Ken Hughes
@fatalpolitics.bsky.social
📤 285
📥 399
📝 1120
Author of Chasing Shadows and Fatal Politics. Bylines: @NYTimes @WashingtonPost @ConversationUS
pinned post!
Thank you to the 15,000+ people who read my debunking of RFK Jr.'s false account of
#OperationNorthwoods
. Please share it with people who only know the false version. They deserve better.
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
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about 22 hours ago
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Robert Reich
3 days ago
Remember: Wealth cannot be separated from power. We're seeing in real time how the extreme concentration of wealth is distorting our politics, rigging markets, and granting unprecedented power to a handful of people. Taxing the rich isn't just an economic issue, it's a defense of our democracy.
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The Bulwark
3 days ago
Sen. Mark Kelly: "If you say something that the president or this administration does not like, they're going to come after you. The president is trying to silence us, and I can't think of anything that's more un-American."
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Brandi Buchman
2 days ago
Hi, my dad got covid and it killed him. And I know this man doesn't give a shit about that or anyone else. I wont pretend, as a reporter and moreover as a human being, that this isnt dangerous or stupid or wildly offensive. These policies get people killed.
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
When foreign policy doesn't make sense, Fred Kaplan does.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
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Iran Has the Upper Hand Now
At this point, the competition is over which side can outlast the other’s suffering.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/05/trump-iran-peace-deal-war-news-oil.html
2 days ago
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
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Veterans Who Depend on Mental Health Care Keep Losing Their Therapists Under Trump
Hundreds of mental health professionals have left the Department of Veterans Affairs since President Donald Trump took office, leaving staff “at a breaking point” and some veterans waiting as long as ...
https://www.propublica.org/article/veterans-affairs-mental-health-therapists-quit-trump
3 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Rep. Joe Neguse
5 days ago
My resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision now has 79 co-sponsors. You can view the full list at:
www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
. I’ll keep fighting to get it across the finish line!
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Freedom of the Press Foundation
4 days ago
The FBI's probe into Atlantic magazine journalist
@sfifz787.bsky.social
's reporting on Director Kash Patel shows complete disregard for the First Amendment and for the FBI’s supposed mission of stopping crime. Read our statement:
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FBI’s Atlantic probe shows ‘complete disregard’ for First Amendment
The investigation would be outrageous even if the magazine reported classified information, which it didn’t
https://freedom.press/issues/fbis-atlantic-probe-shows-complete-disregard-for-first-amendment/
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Ken Hughes
Committee to Protect Journalists
4 days ago
“With rising federal interference, press freedom is facing an existential threat in the United States.” — CPJ’s Américas Director
@josecarloszamora.bsky.social
and
@amnesty-usa.bsky.social
’s Senior Director of Research Justin Mazzola Read the op-ed👇
cpj.org/2026/05/cpj-...
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CPJ, Amnesty International USA on World Press Freedom Day warn of increased pressure, threats under Trump administration - Committee to Protect Journalists
To mark World Press Freedom Day, CPJ’s Américas Director José Zamora and Amnesty International USA’s Senior Director of Research Justin Mazzola published an op-ed calling attention to the Trump admini...
https://cpj.org/2026/05/cpj-amnesty-international-usa-on-world-press-freedom-day-warn-of-increased-pressure-threats-under-trump-administration/
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Ken Hughes
Brendan Nyhan
4 days ago
No classified information. Pure authoritarian stuff.
www.ms.now/news/fbi-inv...
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
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4 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Ryan Marino, MD
5 days ago
Makary is blocking a treatment for incurable melanoma bc the multiple trials its undergone were not RCTs. The drug is intended for patients for whom other cancer therapies have not worked. An RCT would require a control group to continue to use chemotherapy that previously had not worked for them.
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Liz Szabo
5 days ago
Three surprising benefits of HPV vaccines we didn’t anticipate when they were approved: 1. They protect against FIVE types of cancer 2. They are creating herd immunity 3. They last a long time. “We have people who are 20, 30, 40 years old who are seeing protection from the HPV vaccine.”
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In Venezuela, Trump Promised Transparency. But Secret Oil Deals Linger Trump officials and their Venezuelan allies have promised a new era of accountability to unlock Venezuela’s immense oil wealth. But the country’s oil industry remains a black hole. Read free.
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/w...
