Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)

@spencerwindes.bsky.social

Former magazine editor. Rugby old boy. Bike rider. Book geek. Bear. Proud resident of America’s Zion. Opinions my own.

1.4K followers538 following928 posts

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

The GOP: Grifters On Pay.

ProPublica@propublica.org

MAGA influencer and Trump appointee Nick Adams’ FLAG nonprofit has raised much of its money through a sweepstakes operation that has promised donors a chance to win $1,000,000 — a prize FLAG’s records show no evidence of ever paying.

propublica.orgThis MAGA Influencer Runs a Charity to Teach Kids Civics. Much of the Money Goes to Him Instead.Nick Adams’ Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness has brought in millions in donations and helped him land a State Department appointment, but records show there is almost no indication FLAG w...

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

mtsw
@mtsw.bsky.social

The Constitutional Crisis started in 2000. You've been living through it your entire adult life. The reason politics feels hopeless is by design — conservatives broke our democratic form of government to guarantee that the people cannot act against them and are continuing to break it.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

If you don’t believe in gathering facts with evidence, you believe in nothing.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

RAJU: But what evidence is there to prove the California election is rigged? MIKE JOHNSON: Look, some of these efforts are so diabolical and so far upstream it's impossible to prove. But I think everybody knows instinctively that something is wrong here.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

It helps to understand the Supreme Court if you accept the premise that John Roberts’ entire career has been working towards re-igniting the civil war.

Corey Rayburn Yung@coreyryung.bsky.social

This will not end w/ voting rights. The fundamental premises of these SCOTUS opinions are: 1) Anti-discrimination is actually unconstitutional discrimination; 2) Intentional discrimination isn't actionable if any alternative rationale is presented. It's the beginning of the end of civil rights law.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

This thread, about Salt Lake County’s kook-infested Republican Party, is pure gold.

Bryan Schott@schotthappens.com

Good morning from Midvale Middle School. I'm here for the Salt Lake County GOP Central Committee meeting. There should be some fireworks today as the committee will reconsider the February decision to discipline a handful of members and ban them from attending party events.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Greg Sargent
@gregsargent.bsky.social

This is insane. The terms of DOJ's slush fund appear to transfer control of $1.8 billion beyond US government entirely. Unless I'm misreading this, that would circumvent Congress *entirely* and put the money outside of *any* constitutional and/or legal constraints ofany kind. Straight up theft.

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social

Unreal. Now that Trump dropped IRS lawsuit, DOJ just announced a new slush fund for alleged victims of "weaponization." Two Qs: *Will there be *any* congressional oversight? Most reporting suggests not. *Would payments to J6ers violate 14A? Raskin explains here: newrepublic.com/article/2105...

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

Our country gets poorer every day these racists are in charge.

Alex Ip 葉清霖@alexip718.com

If you're reading this, my cat and I have boarded a one-way flight out of the United States. The Trump administration wrongfully denied my work permit renewal; after months of demanding that they follow the law, we have run out of legal recourse, and I have no choice but to leave the country. (🧵)

giveinmay.orgSupport Alex's Emergency Relocation + Next Steps on Give In MayAlex is leaving the US after his work permit renewal was wrongfully denied by Trump's USCIS.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Justin Baragona
@justinbaragona.bsky.social

"It's hard to believe that it would take two centuries for the Lord to raise up a great man to bring that ballroom finally to stand where it needs to stand." A real thing that was said, without shame, at a Christian prayer rally.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

checking in for a brief moment on the Rededicate 250 blasphemy fest and yep, it's beyond parody

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Russ McSpadden
@peccarynotpig.bsky.social

A trail cam check on Monday revealed 3 clips of a beautiful male jaguar in a Sky Island south of Tucson, in the ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham. Jaguars’ northern range is being ripped apart by border wall, mining, groundwater depletion and climate-driven drought. @biologicaldiversity.org

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

jamelle
@jamellebouie.net

the most anti free speech administration in this country’s history

Science Magazine@science.org

Breaking news: Indiana University plant microbiologist Roger Innes has been locked out of his laboratory by the school in response to a request by one of his federal funders. The move comes after Innes complained about the government’s prosecution of Chinese postdocs. https://scim.ag/4tsDqRr

scim.agAfter USDA request, Indiana plant biologist locked out of lab by schoolMove comes after Roger Innes complained about the government’s prosecution of Chinese postdocs

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

jamelle
@jamellebouie.net

The court has simply recreated the pre-Brown world in allowing racial discrimination across a broad number fields as long as it is “facially neutral,” gutting the Reconstruction Amendments in the process.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

jamelle
@jamellebouie.net

The basic view of Alito and the rest of the Roberts Court when it comes to voting rights is that black people can vote for anyone they want as long as it is a Republican.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Jeff Sharlet
@jeffsharlet.bsky.social

Even when you know it's coming, it's a shock. I think that's good, given the circumstances, inasmuch as it signals that we retain the belief that fascism is never a foregone conclusion. But worth also remembers we knew it was coming, and we know more is coming, & quick fixes aren't. Long struggle.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

Cruelty is their entire personality.

