Mike Varak
@mikevarak.bsky.social
Anti-filatelist, armchair enthusiast and shallow font of warmed-over and under-considered opinions. Chicago over everything.
Reposted by Mike Varak
mr president sir theres a story coming about how you intervened to help a sex criminal. no sir, not that sex criminal you helped….no not that one either…sir, please stop guessing sex criminals that you helped. ill give you a hint sir, hes a trafficker. no sir, not that trafficker a different one
NEW: When Andrew Tate landed in the US, Customs & Border Protection seized his electronic devices. But @propublica.org found that a White House official told DHS to return the devices, emphasizing that the request came from the White House.
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org
November 18, 2025 at 1:10 PM
mr president sir theres a story coming about how you intervened to help a sex criminal. no sir, not that sex criminal you helped….no not that one either…sir, please stop guessing sex criminals that you helped. ill give you a hint sir, hes a trafficker. no sir, not that trafficker a different one
You’ll never convince me that anyone listens to Smartless.
November 19, 2025 at 2:52 AM
You’ll never convince me that anyone listens to Smartless.
Reposted by Mike Varak
This is the right wing equivalent to batting for the cycle
"A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for storming the Capitol was arrested on child molestation charges, according to Florida officials, who said he tried to use an anticipated Jan. 6 payout to silence the victim."
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Pardoned Capitol rioter tried to bribe child sex victim with promise of Jan. 6 payout, officials say
Andrew Paul Johnson, 44, faces multiple charges in Florida, including lewd/lascivious molestation, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
www.nbcnews.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:33 PM
This is the right wing equivalent to batting for the cycle
Reposted by Mike Varak
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 18, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
Reposted by Mike Varak
He was held civilly liable for sexual abuse and slandered his accuser. He’s been accused by roughly two dozen women of rape and sexual assault. He was best friends with a pedophile. He bragged about grabbing women by the pussy and said Ivanka had to beg him not date younger than her when she was 17.
Nancy Mace: "You can see in the Epstein emails that he's clearly targeting President Trump as retribution for him being a good man ... he's a good man who protects women. That's what real men do."
November 18, 2025 at 5:06 PM
He was held civilly liable for sexual abuse and slandered his accuser. He’s been accused by roughly two dozen women of rape and sexual assault. He was best friends with a pedophile. He bragged about grabbing women by the pussy and said Ivanka had to beg him not date younger than her when she was 17.
Reposted by Mike Varak
it is almost as if accommodating and conceding to far right ideas legitimizes them and signals to voters that the far right is a legitimate choice for governance
The Danish Social Democrats are currently on course for their worst election result since at least the Second World War, despite their brand of far-right accommodationism being touted as a blueprint for other centre-left parties.
Oh
November 18, 2025 at 2:24 PM
it is almost as if accommodating and conceding to far right ideas legitimizes them and signals to voters that the far right is a legitimate choice for governance
Reposted by Mike Varak
Wow if only there was some sort of fairly recent historical precedent warning us about the dangers of slicing up and reselling debt across the financial landscape.
WSJ: “.. If the AI market blows up, the blast radius would be wide, hitting not only Wall Street firms, but also pensions, mutual and exchange-traded funds and individual investors, because of how debt is often sliced and resold across the financial landscape.”
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
November 17, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Wow if only there was some sort of fairly recent historical precedent warning us about the dangers of slicing up and reselling debt across the financial landscape.
Reposted by Mike Varak
The Department of Unsubtle Metaphors continues to exceed expectations
President Trump walking past the flag at the Whitehouse which has fallen to the ground
November 18, 2025 at 1:25 AM
The Department of Unsubtle Metaphors continues to exceed expectations
Reposted by Mike Varak
FUCKING
NAZIS
NAZIS
"Agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including ICE, ERO, and CBP intend to implement a comprehensive plan to target Spanish-speaking churches across the country during the upcoming holiday season between Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, and Christmas, Dec. 25."
Exclusive: Trump DHS Plans Immigration Raids on Churches Over Holidays
The Trump Dept. of Homeland Security is briefing federal agencies on plans for immigration enforcement operations inside churches over holidays.
thisweekinworcester.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:05 AM
FUCKING
NAZIS
NAZIS
Reposted by Mike Varak
this would have been a month-long scandal in 2011
President Trump walking past the flag at the Whitehouse which has fallen to the ground
November 18, 2025 at 12:38 AM
this would have been a month-long scandal in 2011
Reposted by Mike Varak
little of the work i do writing about pre-rock music would be possible without the DAHR, the source i consider the most authoritative (if still woefully incomplete for global music, though steadily improving). adding Joe Bussard's record collection to their streamable content is awesome
November 17, 2025 at 4:10 PM
little of the work i do writing about pre-rock music would be possible without the DAHR, the source i consider the most authoritative (if still woefully incomplete for global music, though steadily improving). adding Joe Bussard's record collection to their streamable content is awesome
Reposted by Mike Varak
Good news: If you would like to watch Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants on YouTube I have done a painstaking 4k upscale of this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0gW...