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In Venezuela, Trump Promised Transparency. But Secret Oil Deals Linger
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/world/trump-venezuela-oil-deals.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gFA.yhWN.K_Z_lYMrvCD0&smid=bs-share
5 days ago
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
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5 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Committee to Protect Journalists
6 days ago
Independent reporting is essential to the public’s right to know. Cuba must release journalist Yeris Curbelo Aguilera, who is serving a two year sentence as part of the government’s effort to silence independent journalism in the country. Learn more:
cpj.org/data/people/...
#WorldPressFreedomDay
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Ken Hughes
Bill Kristol
8 days ago
The GOP's Louisiana is basically Orban's Hungary.
apnews.com/article/new-...
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Louisiana Republicans eliminate elected position days before an exoneree was set to take office
Louisiana Republicans have eliminated the office an exoneree was set to take after being overwhelmingly elected to the New Orleans-based seat. Republican Gov.
https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-criminal-clerk-calvin-duncan-exonerated-6a48a3d1ca81c91d42dc122dbed77f29?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=share
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Brendan Nyhan
7 days ago
Had always been at war with Eastasia but in reverse.
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Ken Hughes
Quinta Jurecic
7 days ago
“A Justice Department that is willing to stretch both the facts and the law to mislead a grand jury into returning an indictment could literally charge any American with a crime"
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DOJ Enters a New, Even More Aggressive Phase
The department is growing bolder yet, cutting legal corners in service of getting President Trump the headlines—and revenge—he wants.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/justice-department-blanche-ballroom-prosecutions/687036/?gift=mTq34Ny-ZVr996jdTJS9Ti_aC4FdOB0eXlvDBH817LM&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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Ken Hughes
Niko Bowie
8 days ago
By gutting the Voting Rights Act, the Supreme Court is killing the Second Reconstruction. The first Reconstruction shows how Congress should respond. Me and Daphna Renan in the NYT on the tools we have to save democracy from a hostile Court.
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Opinion | Ruling by Ruling, the Supreme Court Is Undoing the Civil Rights Movement
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/opinion/supreme-court-voting-rights-act.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fVA.2nfN.F6RqiLMzeDvi&smid=url-share
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Ken Hughes
The Verge
6 days ago
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez won a historic sum of $375 million in a landmark child safety case against Meta earlier this year. The next stage of the fight begins today, and it could be even more consequential for Meta and the social media industry at large.
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Meta’s historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million
The state previously won a $375 million jury award against Meta.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/922380/new-mexico-meta-public-nuisance-trial-kids-safety
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
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6 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Harry Shearer
7 days ago
open.substack.com/pub/harryshe...
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Yet More Self-Promotion
This week on #leshow: what happens when AI plays doctor, plus the Felon-in-Chief has the solution for Hormuz, and did CNN forget who John Yoo really was?
https://open.substack.com/pub/harryshearer971370/p/yet-more-self-promotion?r=170ni&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
add a skeleton here at some point
7 days ago
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
add a skeleton here at some point
8 days ago
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N.I.H. Reinstates Employee Put on Leave After Criticizing Trump Research Cuts
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/u...
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N.I.H. Reinstates Employee Put on Leave After Criticizing Trump Research Cuts
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/us/politics/trump-jenna-norton-nih.html?smid=bs-share
8 days ago
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Ken Hughes
The Bulwark
8 days ago
It's worth noting that many free speech advocates did and do mean it, but it's also clear that many of them were using "free speech" as a cudgel against the left, and have no use for it now.
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The Free Speech Warriors Who Now Love Cancel Culture
As Trump once again calls for Jimmy Kimmel’s firing, many purported defenders of the First Amendment have betrayed their signature cause.
https://lnk.thebulwark.com/4tdhBF7
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Voting rights groups sue to block Louisiana from suspending primary elections State’s governor has ordered congressional primary halted until state can redraw districts and dilute Black vote
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
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Voting rights groups sue to block Louisiana from suspending primary elections
State’s governor has ordered congressional primary halted until state can redraw districts and dilute Black vote
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/01/louisiana-jeff-landry-election-suspension
8 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Adam Serwer
10 days ago
In its latest ruling gutting the Voting Rights Act, the Roberts Court has inverted the Reconstruction Amendments to justify the same racist devices and practices they were adopted to dismantle (🎁)
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
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Ken Hughes
Rima I Anabtawi
9 days ago
61% of Americans say the Iran war is a "mistake," per new WaPo-ABC poll. “In Iraq, it took more than 3 years to reach that high. In Vietnam, it took 6 years.” - Aaron Blake
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
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Ken Hughes
Gordon Pennycook
9 days ago
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Adam Kinzinger
12 days ago
Teddy Roosevelt got shot in the chest and finished a 90-minute speech. Reagan got shot and joked, "Honey, I forgot to duck." Truman survived an attack and kept his Arlington schedule. None of them blamed their critics. None of them built a ballroom.
