Eli Fels-McDowell
@elifels.bsky.social
Donate to a pro research, pro choice, pro healthcare campaign in Kentucky:
https://www.ivaforkentucky.com/
https://www.ivaforkentucky.com/
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Will consult the ancient texts…
February 4, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Will consult the ancient texts…
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Floored by this story. A man wrote a pollite email to a federal prosecutor objecting to the deportation of an Afghan seeking asylum. DHS responded with an administrative warrant to get the man's info from Google, then visited his home to intimidate him.
DHS Hunts Down 67-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Who Criticized Them in Email
The Department of Homeland Security is using a little-known tool to go after its critics.
newrepublic.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Floored by this story. A man wrote a pollite email to a federal prosecutor objecting to the deportation of an Afghan seeking asylum. DHS responded with an administrative warrant to get the man's info from Google, then visited his home to intimidate him.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
chat is it a good thing when the US Attorney representing the DOJ is also afraid of getting disappeared by the same organizations they're representing
February 4, 2026 at 9:16 PM
chat is it a good thing when the US Attorney representing the DOJ is also afraid of getting disappeared by the same organizations they're representing
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
A Ron Wyden specialty: sending a letter in public that reveals he's seen some really bad classified shit that he wants an explanation for.
February 4, 2026 at 9:29 PM
A Ron Wyden specialty: sending a letter in public that reveals he's seen some really bad classified shit that he wants an explanation for.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
En garde but it’s just me using the sharpening stick from the kitchen block to knock the brown sugar from the high shelf.
February 4, 2026 at 9:43 PM
En garde but it’s just me using the sharpening stick from the kitchen block to knock the brown sugar from the high shelf.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
This is a letter that closes with, “Sincerely,”
February 4, 2026 at 9:45 PM
This is a letter that closes with, “Sincerely,”
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Ohhhhhhh, that’s who Gary Larson was drawing
February 4, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Ohhhhhhh, that’s who Gary Larson was drawing
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
this is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway
Reporter: Do you plan to apologize to the family of Alex Pretti?
Vance: For what?
Vance: For what?
February 4, 2026 at 4:41 PM
this is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
I’ll bang on this drum for eternity but nominating a sex pest like @gavinnewsom.bsky.social for the presidency dramatically weakens our ability to point out the republicans are a sex crime and pedophilia crime ring, and in addition to that, he fucking sucks.
February 4, 2026 at 8:03 PM
I’ll bang on this drum for eternity but nominating a sex pest like @gavinnewsom.bsky.social for the presidency dramatically weakens our ability to point out the republicans are a sex crime and pedophilia crime ring, and in addition to that, he fucking sucks.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
If you want to see what abject moral cowardice in the service of ambition looks like, here you go
Another batch of Trump's judicial nominees refused in their confirmation hearings today to publicly acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, which annoyed Sen. Richard Blumenthal enough for him to call them "monkeys" and "puppets"
February 4, 2026 at 7:34 PM
If you want to see what abject moral cowardice in the service of ambition looks like, here you go
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
A tough one to sit with--but we must--is that some people's ability to make good art in part derived from, or was protected by, the fact that they were enabling or doing terrible things. See also: We Need to Talk about Cosby doc. Even more troubling on this score: Read deep reporting on Alice Munro
"actually his stuff was very Derivative and not Original" like, you don't have to do this. it is good for us all to sit with the cognitive dissonance that a very bad person can make very good art. it is good for us to work through the moral ramifications of that.
February 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
A tough one to sit with--but we must--is that some people's ability to make good art in part derived from, or was protected by, the fact that they were enabling or doing terrible things. See also: We Need to Talk about Cosby doc. Even more troubling on this score: Read deep reporting on Alice Munro
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Alice Munro constructed a very plausible persona. Good storytellers know how to do this--it's their job. Please sit with the fact that AFTER there was a conviction re her husband, her biographer & media decided to not write about his actions or her complicity. We can make different choices. We must.
February 3, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Alice Munro constructed a very plausible persona. Good storytellers know how to do this--it's their job. Please sit with the fact that AFTER there was a conviction re her husband, her biographer & media decided to not write about his actions or her complicity. We can make different choices. We must.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
For a v long time, I conflated "person who can make good art" with "person who has a functioning moral compass." I think that transference (based on appreciation, love, enthusiasm) is something a lot of us do. It hurts a lot when we find that our appreciation was hijacked so someone can do bad shit.
