Russ Silva
@russellsilva.bsky.social
Villains from a Roald Dahl novel. Despicable
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Villains from a Roald Dahl novel. Despicable
Reposted by Russ Silva
📰 This week's #AbuseOfPowerWatch newsletter by @yunao08.bsky.social has dropped.
Abuses of power are happening everyday around us under the Trump administration and we're shining a light.
Read more ⤵️
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/abuse-of-p...
Abuses of power are happening everyday around us under the Trump administration and we're shining a light.
Read more ⤵️
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/abuse-of-p...
February 13, 2026 at 5:05 PM
📰 This week's #AbuseOfPowerWatch newsletter by @yunao08.bsky.social has dropped.
Abuses of power are happening everyday around us under the Trump administration and we're shining a light.
Read more ⤵️
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/abuse-of-p...
Abuses of power are happening everyday around us under the Trump administration and we're shining a light.
Read more ⤵️
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/abuse-of-p...
Reposted by Russ Silva
Trump’s 1st year in office had the worst job growth this decade, excluding COVID.
In that same year, the 1% got a TRILLION dollars in tax cuts, the Trump family got $1.4 BILLION richer, & Americans paid $192 BILLION in tariff-related costs.
Working people are getting fleeced.
In that same year, the 1% got a TRILLION dollars in tax cuts, the Trump family got $1.4 BILLION richer, & Americans paid $192 BILLION in tariff-related costs.
Working people are getting fleeced.
U.S. added 130,000 jobs in January, but labor market growth stalled in 2025
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that U.S. employers added 181,000 jobs last year, far fewer than the 1.46 million jobs that were added in 2024.
www.nbcnews.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Trump’s 1st year in office had the worst job growth this decade, excluding COVID.
In that same year, the 1% got a TRILLION dollars in tax cuts, the Trump family got $1.4 BILLION richer, & Americans paid $192 BILLION in tariff-related costs.
Working people are getting fleeced.
In that same year, the 1% got a TRILLION dollars in tax cuts, the Trump family got $1.4 BILLION richer, & Americans paid $192 BILLION in tariff-related costs.
Working people are getting fleeced.
This is pretty good. Minimal bothsidesing. It's mostly just quotes from experts repeatedly explaining that Musk is a white supremacist.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Elon Musk posted about race almost every day in January
Many social media posts by Tesla CEO on his platform are indiscernible from those of white supremacists, say experts
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:28 AM
This is pretty good. Minimal bothsidesing. It's mostly just quotes from experts repeatedly explaining that Musk is a white supremacist.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Russ Silva
We need to stop treating Trump’s interference in midterms as a hypothetical. He’s already interfering with the vote, as I told @briantylercohen.bsky.social. ICE terrorizing blue cities, DOJ demanding voter rolls, FBI seizing ballots all intended as voter suppression www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNfH...
Justice Department issues GRAVE THREAT ahead of election
YouTube video by Brian Tyler Cohen
www.youtube.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:03 PM
We need to stop treating Trump’s interference in midterms as a hypothetical. He’s already interfering with the vote, as I told @briantylercohen.bsky.social. ICE terrorizing blue cities, DOJ demanding voter rolls, FBI seizing ballots all intended as voter suppression www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNfH...
The Trump administration's constant lies make it even more important to record them.
Another way to phrase this is, “ICE shot someone and got caught lying about it.”
February 13, 2026 at 5:39 AM
The Trump administration's constant lies make it even more important to record them.
Reposted by Russ Silva
If Platner makes the Senate it will be devastating to the effort to denormalize and stigmatize Nazi dogwhistles and symbology. Him and his tattoo will be trotted out every time we try and call something out.
October 21, 2025 at 10:14 PM
If Platner makes the Senate it will be devastating to the effort to denormalize and stigmatize Nazi dogwhistles and symbology. Him and his tattoo will be trotted out every time we try and call something out.
Reposted by Russ Silva
I keep thinking about this. It's such an extreme reaction. But what else can you say? Do Platner defenders understand how utterly unhinged they sound?
