Paul Murray

20h

“Ben” is at it again today, sharing his concerns about how Abdul El-Sayed is disrespecting African-Americans. 🧵

20h

As a reminder, the organization behind “Ben” — who is texting me from a different phone number today — is Empowering Black Americans, an organization led by these two people: Herb Shear and Cassie Tinsmon.

Cassie Tinsmon of Dallas, TX, sure seems concerned about who I might vote for in the MI Senate race. I say this because, according to FEC records, she’s the treasurer of the Empowering Black Americans PAC. So, who is Cassie Tinsmon?

I’m guessing that Mr. Shear has genuinely held concerns about Abdul El-Sayed. Which is his right, of course. But I wish he would express those sentiments in his own name, as opposed to presenting his argument while hiding behind some anonymous texter, and clearly implying that he is black.

But no. We have a FL resident with a PAC incorporated in TX trying to impact the outcome of a MI race for the U.S. Senate. I’m not trying to single them out. This is how it works these days, I suppose. But I encourage you to be skeptical and do some research into the political ads you receive.

According to the FEC documents, Mr. Shear is retired and lives in Palm Beach, FL. From a Google search, this appears to be Mr. Shear.

Mr. Shear will be attending something called Eradicate Hate Summit next year.

Either she’s lying in her bio, or she’ll work for any paying customer … which seems, shall we say, inconsistent with her self-description.

It’s not a large PAC; it seems like they don’t even have six figures worth of money. The only donation listed in the FEC paperwork is $25k from a Herbert S. Shear.

This is Cassie Tinsmon.

thehandbasket.co'Tommy' from viral El-Sayed video is former Sen. Hawley staffer with Christian nationalist tiesThomas Teepell is the son of a former long-time Bobby Jindal staffer who's close to Sean Feucht.

She owns Katz Compliance. Her bio claims she has a “commitment to progressive causes and issues.” So why is a PAC she’s involved with trying to get me to NOT vote for a progressive Democratic candidate for the Senate? I can only think of two possible explanations, offhand.

Paul Murray reposted

Marisa Kabas

@marisakabas.bsky.social

SCOOP: 'Tommy' from the now-viral exchange with Abdul El-Sayed is Thomas Teepell, a former staffer for Republican Senator Josh Hawley with close ties to Christian Nationalist Sean Feucht. He's the son of a former Bobby Jindal staffer whose consultant work was instrumental in getting Hawley elected.

According to Social Security, "Donald" was the 217th most popular male baby name in 2000. in 2016, it ranked 489th. In 2025, it ranked 690th. Any ideas why that name has become so unpopular?

hollywoodreporter.comHere’s What Happened Inside the Weirdly Stealth ‘30 Rock’ ReunionLiz, Jack, Tracy and the gang did everything Sunday night from pay tribute to Grizz to make Donaghy-esque jokes about Trump. Also, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tracy sang "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah."

So, apparently there was a 30 Rock 20th anniversary reunion last Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall. It wasn't streamed or recorded, so if you weren't there ... the best you can do is this Hollywood Reporter article. www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/3...

I rarely post links to opinion pieces, since the internet is so full of them. But Nancy Kaffer in today's Detroit Free Press articulates a conclusion that I came to days ago. As the headline puts it, "There is nothing Mike Rogers won't do to beat Abdul El-Sayed." www.freep.com/story/opinio...

freep.comfreep.com

Correction: Her column is from yesterday.

freep.comfreep.com

I'm not a fan of El-Sayed. Of the three Dems vying for the nomination, he was my last choice. I still think Haley Stevens would've been a stronger candidate. But the choice is clear. It was already clear, mind you, but Rogers has made it even more clear.

newyorker.comJeremy Strong Is Not Quite Over ItJeremy Strong on finding sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg, Kendall Roy, and Roy Cohn—and why the New Yorker Profile of him still stings.

I just learned something, and here's my reaction to it. I genuinely mean this as neutrally as possible, not as disguised criticism or praise: I suspect that the fact that Jeremy Strong worked as an assistant to Daniel Day Lewis helps explain a lot of things. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social

Paul Murray reposted

Mrs. Betty Bowers

The major platforms—Facebook, YouTube, and X—are all refusing to show the trailer for the upcoming documentary that eviscerates the ridiculous pest Elon Musk. So I guess we have to do our part to make sure it is seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_8...

youtube.comMusk | Official Trailer | Bleecker StreetYouTube video by Musk

14 Sept

Exasperating moments in web usability, example #32,479: I subscribe to the NYT, but not The Athletic. They send me an email telling me I can read an article for free. I click on it, and the article is blocked because I'm not a subscriber. YOU TOLD ME I could read it. Do better, NYT.

14 Sept

I don't subscribe to The Athletic because I don't care much about sports. I care even less about the Cleveland Browns, but I thought a family member might be interested, and I was going to forward it. Not now. You'd expect this nonsense from some random person, but not from the NYT.

8 Sept

From an article about GA Rep. Mike Collins and his disastrous campaign to replace Sen. Jon Ossoff. Wow, that is an … interesting defense, all right (end of the first paragraph).

youtube.comCoyote vs. ACME | Official TrailerYouTube video by Coyote vs. Acme

3 Sept

Saw Coyote vs. Acme last night. Very funny. You can tell the creators have great affection and respect for the characters. The casting was perfect. Go see it! Oh, and WBD CEO David Zaslav should be embarrassed for dumping it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-43...

