CJ 🏳️🌈🤘
@drensteppur.bsky.social
Texan, shiftless layabout, wearily homosexual.
user policy guru for a large tech company. safe use policy, data security, malicious user behavior analysis, phishing & impersonation prevention, cloud data protection & best practices.
user policy guru for a large tech company. safe use policy, data security, malicious user behavior analysis, phishing & impersonation prevention, cloud data protection & best practices.
"Hitler was a genius—all serious historians agree," is legitimately one of the most laughably ahistorical assertions I have ever heard. Hitler and almost all of his hand-picked high ranking Nazis were genuinely *not* smart; it's like the primary reason why they destroyed everything they touched!
Curtis Yarvin, JD Vance’s friend & ideological influence, ended 2025 by claiming “only Hitler spoke the truth” about “too many subjects” & “Hitler was a genius.”
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
January 1, 2026 at 4:31 PM
"Hitler was a genius—all serious historians agree," is legitimately one of the most laughably ahistorical assertions I have ever heard. Hitler and almost all of his hand-picked high ranking Nazis were genuinely *not* smart; it's like the primary reason why they destroyed everything they touched!
it obviously really really REALLY bothers John Roberts that he knows he's going to go down as one of the very worst Chief Justices this country has ever had, but he's 100% brought this on himself. (and HOO BOY, is that ever a tall hurdle to clear because we've had some genuinely *awful* ones.)
Under Fire for Trump Rulings, Chief Justice Says Courts Still Check Political Power but of course NOT the SCOTUS
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
Under Fire for Trump Rulings, Chief Justice Says Courts Still Check Political Power
John Roberts in a year-end report expounds on judicial independence as the high court faces criticism for being deferential to President Trump.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:26 PM
it obviously really really REALLY bothers John Roberts that he knows he's going to go down as one of the very worst Chief Justices this country has ever had, but he's 100% brought this on himself. (and HOO BOY, is that ever a tall hurdle to clear because we've had some genuinely *awful* ones.)
lololol every detail about this is sus af, from his obvious, blatant lies about what's ailing him, to the impromptu & totally unscheduled interview that he apparently gave to the WSJ that kicked off this piece.
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:31 PM
lololol every detail about this is sus af, from his obvious, blatant lies about what's ailing him, to the impromptu & totally unscheduled interview that he apparently gave to the WSJ that kicked off this piece.
soooo ... did I miss anything?
January 1, 2026 at 1:01 PM
soooo ... did I miss anything?
siiiiiigh I think I'm probably gonna have to deactivate til sometime in January. I've got a report I'm building for work sitting on my desk that's already north of 90 pages, I'm not even halfway through yet, and I made an insane promise today that it'd be done and ready for print in three weeks.
December 17, 2025 at 11:21 PM
siiiiiigh I think I'm probably gonna have to deactivate til sometime in January. I've got a report I'm building for work sitting on my desk that's already north of 90 pages, I'm not even halfway through yet, and I made an insane promise today that it'd be done and ready for print in three weeks.
one of my takes on this has always been that people also fail to appreciate how large the cultural differences are between the disparate parts of the US, too. like, if you think some European countries are distinct from one another in terms of culture and history, wait til you hear about the states!
anyways, US states should be more accurately seen as world-class administrative subdivisions
Some of you didn't think Midwest states were shit.
December 17, 2025 at 10:53 PM
one of my takes on this has always been that people also fail to appreciate how large the cultural differences are between the disparate parts of the US, too. like, if you think some European countries are distinct from one another in terms of culture and history, wait til you hear about the states!
I mean, nobody in Big Oil wants the untapped reserves in Venezuela for the exact same reason that the Keystone XL fell apart: since the turn of the century, we've realized that crude that is trapped in *oil sands* is too expensive to extract & refine. NOBODY wants it; it's too damn cost intensive.
incredible that they can’t even get big oil on board with this (if not really surprising, 25 years is a long time)
Trump administration asking US oil industry to return to Venezuela — but getting no takers
The administration’s outreach to the industry, previously unreported, is the latest sign the White House is dreaming of a post-Maduro future for Venezuela.
www.politico.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I mean, nobody in Big Oil wants the untapped reserves in Venezuela for the exact same reason that the Keystone XL fell apart: since the turn of the century, we've realized that crude that is trapped in *oil sands* is too expensive to extract & refine. NOBODY wants it; it's too damn cost intensive.