Nazi tat affair useful because anyone doing bizarre prevarications atm re how its totally normal to have a Nazi tattoo, good actually, not a big deal that'd matter in an election, if anything its cringe you care, etc etc, has revealed you never need to take their politics opinions seriously again.
October 23, 2025 at 6:25 PM
I keep thinking about this. It's such an extreme reaction. But what else can you say? Do Platner defenders understand how utterly unhinged they sound?
Reposted by Russ Silva
No, we don't have to allow people who had Nazi tattoos on their chests for twenty years to become UNITED STATES SENATORS. It's perfectly fine to simply say no to that and let Platner keep oyster fishing or whatever.
bsky.app/profile/russ...
bsky.app/profile/russ...
US Senators are some of the most powerful people in the country and indeed in the entire world. They should be exceptional people, people we can look up to without reservation, people so virtuous it embarrasses us by comparison.
November 14, 2025 at 10:18 PM
No, we don't have to allow people who had Nazi tattoos on their chests for twenty years to become UNITED STATES SENATORS. It's perfectly fine to simply say no to that and let Platner keep oyster fishing or whatever.
bsky.app/profile/russ...
bsky.app/profile/russ...
Was not expecting misaligned AI to give off "bitter loser" energy, but here we are
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
February 12, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Was not expecting misaligned AI to give off "bitter loser" energy, but here we are
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
Reposted by Russ Silva
A few news cycles later, and Trump's ICE and CBP are already using the ludicrous Democratic Party push for body cameras to talk about increased funding.
February 12, 2026 at 3:36 PM
A few news cycles later, and Trump's ICE and CBP are already using the ludicrous Democratic Party push for body cameras to talk about increased funding.
Despicable nativist propaganda.
This is how CBS Evening News depicted data showing that less than 14% of ICE arrests involved those accused or convicted of violent crimes, and less than 2% had homicide or sexual assault charges or convictions.
February 12, 2026 at 5:44 AM
Despicable nativist propaganda.
Reposted by Russ Silva
In general a lot of moderate liberals find it very annoying that leftists, radical liberals, and libertarians all end up at open borders, missing the "obvious" middle ground position, but the thing is that if you examine the issue at all, borders are pretty damn hard to actually justify
You're not going to believe this, but closed borders are racist. They always have been. They always will be. You can indulge in smoke-filled dorm room discussions of hypothetically non-racist immigration restrictions, but in the real world closed borders are racist af.
February 11, 2026 at 11:18 PM
In general a lot of moderate liberals find it very annoying that leftists, radical liberals, and libertarians all end up at open borders, missing the "obvious" middle ground position, but the thing is that if you examine the issue at all, borders are pretty damn hard to actually justify
Reposted by Russ Silva
the U.S. right wing conducted a massively-successful 50+ year propaganda campaign to impregnate the culture with the lie that all fact-based criticism of their unpopular policies has an inherent bias and should be discarded
our feckless consolidated corporate press was generally happy to oblige
our feckless consolidated corporate press was generally happy to oblige
The Media Is Biased… Against the Left
Mehdi brings receipts on the glaring absence of progressive voices not just on Bari Weiss’s CBS News but across so-called “liberal” media, and makes the case for independent media.
zeteo.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:54 PM
the U.S. right wing conducted a massively-successful 50+ year propaganda campaign to impregnate the culture with the lie that all fact-based criticism of their unpopular policies has an inherent bias and should be discarded
our feckless consolidated corporate press was generally happy to oblige
our feckless consolidated corporate press was generally happy to oblige
Reposted by Russ Silva
a thing i accepted i’ll never change about bluesky but which is weird is 90% of the site realizes major media fully enables the fascist agenda but over half of my feed is people direct linking dogshit. nyt went gained 1.4m subs in 2025 so i hope everyone dunking is under no illusion they’re helping.
