James Downie

Let's make one thing crystal clear: Follow Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made - on the September 2 mission and all others since. America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this @DeptofWar says we have the back of our warriors - we

“Let’s make one thing crystal clear: this is all that guy’s fault. Not mine. When I talk about ‘kinetic strikes’ and ‘lethality’ and ‘warfighting’, I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made—by which I mean I sit at home and shout at people while drunk.”

Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends

We just published a deep look into David Sacks, the White House's AI and Crypto czar. The story examines how he has been able keep hundreds of stakes in AI-related and crypto companies as he influences gov policy in those very industries.

Here's what we found:

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...

The married couples filed into a federal building in San Diego last week for green card interviews that they believed would secure their future together in the United States. Half of each pair was American. Stephen Paul came with his British wife and their 4-month-old baby. Audrey Hestmark arrived with her German husband, days before their first wedding anniversary. Jason Cordero accompanied his Mexican wife. It was supposed to be a celebratory milestone, the final step in the process to obtain U.S. permanent residency. Instead, as each interview with an immigration officer wrapped up, federal agents swooped in, handcuffed the foreign spouse and took him or her away. “I had to take our baby from my crying wife’s arms,” Mr. Paul, 33, said, recalling the moment that agents said they were arresting his wife, Katie.

"'I had to take our baby from my crying wife’s arms,' Mr. Paul, 33, said, recalling the moment that agents said they were arresting his wife." (www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...)

There is no hell hot enough for the people responsible for this, from Stephen Miller right on down.

‘In Triage Every Day’: A Beleaguered Speaker Says He’s Overwhelmed

"A soft-focus podcast interview [of Mike Johnson] alongside his wife, conducted by Katie Miller...had all the ingredients for a flattering reset.

What emerged from the interview instead was a portrait of a Republican leader barely keeping his head above water." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...

Tut-tutting Nuzzi for "Michael Wolffing it" while holding back (for baldly subscriber-grubbing reasons) evidence of nefarious actions by America's most powerful people is meta-Wolffing it.

Lots of people sharing this clip because it's funny and cathartic but I also genuinely believe it's important.

We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."

1) genuine life changing moment of my early 20s was realizing I actually didn't have to do this at all. tell the youths

2) I feel like there's a class discussion to be had around the stakes of this kind of decision though

No bailouts. The US should extort these companies when the crash happens so they get minimal compensation in return for nationalizing the entire panopticon industry and then destroying it once harvested for socially useful parts. It won’t happen but it should

MSNBC’s James Downie put it well: “The public is pissed about Epstein in no small part because he was a rich guy who got away with heinous crimes, because he deliberately cultivated rich friends,” he said. “That’s an inequality story. The only way it could be closer to ‘kitchen-table issues’ is if the files were tucked in a goddamn pocketbook!”

@jamescdownie.bsky.social is still right. This is from July.

Epstein begets corruption begets as cost crisis.

AOC on MTG retiring: "She's carefully timing her departure just 1-2 days after her pension kicks in and after making millions of dollars insider trading stocks for weapons manufacturers and others while in office."

Gift link: wapo.st/43FXQfO

You don't postpone your resignation until the day your congressional pension kicks in if you expect to be getting a promotion soon.

She's an unconventional choice, but you know what? I think she'll do great with Ole Miss football.

There is no "plan to save the world" or insane 4D chess game being played.

In her resignation statement, MTG breaks very dramatically with the secret-plan conspiracy theorists about what’s happening in DC.

FDR was also famous for charming everyone he met into thinking he agreed with them.

Vanity Fair Is Reviewing Its Ties to Olivia Nuzzi

Magazine who handed wallet to wallet inspector is now reviewing whether wallet is missing. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/s...

Don't forget: President Trump relentlessly attacked@zohrankmamdani & did everything to stop his win. It's funny how his tune changed when confronted with Mamdani's actual focus on affordability — something Trump claims to care about. Let this be a lesson: Always stand up to a bully. 3:45 PM • 11/21/25 • 20K

This guy has his finger on the pulse of his party's base in a way that others in his caucus unequivocally just do not

Elon Musk Could 'Drink Piss Better Than Any Human in History,' Grok Says Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.

Incredible headline.

"Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as 'potentially divisive.'"

I just want to note that sentence for the next time media outlets characterize these symbols as "racially charged."

But a different reality is being whispered about in the power corridors of Riyadh and Wall Street: The kingdom’s vaunted Public Investment Fund, which Saudi Arabia has typically used to fulfill commitments like the one it made this week in Washington, is running low on cash for new investments. That’s in large part because Prince Mohammed and his deputies have spent a vast portion of the nation’s bounty on projects that are in financial distress, and they are frantically trying to turn things around, according to 11 people briefed on its operations, including current employees, board members, investors and their representatives.

Of all the things no one could have predicted, this is the most not predictable thing: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/b...

Exclusive: Congressman Plans New Push For Trump-MBS Transcript Rep. Eugene Vindman will appear with Jamal Khashoggi's widow to push for release of a "shocking" transcript between Trump and MBS

Scoop: Rep. Eugene Vindman knows what Trump said on a 2019 call with the Saudi Crown Prince about Jamal Khashoggi's killing, and his effort to make it public is about to rachet up.

Tomorrow, Vindman will appear alongside Khossoggi's widow to call on Trump to release the transcript

Let's just do over Season 8 instead?

Off balance-sheet financing. Special purpose vehicles.

“.. Ratings agencies like to go by the book, but the credit markets have already moved on and made their own judgment ..”

@opinion.bloomberg.com $ORCL $META
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

SCOOP: A federal grand jury in Maryland is investigating whether FHFA director Bill Pulte and Justice Department prosecutor Ed Martin improperly appointed unauthorized people to help in mortgage fraud investigations of President Trump's critics. With @carolleonnig.bsky.social

I would be pretty embarrassed/ashamed to be associated with a company (and company) this stupid. But I guess the payday is worth it to some people

Wyden Presses for Investigation Into JPMorgan Chase and Epstein

EPSTEIN BOMBSHELL: my staff is releasing a new report showing JPMorgan Chase executives – all the way to the top – enabled Epstein's sex trafficking operation. You're going to want to read this.

Larry Ellison discussed axing CNN hosts with White House in takeover bid talks Exclusive: Senior officials indicated favorability toward Paramount Skydance acquiring Warner Bros Discovery

"In at least one of the calls, [Larry Ellison] engaged in a dialogue about possibly axing some of the CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to loathe, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

JARED BERNSTEIN: “.. Manufacturing is in a real slump, with emp down 5 months in row, down 94K over past year. We haven’t seen such trends outside of recessions for years.

“.. Trump’s fingerprints are on this trend. It turns out that making factory production more expensive is bad for jobs.”