Trump White House clarifies that "Operation Epic Fury" isn't a war, but a "Special Combat Operation," echoing the Kremlin's "Special Military Operation" used to describe the invasion of Ukraine. This language is used by criminals to bypass congressional approval in their weak, corrupt countries.

Dem leadership is listening, they see there's a problem and they are going to start demanding ICE wear *really* nice body cams. Full 4K, large sensor, 10 bit. Every unaccountable ICE raid will have a dedicated gaffer and grip to make sure the body cam footage looks great. Plus $100B for training.

This is why primaries matter. You want to move the party, do it now, don't wait till October to start complaining.

She just lost the primary— overwhelmingly— to this guy

This is an excellent time for someone to sell trump some stealth missiles trump: where are they? Me: *lordess of war* If you could see them, they wouldn't be very stealthy would they?

Just a side note, but would you be surprised to learn of a foreign country America is intensely dependent on for replenishing our Armoury?

Many people think that a scientific consensus is a large group of scientists who all agree that something is true. In reality, it’s a large body of scientific studies that all agree with and support each other. The agreement is a by-product of the consistent evidence.

Two headlines, both from this morning:

Priorities.

I am not one to engage in “this helps our enemies” discourse because I don’t think of countries as enemies. That said, you gotta be pretty thrilled if you’re Russia watching the US missile defense supply dwindle. Or China watching the US borrow interceptors from its stocks in South Korea.

“.. a record 6% of workers in 401(k) plans administered by Vanguard Group took a hardship withdrawal. That is up from 4.8% in 2024 and a prepandemic average of about 2% ..” @wsj.com www.wsj.com/personal-fin...

Alex's mom on his 38th birthday.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is fighting talk. Well done Sr Sanchez. I'm proud to live in Spain 🇪🇸

Spanish PM Sánchez on Trump's threat to end trade: "We are not going to be accomplices to something that is bad for the world and contrary to our values and interests simply because of fear of reprisals... We have absolute confidence in the economic, institutional & moral strength of our country."

Spanish PM Sánchez responds to Trump: "Spain is against this disaster... Govts are here to improve people's lives... It is absolutely unacceptable that those leaders who are unable to fulfill that mission use the smoke of war to hide their failure, and in the process, fill the pockets of a few."

So, so instructive to compare media response to Afghanistan withdrawal -- months of hysterical garment-rending & catastrophizing, relentless criticism of the admin -- with the response to an unprovoked, unmotivated, illegal war of aggression, ie, "some critics say maybe Trump should have reasons."

(Someone once told me the reason Mitt Romney was able to be somewhat independent as a Republican in the Senate was that he could afford fantastic security for himself and his family. And there have been some overview-pieces but it's still not part of the discourse the way it should be.)

this is not an amount of money any individual or household should be able to have and we have to abolish both billionaires as a group and the economic system that makes them possible

I never had a trans person tell me I was a girl. I did have straight adults and authority figures tell me I just needed to be more masculine, date the right girl, it was better to be dead than queer, etc. Now we have pick me gays treating our trans siblings how we were treated. It’s madness.

As a young lad my masculinity/lack thereof was constantly mocked and belittled by my family. I was constantly told I needed to “man up” and “act more like a man”. I also enjoyed spending time with girls more than boys. Since I’m not trans, none of that actually made me not want to be a man.

if you think the greatest threat to effeminate gay boys is the trans movement and not the cis straight men who overwhelmingly exclude and brutalize them then you should walk into the ocean immediately

Senator Richard Blumenthal, after leaving a classified briefing on Iran: "I am more fearful than ever, after this briefing, that we may be putting boots on the ground"

Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III, the pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas who is running to replace Rep. Jasmine Crocket in the House, called Israel an apartheid state in October 2023 and analogized American support for it to its support for South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.

PARALLEL RESULT #2: Michael Wray, a former North Carolina Democratic lawmaker, helped the GOP override a bunch of Governor Cooper's vetoes before losing in 2024 to progressive challenger Rodney Pierce, was trying a comeback. He lost to Pierce again today—decisively, more than 25% gap.

RESULT: Over & over, Democratic lawmaker Shelly Willingham helped the North Carolina GOP override the vetoes of Governor Stein & Cooper. He lost just now to a progressive challenger, 56% to 44%. (And he's likely one of several in this position. Stay tuned.)