February 3, 2026 at 6:02 PM
For a v long time, I conflated "person who can make good art" with "person who has a functioning moral compass." I think that transference (based on appreciation, love, enthusiasm) is something a lot of us do. It hurts a lot when we find that our appreciation was hijacked so someone can do bad shit.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
The FBI was able to access Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Signal messages because she used Signal on her work laptop. The laptop accepted Touch ID for authentication, meaning the agents were allowed to require her to unlock it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 1, 2026 at 12:08 AM
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Our bourbon distillers, auto workers, and manufacturers are getting crushed by these tariffs. This isn't smart trade policy.
Central Kentucky deserves leaders who'll fight for commonsense and our wallets, not political talking points.
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
Central Kentucky deserves leaders who'll fight for commonsense and our wallets, not political talking points.
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
Americans Are the Ones Paying for Tariffs, Study Finds
New research contradicts President Trump’s claim that foreigners are footing the bill.
www.wsj.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Our bourbon distillers, auto workers, and manufacturers are getting crushed by these tariffs. This isn't smart trade policy.
Central Kentucky deserves leaders who'll fight for commonsense and our wallets, not political talking points.
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
Central Kentucky deserves leaders who'll fight for commonsense and our wallets, not political talking points.
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
I think it’s Bad that trump personally sent his top spy to a swing state to “investigate” why he can’t just win every election no matter what
February 3, 2026 at 5:09 PM
I think it’s Bad that trump personally sent his top spy to a swing state to “investigate” why he can’t just win every election no matter what
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Media coverage of Gaza has plummeted. So today on @thenation.com, we're doing something pretty special: we're only running pieces by people in and from Gaza.
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
A Day for Gaza
Today, The Nation is turning over its website exclusively to stories from Gaza and its people. This is why.
www.thenation.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Media coverage of Gaza has plummeted. So today on @thenation.com, we're doing something pretty special: we're only running pieces by people in and from Gaza.
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
This, from @kenwhite.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net, is a genuine must-read. If the current state of free speech discourse interests you—and especially if it infuriates you—this is a critical reframe steering us away from the idea that bad-faith actors are actually our free speech heroes.
The Fashionable Notion of 'Free Speech Culture' Is Justifying State Censorship, Ironically
It'll convince people that free speech is a sham
www.theunpopulist.net
February 2, 2026 at 9:55 PM
This, from @kenwhite.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net, is a genuine must-read. If the current state of free speech discourse interests you—and especially if it infuriates you—this is a critical reframe steering us away from the idea that bad-faith actors are actually our free speech heroes.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Showing up to your party wearing a bulky sweater with a hidden panel that opens onto a passageway whereby we may affect our escape—quickly! Quickly!
February 3, 2026 at 4:28 AM
Showing up to your party wearing a bulky sweater with a hidden panel that opens onto a passageway whereby we may affect our escape—quickly! Quickly!
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
It’s official. We outraised the entire Democratic field combined for the second quarter in a row and bested the GOP frontrunners in this race.
February 2, 2026 at 10:28 PM
It’s official. We outraised the entire Democratic field combined for the second quarter in a row and bested the GOP frontrunners in this race.
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Money can’t vote, and we’re only going to work harder in the days until the primary election on May 19 and run through the tape, but it’s a clear sign that momentum is on our side as we get closer to the primary.
Let’s win this!
Let’s win this!
February 2, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Money can’t vote, and we’re only going to work harder in the days until the primary election on May 19 and run through the tape, but it’s a clear sign that momentum is on our side as we get closer to the primary.
Let’s win this!
Let’s win this!
Reposted by Eli Fels-McDowell
Columbia Heights (Liam's school district) cancelled school today because of a credible bomb threat at Liam's elementary and multiple ICE vehicles parking in the high school staff parking lot at 6:15am.
February 2, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Columbia Heights (Liam's school district) cancelled school today because of a credible bomb threat at Liam's elementary and multiple ICE vehicles parking in the high school staff parking lot at 6:15am.