TODAY: @milesklee.bsky.social on ten years in the maddening, mythical Los Angeles. "That disaster, in fact, is possibly what made us come to see ourselves as Angelenos, no longer quite so naive about our paradise that rests on the edge of oblivion." flaminghydra.com/ten-years-be...

I interviewed the incredible Keeonna Harris for Flaming Hydra. We talked about incarcerated pen pals, literary moms, bacon wrapped hot dogs and more. 💚

Experts with the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( @csis.org ) will appear on your media and say they're concerned about munitions stockpiles. They won't say that the defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and RTX that give them millions spent lavishly on... stock buybacks. Latest:

NEW: As Trump prepares $50 billion supplemental for munitions depleted by Iran strikes, experts from defense contractor-funded think tanks are amplifying shortage warnings to reporters. readsludge.com/2026/03/05/d...

If you vote to fund the war, you support the war. www.huffpost.com/entry/ruben-...

Democratic consultancy Precision Strategies, whose co-founders led the Kamala Harris campaign, acquired Republican firm Firehouse Strategies, whose co-founders led Marco Rubio's 2016 campaign, according to Politico Influence. Harris' campaign did not close with an affordability message. "Oh well."

TODAY: @lesbrains.bsky.social in conversation with author and memoirist Keeonna Harris. “Women shoulder the burden of male incarceration. Prison forced me to mother my children without their father. Prison forced me to mother my incarcerated partner.” flaminghydra.com/im-from-the-...

Soon after the Trump admin gutted the CFPB watchdog agency, the president secretly invested millions in bank securities that offer returns of up to 8%. The holdings were only disclosed today, late.

As Trump pushed through his massive tax-and-spending bill that was cheered by bank lobbying groups, he was secretly investing millions in bank securities. The public did not have disclosure until now (but don't worry, he paid a late filing fee). New by @donnydonny.bsky.social:

SCOOP: Trump quietly invested as much as $20 million in bank securities last year and violated the STOCK Act by failing to publicly disclose the transactions. readsludge.com/2026/03/04/t...

Four House Dems publicly oppose the Iran war powers resolution: Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Greg Landsman, Jared Moskowitz, and Tom Suozzi. The four have received $1.5 million in donations from AIPAC PAC this cycle alone, and more than $1.8 million from the group before...

Great concern over insider betting on Polymarket, even on nuclear weapons! House Dems could have passed a bill, anytime from 2019–2022, that would have prohibited executive branch officials from such assets, and sent it to the Senate. Pelosi never gave the Anti-Corruption Act a hearing.

The CIA did deliberately marginalize "Adore" though

Film and media historian @alicelovejoy.bsky.social on the parallels between the current ICE surge in Minneapolis, where she lives, and the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. Read through the end, deeply observed >>

TODAY: our NEWEST HYDRA @sarahweinman.com with an examination of Epstein's dentist, who was also, yikes, Sarah's dentist. "Everyone is powerless in a dental chair. Supine, with a mouth full of rubber dams or painful X-ray cards, you cede every iota of autonomy." flaminghydra.com/issue-514/#s...

“More than just being unconstitutional, and very clearly illegal under international law, this war is also morally reprehensible. It's wrong,” says Chris Hayes. “All of this may sound obvious, but it must be said.”

On Feb. 28, the day the strike on Iran started, AIPAC's account thanked many members of Congress who supported or OK'd Trump's attack. Three of them—Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV)—have received $1.2 million from AIPAC PAC so far this cycle.

Dean Ball of the conservative Foundation for American Innovation (FAI) wrote the Trump AI Action Plan, released in July. Now he's taken to Substack pretending to wring his hands about whether the Trump admin can be trusted. Which is likelier: he's been betrayed by Hegseth, or was power-hungry?

Democratic megadonor Ron Conway of SV Angel is backing AI super PACs with the Trump-aligned a16z and OpenAI heads. The PAC Think Big just dropped another $317k of attack ads against Alex Bores in #NY12, bringing its total against him so far to $1.84 million. More info on their spending strategy:

👀 NYCC’s memo opposing Hochul's attack on the NYS climate law. Her Trump math is trash and she's raised our energy bills by ignoring the climate law for years now. The legislature should reject her Republican talk points and her bums rush in the budget 👀 docs.google.com/document/d/1...

hello I am now a member of @flaminghydra.com and am kicking things off with a multi part series on fascist aesthetics and what their whole deal is flaminghydra.com/toward-an-un...

Mark Warner is into AIPAC for more than half a million bucks this election cycle alone: readsludge.com/2026/03/01/h...

How come, 'How will you pay for it?' is never asked about war? There's an answer for that! The conservative Blue Dog Coalition opposes efforts by progressives to trim the Pentagon budget by 10%. They are backed by corporate and dark money, as are other centrist groups opposing the measures.

New: Bernie Sanders to unveil $4.4 trillion tax on America's ~1,000 billionaires, saying it would pay for: — Medicare to cover dental/vision/hearing — Teacher pay at $60K/yr min. — $3K/person checks (under $150K/yr) — Universal childcare — Housing expansion www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

AIPAC has delivered six-figure donations to fourscore congressional lawmakers this cycle, overwhelmingly in earmarked PAC contributions that don't get widely noticed. We analyzed FEC data to create an up-to-date list for every senator and rep this cycle:

Three House Dems—Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Greg Landsman, and Jared Moskowitz—were on record as opposing a vote on the War Powers resolution before the strikes on Iran. The three have received $1.2 million from AIPAC this cycle alone, placing them among the top 10 in their caucus...