A democratic candidate just won in the *checks notes* Arkansas state house special election. Flip from R to D.

Somehow, in despite 10 years of increasingly deranged behavior from Trump and co, they find creative new ways to surprise me with their depravity.

NEW THIS WEEK: Are you watching the harm coming to activists and marginalized people on our streets at the hands of Trump and ICE, and wondering if you might be next? Are you afraid to take action to stop fascism because you are afraid you might be at risk? youtu.be/2EAcP9FgnYw

Check the tariff shelf! 🤡 @politico.com www.politico.com/live-updates...

5️⃣ It's a fascinating special election in Arkansas — and what matters here is less the prospect of a flip (it's R vs I in a red county), but the fascinating conversations about the scope and suitability of incarceration happening in a rural, GOP region. Check it out: boltsmag.org/arkansas-pri...

1️⃣ Last summer, a Democratic lawmaker in North Carolina gave the GOP *the* decisive vote to pass a pro-ICE law. Now, she faces a primary from a local progressive pastor who has been part of the Moral Monday movement. (A few other Dems who helped the GOP also face challengers.)

you'd have no clue reading that that 1st supreme court race of 2026 is today or that the lawmakers who facilitated the ICE crackdown in North Carolina are fighting for their careers or that a DA who's pledged to go after federal agents faces reelection it doesn't all start & end with Congress!

Reading some top-notch coverage, you'd think only federal elections exist and are happening today. For instance: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/u... I'm happy to know how much more informed @boltsmag.org readers are of breath of political power decided on a day like today, thanks to these resources:

One hour left to vote in the primary in Texas! Get on out there, friends!

Every single one of them is a sex pest.

it is really scary the degree to which some people seem to have accepted that there has to be a supreme nation that everyone else must bow down to they can't even imagine a different world

Anyway, while the US is starting wars for oil in 2026 (embarrassing), bombing schools, disrespecting Africa, cancelling foreign aid, trying to run 1800s style colonialism, China is increasing trade, and doing this: (I have no clue what he's saying.🤷🏿‍♂️ But I'm here for Afrobeats Chinapop fusion! 🇳🇬♥️🇨🇳)

Per The Economist/YouGov, half of Americans support ABOLISHING ICE. Literally, "abolishing." yougov.com/en-us/articl...

Hey, cool. @lastweektonight.com just did a segment using reporting I did w/ @farooqumar.bsky.social Oliver was talking about body cams--and how law enforcement agencies have often undermined their potential The same body-cams Dems are centering that ICE reforms on www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP4_...

He look, there’s that traitor Ron Dermer sitting right behind him.

Trump’s lies are often a tell, addressing something he’s feeling vulnerable about. Under that interpretation, “virtually unlimited supply of weapons” means the depletion is real and serious, most likely with air defense interceptors the biggest concern.

“Dems need to strongly make the point that there was no imminent threat and that this war is a violation of the Constitution—and illegal,” Rep Adam Smith says, noting Trump is “ruling like a king instead of the elected president of a constitutional republic.” 4/ newrepublic.com/article/2072...

A super fine idea if Ukraine can win this one, AND get funds from Russia. The latter is going to be the hardest challenge here I fear.

tl;dr: more people should watch this gentleman's speech and think seriously about what he is saying bsky.app/profile/slcl...

HANDS OFF IRAN! 🌹 🌹 LEARN & ORGANIZE! Join DSA's Mass Call this Wednesday to learn exactly what's going on in Iran and why, and how you can help organize against the war. 🌹 RSVP today at go.dsausa.org/iranmasscall

“Constitution destroyed in plane crash” feels like a VEEP joke that they scrapped for going too far.

Pyhsical media. DVD lending circles. Libraries. BETTER YET, use affordable and good projector tech to organize screenings. For fun, for connection, for politics. Even if you spend more $, it will be better to experience cinema in groups w physical media than to be charged for endless junk

Yesterday, The Sheriffs, MPD and law enforcement brutally put down a peaceful anti-ICE protest outside of the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. There has been little to no coverage of what is happening in Minneapolis since Trump's supposed stand down, which is why we need to spread the word.

"He [Trump] is losing control of the decision to escalate... He can cut his losses now, pay a political price, try to stop the war, even though it would be a failure. Or he play for the long run and become Lyndon Johnson in the Vietnam War and face a more disastrous political outcome." - Robert Pape

READ THEORY