To be fair, there were some 19th century Speakers that had even less control over the House than Johnson does now, so I think technically he's just the weakest Speaker *in modern times*. Otherwise, yeah, the man is officially out of the driver's seat. The clown car definitely has no driver atm.
Massive defeat for Mike Johnson. Still has to clear the senate, but this is what Dems wanted all along. Johnson has essentially lost control of the gavel after Epstein and now this. Weakest speaker in history.
December 17, 2025 at 9:35 PM
To be fair, there were some 19th century Speakers that had even less control over the House than Johnson does now, so I think technically he's just the weakest Speaker *in modern times*. Otherwise, yeah, the man is officially out of the driver's seat. The clown car definitely has no driver atm.
I live in what is famously one of the best water districts in the state, we are proud of the fact that we have a water team so skilled that it's called to help with water emergencies around the world, and a data center here would not make a dent in our small-ish supply because IT'S WELL MANAGED.
If a data center nearby is truly threatening your local supply, then your problem is *NOT* the data center: it's the chronic mismanagement of your local water authority that has underfunded your infrastructure and failed to appropriate growth it should have been expecting for the last couple decades
December 17, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I live in what is famously one of the best water districts in the state, we are proud of the fact that we have a water team so skilled that it's called to help with water emergencies around the world, and a data center here would not make a dent in our small-ish supply because IT'S WELL MANAGED.
Insanely fuckin stupid idea grounded in 100%, pure, unadulterated reactionary primitivism. I simply cannot overstate how genuinely unserious this is. I honestly think less of him for just thinking about less, let alone posting it online, and I already thought VERY little of this man.
I will be pushing for a moratorium on the construction of data centers that are powering the unregulated sprint to develop & deploy AI.
The moratorium will give democracy a chance to catch up, and ensure that the benefits of technology work for all of us, not just the 1%.
The moratorium will give democracy a chance to catch up, and ensure that the benefits of technology work for all of us, not just the 1%.
It's Time for a Moratorium on Data Centers | Sen. Bernie Sanders
YouTube video by Senator Bernie Sanders
youtu.be
December 17, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Insanely fuckin stupid idea grounded in 100%, pure, unadulterated reactionary primitivism. I simply cannot overstate how genuinely unserious this is. I honestly think less of him for just thinking about less, let alone posting it online, and I already thought VERY little of this man.
this is an incredibly important point that I think a lot of people are overlooking because they want to believe that Trump is simply infallible to those people, and I think this moment is proof that he's really not. there was *always* going to be something to undercut it, sooner or later.
The 'he's just like that!' defense has been enormously load bearing. 6 months ago Tapper was insistent that "questions about Trump are more about personality than they are about cognitive decline" bsky.app/profile/atru...
C-SPAN caller to Tapper: "When are you going to examine what's going on with Trump? ... this president has been pure chaos, which indicates to me that there is something wrong with him. We will never get a straight answer on his medical exam, and yet you have gone after Joe Biden with a vengeance."
December 17, 2025 at 1:56 PM
this is an incredibly important point that I think a lot of people are overlooking because they want to believe that Trump is simply infallible to those people, and I think this moment is proof that he's really not. there was *always* going to be something to undercut it, sooner or later.
I said so yesterday, but I really do believe that in the near future we're going to be looking back at Trump's Reiner screed as a hugely important moment both for him personally & for this administration more generally. he has finally said something they can't ignore or chalk up to "personality."
Obviously the National Review has always had Trump-sceptics. But when an editor is debating whether he is a psychopath or a sociopath, that's something. Ditto when he points out that Trump is "a hateful raging lunatic with all the empathy of Jeffrey Dahmer".
www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-...
www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-...
