Nathan Tankus
@nathantankus.bsky.social
President of @crisesnotes.bsky.social (https://www.crisesnotes.com/)
Book: [About Undetermined], under contract with Viking Books
email: crisesnotes@gmail(dot)com
Signal: NathanTankus.01 (only for reporting... Okay on weekends you can confess crushes)
Book: [About Undetermined], under contract with Viking Books
email: crisesnotes@gmail(dot)com
Signal: NathanTankus.01 (only for reporting... Okay on weekends you can confess crushes)
Pinned
Nathan Tankus
@nathantankus.bsky.social
· Nov 25
The Federal Reserve Has Created an Entire Page Dedicated to My Successful FOIA Requests
Tomorrow is my 34th Birthday and as such this month's "Birthday" sale is still ongoing. Take advantage today!
Birthday Sale!
Longtime Notes on the Crises readers will remember that I hav...
www.crisesnotes.com
NEW @crisesnotes.bsky.social PIECE: I finally have written up the extraordinary fact that the @federalreserve.gov has created an entire page specifically devoted to my FOIA requests entitled "Historical Board Documents". Also, my birthday sale is still underway!
www.crisesnotes.com/the-federal-...
www.crisesnotes.com/the-federal-...
With my follower count I should not be in the top 0.1% of bluesky accounts. Need more people here.
as someone else pointed out: i should not be anywhere in the top 100 user list on the leaderboard
there should be actual celebrities among others there if this site is to replace Twitter
there should be actual celebrities among others there if this site is to replace Twitter
Really also makes clear how small BlueSky is
January 5, 2026 at 9:04 PM
With my follower count I should not be in the top 0.1% of bluesky accounts. Need more people here.
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
the goal is killing kids
and we should say so
and we should say so
BREAKING: CDC announces an unprecedented overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule, a significant shift that recommends fewer shots for all kids.
CDC overhauls childhood vaccine schedule to resemble Denmark in unprecedented move
The new U.S. guidelines recommend all children get vaccines for 11 diseases, compared with the 18 previously on the schedule.
nbcnews.to
January 5, 2026 at 7:09 PM
the goal is killing kids
and we should say so
and we should say so
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
I turned that way-too-ambitious paper into two paper concepts but haven't gotten around to writing them
"On Godly Kings and Kingly Gods:Modern Money & its Symbolization of the Incommensurability of Being"
"Monies, Corporations and States Exist:The Cultural Turn in State Theory After Neochartalism"
"On Godly Kings and Kingly Gods:Modern Money & its Symbolization of the Incommensurability of Being"
"Monies, Corporations and States Exist:The Cultural Turn in State Theory After Neochartalism"
January 4, 2026 at 9:29 PM
I turned that way-too-ambitious paper into two paper concepts but haven't gotten around to writing them
"On Godly Kings and Kingly Gods:Modern Money & its Symbolization of the Incommensurability of Being"
"Monies, Corporations and States Exist:The Cultural Turn in State Theory After Neochartalism"
"On Godly Kings and Kingly Gods:Modern Money & its Symbolization of the Incommensurability of Being"
"Monies, Corporations and States Exist:The Cultural Turn in State Theory After Neochartalism"
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
The official line from the US was that the President resigned and asked them to help him get out of the country.
The President and witnesses denied this, and said he was taken at gunpoint.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Ha...
The President and witnesses denied this, and said he was taken at gunpoint.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Ha...
January 3, 2026 at 3:26 PM
The official line from the US was that the President resigned and asked them to help him get out of the country.
The President and witnesses denied this, and said he was taken at gunpoint.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Ha...
The President and witnesses denied this, and said he was taken at gunpoint.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Ha...
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
On X, a senior U.S. Justice Department official is promoting a post that praises colonization as “one of the greatest things that ever happened to the backwards parts of the world.”👇
January 5, 2026 at 12:44 AM
On X, a senior U.S. Justice Department official is promoting a post that praises colonization as “one of the greatest things that ever happened to the backwards parts of the world.”👇
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
I wrote about reporters’ refusal to use “act of war,” “invasion” or “coup” when covering Trump’s brazen attacks on Venezuela, instead echoing WH-approved euphemisms, and the broader trend of our press dutifully giving Trump’s lawlessness the vague whiff of international legitimacy when it has none.
