Michael Mechanic
@michaelmechanic.bsky.social
Mother Jones editor; author of "Jackpot," an "entertaining and eviscerating" (Jane Mayer) book on America's wealth insanity (readjackpot.com); piano player turned punk rock drummer turned old-time fiddler; dad of Gen Zers; gardener; curmudgeon about town.
Pinned
It's a good day when your book shows up on a senator's desk. You can get your own copy via ReadJackpot.com/order
More accurately, it's the "Don't Know Doctrine."
January 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM
More accurately, it's the "Don't Know Doctrine."
Trump cutting off billions in funding for low-income people in blue states is just fucking evil and makes my blood boil, and it really, really makes me want to stop paying federal taxes. Alas, I listened to some music and did some research, and...
Sorry Geese: If you don't pay your taxes, Uncle Sam may have you plucked
Liberals—and hip Brooklyn bands—can fantasize about tax strikes, but the IRS holds all the cards.
www.motherjones.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Trump cutting off billions in funding for low-income people in blue states is just fucking evil and makes my blood boil, and it really, really makes me want to stop paying federal taxes. Alas, I listened to some music and did some research, and...
This vvvv
A reminder - before Trump, MAGA, Musk and Fox rewrote history - that this is what the entire country agreed had happened five years ago today:
January 6, 2026 at 3:50 PM
This vvvv
A. He runs the most corrupt administration in memory. B. Florida is a historical hotbed of frauds and scams. C. He gave clemency to one of the biggest fraudsters in history, who operated out of, yep, Florida. (Dude was just re-indicted for domestic violence.) And, of course, there's Rick Scott.
January 6, 2026 at 3:49 PM
A. He runs the most corrupt administration in memory. B. Florida is a historical hotbed of frauds and scams. C. He gave clemency to one of the biggest fraudsters in history, who operated out of, yep, Florida. (Dude was just re-indicted for domestic violence.) And, of course, there's Rick Scott.
Trump seems to view energy geopolitics “almost like the world is a Settlers of Catan board—you kidnap the president of Venezuela and, ipso facto, you now control all the oil.”
That's not reality.
via @mollytaft.com @wired.com @climatedesk.org
That's not reality.
via @mollytaft.com @wired.com @climatedesk.org
Trump wants Venezuela’s oil. Getting it won't be so simple.
It's unclear how US firms would access the country's vast reserves—or whether they even want to.
www.motherjones.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Trump seems to view energy geopolitics “almost like the world is a Settlers of Catan board—you kidnap the president of Venezuela and, ipso facto, you now control all the oil.”
That's not reality.
via @mollytaft.com @wired.com @climatedesk.org
That's not reality.
via @mollytaft.com @wired.com @climatedesk.org
As we fret about Venezuela, the administration is quietly attempting to upend mail-in voting.
Thousands of mail-in ballots could be discounted under new post office policy
The Postal Service is no longer guaranteeing when it will postmark mail, which could jeopardize some ballots that arrive after Election Day.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:39 PM
As we fret about Venezuela, the administration is quietly attempting to upend mail-in voting.
There is a line where partisanship becomes treason, and Trump and his cronies have blown right past it.
Himes: "I was delighted to hear that Tom Cotton, chairmen of the Senate Intel Committee, has been in regular contact with the admin. I've had zero outreach and no D I'm aware of has. So apparently we're now in a world where the legal obligation to keep Congress informed only applies to your party."
January 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
There is a line where partisanship becomes treason, and Trump and his cronies have blown right past it.
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is the United States running Venezuela right now?
RUBIO: What we are running is the direction this is going to move moving forward.
Absolute soup
RUBIO: What we are running is the direction this is going to move moving forward.
Absolute soup
January 4, 2026 at 4:30 PM
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is the United States running Venezuela right now?
RUBIO: What we are running is the direction this is going to move moving forward.
Absolute soup
RUBIO: What we are running is the direction this is going to move moving forward.
Absolute soup
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
Chris Murphy: "Clearly this is wildly illegal. This is a president who has been operating illegally since he was sworn in -- stealing from the American people, seizing spending power, now dragging America into a war overseas ... Donald Trump's entire foreign policy is corrupt."
January 4, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Chris Murphy: "Clearly this is wildly illegal. This is a president who has been operating illegally since he was sworn in -- stealing from the American people, seizing spending power, now dragging America into a war overseas ... Donald Trump's entire foreign policy is corrupt."
If someone came and took Trump, probably plenty of Americans would be jubilant, too. But that doesn't make it the right move.
@wlrnnews.bsky.social
Venezuelans interviewed in Weston and Doral — cities with the largest concentration of Venezuelan-Americans in the U.S. — said they are ecstatic over Maduro’s ouster, and are hopeful of a promising future.
Venezuelans interviewed in Weston and Doral — cities with the largest concentration of Venezuelan-Americans in the U.S. — said they are ecstatic over Maduro’s ouster, and are hopeful of a promising future.