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
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Don't Be Intimidated
I lived inside the threats. Criticizing the President is not violence. It's the job description of a citizen.
https://open.substack.com/pub/adamkinzinger/p/dont-be-intimidated?r=kjv0f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
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Medicare portal database exposed health providers’ Social Security numbers
wapo.st/4cHHlVn
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Medicare portal database exposed health providers’ Social Security numbers
It is the latest technical problem related to the Trump administration’s push to create a national directory of health providers.
https://wapo.st/4cHHlVn
9 days ago
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
add a skeleton here at some point
9 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Philip Bump
10 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Neil Lewis, Jr.
11 days ago
One of the most clarifying passages I've ever read on what "polarization" actually means in the U.S."
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Ken Hughes
David Nakamura
10 days ago
Americans reject Trump’s planned WH ballroom by a 2-to-1 margin, according to a Post-ABC-Ipsos poll, and they appear largely unmoved by the intensified calls from the president to allow the project to go forward.
@ddiamond.bsky.social
@sfcpoll.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
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Public rejects Trump’s ballroom by wide margin
The president’s planned 250-foot arch and a Treasury department plan to put Trump’s signature on paper money are also unpopular ideas.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/30/washington-post-poll-trump-ballroom/
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Ken Hughes
Stephen Wolf
10 days ago
This is another attack on the constitution to empower Republican gerrymandering against communities of color
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Brendan Nyhan
10 days ago
Constitutional calvinball.
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
add a skeleton here at some point
10 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Acyn
10 days ago
AOC tells PabloReports that the reinstatement of the agent who shot Renee Good is a reminder of why Democrats should not give ICE and CBP a dime. AOC: Every single person that that man encounters is in just as grave danger as she was in.
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The Bulwark
10 days ago
Either these white South Africans are returning to a genocidal country, or there is no "white genocide."
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Trump Called It ‘White Genocide.’ Now the White People Are Flocking Home.
The president’s ravings about South Africa are comical. But their effects aren’t.
https://lnk.thebulwark.com/4eLK954
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
add a skeleton here at some point
11 days ago
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Good morning,
#FirstAmendmentPeople
.
#FreeSpeech
#FreePress
#FreeAssembly
#FreedomOfReligion
#PeacefulRedress
add a skeleton here at some point
12 days ago
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Ken Hughes
Bill Kristol
13 days ago
"A Chinese businessman puts Trump’s blunders in perspective. 'For us, Trump’s attack on Iran is less consequential than his threat to attack Greenland. When he did that, to America’s oldest allies, I knew that Europe would not follow America’s approach to China.'”
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/o...
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Opinion | Meet the New Leader of the Free World
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/opinion/zelensky-ukraine-trump-nato-leader.html?smid=bs-share
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Ken Hughes
Owen Barcala
13 days ago
Trump may be the only national political figure in American history for whom you can point to a court opinion finding that he did rape someone
caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-dis...
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Ken Hughes
Aaron Rupar
13 days ago
TRUMP: I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody O'DONNELL: Oh, you think he was referring to you?
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Jay Van Bavel, PhD
13 days ago
Academic Freedom Index has slipped in 50 countries, but taken a nosedive in the United States. "‘This academic freedom erosion is part of broader democratic backslide that we’re seeing in the US"
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Brendan Nyhan
13 days ago
A profound threat to one of America's world-dominating industries, which makes us richer and healthier (higher ed)
academic-freedom-index.net/research/Aca...
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CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show Federal vaccine advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted in December to recommend delaying the first shot... Read free:
wapo.st/4vVDziF
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CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show
Federal vaccine advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted in December to recommend delaying the first shot until at least two months of age for infants born to mothers who test negative...
https://wapo.st/4vVDziF
13 days ago
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