Evan Latt
@nbplaid.bsky.social
#PlayPokemon commentator. Cofounder: Nugget Bridge. he/him
Reposted by Evan Latt
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
a lot of problems wouldn't exist if we had a congress with even an ounce of self interest
January 4, 2026 at 11:52 PM
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Reposted by Evan Latt
Reminder for everyone operating at situationally-diminished capacity.
January 3, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Reminder for everyone operating at situationally-diminished capacity.
Reposted by Evan Latt
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
He put his complete trust in a chat bot that turned him into a savage murderer.
Disturbing Messages Show ChatGPT Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit Alleges
A lawsuit against OpenAI reveals the chilling ChatGPT messages that drove a middle aged man to kill his 83-year-old mother.
trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
Reposted by Evan Latt
and then for hours used passive voice to pretend they had no idea who was behind the apparently spontaneous explosions
(Semafor) - The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops ..
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
January 4, 2026 at 2:22 AM
and then for hours used passive voice to pretend they had no idea who was behind the apparently spontaneous explosions
Reposted by Evan Latt
Make no mistake, 2001-2005 was awful, but yes, this moment is so much worse.
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 4, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Make no mistake, 2001-2005 was awful, but yes, this moment is so much worse.
Reposted by Evan Latt
The year is 2003. I’m 17 years old. I’m watching Democrats fail to appropriately oppose an illegal war for oil.
The year is 2026. I’m 40 years old. I’m watching Democrats fail to appropriately oppose an illegal war for oil.
The year is 2026. I’m 40 years old. I’m watching Democrats fail to appropriately oppose an illegal war for oil.
January 3, 2026 at 9:32 PM
The year is 2003. I’m 17 years old. I’m watching Democrats fail to appropriately oppose an illegal war for oil.
The year is 2026. I’m 40 years old. I’m watching Democrats fail to appropriately oppose an illegal war for oil.
The year is 2026. I’m 40 years old. I’m watching Democrats fail to appropriately oppose an illegal war for oil.
Reposted by Evan Latt
we in this country (and, I'd argue, the world, but I'm not here to argue tonight) are challenged to make of our present situation something better. it's a tall order
December 31, 2025 at 11:21 PM
we in this country (and, I'd argue, the world, but I'm not here to argue tonight) are challenged to make of our present situation something better. it's a tall order
Reposted by Evan Latt
you have done it before, squared the smooth circle, navigated the hard corner, slipped through and lived to see another day
December 31, 2025 at 11:21 PM
you have done it before, squared the smooth circle, navigated the hard corner, slipped through and lived to see another day
Reposted by Evan Latt
When you get the reputation of being the guy with the encouraging words on New Year's Eve, it can start to come through as a little pressure -- what if the situation on the ground is worse than usual? what if people are more scared than they usually are, and with cause? what use are good vibes then?
December 31, 2025 at 11:21 PM
When you get the reputation of being the guy with the encouraging words on New Year's Eve, it can start to come through as a little pressure -- what if the situation on the ground is worse than usual? what if people are more scared than they usually are, and with cause? what use are good vibes then?
Reposted by Evan Latt
Reposted by Evan Latt
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
Reposted by Evan Latt
Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it faced hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state programs and projects last year.
(Published July 2024)
(Published July 2024)
School Vouchers Were Supposed to Save Taxpayer Money. Instead They Blew a Massive Hole in Arizona’s Budget.
Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, has spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it’s now facing hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state program...
www.propublica.org
December 16, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it faced hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state programs and projects last year.
(Published July 2024)
(Published July 2024)
Reposted by Evan Latt
This is incredibly important. If you read one thing this week: marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
I'm Kenyan. I Don't Write Like ChatGPT. ChatGPT Writes Like Me.
I'm calm. I'm calm. I promise.
marcusolang.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 9:47 AM
This is incredibly important. If you read one thing this week: marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
Reposted by Evan Latt
there are pundits who will say that immigration is trump's strongest issue and that picking fights around immigration helps him on the margins. but i think this misunderstands the way public opinion works, as evidenced by trump's declining fortunes on his handling of immigration.
December 12, 2025 at 5:59 PM
there are pundits who will say that immigration is trump's strongest issue and that picking fights around immigration helps him on the margins. but i think this misunderstands the way public opinion works, as evidenced by trump's declining fortunes on his handling of immigration.
Reposted by Evan Latt
They're using the confinement box, one of the most horrific methods of CIA torture in the post-9/11 black sites, against migrants now. This is the direct result of the lack of consequences for the architects of the torture program. Either there will be criminal penalties for this or it will expand.
Torture Techniques from CIA Black Sites Were Used at Alligator Alcatraz
Amnesty International, interviewing migrant detainees, identifies use of the confinement box. There can be no denying it is a torture prison
www.forever-wars.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:40 PM
They're using the confinement box, one of the most horrific methods of CIA torture in the post-9/11 black sites, against migrants now. This is the direct result of the lack of consequences for the architects of the torture program. Either there will be criminal penalties for this or it will expand.
