Scott Witte

“.. ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way,’ Mr. Carr said, mob-boss style. .. It’s a shame Mr. Carr won’t defend ABC’s free-speech rights today.” @wsj.com $DIS www.wsj.com/opinion/disn...

We have this billboard driving around Cleveland today urging Sen. Husted and Sen. Moreno to do the right thing and #BlockBlanche

President Trump is an unimpressive person. He had no real intellect even before his cognitive faculties began to decline. His real estate career was mediocre at best; and he inherited most of it from his father before going bankrupt multiple times. trib.al/ji49PE1

Another late night in the fight for democracy. Thanks to everyone who has supported Democracy Docket. If you haven't yet signed up, now would be a great time to do so. demdock.com/4w6emld

An obscure Texas firm secretly connected to Donald Trump Jr. said it received at least $100 million from Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. At the same time, the Ambani family secured major policy wins from the Trump administration. (Published June)

“I’m a superstitious man. If Democrats should lose the midterms, if DSA candidates drive away independent voters, or if progressives stay home over Gaza, or if Jeffries is struck by lightning then I am going to blame some of the people on Bluesky. And that I do not forgive.”

Is this an “Iran is begging for a deal” day, or an “I’m going to bomb them at levels not seen since WWII” day? Sometimes it can be hard to keep up.

Rand Paul’s behavior today and basically always is a reminder that while his neighbors behavior was unacceptable and correctly punished befire law the guy probably had good reason to go off on Rand. Just a thoroughly repulsive human being.

"Reversing course on measles would require a nationwide push to improve vaccination rates, a prospect that experts said seemed unlikely under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. " www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/w...

Trump's attacks in the 2020 election was mostly about mail-in voting. The GOP's attacks in 2022 were via massive state voter suppression laws. Their attacks in 2024 were to prevent certification of Biden/Harris. In 2026, they are trying to obtain and weaponize state voter data.

Two more Americans dead, one missing. The president must tell Congress why he’s gambling with the lives of U.S. service members. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

Timothy Snyder, describing America's descent into lawlessness and authoritarian fascism under Trump.

So @jonswaine.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com has seen hundreds of documents containing evidence that Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence, was directed throughout her career by the leader of the cult she grew up in www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Bari Weiss and the rest of MAGA never wanted to end “cancel culture.” They wanted to control it.

Rich men have always manipulated society to maximize profits—but something else entirely is happening with today’s billionaires, Noah Hawley argues. He recounts what he saw during his weekend at Jeff Bezos’s Campfire retreat:

Springsteen. Moments ago. Washington DC #nokings

“It would raise serious ethical questions if President Trump’s children do indeed manage his investments — it leaves open the possibility that Trump and his family are corruptly benefitting financially from Trump’s time in office." @veritasdhg.bsky.social

And why do we think it's just Russia. Of all the countries in the world, just Russia. Huh. "The Trump administration has not confirmed whether it will allow countries other than Russia to send oil to Cuba..." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/w...

"Mullin’s Significant Investments in Companies with DHS Contracts Raise Red Flags" (I did some research.) via @publiccitizen.bsky.social

Most people don't know this story. But this moment helped shaped the person I became. Watch The Last Republican free on YouTube: youtu.be/HmL_2PKL9o4?...

We’ve been analysing the actions of Border Patrol and DHS agents for some time. Read some of our past investigations here: www.bellingcat.com?s=DHS

🔥Just €250 left to cross €60,000 milestone!👇

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There you have it; the Trump admin allows ICE lawyer James Rodden to stay on the job. His personal social media account praised Hitler, supported white nationalism, and said that America started going downhill the day that Lincoln was elected.

Kash ordered a team of FBI agents to go through the Epstein files many months ago to redact Trump’s name based on FOIA exemptions 6 and 7. It is highly unlikely they are going to be unredacted before they are released. ONLY victim info should be redacted, but much more will be.

The Fed’s top cop of Wall Street is ushering in a lighter touch to supervision that critics say could make it harder to spot a crisis in advance.

@sluggodoug.bsky.social Love The Suburbs! Thanks!

@sluggodoug.bsky.social Are Friends Electric Thank you! Slugstrosity

I thought it was all about merit now?

When purging government agency watchdogs, "President Trump violated the [Inspector General Act]. That much is obvious." But a federal judge found that there's nothing she can do at this time about that violation. Ruling storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Stephen Miran was confirmed for a posting to the Federal Reserve Board, despite not resigning as a White House economic advisor. The Fed is designed to operate independently from partisan politics. This posting could threaten that independence.

Let’s go Heels!

@sranderson.bsky.social Have you been pronouncing Nvidia as “navidia”? No no Mr Anderson

@sluggodoug.bsky.social Always thought that “Lifes Rich Pageant” was cool.

Join Jeffrey Goldberg for a discussion about our August issue on nuclear tensions and the future of national security, with Ross Andersen, Tom Nichols, and Missy Ryan. Tune in to this subscriber-only event tomorrow, July 15, at 10 a.m. ET.

People gathered for pro-democracy protests across the country today.

Holy moly! This is the No Kings protest in Dallas, Texas. 🙌🙏💪👏🇺🇸👇

Twitter is down and Trump is a moron. Do you agree?

Ben Wittes, Roger Parloff, Quinta Jurecic, & Anna Bower, I would be glad to make a “Champion” contribution toward the $15,000 match by your generous donor. Lawfare is literally indispensable in these historic times in which we live.

@general-ben.bsky.social Has your Twitter account been hacked?

@erictopol.bsky.social has your twitter account been hacked?

Help us continue to shine a light on forces that threaten our democracy. Become a member with a gift of any amount, today: propub.li/4i9BbxA

“Despite what you heard, [Trump] came in with just under 50 percent of the vote,” Buttigieg said. “He won, I’m not disputing that. But it was the smallest popular vote margin since Nixon."

**Major** update to this story, and something I'll continue reporting on through the weekend: 🚨 The new acting IRS commissioner has indicated she plans to comply with DHS's request for the addresses of 700,000 suspected undocumented immigrants. 🚨 www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Farritor is one of the DOGE employees at USAID (he manually shut off AIDS funding, contrary to orders of the Secretary of State), and multiple other agencies. No experience in government, no accountability, extraordinary power.

An unvaccinated NJ traveler who returned to the US infected with #measles went to 3 health facilities earlier this month seeking care before being diagnosed. Not surprisingly, additional cases are now being detected. Measles will spread if we give it the chance. www.nj.com/healthfit/20...

"Military purges, when driven by politics rather than performance, almost always weaken a nation. A strong, independent, and professional military with nonpartisan leadership is not just an asset—it is a necessity for national security."