a senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official, crudely told subordinates to defy court orders. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

THREAD:: A few things about this screed. 1. Trump was not “framed” by the Dossier because the Dossier wasn’t used to open the Russia probe. Crossfire Hurricane was opened when Alex Downer from Australia told us that Popadopalous drunk-blabbed about Russia in a London Pub months earlier. 1/

1/3🧵 What we saw in Butler after the shots flew leaves 2 options: 1. The protection team was the most clueless, poorly trained bunch in Secret Service history. OR… 2. They already knew exactly when it’d be “safe” to move. No third option. And that should scare the hell out of you.

Kristi Noem and Donald Trump delayed FEMA for 3 DAYS in Texas. The Trump administration’s consolidation of power means the government won’t be there for you when you need it.

ok what the fuck did ken paxton DO

Ken Paxton is leading in the GOP primary polls against Sen. John Cornyn. “In light of recent discoveries.”

In a letter drawn from a posthumous collection of correspondence, published in 2019, the neurologist Oliver Sacks argued that society had no immunity to the seductions of digital life. “What we are seeing—and bringing on ourselves—resembles a neurological catastrophe on a gigantic scale,” he wrote.

CLIP: “These guys have no shame.” @gavinnewsom.bsky.social reacts to Abbott using a Texas floods Special Session to slip in redistricting. (As @govbilllee did with vouchers) He tells us Cali may need to stop “playing fair”, highlights the importance of the midterms.

Note that the administration’s claim of a 700% increase in assaults on ICE agents is likely made up mostly of incidents like this: claims that a 71-year-old citizen “pushed” a masked armed agent.

🚨🚨🚨 I'm going to post this video every day so we never forget what the 34x POS convicted felon & adjudicated rapist Trump did 🚨🚨🚨

This is my personal Sistine Chapel. Photo from my collection, no date/info.

The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding access to Minnesota’s voter rolls, as well as proof of the state’s compliance with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), according to a letter exclusively obtained by Democracy Docket. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

The most openly corrupt administration of all time.

They scream in their truck selfies about being "alpha males." But real strength doesn't need to be announced. Too many men in the Trump movement confuse blind loyalty for leadership. They’re not leading—they’re following. And our kids are watching. adamkinzinger.substack.com/p/the-beta-b...

"'We are the federal government, and if we choose to take power away from a governor or away from a mayor, this is the new normal.' And my response is, I've seen this movie before. It used to be called a coup, and it happens in other countries." @mayor.lacity.gov‬ on the feds in LA:

Hear me out, I have what I think is a great idea. Instead of Andrew Cuomo running a disgusting indie vanity campaign for New York City mayor this fall, a campaign purely intended to make sure the corrupt Eric Adams is re-elected, he works to pay back taxpayers the millions and millions he owes them.

The MAHA agenda is a death cult.

Tear-gassing farm workers. Trump’s America. 😕🇺🇸

The New York Times is actively promoting regressive fascist Curtis Yarvin and normalizing him as a "Right-wing thinker" (fascist ideologue) with "provocative ideas about race" (racist). This is why every time Yarvin is mentioned, we'll mention Heather Marsh 10 more times. #3E

All I know is, if someone accused ME of being on Jeffrey Epstein's list, and I had the ability to clear my name by releasing the list, I would do it immediately. Wouldn't YOU?