John Knefel
@johnknefel.bsky.social
senior writer at media matters (stuff here is my own opinion etc, likes are bookmarks)
New: @slawton.bsky.social & I wrote about how Bannon has gone silent on Epstein since the latest release of emails and texts. Back in July, he was all about the need to "get to the bottom of Epstein" - but as new docs confirm their close relationship, he's avoided the topic.
New at @mmfa.bsky.social
New at @mmfa.bsky.social
Suddenly, Steve Bannon isn’t interested in transparency around Epstein anymore
When calls were renewed for the Trump administration to release the full trove of Epstein files earlier this year, War Room host Steve Bannon was among the voices pushing for their release. But since ...
www.mediamatters.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
New: @slawton.bsky.social & I wrote about how Bannon has gone silent on Epstein since the latest release of emails and texts. Back in July, he was all about the need to "get to the bottom of Epstein" - but as new docs confirm their close relationship, he's avoided the topic.
New at @mmfa.bsky.social
New at @mmfa.bsky.social
Reposted by John Knefel
do not miss @attackerman.bsky.social on all the reasons @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social needs to get rid of ICE collaborator Jessica Tisch.
Mamdani's NYC Can't Afford NYPD Commissioner Tisch
With ICE on its way, how can we expect an ICE collaborator to protect New Yorkers? Here's a compromise: make Tisch sanitation commissioner again
www.forever-wars.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:12 PM
do not miss @attackerman.bsky.social on all the reasons @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social needs to get rid of ICE collaborator Jessica Tisch.
I wrote an op-ed for @msnbc.com about the MAGA media backlash to Trump's defense of H-1B visas. Trump reanimated the ugliest histories of nativism in the United States, and any deviation from a maximalist approach reads as apostasy to his loudest supporters.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | MAGA is furious over Trump's immigration apostasy
The president’s comments on H-1B visas were “a little hard to stomach,” said one Fox News host.
www.msnbc.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I wrote an op-ed for @msnbc.com about the MAGA media backlash to Trump's defense of H-1B visas. Trump reanimated the ugliest histories of nativism in the United States, and any deviation from a maximalist approach reads as apostasy to his loudest supporters.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Comrade Gutfeld forced to acknowledge Marx's core insight that capitalism produces the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie over the proletariat but then veers into vulgar Bonapartism
November 14, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Comrade Gutfeld forced to acknowledge Marx's core insight that capitalism produces the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie over the proletariat but then veers into vulgar Bonapartism
Steve Bannon today sent an unmistakable signal that he's on Tucker Carlson's side in the aftermath of his interview with Nick Fuentes. Bannon had a friendly interview with Ryan Neuhaus, recently departed from Heritage for his role in defending the Carlson-Fuentes interview. New at @mmfa.bsky.social
Amid right-wing split over Nick Fuentes, Bannon signals affinity for Tucker Carlson's faction
www.mediamatters.org
November 12, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Steve Bannon today sent an unmistakable signal that he's on Tucker Carlson's side in the aftermath of his interview with Nick Fuentes. Bannon had a friendly interview with Ryan Neuhaus, recently departed from Heritage for his role in defending the Carlson-Fuentes interview. New at @mmfa.bsky.social
Can’t wait to go to @thedigradio.bsky.social live tonight. Things might get a little rowdy*
*congenial debates about whether neoliberalism marks a distinct mode of capitalist development or is mostly congruous with earlier eras and forms of accumulation
*congenial debates about whether neoliberalism marks a distinct mode of capitalist development or is mostly congruous with earlier eras and forms of accumulation
November 7, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Can’t wait to go to @thedigradio.bsky.social live tonight. Things might get a little rowdy*
*congenial debates about whether neoliberalism marks a distinct mode of capitalist development or is mostly congruous with earlier eras and forms of accumulation
*congenial debates about whether neoliberalism marks a distinct mode of capitalist development or is mostly congruous with earlier eras and forms of accumulation
There's a decent chance that the Sydney Sweeney / Cracker Barrel cycle was the high-water mark for conservative narrative dominance
November 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
There's a decent chance that the Sydney Sweeney / Cracker Barrel cycle was the high-water mark for conservative narrative dominance
The NYT continues to lie to its readers about the top tiers of the MAGA coalition. Just the closeness of Loomer alone (not to mention dozens of other MAGA media figures) invalidates this entire premise
November 6, 2025 at 7:44 PM
The NYT continues to lie to its readers about the top tiers of the MAGA coalition. Just the closeness of Loomer alone (not to mention dozens of other MAGA media figures) invalidates this entire premise
Reposted by John Knefel
I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee.
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
November 6, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee.
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
Steve Bannon is wedded to the misperception that MAGA's driving force is a working class base, when in fact its core is private equity and family businesses whose aim is to capture as much public money as possible before the whole thing collapses.
My latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
My latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Steve Bannon rips Donald Trump Jr.’s business partner for defending the "aristocracy"
www.mediamatters.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Steve Bannon is wedded to the misperception that MAGA's driving force is a working class base, when in fact its core is private equity and family businesses whose aim is to capture as much public money as possible before the whole thing collapses.
My latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
My latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Honest-to-god cadre in city hall, fucking insane
November 5, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Honest-to-god cadre in city hall, fucking insane
Eric Adams reluctantly transferring boarding passes to Istanbul, on-going extortion schemes to the Mamdani team
November 5, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Eric Adams reluctantly transferring boarding passes to Istanbul, on-going extortion schemes to the Mamdani team
You’ll see this in socialists’ living rooms for decades
November 5, 2025 at 3:56 AM
You’ll see this in socialists’ living rooms for decades
Cuomo concession speech reads to me as an audition to be a Fox News pundit down the line
November 5, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Cuomo concession speech reads to me as an audition to be a Fox News pundit down the line
Good things are possible
November 5, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Good things are possible
choose your fighter
November 4, 2025 at 9:25 PM
choose your fighter
I'm sorry, this WaPo profile of Chris Buskirk reports that 3,000 people canvassed a universe of "several million" low-propensity voters and achieved a turnout of 50 percent? Doesn't that seem a bit...unlikely?
November 4, 2025 at 8:38 PM
I'm sorry, this WaPo profile of Chris Buskirk reports that 3,000 people canvassed a universe of "several million" low-propensity voters and achieved a turnout of 50 percent? Doesn't that seem a bit...unlikely?
One way to think about the Mamdani campaign is that 14 years ago Mayor Bloomberg and Gov Cuomo worked to crush Occupy Wall Street - a social movement gesturing at what working class politics might look like in a country with a marginalized & disorganized left.
Today, Cuomo and Bloomberg will lose.
Today, Cuomo and Bloomberg will lose.
November 4, 2025 at 5:39 PM
One way to think about the Mamdani campaign is that 14 years ago Mayor Bloomberg and Gov Cuomo worked to crush Occupy Wall Street - a social movement gesturing at what working class politics might look like in a country with a marginalized & disorganized left.
Today, Cuomo and Bloomberg will lose.
Today, Cuomo and Bloomberg will lose.
Damn Cheney took Michael Lange’s block-by-block post pretty hard
November 4, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Damn Cheney took Michael Lange’s block-by-block post pretty hard
Vulgar Marxism explains this better than any high-brow liberalism
Hakeem Jeffries says Zohran Mamdani is not the future of the Democratic Party.
November 2, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Vulgar Marxism explains this better than any high-brow liberalism
The left’s task now and always is to build a broad, multi-racial/ethnic working class coalition, and the Mamdani campaign is operating at a higher level than anyone else in electoral politics. It’s not even close
أنا اسمي زهران ممدان وعم رشّح حالي لأكون العمدة الجديد في مدينة نيويورك
November 2, 2025 at 5:35 PM
The left’s task now and always is to build a broad, multi-racial/ethnic working class coalition, and the Mamdani campaign is operating at a higher level than anyone else in electoral politics. It’s not even close
Reposted by John Knefel
Oh we’re doing this again are we
I wrote about how right-wing media outlets are telling their audience that regime change in Venezuela would be simple and straightforward. In their version, the US has a small footprint and the opposition takes power seamlessly. History would be to differ.
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Right-wing media outlets are claiming regime change in Venezuela would be easy. Evidence and history suggest otherwise.
www.mediamatters.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Oh we’re doing this again are we
Right-wing media outlets are selling their audiences a fantasy of easy regime change in Venezuela, complete with a "government-in-waiting" narrative that mirrors the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
My most recent piece at @mmfa.bsky.social
My most recent piece at @mmfa.bsky.social
Right-wing media outlets are claiming regime change in Venezuela would be easy. Evidence and history suggest otherwise.
www.mediamatters.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Right-wing media outlets are selling their audiences a fantasy of easy regime change in Venezuela, complete with a "government-in-waiting" narrative that mirrors the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
My most recent piece at @mmfa.bsky.social
My most recent piece at @mmfa.bsky.social
Reposted by John Knefel
I wrote about how right-wing media outlets are telling their audience that regime change in Venezuela would be simple and straightforward. In their version, the US has a small footprint and the opposition takes power seamlessly. History would be to differ.
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Right-wing media outlets are claiming regime change in Venezuela would be easy. Evidence and history suggest otherwise.
www.mediamatters.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:29 PM
I wrote about how right-wing media outlets are telling their audience that regime change in Venezuela would be simple and straightforward. In their version, the US has a small footprint and the opposition takes power seamlessly. History would be to differ.
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
I wrote about how right-wing media outlets are telling their audience that regime change in Venezuela would be simple and straightforward. In their version, the US has a small footprint and the opposition takes power seamlessly. History would be to differ.
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Right-wing media outlets are claiming regime change in Venezuela would be easy. Evidence and history suggest otherwise.
www.mediamatters.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:29 PM
I wrote about how right-wing media outlets are telling their audience that regime change in Venezuela would be simple and straightforward. In their version, the US has a small footprint and the opposition takes power seamlessly. History would be to differ.
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social