David Litt

After filming federal agents in her community, Elinor Hilton faced threats from agents saying they'd come to her house & put her on a watchlist. Read @davidlitt.bsky.social 's coverage of our case on behalf of Hilton and why it matters for every American seeking to bear witness to gov abuses.

If a politician’s words aren’t clear enough to be taken literally, it’s dangerous to take them seriously. open.substack.com/pub/dlitt/p/...

"This is 'catch and kill' but for a media organization...we're seeing people buy up media organizations to dismantle them knowing that the president is going to think that that's a favor." @davidlitt.bsky.social and @stephruhle.bsky.social discuss the massive layoffs at the Washington Post.

"It's the idea that your prices are going up, that you are doing worse than ever, while the richest people in human history are doing better than ever." @davidlitt.bsky.social and @stephruhle.bsky.social discuss how Democrats should be talking about the economy on the #Nightcap.

In Opinion “The United States is cutting off the kind of foreign aid that keeps children alive for 12 cents a day, but it’s willing to invest far larger sums in a dubious effort to prop up a distant economy — while effectively subsidizing tycoons who made bad investments,” Nicholas Kristof writes.

I just finished #reading this #book: #ThanksObama by #DavidLitt. Kinda grabbed this on a whim while looking for a different book by him. This was a fun read & a nice reminder of better times. I'm looking forward to reading other books by @davidlitt.bsky.social. #Obama #Booksky #ReadingIsDelicious

Terrific piece by @davidlitt.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/o...

Parts of President Trump’s eulogy for Charlie Kirk were very carefully written. That’s what made them so alarming. My latest for @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/o...

Wrote for @thedailybeast.bsky.social about why Trump’s crackdown might backfire - and what all of us can do to help make that happen. (It starts with cancelling your Disney+ and Hulu subscription until Kimmel’s back on the air.) www.thedailybeast.com/crackdowns-c...

I’m cancelling my Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions. I look forward to resuming them when Disney reverses course and puts Kimmel back on the air.

BREAKING: In Atlanta, GOP operatives are trying to strong-arm Fulton County into installing two far-right activists on Georgia’s LARGEST elections board Both have ties to the national voter suppression machine & a record of undermining confidence in our elections This can't fly under the radar

Tune in to #AnHonorableProfession to learn from @davidlitt.bsky.social on the difference between common ground and neutral ground, and to hear from his recent book, It’s Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground 🎧 buff.ly/pb4IwHh

Trump has flooded the zone with autocratic acts But we @democracydefendersfund.org are pushing back with rule of law shock & awe like our 7 FOIAs for the Trump-Epstein files We have more than 100 legal matters and we aren’t slowing down as I explained @msnbc.com

“It's really hard to find a winner and that goes back to the idea of a Trump tax. We are all paying for his ego, we’re all paying for his political power trips.” ‪@davidlitt.bsky.social‬ on President Trump’s erratic and volatile stewardship of the U.S. economy.

Trump firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because his tariffs are killing jobs is the ultimate “this scale must be defective” of economic policy.

One of my fav THE BACK ROOM chats bc it's about the good, bad & ugly of life & how to surf thru it & ride the wave to happiness. Author @davidlitt.bsky.social & I discuss his terrific new book, a blueprint for finding common ground in our toxic political landscape podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

TONIGHT: Democrats invoke rarely used federal law to force DOJ to release ‘Epstein files’-White House announces trade deal with South Korea-Senate panel advances bill banning congressional stock trading @stephruhle.bsky.social @pbump.com @drjasonjohnson.bsky.social @davidlitt.bsky.social

Author & former White House speechwriter @davidlitt.bsky.social joined @deanobeidallah.bsky.social, reacting to Trump's labeling of Barack Obama as "treasonous". LISTEN: siriusxm.us/Dean

IT’S ONLY DROWNING on the Today Show! Including some embarrassing surf related mix ups and plenty of wipeout footage. www.today.com/video/david-...

“You can see him grasping at straws” @davidlitt.bsky.social reacts to Trump’s absurd, baseless claim that former President Obama stole the 2016 election.

The U.S. government cannot disappear people without due process and leave them languishing in CECOT That’s why we at @democracydefendersfund.org, with LULAC, have filed on behalf of Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel This kind of conduct has nothing to do with the American Constitution or our values

I had a conversation with @davidlitt.bsky.social yesterday that I think is really important for anyone looking for hope about how we get through this particular political moment. We covered surfing, bad faith, fear and common ground.

The distance between what is in happening Gaza, fully backed with US dollars and political support, and the reaction of American politicians who by and large just don’t seem to care or support it is just completely brain-breaking. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/w...

