Jeff Sharlet
@jeffsharlet.bsky.social
I wrote a book about now, THE UNDERTOW: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, & 2 about how we got here, THE FAMILY & C ST, also a Netflix series. My fave books sell fewest: THIS BRILLIANT DARKNESS; & SWEET HEAVEN WHEN I DIE. Professing @ Dartmouth. He/Him.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
It’s sobering to look back on the run-up to the Iraq war—a period of unceasing chattering-class debate, elaborate official lies, media complicity, unavailing global protest, in the end a giant stitch-up—and have it seem like some sort of paradise of public deliberation compared to these gangsters.
January 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
It’s sobering to look back on the run-up to the Iraq war—a period of unceasing chattering-class debate, elaborate official lies, media complicity, unavailing global protest, in the end a giant stitch-up—and have it seem like some sort of paradise of public deliberation compared to these gangsters.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Folks bypass things like the fact that NYPD activated drones and 30 cop cars for a demonstration of 1000 people in freezing weather today. The levels of surveillance and potential repression are taken as regular order in this country.
January 4, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Folks bypass things like the fact that NYPD activated drones and 30 cop cars for a demonstration of 1000 people in freezing weather today. The levels of surveillance and potential repression are taken as regular order in this country.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
(Semafor) - The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops ..
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
January 4, 2026 at 1:45 AM
(Semafor) - The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops ..
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
A CBS News staffer told me this after Tony Dokoupil kicked off his CBS Evening News tenure tonight with a lengthy Pete Hegseth interview:
"If this is what Bari and Tony’s CBS Evening News is going to look like, then the we may as well just call ourselves Trump Administration State TV. Pathetic."
"If this is what Bari and Tony’s CBS Evening News is going to look like, then the we may as well just call ourselves Trump Administration State TV. Pathetic."
January 4, 2026 at 1:52 AM
A CBS News staffer told me this after Tony Dokoupil kicked off his CBS Evening News tenure tonight with a lengthy Pete Hegseth interview:
"If this is what Bari and Tony’s CBS Evening News is going to look like, then the we may as well just call ourselves Trump Administration State TV. Pathetic."
"If this is what Bari and Tony’s CBS Evening News is going to look like, then the we may as well just call ourselves Trump Administration State TV. Pathetic."
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
I am so fucking tired of being governed by these sadistic freaks
![Katie Miller
SOON
[pic of Greenland as america]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:gouysuoxatjdb5bjcqe4sfh7/bafkreigktn77dywtpaoz6rdc4mg2ehv56n6u2nab7zzbhfa5wnincau3la@jpeg)
January 4, 2026 at 1:10 AM
I am so fucking tired of being governed by these sadistic freaks
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
On the "boots on the ground" question and Trump saying that it will mainly be about protecting oil operations.
Given this framing, we should expect a massive payday for politically connected mercenary companies, who will use this to expand their private armies.
Given this framing, we should expect a massive payday for politically connected mercenary companies, who will use this to expand their private armies.
January 3, 2026 at 5:38 PM
On the "boots on the ground" question and Trump saying that it will mainly be about protecting oil operations.
Given this framing, we should expect a massive payday for politically connected mercenary companies, who will use this to expand their private armies.
Given this framing, we should expect a massive payday for politically connected mercenary companies, who will use this to expand their private armies.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
January 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
“We shld impeach him” or “world shld sanction US” amount to saying “I don’t want to do—or don’t think I can—do anything.” Impeachment shld happen; it won’t; so what’s next? All the world powers are drifting same fascist direction or well ahead; so what’s next? Local action is what we have.
January 3, 2026 at 6:18 PM
“We shld impeach him” or “world shld sanction US” amount to saying “I don’t want to do—or don’t think I can—do anything.” Impeachment shld happen; it won’t; so what’s next? All the world powers are drifting same fascist direction or well ahead; so what’s next? Local action is what we have.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Very important in these media times to distinguish between independent journalists who do real reporting, and newsfluencers who repackage others’ work. It’s right to direct people to seek reporters with frontline sources, and wrong to smear independent journalists ly lumping us in with pretenders
Believe it or not, independent journalists can get our own frontline sources.
It’s old-fashioned to defend mainstream journalism these days but some of the most reliable reporting from people actually on the ground will be the AP and Reuters the next 24 hours. Your Substack journalist writing takes will be using frontline reporting from them.
January 3, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Very important in these media times to distinguish between independent journalists who do real reporting, and newsfluencers who repackage others’ work. It’s right to direct people to seek reporters with frontline sources, and wrong to smear independent journalists ly lumping us in with pretenders
Hakeem Jeffries takes a bold stand for Trump asking first next time so Dems can exercise their rubber stamp. This is the kind of statement official Russian “opposition” parties run by Putin make.
January 3, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Hakeem Jeffries takes a bold stand for Trump asking first next time so Dems can exercise their rubber stamp. This is the kind of statement official Russian “opposition” parties run by Putin make.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
why would you even bother getting into elected office to watch democracy go quietly into the night. christ
January 3, 2026 at 5:38 PM
why would you even bother getting into elected office to watch democracy go quietly into the night. christ
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
"The [Iraq] occupation was a...glimpse into the acceptable role of government in a corporatist state—to act as a conveyer belt for getting public money into private hands, a job for wick ideological commitment is fast more relevant than elaborate field experience."
January 3, 2026 at 5:33 PM
"The [Iraq] occupation was a...glimpse into the acceptable role of government in a corporatist state—to act as a conveyer belt for getting public money into private hands, a job for wick ideological commitment is fast more relevant than elaborate field experience."
Enshittification.
January 3, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Enshittification.
Important not just to name media fails but to specify how. Asking Q’s now about operational details is waste of time: the immediate questions are about Trump’s occupation plans. The investigative questions about Trump business allies remain the same.
January 3, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Important not just to name media fails but to specify how. Asking Q’s now about operational details is waste of time: the immediate questions are about Trump’s occupation plans. The investigative questions about Trump business allies remain the same.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Members of Congress: stop posting online and APPEAR, PHYSICALLY on the steps of the Capitol to decry this unconstitutional violation of domestic & international law. SHOW THE PEOPLE the level of danger we are facing as a country.
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
January 3, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Members of Congress: stop posting online and APPEAR, PHYSICALLY on the steps of the Capitol to decry this unconstitutional violation of domestic & international law. SHOW THE PEOPLE the level of danger we are facing as a country.
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
I’m thinking this morning about all the people I spoke to last year who were absolutely convinced, and tried to convince me, that Trump would be antiwar compared to Biden and Harris.
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
January 3, 2026 at 1:18 PM
I’m thinking this morning about all the people I spoke to last year who were absolutely convinced, and tried to convince me, that Trump would be antiwar compared to Biden and Harris.
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Ahhhhh, it turns out that this video was put together by Freedom 250, Donald Trump's MAGA nonprofit organization, and not by America 250, the official, congressionally created U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. Well that sure explains it.
A video is being projected on the Washington Monument this week to commemorate the semiquincentennial.
It's a technical marvel. But the narration and images are like what you'd get if you asked a right-wing undergrad to summarize U.S. history in 1,000 words and he uses ChatGPT to cook up an answer.
It's a technical marvel. But the narration and images are like what you'd get if you asked a right-wing undergrad to summarize U.S. history in 1,000 words and he uses ChatGPT to cook up an answer.
Watch: Full Washington Monument light show celebrating America's 250th year
YouTube video by WUSA9
www.youtube.com
January 3, 2026 at 5:31 AM
Ahhhhh, it turns out that this video was put together by Freedom 250, Donald Trump's MAGA nonprofit organization, and not by America 250, the official, congressionally created U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. Well that sure explains it.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
There's a tax protest at the capitol in Salem, OR tomorrow that appears to be organized by a former Proud Boy/Patriot Prayer leader who's called herself a "white pride" advocate. The stage on which the event will happen is owned by a Proud Boy who is also the vice-chair of the Clackamas County GOP.
January 3, 2026 at 12:09 AM
There's a tax protest at the capitol in Salem, OR tomorrow that appears to be organized by a former Proud Boy/Patriot Prayer leader who's called herself a "white pride" advocate. The stage on which the event will happen is owned by a Proud Boy who is also the vice-chair of the Clackamas County GOP.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
don’t let the cringe distract you. this is serious, and it’s dire
On X creeps are using Grok to make revenge & child porn naked pics, but MAGA Rep Andy Ogle (TN) is using it to pretend he's a knight. He posted this in response to Mamdani swearing oath on Quran. Here's a sample of some of the many, many "knights" joining him in his idiot crusade.
January 2, 2026 at 10:59 PM
don’t let the cringe distract you. this is serious, and it’s dire
Can we apply this to National Review writers, too? Or some similarly revealing metric, like, I dunno, how many grapes you can stuff in your mouth? (I did ok on the test, but when I was in fifth grade I was undisputed champion of grapes, so I think I should get an endowed chair at Harvard AND Yale.)
This article advocates for the “Faculty Merit Act” that would — get this — require all faculty applicants to submit their *SAT* scores. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Holy shirts that’s hilarious.
January 2, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Can we apply this to National Review writers, too? Or some similarly revealing metric, like, I dunno, how many grapes you can stuff in your mouth? (I did ok on the test, but when I was in fifth grade I was undisputed champion of grapes, so I think I should get an endowed chair at Harvard AND Yale.)
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Incredible. CBS Evening News announces five new “simple values” — instead of their “38-page handbook” — as they roll out Tony Dokoupil is lead anchor.
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
January 2, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Incredible. CBS Evening News announces five new “simple values” — instead of their “38-page handbook” — as they roll out Tony Dokoupil is lead anchor.
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
On X creeps are using Grok to make revenge & child porn naked pics, but MAGA Rep Andy Ogle (TN) is using it to pretend he's a knight. He posted this in response to Mamdani swearing oath on Quran. Here's a sample of some of the many, many "knights" joining him in his idiot crusade.
January 2, 2026 at 8:23 PM
On X creeps are using Grok to make revenge & child porn naked pics, but MAGA Rep Andy Ogle (TN) is using it to pretend he's a knight. He posted this in response to Mamdani swearing oath on Quran. Here's a sample of some of the many, many "knights" joining him in his idiot crusade.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
I used to think X had no public utility but it is developing into some sort of monument to billionaire hubris. It's a living museum of paranoiac mania, a Grey Gardens situation.
January 2, 2026 at 7:11 PM
I used to think X had no public utility but it is developing into some sort of monument to billionaire hubris. It's a living museum of paranoiac mania, a Grey Gardens situation.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Seems like there's a line to be drawn from Occupy Wall Street to Bernie as national figure to AOC to Mamdani. Many other factors, of course! But maybe messy, beautiful 2011, crushed so brutally by Bloomberg & countless other mayors, forgotten in the Trump years since, was a turning point after all.
January 2, 2026 at 8:14 AM
Seems like there's a line to be drawn from Occupy Wall Street to Bernie as national figure to AOC to Mamdani. Many other factors, of course! But maybe messy, beautiful 2011, crushed so brutally by Bloomberg & countless other mayors, forgotten in the Trump years since, was a turning point after all.