Greg Vilines
@gregvilines.bsky.social
Reposted by Greg Vilines
Trump sells pardons for something like $1-5 million and most of the people owed 10x that or more. So instead of their victims getting money, Trump got it.
At least 20 people who have received clemency from President Trump so far this year were also forgiven of financial penalties totaling tens of millions of dollars.
Some of these offenders owed money to real-life victims of fraud.
Some of these offenders owed money to real-life victims of fraud.
Trump’s pardons wipe out payments to defrauded victims
In addition to clearing prison sentences, the president’s clemency actions have erased millions in restitution payments.
wapo.st
December 19, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Trump sells pardons for something like $1-5 million and most of the people owed 10x that or more. So instead of their victims getting money, Trump got it.
Reposted by Greg Vilines
This shit is delightful
November 20, 2025 at 9:12 AM
This shit is delightful
Reposted by Greg Vilines
🧵
NEW: Billions of pounds of food are imported to the U.S. each year.
The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.
But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
🧵/
The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.
But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
🧵/
Foreign Food Safety Inspections Hit Historic Low After Trump Cuts
The dramatic shift in oversight comes at a time when the U.S. has never been more reliant on foreign food, which accounts for the vast majority of the nation’s seafood and more than half its fresh fru...
www.propublica.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:28 PM
🧵
It's almost like billionaires having personal media outlets to put the thumb on the scale of truth to their own benefit is a bad thing.
Grokipedia hands-on: many articles clone Wikipedia, but deviate significantly on topics conflicting with Elon Musk's worldview; at times, it is overtly racist (The Verge)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
October 29, 2025 at 1:31 PM
It's almost like billionaires having personal media outlets to put the thumb on the scale of truth to their own benefit is a bad thing.
Reposted by Greg Vilines
After January 6, 2021, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Comcast publicly pledged to stop donating to politicians who sought to undermine the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election.
In 2025, these companies have stopped worrying about democracy and are buying Trump a ballroom.
In 2025, these companies have stopped worrying about democracy and are buying Trump a ballroom.
These Corporations Stopped Worrying About Democracy and Bought Trump a Ballroom
It has been nearly five years since the 2020 presidential election, but President Trump continues to baselessly insist it was stolen.
popular.info
October 28, 2025 at 1:05 PM
After January 6, 2021, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Comcast publicly pledged to stop donating to politicians who sought to undermine the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election.
In 2025, these companies have stopped worrying about democracy and are buying Trump a ballroom.
In 2025, these companies have stopped worrying about democracy and are buying Trump a ballroom.
This is why I'll never buy a printer again 😆
October 27, 2025 at 5:37 PM
This is why I'll never buy a printer again 😆
Reposted by Greg Vilines
Let’s open our eyes. This isn’t a functioning democracy any longer when - in the middle of a high stakes funding fight - the President illegally suspends federal projects in states run by Democrats as a way to punish the political opposition.
October 1, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Let’s open our eyes. This isn’t a functioning democracy any longer when - in the middle of a high stakes funding fight - the President illegally suspends federal projects in states run by Democrats as a way to punish the political opposition.
Reposted by Greg Vilines
In 2020, we mapped out the danger zones that will close in on Americans over the next 30 years — combining climate data with wildfire projections by US Forest Service researchers and others.
See what changes are in store for your county 👇
See what changes are in store for your county 👇
New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States
According to new data analyzed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, warming temperatures, rising seas and changing rainfall will profoundly reshape the way people have lived in North America...
projects.propublica.org
September 24, 2025 at 3:00 AM
In 2020, we mapped out the danger zones that will close in on Americans over the next 30 years — combining climate data with wildfire projections by US Forest Service researchers and others.
See what changes are in store for your county 👇
See what changes are in store for your county 👇
Couldn't nod my head harder at this piece. The tech industry I was so excited about decades ago is a very different place.
This @stevenlevy.bsky.social essay is many things. One of them is a love letter to the transformative, oppositional, innovative, optimistic Silicon Valley of the not-too-distant past. When founders talked about changing the world for the better — and meant it.
No one knows Silicon Valley better than @stevenlevy.bsky.social. And no one is more clear-eyed about how far removed it has become from its supposed ideals.
September 22, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Couldn't nod my head harder at this piece. The tech industry I was so excited about decades ago is a very different place.
Today is a great day to sell Disney stock!
September 18, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Today is a great day to sell Disney stock!
