Joseph Britt

For the white, against the colored. For the rich, against the rest. For the dictator, against the democracy. These are not the only principles of the Republican Party in the 2020s, but they are the main ones. They are the first fruits of decadence.

Thread. @amandamarcotte.bsky.social on the House Judiciary Committee Democrats’ report. From Trump’s point of view, all this is stuff he got away with a long time ago; it’s very unfair and partisan for Democrats to bring it up again now. Some political journalists may feel similarly.

A federal judge extended an order blocking tree removal from a Washington, DC golf course President Donald Trump is seeking to renovate, while imposing new notice requirements on any other major changes the administration seeks to make on the golf course grounds.

10-0 Brewers in the 5th. The dam bursts in Tampa.

Beyond disgusted by even more rape allegations against the President of the United States. "In total, more than 25 different women...have independently accused Donald Trump of rape, sexual assault, or other sexual misconduct." Report w/ new details: democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

Well, what do you know? Some good news from Brazil, where the Trumper son of former president Bolsonaro lost to incumbent President Lula da Silva by about 4.5 million votes. An aspiring dictator was turfed out by voters in Serbia, too. Our turn now. Report by @bloomberg.com

Thread. Republican threats to election integrity are overt. They’re made because Republican voters do not resent them, accepting uncritically allegations of voter fraud that have been made in plain bad faith since before Trump entered national politics. By @swin24.bsky.social

“In total, since taking office again, Mr. Trump exempted 202 facilities in 39 states and Puerto Rico from clean-air regulations.” Formidable work by @ericlipton.nytimes.com & colleagues documenting how Trump has made it possible for large (and generous) industries to evade environmental laws.

Thread. Flood disaster in the US Southwest, via @fkearns.bsky.social. There may very well be more of these in the year to come.

“In total, since taking office again, Mr. Trump exempted 202 facilities in 39 states and Puerto Rico from clean-air regulations.” Formidable work by @ericlipton.nytimes.com & colleagues documenting how Trump has made it possible for large (and generous) industries to evade environmental laws.

Well, what do you know? Some good news from Brazil, where the Trumper son of former president Bolsonaro lost to incumbent President Lula da Silva by about 4.5 million votes. An aspiring dictator was turfed out by voters in Serbia, too. Our turn now. Report by @bloomberg.com

Weekend listen: The future of liberalism. Princeton’s Pratap Bhanu Mehta introduces India’s experience. An authoritarian leader, resisted by elements of society resentful of perceived government failures and still loyal to a tradition of liberal nationalism. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Thread. Every Republican running for any office this year backs this doddering old fool on every issue. There is no good reason to vote for any of them. Via @chadbourn.bsky.social

Weekend listen: The future of liberalism. Princeton’s Pratap Bhanu Mehta introduces India’s experience. An authoritarian leader, resisted by elements of society resentful of perceived government failures and still loyal to a tradition of liberal nationalism. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

I’m going to take a wild guess that by “warmongers” who should “burn in hell,” Elon Musk is not referring to Vladimir Putin, who started the war with Ukraine and has rejected every idea to end or even pause it, while sending hundreds of thousands of Russians to their deaths.

Two down.

Wisconsin at the center of the sports world this weekend.

Sal Frelick, man. Holy moly.

I’m going to take a wild guess that by “warmongers” who should “burn in hell,” Elon Musk is not referring to Vladimir Putin, who started the war with Ukraine and has rejected every idea to end or even pause it, while sending hundreds of thousands of Russians to their deaths.

Mustard lovers gathered to celebrate 40 years of the Mustard Museum collection, marking four decades of a unique attraction that began with one man's search for comfort after a disappointing World Series.

This is worth thinking about. Not everyone can be an AI expert. But everyone shouldn’t have to be. Decisions about what AI should do — and what it must not do — should be made democratically, not just by tech people with private financial interests to protect, argues @brianbeutler.bsky.social

JUST POSTED: Today at The NYT we are publishing a major investigation into how President Trump used his executive powers to expose millions of Americans to greater cancer risks. A six month-long investigation built on more than 10,000 pages of FOIA records. Read it www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

Wisconsin story. The indefatigable @charlesgaba.com funnels money to Democratic candidates around the country, including those running in heavily Republican districts. His list includes WI-05 (R+05): Andrew Beck WI-06 (R+08): Bradley Smith WI-07 (R+11): Fred Clark WI-08 (R+08): Rick Crosson

The most charitable and perhaps most likely explanation of this bizarre announcement is that Trump and Rubio are trying to get Cuban-Americans in Florida motivated to vote for otherwise unimpressive Republican candidates this fall.

Right-wing groups that encouraged the Trump administration to break laws are now lobbying for pardons to administration officials to prevent their prosecution for breaking laws. By @jeffstein.bsky.social and Jasmine Wright

Where we are: A war the elderly American President started to make himself feel strong, without even mentioning it to Congress, threatens to tank Republican candidates all over the country. Trump is planning new attacks — but only after the elections, to avoid hurting them even more.

One down.

The cavalcade of corruption continues. Russian involvement in Alaska gas would be “…. terrible on environmental grounds, it is a terrible idea on economic and geopolitical grounds, and most importantly this feeds the belief that Putin can get an out-of-jail-free card.” Via @ericlipton.nytimes.com

The cavalcade of corruption continues. Trump claims he didn’t ask for this money. Well he wouldn’t have to, would he? By @kenvogel.bsky.social

Friday Follow: none other than @cyrthogg.bsky.social, Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Brewers march toward world domination, and you can read all about it.

It seems we are still in the land of confusion with respect to Starlink and Starshield. The Ukrainian government says they are still restricted, despite the American President’s claims to the contrary. It looks as though Elon Musk has hijacked American foreign policy. thehill.com/policy/defen...

I don’t know what the deal is between Trump and his third wife. Stories that involve them both are just weird. Like this one: a Vatican initiative to reach a local ceasefire around a besieged Ukrainian town. White House now claims this was Mrs. Trump’s doing. Why? www.rawstory.com/pope-melania/

Thread. That Trump can be played is not news. The specific way Putin is playing him now, when Russian forces are losing ground on the battlefield, is at least unusual. Russia needs sanctions relief from Washington more than the US needs anything from Russia. By @thestudyofwar.bsky.social

Non-paywalled summary here www.yahoo.com/news/politic...

Heat killed ‘staggering’ 50,000 people in Europe’s cities this summer, scientists warn

Multiple bylines on this important @reuters.com report about heat storms, phenomena distinctive to our century and so immediately consequential the authors suggest they ought to be named as hurricanes are. People can’t be compelled to read this, but they really ought to. Via @davidho.bsky.social

While covering Russia's ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight on Oct. 22, the Kyiv Independent freelance journalist Chris Occhicone returned to his own neighborhood only to realize his own home had been struck. Video: Nastia Kasinchuk; Chris Occhicone / the Kyiv Independent.

We’re in a land of confusion after this @wsj.com report today. Who is running the show in the US military? Is it Elon Musk? How does he have authority to order anything be done with Star Shield, so much authority the President has to beg him to stop. Via @crampell.bsky.social

What happened in last night’s debate in Wisconsin, between Democratic candidate David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany? Crowley is executive of the largest county in the state. Tiffany is a Congressman from the north. Both men were in the state legislature before that. My notes appear below.

The answer to @mcfaulmike.bsky.social’s question is rather obvious. That doesn’t mean the question is not a good one. Trump’s fantasy is that he is a master dealmaker. Rubio’s fantasy is that he has political standing independent of his relationship with Trump. The former trumps the latter. 🧵

So Vladimir Putin is a humanitarian. Now I’ve heard everything.