November 17, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Good news: If you would like to watch Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants on YouTube I have done a painstaking 4k upscale of this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0gW...
Almost like they are bad faith actors on just about everything? For decades now?
The Christian right for decades has fear-mongered that federal agents (under Dem presidents) would "criminalize" Christianity and literally prevent them from worshipping.
Now that Trump's stormtroopers are doing it ... crickets
Now that Trump's stormtroopers are doing it ... crickets
Here’s a story for every national news outlet:
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
November 16, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Almost like they are bad faith actors on just about everything? For decades now?
Reposted by Mike Varak
Here’s a story for every national news outlet:
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
November 16, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Here’s a story for every national news outlet:
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
Reposted by Mike Varak
It's that time of year again. If you're in Scotland and go see the sunrise on a partly clear morning near the Cobbler in Arrochar, you might get lucky and see the grass dramatically lit up by the sun before it hits the mountains.
November 16, 2025 at 12:42 AM
It's that time of year again. If you're in Scotland and go see the sunrise on a partly clear morning near the Cobbler in Arrochar, you might get lucky and see the grass dramatically lit up by the sun before it hits the mountains.
Reposted by Mike Varak
made a similar point on the opinions podcast this week in response to the idea that epstein is a dead end. not only are actual voters interested in this but it divides the gop and puts pressure on the president. it would be political malpractice to treat it as a sideshow
The usual suspects are telling Dems that Epstein won’t win elections, get back to “affordability” and I think my head might explode. www.offmessage.net/p/force-a-re...
Force A Referendum On The Epstein Coverup
It divides Republicans much more than "affordability" or any other economic issue.
www.offmessage.net
November 15, 2025 at 7:17 PM
made a similar point on the opinions podcast this week in response to the idea that epstein is a dead end. not only are actual voters interested in this but it divides the gop and puts pressure on the president. it would be political malpractice to treat it as a sideshow
Reposted by Mike Varak
the Democratic Party should have 2 major goals for the next time it holds power: (1) completely rebuild the destroyed federal government capacity, and (2) crush the GOP, which enabled so much corruption and immiseration. destroy their funding, jail their leaders, make it so a new party has to emerge
November 15, 2025 at 2:02 PM
the Democratic Party should have 2 major goals for the next time it holds power: (1) completely rebuild the destroyed federal government capacity, and (2) crush the GOP, which enabled so much corruption and immiseration. destroy their funding, jail their leaders, make it so a new party has to emerge
Reposted by Mike Varak
There is absolutely nothing old or consolidated about *multiracial, pluralistic democracy* in America. It only started 60 years ago.
And the conflict over whether or not it should be allowed to endure and prosper has been the central fault line in U.S. politics ever since.
And the conflict over whether or not it should be allowed to endure and prosper has been the central fault line in U.S. politics ever since.
From 2022:
November 15, 2025 at 3:59 PM
There is absolutely nothing old or consolidated about *multiracial, pluralistic democracy* in America. It only started 60 years ago.
And the conflict over whether or not it should be allowed to endure and prosper has been the central fault line in U.S. politics ever since.
And the conflict over whether or not it should be allowed to endure and prosper has been the central fault line in U.S. politics ever since.
How does running away from an issue that is used as a cudgel do anything other than let your opponent frame the issue in its own terms? Fuck you, Pete
Speaking at a Texas Tribune Festival on Friday, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg criticized the Democratic Party for failing to reach everyday Americans, arguing that it “got sucked in” to a conversation about identity. #TribFest25
Pete Buttigieg critiques Democrats for focus on identity
The former U.S. transportation secretary said the Democratic Party should focus more on issues gripping the country, such as health care and housing affordability.
www.texastribune.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:42 PM
How does running away from an issue that is used as a cudgel do anything other than let your opponent frame the issue in its own terms? Fuck you, Pete
Reposted by Mike Varak
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
Reposted by Mike Varak
$1 billion data centre to maybe create 100 jobs. That's likely an overstatement.
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
Meta plans $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam
The facility is expected to be completed in 2027 and will support 100 jobs, according to state officials.
www.wisn.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:17 PM
$1 billion data centre to maybe create 100 jobs. That's likely an overstatement.
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
Reposted by Mike Varak
Broadview.
November 14, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Broadview.
Reposted by Mike Varak
it's got to be kind of surreal, gathering in the white house SITUATION ROOM like you're in some kind of high-stakes political thriller but it's for crisis meetings on what to say about your boss paying for handjobs from underaged models in the 90s
November 14, 2025 at 4:06 PM
it's got to be kind of surreal, gathering in the white house SITUATION ROOM like you're in some kind of high-stakes political thriller but it's for crisis meetings on what to say about your boss paying for handjobs from underaged models in the 90s