Conspiracy thinking was considered "fun" throughout my childhood: the X-Files, old hippies, quirky Bigfoot fans

It's not fun anymore! We are now drowning in harmful falsehoods. Government policy is set mainly by unfalsifiable fever dreams now.

When Davis learned that a breakaway faction was gathering on a Saturday afternoon at the offices of venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz to plot a strategy for DOGE’s future, he began calling likely attendees and told them not to attend what he called the “coup” meeting. (The firm did not respond to a request for comment on its role in DOGE’s work.) Those at the meeting who looked at their phones would have seen their fortunes change in real time, as they were removed from Signal group chats — DOGE’s primary status marker of who belonged.

Some incredible details in this piece
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted

Easier for men. Just saying, as someone who’s experienced (let’s call it) disrespect in response ⬇️

When people claim liberal arts education is unnecessary, I remind them how often we hear/see: “This isn’t the America I know”.

And I remind them that with liberal arts education, they would know what America is as well as how, why, and when we got here. But that’s also why many want it eliminated.

White House blew past legal concerns in deadly strikes on drug boats The Trump administration sidestepped skeptical lawyers across national security agencies as it pursued a military campaign against alleged narcotraffickers, officials say.

On the patently unlawful boat strikes

It's hard for USGs to claim ‘mistake of law’ or ‘advice of counsel’ – when they’re firing lawyers who wouldn't sign off on the strikes.

WaPo's new revelations on firings or removals:

1) CIA General Counsel
2) NSC Legal Adviser
3) CIA Mission Center’s lawyer
🧵

a person holding a bag with a note that says dead dove do not eat Alt: a person holding a bag with a note that says dead dove do not eat

All of Bluesky this morning:

How I feel about the whole Olivia Nuzzi story is that there are a lot of talented, ethical, underemployed or unemployed black and brown journalists right now who are ready to work.

Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries IMLS
librarytechnology.org/pr/31973

screenshot of my popular with friends feed that shows a wall of skeets from people who are having a strong reaction to something that someone called ryan lizza did. it seems like it must have been unpleasant

good morning, logging on to catch up on what i missed on a serene autumn saturday morning

I feel like I understand Douglas Adams's warnings about Vogon poetry a little more clearly now.

If Congress is condemning Socialism, does that mean they are going to end corporate welfare?

Federal judge hands CHOP victory in its fight to protect medical records of transgender children U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney sided with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and denied the bulk of the Department of Justice's subpoena seeking patient records.

22 Nov 2025 -- In a victory for patient rights and privacy, PA judge blocks Trump’s admin. demand that Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) turn over medical records & parent data on trans minors it has treated. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

Hundreds of transgender pride flags pulled from memorial on Boston Common Hundreds of flags representing transgender rights were pulled from a memorial on Boston Common.

22 Nov 2025 -- Hundreds of trans pride flags planted on Boston Commons in a planned city-licensed memorial for TDOR removed overnight anonymously. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

If You Use Gmail, You're Going To Want To Turn Off This 1 Automatic Setting ASAP Plus: a quick guide to the two-step process for opting out.

Google defaulting all Gmail users to a setting that enables Google to harvest all your emails into chatbot training is straight-up evil and invasive.

www.huffpost.com/entry/opt-ou...

Look, look I know how difficult it is to read these words but keep in mind this man might be literally raising plant seedlings in his mouth

A screenshot of a Facebook post where a person named Andy ask the Well now “What the hell is transgender?” The Royal Canadian Air Force account response with “That’s a pretty big question asked in a pretty small way, Andy. ‘Transgender’ putting describes someone whose gender – who they know themselves to be – doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth. It’s not new, and it’s certainly not a fad. People have lived this experience for as long as people have existed; we’re just finally talking about it openly. You don’t have to fully understand it right away, most learning takes time, but we can always start from a place of respect. That’s how decent folks handle things they’re still getting used to.”

Massive shoutout out to whoever handles the Royal Canadian Air Force’s social media account. They responded to every single comment on their already very solid Trans Day of Remembrance post and they responded like this…

Costa Rica will accept Abrego, per @washingtonpost.com .
If true, DOJ, DHS, and Dept of State caused lies to be disseminated to Judge Xinis all day Thursday, where an ICE official testified about info sent him by Dept of State, claiming Costa Rica wouldn't take Abrego.
1/2

No, he isn’t. There is literally no legal means by which he can do this. It’s not presidential power. TPS by law cannot be terminated early, and Somali TPS is not set to expire until March 17, 2026.

Socialism is what they called public power.

Socialism is what they called social security.

Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.

Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.

—Harry Truman, 1952

With this interpretation in mind, the Court finds it unlikely that a single individual could be “personally and directly engaged” in approximately 47,000 criminal matters, let alone 1.28 million of them, as ICE represented to the IRS. See Walker Decl., Dkt. No. 31-1 ¶ 6. Defendants make two arguments to the contrary, both of which are unavailing.

The IRS is authorized to disclose some confidential information to individuals “personally and directly engaged in” non-tax criminal investigations or proceedings.

Apparently, a single ICE employee claimed to be personally engaged in >1M such investigations.

Court blocks IRS from sharing taxpayer addresses with ICE A federal judge sided with plaintiffs who argued that the data-sharing pact violated privacy laws, putting immigrants at risk of their information being “impermissibly used” by ICE.

"A federal judge sided with plaintiffs who argued that the data-sharing pact violated privacy laws, putting immigrants at risk of their information being 'impermissibly used' by ICE."

This was not a close call. Like, doing this violated specific federal statutes with criminal and civil penalties attached. Orange jumpsuits should follow for some, including Bessent.

IJs aren’t even ALJs! They’re technically just attorneys working for DOJ, so they can’t be fired at will, and yet that is EXACTLY what they are doing; citing “Article II” to just fire anyone they deem insufficiently pro-deportation.

Maybe in 2027 but sure as hell not in 2026. And meanwhile, thanks to a stupid, ill-conceived law from 1996, challenging any of this crap on a systematic basis is nearly impossible. slate.com/news-and-pol...

They are literally firing all the judges they think might grant relief. They just fired a friend of mine a couple hours ago. They have no shame. The bastards want an assembly line for deportations and nothing more; rubber-stamping bootlickers who’ll yes’sir at every new diktat to deny.

My story on Connecticut’s only immigration court — published this week — features an interview with a judge let go in September: www.ctinsider.com/news/article...

Just a reminder that it's nice the Mamdani thing went better than everyone expected, but Trump should still be immediately impeached & removed for unprecedented things that were once beyond the pale of American politics.

Centrist Dems are absolutely going to try and use this as evidence of Horseshoe Theory, but that's gonna fall flat on its face for a very simple reason. Mamdani is very charming and Trump is a dumdum.

Imagine being one of those CEOs or school presidents who bowed down to this weird old man, then realizing he doesn’t like you as much as he likes this guy who didn’t bow at all