Mack Butterfield

Mack Butterfield

@mack2114.bsky.social

Retired, liberal, married, atheist. Living blue in deep red Arkansas. Hobbies include golf, camping, travel, grandkids, and fantasy football. My DM’s turned off. Leaders rarely show up announced. They often rise up when you least expect them to.

31.6K followers50.2K following16.4K posts

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The new charges come hours after a judge ruled that the DOJ’s 2025 firing of Comey’s daughter Maurene Comey, a Harvard Law School graduate who was serving as a prosecutor in New York's Manhattan federal office, was unlawful. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

usatoday.comEx-FBI Director James Comey charged in third criminal case from Trump adminFederal officials accused the former FBI director of sharing national defense information. Comey promised to fight the charges.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The administration wasn’t merely defending one personnel decision. It advanced a much broader argument about presidential authority over career prosecutors. Had that argument prevailed, it could have substantially weakened congressional protections against arbitrary dismissals.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Comey alleged she was fired because of her father's long-running tensions with Trump, in violation of laws prohibiting firing civil servants for political reasons and guaranteeing federal employees due process in employment disputes.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Prices can remain stubbornly high long after buyers lose the ability—or willingness—to pay them. And there’s an important distinction between a housing shortage and a shortage of homes people can actually afford. The United States can have both simultaneously.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Capability without adequate oversight creates risk. The appropriate response isn’t to panic about AI. It’s to establish effective controls, audit what these systems actually do, and hold their operators accountable.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

An institution’s responsibility extends far beyond writing checks. Accountability requires exposing the people who committed the abuse and those who enabled or concealed it. That’s where meaningful institutional reform begins.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

$800 million works out to approximately $615,000 per claimant if divided equally. Actual distributions will almost certainly vary according to individual circumstances. The financial magnitude is enormous, but money cannot undo childhood sexual abuse or decades of suffering.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Over the weekend, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company’s Starlink commercial civilian broadband service was restored to its pre-disruption speeds in Ukraine, confirming the company caused the slowdown following more than a week of speculation. apnews.com/article/russ...

apnews.comMusk says he was behind Starlink speed restriction after service in Ukraine is restoredUkraine's access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to previous speeds, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

In addition to Starlink, SpaceX also offers Starshield, a military-grade service for defense applications. But Musk once again insisted this weekend that the Starshield disruptions Ukraine experienced (as opposed to the Starlink disruptions) came not from him, but from the US government.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Over the weekend, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company’s Starlink commercial civilian broadband service was restored to its pre-disruption speeds in Ukraine, confirming the company caused the slowdown following more than a week of speculation. apnews.com/article/russ...

apnews.comMusk says he was behind Starlink speed restriction after service in Ukraine is restoredUkraine's access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to previous speeds, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Musk says Ukraine violated Starlink’s terms by using its civilian network for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian officials dispute that explanation, saying the commercial network cannot support the long-range strikes Musk describes.

Mack Butterfield reposted

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection on Oct. 25, pulling off a stunning comeback to secure a fourth term in office and defeat conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. Trump. www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...

usatoday.comLula wins historic fourth term in Brazil, denying Trump a close allyLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's 80-year-old president, won a historic fourth term, denying President Donald Trump another regional ally.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection on Oct. 25, pulling off a stunning comeback to secure a fourth term in office and defeat conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. Trump. www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...

usatoday.comLula wins historic fourth term in Brazil, denying Trump a close allyLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's 80-year-old president, won a historic fourth term, denying President Donald Trump another regional ally.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Bolsonaro is refusing to concede and wants the election annulled. He is challenging a court-ordered extension of voting hours, although analysts consider a reversal unlikely.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection on Oct. 25, pulling off a stunning comeback to secure a fourth term in office and defeat conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. Trump. www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...

usatoday.comLula wins historic fourth term in Brazil, denying Trump a close allyLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's 80-year-old president, won a historic fourth term, denying President Donald Trump another regional ally.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Brazil isn’t just another Latin American country. It’s the region’s largest economy and most populous nation. That makes Lula’s victory potentially much more consequential than an ordinary election result.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection on Oct. 25, pulling off a stunning comeback to secure a fourth term in office and defeat conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. Trump. www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...

usatoday.comLula wins historic fourth term in Brazil, denying Trump a close allyLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's 80-year-old president, won a historic fourth term, denying President Donald Trump another regional ally.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Lula’s victory denies Trump a new partner in the Western Hemisphere, where the United States has shifted resources and attention with its boat strikes in the Caribbean, military intervention in Venezuela, and formation of the Shield of the Americas security umbrella over the past year.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

A successful economy needs profitable businesses. It also needs customers who can afford their products, workers with sufficient purchasing power, functioning financial institutions, and rules that discourage destructive speculation.

