Michael Markman
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mickeleh.bsky.social
Michael Markman
@mickeleh.bsky.social
Avid news reader. Occasional news kibbitzer. Retired marketer. Retired YouTuber. NYer transplanted to PNW. Blue to the core.
Pinned
RESISTANCE ACTION PLAN:
6 phone calls a day.
Hit both the DC offices and the local offices of your two senators and your member of Congress.
STRETCH PLAN: Show up in person at their offices and local Town Halls
Reposted by Michael Markman
Over the past year, Costco has taken a risk by adopting visible public stances at odds with President Donald Trump’s agenda. It makes Costco one of the few big companies to defy the administration — and get away with it: https://cnn.it/4qrfjB7
Costco’s CEO is an unlikely risk taker | CNN Business
Ron Vachris does not fit the profile of a typical risk-taking executive.
www.cnn.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
February 9, 2026 at 5:13 AM
Reposted by Michael Markman
PSA: SEAHAWKS KICKER JASON MYERS IS NOW ON THE SUPER BOWL MVP BALLOT

VOTE NOW ON YOUR PHONES

www.nfl.com/super-bowl/m...
February 9, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Reposted by Michael Markman
Trump's meltdown over Bad Bunny is really about this -->
Trump is badly losing the war over ICE, not just on the streets, but also in the culture. As Bad Bunny shows, this has become a culture war unto itself. Trump-MAGA's initial hubris has been utterly deflated.

I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/

(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Trump Rages at Bad Bunny—and Accidentally Exposes a Big MAGA Weakness
MAGA’s hatred of the Super Bowl halftime performer reflects a hubris about what parts of the culture are “theirs.” But those assumptions are proving more wrong every day.
newrepublic.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:13 AM
Reposted by Michael Markman
God will not be mocked. Seattle wins and Trump's friend's team loses (teehee!) The Bad Bunny halftime show was iconic, and the only English spoken was by Lady Gaga. As Ice Cube used to say in the before times, today was a good day.
February 9, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Michael Markman
SpaceX shifts focus from something that it will never do on Mars to something it will never do on the Moon.
February 9, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Headline:
THINGS ARE NOT BETTER IN MINNEAPOLIS.
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
February 8, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
February 8, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
Good morning. The President of the United States was in the middle of the most serious child sex trafficking ring of the last quarter century.

He is referenced not a dozen times in the case files. Not 100 times. Not 1,000 times. He’s referenced 38,000 times.
February 8, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
🚨 Epstein survivors release this powerful PSA in advance of the Super Bowl demanding answers from the Justice Department. This is the Super Bowl ad every American should see. Spread it everywhere.
February 8, 2026 at 5:32 PM
We’ll whaddyaknow—another Trump scam
More than half the drugs on the TrumpRx site have a cheaper generic version on the market.

Pristiq, an antidepressant, is available with a TrumpRx coupon for ~$200 for a 30-day supply.

A generic version is on GoodRx for less than $30 and Mark Cuban's CostPlusDrugs for $16.65.
How TrumpRx drug prices compare to generic alternatives
Patients could save more buying non-branded copycat drugs, even if they don't have insurance.
www.axios.com
February 8, 2026 at 7:38 PM
People over the last year keep electing Democrats, not because they love Democrats, but because they loathe and fear Trump.
February 8, 2026 at 7:23 PM
You probably don’t want to hear another word about “Melania.“ But on the slim Chance you that might, please watch @kermodemovie.bsky.social. You will be rewarded.
Mark Kermode reviews Melania
YouTube video by Kermode and Mayo's Take
youtu.be
February 8, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
The GOP is going harder after a five year old than people in the Epstein files.
people.in
February 8, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
My first grader (a US citizen) came home from school crying because a friend from class (also a US citizen) hasn’t been coming to school because his parents (one of whom is not a citizen) are afraid of ICE.

Little kids don’t have concepts of racism and xenophobia. That has to be taught. Or imposed.
Gonzales on Liam Ramos and his family: "They're not gonna qualify for asylum. So what do you do with all the people that go through the process and do not qualify for asylum? You deport them. I understand that 5-year-old and it breaks my heart. I also think, what about that 5-year-old US citizen?"
February 8, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
"My Taylor Swift.”

That’s what Riley Gaines had to say about May Mailman, the mastermind behind the administration’s most sweeping anti-trans orders.