ProPublica@propublica.org

NEW: A rule change pushed by White House officials would slash benefits or end support for as many as 400,000 Supplemental Security Income recipients with Down syndrome, dementia and other disabilities whose parents or relatives receive SNAP benefits.

propublica.orgThe Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their FamiliesA rule change pushed by White House officials would slash benefits or end support for as many as 400,000 Supplemental Security Income recipients with Down syndrome, dementia and other disabilities who...

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Chris Murphy
@chrismurphyct.bsky.social

Here they are: our two top Iran negotiators. No diplomatic experience. In way over their head. Both with massive financial conflicts of interest, their fortunes tied to the Middle East dictators that make them rich. What a disaster.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

Americans were fleeced of $159 billion by the deranged narcissist in the White House, and he’s furious it’s getting paid back.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: " ... the horrible & ridiculous Supreme Court decision on Tariffs ... All they had to do was one little half sentence, 'that the US does not have to pay back monies already paid' — & our Country would be 159 Billion Dollars richer ... Couldn’t they have done that for our Nation?"

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

How much of our money is this deranged narcissist wasting?

Josh Marshall@joshtpm.bsky.social

i'll never get over how inane this is. This is like demanding Boeing create a jumbo jet biplane named after you. Or a new class of typewriter. There's a reason no one uses battleships anymore. Navy jets go a lot further than shells shot out of cannons. We have these things called aircraft carriers.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Frank Conniff
@frankconniff.bsky.social

Favorite scene in All The President’s Men: Woodward & Bernstein attend White House Correspondents Dinner, hobnob with Nixon Administration officials, have such a swell time that they back off Watergate investigation so they don’t lose their access.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Ben McAdams (The Resurrection Arc)
@purrtah.bsky.social

Excuse me? Trump is UNDERWATER in Utah?

Deseret News [Unofficial]@deseret.com.web.brid.gy

deseret.comTrump support drops in Utah, driven by religious votersAfter months of floating above 50% approval in Utah during his second term, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating dropped underwater in the Beehive State in April, driven largely by flagging support among Republicans and religious voters. A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by Morning Consult shows that more than half (54%) of Utah voters disapprove of Trump’s job performance, outweighing the 44% of voters who said they approve. That’s a major swing from last month when it was almost the opposite: In March, 51% of Utah voters said they approved of Trump’s job performance compared to 46% who disapproved. It’s the first time in recent memory the president has had such a pendulum swing in the state. But that swing appears to be unique to Utah as national polling did not show a dramatic shift in either direction among Republicans or religious voters. War in Iran: The latest Both groups, though, had a major drop in Utah. “What’s interesting about this particular poll is, yes (Trump’s) underwater — but it’s where that movement is coming from,” said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute at the University of Utah. About 83% of Republican voters nationwide approved of Trump’s job performance, holding steady from the last Deseret News/Hinckley Institute national poll in February that found 86% of GOP voters in the same camp. However, only 74% of Utah Republicans said they approved of Trump’s performance in April — a 10-point drop from the month before. Twenty-two percent of Utah GOP voters said they disapproved of his performance. While it’s not clear what exactly caused the dip, there are several likely factors at play such as the Trump administration’s shifting strategy with the war in Iran, its inconsistent messaging on the war’s objectives, and the president’s recent social media posts, including a depiction of Trump as a Christ-like figure and his posts targeting Pope Leo XIV. ### Iran war emerges as primary factor The prime suspect in the case of Trump’s dwindling approval ratings in Utah is the war in Iran — which would explain why there was such a drastic drop among Utah voters in just the last month. “The important thing to remember is, polls are just snapshots in time. And this poll came at a very interesting time, and one of the key driving forces here is the war in Iran,” Perry said. “In this survey, President Trump’s handling of this war is lower than his overall job approval, which shows that there’s a lot of division and a lack of support on that.” In the last Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll, the military action had only just begun, and the duration of the conflict and its impacts were still unclear. But now, more than a month later, the picture is vastly different, and Utah voters are increasingly unhappy with how the president is handling the war. “When we ask specifically about Trump’s handling of the conflict, Utah voters give him even worse marks than his overall performance,” said Matt Monday, director of public affairs for Morning Consult, which administered the survey. “Given the war’s salience, we think it’s doing most of the work here.” The numbers reflect that sentiment. When asked specifically about Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, only 41% of Utah voters say they approve — 3 percentage points lower than his overall approval rating in the state. A majority of voters (54%) say they disapprove. Those numbers boost the theory of Iran’s influence on Trump’s falling approval in Utah, especially when paired with the fact that the only other Cabinet official who saw a downward turn in approval ratings since March was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — the main Trump administration official associated with the war. Sen. John Curtis denounces ‘blasphemous’ Trump post About 40% of Utah voters said they disapprove of Hegseth’s job performance while 39% said they were in favor. Another 21% said they were unsure. ### Trump loses support among religious voters in Utah Another factor for Trump’s lower approval ratings in Utah stems from a loss of support among religious voters. Those dwindling numbers could be from a “secondary theory,” Monday said: Trump’s social media activity. The most recent poll surveyed respondents between April 15-20 — two weeks after Trump issued an expletive-laden post on Easter Sunday, and just two days after posting a now-deleted AI image that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure. Trump’s approval rating among religious groups took a dip after those posts, particularly in Utah. About 51% of Christians in Utah said they approve of Trump’s performance in the latest poll, a significant drop from the 63% who said the same in March. That’s a far cry from national polling that showed 50% of Christian voters nationwide approved of Trump’s performance in April — a one-point increase from the last national poll in February. The drop in support among Utah’s religious groups was especially prevalent among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While a majority of the demographic (54%) still approves, that’s a 9-point drop from the month before. About 43% of church members said they disapproved of Trump’s job performance in April, up from the 35% who said the same in March. “Utah voters, they tend to respond not just to policy, but they do respond to tone, particularly when it touches on things like religion or respect for institutions. That’s certainly what we saw in one big month,” Perry said. “You put all of these together into one, into really a small period of time, and it has had a direct impact on his approval rating here in the state of Utah.” “Utah voters are patient,” he added, “but they do have a threshold.” The poll surveyed 815 Utahns between April 15-20 and it has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The national poll surveyed 2,057 U.S. voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