Jubilation. Joy. Hope. Venezuelans in South Florida celebrate Maduro's ouster with guarded optimism
Venezuelans interviewed in Weston and Doral — cities with the largest concentration of Venezuelan-Americans in the nation — said they are ecstatic over Maduro’s ouster from their beloved homeland, and...
www.wlrn.org
January 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM
If someone came and took Trump, probably plenty of Americans would be jubilant, too. But that doesn't make it the right move.
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
@maddow.bsky.social: “There are very few Americans right now who have any idea why the United States did this. If this was about drug trafficking then why did President Trump just pardon the former President of Honduras who was convicted of sending hundreds of tons of drugs into the US?”
January 4, 2026 at 2:34 AM
@maddow.bsky.social: “There are very few Americans right now who have any idea why the United States did this. If this was about drug trafficking then why did President Trump just pardon the former President of Honduras who was convicted of sending hundreds of tons of drugs into the US?”
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
This is turning into the most elaborate game of wac-a-mole in the history of armed conflict. First fentanyl, next cocaine, next regime change, and now not international lot at all, but US domestic law-enforcement.
And it’s our oil is in there somewhere.
And it’s our oil is in there somewhere.
January 4, 2026 at 4:52 PM
This is turning into the most elaborate game of wac-a-mole in the history of armed conflict. First fentanyl, next cocaine, next regime change, and now not international lot at all, but US domestic law-enforcement.
And it’s our oil is in there somewhere.
And it’s our oil is in there somewhere.
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
Just woke up even angrier. Impeach, convict, remove. Draft articles now. Either we have a representative government or we don’t. Do not shut up about this until there’s a vote.
January 3, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Just woke up even angrier. Impeach, convict, remove. Draft articles now. Either we have a representative government or we don’t. Do not shut up about this until there’s a vote.
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
Trump is gonna run Venezuela? Dude can't even run America properly..
January 4, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Trump is gonna run Venezuela? Dude can't even run America properly..
Same mistakes as Bush made. Destabilize without a plan.
“'You would have no command and control over the military and no police force,' he said. 'You’d have looting and chaos.' Any U.S. military deployment meant to stabilize the country would probably require tens of thousands of troops, he said."
U.S. Ran a War Game on Ousting Maduro. Venezuela Fell Into Chaos.
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Same mistakes as Bush made. Destabilize without a plan.
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
Mamdani has only been Mayor for a day & criminals are already fleeing New York
January 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Mamdani has only been Mayor for a day & criminals are already fleeing New York
In the private sector, disparaging one's workers, getting rid of the most experienced, and undermining the ability to collect revenue would constitute a huge management fail. Yet that's what Russell Vought, may he rot in hell, has done to our government and its dedicated, service-oriented workers.
Hero of 2025: Civil servants
They make America greater, but the Trump administration wants them traumatized.
www.motherjones.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:41 PM
In the private sector, disparaging one's workers, getting rid of the most experienced, and undermining the ability to collect revenue would constitute a huge management fail. Yet that's what Russell Vought, may he rot in hell, has done to our government and its dedicated, service-oriented workers.
I've had this sitting around for years. Seemed like a good time break it out.
January 2, 2026 at 1:05 AM
I've had this sitting around for years. Seemed like a good time break it out.
Reposted by Michael Mechanic
Read it and your day will get better. www.hcn.org/issues/57-11...
November 7, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Read it and your day will get better. www.hcn.org/issues/57-11...
To be fair, windmills do kill some birds. But a shitbird is killing windmills.
Tilting at windmills: Trump laments death of bald eagle in the US … which was really a falcon in Israel
A pity that Trump, or one of the 18 intelligence agencies reporting to him, did not trace the image back to its source
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:41 PM
To be fair, windmills do kill some birds. But a shitbird is killing windmills.
Trump granted clemency to the biggest Medicare fraudster in history. Well, the guy was just re-arrested and charged with domestic violence. Here, via @motherjones.com, is the wild, sordid tale of how Phil Esformes made a fortune screwing taxpayers and nursing home residents.
Donald Trump freed a convicted Medicare fraudster. The Justice Department wants him back.
The cautionary tale of nursing home mogul Philip Esformes.
www.motherjones.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Trump granted clemency to the biggest Medicare fraudster in history. Well, the guy was just re-arrested and charged with domestic violence. Here, via @motherjones.com, is the wild, sordid tale of how Phil Esformes made a fortune screwing taxpayers and nursing home residents.
I agree. That monster targets residential buildings in Ukraine. Fuck him. He deserves to die early, and painfully
Since when Putin's residence is not a valid military target?
December 30, 2025 at 9:07 PM
I agree. That monster targets residential buildings in Ukraine. Fuck him. He deserves to die early, and painfully
Public lands 2.5x the size of California are leased to livestock ranchers for grazing at bargain rates.
Who benefits most from this? Yep, the very rich--again.
Who benefits most from this? Yep, the very rich--again.
Grazing on public lands seems like a win for everyone, but is it? @highcountrynews.org and @propublica.org investigated and found that not everything is what it seems...
link.motherjones.com/view/647e4ef...
link.motherjones.com/view/647e4ef...
December 30, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Public lands 2.5x the size of California are leased to livestock ranchers for grazing at bargain rates.
Who benefits most from this? Yep, the very rich--again.
Who benefits most from this? Yep, the very rich--again.