Jack Pondit
@jackpondit.bsky.social
We all do better when we all do better.
~Paul Wellstone
#Alaska
~Paul Wellstone
#Alaska
Pinned
Jack Pondit
@jackpondit.bsky.social
· Apr 20
In addition to giving the contract to himself and so stealing public money the very concept of this thing is a crazy level boondoggle www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX is frontrunner to build Trump's Golden Dome missile shield
Elon Musk's SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part of President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, six people familiar with the matter said.
www.reuters.com
We are going to spend trillions on military boondoggles while limiting our civil rights all in the name of ‘national security’ while decimating all the things like health care, cancer research, vaccines, and food safety that actually do protect us.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Seems cold.
FAIRBANKS AK Dec 28 Climate: High: -43 Low: -48 Precip: 0.0" Snow: 0.0" Snow Depth: 18" Link
December 29, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Seems cold.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Issa Rae has canceled her sold out performance at the Kennedy Center. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, Low Cut Connie, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., have also canceled. Lin-Manuel Miranda has canceled the entire Kennedy Center run of Hamilton.
December 28, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Issa Rae has canceled her sold out performance at the Kennedy Center. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, Low Cut Connie, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., have also canceled. Lin-Manuel Miranda has canceled the entire Kennedy Center run of Hamilton.
Read this thread.
The Washpost edit board calls Trump’s bombing in Nigeria “a welcome change in a part of the world that has always been little more than an afterthought for the president” — and has zero mention of the thousands in Africa facing starvation because of USAID cuts
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Why West Africa is worth worrying about
Strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria are welcome but insufficient.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Read this thread.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Of all the examples of people dying because somebody inexperienced was in charge, the biggest, most horrifying was Elon Musk and DOGE. No idea what AID did, didn’t care, blew it up and at least 600,000 people died unnecessarily as a consequence. Mass murder out of ignorance and bias. Thanks, Elon.
the very last person who should be prattling on about the dangers of inexperience is the grifting troglodyte who killed millions when he was put in charge of “efficiency”
Best Twitter riposte of the day
December 28, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Of all the examples of people dying because somebody inexperienced was in charge, the biggest, most horrifying was Elon Musk and DOGE. No idea what AID did, didn’t care, blew it up and at least 600,000 people died unnecessarily as a consequence. Mass murder out of ignorance and bias. Thanks, Elon.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Fairbanks airport has not been above -40F/C Saturday afternoon and we're starting to develop real ice fog (not the "freezing fog" slop). #akwx #cold #Winter2026 @leahwrenn.bsky.social @coyotetrail.bsky.social @themattphelps.bsky.social @carrieinfbx.bsky.social
December 28, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Fairbanks airport has not been above -40F/C Saturday afternoon and we're starting to develop real ice fog (not the "freezing fog" slop). #akwx #cold #Winter2026 @leahwrenn.bsky.social @coyotetrail.bsky.social @themattphelps.bsky.social @carrieinfbx.bsky.social
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Corruption so pungent, it wafts right off the page:
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 27, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Corruption so pungent, it wafts right off the page:
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Jack Pondit
This message hits hard.
December 27, 2025 at 8:38 PM
This message hits hard.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Jack Smith is calling for the House Judiciary Committee to release the recording of his full closed-door deposition before the panel.
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
December 24, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Jack Smith is calling for the House Judiciary Committee to release the recording of his full closed-door deposition before the panel.
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
Reposted by Jack Pondit
According to FBI agents involved in the raid, Attorney General William Barr was on the scene and he personally took custody of many items seized, a step they thought highly unusual.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 I filmed the @SDNY press conference when #Epstein was arrested. Geoffrey Berman stated exactly what was confiscated by the FBI when they raided Epstein’s mansion. Tapes, hard drives, 1700 photos on the walls. They fired Berman not long after
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZHc...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZHc...
Jeffrey Epstein Charged w/Sex Trafficking of Underage Girls SDNY Presser 7/8/19
YouTube video by Sandi Bachom
www.youtube.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
According to FBI agents involved in the raid, Attorney General William Barr was on the scene and he personally took custody of many items seized, a step they thought highly unusual.
This is a great summary of the personal and political plundering Trump has done over the last year.
"Donald Trump calls himself the “Peace President.” But this week, as he outlined his plans to capture Greenland and hijack Venezuelan oil, his real agenda became obvious. It’s not peace. It’s extortion, conquest, and theft."
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
The Politics of Plunder
His domestic and foreign policies have one consistent theme.
open.substack.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:16 PM
This is a great summary of the personal and political plundering Trump has done over the last year.
Are we really going to normalize masked agents wearing jeans and mismatched bulletproof vests terrorizing and disappearing random people with no accountability?
ICE detain father shopping on Christmas Eve—then steal his family's groceries.
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
December 26, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Are we really going to normalize masked agents wearing jeans and mismatched bulletproof vests terrorizing and disappearing random people with no accountability?
The fact that Republicans allow this man to have the nuclear codes is irrefutable proof they don’t care about national security.
