Jesse Tarbert
@jessetarbert.bsky.social
writer / researcher / historian in Washington DC. www.jessetarbert.com Studying the civil service, racism, antigovernment politics. Wrote a book: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/when-good-government-meant-big-government/9780231189736
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
Promoting the editor-in-chief's personal side project. Zero named sources in a story that promotes the editor-in-chief's personal political position. Misspelling the subject's name. It took one day for CBS News to become a conservative blog.
www.cbsnews.com/video/some-n...
www.cbsnews.com/video/some-n...
October 13, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Promoting the editor-in-chief's personal side project. Zero named sources in a story that promotes the editor-in-chief's personal political position. Misspelling the subject's name. It took one day for CBS News to become a conservative blog.
www.cbsnews.com/video/some-n...
www.cbsnews.com/video/some-n...
In 1921, the Harding administration proposed creating a new "Department of Defense" by merging the Dept of War (also known as "the Army") with the Dept of the Navy. However, the idea was quickly dropped because partisans of the Navy feared that the Army would dominate in the new organization.
September 2, 2025 at 12:33 PM
In 1921, the Harding administration proposed creating a new "Department of Defense" by merging the Dept of War (also known as "the Army") with the Dept of the Navy. However, the idea was quickly dropped because partisans of the Navy feared that the Army would dominate in the new organization.
Worth rewatching this if you've seen it before, and watching if you have not seen it. Any discussion of the Democrats' supposed leftward lurch should include this as context. Reagan and Bush were to "the left" of most elected Democrats today on immigration
youtu.be/YsmgPp_nlok?...
youtu.be/YsmgPp_nlok?...
George H. W. Bush And Ronald Reagan Debate On Immigration In 1980 | TIME
YouTube video by TIME
youtu.be
June 27, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Worth rewatching this if you've seen it before, and watching if you have not seen it. Any discussion of the Democrats' supposed leftward lurch should include this as context. Reagan and Bush were to "the left" of most elected Democrats today on immigration
youtu.be/YsmgPp_nlok?...
youtu.be/YsmgPp_nlok?...
Can none of these guys even read Wikipedia? In 1947, the Department of War (also called "the Army") was split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. Those departments, with the Department of the Navy, were then placed under a new department, the Department of Defense.
Trump on Pete Hegseth: "Secretary of War. It used to be called secretary of war. Maybe for a couple weeks we'll call it that, because we feel like warriors. It used to be called secretary of war ... then we became politically correct ... maybe we'll have to start thinking about changing it."
June 25, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Can none of these guys even read Wikipedia? In 1947, the Department of War (also called "the Army") was split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. Those departments, with the Department of the Navy, were then placed under a new department, the Department of Defense.
I wonder if the Foreign Policy Establishment types who turned against Biden after the Afghanistan withdrawal are having any regrets
Hard to overstate the degree to which there appears to be literally no one in the president's current circle who has any experience, even at a low level, managing ANY kind of national security crisis or even situation. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/thoug...
Thoughts on Israel’s Iran Campaign and Donald Trump
I haven’t had a lot to say about Israel and Iran because...
talkingpointsmemo.com
June 17, 2025 at 6:41 PM
I wonder if the Foreign Policy Establishment types who turned against Biden after the Afghanistan withdrawal are having any regrets
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
Bob Costas Condemns Mainstream Press for Doing ‘MAGA Media’: ‘There Really Isn’t Two Sides’
Bob Costas Condemns Mainstream Press for Doing ‘MAGA Media’: ‘There Really Isn’t Two Sides’
Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas blasted the media over its handling of President Donald Trump's second term during an awards ceremony on Monday night.
