Mark Clear
@markclear.com
Current: Development Dir. @Isthmusmadison.bsky.social. Voting superfan. Prev: President of Madison (WI) City Council, entrepreneur, radio nerd, paper boy
Reposted by Mark Clear
Before the midterms of 1866, President Andrew Johnson called his congressional opponents traitors and said they should be hanged.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
November 20, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Before the midterms of 1866, President Andrew Johnson called his congressional opponents traitors and said they should be hanged.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
We are all the East Wing
October 22, 2025 at 11:18 PM
We are all the East Wing
Reposted by Mark Clear
Vienna data center could use 2.5x the energy consumption of Dane County, says official
@isthmusmadison.bsky.social
isthmus.com/news/vienna-...
@isthmusmadison.bsky.social
isthmus.com/news/vienna-...
Vienna data center could use 2.5x the energy consumption of Dane County, says official
A proposed data center 30 minutes north of Madison could have substantial environmental impacts on Dane County.
isthmus.com
October 21, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Vienna data center could use 2.5x the energy consumption of Dane County, says official
@isthmusmadison.bsky.social
isthmus.com/news/vienna-...
@isthmusmadison.bsky.social
isthmus.com/news/vienna-...
Reposted by Mark Clear
Purdue Exponent printed a special issue supporting the IDS and distributed it on the Bloomington campus this afternoon! @nicollewallace.bsky.social @maddow.msnbc.com @lawrenceodonnell.msnbc.com @aliciamenendez.bsky.social
October 17, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Purdue Exponent printed a special issue supporting the IDS and distributed it on the Bloomington campus this afternoon! @nicollewallace.bsky.social @maddow.msnbc.com @lawrenceodonnell.msnbc.com @aliciamenendez.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Clear
Purdue to the rescue of IU student newspaper, whose institution was attempting censorship. Details in alt!
October 18, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Purdue to the rescue of IU student newspaper, whose institution was attempting censorship. Details in alt!
Reposted by Mark Clear
I think this moment of people feeling nervous about something and doing it anyway could prove quite liberating and profound
My mother-in-law was nervous about wearing her #NoKings gear to the airport for her flight this morning, but she got *lots* of compliments. Even the TSA agent told her, "I like your shirt."
October 18, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I think this moment of people feeling nervous about something and doing it anyway could prove quite liberating and profound
Reposted by Mark Clear
SCOOP/UPDATE — The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) instructed *all* federal agencies to send out the shutdown email with NO modifications permitted, a federal source confirmed. Leadership received these orders via email at 1:30pm ET and then reinforced on a 3pm intra-agency call.
BREAKING — Employees at multiple government agencies have received an email from their leadership with text clearly dictated by The White House regarding a potential government shutdown.
So far HHS, Interior, and Social Security have gotten this message, the text of which was shared with me:
So far HHS, Interior, and Social Security have gotten this message, the text of which was shared with me:
September 30, 2025 at 8:15 PM
SCOOP/UPDATE — The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) instructed *all* federal agencies to send out the shutdown email with NO modifications permitted, a federal source confirmed. Leadership received these orders via email at 1:30pm ET and then reinforced on a 3pm intra-agency call.
Reposted by Mark Clear
SCOOP / UPDATE — Disney saw more than 1.7 million total paid streaming cancelations during the period 9/17-9/23, a Disney source confirms to me. The total includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.
NEW — I wrote about my confirmed scoop from last night that Disney hastened Kimmel's return because of a planned Disney+ streaming price increase announcement coming on Tuesday:
Kimmel reinstatement preempted Disney+ price increase
The Handbasket reported first Monday evening on Bluesky
www.thehandbasket.co
September 29, 2025 at 5:19 PM
SCOOP / UPDATE — Disney saw more than 1.7 million total paid streaming cancelations during the period 9/17-9/23, a Disney source confirms to me. The total includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.
Reposted by Mark Clear
SCOOP — Part of the reason Disney/ABC may have rushed to sort things out with Kimmel is because tomorrow they have a planned price increase for Disney+ streaming, a Disney source tells me. With subscriptions hemorrhaging since last week, they couldn’t risk losing more users with this announcement.
September 22, 2025 at 10:20 PM
SCOOP — Part of the reason Disney/ABC may have rushed to sort things out with Kimmel is because tomorrow they have a planned price increase for Disney+ streaming, a Disney source tells me. With subscriptions hemorrhaging since last week, they couldn’t risk losing more users with this announcement.
Reposted by Mark Clear
The union representing the musicians from Jimmy Kimmel’s band releases a statement calling the FCC’s pressure on Disney “state censorship.”
September 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
The union representing the musicians from Jimmy Kimmel’s band releases a statement calling the FCC’s pressure on Disney “state censorship.”
Reposted by Mark Clear
On social media Wednesday night, after Kimmel’s suspension was announced, The Onion’s Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social wrote: “[it’s] Becoming increasingly clear we’re gonna have to build a parallel infrastructure for all the media we really love.”
Who’s after Kimmel?
Corporate-owned media is bending the knee to our dim-witted dictator
www.thealtmedia.com
September 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
On social media Wednesday night, after Kimmel’s suspension was announced, The Onion’s Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social wrote: “[it’s] Becoming increasingly clear we’re gonna have to build a parallel infrastructure for all the media we really love.”
Just canceled my Disney+ subscription.
September 18, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Just canceled my Disney+ subscription.
Reposted by Mark Clear
A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.
This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.
All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.
This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.
All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.
September 17, 2025 at 11:22 PM
A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.
This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.
All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.
This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.
All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.
Reposted by Mark Clear
Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.
July 18, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.
Reposted by Mark Clear
Massachusetts is one of the best places I have lived. And this is great.