December 26, 2025 at 2:36 AM
The fact that Republicans allow this man to have the nuclear codes is irrefutable proof they don’t care about national security.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
in seriousness I did some rough arithmetic some years back to figure this out. it’s a political question but the money is mostly already there theweek.com/articles/792...
December 25, 2025 at 1:29 AM
in seriousness I did some rough arithmetic some years back to figure this out. it’s a political question but the money is mostly already there theweek.com/articles/792...
I naively thought that the religious right would have to draw the line somewhere and say this Administration doesn’t represent our Christian values. We can all clearly see now that Evangelicals never cared about Christian values either.
December 25, 2025 at 1:51 PM
I naively thought that the religious right would have to draw the line somewhere and say this Administration doesn’t represent our Christian values. We can all clearly see now that Evangelicals never cared about Christian values either.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
My good friend Howie Klein passed away today and I am bereft. He was a fierce progressive, music impressario, creative organizer, passionate world traveller and the mensch of all mensches.
Howie always fought the good fight and inspired many to do the same. I will miss him terribly.
Howie always fought the good fight and inspired many to do the same. I will miss him terribly.
December 25, 2025 at 3:57 AM
My good friend Howie Klein passed away today and I am bereft. He was a fierce progressive, music impressario, creative organizer, passionate world traveller and the mensch of all mensches.
Howie always fought the good fight and inspired many to do the same. I will miss him terribly.
Howie always fought the good fight and inspired many to do the same. I will miss him terribly.
Trump has more power than anyone in recent history and all he wants to use it for is to terrorize vulnerable communities and name things after himself.
December 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Trump has more power than anyone in recent history and all he wants to use it for is to terrorize vulnerable communities and name things after himself.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
I worked for DOJ. I don't think people realize how dangerous it is for the White House to takeover the daily operations of the Justice Department.
December 25, 2025 at 5:05 AM
I worked for DOJ. I don't think people realize how dangerous it is for the White House to takeover the daily operations of the Justice Department.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
concentration camps.
ICE documents reveal plan to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses
The Trump administration wants to build seven large-scale deportation hubs to speed up deportations, internal ICE documents show.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:55 PM
concentration camps.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
In 2021 I dressed in full PPE and held my phone to an intubated 45 year old man's ear while his daughter said goodbye to him.
I truly don't believe in hell but sometimes I wish I did.
I truly don't believe in hell but sometimes I wish I did.
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Congratulations to Stephen Macedo & Frances Lee, whose book In Covid's Wake has been recognized as:
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
December 24, 2025 at 1:03 PM
In 2021 I dressed in full PPE and held my phone to an intubated 45 year old man's ear while his daughter said goodbye to him.
I truly don't believe in hell but sometimes I wish I did.
I truly don't believe in hell but sometimes I wish I did.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Yes, CECOT is a concentration camp in the guise of a prison. The Venezuelans were the first people to *ever* be released from CECOT since Bukele opened the prison in January 2023. Seriously. The first.
These are concentration camps. No other way to describe them. Truly horrific, and none of it surprising in the least.
30 minutes. Some deportees described sexual assault. Detainee describes the guard sexually assaulting most detainees. Lights left on all day. Prisoners not given clean water.
Now the DHS tour. Nobody spoke to the detainees. Noem's video was in a different area of the prison.
Now the DHS tour. Nobody spoke to the detainees. Noem's video was in a different area of the prison.
December 23, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Yes, CECOT is a concentration camp in the guise of a prison. The Venezuelans were the first people to *ever* be released from CECOT since Bukele opened the prison in January 2023. Seriously. The first.
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Brett Kavanaugh (September 2025): The facts and how they relate to the law don’t matter. Assume ICE and other federal forces always act with integrity, always respect rights, and consistently impose minimal burden.
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Kavanaugh in a footnote in today's opinion says "the officers must not make interior immigration stops or arrests based on race or ethnicity."
December 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Brett Kavanaugh (September 2025): The facts and how they relate to the law don’t matter. Assume ICE and other federal forces always act with integrity, always respect rights, and consistently impose minimal burden.
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Reposted by Jack Pondit
Reposted by Jack Pondit
It’s the year 2025 and Americans have to watch a bootlegged international version of a news program because it was censored here in our country to protect a criminal president.
December 23, 2025 at 12:55 PM
It’s the year 2025 and Americans have to watch a bootlegged international version of a news program because it was censored here in our country to protect a criminal president.
We shouldn’t overlook the economic and societal costs that are going to occur as a result of our government lying about everything. A justified lack trust of government statistics and statements is hugely corrosive.
NEW: The phone metrics reported publicly by the Social Security Administration are way lower than actual wait times, a new watchdog report shows.
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...
SSA phone wait times longer than publicly reported metrics, per OIG report
The agency’s “average speed of answer” metric masks longer call wait times, according to data in a recent OIG report.
www.nextgov.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:51 PM
We shouldn’t overlook the economic and societal costs that are going to occur as a result of our government lying about everything. A justified lack trust of government statistics and statements is hugely corrosive.