Trump’s Appalling Reiner Reaction Is a Sign of Something Deeply Wrong | National Review
Yes, we must talk about what President Trump posted on Truth Social about the brutal murders of the Reiners.
www.nationalreview.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I said so yesterday, but I really do believe that in the near future we're going to be looking back at Trump's Reiner screed as a hugely important moment both for him personally & for this administration more generally. he has finally said something they can't ignore or chalk up to "personality."
1. they've been trying to figure out a way to kill Obamacare *without* having to turn it into a vote, and they finally found a roundabout way of doing it.
2. this would have passed because around a dozen House Republicans have already said they were in favor of extending them.
2. this would have passed because around a dozen House Republicans have already said they were in favor of extending them.
Congress is poised to leave for a scheduled holiday recess without a solution for addressing the expiration of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans. n.pr/4q9lB8z
How the long-running Obamacare fight came to thwart enhanced subsidies in Congress
Congress is poised to leave for a scheduled holiday recess without a solution for addressing the expiration of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans.
n.pr
December 17, 2025 at 12:43 PM
1. they've been trying to figure out a way to kill Obamacare *without* having to turn it into a vote, and they finally found a roundabout way of doing it.
2. this would have passed because around a dozen House Republicans have already said they were in favor of extending them.
2. this would have passed because around a dozen House Republicans have already said they were in favor of extending them.
it's definitely the most significant piece I've read about any Trump staffer in a good while; it's maybe the most important interview any of them have given since he was sworn in again. everybody needs to read it because we're not given many unvarnished firsthand accounts like this.
...but boy, now I'm actually reading the thing and MY GOODNESS. Yeah, she's not gonna be going into the office for much longer, if she still does at all.
December 16, 2025 at 2:12 PM
it's definitely the most significant piece I've read about any Trump staffer in a good while; it's maybe the most important interview any of them have given since he was sworn in again. everybody needs to read it because we're not given many unvarnished firsthand accounts like this.
I know that a lot of folks avoid the Nazi bar site at all costs, but out of morbid curiosity I've been using a sock puppet account on X this morning to dig through the discourse On There about Rob Reiner ... and you guys, I think Trump might've actually screwed the pooch on this one.
December 16, 2025 at 1:31 PM
I know that a lot of folks avoid the Nazi bar site at all costs, but out of morbid curiosity I've been using a sock puppet account on X this morning to dig through the discourse On There about Rob Reiner ... and you guys, I think Trump might've actually screwed the pooch on this one.
Reposted by CJ 🏳️🌈🤘
Interviews this candid would get any other chief of staff fired. If Wiles survives this, it's another sign that Trump has absolutely zero control over his White House.
I don’t even know what to make of this level self-delusion, cognitive dissonance and moral cowardice
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/u...
Trump’s Top Aide Acknowledges ‘Score Settling’ Behind Prosecutions
www.nytimes.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Interviews this candid would get any other chief of staff fired. If Wiles survives this, it's another sign that Trump has absolutely zero control over his White House.
CoreWeave is under contract to build *hundreds of billions of dollars* worth of computing power for AI companies, but it's on the verge of collapse because of construction woes & unforgivably huge fuckups like a failed acquisition. if it collapses, there are gonna be huge, market-wide consequences.
Exclusive | CoreWeave’s Staggering Fall From Market Grace Highlights AI Bubble Fears
The data-center provider’s terrible six-week slide picked up speed when a famous short seller piled concerns on top of delays.
www.wsj.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:06 PM
CoreWeave is under contract to build *hundreds of billions of dollars* worth of computing power for AI companies, but it's on the verge of collapse because of construction woes & unforgivably huge fuckups like a failed acquisition. if it collapses, there are gonna be huge, market-wide consequences.
Sen. Mark Kelly on Morning Joe atm, and damn, he is *exceptionally* good in this format. he can speak extemporaneously on incredibly dense topics with the best of them.
December 16, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Sen. Mark Kelly on Morning Joe atm, and damn, he is *exceptionally* good in this format. he can speak extemporaneously on incredibly dense topics with the best of them.
the thing about Signal, despite it being the true gold standard in encrypted messaging, is that it can only ever be secure as the sloppiest person in all of your group chats. got someone who never deletes, invites strangers, & leaves his devices unlocked?? your Signal chats are NOT secure, friend.