By framing this brazen act of aggression in euphemistic terms, the media is falling in line with Trump.
The Media Refuses to Call Trump’s Venezuela Attack an Act of War
By framing the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro in euphemistic terms, the media is falling in line with Trump.
interc.pt
January 4, 2026 at 11:17 PM
I wrote about reporters’ refusal to use “act of war,” “invasion” or “coup” when covering Trump’s brazen attacks on Venezuela, instead echoing WH-approved euphemisms, and the broader trend of our press dutifully giving Trump’s lawlessness the vague whiff of international legitimacy when it has none.
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
BIG split between those who know and those who don't know that much about the history and current state of Venezuela's oil industry.
January 4, 2026 at 10:34 PM
BIG split between those who know and those who don't know that much about the history and current state of Venezuela's oil industry.
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
Rubio is in all other contexts a vapid moron, but it’s very funny that he has the ability to look an interviewer in the eye and explain that a Delta Force op to depose a foreign head of state and install a puppet in his place isn’t “military,” but simply good old-fashioned police work
![Besides navigating the treacherous minefield of nation-building that lies ahead, Rubio will also have to rebuild trust among U.S. lawmakers, many of whom have accused him of lying to Congress when he said the Trump administration would seek congressional approval before taking military action against Venezuela.
"Secretaries Rubio and [Pete] Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn't about regime change. I didn't trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress," said Sen. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey).
In an interview with The Washington Post, Rubio denied that he lied and said he promised to get congressional approval only if the United States "was going to conduct military strikes for military purposes."
"This was not that. This was a law enforcement operation," Rubio said, referring to the indictment against Maduro in the Southern District of New York on drug charges.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bpna2qi2e44fafbhhtqjak3x/bafkreigpcpdtjlo4y4dxcj6dc6gnvay7fsssjij2uoy63twtgzaptxyzzu@jpeg)
January 4, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Rubio is in all other contexts a vapid moron, but it’s very funny that he has the ability to look an interviewer in the eye and explain that a Delta Force op to depose a foreign head of state and install a puppet in his place isn’t “military,” but simply good old-fashioned police work
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
In a study following 23 million people age 18-59 (pretty young) for 4 years…despite the fact that the ones who got the COVID vaccine were overall older and sicker at baseline, they not only had 74% lower risk of dying from COVID than the unvaccinated but 25% lower risk of dying from any other cause!
January 4, 2026 at 8:59 PM
In a study following 23 million people age 18-59 (pretty young) for 4 years…despite the fact that the ones who got the COVID vaccine were overall older and sicker at baseline, they not only had 74% lower risk of dying from COVID than the unvaccinated but 25% lower risk of dying from any other cause!
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
I know we’ve been living in Bizarro World for at least a decade now but the Prime Minister of Denmark felt compelled to make this statement today 😮
January 4, 2026 at 9:36 PM
I know we’ve been living in Bizarro World for at least a decade now but the Prime Minister of Denmark felt compelled to make this statement today 😮
This is a very interesting piece that is definitely worth reading and has a lot of insight about our current era but I don't like the adoption of "clique" as a generalizable concept for political organization when its an empiricist social network analysis term.
Lots of head scratching about US intervention in Venezuela but increasingly looks part of a broader Trump strategy — neo-royalism. Foreign policy driven not by national interest but those of elites. For broader context check out this piece.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
January 4, 2026 at 9:16 PM
This is a very interesting piece that is definitely worth reading and has a lot of insight about our current era but I don't like the adoption of "clique" as a generalizable concept for political organization when its an empiricist social network analysis term.
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
There's significant evidence from state legislative term limits that they do, in fact, empower both lobbyists and state executive branches.
"Disagreeing" without offering any counter-evidence is just vibes.
"Disagreeing" without offering any counter-evidence is just vibes.
I disagree with the suggestion that term limits would further empower lobbyists and therefore we shouldn't consider them as a viable path forward. The current system of federal elected officials who are financially incentivized to become insider traders until they choose to retire isn't working.
January 4, 2026 at 1:56 PM
There's significant evidence from state legislative term limits that they do, in fact, empower both lobbyists and state executive branches.
"Disagreeing" without offering any counter-evidence is just vibes.