February 11, 2026 at 3:54 PM
a thing i accepted i’ll never change about bluesky but which is weird is 90% of the site realizes major media fully enables the fascist agenda but over half of my feed is people direct linking dogshit. nyt went gained 1.4m subs in 2025 so i hope everyone dunking is under no illusion they’re helping.
Reposted by Russ Silva
Michael Pretti said his son Alex was “an exceptionally kind, caring man.”
‘No reason he should have died’: Alex Pretti’s parents open up
In their first sit-down interview, Michael and Susan Pretti avoided recriminations and recalled the son whom Michael called “an exceptionally kind, caring man.”
bit.ly
February 11, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Michael Pretti said his son Alex was “an exceptionally kind, caring man.”
Reposted by Russ Silva
The remarkable thing isn’t the rebuke, IT’S THAT THE PRESIDENT TRIED TO PROSECUTE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FOR TELLING PEOPLE NOT TO BREAK THE LAW
We have a federal administration led by idiots and criminals.
February 11, 2026 at 2:07 AM
The remarkable thing isn’t the rebuke, IT’S THAT THE PRESIDENT TRIED TO PROSECUTE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FOR TELLING PEOPLE NOT TO BREAK THE LAW
Can't help but notice that this particular line of critique of Stancil - substantially different in tone from the usual fracas around him - is coming immediately after the progressive left was perceived as getting a big "culture war" win with the Bad Bunny Super Bowl performance.
February 10, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Can't help but notice that this particular line of critique of Stancil - substantially different in tone from the usual fracas around him - is coming immediately after the progressive left was perceived as getting a big "culture war" win with the Bad Bunny Super Bowl performance.
This is why I insist on labeling Trump voters HIGH trust, not low trust. Like the greedy fools in the parable, they thought they could get MORE golden eggs by killing the goose laying them.
remarkable how many people were convinced Worse Things Aren't Possible
one thing that will always be a mystery to me is the number of trump voters who basically thought they were electing george bush again reut.rs/3Mc4h4H
February 10, 2026 at 9:47 AM
This is why I insist on labeling Trump voters HIGH trust, not low trust. Like the greedy fools in the parable, they thought they could get MORE golden eggs by killing the goose laying them.
Again, Trumpists are coming for ALL of our sexual freedoms. We simply must stop them.
It was alway going to come to this.
The Heritage Foundation has released an update to Project 2025. An 86-page "Saving the Family" which mentions porn 109 times, and blames it for undermining the family and, by extension, birth rates and the health of nation.
The Heritage Foundation has released an update to Project 2025. An 86-page "Saving the Family" which mentions porn 109 times, and blames it for undermining the family and, by extension, birth rates and the health of nation.
Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years
www.heritage.org
February 10, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Again, Trumpists are coming for ALL of our sexual freedoms. We simply must stop them.
I would add that trying to assuage the panic and rage of deluded people by altering reality is by definition a losing strategy. The problem is literally in their heads and that problem can remain no matter what you do in real life.
Often hear “if it’s so rare why not just make 18 the rule to stop the anti trans talking point” and my response—
1. Given rarity, think about who would still advocate for surgery pre-18, how important it is to them
2. dangerous to override expert opinion for political reasons, same as eg vaccines
1. Given rarity, think about who would still advocate for surgery pre-18, how important it is to them
2. dangerous to override expert opinion for political reasons, same as eg vaccines
February 9, 2026 at 10:18 PM
I would add that trying to assuage the panic and rage of deluded people by altering reality is by definition a losing strategy. The problem is literally in their heads and that problem can remain no matter what you do in real life.
A terrifying thread. The risk that the United States becomes another Nazi Germany - with untold numbers dying in concentration camps - keeps rising.
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
www.ajc.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:21 PM
A terrifying thread. The risk that the United States becomes another Nazi Germany - with untold numbers dying in concentration camps - keeps rising.
Reposted by Russ Silva
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
I can only imagine her rage
February 8, 2026 at 11:24 PM
I can only imagine her rage
Reposted by Russ Silva
remove facehugger alien
February 8, 2026 at 10:40 PM
remove facehugger alien