The post Bob Costas Condemns Mainstream Press for Doing ‘MAGA Media’: ‘There Really Isn’t Two Sides’ first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
June 10, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Bob Costas Condemns Mainstream Press for Doing ‘MAGA Media’: ‘There Really Isn’t Two Sides’
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
Some of y’all can’t handle 2 high agency males going at it and it really shows
June 6, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Some of y’all can’t handle 2 high agency males going at it and it really shows
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
BIG doc score by @danahull.bsky.social
@bloomberg.com is publishing photos & partial footage of a fatal Tesla crash, which was recorded by the Model Y and downloaded by police, for the 1st time after obtaining the images & video through a public records request
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
@bloomberg.com is publishing photos & partial footage of a fatal Tesla crash, which was recorded by the Model Y and downloaded by police, for the 1st time after obtaining the images & video through a public records request
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
A Fatal Tesla Crash Shows the Limits of Full Self-Driving
As Elon Musk touts robotaxis in Austin, federal regulators are investigating whether Tesla’s system is dangerous even with a human behind the wheel.
www.bloomberg.com
June 5, 2025 at 3:37 AM
BIG doc score by @danahull.bsky.social
@bloomberg.com is publishing photos & partial footage of a fatal Tesla crash, which was recorded by the Model Y and downloaded by police, for the 1st time after obtaining the images & video through a public records request
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
@bloomberg.com is publishing photos & partial footage of a fatal Tesla crash, which was recorded by the Model Y and downloaded by police, for the 1st time after obtaining the images & video through a public records request
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
Supreme news judgement on display here. Maybe, in some ways.
Jake Tapper on Biden: "It is a scandal. It is without question -- and maybe even worse than Watergate in some ways, because Richard Nixon was in control of his faculties when he wasn't drinking."
May 28, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Supreme news judgement on display here. Maybe, in some ways.
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
Open AI’s valuation is at $400 billion. They used about 190,000 books to train their plagiarism bot. Randomly saying 25% of their value comes from that stolen dataset, I think they owe the authors about $526,000 per stolen book.
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
May 27, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Open AI’s valuation is at $400 billion. They used about 190,000 books to train their plagiarism bot. Randomly saying 25% of their value comes from that stolen dataset, I think they owe the authors about $526,000 per stolen book.
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
Much of what DOGE is doing is illegal. Much of it will create long-term and lasting damage to America. This is the clearest example of an action that was illegal, anti-democratic, but also sped past any moral grey zones to being deeply evil.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-doge-...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-doge-...
May 17, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Much of what DOGE is doing is illegal. Much of it will create long-term and lasting damage to America. This is the clearest example of an action that was illegal, anti-democratic, but also sped past any moral grey zones to being deeply evil.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-doge-...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-doge-...
The President of the United States is making economic policy judgments based on his own experience with his spoiled super-rich grandchildren
Trump: "I don't think a beautiful baby girl that's 11 years old needs to have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls ... they don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five."
May 4, 2025 at 7:31 PM
The President of the United States is making economic policy judgments based on his own experience with his spoiled super-rich grandchildren
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
In the U.S. in 1825, *452* out of 1000 children born died before their 5th birthday.
By 1925, that number was 135 out of a 1000 children.
Today, in 2025, that number is *7*
And it is entirely due to advances in medicine, public health, and technology.
9/
By 1925, that number was 135 out of a 1000 children.
Today, in 2025, that number is *7*
And it is entirely due to advances in medicine, public health, and technology.
9/
April 26, 2025 at 1:35 AM
In the U.S. in 1825, *452* out of 1000 children born died before their 5th birthday.
By 1925, that number was 135 out of a 1000 children.
Today, in 2025, that number is *7*
And it is entirely due to advances in medicine, public health, and technology.
9/
By 1925, that number was 135 out of a 1000 children.
Today, in 2025, that number is *7*
And it is entirely due to advances in medicine, public health, and technology.
9/
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
I now believe that some of my problems in later life are due to food dye in the heroin I was consuming for 20 years.
by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
April 30, 2025 at 7:46 PM
I now believe that some of my problems in later life are due to food dye in the heroin I was consuming for 20 years.
by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Saw some resistance graffiti, carved into stone on the Department of Justice building
April 15, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Saw some resistance graffiti, carved into stone on the Department of Justice building
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
It’s called sports
April 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
It’s called sports
It’s called sports
April 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
It’s called sports
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
One reason they established a national income tax was that they realized that relying too much on tariffs ends up leading to corruption!