Reposted by Greg Vilines
Btw very important to say that the FCC has not at all said what Kimmel said that was so objectionable! This is classic chilling effect - there are no rules so everyone stops talking
www.theverge.com/news/780471/...
www.theverge.com/news/780471/...
September 18, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Btw very important to say that the FCC has not at all said what Kimmel said that was so objectionable! This is classic chilling effect - there are no rules so everyone stops talking
www.theverge.com/news/780471/...
www.theverge.com/news/780471/...
Reposted by Greg Vilines
This still seems relevant!
And I’m going to give away the punchline of this post I published *Tuesday* — before the whole Kimmel ABC fiasco: End subscriptions that reinforce everything bad that’s going on right now and pay for indie media & creativity (if you can) www.moryan.com/on-the-firin...
And I’m going to give away the punchline of this post I published *Tuesday* — before the whole Kimmel ABC fiasco: End subscriptions that reinforce everything bad that’s going on right now and pay for indie media & creativity (if you can) www.moryan.com/on-the-firin...
On the firing of Alan Sepinwall, the scary place we're in, and attempting to de-stupid the media
The past decade or two has not been a good one for members of the media. And it keeps getting worse on a lot of fronts. Cultural coverage in particular has been stomped pretty thoroughly, in dribs and...
www.moryan.com
September 18, 2025 at 12:28 PM
This still seems relevant!
And I’m going to give away the punchline of this post I published *Tuesday* — before the whole Kimmel ABC fiasco: End subscriptions that reinforce everything bad that’s going on right now and pay for indie media & creativity (if you can) www.moryan.com/on-the-firin...
And I’m going to give away the punchline of this post I published *Tuesday* — before the whole Kimmel ABC fiasco: End subscriptions that reinforce everything bad that’s going on right now and pay for indie media & creativity (if you can) www.moryan.com/on-the-firin...
We have to make change now.
If global temperatures continue rising, virtually all the corals in the Atlantic Ocean will stop growing and could succumb to erosion by the end of the century, a new study finds, leaving shorelines and marine ecosystems vulnerable.
Corals Won’t Survive a Warmer Planet, a New Study Finds
Most corals in the Atlantic Ocean will soon stop growing. Many are already dying, leaving shorelines and marine ecosystems vulnerable.
nyti.ms
September 18, 2025 at 12:42 AM
We have to make change now.
Sure hope Delta isn't this cowardly and unfair.
Hard to think of a more on-the-nose encapsulation of how far the online speech wars have swung in the year of our lord 2025 than major U.S. corporations racing to fire people whose tweets offended Milo Yiannopoulos
September 17, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Sure hope Delta isn't this cowardly and unfair.
Reposted by Greg Vilines
A DOJ study showing most domestic terrorism in the US comes from the far right is suddenly missing and replaced with a note saying DOJ is complying with Trump's executive order www.404media.co/doj-deletes-...
DOJ Deletes Study Showing Domestic Terrorists Are Most Often Right Wing
Following Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the Trump administration’s promise to go after the “radical left” a study showing most domestic terrosim is far-right was disappeared.
www.404media.co
September 16, 2025 at 4:27 PM
A DOJ study showing most domestic terrorism in the US comes from the far right is suddenly missing and replaced with a note saying DOJ is complying with Trump's executive order www.404media.co/doj-deletes-...
Our government is using the terrible actions of one person, whose motives have not been determined, to threaten squashing people they don't like. They're going to use this as a screen to do unjust things to people and groups who don't deserve it.
Rational, moral leadership is a faraway dream.
Rational, moral leadership is a faraway dream.
Top Trump officials used Charlie Kirk’s death to threaten liberal groups, making unsubstantiated claims about a “domestic terror” movement.
White House Plans Broad Crackdown on Liberal Groups
Some of the highest-ranking officials in the federal government used Charlie Kirk’s podcast, guest-hosted by Vice President JD Vance, to lay out their plans.
nyti.ms
September 15, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Our government is using the terrible actions of one person, whose motives have not been determined, to threaten squashing people they don't like. They're going to use this as a screen to do unjust things to people and groups who don't deserve it.
Rational, moral leadership is a faraway dream.
Rational, moral leadership is a faraway dream.
A stagnant, unchanging democracy is doomed to drown in its worst characteristics. The only way to progress is to be open to change. Originalism is not what the founders intended - they CREATED the ability to change the Constitution. We should honor that spirit and adapt.
