Philip Eil
@phileil.bsky.social
Journalist.
Cat dad.
Rhode Islander.
Author of "Prescription for Pain: How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer.'"
https://philipeil.com/
Cat dad.
Rhode Islander.
Author of "Prescription for Pain: How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer.'"
https://philipeil.com/
Reposted by Philip Eil
Is ICE going to kidnap Maduro and return him to Venezuela?
January 3, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Is ICE going to kidnap Maduro and return him to Venezuela?
Reposted by Philip Eil
this is just insane. I don’t have any other words for it
Trump: "We're going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country. And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so."
January 3, 2026 at 5:12 PM
this is just insane. I don’t have any other words for it
Reposted by Philip Eil
The House Armed Services Committee also was not briefed, I've confirmed.
News: Gang of Eight in Congress were only notified about Trump's Venezuela operation after it began, source familiar tells me. That means the heads of the Intelligence Committees in Senate and House were *not* consulted. Just crazy.
January 3, 2026 at 3:58 PM
The House Armed Services Committee also was not briefed, I've confirmed.
POV: you're my friend and I'm giving you feedback on your book proposal.
January 3, 2026 at 4:58 PM
POV: you're my friend and I'm giving you feedback on your book proposal.
I really hope PVD/Rhode Island doesn't lose @mapcenter.com.
I'm trying so hard to get a better space for my business and I'm shooting for Providence. But lemme tell you, they ain't making it easy.
January 3, 2026 at 4:01 PM
I really hope PVD/Rhode Island doesn't lose @mapcenter.com.
The Washington Post is fully and truly cooked.
Opinion | Justice in Venezuela
The next challenge is setting the country up for long-term success.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:57 PM
The Washington Post is fully and truly cooked.
Reposted by Philip Eil
it is incredible that the entire high level legal apparatus of the United States is "anything that helps people is impossible, anything that kills people is permitted"
January 3, 2026 at 2:24 PM
it is incredible that the entire high level legal apparatus of the United States is "anything that helps people is impossible, anything that kills people is permitted"
Reposted by Philip Eil
I’ve been thinking lately about how all children learn how good and wise America’s constitutional structure is: three branches of government, checks and balances, etc. And then in the real world, they just roll over to whatever Trump does. The idea feels almost quaint at this point.
January 3, 2026 at 2:36 PM
I’ve been thinking lately about how all children learn how good and wise America’s constitutional structure is: three branches of government, checks and balances, etc. And then in the real world, they just roll over to whatever Trump does. The idea feels almost quaint at this point.
Reposted by Philip Eil
New circle of hell: gambling on war crimes.
This person went on a buying spree over the past 24 hours. Fresh wallet. Only existed since Dec 27th and has only bet on Venezuela-related markets.
polymarket.com/@0x31a56e9E6...
polymarket.com/@0x31a56e9E6...
January 3, 2026 at 2:04 PM
New circle of hell: gambling on war crimes.
Yikes.
January 3, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Yikes.
This is true.
But you might be more inclined to go forward anyway if your policy is lying about everything and/or blaming others; if Congress and the courts have shown themselves to be toothless; and if you can expect to distract folks from the mess by starting a new, bigger, different mess.
But you might be more inclined to go forward anyway if your policy is lying about everything and/or blaming others; if Congress and the courts have shown themselves to be toothless; and if you can expect to distract folks from the mess by starting a new, bigger, different mess.
Among the many reasons you don’t kidnap a foreign head of state at gunpoint even if you have the capability, is that it sparks consequences you can neither control nor anticipate.
January 3, 2026 at 1:25 PM
This is true.
But you might be more inclined to go forward anyway if your policy is lying about everything and/or blaming others; if Congress and the courts have shown themselves to be toothless; and if you can expect to distract folks from the mess by starting a new, bigger, different mess.
But you might be more inclined to go forward anyway if your policy is lying about everything and/or blaming others; if Congress and the courts have shown themselves to be toothless; and if you can expect to distract folks from the mess by starting a new, bigger, different mess.
I'm sure the next Pentagon press briefing will clear things up.
From last month:
From last month:
The press corps at the Defense Department has been replaced by far-right outlets
The traditional press corps at the Defense Department has been replaced with an unusual assortment of far right media personalities and outlets. The Pentagon held it's first press briefing for them.
www.npr.org
January 3, 2026 at 1:19 PM
I'm sure the next Pentagon press briefing will clear things up.
From last month:
From last month:
Evergreen.
jesus fucking christ
January 3, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Evergreen.