Mack Butterfield reposted

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

A federal judge on Thursday ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11, or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit — unless the discovery period is extended by the presiding judge. apnews.com/article/trum...

apnews.comJudge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11. The order Thursday from U.S.

Mack Butterfield reposted

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

This time around, state governments and lawyers are expecting this shit, and they’re making plans in advance to deal with it. But when all is said and done, Donny’s just going to be on the losing end of a shitload of poorly-written lawsuits, just as he was in 2024. open.substack.com/pub/jefftied...

open.substack.comBoom, there it is: Todd Blanche won’t rule out trying to steal the midtermsThese shitheads will stop at nothing to get their way.

Mack Butterfield reposted

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Amid a “bizarre” federal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s citizenship, Trump called on the Minnesota Democrat to “IMMEDIATELY resign” from her seat. I call on Trump to IMMEDIATELY resign for fraud. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

usatoday.comTrump says Rep. Ilhan Omar should resign 'immediately' amid federal probeAmid a federal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s citizenship, President Trump said the Minnesota Democrat to “IMMEDIATELY resign” from her seat.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

Amid a “bizarre” federal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s citizenship, Trump called on the Minnesota Democrat to “IMMEDIATELY resign” from her seat. I call on Trump to IMMEDIATELY resign for fraud. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

usatoday.comTrump says Rep. Ilhan Omar should resign 'immediately' amid federal probeAmid a federal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s citizenship, President Trump said the Minnesota Democrat to “IMMEDIATELY resign” from her seat.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an unprecedented lawsuit Thursday, effectively calling for Alaska’s Division of Elections to set aside the results of the Senate race if anyone other than incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) wins. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

democracydocket.comDOJ preemptively challenges Alaska election results if Democrat wins Senate race"An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election," the DOJ filing argues.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an unprecedented lawsuit Thursday, effectively calling for Alaska’s Division of Elections to set aside the results of the Senate race if anyone other than incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) wins. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

democracydocket.comDOJ preemptively challenges Alaska election results if Democrat wins Senate race"An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election," the DOJ filing argues.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The Titanic wasn't successfully turned around. It struck an iceberg, sank, and over 1,500 people died. If you're trying to convince Americans that your administration can rescue a struggling economy, comparing it to history's most famous maritime disaster is probably not the strongest sales pitch.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an unprecedented lawsuit Thursday, effectively calling for Alaska’s Division of Elections to set aside the results of the Senate race if anyone other than incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) wins. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

democracydocket.comDOJ preemptively challenges Alaska election results if Democrat wins Senate race"An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election," the DOJ filing argues.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The most troubling feature is its conditional nature: the requested intervention depends on whether the administration's preferred candidate loses. That creates a serious appearance of partisan enforcement, even without establishing that the court will grant the request.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an unprecedented lawsuit Thursday, effectively calling for Alaska’s Division of Elections to set aside the results of the Senate race if anyone other than incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) wins. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

democracydocket.comDOJ preemptively challenges Alaska election results if Democrat wins Senate race"An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election," the DOJ filing argues.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The lawsuit has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. It’s unclear whether it can survive motions to dismiss, given the speculative nature of the claims.

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an unprecedented lawsuit Thursday, effectively calling for Alaska’s Division of Elections to set aside the results of the Senate race if anyone other than incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) wins. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

democracydocket.comDOJ preemptively challenges Alaska election results if Democrat wins Senate race"An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election," the DOJ filing argues.
Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The lawsuit was filed the same day that Attorney General Todd Blanche downplayed concerns that the DOJ would sue states to block certification, suggesting that would only happen in a “doomsday scenario.”

Mack Butterfield
@mack2114.bsky.social

The Trump administration’s brazen disregard for the judiciary is shattering the longstanding norm that judges assume Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys are operating in good faith. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

democracydocket.com‘Furious’ judges are tired of assuming Trump administration’s good faithThe Trump administration’s brazen disregard for the judiciary is shattering the longstanding norm that judges assume Department of Justice attorneys are operating in good faith.