"Disagreeing" without offering any counter-evidence is just vibes.
It's about oil because Trump remembers "No Blood for Oil!" As "No, Blood for Oil!"
The amount of “this is clearly about oil” posting across all platforms as story after story comes out where the oil industry is saying that the oil isn’t worth extracting is making me feel a little insane
January 4, 2026 at 7:44 PM
It's about oil because Trump remembers "No Blood for Oil!" As "No, Blood for Oil!"
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
I think what gets me about the Galeano thing is that the left is once again imputing the imperial designs and strategy of midcentury America to a gang of illiterate drunks and pedophiles who neither know nor care about anything but the next content cycle
January 4, 2026 at 7:06 AM
I think what gets me about the Galeano thing is that the left is once again imputing the imperial designs and strategy of midcentury America to a gang of illiterate drunks and pedophiles who neither know nor care about anything but the next content cycle
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
good fucking lord lol
This Thomas Friedman column from 2010 (which is hilarious in 7 different ways) does a good job packing in all the cliches I'm gesturing to in one column.
www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/o...
Opinion | 1977 vs. 1979 (Published 2010)
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:56 AM
good fucking lord lol
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
for everyone who didn't live through John Kerry's presidential campaign, be advised: "This stupid and immoral war would be good if I were managing it" is not the poll-tested flex you think it is
January 3, 2026 at 11:33 PM
for everyone who didn't live through John Kerry's presidential campaign, be advised: "This stupid and immoral war would be good if I were managing it" is not the poll-tested flex you think it is
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
It’s sobering to look back on the run-up to the Iraq war—a period of unceasing chattering-class debate, elaborate official lies, media complicity, unavailing global protest, in the end a giant stitch-up—and have it seem like some sort of paradise of public deliberation compared to these gangsters.
January 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
It’s sobering to look back on the run-up to the Iraq war—a period of unceasing chattering-class debate, elaborate official lies, media complicity, unavailing global protest, in the end a giant stitch-up—and have it seem like some sort of paradise of public deliberation compared to these gangsters.
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
The Dems’ fear of being called a bunch of pansies for not supporting an illegal military operation once again proves that it’s just gender all the way down
January 3, 2026 at 9:52 PM
The Dems’ fear of being called a bunch of pansies for not supporting an illegal military operation once again proves that it’s just gender all the way down
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
NYT gonna NYT: "Both Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Maduro identify as socialists, though they have no relationship.” — would be funny if they did this every time you write about two capitalists.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
Mamdani Called Trump to Criticize Venezuela Strikes
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:01 PM
NYT gonna NYT: "Both Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Maduro identify as socialists, though they have no relationship.” — would be funny if they did this every time you write about two capitalists.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
Congress, Now More Than Ever, Our Nation Needs Your Cowardice https://theonion.com/letter-to-congress/
Congress, Now More Than Ever, Our Nation Needs Your Cowardice
Share This Editorial
theonion.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Congress, Now More Than Ever, Our Nation Needs Your Cowardice https://theonion.com/letter-to-congress/
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
January 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
This is really so insane.
January 3, 2026 at 8:24 PM
This is really so insane.
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
Speaking with Vanity Fair in November, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles admitted that a military strike in Venezuela would require a congressional act of war. “If he were to authorize some activity on land, then it’s war, then [we’d need] Congress."
Susie Wiles Told Vanity Fair Military Action in Venezuela Requires Congressional Approval
Speaking with Vanity Fair in November, the White House chief of staff said Donald Trump was “proud to be an agent of peace.”
www.vanityfair.com
January 3, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Speaking with Vanity Fair in November, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles admitted that a military strike in Venezuela would require a congressional act of war. “If he were to authorize some activity on land, then it’s war, then [we’d need] Congress."
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
Trump's promise to "run" Venezuela suggests a huge task for the State Department — which he + Rubio have decimated. Personnel at State, particularly the key Western Hemisphere Affairs bureau, are already stunned, anxious and saying they are badly under-prepared, a former State official tells me.
January 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Trump's promise to "run" Venezuela suggests a huge task for the State Department — which he + Rubio have decimated. Personnel at State, particularly the key Western Hemisphere Affairs bureau, are already stunned, anxious and saying they are badly under-prepared, a former State official tells me.
Reposted by Nathan Tankus