nfariousactivities.bsky.social
@nfariousactivities.bsky.social

————————————————- PBS NewsHour: Tracking the Trump family's business deals and profits in his 2nd term www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

Jay Hightman@jay.hightman.org

In a bit over a year Eric Trump's wealth went from $40 million to $400 million! Ultimately, this is what the Trump presidency is all about, enriching friends, family and most millionaires and billionaires.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Center for Biological Diversity
@biologicaldiversity.org

Major #EarthDay win 🎉: H.R. 1897, aka the Endangered Species Act Amendments Act was just pulled from house floor consideration following outcry from both Republicans and Democrats who oppose the bill.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Lena Sun
@lenasun.bsky.social

SCOOP: Two weeks ago, the head of the CDC delayed publication of a report showing covid vaccine cut likelihood of ER visits and hospitalizations by half. Now that report is no longer allowed to be published in CDC’s flagship scientific journal. My latest. 1/2 www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

washingtonpost.comCDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visitsThe report, which had cleared the agency’s scientific-review process, had been delayed. It now won’t be published at all, people familiar with the decision told The Post.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Maggie Harrison Dupré
@mharrisondupre.bsky.social

Forbes is gamifying news about the horrific mass shooting in Shreveport, LA this weekend, encouraging readers to bet on the likelihood of gun regulation with fake money via its "ForbesPredict" feature. Eight children were murdered in the shooting. futurism.com/future-socie...

futurism.comIn Article About Horrific Shooting That Killed Eight Children, Forbes Lets Readers Place Bets About Gun ControlIn a story about a mass shooting that left eight children dead, Forbes is encouraging readers to bet on the news with fake money.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Ned Resnikoff
@resnikoff.bsky.social

Once again need to remind everyone that the supposedly crime-infested hellhole of New York is one of the safest cities in the country in no small part because most people in the central area don’t drive. America has a much bigger car problem than a violent crime problem.

This post is unavailable.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

Again: young people might not realize that this kind of repugnant racism was unacceptable to express publicly, *not that long ago*.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

"The average IQ in Somalia hovers around 70, and that's the threshold for mentally handicapped ... they're a net drain on the society" -- even by MAGA standards, the unvarnished racism of this interview of Rep. Brandon Gill by Benny Johnson is breathtaking

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Larry Glickman
@larryglickman.bsky.social

I study racist politicians from the Jim Crow era and this is on par with anything that John Rankin, Theodore Bilbo, or Cotton Ed Smith ever said in public

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

"The average IQ in Somalia hovers around 70, and that's the threshold for mentally handicapped ... they're a net drain on the society" -- even by MAGA standards, the unvarnished racism of this interview of Rep. Brandon Gill by Benny Johnson is breathtaking

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Nicholas Grossman
@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social

We must use US taxpayer dollars to backstop the UAE Which is facing economic problems caused by the war Trump started and doesn't know how to win A war encouraged by leaders of the UAE Who have given hundreds of millions in bribes to Trump, his family, and associates

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Hassett on a bailout for the UAE: "The UAE has been an incredibly valuable ally throughout this effort, and I'm sure the Treasury Secretary will make every effort to help them out should that be necessary"

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”)
@spencerwindes.bsky.social

The man sent by the regime to negotiate with Iran is on the payroll of the Saudis—an agent of a foreign government. It’s part of the worst corruption scandal in US history—the Trump family’s solicitation of foreign bribes—and should be mentioned every time Jared Kushner’s name appears in print.

Spencer Windes (like “winds a yo-yo”) reposted

Margot Finn
@eicathomefinn.bsky.social

'Texas A&M philosophy professor Martin Peterson is leaving the university after administrators told him in January that he couldn’t teach Plato’s Symposium in his philosophy class; they said the ancient Greek philosopher’s work violated the system’s restrictions on gender and sexuality content.' 1/3

insidehighered.comFaculty Defect From Texas Publics, Citing CensorshipFed up with the state’s censoring of Plato, Joan of Arc and Romeo and Juliet, humanities professors are leaving Texas public institutions in pursuit of academic freedom.