This level of OpSec is referred to as The Full Hegseth
December 16, 2025 at 11:04 AM
the thing about Signal, despite it being the true gold standard in encrypted messaging, is that it can only ever be secure as the sloppiest person in all of your group chats. got someone who never deletes, invites strangers, & leaves his devices unlocked?? your Signal chats are NOT secure, friend.
Reposted by CJ 🏳️🌈🤘
If I am understanding the complaint correctly, the FBI got wind of this plot in late November from a paid informant and managed to get an undercover agent into the working group by December 7th.
Hilarious.
Hilarious.
December 16, 2025 at 5:12 AM
If I am understanding the complaint correctly, the FBI got wind of this plot in late November from a paid informant and managed to get an undercover agent into the working group by December 7th.
Hilarious.
Hilarious.
yiiiiiiiiiiikes, that is definitely not good. emptying the coffers to go all-in and become full diamond 💎💎 hands HODL on a.i. does not strike me as a particularly sound strategy.
All. In.
Portfolio managers' cash level drops to a record low 3.3%. Dec BofA FMS
Portfolio managers' cash level drops to a record low 3.3%. Dec BofA FMS
December 16, 2025 at 10:52 AM
yiiiiiiiiiiikes, that is definitely not good. emptying the coffers to go all-in and become full diamond 💎💎 hands HODL on a.i. does not strike me as a particularly sound strategy.
to be fair this "deal" had all of the legal sway that my doodles on the back of a bar napkin do, and neither party seemed particularly intent on sticking by it. but this is just one more drop in the bucket full of reasons why nobody on Earth can trust the US while Trump & the GOP are in charge.
The US has suspended the technology deal with the UK that was signed during Donald Trump's state visit
www.ft.com/content/afd4...
www.ft.com/content/afd4...
US suspends technology deal with the UK
Washington pushes for concessions from London on the broader trade relationship
www.ft.com
December 16, 2025 at 9:25 AM
to be fair this "deal" had all of the legal sway that my doodles on the back of a bar napkin do, and neither party seemed particularly intent on sticking by it. but this is just one more drop in the bucket full of reasons why nobody on Earth can trust the US while Trump & the GOP are in charge.
I have to go to bed super early because I have a Zoom meeting with some lovely Londoners at 4:30 a.m., but I look forward to reading this wonderful new Ken thread in full when I wake up! Also, that THIS crowd was the one who tried to do The Thing ... let's just say I am unsurprised.
Dear Bluesky hammer&sickle crowd:
That new dude in your group? He’s an FBI agent.
That new dude in your group? He’s an FBI agent.
December 16, 2025 at 12:38 AM
I have to go to bed super early because I have a Zoom meeting with some lovely Londoners at 4:30 a.m., but I look forward to reading this wonderful new Ken thread in full when I wake up! Also, that THIS crowd was the one who tried to do The Thing ... let's just say I am unsurprised.
This is one of those issues where I think the blue state folks, especially the coastal ones, have been getting a little high on their own supply because anyone who lives in a red state could've told you that a full shift to EV was a fucking *insane* thing to believe.
I realize folks don't want to hear this, but we really need to re-examine the conventional wisdom that we can shift the entire US market to pure EV with massive batteries and some light consumer incentives.
It's a nice thing to believe but the evidence doesn't add up.
It's a nice thing to believe but the evidence doesn't add up.
Production of the all-electric Ford F-150 has come to an end. But the next one will be an extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV, with 700 miles of range.
But Ford announced other pivots back to gas today too:
insideevs.com/news/781889/...
But Ford announced other pivots back to gas today too:
insideevs.com/news/781889/...
December 16, 2025 at 12:02 AM
This is one of those issues where I think the blue state folks, especially the coastal ones, have been getting a little high on their own supply because anyone who lives in a red state could've told you that a full shift to EV was a fucking *insane* thing to believe.