A.Jay Wagner
@ajaywagner.bsky.social
associate professor, Marquette University
interested in FOI/A and government transparency
www.ajaywagner.com
interested in FOI/A and government transparency
www.ajaywagner.com
What's the reason for optimism regarding release:
"Even if the bill were to pass the House, it would need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, where there is no guarantee that it would get a vote. And should it reach President Trump’s desk, he would be all but certain to veto it."
"Even if the bill were to pass the House, it would need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, where there is no guarantee that it would get a vote. And should it reach President Trump’s desk, he would be all but certain to veto it."
Grijalva Signs Epstein Petition, Starting Clock Toward a Vote
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:13 PM
What's the reason for optimism regarding release:
"Even if the bill were to pass the House, it would need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, where there is no guarantee that it would get a vote. And should it reach President Trump’s desk, he would be all but certain to veto it."
"Even if the bill were to pass the House, it would need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, where there is no guarantee that it would get a vote. And should it reach President Trump’s desk, he would be all but certain to veto it."
Why does anyone think these Epstein details will amount to much?
There's long been more than enough information to form a solid conclusion, and if you've decided Trump is innocent or simply don't care, no amount of new info will change anything.
There's long been more than enough information to form a solid conclusion, and if you've decided Trump is innocent or simply don't care, no amount of new info will change anything.
November 12, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Why does anyone think these Epstein details will amount to much?
There's long been more than enough information to form a solid conclusion, and if you've decided Trump is innocent or simply don't care, no amount of new info will change anything.
There's long been more than enough information to form a solid conclusion, and if you've decided Trump is innocent or simply don't care, no amount of new info will change anything.
Wonder if this kind of insulation from regular people will make CBS News better or worse?
She has SIX bodyguards???
Wrote about Bari Weiss' clown show at CBS, and also how David Ellison is very bad at math www.splinter.com/bari-weiss-a...
November 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Wonder if this kind of insulation from regular people will make CBS News better or worse?
There's nothing ambiguous about that.
That's both barrels.
That's both barrels.
November 10, 2025 at 6:08 PM
There's nothing ambiguous about that.
That's both barrels.
That's both barrels.
Reposted by A.Jay Wagner
Let my gravestone read "PUNCTUATION GOES INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS."
November 10, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Let my gravestone read "PUNCTUATION GOES INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS."
Not at all alarming.
The President pardoned members of his private militia after they failed to overturn an election; they, in turn, pledge their support to him and urge him to use them to police civil society.
New:
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
November 10, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Not at all alarming.
Really just a matter of whether the purchase of crypto or a donation to the presidential library will be unearthed or not. There's just no justification otherwise.
The most corrupt America Last President in history. Every day a new pardon worse than one the day before.
November 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Really just a matter of whether the purchase of crypto or a donation to the presidential library will be unearthed or not. There's just no justification otherwise.
Reposted by A.Jay Wagner
As Ta-Nehisi Coates said last month:
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
Breaking News: Cornell University reached an agreement with the Trump administration that would restore hundreds of millions in funding to the university. It's expected to pay a $30 million fine to the government and to invest $30 million in agriculture and farming programs.
Cornell Reaches Deal with Trump Administration to Restore Research Funds
The Ivy League university had warned of layoffs after the Trump administration stripped it of funds this year. The cuts were among the deepest in higher education.
nyti.ms
November 7, 2025 at 5:30 PM
As Ta-Nehisi Coates said last month:
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
Resisting at every turn and making this administration do all the work is necessary for so many reasons, but perhaps none more important than the fact that they're: a) largely incompetent and b) fighting unwinnable battles
Just left the latest hearing in Jim Comey's criminal case. It did not go well for DOJ
The magistrate judge scolded them for an "indict first, investigate second" posture and ordered them to turn over reams of material — including all grand jury info — to Comey's team
Details TK
The magistrate judge scolded them for an "indict first, investigate second" posture and ordered them to turn over reams of material — including all grand jury info — to Comey's team
Details TK
November 5, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Resisting at every turn and making this administration do all the work is necessary for so many reasons, but perhaps none more important than the fact that they're: a) largely incompetent and b) fighting unwinnable battles
Reposted by A.Jay Wagner
Shoot this person to the moon. Unconscionably shallow.
