John Sipher

John Sipher

@johnsipher.bsky.social

Former CIA clandestine service. Spycraft Entertainment, Atlantic Council, NAFO. Host of Mission implausible podcast. Friend of dogs everywhere. Jimothy welcome here!

75.3K followers866 following7.9K posts

John Sipher
@johnsipher.bsky.social

“Rather than simply push false claims at his rallies or target voters his administration claims should not be on the rolls, Mr. Trump moved to pre-emptively challenge the certification of Alaska’s Senate election if the Republican candidate narrowly loses.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/25/u...

nytimes.comTrump’s Election Attacks Enter New Pre-emptive PhaseA lawsuit by the Justice Department challenging a potential narrow loss by the G.O.P. Senate incumbent in Alaska reflects a new tactic by the president to try to shape the election results.
John Sipher
@johnsipher.bsky.social

"Some very old political convictions sit alongside its youthful symbolism, particularly regarding Russia, Kosovo and Europe. That gives Moscow an opening to preserve its influence after the defeat of the man it has dealt with for so many years." www.kyivpost.com/opinion/88200

kyivpost.comVučić’s Defeat Is Not Yet a Victory for Serbia’s European FutureThe victory in Serbia of the Student List raises many questions for the country’s future and its relationship with Ukraine.

John Sipher reposted

Scott Galloway
@profgalloway.com

Back at it with @hcrichardson.bsky.social on Tuesday,,, we'll discuss: - Trump's sinking approval ratings and the decline of MAGA - Last-minute predictions for the Midterms - The massive amount of spending by the GOP - Trump and Elon's collusion with Putin - And more

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Josh Zingher
@zingherpolisci.bsky.social

The speed with which so many execs cozied up to this authoritarian says more about their revealed preferences than long term strategic thinking. They saw a chance for what they saw as a "business friendly" autocrat and oligarchic consolidation and jumped at it.

Quinta Jurecic@qjurecic.bsky.social

if only there had been a way to predict this might happen based on nearly every midterm election cycle in modern american political history

washingtonpost.comPowerful executives cozied up to Trump. Now they fear a reckoning.Firms that aligned with the president are preparing for a political pendulum swing — and a potential barrage of investigations.

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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
@lastweektonight.com

This week’s main story is about how more and more white nationalists, antisemites, and Nazi sympathizers seem to be integrating into the Republican Party, how some of them are currently running for office, and how old you can be for JD Vance to consider you “a very young boy.”

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jamelle
@jamellebouie.net

the DOJ is basically acting as if the president’s delusions are true

Steve Vladeck@stevevladeck.bsky.social

“The Department of Justice is putting its formidable thumb on next week’s elections in a way that seems clearly intended to call into question the legitimacy of any result that is especially unfavorable to Republicans—before those results have even come in.” Me on DOJ’s California and Alaska suits:

stevevladeck.com259. DOJ’s Preemptive Election InterferenceThe Trump administration's California and Alaska suits are losers. But it’ll be hard to remedy the distrust in election results they seem intended to sow.

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Aaron Rupar
@atrupar.com

This is just pure racism. Republicans objectively are campaigning on little more than bigotry.

John Sipher reposted

Aaron Rupar
@atrupar.com

Trump says Alaska’s ballot is illegal because people don’t know what “incumbent” means

John Sipher
@johnsipher.bsky.social

Nice start to a story… “Within sight of a southeast Texas middle school stands a chemical plant that President Trump excused from new federal rules intended to curb its cancer-causing pollution.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

nytimes.comHow Trump Gave the Worst Polluters a Free Pass (Gift Article)The president temporarily waived clean-air rules for industrial facilities that spew cancer-causing gases. Then his appointees worked to gut the regulations altogether.
John Sipher
@johnsipher.bsky.social

“Trump, who has cut U.S. aid to Ukraine by 99 percent, is sending American money to the Kremlin — and therefore to a Russian war machine that the United Nations says is killing Ukrainian civilians at a ‘new horrifying level.”’ www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/w...

nytimes.comUkraine’s Feeling of Moral Whiplash at the Hands of TrumpThe United States once declared that Ukraine’s fight was the front line in a global battle for freedom. Now the Trump administration is sending money to Moscow.

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Peter Baker
@peterbakernyt.bsky.social

“It’s not only unlawful, but it’s not in the US interest to have Russian technology controlling the commercialization of Arctic gas in the North Slope,” says ex-Polar LNG CEO who quit after discovering secret Russian funding. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/u...

nytimes.comIn U.S. Gas Talks With Kremlin, Hidden Financing for Alaska Project EmergesInterviews and documents show a Russian energy giant secretly funded a U.S. firm. The deal has been discussed in talks to end the war in Ukraine.
John Sipher
@johnsipher.bsky.social

Wouldn’t be easier to just let Ukraine win?