Paul Murray reposted

doomsdayscenario.coThe Five Scandals Within the "Air Force One" ScandalDonald Trump, a Catering Truck, and the Qatari "Air Force One" represent a Russian Nesting Doll of Scandal and Corruption

19 Aug

“Does anyone seriously believe that Beatles music will be an unthinkingly accepted part of daily life all over the world in the 2000s?” — British philosopher Bryan Magee, 1967

Paul Murray reposted

Garrett M. Graff

@vermontgmg.bsky.social

12 Aug

The Air Force One catering truck scandal is deeper and darker than the media is portraying it — it’s a Russian nesting doll of corruption and national security threats: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/the-five-s...

Paul Murray reposted

Jake Berman

@lostsubways.com

3 Aug

this is not true. there was no conspiracy. it didn't matter whether the streetcars were publicly owned (seattle, detroit) or private (los angeles, atlanta). a thread (because i wrote a whole-ass book on this): 1/?

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social

Is everyone aware of the General Motors streetcar conspiracy? In the mid-20th century, auto and oil interests bought up electric streetcar systems across the US and systematically replaced them with bus routes and paved roads, funneling commuters toward private cars.

en.wikipedia.orgGeneral Motors streetcar conspiracy - Wikipedia

nytimes.comAdam O’Neal Resigns as Washington Post Opinion EditorAdam O’Neal inherited a mandate from the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, to shift toward “personal liberties and free markets.”

31 July

If karma isn't real, then why did Erik Wemple get to write this story? 🤔 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/b...

Paul Murray reposted

Daniel Benneworth-Gray

@danielgray.com

13 July

Sam Neill on tackling depression and imposter syndrome when you’re between jobs.

24 May

So predictable: To Fox News, the story is not how many people lost their jobs with the end of the Colbert Late Show, but how “bloated” the staff was.

Happy birthday to not one but two legendary composers: Johannes Brahms (1833) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840). Which is kind of an ironic pairing ... (cont'd)

... the two composers met in 1888, enjoyed a genial, boozy dinner, and maintained a respectful, if distant, acquaintance.

listenmusicculture.comWhen Tchaikovsky Met Brahms - Listen. Music + Culturehe Russian composer — born one hundred seventy-five years ago this year — reacted strongly to Brahms, the man and his music

More about their two meetings (mostly the first one): www.listenmusicculture.com/up-close/whe...

Happy birthday to not one but two legendary composers: Johannes Brahms (1833) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840). Which is kind of an ironic pairing ... (cont'd)

I'll let Google AI explain: Brahms respected Tchaikovsky's personal character but found his music unappealing, famously falling asleep during a rehearsal of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. Despite Tchaikovsky viewing Brahms as a "giftless bastard" in private diaries ... (cont'd)

13 Apr

Let me save you the trouble: No matter when you ask, Mike Johnson will not have seen what Donald Trump said about Pope Leo.

en.wikipedia.orgAntonio Vivaldi - Wikipedia

4 Mar

Happy birthday to The Red Priest! Antonio Vivaldi, BOTD in 1648. (That's a wig; his natural hair color was red.) Composer of 500+ concertos, including the four collectively known as The Four Seasons -- possibly the most-recorded piece of classical music ever. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio...

Paul Murray reposted

Ken Klippenstein

@kenklippenstein.bsky.social

8 Feb

Homeland Security is monitoring anti-ICE Reddit posts, an intelligence bulletin leaked to me reveals: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/homeland-s...

kenklippenstein.comHomeland Security Spies on Reddit UsersLeak show feds tracking anti-ICE Reddit users like "Budget-Chicken-2425"

Paul Murray reposted

The Washington Post

@washingtonpost.com

4 Feb

For many Americans, the anonymous ICE officer, masked and armed, represents Homeland Security’s most intimidating instrument, but the agency often targets people in a far more secretive way. Here’s how: https://wapo.st/4bzIcap

27 Jan

Happy birthday to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791). Free plug: SiriusXM's Symphony Hall (Channel 78) is playing nothing but Mozart today until midnight.

18 Jan

Found myself behind a vehicle today with both Trump and Star Trek related stickers. Which surprised me a bit; I imagine the overlap on that Venn diagram would be quite small. But who knows?

axios.comA Christian battle grows over whether empathy is virtue or weakness as the U.S. diversifiesSome call empathy "toxic" as others says it's core to Jesus' teachings

7 Jan

Any bets how CBS News will report today's killing by ICE?

Paul Murray reposted

Axios

@axios.com

30 Nov 2025

Empathy is the new Christian battleground

wsj.comSinclair Takes Stake in E.W. Scripps to Push Takeover DealSinclair believes scale is increasingly necessary in the broadcast TV industry and bought up the stake to pressure Scripps to strike a deal.

17 Nov 2025

WSJ: Sinclair (local TV owners who joined the Kimmel boycott, and who force their stations to run conservative editorials) wants to buy EW Scripps for its TV stations. Not good. Keep the current FCC limits on how big owners can get. (via Reliable Sources) www.wsj.com/business/dea...

en.wikipedia.orgSinclair Broadcast Group - Wikipedia

17 Nov 2025

This is exactly why they jumped on the Kimmel boycott bandwagon, of course: They're sucking up to Trump so that his FCC toady Brendan Carr will let them get bigger and more powerful. All about Sinclair: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclai...

10 Nov 2025

Does it annoy anyone else that Chromebooks don't have a delete key? (Ditto with Macs, but I don't use them very much.) I cannot tell you how many times I have to mouse or cursor forward so that I can backspace to get rid of text that I could do much faster on a Windows (and probably Linux?) PC.

10 Nov 2025

Congratulations to Senate Dems for an unbroken string of feckless posturing.

10 Nov 2025

Senate Dems: Don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Do not cave on the government shutdown. Looking at you, @peters.senate.gov and @slotkin.senate.gov