“At the same time, more than half of Gen Z members say they are struggling to make ends meet, yet a majority buy themselves a small treat, such as a pastry, coffee, or sweet, at least once a week. That can lead to overspending…”
archive.ph/2TI8J
archive.ph/2TI8J
October 31, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Shoot this person to the moon. Unconscionably shallow.
If this appeals to Democratic voters (and I imagine it's more for conservatives and "independents"), it might be time to throw the whole party in the garbage and start over from scratch.
Cuomo’s closing pitch is just gutter racism against his opponent bsky.app/profile/bfis...
What an odious thing to say. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...
October 29, 2025 at 2:19 PM
If this appeals to Democratic voters (and I imagine it's more for conservatives and "independents"), it might be time to throw the whole party in the garbage and start over from scratch.
Reposted by A.Jay Wagner
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
October 27, 2025 at 10:19 PM
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
Do we have a federal government at this point, or is just Trump tapping friends for money and doing whatever the fuck he wants?
More normalization of “funneling.”
bsky.app/profile/cnn....
bsky.app/profile/cnn....
The Department of Homeland Security is funneling $10 billion through the Navy to help facilitate the construction of a sprawling network of migrant detention centers across the US in an arrangement aimed at getting the centers built faster. https://cnn.it/4oDFP9W
October 25, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Do we have a federal government at this point, or is just Trump tapping friends for money and doing whatever the fuck he wants?
Unfortunately, that's kinda what Trump v. United States (2024) says, at least there is no responsibility for his actions.
Not many people know that if the president just asserts something and says "Okay?" then the crimes are suddenly completely legal.
The U.S. has conducted 10 strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats, killing 43 people.
Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it.
He’s unilaterally acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
This is a danger to us all.
Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it.
He’s unilaterally acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
This is a danger to us all.
October 24, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Unfortunately, that's kinda what Trump v. United States (2024) says, at least there is no responsibility for his actions.
They're not sending their best.
A civil attorney who Trump enthusiast Lindsey Halligan brought in to prosecute the Letitia James case screwed up his initial appearance and the court had to give him step-by-step instructions about how to save a PDF.
October 24, 2025 at 4:23 PM
They're not sending their best.
Who the fuck wants automated opinions? What are we even doing at this point?
new: The Washington Post is rolling out a beta version of Ripple, its A.I.-enabled opinion product. "The intention is to provide a range of recent perspectives from other publishers across America."
October 16, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Who the fuck wants automated opinions? What are we even doing at this point?
No better sign of the financialization of academia than the constant attacks on student media.
University administration simply cannot tolerate snot-nosed kids saying mean things. Drives them mad. Might hurt the bottom line.
University administration simply cannot tolerate snot-nosed kids saying mean things. Drives them mad. Might hurt the bottom line.
Indiana University has fired the staff director of the student newspaper, after disputes in which university leadership tried to pressure him to prevent students from publishing news.
October 15, 2025 at 1:02 AM
No better sign of the financialization of academia than the constant attacks on student media.
University administration simply cannot tolerate snot-nosed kids saying mean things. Drives them mad. Might hurt the bottom line.
University administration simply cannot tolerate snot-nosed kids saying mean things. Drives them mad. Might hurt the bottom line.
Reposted by A.Jay Wagner
Rupert Murdoch is awful, but he was an actual newspaper person who understood that alienating your core audience is not good business. For Bezos, the Post was a vanity project, and is now a loss leader to protect his other interests.
