Strange takes on Mayor Zamdani swearing his oath on the Qu’ran. It has nothing to do with church & state. The point of the oath is for the person swearing in to do so upon some text that is sacred TO THEM. Some Presidents swore in w/o any book. John Quincy Adams was sworn on a law book. His choice.

Many people have not been invited at all. I’ve talked to a substantial number of Black speakers who have seen bookings plummet, who have been virtually frozen out from engaging in public talks on college campuses.

The RFK/Oz theory of infectious is just the old saw disproven by science, which tells us that it is, in fact, about pathogens, not fortifying oneself. It's also perilously close to eugenics: "Dead of a preventable disease? You didn't take care of yourself!"

Yeah. I'm gonna visit Saigon, too.

Biden's head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu just joined a venture capital firm with several crypto clients that were under legal trouble during the Biden administration. Sheesh. From our friends at @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social: prospect.org/2025/12/18/a...

This would be a welcome development, but the need for hot takes to turn into brilliant, insightful takes at the speed of light drives such drivel ...

Some news: I have a new job. I am now the Senior Fellow for Antimonopoly and Finance @demandprogress.bsky.social. It's a labored title but interesting work. I'm researching, writing, and advocating on issues at the intersection of monopoly power and Wall Street.

Yes, please

The highlighted phrase here is just a way for The Times to dismiss criticism, not a question anyone is seriously posing.

Biden was sooooo OUT OF IT when president!

"I Thought I Knew Silicon Valley. I Was Wrong," is fantastic: "Tech got what it wanted by electing Trump. A year later, it looks more like a suicide pact. But the real fun was had by the illustrator that made Marc Andreessen's head more bullet-like than it already is. www.wired.com/story/silico...

A brilliant, succinct takedown of Jeffries' new slogan. Hard pass, please, Dems.

"I Thought I Knew Silicon Valley. I Was Wrong," is fantastic: "Tech got what it wanted by electing Trump. A year later, it looks more like a suicide pact. But the real fun was had by the illustrator that made Marc Andreessen's head more bullet-like than it already is. www.wired.com/story/silico...

@carterd.bsky.social has swears! They've used 89 profanities in their last 1,485 posts. 🥇 "shit" (21 times) 🥈 "ass" (12 times) 🥉 "fuck" (9 times)

@profanity.accountant ... Do tell!

Insulting to have to point this out, but if you have spent even 30 minutes reading US history, you realize that every decade has been dominated by racist hysteria that the "new" people won't ever fit in. This exact prejudice would have been applied to Miller's forebears, when they fled pogroms.

New from me in The Money Trust (aka my Substack): Why a bank merger frenzy? Why the debate over deposit insurance?

Banks are fighting for your deposits, and they’re buying other banks to get them. With 150 bank mergers just this year, a few mega-banks now hold everyone’s money. From @carterd.bsky.social: trib.al/L31Fvzv

One of the most pathetic examples of corporate capture I've ever seen. CFPB is requiring bank examiners to read a "humility in supervisions" pledge before any examination begins, basically apologizing for having the temerity to monitor compliance. Here's the pledge.

Wait, I thought MAGA really wanted to tone things down after Charlie Kirk's murder ...

A real outrage. I spoke to Teen Vogue journalists a number of times. Smart, on the ball, serious about my issue (private equity and finance) in a way few were.

How about "political reporter"? Possible modifiers include "Politico, Axios, etc."

Brutal NYT takedown: "what this sort of reporting ultimately means is that if you have enough money to get somebody, anybody, to produce a white paper for you, which you can then put on some think-tank stationery [then] you are ready to enter into the rushing current of elite reportage."

Seen at DCA ... cc @jfallows.bsky.social

The story I've been wanting to read is about the actual obstacles in Albany to Mayor-elect Mamdani's agenda, what the political dynamics are, and what might be the competition for any revenue increases. Our friends at @nysfocus.bsky.social told that story and we're proud to elevate it.

Government bad guys and now non-government bad guys

Two of the media organizations that have really "met the moment" in national coverage are Teen Vogue and WIRED. Along with student-run college newspapers in general. And scores of local start-ups. The main hope for journalism (in its dark times) is the next wave of journalists.

If you haven't listened ... Encyclopedic does not begin to describe the depth of Andrew Hickey's knowledge of rock music.

Breaking: Elon Musk makes in-kind contribution to Mamdani campaign

I've thought of this comparison as well, Jim. The difference is that today, the smart people in this scene, esp. Charlotte Ritter, would be fighting back. At least, I'd like to think so.

Don't tell me this isn't Gestapo-style behavior. Masks. Aimed at "foreign elements" but hitting a U.S. citizen.

From the estimable @jfallows.bsky.social ...

Hope the Trumpers can reduce US dependence on rare earths. Would be praise-worthy. But it will demand smart governance (and industrial policy) something they do not excel in. Still, fingers crossed. www.ft.com/content/399a...

I hope the Trump administration can ease American dependence on Chinese rare earth exports. That said, I'm not holding my breath. Something that should have been done years ago.

It's hard to believe this point, especially if you have family that votes Trump. The "misinformed" part is hard to stomach because it seems correctable - but how?

I speak German. I'm wondering what Vance things MY neighbors should feel ...

Great critique of how elite media uses elitism as a dig against Mamdami, who embraces inclusivity, while ignoring JD Vance's deeply rooted elitism, which is designed to exclude.

America is all about being an unfinished project of democracy. If we don't keep working to perfect it, it's over.

"I find it hard to imagine that we would be having this conversation at all were Platner anything other than a fit middle-aged white guy who dresses like a stock photo of a 'real man.'" Rings true.

When the ghost of Heinrich Himmler is your tailor and Reinhard Heydrich is your barber ...

What do Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Comcast, Meta, and HP have in common? They all once pledged to stop donations to anyone who tried to overturn the 2020 election. And now they're all donors to Trump's White House ballroom. https://popular.info/p/these-corporations-stopped-worrying

HBO's Last Week Tonight featured @levernews.com's reporting on how Medicare Advantage plans pushed by both parties trap seniors while enriching politicians’ health insurance industry donors. Watch it and share. Original story here: www.levernews.com/care-denied-...

The SNAP fight is actually a recapitulation of the entire purpose of the shutdown. There's a contingency fund, Trump is required to spend it, but he's not, usurping Congress's power of the purse, essentially so he can do it again with normal appropriations whenever he wants

The Fred Trump treatment. Give him a fake job while Miller draws up missile strike plans on fishermen.

Trump rubs their faces in his shit and all they can do is spew obsequiousness. Pathetic.

Intriguing graphic. Rings true.

So arguably the best part of the ACA was the simple expansion of a long-existing program, no?

Read about these kids, and you have a pleasant thought: The world will be in good hands.

Two percent of the population ... Next time, 3.5%?