Chris Bidlack

Yikes.

(via @steverattner.bsky.social)

Not many career paths lead to being friends with the dictionary, but I’m happy to find myself in one. Thanks for the early copy of the Twelfth Edition, @merriam-webster.com!

Narrative is a bit disjointed and it’s kind of a slow burn, but by the Qs I couldn’t put it down. Five stars.

MAGA DOJ New Standards:

50K cash in bag to Trumpster — not suspicious.

Epstein “suspicious activity reports”— not suspicious.

UAE backroom deals with Trumps — not suspicious.

Democrats’ mortgages — totally suspicious.

John James faces mounting pressure over alleged misuse of government resources to promote campaign • Michigan Advance U.S. Rep. John James is facing mounting criticism for allegedly using government resources to promote a campaign event. An ethics complaint filed against the Shelby Township Republican, who is running...

Ethics complaint cites a MIRS report that James’ office sent advisory from a US House email address for a backpack giveaway hosted at Jimmy John’s Field. Photos from the event show the backpacks surrounded by signs for his campaign for governor. michiganadvance.com/briefs/john-...

The New Problem We All Live With.

State Department is firing more than 1,300 employees in downsizing plan The move has come under strong criticism from current and former diplomats who say the cuts will degrade America’s standing in the world and curb U.S. soft power.

Cutting diplomats is penny wise but pound foolish. My old boss, SECDEF Bob Gates, used to point out that DOD has more people in military bands than the number of foreign service officers. They punch above their weight and deserve better than this. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Just noticed something about the NATO "family photo". Yes, Queen Maxima stole the show with her stunning yellow jumpsuit, but I think there's another layer here. Everyone knew Trump would turn up front and center in his stupid too blue suit- she made it look like the Ukraine flag.

Trump banner on gov building sparks backlash: 'Welcome to North America’s North Korea' A massive banner of President Donald Trump is now hanging from the outside of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s building in Washington, D.C., opposite a banner of President Abraham Lincoln. Several...

A large Trump banner on the USDA building in D.C. has sparked backlash and comparisons to North Korean authoritarianism. Additionally, Trump is reportedly spending $92 million on a military birthday parade, raising concerns about a dangerous cult of personality & a shift toward Putin-style politics.

Huge banner of Dictator wanna be Trump, alongside a banner of Lincoln outside the USDA building in DC.. this dickhead needs to be removed from office yesterday.

What kind of communist bullshit is this on our USDA building in DC.. 😡

"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people"-Abraham Lincoln

The Time To Rise Is Now
🔥🔥🔥🔥
#SheShed

It's striking how much Trumpists hate what's made the United States great: immigration, trade, medical and scientific research, the rule of law, an enlightened patriotism, a willingness and ability to correct past injustices.

At the end of the day, Trumpism is Third Worldism.

Mallory McMorrow and Jen Rubin on why hate won't win Jen Rubin is joined by Senator Mallory McMorrow to discuss her new book Hate Won't Win: Find Your Power and Leave This Place Better Than You Found It.

Mallory McMorrow and Jen Rubin on why hate won't win ... she is IMPRESSIVE
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

@richardbranson.bsky.social This judge is trying to stand up for law and order. We need to get behind judge Boasberg. He’s had enough guts to stand up to Trump. Let’s stand up for him. Let’s follow the law.

Trump adds “gold things” to the Oval Office fireplace , looks like a night club toilet! What a tasteless idiot!

Ex-Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton is calling for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and current National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to resign over the Ukraine debacle.

When I was a teenager in an evangelical church in Arizona, my pastor would have used this as an illustration of the Antichrist.

DC Draino's Rogan O'Handley, Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik, Liz Wheeler, and Cernovich are holding up binders saying "The Epstein Files: Phase 1."

Why aren't they releasing this to the public instead of their handpicked crackpot "citizen journalists?"

I was curious about this, so I asked Perplexity:

“A 2012 study estimated that if the average American adult were to read every user agreement, terms of service, and similar legal document encountered annually, it would take about 250 hours per year.”

The front of the ad says "Who's running this country: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?" The back says "No one elected Elon Musk to any office." Readers are referred to FireMusk.org.

The Washington Post reportedly rejected a wraparound ad that said "Fire Elon Musk." Here it is. dankennedy.net/2025/02/17/t...

As Robert F Kennedy becomes Secretary of HHS we must remember that “Just asking questions” about vaccines, and casting doubt on well-established science could have fatal consequences.

Researchers estimate over 300,000 South Africans died because their leaders denied scientific truths.

Opinion | The Six Principles of Stupidity I define stupidity as ignoring the question: What would happen next? By that definition, the Trump administration has produced volleys of it.

The Six Principles of Stupidity www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/o...

Donaldson: "I once talked to a man ... who had been Joseph Goebbels press secretary ... He said you just tell people what you want them to hear, and you keep telling it over and over and over again. And ... make certain that there are no other voices to dispute you." www.status.news/p/sam-donald...

Yeah, how about not dissolving the air safety advisory commission at the FAA. As your team did last week.

2/2: Hakeem Jeffries is not nearly as loud and grandiose as he needs to be in voicing objections to Trump mania, while Chuck Schumer delivers speeches with a comatose-inducing monotony.

1/2: During Reagan's presidency, vocal objections to GOP policy—mainly through Tip O'Neill—were continual and intense. Today's Democratic opposition seems mute in comparison to O'Neill's blasting of Reagan policy in the 1980s.

#swasticars

Elon Musk is reportedly furious people keep calling Tesla vehicles “swasticars.”
So don't do that.
#swasticars

Tech-bro billionaires getting front-row seats at the Trump inauguration while ordinary Americans cannot participate (with the excuse that it’s due to the weather) is a metaphor for what’s to come in the next four years.

No congressional spouses were allowed in the Rotunda for the ceremony today. Different rules for the oligarchs.

Trump Inauguration Bingo 2025 - Part 2/2. Double the cards, double the... anxiety? Compare with a friend for the full dystopian experience. Stay informed, stay engaged, and hold onto hope.