Michael Derby
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michaelsderby.bsky.social
Michael Derby
@michaelsderby.bsky.social
Fed and economy reporter with @reuters.com, ex-Wall Street Journal. Failed musician, guitar holdout, I really like pedals.
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Reposted by Michael Derby
The response to Jan. 6 was a stated attempted to restore and protect democratic governance. Five years on, I think it's safe to say it—we—failed.

Latest newsletter for the five-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol: postsfromunderground.ghost.io/jan-6-was-ou...
jan. 6 was our failure
One of the things they don’t tell you about living in Washington, D.C., is how small it can feel. When I think of the absolutely psychotic shit that takes place here, I think of that bizarre Eric Adam...
postsfromunderground.ghost.io
January 6, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Reposted by Michael Derby
The Hilton Hotel that refused reservations from DHS officials has now backpedalled and said it will accommodate them. Came after DHS X account posted emails. For years the right coalesced around businesses being able to refuse customers of certain demographics

www.404media.co/hilton-hotel...
Hilton Hotel That Refused DHS Reservations Backpedals
The hotel told 404 Media in a statement “We are in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated.”
www.404media.co
January 5, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
I wrote section 230 to protect user speech, not a company's own speech. I've long said AI chatbot outputs are not protected by 230 and that it is not a close call. Given that the Trump administration is going to the mat to protect pedophiles, states should step in to hold Musk and X accountable.
I am not a Section 230 expert but being that Twitter is creating and publishing these photos I wonder if they actually have any civil legal protection? @kenwhite.bsky.social ? @akivamcohen.bsky.social ?
What X is allowing Grok to do is unlawful or regulatory-illegal in multiple jurisdictions, creates clear DSA violations, and continues despite regulator scrutiny. The images do not need to be pornographic, non-consensual sexualised or intimate depictions are enough.
January 5, 2026 at 11:10 PM
More state capitalism from Trump.
January 6, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Michael Derby
Way down the list on how insane and evil this is, but... just a point of con law trivia, I guess: the president doesn't have the power to annex territory. Like, even assuming we militarily occupied it. Just on the domestic law angle, it still wouldn't be "part of the US" w/o Congress saying so.
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?

MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO

T: So force is on the table?

M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
January 6, 2026 at 12:36 AM
The Impossible meat folks really need to work on their supply chains. So hard to find.
January 6, 2026 at 12:11 AM
It just kinda hit me my interest in gadgets is pretty much cooked.
The best gear and gadgets from CES Unveiled 2026
CES 2026 is underway, but we got to see some of the new products before they hit the show floor. Here's the best of what we saw at CES Unveiled.
appleinsider.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by Michael Derby
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth loves slamming the press.

Major news outlets acted with restraint in the early hours of the raid in Caracas.

My chat with @jmsummers.bsky.social on NPR's All Things Considered

Media shows restraint on breaking news of Venezuela raid one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5667...
🔊 Listen Now: Media shows restraint on breaking news of Venezuela raid
All Things Considered on NPR One | 3:47
one.npr.org
January 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
Bill Cassidy — who voted to confirm RFK Jr — says his move to roll back vaccine recommendations “will make America sicker.”
January 5, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
Oh so it doesn't count as a war, which you guys claimed to be against, if you don't cross the Atlantic
January 5, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
A federal appeals court ruled US President Donald Trump's administration cannot carry out steep cuts to federal grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health to universities engaged in scientific and medical research reut.rs/3N7WzZk
January 5, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
January 5, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been dissolved, ending its 58 years as the primary funder for PBS, NPR and local TV and radio stations
Corporation For Public Broadcasting Is Dissolved After 58 Years Of Service
www.huffpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
Dreher's working for Bari Weiss now www.thefp.com/p/bari-weiss...
Bari Weiss: Our Expanding Newsroom
Two million Free Pressers. New columnists and editors. And a special sale to celebrate.
www.thefp.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Marathon, which set up Halo, or Star Wars: Dark Forces. Both on the Mac, 68k days!
What’s your favorite video game that’s at least 27 years old (so 1999 or earlier)? Let’s get a list of classics going.
January 5, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
Venezuela risk to US economy is via oil prices, but not seeing it yet, Fed's Kashkari says reut.rs/49gDqNH
Venezuela risk to US economy is via oil prices, but not seeing it yet, Fed's Kashkari says
The main risk to the U.S. economy from the Trump administration's capture of Venezuela's leader over the weekend would stem from rising oil prices, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on Monday, but that does not appear to be underway so far.
reut.rs
January 5, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
One of most remarkable US presentations at UN Security Council I've ever seen.

- No reference to UN Charter legal justification
- Claims Panama as precedent (which the UN condemned)
- Energy reserves ⤵️ as justification is illegal
- Sharp contrast with US Ambassador Pickering presentation in 1989
January 5, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
Mark Kelly blasts Hegseth attempting to lower his military rank and pension. Saying "If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country’s history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it."
January 5, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
What in the Gestapo is going on in Grand Rapids?

Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
January 5, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
When I said last year that the average American MAGA supporter closely resembles a Russian vatnik in both mindset and ideology, I meant it seriously.
January 5, 2026 at 5:01 AM
Put another way, an attack on a territory ostensibly to shore up defenses against Russia that would in fact super charge that nation’s power.
DENMARK SAYS US ATTACK ON GREENLAND WOULD MEAN END OF NATO
January 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
January 5, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Trump and Hegseth target former astronaut and combat vet for retaliation. Via AP
Hegseth censures Sen. Kelly after warning about following illegal orders
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that he is issuing a letter of censure to Democratic Sen.
apnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Michael Derby
309-14 against.

That's the scorecard of federal judges ruling on the Trump administration's attempt to treat *any* non-citizen who was never lawfully admitted as having been stopped at the border for purposes of detention w/o bail.

Here's my earlier explainer:

www.stevevladeck.com/p/195-the-im...
January 5, 2026 at 2:53 PM