Evan Plainfield

Evan Plainfield

@evanplainfield.bsky.social

Documenting the new American oligarchy. Writing to restore democratic power. Weekly essays on @Medium about money, power, and the fight for real democracy.

174 followers301 following228 posts

Nothing says 'America First' like shutting down cyber defenses against the country that attacked our elections. But don’t worry, I’m sure this is all just 4D chess and not, you know, treason in plain sight.

Absolutely horrific. This wasn’t just a crime—it was an act of pure, calculated cruelty. Sam Nordquist deserved a life of safety and dignity, not this unimaginable brutality. Anyone still denying the real-world consequences of escalating anti-trans rhetoric needs to wake up.

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com

Five people have been charged with second degree murder over the death of Sam Nordquist, 24, who police say was tortured for more than a month in a case that investigators described as “beyond depraved.”

The Trump admin was forced to restore critical health websites but couldn’t resist slapping a digital scarlet letter on them first. Nothing says 'small government' like using federal agencies to shame vulnerable people.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen.bsky.social

The Trump admin has posted stigmatizing notes at the top of CDC, HHS and FDA websites it's been forced by a judge to restore. These include websites for people struggling with mental health issues. www.404media.co/trump-admin-...

RFK Jr. isn’t "controversial." He’s a conspiracy theorist whose lies have cost lives. Putting him in charge of public health isn’t just reckless. It’s catastrophic. This isn’t about policy. It’s about dismantling science itself all because he brought Trump 5% of his voters.

Step 1: Cut funding. Step 2: Fire the watchdog. Step 3: Call it ‘efficiency.’ Step 4: Profit.

Alt National Park Service@altnps.bsky.social

Paul Martin, the inspector general for the USAID, has been fired after resisting the administration. Just a day ago, his office released a report warning that staff reductions and spending freezes put hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars at risk of misuse and waste. This is the way.

Nothing says ‘limited government’ like tracking every keystroke of the people still allowed to work.

Katie Phang@katiephang.bsky.social

“Those employees who remain are being warned to expect their actions to be surveilled, from their swipes into government facilities to the keystrokes they type on their computers.” Definite Big Brother energy here. www.npr.org/2025/02/11/n...

When you can't legally eliminate an agency, you can still break its quorum. Notice the pattern: 300+ labor cases now frozen at Tesla, Amazon, Starbucks. Institutional paralysis through strategic vacancy - power's favorite workaround since 1935.

Reuters Legal@legal.reuters.com

A former NLRB member sued President Trump, alleging she was illegally fired from the federal government agency. Gwynne Wilcox, said in a lawsuit that her firing last week violated the National Labor Relations Act reut.rs/4hKiXC3

Notice how institutional resistance forms: 20 lawsuits challenging 11 executive orders, legislation targeting Treasury access, oversight hearings. When power moves fast, the bureaucratic battlefield becomes terrain for constitutional conflict.

Sahil Kapur@sahilkapur.bsky.social

New Hakeem Jeffries letter to colleagues: "As we prepare to come back into session tomorrow, House Democrats will continue to push back against the far-right extremism that is being relentlessly unleashed on the American people."

Pardons aren't just about individual cases - they're about reshaping institutional accountability. When power selectively absolves political violence but can't shield from criminal negligence, we see where system priorities truly lie.

The New York Times@nytimes.com

A woman who was pardoned by President Trump for her role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced this week to 10 years in prison for driving drunk and killing a passenger in another car, nearly a year after the riot.

When veteran journalists name tyranny explicitly, they're speaking from inside knowledge of the system. These aren't partisan warnings - they're institutional alarms. The machinery of power is visible from the newsroom floor.

MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com

Jim Acosta's closing message is a must-watch.

Evan Plainfield reposted

Jim Acosta's closing message is a must-watch.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Jim Acosta announces on air that he's leaving CNN and says, "it is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant ... don't give in to the lies."

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Trump demanding an apology from a bishop for a sermon on mercy? It’s giving Sadducees demanding validation from Jesus & John the Baptist while clinging to power. The parallels write themselves.

Important reminder from @ocasio-cortez.house.gov : Rights don’t stop at mass deportations. Protect yourself and others. Know the difference between judicial and non-judicial warrants. Stay informed. 🛑🏠 #ImmigrantRights

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez@ocasio-cortez.house.gov

You do NOT have to speak to ICE without a JUDICIAL warrant. If they attempt to enter your home or your workplace, ask for a warrant. Sometimes they will try to use other, non qualifying paperwork. They need a warrant. (2/3)

Between 1870-1890, America glittered with opportunity, but the richest 1% owned 51% of wealth while child labor and tenement living defined the rest. The parallels to today's billionaires & tech monopolies are undeniable. #HistoryRepeats

Power has its own rituals - and its own symbolism. A CEO-flanked president declining the Bible isn't rejecting tradition; he's signaling whose gospel really matters in our tech oligarchy. Markets surge as the message lands. #TechIndustrialComplex Link: www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

wsj.comTrump Takes Oath Without Touching BiblePresident Trump took the oath of office, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, without his hand on his Bible. However, the Constitution doesn’t specify that a Bible must be used—simply that the ...

The symbolism couldn't be clearer: As tech billionaires surround the presidential dais today, we're witnessing the perfect visualization of what Biden just warned about - the merger of political and technological power into a 'tech industrial complex.' (1/5) #TechIndustrialComplex #AmericanOligarchy

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Today's ceremony makes visible what's been building for years: a new form of oligarchic control that would make the robber barons envious. They didn't just capture the railroads - they've captured reality itself. (4/5)

The symbolism couldn't be clearer: As tech billionaires surround the presidential dais today, we're witnessing the perfect visualization of what Biden just warned about - the merger of political and technological power into a 'tech industrial complex.' (1/5) #TechIndustrialComplex #AmericanOligarchy

These tech leaders don't just control wealth - they control the infrastructure of modern democracy itself: our communications, our data, our digital public square. Now they stand literally alongside political power. (3/5)

The symbolism couldn't be clearer: As tech billionaires surround the presidential dais today, we're witnessing the perfect visualization of what Biden just warned about - the merger of political and technological power into a 'tech industrial complex.' (1/5) #TechIndustrialComplex #AmericanOligarchy