Garrett M. Graff

One sense of how skewed our political reality is comes as Mamdani says anodyne things that the GOP presidential nominees from 1976-2012 would have all agreed with, like “We should rely on due process for the burning of witches,” and everyone screams, “Leftist Commie! Red Commie!”

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com

Mamdani: "Those who led through exclusion & isolation have tried to win power & enrich themselves by turning us against one another ... today, too many of our leaders do not believe in a vision of this nation as an asylum for the persecuted, but rather as one that persecutes those seeking asylum"

▶

Live your life in such a way that, when you die, people don’t have to rush to say, “Please be polite!”

For all the cheering about this case being 8-1 or 7-2, it was, effectively, 5-4.

A single vote.

Worth constantly reminding that the National Guard are not trained in civilian law enforcement and shouldn’t be patrolling with weapons routinely on US streets:

Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social

The U.S. military shot and killed an American on U.S. soil this morning

National Guard troops fatally shoot a man in downtown Memphis

Memphis police say National Guard troops fired their weapons in the early morning hours of July 5, killing a man who was armed with a handgun. State investigators will handle the case.

This is insanity — especially given the incoherence of the WHCA redoing their celebratory dinner with Trump tonight.

Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social

News outlets that covered the US-Saudi nuclear deal without mentioning that Jared Kushner, Trump’s top foreign policy advisor, is getting paid by the Saudi government: WSJ NYT AP Reuters CNN NBC ABC CBS The Guardian Semafor Washington Post Fox News New York Post BBC Newsweek MS NOW

A nuclear deal for the Saudis. A media blackout for Kushner’s corruption.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration signed a 30-year nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that paves the way for the kingdom to enrich its own uranium.

This is all another sign of Joyce Carol Oates’ epic takedown of Elon Musk is fundamentally true.

Imagine becoming a gazillionaire and not being able to appreciate that eating a perfect backyard tomato mid-summer is the peak of satisfaction and joy. Elon Musk is bankrupt of joy.

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social

Another odd moment occurred when Musk insisted that work in the future would be "optional" because robots would do everything. Musk said people might still work in the future but compared it to people who grow their own backyard tomatoes. He said they could just go to the store for better tomatoes.

▶

The easiest thing in the world should be a for a US official to denounce Nazis. And yet….

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social

Because the Neo Nazis are our friends.

I was insanely jealous that @ryanjreilly.com thought of this anniversary and I didn’t. If ever there was a date that called to me anniversary-wise!

Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com

“In Jim Comey’s misguided attempt to preserve the independence of the FBI, he set in motion a series of events that has basically undone the 50 years of reform and traditions and independence that had been carefully carved out and guarded since Watergate." — @vermontgmg.bsky.social

The Comey effect: 10 years ago, an FBI news conference changed America

“It is hard to think of another single event in the last decade that has had such far-reaching and sweeping and unintended global consequences as Jim Comey’s press conference,” said one historian.

This is an astounding indictment of ICE’s training and hiring standards (Case Study: Nine Gazillion and Six):

Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social

1/ Guy who killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero called his ex wife to get her to vouch for his character. Readers, she did not: archive.md/L8BuD Quite the opposite.

Also seems like for a whole variety of reasons the government *buying* lists of citizens’ “ethnicities” should be illegal!

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social

New from 404 Media: ICE plans to pay Thomson Reuters $125 million for data to investigate what it calls 'voters fraud'. News comes day after Trump laying the groundwork to undermine the midterms. ICE says Thomson Reuters can continuously track millions of people. www.404media.co/ice-to-pay-t...

ICE to Pay Thomson Reuters $125 Million to Find ‘Voter Fraud’

A new procurement record says ICE wants access to personal data, including names, Social Security numbers, and ethnicity, to investigate in part what the agency calls “voters fraud.” It also plans to ...

👀

Nahal Toosi @nahaltoosi.bsky.social

SCOOP: Kash Patel is planning a trip to Russia www.politico.com/news/2026/07...

Kash at the Kremlin? FBI director plans Russia trip.

The plans come as the U.S. and Russia have failed to come to terms on ending the war in Ukraine.

It’s worth stating the basic, built-in failures of ICE recruiting and hiring, like this:

This is surely a wild undercount.

Cas Mudde @casmudde.bsky.social

That is only a bit more than two World Cups. 🤷‍♂️

It isn’t that long ago that the idea that a president would attempt to monetize the presidency *AFTER* leaving office was wildly controversial!

Harry Truman got criticized for selling his memoirs!

To me, one of the major shifts in US society and politics was that for decades we had successfully marginalized these voices to the fringe. We must do so again. You do not, under any circumstances, have to amplify these voices.

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social

Again. This is the author. What are we doing here?

These are fascinating numbers. For deportations, about 400k a year has been average for years across many administrations.

Amid the 250th, I'm excited to announce my new book: "America in 25 Revolutions: The 250-year quest of an imperfect country to be a more perfect union." Writing it reminded me that we have always been an imperfect country—but change is possible: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/a-project-...

A project of hope and optimism for our 250th

"America 250" can't just be a tacky birthday party. It has to be a moment when we assess where our country has come — and where it still has to go.

It’s incredible how uncharismatic JD Vance is. But for right-wing connections and Peter Thiel’s money, it’s hard to imagine he would even been a successful lawyer.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com

JD Vance attempts to tell a joke at Biden's expense to the troops -- and gets absolutely zero reaction 😬

▶

👀

Reply to @kevinmkruse.bsky.social

David Duke University, surely!

Reply to @kevinmkruse.bsky.social

Have you ever thought about writing or co-editing a book about US history myths, Kevin? Might help inoculate you to attacks like this.

Reply

Like Groves and Oppenheimer trying to take a round of equity in mid-1944!

Reply

I have never heard this story and am purchasing this book immediately.