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David Futrelle

@davidfutrelle.bsky.social

Writer, writing coach. Thing for cats to sit on. The We Hunted the Mammoth guy. Clips in NYT, WaPo, Slate, The Cut, Vice, among other outlets. WeHuntedTheMammoth.com Youtube.com/@HuntedTheMammoth https://www.david-futrelle.com/ (Writing coach page)

1,215 Followers  |  793 Following  |  388 Posts  |  Joined: 13.12.2023
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Posts by David Futrelle (@davidfutrelle.bsky.social)

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Texas AG Paxton Declares Therapists Affirming Trans Youth To Be Illegal And Child Abuse The declaration echoes his 2022 efforts to target parents of trans youth with child abuse, and may force conversion therapy on trans youth in the state.

1. This morning, Texas AG Ken Paxton just released a chilling new declaration:

Mental health therapists, counselors, and psychologists must cease affirming trans youth - using their name and pronouns - or potentially face child abuse charges and loss of licensure.

Its a horrifying escalation.

02.03.2026 18:44 β€” πŸ‘ 1306    πŸ” 629    πŸ’¬ 85    πŸ“Œ 92
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The Trump Administration is Testing Conversion Therapy By Medically Experimenting on Trans People in Prisons The Bureau of Prisons is subjecting trans people to conversion therapy and denying them care with the goal of helping them "recover." It's trying to prove dangerous conversion practices can work.

Under a new policy released Thursday, the Trump Administration will test conversion therapy on trans people in prisons. It explicitly states that it aims to help trans people β€œrecover,” all the while forcibly detransitioning them both medically and socially.

transitics.substack.com/p/the-trump-...

23.02.2026 18:39 β€” πŸ‘ 2407    πŸ” 1565    πŸ’¬ 212    πŸ“Œ 986
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Trump: "Finally, we honor one more American soldier, a fallen warria of world. Of wars. And really, terra.”

02.03.2026 18:37 β€” πŸ‘ 2210    πŸ” 612    πŸ’¬ 513    πŸ“Œ 508
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The President, folks, as Americans are being killed for his useless war.

02.03.2026 18:31 β€” πŸ‘ 316    πŸ” 75    πŸ’¬ 38    πŸ“Œ 3
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β€œIt’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead.”

02.03.2026 04:57 β€” πŸ‘ 100    πŸ” 28    πŸ’¬ 15    πŸ“Œ 16

Sam Altman

@sama
Β·
21h
I'd like to answer questions about our work with the DoW and our thinking over the past few days. Please AMA.
melissa β€œcancelled student debt” byrne
@mcbyrne
Β·
20h
Will you turn off the tool if they violate the rules?
Sam Altman

@sama
Yes, we will turn it off in that very unlikely event, but we believe the U.S. government is an institution that does its best to follow law and policy. 

What we won't do is turn it off because we disagree with a particular (legal military) decision. We trust their authority

Sam Altman @sama Β· 21h I'd like to answer questions about our work with the DoW and our thinking over the past few days. Please AMA. melissa β€œcancelled student debt” byrne @mcbyrne Β· 20h Will you turn off the tool if they violate the rules? Sam Altman @sama Yes, we will turn it off in that very unlikely event, but we believe the U.S. government is an institution that does its best to follow law and policy. What we won't do is turn it off because we disagree with a particular (legal military) decision. We trust their authority

"we believe the U.S. government is an institution that does its best to follow law" not a history buff I take it

01.03.2026 21:25 β€” πŸ‘ 419    πŸ” 77    πŸ’¬ 26    πŸ“Œ 17
Post image 01.03.2026 04:54 β€” πŸ‘ 551    πŸ” 84    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 1
lyft Β© 5h
if you live in kansas and need a new way to get around, use code TRANSJOY for 50% off a ride this week
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supplies are limited.) ( 2/2
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lyft Β© 5h if you live in kansas and need a new way to get around, use code TRANSJOY for 50% off a ride this week 1/2 11.1K β€’ 2337 G 1.5K 281 lyft + lyft 0 5h (valid through 3/9/26, up to $10 total discount. supplies are limited.) ( 2/2 205 8 G6 2

β€œsorry about the fascism you’re dealing with; here’s a $10 coupon that expires next week.” via @marisakabas.bsky.social

01.03.2026 04:21 β€” πŸ‘ 5247    πŸ” 925    πŸ’¬ 115    πŸ“Œ 100

Iranian intelligence has a huge advantage since they can just check polymarket to see what the US will do next.

28.02.2026 21:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1224    πŸ” 222    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 4
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Demonstrators have begun marching through downtown Chicago, the front of the column flanked by bike police.

01.03.2026 00:17 β€” πŸ‘ 216    πŸ” 45    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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The latest from YouGov (n ~ 1.6k adults):

Approval of Iran strikes: -10
Approval of Trump's handling of Iran: -15
Should Congress approve wars first: Yes +31
Will intervention make Iran better/worse off: Worse off +20

yougov.com/en-us/search...

28.02.2026 18:41 β€” πŸ‘ 656    πŸ” 184    πŸ’¬ 24    πŸ“Œ 62

WSJ confirms the U.S. is involved in the attack on Iran: β€œThe U.S. participated in the attack and was also carrying out strikes, a U.S. official said.”

28.02.2026 06:51 β€” πŸ‘ 333    πŸ” 152    πŸ’¬ 21    πŸ“Œ 44
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Hey! I'm in The Nation and on The Left Hook podcast, talking about Peter Thiel and Jeffrey Epstein So, as you may have gathered from the headline here, I have a piece in The Nation on Brotopian philosopher-king Peter Thiel and his weird (or maybe not-so-weird) bromance with Jeffrey Epstein. [W]hat...

So I went on Wajahat Ali’s The Left Hook podcast earlier this week to talk about my Nation article on Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Thiel. And also killer robots. You can find links to both in this post!

www.brotopians.com/hey-im-in-th...

27.02.2026 18:45 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

the "just asking questions" to "legitimate questions about fairness in sports" to "the state doesn't have to consider us as real people" pipeline working exactly as designed.

26.02.2026 12:31 β€” πŸ‘ 5919    πŸ” 2295    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 24

β€œExposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm.”

20.02.2026 14:49 β€” πŸ‘ 804    πŸ” 169    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 6
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Whitey on the Moon: Elon Musk Edition Elon Musk has always been the most ambitious of all the Brotopians. While his colleagues may dream about building largely unregulated and tax-free cities in Honduras or Venezuela or Nigeria, Musk has ...

Elon Musk's plans for a city on the moon are at least as stupid as his plans for a city on Mars, and maybe more so.

www.brotopians.com/whitey-on-th...

11.02.2026 18:13 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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What Peter Thiel Saw in Jeffrey Epstein In the extensive correspondence between the Silicon Valley venture capitalist and the late pedophile, both men expressed a deep aversion to democracy.

I'm in The Nation, talking about the weird bromance between Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Thiel.

www.thenation.com/article/soci...

11.02.2026 15:39 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 2

I think the last few years have really proved that you can’t trust someone who really enjoys emailing other people

10.02.2026 21:56 β€” πŸ‘ 501    πŸ” 59    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 3

ahh, matt forney, wonder what he's been up to.

not that i'm going to try to figure that out. i've read enough matt forney for one lifetime

10.02.2026 19:09 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Fall Eras in Order of Greatness According to Me

The Brix Era (1984-1989)
The Post-Brix Era That Also Includes Brix Briefly (1990-2000)
The Pre-Brix Era (1979-1983)
The Still Hanging In There Era (2003-2010)
Preview of Suck (2001-2002)
The Suck Era (2011-2017)

07.02.2026 21:05 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Dr. Replika will see you now

03.02.2026 02:30 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Crypto-bro Knife Fight Extravaganza If you’ve ever wanted to stab a crypto-bro biohacker in the face with a knife, now’s your chance!Β  All you have to do is to get yourself down to the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras by the ...

If you're looking for a little winter vacation in the Caribbean that incudes longevity hacking, electric knife fights, and possibly sloths, have I got a package for you!

www.brotopians.com/crypto-bro-k...

03.02.2026 00:17 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

An ICE agent covered head-to-toe in body cams, just thousands of tiny cameras, beating the shit out of an old woman. That's the bipartisan dream

29.01.2026 00:01 β€” πŸ‘ 3404    πŸ” 719    πŸ’¬ 48    πŸ“Œ 20

Apparently, "1939’s Germany" is not the correct answer when a job application asks where you see yourself in 5 years.

29.01.2026 13:28 β€” πŸ‘ 204    πŸ” 34    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 1

I just want one opportunity in this life to march offstage as triumphantly as Van Morrison in The Last Waltz.

26.01.2026 22:15 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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MAGA military geniuses are talking about Minnesota protestors like they are the Iraqi insurgency, the Taliban, and the Viet Cong all rolled into one.

26.01.2026 17:10 β€” πŸ‘ 5473    πŸ” 898    πŸ’¬ 633    πŸ“Œ 780

A major newspaper publishing guide to help people identify the munitions their government is using against them is a real "Late Republic America" timepeice that future historians will comment on.

26.01.2026 20:54 β€” πŸ‘ 4469    πŸ” 1531    πŸ’¬ 50    πŸ“Œ 19
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Ask Not for Whom The Line Tolls It turns out that this whole conjuring-a-whole-city-out-of-thin-air thing is a bit harder than you might think. Not quite ten years ago some dudes with something like $200 million in techbro dollars ...

New Brotopians post: Ask Not for Whom The Line Tolls

www.brotopians.com/ask-not-for-...

26.01.2026 21:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Good afternoon from downtown Chicago, where despite heavy snowfall, thousands have gathered for an anti-ICE/CBP demonstration in solidarity with the Twin Cities. More are still streaming in.

Lt. Illinois Gov. Juliana Stratton just addressed the crowd, and called for ICE to be abolished.

25.01.2026 19:37 β€” πŸ‘ 15305    πŸ” 3684    πŸ’¬ 143    πŸ“Œ 191