Anton Gerashchenko@antongerashchenko.bsky.social

As expected, talks on ending Russia's war against Ukraine have shifted to talks on a new division of Europe. In his statement on 22 October, Putin said that future negotiations should determine guarantees for Russia as well as the broader rules of European security.

John Sipher reposted

Morgan J Freeman
@mjfree.bsky.social

REPORTER: "Amy Acton's stepfather was indicted for rape. Now that you know all that, sir, do you change your mind about the ad?" TRUMP: "No. I don't care."

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Ambassador Luis G. Moreno (ret)
@ambassadormoreno.bsky.social

Musk has dropped nearly half a billion into state races. Russia is stepping up covert bot operations against Democrats. Musk keeps impeding Starlink to protect Moscow and kill Ukrainian civilians. Seems to me- it’s all connected.

John Sipher reposted

🗽LOLGOP🗽
@lolgop.bsky.social

The worst shit Republicans have done hasn't even really hit yet.

David Dayen@ddayen.bsky.social

The Trump cuts are going to blow an $80-$100 million hole in the budget. Every solution to fill that hole has hurdles. What the hospital is faced with, strategizing on its very survival, is being replicated across the country. prospect.org/2026/10/23/h...

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Jennifer Shin - WTAF
@jennifershin.bsky.social

Omg...this is horrific. “So Much Worse Than People Realize”: Never-Before-Seen Images Reveal Damage at U.S. Bases as Troops Describe Being Abandoned open.substack.com/pub/meidasto...

open.substack.com“So Much Worse Than People Realize”: Never-Before-Seen Images Reveal Damage at U.S. Bases as Troops Describe Being AbandonedService members, contractors, and military families share photos, videos, and firsthand accounts of the Iran war that they say the Pentagon has kept from the American public

John Sipher reposted

Ron Filipkowski
@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social

Trump ran for president to give himself immunity from his many crimes, increase his net worth exponentially by obscenely profiting off the presidency, and ensure that he could get away with cheating on his taxes in the past, present and future. Oh, and to build a ballroom.

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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸
@gtconway.bsky.social

In 2020, Jared Kushner was senior advisor to the president of the United States, a full-time employee of the United States government, and was subject to numerous disclosure requirements and ethical restrictions under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.

Vanity Fair@vanityfair.com

Jared Kushner’s Hacked Phone Revealed His Secret Negotiations—Including More Than $700 Million In Transfers

vanityfair.comThe Art of the Deal: Jared Kushner’s Hacked Phone Revealed More Than $700 Million in TransfersAn exclusive excerpt from ‘Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East’ examines how bank accounts linked the president’s son-in-law—and former sen...

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Kevin M. Kruse
@kevinmkruse.bsky.social

Glad to see more Democrats recognizing that if Elon Musk donates to your opponent, it is an absolute *gift* to you as long as you draw attention. He's a deeply unpopular, dorky white supremacist asshole who's using his billions to try and buy off politicians. Light. Him. Up.

Cait Conley@caitfornewyork.bsky.social

Elon Musk just poured half a million dollars into this race to try to keep his puppet Mike Lawler in office, just like he did back in 2024. But the Hudson Valley can’t be bought. Mike Lawler has sold out to his trillionaire and corporate backers at our expense —

John Sipher
@johnsipher.bsky.social

Correct

Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social

All these so-called “independent” Republicans will go right back to voting for Johnson as speaker, confirm every Trump nominee, vote with Trump on everything, and continue doing zero oversight on his corrupt regime. A vote for any one of them is a vote to continue all of that.

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Fred Wellman
@fpwellman.bsky.social

If you were waiting for your sign to donate to an insurgent campaign for Congress in Missouri...this is your sign. I'm current polling 5 points ahead of 14 yr incumbent Ann Wagner in a seat held by the GOP for 34 years. I need you now. We can take this across the finish line and change Missouri.

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Garrett M. Graff
@vermontgmg.bsky.social

This election is putting into sharp relief how the entire GOP strategy is about ensuring as many people as possible can’t vote. At its most basic level, democracy is about voting. Support the party that supports voting. That’s the table stakes of democracy.

NBC News@nbcnews.com

BREAKING: Supreme Court rules student IDs can’t be used to vote in New Hampshire, a win for the GOP in a Senate battleground.

nbcnews.toSupreme Court says New Hampshire student IDs can’t be used to vote in NovemberThe high court said a federal judge should not have changed the rules so close to the Nov. 3 election by blocking guidance issued by New Hampshire’ secretary of state.

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Hoodlum 🇺🇸
@nothoodlum.bsky.social

Attorney Thomas Henry donated more than half a million dollars to help Paxton in the primary earlier this year against Sen. John Cornyn, but he posted this video today announcing his jaw-dropping flip in support of Talarico.