Now scholars are warning that those orders could have far-reaching repercussions for the rights of all women.
Meet the mastermind behind Trump’s definition of "woman"
May Mailman’s anti-trans crusade could threaten gender equality for all.
www.motherjones.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
U.S. Olympic athletes are speaking out about the state of their country — as Trump seethes #Opinion
Bruce Arthur: U.S. Olympic athletes are speaking out about the state of their country — as Trump seethes
Athletes rarely speak out against their own governments at the Olympics. This year has proven an exception, writes Bruce Arthur.
www.thestar.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
Joy Reid Goes All The Way Off On Nicki Minaj Calling Her A "House Pet" For The MAGA Movement
Joy Reid Goes All The Way Off On Nicki Minaj Calling Her A "House Pet" For The MAGA Movement
Joy Reid is not holding back when it comes to her thoughts on Nicki Minaj’s latest political pivot. During a recent appearance on The Don Lemon Show, the veteran journalist delivered a scathing critique of the rapper’s relationship with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Reid accused the Republican party of using Minaj as a "house pet" to provide a sense of "blackface" and legitimacy to their cause. According to Reid, the embrace of the "Super Freaky Girl" rapper isn't about her music or her views, but rather a desperate need for the GOP to tap into Black "cultural cool." Reid explained that the right wing is essentially keeping Minaj on a "leash" because they are chasing the influence that Black creators naturally bring to the table. “The reason they want her on a leash as their house pet cuddled at Donald Trump’s feet... is because they need, N-E-E-E-D Black people to give them ‘cultural cool,’” Reid stated. She argued that while Trump and his team might welcome the endorsement, they would likely be "horrified" if they actually sat down and listened to the lyrical content of her songs. Reid also took several personal shots at Nicki’s legacy and her character, comparing her unfavorably to other industry giants. “She’ll never be Rihanna. She’ll never have a brand like Rihanna. She’ll never be Beyoncé,” Reid claimed, adding that Minaj is a "40-some year-old" artist who has shown a lack of concern for the Black community and immigrants, despite her own history as an undocumented immigrant from Trinidad. Reid also suggested that the rapper has officially lost the very "cool" the GOP is trying to buy. She warned that the alliance is strictly transactional and that the MAGA crowd will move on as soon as they find a newer Black face to represent them. “Nikki ain’t s**t and she ain’t saying nothing. And a 100 little Barbs can’t tell me nothing. Y’all mad about it, be mad about it,” Reid said defiantly. She concluded by making it clear that she believes the strategy won't work in the long run, even if the right continues to look for Black figures to act as a shield for their movement. Joy Reid claims Trump and MAGA are using Nicki Minaj as a "pet" to put a Black face on MAGA, because MAGA "needs" the power of Black culture to seem "cool." "Black ‘cultural cool’ has always been a powerful, powerful element in the country.” Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/JNEs6Yv9sv — AF Post (@AFpost) February 7, 2026
balleralert.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
By relentlessly “gamifying” human experience, legalized gambling is poised to make even the most personal and idiosyncratic features of our lives fodder for transactional prognosticating.
https://bit.ly/4kobifd
How Big Gaming Is Swallowing Up the Big Game
The Super Bowl will showcase the lords of legalized betting, even as they’ve already colonized every other reach of human experience.
bit.ly
February 8, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
“When our country grew tired of the broken people it called heroes, they went to Alex Pretti at the VA. He found them on their worst day and asked them, “are you okay?”” www.liberalcurrents.com/he-served-th...
He Served Those Who Served: Portrait of a Man Named Pretti
It’s better to not know heroes exist than to find out they did only after they’re gone.
www.liberalcurrents.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
In case you missed it: Prehistoric fungi feed the world's plants and resist climate change, but face an uncertain future. ⬇️
The underground network: Prehistoric fungi feed the world’s plants and resist climate change, but face an uncertain future
Trillions of miles of tiny fungal tubes embedded in soil transport nutrients to crops and other plants and fight climate change by storing carbon. Scientists are racing to understand how these…
thebulletin.org
February 8, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Pod Reco:
Don’t miss. economy. Fed. Epstein. One of her best.
@mollyjongfast.bsky.social with @justinwolfers.bsky.social and @jkbjournalist.bsky.social
February 8, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Michael Markman
Watch in the coming years for the drumbeat to turn SNAP into a block grant, and remember what happened to TANF.
Same pattern: add so many administrative burdens that states say it would be easier to just take cash, and then fail to deliver that cash to the poor.
Good report here on how very little TANF funds actually go to supporting low income families. It has become a slush fund for states to spend on things that have little to do with program’s mission.

“How a $30 Billion Welfare Program Became a ‘Slush Fund’ for States”

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
How a $30 Billion Welfare Program Became a ‘Slush Fund’ for States
Republicans and Democrats alike decry the lack of oversight for America’s famous antipoverty experiment.
www.wsj.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Mary Geddry welcomes you to Super Bowl Sunday:
"Because America is now incapable of holding even a sporting event without turning it into a referendum on authoritarianism, the Super Bowl is arriving this weekend as a national culture-war potluck where everyone brought something unhinged."
The Empire Crumbles During Commercial Breaks
Super Bowl culture wars, ICE abroad, Trump’s Board of Peace grift, and Tulsi Gabbard’s classified lockdown
open.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:42 PM