**places finger to earpiece** I'm getting reports that 2026 is not, in fact, more sane or normal than 2025.
January 3, 2026 at 1:06 PM
**places finger to earpiece** I'm getting reports that 2026 is not, in fact, more sane or normal than 2025.
Update: here's the post on the New Year's Eve protest at the Wyatt from @steveahlquist.bsky.social's substack. Text by Steve; photos and video by me.
I am, honored, as always, to help with Steve's vital work of -- among the other things he covers -- documenting protests across Rhode Island.
I am, honored, as always, to help with Steve's vital work of -- among the other things he covers -- documenting protests across Rhode Island.
January 3, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Update: here's the post on the New Year's Eve protest at the Wyatt from @steveahlquist.bsky.social's substack. Text by Steve; photos and video by me.
I am, honored, as always, to help with Steve's vital work of -- among the other things he covers -- documenting protests across Rhode Island.
I am, honored, as always, to help with Steve's vital work of -- among the other things he covers -- documenting protests across Rhode Island.
Reposted by Philip Eil
[wakes up] “I’m sorry, what”
January 3, 2026 at 12:36 PM
[wakes up] “I’m sorry, what”
Semi-regular reminder that none of Sackler family members are in prison.
"Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York" for narcotics-terrorism conspiracy and "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts." - US Attorney General Pam Bondi
January 3, 2026 at 12:33 PM
Semi-regular reminder that none of Sackler family members are in prison.
Reposted by Philip Eil
I’ve said it before, but the bottom line is this (to everyone’s peril): the law and rules are what powerful people say they are
January 3, 2026 at 10:15 AM
I’ve said it before, but the bottom line is this (to everyone’s peril): the law and rules are what powerful people say they are
Reposted by Philip Eil
This isn't about democratizing the news. It's about elevating "vibes" and "feelings" to be on par with lived experience and subject-matter expertise.
January 2, 2026 at 9:49 PM
This isn't about democratizing the news. It's about elevating "vibes" and "feelings" to be on par with lived experience and subject-matter expertise.
Reposted by Philip Eil
Yep, the level of vicious bigotry is extreme and we can cannot give an inch. There is a movement on the far right, supported by billionaires and powerful people in the White House, who want to ethnically cleanse Somalis from the U.S., and we must describe it as such and treat it as such.
This is the "testing the waters" phase of the playbook. The GOP ecosystem targets groups like Somalis, Haitians, and trans people specifically because they've calculated that the average person's passive disapproval won't ever turn into active defense. They're exploiting public apathy.
i'm really having a hard time getting past the "surely we can all agree that Somalis are worse than trash" thing. this feels new and very bad
January 2, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Yep, the level of vicious bigotry is extreme and we can cannot give an inch. There is a movement on the far right, supported by billionaires and powerful people in the White House, who want to ethnically cleanse Somalis from the U.S., and we must describe it as such and treat it as such.
I attended a wedding ceremony in this room today.
I’ve lived in Providence for many years, but it was a first for me.
I’ve lived in Providence for many years, but it was a first for me.
January 3, 2026 at 12:38 AM
I attended a wedding ceremony in this room today.
I’ve lived in Providence for many years, but it was a first for me.
I’ve lived in Providence for many years, but it was a first for me.
I have not one, but two, events this afternoon that require:
[a] leaving the house
[b] looking somewhat presentable.
This felt documentation-worthy.
[a] leaving the house
[b] looking somewhat presentable.
This felt documentation-worthy.
January 2, 2026 at 4:23 PM
I have not one, but two, events this afternoon that require:
[a] leaving the house
[b] looking somewhat presentable.
This felt documentation-worthy.
[a] leaving the house
[b] looking somewhat presentable.
This felt documentation-worthy.
Reposted by Philip Eil
The actress is 14 and the character is supposed to be *eight*. We're all just supposed to accept this as the cost of being female?
This does seem just a little bit bad! Idk the sort of thing you’d think politicians might distance themselves from or something!
January 2, 2026 at 1:06 PM
The actress is 14 and the character is supposed to be *eight*. We're all just supposed to accept this as the cost of being female?
Trying to kick-start my brain after a couple weeks of lounging around, watching TV, doomscrolling, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
So far the results are mixed.
So far the results are mixed.
January 2, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Trying to kick-start my brain after a couple weeks of lounging around, watching TV, doomscrolling, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
So far the results are mixed.
So far the results are mixed.
Oof.
This is what a bought-and-paid-for opinion section looks like.
This is what a bought-and-paid-for opinion section looks like.
January 2, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Oof.
This is what a bought-and-paid-for opinion section looks like.
This is what a bought-and-paid-for opinion section looks like.