It’s an evergreen question, for those of us of a certain age and bibliophilic tendencies: How many editions of Drabble, exactly, does one need?

We’ve been reading this to the little guy, and I cannot recommend it enough for teaching children about a patriotism based on shared ideals and aspirations, and not ethnic ancestry. If your pride in country comes from its creedal nature, this is very much worth reading to your young ones.

This one was quite a good discussion about arts and culture over the past seventy-five years or so, and went some places I didn’t expect.

Wherein Brünnhilde awakens from her sleep.

I’ll be on @ms.now this evening at six to continue discussing the atrocity in Minneapolis.

On Lawfare Daily, @annabower.bsky.social, @ericcolumbus.bsky.social, and @michael-feinberg.bsky.social discusssed the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer in Minneapoli, DHS use-of-force policies, and the legal framework governing state prosecutions of federal officers.

This is a good article, but I think the byline is mistaken; I’m pretty sure it was first authored by John Roberts.

Let’s be even clearer: they would be fired from even other federal law enforcement agencies.

I will be joining @ms.now at noon today to talk more about the ICE/CBP shootings in Minneapolis and Portland.

This is incredibly kind of you to say; thank you.

In a special edition of Lawfare Daily, @annabower.bsky.social spoke to @ericcolumbus.bsky.social and @michael-feinberg.bsky.social about the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, the federal government’s reported investigation of the shooting, and more.

On Lawfare Daily, @michael-feinberg.bsky.social sat down with Mary Clare Jalonick to discuss her book “Storm at the Capitol,” their own experiences from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and what lessons can be drawn from them five years later. youtu.be/OpNuSmRbSUY

From extraterritorial arrest to head-of-state immunity, Nicolás Maduro's unprecedented case will test longstanding doctrines. In other words, it’s a case ripe for creative legal argumentation. Take a deep dive "Inside the Legal Battles Ahead for Nicolás Maduro"

I will be discussing the tragedy — and that is not a strong enough word for what happened — in Minneapolis for an hour beginning at 4:00 on @ms.now.

I would highly recommend this oral history for anyone who wants to get a feel for how January 6th felt at the scene, and for those who are interested, @lawfaremedia.org will be posting a podcast interview tomorrow between myself and the author.

I spoke here relatively briefly about Jack Smith’s recent testimony, and what sets him apart from other Special Counsels.

In whatever time you spend examining the significance of today’s anniversary, I’d ask you to spare a thought for Officer Brian Sicknick of the U.S. Capital Police, his four colleagues who, after the trauma of the event, took their own lives, and all the others forever altered by the day’s events.

I would quite happily give up all the benefits of the internet if it meant I know longer had to see stories about the intellectual and cultural trends among the doyens of Silicon Valley.

If I’m Vladimir Zelensky or Lai Ching-te, I’m not feeling very sanguine about the precedent Trump and Rubio are setting.

Tonight on The Briefing, beginning at 8pm ET! 8pm ET: @ericswalwell.bsky.social @kristygreenberg.bsky.social @draperrobert.bsky.social Bharat Ramamurti 9pm ET: @robertgarcia.bsky.social @michael-feinberg.bsky.social @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov @jamestalarico.bsky.social

I’m looking forward to joining in on this podcast for the first time from our new home in Washington, D.C.

It’s like he’s on a one-man mission to make a theater even more uncomfortable than the Festspielhaus at Bayreuth.

This is the first one that came to mind with of flood of memories.

I am not of the faith most active this week, and not even particularly observant in that of my own, but maybe a carol reflecting on the acts of a ruler whose power came from his piety, decency, and concern for those less fortunate is not inappropriate and, perhaps, a reminder of what may be.

Not just “no,” but “hell no.” When I think back on the history of film — from Murneau to Lang, Bergman to Kubrick — it’s pretty damn hard for me to see how mediating their movies through one of Mark Zuckerberg’s more obnoxious products would improve the viewing experience.

My personal favorite book — an odd way to phrase it, I know — about the experience of authoritarianism. Now more than ever, this deserves a larger audience.

My first thought upon being assigned to the Los Angeles Field Office was “Well, if it was good enough for Warren Zevon and James Ellroy, it’ll be good enough for me.”

Zweig was the best chronicler — outside of Miklós Bánffy, perhaps — of a world we are poorer for no longer inhabiting.

The book that made me want to devote my life to counterintelligence, this is still the best — and most realistic — novelistic account of a mole hunt ever put to paper.

A bitingly funny account of a demon with which I’ve also had to wrestle, myself, I’m also plugging this because it was written by my closest friend.

If another individual from the world of intelligence — aside from Snowden — has done more to help the forces of totalitarianism and chaos against liberal governments, I’m not aware of it.

It may be sacrilege, and it’s not a particularly strongly held opinion, but I think I prefer the Jacobean revenge dramas to their more famous Elizabethan counterparts.

If you’re a politician, or expert of some sort, or think tanker, or anyone in the world of government and policy — and you care about the rule of law and constitutional norms — please, for the love of god, stop appearing on and cooperating with CBS shows. They’re just useful idiots at this point.

It’s time for Rational Security’s annual end-of-year episode! We will talk about topics and share object lessons submitted by you: the listeners. Submit your topics or object lessons you want us to discuss by emailing them to [email protected] by Dec. 21.

I once dated a woman whose effect on my life was entirely deleterious, save for that she once expressed horror at the fact I had never read Philip Roth. I finally, after we broke up, remedied the deficiency. It pains me to admit how right she was.

Those of us who believe in American exceptionalism do so because it is a creedal nation. Those who tie greatness to ethnic heritage are little more than undisguised bigots, whose accomplishments in their own lives are so small that they need to look to forbearers for anything of which to be proud.

There 👏 are 👏 no 👏 actual 👏 underlying 👏 principles 👏 in 👏 any 👏 of 👏 this.

I’m a fan of almost all of @dieworkwear.bsky.social's postings, but this statement and (especially) the comments attached betray a real lack of understanding about the FBI’s statutory role, authorities, and capabilities, as well as how criminal investigations actually work.

I suspect not many others will have the same reaction, but I damn near jumped out of my chair when I saw this thread. What a jewel of history for those of us that worked in the field.

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” This novel is a thing of beauty: there is no better phrase, in that the book contains some of the most mellifluous prose ever set down, is constructed with a near geometric precision, and is utterly emotionally devastating.

I’m a fanatic for uncanny fiction, and @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social had done yeoman’s work in bringing some lesser known titles to light. This is one of the best.

As I pack up my library, I want to post some brief notes and comments about certain volumes. Upon learning that we were going to have a baby, this was the first work on child rearing that I purchased.

Happy birthday to one of the greats.

I cannot explain why, but each picture reminds me of the other.

It was not a community to which any of us ever wanted to belong, but at least it’s a community, and that’s the sort of solidarity — which the FBI used to have — that Bongino will never be able to comprehend.

While did not lose my cool — I think — I was a bit saltier than usual. It's important, as charlatans, clowns, and would-be authoritarians leave their posts, that we speak honestly about the damage they wrought, both to institutions and people.

I joined MS NOW this morning to talk about Jack Smith’s investigations, and why the congressmen now coming after him are out of their depth.

When I think of Venice in literature, my mind first goes to Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited,” or maybe a later volume of Powell’s “A Dance to the Music of Time.” But this is a great evocation of the city with James as a starting reference point.

RIP Norman Podhoretz. He made society’s issues his, and ours