He could’ve just gone to the Hallmark store and gotten a card with Garfield on it, and signed his name on Garfield’s crotch like a normal person. But he had to make it weird.

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

“Elon is God… in the MAGA Coalition.” Obama’s former speechwriter David Litt @davidlitt.bsky.social joins @mehdirhasan.bsky.social to discuss how Elon Musk’s party could affect the democratic vote. Watch the full interview on zeteo.com: zeteo.com/p/elon-is-go...

Breaking news: “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, CBS said in a statement. The announcement came days after Colbert spoke out against the $16 million paid earlier this month by Paramount, the parent company of CBS News.

An UNPRECEDENTED 75 former Federal judges signed on to a letter opposing Bove’s nomination The Senate must listen to the experts. The rule of law is at stake. I explained @msnbc.com

“[Democrats] are just giving people candidates they don't want.” Obama’s former speechwriter @davidlitt.bsky.social tells @mehdirhasan.bsky.social that the Democratic Party overlooks Zohran Mamdani’s charisma. Watch the full video: zeteo.com/p/elon-is-go...

New episode of Lowlights is LIVE🚨🌊This week @davidlitt.bsky.social joins us to talk Obama speeches, surfing fails, & his new book It’s Only Drowning. 📺 Full convo on @lowlightspodcast.bsky.social w/ hosts Gevin Reynolds & Dave Cavell 🔗 Watch it here: youtu.be/UtnmUXxEtWA

New episode of Lowlights TOMORROW AT 11AM ET🚨 @davidlitt.bsky.social joins us to talk speech fails, surf fails, surviving the pandemic & his new book "It's Only Drowning." 📺 Full convo tmw on @lowlightspodcast.bsky.social w/ hosts Gevin Reynolds & Dave Cavell

I hope they animate all the live actions because why not

Paramount has settled Trump’s frivolous suit, apparently to gain FCC approval for a big transaction This isn’t just capitulation—it’s a sale of journalistic integrity that invites more legal attacks on the free press We must fight this dangerous precedent

This is how you do it and huge credit to Selzer and @thefireorg.bsky.social for having more courage, patriotism, and legal skill than Paramount and its lawyers. The First Amendment is worth fighting for.

Surfing, politics & finding common ground! Michael chats with former Obama speech writer @davidlitt.bsky.social about "It's Only Drowning", his new book on unexpected friendships through surf lessons, and bridging America's divide. Listen to the #bookclub #podcast 📖 loom.ly/w1hBbWM

Coming up on the @deanobeidallah.bsky.social show: @amandamarcotte.bsky.social and @davidlitt.bsky.social 'What Just Happened?!' with @petedominick.bsky.social and Maureen Langan! Plus your 2 Minutes Of Fame! ☎️: 866-997-4748 🔊: SiriusXM.us/Dean

open.substack.com/pub/contrari... @davidlitt.bsky.social and I but sadly not Emily the dog will be at Politics & Prose Sat at 5 pm. See the local Contrarians there!

TONIGHT: Trump says U.S. & Iranian officials will meet next week-senior DOJ official testifies to Congress following allegations-& Media Matters sues FTC to block investigation @stephruhle.bsky.social @nayyeroar.bsky.social @davidgura.bsky.social @stuartpstevens.bsky.social @davidlitt.bsky.social

My copy of @davidlitt.bsky.social’s new book arrived today. 🏄‍♂️ Get your own here: www.simonandschuster.com/books/Its-On...

@davidlitt.bsky.social provides some guidance on one way to manage the state of the world. time.com/7296462/surf...

Can't find common ground with the Joe Rogan superfan in your life? If Obama's speechwriter can do it, so can you (probably)! Check out "It's Only Drowning" by @davidlitt.bsky.social available today at @peoplesbooktakoma.com!

Beat the heat with a book (and air conditioning)! We've got the week's best below, feat. Lisa Jewell, @meganabbott.bsky.social, Amy Bloom, @robwhart.bsky.social, Leila Mottley, @davidlitt.bsky.social, @hesterbfox.bsky.social, @christinahillsberg.bsky.social, and more! #books #BookSky

I see we’ve reached the “I will turn this car around right now!” phase of looming World War III

It’s Only Drowning comes out tomorrow - which means that you have just a few more hours to enter our FINAL Goodreads giveaway and win a free copy! www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...

So glad we’ve diverted counterterrorism specialists to focus on the urgent threat of rounding up law abiding immigrants at the Home Depot. www.newsnationnow.com/world/war-in...

Of course I’m hoping for peace. But history - including really recent history - suggests that when you bomb people they don’t just capitulate.

IT’S ONLY DROWNING in today’s @theguardian.com! Check out the profile, and pick up the book when it comes out on Tuesday. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...