Lmao WaPo has fewer than 100K circulation now. It turns out “alienate your liberal subscriber base” is not a good strategy when the Republicans also hate you. www.forbes.com/sites/andyme...
The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay
Once a titan of American journalism, The Washington Post now struggles to reach even 100,000 print subscribers most days.
www.forbes.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Rupert Murdoch is awful, but he was an actual newspaper person who understood that alienating your core audience is not good business. For Bezos, the Post was a vanity project, and is now a loss leader to protect his other interests.
White House Doctor: Trump Has Far More Bones Than Any Prior President
October 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
White House Doctor: Trump Has Far More Bones Than Any Prior President
Feels like one of Trump's lasting impacts will be the outing of the healthy subset of the U.S. public simply does not care about other people.
Trump has given them license to openly express this, and in many cases celebrate their indifference to human misery.
Trump has given them license to openly express this, and in many cases celebrate their indifference to human misery.
i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...
Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.
apnews.com
October 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Feels like one of Trump's lasting impacts will be the outing of the healthy subset of the U.S. public simply does not care about other people.
Trump has given them license to openly express this, and in many cases celebrate their indifference to human misery.
Trump has given them license to openly express this, and in many cases celebrate their indifference to human misery.
Remember when the federal government was dignified enough to not respond (in the most childish way imaginable) to every single perceived slight.
Zach Bryan Slammed by DHS for Criticizing ICE Raids in His New Song - TMZ www.tmz.com/2025/10/07/z...
Zach Bryan Slammed by DHS for Criticizing ICE Raids in His New Song
Zach Bryan is now in the crosshairs of the Department of Homeland Security, sorta ... officials at the federal agency are clapping back at his critique of ICE in his latest song.
www.tmz.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Remember when the federal government was dignified enough to not respond (in the most childish way imaginable) to every single perceived slight.
Reposted by A.Jay Wagner
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.
October 7, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.
Reading a few opinions will quickly disabuse you of thinking SCOTUS is some wise tribunal. It's coded legalese, and thus hard to decipher, but the arguments are often downright silly.
Surprised 1Ls don't demand a refund after they read Korematsu. It's ethically bankrupt and logically implausible.
Surprised 1Ls don't demand a refund after they read Korematsu. It's ethically bankrupt and logically implausible.
The View segment where Whoopi asked how ordinary people could read SCOTUS opinions was revealing.
They're free. They're online. They're much easier to read than legislation. Conquer your imposter's syndrome, you are smart enough to read a decision and know if it's bullshit.
They're free. They're online. They're much easier to read than legislation. Conquer your imposter's syndrome, you are smart enough to read a decision and know if it's bullshit.
It's not just that they're going to strike down a law against conversion therapy, it's that they're going to do it on behalf of made-up claims from a straw plaintiff who can't honestly show the law affected her at all
October 7, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reading a few opinions will quickly disabuse you of thinking SCOTUS is some wise tribunal. It's coded legalese, and thus hard to decipher, but the arguments are often downright silly.
Surprised 1Ls don't demand a refund after they read Korematsu. It's ethically bankrupt and logically implausible.
Surprised 1Ls don't demand a refund after they read Korematsu. It's ethically bankrupt and logically implausible.
Reposted by A.Jay Wagner
Glad that this is getting coverage, but the chilling effect is here! Apple and Google are very clearly chilled! Speech is restricted with no legal basis! No experts needed, it's just facts!
Apple and Google Block Apps That Crowdsource ICE Sightings. Some Warn of Chilling Effects | Associated Press www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/03/b...
Apple and Google block apps that crowdsource ICE sightings. Some warn of chilling effects. - The Boston Globe
Even though it has been removed from the app marketplace, those who have already downloaded the app should still be able to use it.
www.bostonglobe.com
October 6, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Glad that this is getting coverage, but the chilling effect is here! Apple and Google are very clearly chilled! Speech is restricted with no legal basis! No experts needed, it's just facts!