Antone Johnson

The U.S. Department of Metaphors remains in a constant state of readiness, and no amount of illegal DOGE cutbacks and firings can stop its essential work.

Unfortunately firings have continued at the National Nuclear Safety Administration. I’ve been contacted by an NNSA worker who was fired, then told her termination was paused, then told she was fired again. She says there were numerous others at NNSA treated the same way. These people keep us safe.

Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, with an empowering and emotional speech. "The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here. They point to a group of people who don't look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems"

Two DOGE workers are now at CISA (DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) I've confirmed. Edward Coristine, the 19-yr-old known as Big Balls, and Kyle Schutt, a 37-yr-old software engineer. Marisa Kabas (bsky.app/profile/mari...) was first to report about Coristine. My piece for Wired

yeah the mistake they made was assuming their colleagues would have some bare minimum of professional pride or backbone

Remarkable thread offering guidance to current and prospective NSF grantees about how to navigate the times ahead — from an NSF program officer who was fired in yesterday's DOGE purge (!)

President Zelenskyy has been one of the greatest leaders of our time, guiding Ukraine through the darkest period of its recent history, rising up to Russia’s unwarranted aggression, being an inspiration to the Ukrainian people and ensuring that Ukraine’s voice is heard on the world stage.

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”

With all due respect, Congressman, he’s not trying to distract from anything here. He’s a grandiose pathological narcissist. A narcissistic sociopath. A malignant narcissist. A psychopath. A megalomaniac. This is what he thinks of himself. And what he wants others to think of him.

Really important to point out that part of the reason Russia is gunning for Signal in such an ass-backwards way is that all the normal ways they have to break into communications haven't worked on Signal.

REVEALED: we identified the operator of an overtly racist X account, "GlomarResponder," as ICE Assistant Chief Counsel James Rodden, based on an overwhelming number of biographical details matched through publicly available documents, other social media activity, and courtroom observation.

Trump is now an aide in Russia’s regime change plan for Ukraine. Europeans need to act NOW, not after the German elections, to make sure Ukrainians have an alternative. All the worst came true and there is no other way to put it than that the US is in Russia’s team now.

Who on earth would ever come in at that valuation today given the fundamentals? Serious question.

So many people of the people who can literally afford to be strong are so appallingly, embarrassingly weak.

“She's smart, fearless, and she never speaks in mushy political talking points—she talks like a normal person.” 🎯 @mallorymcmorrow.bsky.social please let me know when you declare for the Senate race. We need you and your voice.

We are literally paying $8-10 a dozen for eggs BECAUSE OF THIS BIRD FLU. Am I hallucinating or wasn’t this a signature campaign issue?

"EIGHT....MILLION....DOLLARS!"

Clowns. 🤡 But clowns wielding flamethrowers, to quote one of @sykescharlie.bsky.social favorite lines.

Ok this is making the rounds and tbc the scale of what is happening to the federal workforce and with impoundment is unprecedented - but I think we need to be really careful about assuming this is going to all hit at once in March or that we know the size of the impact 1/

Adams’s lawyers’ letter actually makes a pretty good case for Hochul to remove him.

NEW: Letter from 900+ former federal prosecutors warns of decisions at Justice Dept "Some of you have been ordered to make charging decisions based expressly on considerations other than the facts & the law, including to serve solely political purposes" www.thejusticeconnection.org/wp-content/u...

The top criminal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington quit today, citing pressure by the Trump administration to open what she viewed as an improper criminal probe of a federal contract. ca.news.yahoo.com/senior-u-pro...

This gives me joy.

If you to send something to friends and family who don't follow the news closely something that'll bring them up to speed, try this @nprfreshair.bsky.social interview with @charliesavage.bsky.social, who has been covering attempts to expand executive power for 30 years. www.npr.org/2025/02/17/g...

There's something happening here.

Hillary Clinton?? What year does Secretary Rip van Winkle think this is?

Big, growing crowd just west of the U.S. Capitol protesting Trump, Musk and DOGE on President’s Day. “Hey Congress, grow a spine,” they shout, gathering for a rally around the reflecting pool.

"Big Journalism’s leaders need to think hard—and fast—about whether they are just presenting facts or actually getting the nightmarish reality across," writes @sulliview.bsky.social in her invaluable newsletter (with kind words for a recent NYT piece.) margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/four-essen...

So prepare for the coup of the century Be prepared for the murkiest scam Meticulous planning Tenacity spanning Decades of denial Is simply why I'll Be king undisputed Respected, saluted And seen for the wonder I am Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared Be prepared

Happy Presidents’ Day! Let’s aim for 100 weird facts about presidents, presidential elections, and maybe even vice presidents. 1. Lincoln and Washington are — as far as I know — the only two presidents to have been sculpted topless. (But please send others if they exist!)

It's very clear he fears him. And he shld. Trump's used to stomping people who have no power to retaliate. Appointees, GOP officeholders, semi-private citizens. Musk's money and his platform give him a vast capacity to retaliate.

The Washington Post refused to run this ad. Sure would be a shame if it went viral.

FT columnist: "It is clear that the US can no longer be regarded as a reliable ally for the Europeans. But the Trump administration’s political ambitions for Europe mean that, for now, America is also an adversary" www.ft.com/content/11f1...

It’s like Musk fancies himself another Frodo. Pay no attention to the Smaug-like fortune he personally hoards.

Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump say it should absolve their child-porn charges, too www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...

From Margaret Sullivan @sulliview.bsky.social: "If the tried-&-true journalistic practices of yesterday—politely presenting 'both sides,' as if autocracy & democracy are roughly equivalent—are not getting the job done, then change them." margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/four-essen... 1/2

The employee is Gavin Kliger. He’s been named by multiple large news orgs. Not sure why NBC won’t.

For both procedural and substantive reasons, the first Trump case to reach #SCOTUS is *not* going to tell us much about where the justices will come down on the rest of them. I lay out all of the reasons why, and the broader background, in today’s “One First”: www.stevevladeck.com/p/125-the-co...

@ilyasomin.bsky.social had similar criticisms at @volokhc.bsky.social @reason.com, E.g., the problems “allegiance” tests would have created for the freed slaves, contrary to the primary purpose of the clause. It’s a dog that didn’t bark, as they say. Highly recommended: reason.com/volokh/2025/...

Just remember, the time between an apparent decisive victory (the destruction of the first Death Star) & an actual decisive victory (the destruction of the second Death Star) was 4 years, during which most of the time life sucked for everyone because the Empire was striking back all over the place.

I dug into the only US source cited by Randy Barnett & Ilan Wurman for their theory - against birthright citizenship - in @nytimes @nytopinion: Edward Bates in 1862. He doubly contradicted their argument: "Birthright Citizenship: The Bates Backfire" shugerblogcom.wordpress.com/2025/02/16/b...

The #TeslaTakedown protestors are right about something big: -Musk is more vulnerable than Trump, and at the moment arguably more dangerous -The way to get to Musk is through his businesses. His power stems from his extreme wealth, and his wealth relies on the *perception* of his companies' value.