Robert Downen

Story via @stevanzetti.bsky.social)

He’s an Unapologetic Fascist Who ‘Despises’ Democracy. He Still Wants You to Vote for Him. He was once leader of the Proud Boys, has posted racist threats online, and sports a white nationalist tattoo.

“If a fascist is merely someone who opposes democracy, then let me be clear: I oppose democracy — and have always opposed democracy,” Jason Lee Van Dyke once wrote.

Now, he’s running for office.

Gov. Greg Abbott Was Ordered to Release Some of His Emails With Elon Musk. Most Are Blacked Out. Months after fighting to keep secret emails between Gov. Greg Abbott and Elon Musk, Texas officials released 1,400 pages of records. But they reveal little about the two men’s relationship or Musk’s i...

After fighting to keep emails between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and billionaire Elon Musk’s companies secret, officials have released nearly 1,400 pages of documents to @kutnews.bsky.social and The Texas Newsroom.

All but about 200 pages are blacked out.

BTW, if you're into Bolts' coverage of today's elections (which are still ongoing!), I would be remiss to remind you it's Giving Tuesday today, and Bolts is a nonprofit! Become a member :)

What we know, 10:30pm:

—Dems flip mayor's office in Roswell, Georgia.
—GOP defends TN-07. Margin shifts blue by ≈14%.
—Solomon crushes McGreevey to become Jersey City mayor; his progressive slate also dominates city council.
—In Atlanta, establishment ahead in most but not all battles vs. left

Despite loss, Democrats overperformed in bright red Tennessee House race Aftyn Behn is on pace to significantly outperform Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nashville area district Tuesday night.

“Tonight is a sign that 2026 is going to be a bitch of an election cycle,” one House Republican said. “Republicans can survive if we play team and the Trump administration officials play smart. Neither is certain.”

A photo from Brimelow’s Twitter showing the Pentagon press room podium

Hannah Claire Brimelow, a Tim Poole employee and daughter of white nationalist VDARE founder Peter Brimelow, is part of the new “press” corps covering the Pentagon after the Trump admin forced out most journalists. Laura Loomer is also there.

Oregon Struggles to Land Federal Counterterrorism Money as Trump Orders Troops to Stop “Terrorists” Hindering ICE A quiet battle has played out in court over money that “sanctuary” states say is needed to fight true extremist threats from both ends of the political spectrum.

The president says he wants to fight terrorism. So why is he holding back counterterrorism grants from blue states? Tony Schick at @opb.org digs in: www.propublica.org/article/port...

College Student Is Deported During Trip Home for Thanksgiving

She was first in her family to go to college.

She’d been in the U.S. since she was seven.

They grabbed at the airport on her way to surprise her family for thanksgiving.

They put her in shackles. Her ankles, her arms, and her waist.

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

Kristi Fulnecky: Can't wait for you to tell us your education and job training Twitter user: omg queen welcome to the discourse Kristi Fulnecky: Thank you! Thought you needed some common sense on your thread, Aidan. At least you use your real name

That Oklahoma University student’s mom is now on Twitter beefing in all of the replies.

What Does the Railroad Commision Have to Do With “Radical Islam”? Everything, One Candidate Says Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French, known for his incendiary online presence, recently tendered his resignation to seek a position on the regulatory body that oversees the oil-and-gas industry.

A prominent Texas Republican is running for Railroad Commission in order to fight the "Islamic invasion." He's vying for a seat vacated by a former commissioner, who is now running for Texas Comptroller on a vow to protect girls' sports.

The latest on Texas' (increasingly Islamophobic) primaries:

“The underling who reached out to me is trying to influence the election on my dime. He’s on my payroll, he’s on your payroll and he’s campaigning on company time. That’s a violation of the Hatch Act. He’s a federal employee. He works in the White House. Does anyone care about the rules anymore?”

“Hawley was also part of the Alliance Defending Freedom team that aided Mississippi’s successful bid to overturn the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.”

An advertisement for O’keefe’s Make America Rave Again

Who’s goin

James O’Keefe is back.

h/t @adamwren.bsky.social

Michael Bohacek, a Republican state senator from Indiana who has a daughter with down syndrome, says he will vote against redistricting in Indiana after Trump used the word "retarded."

Applicants who cited Nazi theorist Carl Schmitt include Paul Ingrassia, who was last week tapped for a new job as deputy general counsel of the General Services Administration, leaving his former role as White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.

Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle. If my nephew’s ideas on immigration had been in force a century ago, our family would have been wiped out.

“I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, an educated man who is well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country.”

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.

Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.

Bo French's campaign is the latest in an ongoing and intensifying wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric and moves by top Texas GOP leaders. Last week, Gov. Abbott declared CAIR a terrorist organization - leading to reps for the group being harassed as they tried to testify about anti-Muslim bullying.

What We Know About U.S.-Backed Zero Units in Afghanistan Deadly night raids. Faulty U.S. intelligence. A “classified” war loophole. Reporter Lynzy Billing’s investigation offers an unprecedented insight into the civilian casualties of Afghanistan’s Zero Uni...

Hate to be posting this on a holiday, but there's been renewed interest in the CIA-backed Zero Units in Afghanistan. Here's a good summary of @propublica.org's 2022 reporting on the units and just some of the civilian casualties they were responsible for:

Here’s the latest from Bo:

Support high-quality magazine journalism

Slop em up.

The most recent rise in Texas Islamophobia has also corresponded with a broader normalization of Christian nationalism - led by the same education leaders who called CAIR reps terrorist leaders last week.

Much more on that push here:

Bo French's campaign is the latest in an ongoing and intensifying wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric and moves by top Texas GOP leaders. Last week, Gov. Abbott declared CAIR a terrorist organization - leading to reps for the group being harassed as they tried to testify about anti-Muslim bullying.

What Does the Railroad Commision Have to Do With “Radical Islam”? Everything, One Candidate Says Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French, known for his incendiary online presence, recently tendered his resignation to seek a position on the regulatory body that oversees the oil-and-gas industry.

A prominent Texas Republican is running for Railroad Commission in order to fight the "Islamic invasion." He's vying for a seat vacated by a former commissioner, who is now running for Texas Comptroller on a vow to protect girls' sports.

The latest on Texas' (increasingly Islamophobic) primaries:

Email says We are prepared to receive boxes tomorrow, as NY agents are travelling to WFO in the morning, and vill arrive to Winchester where they will start photographing and we will start scanning and processing the physical files. Once I see the volume, I'|l have a better estimate of processing times, although 1 suggest we do a rolling delivery to further demonstrate the FBIls commitment to delivery and transparency.

🚨 NEW/EXCLUSIVE: The FBI turned over dozens of emails to me in response to my #FOIA request that provides a behind-the-scenes look at discussions involving the review and redaction of the Epstein files

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

According to the documents, FBI personnel clocked in a total of 4,737 hours of overtime between January and July. Of that, more than 70% occurred during the month of March while personnel reviewed the Epstein files, the documents show.

The docs also reveal the number of hours the FBI devoted to the project, which required some agents to work nights and weekends. The FBI paid personnel $851,344 in overtime for working on the Epstein files between March 17 and March 22.