Julia Ioffe

Lew’s Clues Lew Olowski, the State Department’s newish head of H.R., is a RIF-happy, Christian evangelizing MAGA warrior with an axe to grind. Worse, according to his fellow diplomats, he’s just plain weird.

Masterful work by @juliaioffe.bsky.social
A thousand points for accuracy, grim humor, and some of the best quotes in print...

puck.news/the-maga-loy...

Lew’s Clues Lew Olowski, the State Department’s newish head of H.R., is a RIF-happy, Christian evangelizing MAGA warrior with an axe to grind. Worse, according to his fellow diplomats, he’s just plain weird.

Every career State employee would like to buy @juliaioffe.bsky.social a drink.
puck.news/the-maga-loy...

Lew’s Clues Lew Olowski, the State Department’s newish head of H.R., is a RIF-happy, Christian evangelizing MAGA warrior with an axe to grind. Worse, according to his fellow diplomats, he’s just plain weird.

The guy running HR at the State Department pounds Monster energy drinks, helped defend Radovan Karadžić, gives out coal at State holiday parties, and wanted to have religion factor into diplomats' promotions.

My latest.
puck.news/the-maga-loy...

Operation Midnight Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard has been on the outs with Trump ever since their clash over Iran. But through the conspiracy alchemy of Epstein and Russiagate, she’s seizing her chance to come in from the cold.

Trump has urged his supporters to move on from Epstein, who’s been “dead for a long time.” But in Trump’s mind, it seems, Russiagate will live forever.

My latest.

puck.news/tulsis-trump...

Jubilee pitch: “Julius Caesar vs 20 Roman Senators”

State Expectations The mass firing of 1,300 career State Department officials has resulted in the predictable chaos, anger, recriminations, and occasional bouts of gallows humor at town halls and on message boards. Natu...

Surprise, surprise! Trump's effort to ostensibly make the State Department leaner, meaner, and more efficient is only sowing chaos—like people getting pink slips addressed to "Dear N/A" and gutting the office responsible for passport supply.

My latest.

puck.news/inside-the-f...

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

State Expectations The mass firing of 1,300 career State Department officials has resulted in the predictable chaos, anger, recriminations, and occasional bouts of gallows humor at town halls and on message boards. Natu...

Surprise, surprise! Trump's effort to ostensibly make the State Department leaner, meaner, and more efficient is only sowing chaos—like people getting pink slips addressed to "Dear N/A" and gutting the office responsible for passport supply.

My latest.

puck.news/inside-the-f...

I don’t understand why the Wall Street Journal doesn’t just publish the image. A cartoon of a naked woman isn’t pornography

oh so Now they care what a judge says

I've been saying to friends for a few months that the more I study authoritarianism in other countries, the more concerned I become that the CBS story is the sleeping giant here. The process has been a simmer (people inside the network have spoken out in real-time) but don't mistake slow for safe.

In other news, took my son for his 9 month check-up the other day. The pediatrician asked if he had been vaccinated for covid. "We have only one vial left," she said. When I asked if the office would be getting more, she said, "I hope so?"

One of the first things Vladimir Putin did on becoming president was take over NTV, the TV channel that hosted a satirical puppet show because he didn't like the Putin doll and how he was portrayed. He arrested NTV's owner and only released him when he signed the channel over. #Colbert

Puck founding partner @juliaioffe.bsky.social’s first book drops 10/21. Motherland tells the story of modern Russia through the history of its women, from revolution to utopia to autocracy…

Preorder Motherland, and read Julia’s reporting in Puck while you wait for its release. Links 👇

What Is Marco Rubio Doing? Marco Rubio’s appointment at Foggy Bottom was greeted with optimism in the building, where staffers saw him as a serious foreign policy person. But their hope quickly died as America’s chief diplomat ...

3,000 RIF (reduction in force) pink slips went out at the State Department today. Where is the Secretary of State in all of this?

My latest.

puck.news/what-exactly...

Woooooow. Where is this from?

This is just happening in our streets, in our stores, and no one is doing anything to stop them.

Also Design, Also Illustration, Also Animation ALSO is a three person design company based in Washington and New York.

Cover art and animation by Also: www.also-online.com

Also Design, Also Illustration, Also Animation ALSO is a three person design company based in Washington and New York.

By Also Online: www.also-online.com

SHE'S COMING!!!!

MOTHERLAND is out in print (and audio book) on October 21. Pre-order here or wherever you get your books!
bookshop.org/p/books/moth...

The Truth About Obliterategate The president rushed to declare his Iran strikes a TKO without waiting for a full assessment; his critics rushed to declare that he was wrong. The reality is that the full picture will take time to em...

It's been pretty funny to see Trump's critics jump on the DIA intelligence assessment of the Iran strikes as if the DIA isn't the butt of jokes in the intelligence community.

My latest.

puck.news/were-irans-n...

The Truth About Obliterategate The president rushed to declare his Iran strikes a TKO without waiting for a full assessment; his critics rushed to declare that he was wrong. The reality is that the full picture will take time to em...

“People with experience in the world of intelligence, even those that can’t stomach Trump, are advising caution, and an even rarer trait in this political-media climate: patience.” - excellent analysis by @juliaioffe.bsky.social: well worth your time puck.news/were-irans-n...

"I'm building great showers in my concentration camp."

Sure. That works.

The Truth About Obliterategate The president rushed to declare his Iran strikes a TKO without waiting for a full assessment; his critics rushed to declare that he was wrong. The reality is that the full picture will take time to em...

It's been pretty funny to see Trump's critics jump on the DIA intelligence assessment of the Iran strikes as if the DIA isn't the butt of jokes in the intelligence community.

My latest.

puck.news/were-irans-n...

Ah, thank you so much!

Trump’s Iran Warpath & D.C. Aftershocks The latest political intelligence and national security chatter surrounding the U.S. bombing of Iran, the president’s neocon turn, the mental gymnastics of the MAGA base, and the response in Washingto...

Why now? I sat down with @LACaldwellDC to discuss what the US strikes on Iran mean for the US, Israel, and the MAGA coalition—and how Trump managed to portray Democrats as both war hawks AND weak on national security.

puck.news/why-did-trum...

As I was saying.

Called it

Trump’s Iran Warpath & D.C. Aftershocks The latest political intelligence and national security chatter surrounding the U.S. bombing of Iran, the president’s neocon turn, the mental gymnastics of the MAGA base, and the response in Washingto...

That time when @juliaioffe.bsky.social and I explain why Trump attacked Iran now and why Democrats are focusing on demanding Congressional authority. (Hint: they can avoid saying if they agree with strikes or not.) puck.news/why-did-trum...