AXIOS: “.. Massachusetts is the first state to mandate insurance coverage of vaccines even if the federal government stops requiring it.”
@axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/09/04/m...
@axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/09/04/m...
September 4, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Massachusetts is one of the best places I have lived. And this is great.
Reposted by Mark Clear
You've got to remember that even though RFK Jr looks like an idiot and sounds like an idiot, he is, in fact, an idiot.
SEN. CASSIDY (R) : “Do you agree Trump deserves the Nobel Prize for Operation Warp speed?”
RFK JR.: “Absolutely.”
SEN. CASSIDY: “But you just told Senator Bennet the COVID vaccine killed more people than COVID.”
RFK JR.: “….”😬 🤷🏻♂️
RFK JR.: “Absolutely.”
SEN. CASSIDY: “But you just told Senator Bennet the COVID vaccine killed more people than COVID.”
RFK JR.: “….”😬 🤷🏻♂️
September 4, 2025 at 3:42 PM
You've got to remember that even though RFK Jr looks like an idiot and sounds like an idiot, he is, in fact, an idiot.
Great story by @maggiedough.bsky.social of (Springfield) Illinois Times on the resurgence of alternative newspapers, filling the void left by the departure of so many daily papers. Thanks for highlighting @isthmusmadison.bsky.social!
August 29, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Great story by @maggiedough.bsky.social of (Springfield) Illinois Times on the resurgence of alternative newspapers, filling the void left by the departure of so many daily papers. Thanks for highlighting @isthmusmadison.bsky.social!
Reposted by Mark Clear
New— Nazis with giant swastika flags marched in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday with two police escorts. They shouted “white power” and said to the woman who took this video (reshared here with her permission) “fuck you, n***** bitch.”
Police did not intervene. I cannot find local news coverage.
Police did not intervene. I cannot find local news coverage.
August 18, 2025 at 3:25 AM
New— Nazis with giant swastika flags marched in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday with two police escorts. They shouted “white power” and said to the woman who took this video (reshared here with her permission) “fuck you, n***** bitch.”
Police did not intervene. I cannot find local news coverage.
Police did not intervene. I cannot find local news coverage.
Reposted by Mark Clear
Is Kaul’s blizzard of anti-Trump legal actions likely to hurt or help him, if he runs for governor or re-election next year?
Steven Walters weighs in:
isthmus.com/news/news/ka...
Steven Walters weighs in:
isthmus.com/news/news/ka...
Kaul’s Trump fights will be campaign issue
The Wisconsin Department of Justice, under Attorney General Josh Kaul, has signed on to 29 national lawsuits challenging actions by the Trump administration.
isthmus.com
August 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Is Kaul’s blizzard of anti-Trump legal actions likely to hurt or help him, if he runs for governor or re-election next year?
Steven Walters weighs in:
isthmus.com/news/news/ka...
Steven Walters weighs in:
isthmus.com/news/news/ka...
😢
Ryne Sandberg, a Hall of Fame second baseman who redefined the position with a rare blend of power, speed and defense during his 15-year Chicago Cubs career, died Monday at age 65.
Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, dies at 65 after cancer recurrence
Ryne Sandberg, a 10-time All-Star second baseman for the Chicago Cubs, died Monday at 65. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
trib.al
July 29, 2025 at 2:31 AM
😢
Reposted by Mark Clear
My last living musical hero is still my hero but unfortunately no longer living. RIP to the great, great Mr. Tom Lehrer.
July 27, 2025 at 5:33 PM
My last living musical hero is still my hero but unfortunately no longer living. RIP to the great, great Mr. Tom Lehrer.
Holy mackerel!
Governor Tony Evers announced that he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating the first open race for governor in the battleground state in 16 years. It will be Wisconsin’s highest-profile race next year as Democrats also angle to take control of the Legislature.
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers won’t seek third term
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, announced he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating the first open race for governor in the battleground state in 16 years.
wisconsinwatch.org
July 24, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Holy mackerel!
Reposted by Mark Clear
Turns out, a story in the Wisconsin State Journal with some odd details was written with "unauthorized use of AI." The reporter has apparently been fired and the story "re-reported."
Story by me:
isthmus.com/news/news/wi...
Story by me:
isthmus.com/news/news/wi...
Wisconsin State Journal ‘re-reports’ Brayton Lot story after original removed for ‘unauthorized use of AI’
Much of the Sunday State Journal’s front page story about downtown development was fiction created by an 'unauthorized use of AI.'
isthmus.com
July 17, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Turns out, a story in the Wisconsin State Journal with some odd details was written with "unauthorized use of AI." The reporter has apparently been fired and the story "re-reported."
Story by me:
isthmus.com/news/news/wi...
Story by me:
isthmus.com/news/news/wi...
Reposted by Mark Clear
I'd just like to point out how weird it is that places with hundreds or even thousands of reporters — the NYT, WaPo, CBS, NBC, AP, etc. — are all getting pummeled on every major story by the dozen computerboys at Wired. To fumble the bag this consistently is, at some point, cowardice and a choice.
NEW: Metadata from the “raw” Epstein prison video shows approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds were removed from one of two stitched-together clips. The cut starts right at the “missing minute.”
The FBI's Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Had Nearly 3 Minutes Cut Out
Metadata from the “raw” Epstein prison video shows approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds were removed from one of two stitched-together clips. The cut starts right at the “missing minute.”
www.wired.com
July 15, 2025 at 8:54 PM
I'd just like to point out how weird it is that places with hundreds or even thousands of reporters — the NYT, WaPo, CBS, NBC, AP, etc. — are all getting pummeled on every major story by the dozen computerboys at Wired. To fumble the bag this consistently is, at some point, cowardice and a choice.