Reposted by Evan Latt
We got Weird Al out here singing Killing In The Name, the time for moderation is over
December 6, 2025 at 2:45 PM
We got Weird Al out here singing Killing In The Name, the time for moderation is over
Reposted by Evan Latt
Like @prisonculture.bsky.social, I've been worried about the ways popular myths of the civil rights movement make it hard to see how to struggle today. On the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott, the things we get wrong & what a fuller history shows us: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What we get wrong about the Montgomery bus boycott – and what we can learn from it | Jeanne Theoharis
The movement’s success was never a given. It took much longer and required tremendous sacrifice without certainty it would work
www.theguardian.com
December 7, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Like @prisonculture.bsky.social, I've been worried about the ways popular myths of the civil rights movement make it hard to see how to struggle today. On the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott, the things we get wrong & what a fuller history shows us: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Evan Latt
i think to understand the meaning of the birthright citizenship clause to the framers of the 14th amendment, you have to understand significance of dred scott to the civil war republican party. dred scott wasn't just a bad ruling, it was understood as a rejection of the declaration itself.
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
i think to understand the meaning of the birthright citizenship clause to the framers of the 14th amendment, you have to understand significance of dred scott to the civil war republican party. dred scott wasn't just a bad ruling, it was understood as a rejection of the declaration itself.
Reposted by Evan Latt
So proud of you @aftynbehn.bsky.social — this is what's possible in the South with a candidate that takes on the rich and powerful without sacrificing the marginalized.
December 3, 2025 at 3:19 AM
So proud of you @aftynbehn.bsky.social — this is what's possible in the South with a candidate that takes on the rich and powerful without sacrificing the marginalized.
Reposted by Evan Latt
Normally I would say “okay it was a low turnout electorate so you have to mark down the swing to the party with a higher propensity to vote coalition”. But. Uh. 94% turnout versus 2022 means that you shouldn’t by much.
NYTimes projecting a net shift of 14 points from 2024 with these variations between the counties
Turnout in 2022 here was ~180k, tonight is going to come in at most marginally under (currently ~168k with a little left to count)
that's a hell of an electorate to swing this much
Turnout in 2022 here was ~180k, tonight is going to come in at most marginally under (currently ~168k with a little left to count)
that's a hell of an electorate to swing this much
December 3, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Normally I would say “okay it was a low turnout electorate so you have to mark down the swing to the party with a higher propensity to vote coalition”. But. Uh. 94% turnout versus 2022 means that you shouldn’t by much.
Getting this kind of swing without a turnout differential is wild. No R seat is safe.
14% swing from 2024 when all is said and done? Pretty good considering just how high-profile the race became in the last week
Turnout is currently *93%* of 2022, and it's also a 14% swing from 2022 despite similar turnout levels
Turnout is currently *93%* of 2022, and it's also a 14% swing from 2022 despite similar turnout levels
December 3, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Getting this kind of swing without a turnout differential is wild. No R seat is safe.
Reposted by Evan Latt
That second part is what should really have Republicans spooked. This isn't just Democratic turnout differential like '23-24 specials. Their own voters are turning on Trump.
14% swing from 2024 when all is said and done? Pretty good considering just how high-profile the race became in the last week
Turnout is currently *93%* of 2022, and it's also a 14% swing from 2022 despite similar turnout levels
Turnout is currently *93%* of 2022, and it's also a 14% swing from 2022 despite similar turnout levels
December 3, 2025 at 2:51 AM
That second part is what should really have Republicans spooked. This isn't just Democratic turnout differential like '23-24 specials. Their own voters are turning on Trump.
Reposted by Evan Latt
If you ever wondered what GOP gerrymandering looks like in red states with blue cities, I present:
December 2, 2025 at 8:49 PM
If you ever wondered what GOP gerrymandering looks like in red states with blue cities, I present:
Hey that's me!
To give you an idea of how ridiculous the gerrymandering in Nashville is, here’s our district. They diluted a third of Nashville into a rural area about 50 times as large that extends north to the Kentucky border and about a third of the length of the state to the east.
December 3, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Hey that's me!
Gotta chalk this up to candidate quality, too. Respect to Reps. Mitchell and Dixie, but Rep. Behn always had the profile and the organizing experience for this race. (No comment on that other guy)
the avg special swing for special elections in the 2026 cycle is 13 points to the left, according to The Downballot -- so we are seeing an above average shift here in TN-07, even with Trump's late intervention docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
The Downballot's special elections Big Board for the 2025-26 cycle
docs.google.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Gotta chalk this up to candidate quality, too. Respect to Reps. Mitchell and Dixie, but Rep. Behn always had the profile and the organizing experience for this race. (No comment on that other guy)