The Constitution has not been meaningfully amended since 1971. That same year, a new method of constitutional interpretation was put forward. This would become known as originalism.
Jill Lepore on how the radical philosophy has undermined the Constitution: https://theatln.tc/ezc53Llb
Jill Lepore on how the radical philosophy has undermined the Constitution: https://theatln.tc/ezc53Llb
September 15, 2025 at 3:55 PM
A stagnant, unchanging democracy is doomed to drown in its worst characteristics. The only way to progress is to be open to change. Originalism is not what the founders intended - they CREATED the ability to change the Constitution. We should honor that spirit and adapt.
Reposted by Greg Vilines
I wrote a column responding to Ezra Klein’s eulogy for Charlie Kirk, and argued that democracy depends not just on civil disagreement, but on the civic equality that Kirk passionately opposed.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Charlie Kirk’s killing was a tragedy. But we must not rewrite his life | Moira Donegan
In the wake of horror, honest accountings of his life have not only become rare – they have also become dangerous
www.theguardian.com
September 14, 2025 at 1:32 PM
I wrote a column responding to Ezra Klein’s eulogy for Charlie Kirk, and argued that democracy depends not just on civil disagreement, but on the civic equality that Kirk passionately opposed.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This is so gross. Remember when tech used to be a place for nerds who were trying to make the world a better place? So much for that.
In addition to being extremely weird, the spectacle of tech executives kissing the ring at the White House last night showed that the only principle left in Silicon Valley is power www.wired.com/story/tech-c...
All the President’s Tech CEOs
At a White House dinner Thursday night, America’s tech executives put on an uncanny display of fealty to Donald Trump.
www.wired.com
September 5, 2025 at 4:02 PM
This is so gross. Remember when tech used to be a place for nerds who were trying to make the world a better place? So much for that.
These people are creating a dystopian nightmare.
BREAKING WSJ:
The Trump White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America's 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with "Trump's interpretation of American history." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
The Trump White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America's 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with "Trump's interpretation of American history." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Exclusive | White House to Vet Smithsonian Museums to Fit Trump’s Historical Vision
Top White House officials will scrutinize exhibitions, internal processes, collections and artist grants ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.
www.wsj.com
August 12, 2025 at 6:31 PM
These people are creating a dystopian nightmare.
Reposted by Greg Vilines
BREAKING WSJ:
The Trump White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America's 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with "Trump's interpretation of American history." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
The Trump White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America's 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with "Trump's interpretation of American history." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Exclusive | White House to Vet Smithsonian Museums to Fit Trump’s Historical Vision
Top White House officials will scrutinize exhibitions, internal processes, collections and artist grants ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.
www.wsj.com
August 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
BREAKING WSJ:
The Trump White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America's 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with "Trump's interpretation of American history." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
The Trump White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America's 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with "Trump's interpretation of American history." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Disgusting. Ignoring policies, just at an ethical level, how can any voter look at themselves in the mirror and support this?
David D. Kirkpatrick attempts an honest accounting of the Trump family’s profits from two Presidencies—and conservatively estimates the sum to be $3.4 billion.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
How Much Is Trump Profiting Off the Presidency?
A comprehensive estimate of how much Trump and his family are making, from hotel mega-deals to crypto schemes, has been elusive—until now.
www.newyorker.com
August 11, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Disgusting. Ignoring policies, just at an ethical level, how can any voter look at themselves in the mirror and support this?
Reposted by Greg Vilines
I guess we’re okay with this.
(Feel free to RT this over the next few days, weeks, years, forever)
(Feel free to RT this over the next few days, weeks, years, forever)
August 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I guess we’re okay with this.
(Feel free to RT this over the next few days, weeks, years, forever)
(Feel free to RT this over the next few days, weeks, years, forever)
Seems like a great time to stop flying Delta, using AI to steal from us
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Will AI end cheap flights? Critics attack Delta’s “predatory” AI pricing.
Your data could soon be used to spike flight costs, as Delta expands AI pilot.
arstechnica.com
July 18, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Seems like a great time to stop flying Delta, using AI to steal from us
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Has there ever been a headline more representative of the Trump administration than straight-up removing ethics?
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the ethics director at the Department of Justice
Attorney General drops top ethics watchdog as DOJ purge continues
The ethics director was fired on the same day that Bondi dismissed more than 20 employees at the DOJ.
www.axios.com
July 14, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Has there ever been a headline more representative of the Trump administration than straight-up removing ethics?