desertortoise.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

When Teddy Roosevelt was called disloyal for criticizing Wilson’s conduct of WWI, he said “to announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

submitted 20 hours ago • 51 comments

The Department of Homeland Security has reversed guidelines issued last week that instructed immigration officers not to raid farms, hotels, and restaurants in the latest about-face from the Trump administration. https://trib.al/jDsEQwT

submitted 1 day ago • 19 comments

Everyone in the chain of command who allowed this — from the platoon leaders to the 18th Airborne Corps commander — needs to be reprimanded if not relieved. We don't ask soldiers their political allegiance and we don't assign them tasks based on political allegiance.

submitted 6 days ago • 45 comments

Look, I don’t much care what Tulsi Gabbard says either, but here’s the thing: I didn’t appoint her to be my Director of National Intelligence.

submitted 1 day ago • 159 comments

COLLINS: Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon TRUMP: I don't care what she said

submitted 1 day ago • 420 comments

So we have a US official in Germany saying they are “just following orders” in denying Harvard-bound scholars visas despite a federal judge’s restraining order www.masslive.com/news/2025/06...

submitted 1 day ago • 34 comments

“Running the government like a business” is just another way of saying that we should privatize government services afforded to everyone. You know who would love that? Wall Street and big corporations. Don’t buy into the myth. https://youtu.be/hqn1uD_B70U?si=aClsRAYTJHYGXpB4

submitted 1 day ago • 281 comments

I had the opportunity to meet the Ninth District’s Military Academy appointees, who will be representing Washington at the Air Force Academy and the United States Naval Academy. Congratulations to Ivan, Trudy, Jack and Liam and thank you for your service.

submitted 1 day ago • 2 comments

The Seattle City Council is likely to pass a ban on landlords using rent-pricing algorithms later today. It was just introduced last week and was immediately passed out of committee. It's probably the fastest I've ever seen a significant piece of legislation move through City Hall.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Ten Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Palantir on Monday demanding that the company answer questions about its expanding federal contracts. The data analysis and technology firm has received more than $113 million since President Trump took office.

submitted 1 day ago • 10 comments

On his trip to the UAE, Trump agreed to give valuable U.S. AI technology to a UAE-owned company — just two weeks after ERIC Trump struck a deal with another UAE firm to use $2 billion to boost the Trump family's crypto business. I broke down this brazen, pay-to-play corruption last week:

submitted 1 day ago • 34 comments

This is Trump’s America

submitted 1 day ago • 4 comments

Despite everything I've seen so far, it's still astonishing that Trump, who is frequently and consistently crudely disrespectful to others, is lecturing world leaders about not hurting Putin's feelings.

submitted 1 day ago • 6 comments

Breaking News: Russia pummeled Kyiv with drones and missiles, killing at least 14 people, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in months.

submitted 1 day ago • 36 comments

Border Patrol is continuing raids on farm workers in Ventura County, especially Moorpark and Oxnard. Agents are circling like sharks. Farm workers in areas with heightened activity should check in on each other and take steps to stay safe. Report what you see to us.

submitted 5 days ago • 40 comments

This woman works on a farm that's being raided by ICE. Her fear is palpable. She just begs people who see her post to tell others what is happening so maybe she can find her kids if they are also taken. This is inhumane and cruel, especially without due process.

submitted 1 day ago • 74 comments

The unnecessary cruelty of these raids on hardworking farmers is despicable.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

I'm grateful for @davidgilbert.bsky.social and his clear reporting that absolutely debunks this disgusting false narrative. The Minnesota shooter Vance Boelter was an evangelical preacher, registered Republican, voted for Trump, and watched Alex Jones' Infowars. www.wired.com/story/psyop-...

submitted 1 day ago • 22 comments

The Dallas Express, which sued me (and lost) for calling it right wing propaganda, published an article suggesting in the form of a question that the assassination of Democratic elected officials in Minnesota could be "Democrats kill[ing] their own so they could turn around and blame Republicans?"

submitted 3 days ago • 131 comments

I wrote about how the 2020 protests hurt Trump politically. I also wrote about how counternarratives about left-wing violence are just spin — and wildly at odds with the reality of extremist violence. Gift link: wapo.st/3SOEv6e

submitted 1 day ago • 56 comments

This Army birthday I’m thinking of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt Henry Johnson of the 369th NY National Guard (known as the Harlem Hellfighters). The 369th served more days in the WWI trenches than an other US unit, took more casualties also. DOD just stripped Johnson’s name off Ft. Polk.

submitted 4 days ago • 11 comments

“The 369th served more days in the WWI trenches than an other US unit, took more casualties also. DOD just stripped Johnson’s name off Ft. Polk.”

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

Over the next 25 years, if proposed cuts in NIH funding are made real, “In a population of more than 340 million, this reflects 82 million fewer years of life.” In the US alone. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

submitted 3 days ago • 12 comments

”God is going to raise up apostles and prophets in America,” he added, “to correct His church.” www.wired.com/story/shooti...

submitted 4 days ago • 4 comments

I've watched every North Korean military parade in the last 10 years and concur. It's not even close, honestly.

submitted 4 days ago • 22 comments

Under Trump, immigration policy is being treated like a reality TV spectacle. Dr. Phil and Tom Homan don't know how to keep our schools safe.

submitted 6 days ago • 15 comments

If this were the Democrats, we'd be getting masthead editorials in the NYT about how the party is "distracted from crucial issues" & a laser focus from the white male Gen X/Elder Millennial Pundits on their podcasts about how the Party is not focused enough on Kitchen Table Issues. But now? 🦗🦗

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

New figures from CBO about how Americans at different income levels are affected by the GOP's Big Beautiful Bill. Topline finding: Richest decile gets about 2% richer. Poorest decile gets about 4% poorer. www.cbo.gov/publication/...

submitted 6 days ago • 39 comments

So he’s saying he should go back to Biden’s policy and only arrest criminals because his hotel businesses were getting affected.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

i am not being pollyannish when i insist that the people who sign up do not sign up to advance a president’s domestic political agenda www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

submitted 6 days ago • 551 comments

Illinois follows the law — we expect the federal government to follow the law, too. We won't participate in abuses of power. We won't violate court orders. We won't ignore the Constitution. We won't defy the Supreme Court. We won't take away people’s right to peacefully protest.

submitted 6 days ago • 93 comments

This is a significant message: the unfocused raids ICE is doing now means less targeting on people traffickers, criminals, etc. In the same way that the diversion of FBI resources means less counter-terror operations, less anti-organized crime work, in order to harrass people just trying to work.

submitted 7 days ago • 2 comments

We feed you. They hunt us.

submitted 7 days ago • 1250 comments

Idk man but when the administration that tried to reject humanitarian aid for Los Angeles when it was burning tries to justify their illegal military occupation by saying they aren’t going to let LA burn it kinda sounds like bullshit

submitted 7 days ago • 292 comments

"Immigration attorney Karla Navarrete... said the mass arrests have overwhelmed the system. Databases aren't being updated with arrests, families and lawyers cannot find those who have been detained and when they do the person sometimes is in a different state or has already been deported..."

submitted 7 days ago • 1 comment

🚨ICE Is Out of Control Trump's ICE is using a government built tracker app to hunt down immigrants like they're fugitives from a video game. 3,000 arrests a day. Quotas. Raids. Welcome to quota country. We break it down: youtu.be/6KYPevw7VHY?...

submitted 7 days ago • 30 comments

I guess he doesn't want a repeat of the empty bleachers for his inaugurations. Of course, the compensation is CRYPTO.

submitted 7 days ago • 373 comments