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
Trump: "From 1789 to 1913, we were a tariff-backed nation and the US was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been ... then in 1913, for reason unknown to mankind, they established the income tax."
April 2, 2025 at 8:51 PM
One reason they established a national income tax was that they realized that relying too much on tariffs ends up leading to corruption!
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
One reason they established a national income tax was that they realized that relying too much on tariffs ends up leading to corruption!
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
Trump: "From 1789 to 1913, we were a tariff-backed nation and the US was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been ... then in 1913, for reason unknown to mankind, they established the income tax."
April 2, 2025 at 8:51 PM
One reason they established a national income tax was that they realized that relying too much on tariffs ends up leading to corruption!
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
(Which is of course why Trump and his allies like tariffs)
When did they start with this “Department of War” business? Do they think that we just renamed it because of woke or something? (Note: the DoD is in fact *not* the same organization as the Department if War)
Musk: When the United States was formed, there were only secretary of state, secretary of war, secretary of the treasury and attorney general. That was it. If it were up to me, I would say let's make it like that again.
March 31, 2025 at 2:42 AM
When did they start with this “Department of War” business? Do they think that we just renamed it because of woke or something? (Note: the DoD is in fact *not* the same organization as the Department if War)
Meanwhile, at DOGE headquarters …
(A “bust out” is perhaps the best metaphor for what Trump and Musk are attempting to do with the US government)
(A “bust out” is perhaps the best metaphor for what Trump and Musk are attempting to do with the US government)
March 1, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Meanwhile, at DOGE headquarters …
(A “bust out” is perhaps the best metaphor for what Trump and Musk are attempting to do with the US government)
(A “bust out” is perhaps the best metaphor for what Trump and Musk are attempting to do with the US government)
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
Zelenskyy's character can be judge more directly by how he treats others and whether you think he's protected his country. From what I've seen, he has treated Americans with respect. His attire is to remind people he's at war, not unlike Churchill wearing a siren suit to the White House in 1942.
March 1, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Zelenskyy's character can be judge more directly by how he treats others and whether you think he's protected his country. From what I've seen, he has treated Americans with respect. His attire is to remind people he's at war, not unlike Churchill wearing a siren suit to the White House in 1942.
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
The Washington Post and LA Times editorial pages have gone full MAGA, MSNBC has purged all of its anti-Trump anchors, and Twitter is owned by a literal Nazi. Here's why liberal media bias is still a problem.
February 26, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The Washington Post and LA Times editorial pages have gone full MAGA, MSNBC has purged all of its anti-Trump anchors, and Twitter is owned by a literal Nazi. Here's why liberal media bias is still a problem.
Reposted by Jesse Tarbert
Five major airlines are suing to overturn a rule from then-Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg that actually holds airlines accountable for damaging disabled people's wheelchairs. New from me at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Airlines sue to overturn rule against breaking wheelchairs
Major carriers are trying to overturn a Biden-era policy that ended decades of mistreatment.
www.motherjones.com
February 19, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Five major airlines are suing to overturn a rule from then-Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg that actually holds airlines accountable for damaging disabled people's wheelchairs. New from me at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The news leads me to recall that, when I was a kid in Spokane WA during the 1980s, the rightwing paramilitary leader Bo Gritz had a show on the local Public Access TV channel. Sometimes I would watch with morbid fascination. (My step grandfather, a WWII vet, had warned me against the neo-Nazis)
February 19, 2025 at 2:37 PM
The news leads me to recall that, when I was a kid in Spokane WA during the 1980s, the rightwing paramilitary leader Bo Gritz had a show on the local Public Access TV channel. Sometimes I would watch with morbid fascination. (My step grandfather, a WWII vet, had warned me against the neo-Nazis)