It was an honor to write for @thenation.com about Minnesota this winter and Czechoslovakia in 1968. This is a piece about invasions and occupations: how we talk about them, what they look and sound like, the ways time feels within them. www.thenation.com/article/poli...

AIPAC is flooding the campaign coffers of the House and Senate lawmakers who will vote on an Iran War Powers resolution this week. Our analysis found that in the House, donations via AIPAC PAC have leaned to Democrats (59%), while in the Senate, they've steered heavily to Republicans (76%)...

House Dem leaders did not plan a vote on an Iran War Powers resolution until after the attack, after the military buildup was well underway. (And last year, Jeffries did not join the Khanna/Massie measure.) They could be asked about it—House Dem *leadership* has received $1.5 million from AIPAC:

Insider betting on Kalshi and Polymarket, oh my! The Anti-Corruption Act, first introduced by progressives in 2018, would ban executive branch and agency officials from owning such shares. It would also strengthen ethics oversight. The bill was never given a hearing by Dem House or Senate leaders.

Just out: Here is how much every member of Congress has received from AIPAC as the lobby group applauds Trump's strikes on Iran. Full, searchable list:

On Trump's unauthorized Iran strikes, progressive foreign policy experts contrast the late reactions of Schumer and Jeffries, after the attacks, vs. those members (like Kaine, Khanna/Massie, Sanders) who pushed for a War Powers vote *ahead of time*. AIPAC funnels campaign money to the lawmakers:

As AIPAC applauds Trump's strikes on Iran, here is a searchable table of PAC donations they've given to every member of Congress this cycle. Brand new analysis:

NEW data analysis: Here is how much AIPAC has funneled to every member of Congress

Video verified by the NYT shows "piles of bloodied, dusty backpacks" in Iran. Someone can ask the five Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee—in #ME02 (Golden), #NM02 (Vasquez), #NC01 (Davis), #CA27 (Whitesides) and #VA07 (Vindman)—if they would repeat their vote funding Trump's military.

Congress is not doing much to defend its constitutional role in the War Powers Act. There has never existed a public campaign financing option for Congress, letting candidates run based on small dollar donations from constituents. Dems had windows to enact in 2009, but they did not move the bills.

New statement on Iran strikes from Rep. Jeffries: "The Trump administration must explain itself to the American people and Congress immediately..." Palantir lobbyists gave $2.9 million to the DCCC in January alone, on top of millions bundled last year.

The majority of House Dems vote against annual proposals from progressives to trim the Pentagon budget by 10% and spend it on health care, housing, and education. Fewer Dems voted for the proposals under Biden than under the last year of Trump. Roll calls:

Trump explicitly calls his major military assault on Iran a war aimed at regime change. Congress has not declared war on Iran or authorized the use of military force against it. The launch of these illegal attacks is a crime of aggression—a grave violation of international law.

In June, Dem senators including Van Hollen and Tina Smith joined Bernie Sanders' bill, the No War Against Iran Act, which would mandate congressional approval. Schumer did not sign on, despite having joined the bill in 2020. Jeffries did not join the bipartisan House bill. Plenty of money flowed.

17 House Dems voted for Trump's $1+ trillion defense budget in September: Cuellar #TX28 Davis #NC01 Gillen #NY04 Golden #ME02 Gonzalez #TX34 Gottheimer #NJ05 Gray #CA13 Horsford #NV04 Kaptur #OH09 Lee #NV03 Delaney #MD06 Rivet #MI08 Mrvan #IN01 Perez #WA03 Sykes #OH13 Vindman #VA07 Whitesides #CA27

TODAY: @josie.zone on the teacher who taught her to expect, and plan for, the worst. "Napoleon III’s rule did not last forever, nor did Hitler’s or Mussolini’s. These conflagrations burn themselves out. But keep your eyes open while the inferno surges." flaminghydra.com/issue-512/#n...

Hakeem Jeffries' DCCC is affiliated with a dark-money funded super PAC backing Rep. Valerie Foushee in #NC04 against challenger Nida Allam. The only known donor in the mix is the AI-and-crypto invested, AIPAC-donor billionaire Robert Granieri of the secretive trading firm Jane Street Capital.

TODAY: @littlewow.online on "paranoid reading" and its remedies. "To practice a worldview more expansive and more open to possibilities than paranoia does not mean you have to deny the reality or gravity of oppression." flaminghydra.com/issue-511/#a...

Robert Granieri, billionaire co-founder of Jane Street Capital, is the only disclosed donor to a PAC affiliated with a super PAC now spending in #NC04 for Valerie Foushee. This week, he was sued in federal court over allegations of insider trading, re: the collapse of Do Kwon’s Terraform Labs...

The DCCC is involved in a super PAC funded by "dark money" backing Rep. Valerie Foushee in #NC04, facing progressive Nida Allam. Democratic primary voters will not know the donors behind the ads before election day.

In #NC04, a week out from primary Election Day, the DCCC is involved in a dark money-funded super PAC supporting Rep. Valerie Foushee, who faces progressive challenger Nida Allam. The DCCC is listed on the joint fundraising committee funded solely by a billionaire financier AIPAC donor. Full story:

Rep. Valerie Foushee said she would decline AIPAC's financial support in the #NC04 primary against challenger Nida Allam, but a pop-up super PAC with ties to a reclusive billionaire AIPAC donor has dropped $600k for her... so far. The mysterious super PAC is also tied to the DCCC. Just out:

New: A mysterious super PAC has spent $600,000 supporting Rep. Valerie Foushee in the NC-04 primary against challenger Nida Allam. Foushee said she would decline AIPAC's financial support. The group, Article One PAC, is tied in FEC records to a billionaire AIPAC donor.