laurel9.bsky.social

Gonna give up on US politics for the evening and go watch Game of Thrones, where there’s at least a moral code.

I kind of can’t believe that Donald J Trump actually tore down the White House.

The 400 richest Americans are now worth a record $6.6 trillion. The entire bottom 50% of America is worth just $4.2 trillion. Read that back. When 400 people control more wealth than half a country’s population, we have a very serious problem.

They’re on track to wrap up Project 2025 in the year 2025, at this rate. Thinking this was the plan all along.

Guys. Guys. We have to stop this.

Fascinating to see Trump supporters—like this IRS accountant who was fired amidst the DOGE gutting—direct all their hatred at Musk rather than blaming Trump. Bringing in Musk as a feral scapegoat for all the public's hatred was the best thing Trump has done for his own public perception.

If America has enough $$$ to purchase Greenland for their minerals to give to a buncha ultra wealthy tech bros then America has enough $$$ to give us all Universal Healthcare. This is a choice.

Just got a tip from a guy at the FAA. You'll never believe who is still getting new government contracts while all the contracts at the Department of Education and USAID and other agencies are being nuked from orbit.

Why is anyone who would use “-tard” in any adult communication allowed anywhere near the White House? Elon is a petulant, spoiled brat of a child.

President Musk’s DOGE has spent $7 million of taxpayers money in the last 2 weeks-.Thats twice the annual salaries and expenses budget of the White House.” rollcall.com/2025/02/04/w...

NEW: An internal email obtained by WIRED from a threat intelligence team monitoring US Treasury systems advised labeling DOGE operatives an "insider threat," adding that it recommended suspending their access "immediately." | www.wired.com/story/treasu...

I'm sorry, but "they took over the whole federal payments system, fired the career staff, and won't let anybody see what they're doing" is not a situation in which you wait for more information. It's a situation in which you assume the worst. There's no explanation for it other than rampant crimes.

An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government. DOGE is not a real government agency. DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions. DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law. DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand.

Finally, yes.

Get them out of government. Most not old enough to be elected to anything. One suspects they are part of Musk’s gaming posse.

Senator Andy Kim just went to the USAID building, talked to the security guard there to confirm employees are being barred entry, and then did a press gaggle right there in front to call it out. This is doing something. This is making an effort on messaging. Other Democratic lawmakers: take notes.

Watching this on repeat how is your day going?

This is why it’s so very important to insist on the rule of law and constitutionality right now. Stop every last thing that can be stopped. Challenge everything.

Once again, a fundamental reason why so many academics despise Trump, Vance, Musk & company is that we’ve all had our share of The Guy Who Didn’t Do The Reading But Demands to Be Heard

We say that people don't notice constitutional regime collapse because it comes on too slowly but I'm not sure how much faster it could be happening; we are literally at concentration camps on day 9.

Wow. Caroline Kennedy breaks her silence on RFK Jr in a message to Senators: “We grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because Bobby himself is a predator. He enjoyed showing off by putting baby chickens & mice in a blender to feed to his hawks.”

Yuuuuuup

I spoke to a talented junior scientist who just got a good faculty job offer in the US and they told me “well I wouldn’t move to 1930s Germany either” so that’s how that’s going

It’s almost as if the problem is nationalism.

You need. To understand. The opposite of fascism. Is democracy.

Do you know what they called Germans in the 1930s who didn't really love Hitler deep in their hearts, but went along with Nazi stuff, and did things like Nazi salutes, because they enjoyed how it upset groups the Nazis targeted and other non-Nazis? Nazis. They called people who did that Nazis.

Military guy I know said, at least we deserve it. 🙄

It’s funny Zuck says “I started building social media to give people a voice” when in fact, he started building social media to publicly rate the hotness of undergrads.

"We need a shared recognition that we are all suffering in wholly preventable, manufactured ways–and that corporations and billionaires are our collective enemies."

Watch how fast they wanna outlaw guns now, just you wait

the frenzy over the hunter biden pardon is a good reminder that the press knows how to make something a scandal and has decided that nothing trump does is truly deserving of that treatment