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

As Vance launches into theological rationales for his views on the cosmic nature of the universe (or AI), it seems sometimes that he isn't auditioning to be next President, but rather auditioning to be the next Pope.

submitted 4 hours ago • 0 comments

As Trump acts like an emperor, overseeing a polity he is making unstable, mimicking the twilight of Rome , he relies on DOGE, who act as his Pretorian Guard -- there to enforce his will. History show Pretorian Guards weren't kind to emperors.

submitted 4 hours ago • 0 comments

Revisiting the Foreign Emoluments Clause. constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay...

submitted 14 hours ago • 0 comments

'In response to what Vance called “pushback” following his Paris address that he was not attentive enough to the disruptive effects of AI—including joblessness—he defended and doubled-down on his remarks through appeals to his Catholic faith.' www.lawfaremedia.org/article/vanc...

submitted 14 hours ago • 0 comments

These Bernie rallies may stanch the churn in progressive circles and keep the money following to progressive causes. But they are essentially echo-chamber events that do nothing to bring non-progessives into a united front against MAGA. MAGA won't be defeated at the ballot box this way.

submitted 14 hours ago • 1 comment

People have a choice where they shop based on their values. afro.com/black-women-...

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

I'm finally starting to figure out Bluesky

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Voice of American staff, guardians of the truth, sue Kari Lake, election-denying promoter of censorship. Let's cheer on the VOA staff as they fight censorship and disinformation by the Trump administration. www.npr.org/2025/03/21/n...

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"The use of the technology is nefarious in these contexts for a number of reasons, not least of all because it can be used to take the blame off Trump's anti-woke enforcers when they get caught doing something beyond the pale even by their standards." futurism.com/pentagon-ai-...

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

So many federal employees have guts by exposing the illegal actions of DOGE and Trump. "disclosing the chaos caused by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, for many, outweighs the risks that come with leaking." www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

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It turns out Amazon also wants to decide what's constitutional. Dangerous goods aren't their problem (though they are happy to see them to you.) The only freedom they care about is freedom for oligarchy.

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Democrats aren't gaining popularity from Trump's chaos. They are suffering because of their own chaos.

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Columbia agrees to surrender autonomy and be micromanaged by the Trump administration. Columbia has done plenty of things wrong it should have correct before now. But they can't correct mistakes if they surrender control. They are now just a tool of the administration.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

The Trump administration is now saying a Recession is a good thing. And some more good news about the rising price of eggs.... www.axios.com/2025/03/20/e...

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One of the many reasons Google needs to be broken up: they are now trying to force users to save passwords with them, whether or not individuals want to do so.

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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: "Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month, my mother-in-law wouldn't call and complain. She just wouldn't."

submitted 2 days ago • 758 comments

Tesla showroom From the new Private Eye, out now.

submitted 3 days ago • 15 comments

Musk is a bona fide panda-hugger. His loyalties are suspect, and he's easily blackmailed because of his financial vulnerability in China.

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

Maybe giving this guy access to the top-secret U.S.-China war plans isn’t the best idea in the world.

submitted 2 days ago • 128 comments

More evidence, as if we needed it, that Tim Walz is clueless. "Trump might be doing us a favor. He stripped it down, he blew the motor up. We’re going to put a new motor in it and take off. " Walz's argument: Blowing up the government is a favor to us. Thank you, Republicans.

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

Courage - let's acknowledge when we need to own our words and make conversations more precise.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Smart money is making billions by shorting Telsa. $TSLA is a burning platform www.ft.com/content/2f48...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Spring is here -- even in DC. Cherry blossoms coming soon. At least they can't take that away, this year at least. www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-n...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

There's way too much mind reading happening in political matters. The only thing that does matter is what you say and do, not what you hope others think you want to do but haven't figured out how to do effectively.

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Turns out that Secretary of Commerce Lutnik is a lousy pitchman, in addition to be criminal for promoting a private company's stock. www.axios.com/2025/03/20/t...

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Telsa trucks: unsafe any any speed. apnews.com/article/cybe...

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The NYT invites its readers to "meet" the new neighbor and have coffee with him.

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Trump's assault on #Columbia is more sweeping than Joseph McCarthy's. But Columbia's board is ready to a hostile takeover, and is not even guaranteed that they'll get back their funding or that there won't be further demands. It's becoming obvious they are limousine liberals after all.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

This is what "Trump Derangement Syndrome" looks like: journalists trying to understand the motivations of a psychopath. Writers at the Atlantic and elsewhere should report on what Trump says and does, not why he might do these things. We don't care why is a broken person.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

"Columbia University is getting close to yielding to President Trump’s demands in negotiations to restore $400 million in federal funding." Columbia is enabling authoritarian to save its endowment. It has so many billions, which it should use to challenge Trump. www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

Seriously folks, the US has been upended, and that unpleasant news is meeting strong denial. What's happening now is much more profound than Covid, which shut down all kinds of activity. When folks say things aren't "normal", they downplay how dramatically the baseline has shifted.

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

Most famous American medical malpractice lawyer, RFK Jr, espouses malpractice. Let the bird virus spread. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/h...

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Pam Bondi says destroying #Tesla assets is "terrorism." Is this what she's talking about: The missing $1.4 billion from Tesla's books? Financial Times reports: "Compare Tesla’s capital expenditure ... $1.4bn appears to have gone astray."

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

Ok, the criticism crushed this for now, but let's not forget it was said. US DOD officials sounding like they are employed by the North Korean government. www.snopes.com/fact-check/d...

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The artless of the deal www.semafor.com/article/03/1...

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Go Czechia! Go Ukraine! www.dw.com/en/why-czech...

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Russia demands to keep captured territory The new Private Eye is out now

submitted 4 days ago • 38 comments

TikTok is driving protests at Republican Town Halls. What happens when Trumpy Larry Ellison buys it?

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Schumer: "I don't think we have an authenticity problem" "We have a real direction now. I feel good about it." Seriously? What do you stand for these days as our democracy is under assault? Where's the Red Line?

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Democrats need to reboot - just 11 percent of independents have positive views of Democrats - the vast majority of voters — 69 percent — say Democrats were "too focused on being politically correct," while 51 percent said the party is "elitist." via Politico

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Nixon directed the Watergate break-in. Trump directed the Capitol break-in on January 6. Again today, Trump directed a DOGE to break into an independent agency. Criminals are on the streets of DC. www.wusa9.com/article/news...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

"If a president doesn’t want to counter Russian disinformation, there is no reason to broadcast high-quality news in Russian. In fact, doing so is counterproductive. People might believe it." www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Why does Trump and his bagman, Mark Green, want to abolish the Wilson Center? Because it tells the truth about Russia. www.wilsoncenter.org/program/kenn...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

The Mellon Foundation’s recent $35 million commitment to jazz preservation celebrates the many ways #jazz is shaping American society events.mellon.org/americanjazz...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments