Lesley McDowell
@lesleymcdowell.bsky.social
Author of LOVE AND OTHER POISONS 'enthralling, a beautifully structured tale' The Scotsman; CLAIRMONT 'Riveting...clever portrait of a fascinating woman' The Times @wildfirebooks.bsky.social Repd by @sheilland.bsky.social ExJoycean Still Glaswegian she/her
Pinned
I'mso delighted to be able to share this! My next book with Wildfire is a historical novel based on the true story of Madeleine Smith, the wealthy young socialite who in 1857 stood trial for the murder of her lover, in a case that shocked the world. But did she do it? @headlinebooks.bsky.social
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
With Trump's cognitive collapse and Vance sinking into a cesspit of delusionally online groyperism perhaps Stephen Miller and Marco Rubio are now the most powerful figures in America
January 3, 2026 at 4:39 PM
With Trump's cognitive collapse and Vance sinking into a cesspit of delusionally online groyperism perhaps Stephen Miller and Marco Rubio are now the most powerful figures in America
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
FOX NEWS: What are your expectations when you get briefings from senior Trump administration officials in the coming days?
GALLEGO: Well, they're just gonna lie
GALLEGO: Well, they're just gonna lie
January 3, 2026 at 6:27 PM
FOX NEWS: What are your expectations when you get briefings from senior Trump administration officials in the coming days?
GALLEGO: Well, they're just gonna lie
GALLEGO: Well, they're just gonna lie
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
What if none of these things is a distraction from the other things and instead they're all just horrible things
January 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
What if none of these things is a distraction from the other things and instead they're all just horrible things
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
babe wake up, they're doing insider trading on war crimes
“What appears to be a newly created account appeared to invest $30,000 Friday in Maduro's exit. After Maduro went into custody Saturday morning, that same investor netted $436,759.61.”
Someone made $400K by predicting Maduro's capture. Here's what happened
The winnings come as the rules governing prediction markets are still evolving.
www.axios.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:38 PM
babe wake up, they're doing insider trading on war crimes
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
"international law must be followed" is european for "thoughts and prayers"
January 3, 2026 at 2:08 PM
"international law must be followed" is european for "thoughts and prayers"
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
The cynics think today's attack on Venezuela is staged and transactional. Maduro is allied with Putin, but in 2019 Putin offered Trump a swap: Russia cedes Venezuela and gets Ukraine. (See Fiona Hill's testimony in Trump's first impeachment trial, h/t @davetroy.com). Even Maduro may be in on it. 2/
January 3, 2026 at 4:22 PM
The cynics think today's attack on Venezuela is staged and transactional. Maduro is allied with Putin, but in 2019 Putin offered Trump a swap: Russia cedes Venezuela and gets Ukraine. (See Fiona Hill's testimony in Trump's first impeachment trial, h/t @davetroy.com). Even Maduro may be in on it. 2/
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
The suspiciously lucky account, created on December 27, has only bet on two things: the U.S. invading Venezuela, and its president, Nicolás Maduro, being forced out of leadership by January 31.
In less than a day, the mysterious user made over $400,000. trib.al/4rnJbxR
In less than a day, the mysterious user made over $400,000. trib.al/4rnJbxR
January 3, 2026 at 6:23 PM
The suspiciously lucky account, created on December 27, has only bet on two things: the U.S. invading Venezuela, and its president, Nicolás Maduro, being forced out of leadership by January 31.
In less than a day, the mysterious user made over $400,000. trib.al/4rnJbxR
In less than a day, the mysterious user made over $400,000. trib.al/4rnJbxR
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
oh my god he posted so many action shots from the makeshift mar a lago situation room and they were just looking at tweets together on a gigantic screen
January 3, 2026 at 6:31 PM
oh my god he posted so many action shots from the makeshift mar a lago situation room and they were just looking at tweets together on a gigantic screen
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Could people please not treat Rubio like he's trumps scared wife
He's not scared or embarrassed or ashamed
He has fully embraced this
He's not scared or embarrassed or ashamed
He has fully embraced this
Q: Is it possible that the US ends up administering Venezuela for years?
TRUMP: Well, you know, it won't cost us anything because the money coming out of the ground is very substantial
TRUMP: Well, you know, it won't cost us anything because the money coming out of the ground is very substantial
January 3, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Could people please not treat Rubio like he's trumps scared wife
He's not scared or embarrassed or ashamed
He has fully embraced this
He's not scared or embarrassed or ashamed
He has fully embraced this
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Don’t forget that Venezuela’s gold reserves are in St Petersburg
January 3, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Don’t forget that Venezuela’s gold reserves are in St Petersburg
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
i actually had a suspicion that to marco this is basically just a massive launching pad for a general strategy to try and cut off cuba's most consistent sponsor and he just out and says it
January 3, 2026 at 5:39 PM
i actually had a suspicion that to marco this is basically just a massive launching pad for a general strategy to try and cut off cuba's most consistent sponsor and he just out and says it
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
‘In 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, Gareth Russell rushes in where others fear to tread. He sets out his stall early on: “I do not believe James VI was heterosexual.” He also, as an aside, thinks James “probably” had ADHD.’
@alicehunt.bsky.social on two biographies of James VI and I:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@alicehunt.bsky.social on two biographies of James VI and I:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Alice Hunt · Out of Rehab: Two Kings or One?
The 400th anniversary of James VI and I’s death has been marked by several new approaches to the reign that gave us...
www.lrb.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 5:46 PM
‘In 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, Gareth Russell rushes in where others fear to tread. He sets out his stall early on: “I do not believe James VI was heterosexual.” He also, as an aside, thinks James “probably” had ADHD.’
@alicehunt.bsky.social on two biographies of James VI and I:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@alicehunt.bsky.social on two biographies of James VI and I:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
this implies that US forces are still on the ground
Trump: "We're there now, but we're going to stay until such time as the pop -- proper transition can take place. So we're gonna stay until such time as -- we're gonna run it essentially."
January 3, 2026 at 4:54 PM
this implies that US forces are still on the ground
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA
January 3, 2026 at 5:20 PM
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA
Ooh he's just pissed on Machado
January 3, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Ooh he's just pissed on Machado
Somebody needs to stop him talking
January 3, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Somebody needs to stop him talking
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Pay no attention to Trump's incoherent rambling. They have not thought through how to expropriate the oil. There is no US oil major that would operate in Venezuela in its current condition.
And the oil…
January 3, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Pay no attention to Trump's incoherent rambling. They have not thought through how to expropriate the oil. There is no US oil major that would operate in Venezuela in its current condition.
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
As far as one can tell from this bonkers press conference it sounds like Trump thinks the Venezuelan regime is going to agree to let US companies run the oil industry in return for no further attacks.
January 3, 2026 at 5:26 PM
As far as one can tell from this bonkers press conference it sounds like Trump thinks the Venezuelan regime is going to agree to let US companies run the oil industry in return for no further attacks.
Apparently Venezualans will now have freedom - to be ruled by the US
January 3, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Apparently Venezualans will now have freedom - to be ruled by the US
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
An 80 year old pervert going on TV to slur monotonously about the illegal invasion he just did. The logical endpoint of our political development over the last 50 years
January 3, 2026 at 4:45 PM
An 80 year old pervert going on TV to slur monotonously about the illegal invasion he just did. The logical endpoint of our political development over the last 50 years
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Never seen a presidential proclamation of war delivered by a man who appeared to be filling a diaper as he did so
January 3, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Never seen a presidential proclamation of war delivered by a man who appeared to be filling a diaper as he did so
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Unlike Badenoch I’ve actually reported from Caracas. Unlike her I don’t have arrogant pretensions to superior knowledge. What I do know - and from personal experience - is that these interventions tend not to turn out very well more often as not
I can find Venezuela on a map. Can she find her party's polling numbers with a microscope?
Badenoch has a remarkable ability to be rebarbative in any context. The first sentence here is totally unnecessary.
January 3, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Unlike Badenoch I’ve actually reported from Caracas. Unlike her I don’t have arrogant pretensions to superior knowledge. What I do know - and from personal experience - is that these interventions tend not to turn out very well more often as not
Reposted by Lesley McDowell
Trump: "All the way back it dated to the Monroe Doctrines. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal. But we've superseded it by a lot. By a real lot. They now call it the Donroe Document. I don't know. It's Monroe Doctrine. We sort of forgot about it."
January 3, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Trump: "All the way back it dated to the Monroe Doctrines. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal. But we've superseded it by a lot. By a real lot. They now call it the Donroe Document. I don't know. It's Monroe Doctrine. We sort of forgot about it."