Mike Whelan, Jr.
@mikewhelanjr.bsky.social
I write and garden and love my wife while living in the middle of nowhere. It’s a pretty great gig. Used to lawyer, now I legaltech.
Reposted by Mike Whelan, Jr.
Set aside Sen. Mike Lee's storm of lies and incitement here. Lee literally made jokes on Twitter about the fmr Speaker of the Minnesota state house being murdered in her home by a right wing extremist. Hard to imagine any more twisted and malicious person in public life.
September 13, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Set aside Sen. Mike Lee's storm of lies and incitement here. Lee literally made jokes on Twitter about the fmr Speaker of the Minnesota state house being murdered in her home by a right wing extremist. Hard to imagine any more twisted and malicious person in public life.
Pritzker. My governor. Thank you.
President Trump says he’ll send the National Guard to Memphis to address crime, but "would have preferred" Chicago. On Fox News Channel, he said Chicago politicians have fiercely resisted his plans, and that it was a “hostile” place with “professional agitators.”
Trump says he’ll send the National Guard to Memphis to address crime, 'would have preferred' Chicago
Trump says Memphis is “deeply troubled” and he's “going to fix that." On Fox News Channel, he said he “would have preferred going to Chicago,” where local politicians have fiercely resisted his plans, but he suggested it was a “hostile” place with “professional agitators.”
trib.al
September 12, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Pritzker. My governor. Thank you.
Feels like it might be another duck therapy day
September 11, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Feels like it might be another duck therapy day
I never know how to respond to people who think gun control is too hard but curing the evil in men’s hearts is totally doable
September 11, 2025 at 4:01 AM
I never know how to respond to people who think gun control is too hard but curing the evil in men’s hearts is totally doable
Oh good. A much easier problem. They’ll probably fix THE HUMAN HEART(!?).
Speaker Mike Johnson on the Minnesota shooting: "At the end of the day the problem is not guns. Ok, Jen Psaki? The problem is the human heart. It's mental health."
August 30, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Oh good. A much easier problem. They’ll probably fix THE HUMAN HEART(!?).
Reposted by Mike Whelan, Jr.
This interview, which is also available to listen to as a podcast, provides a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions.
Opinion | Trump Is Building His Own Paramilitary Force
www.nytimes.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:33 PM
This interview, which is also available to listen to as a podcast, provides a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions.
They’re doing this to this guy while rolling out red carpets for Putin. There are no principles.
JUST IN: On X, DHS says that Kilmar Abrego Garcia “will be processed for removal to Uganda.”
August 25, 2025 at 4:23 PM
They’re doing this to this guy while rolling out red carpets for Putin. There are no principles.
I predict that Chicago will not go for this, which means he’ll get exactly the manufactured conflict he wants.
Trump on DC: "We haven't had to bring in the regular military, which we're willing to do if we have to. And after we do this, we'll go to another location and we'll make it safe also ... Chicago is a mess. And we'll straighten that one out probably next"
August 23, 2025 at 3:01 AM
I predict that Chicago will not go for this, which means he’ll get exactly the manufactured conflict he wants.
My god he’d be a totally unbelievable bad guy in a novel
Trump to Zelenskyy: "During the war you can't have elections? So let me just see -- three and a half years from me, if we happen to be in a way with somebody, no more elections. That's good."
August 18, 2025 at 8:07 PM
My god he’d be a totally unbelievable bad guy in a novel
If I had to live off of what I’m able to grow here I’d need a whole lot more zucchini recipes
August 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
If I had to live off of what I’m able to grow here I’d need a whole lot more zucchini recipes
Imagine taking fair election advice from Vladimir Putin. We’re so cooked.
Trump: "Vladimir Putin said something- one of the most interesting things. He said 'your election was rigged because you have mail in voting. It's impossible to have mail in voting & have honest elections.' He said that to me because we talked about 2020. He said, 'you won that election by so much'"
August 16, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Imagine taking fair election advice from Vladimir Putin. We’re so cooked.
My chickens won’t eat these hornworms or the Japanese beetles I bring them. Seriously, the least competent chickens in all chickendom.
August 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
My chickens won’t eat these hornworms or the Japanese beetles I bring them. Seriously, the least competent chickens in all chickendom.
Reposted by Mike Whelan, Jr.
I feel like every single day I need to post a reminder: if you ask an LLM about itself it DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ITS INNER WORKINGS and WILL NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING ACTUALLY ABOUT ITSELF. It just (as it always does) will make up some plausible sounding answer.
August 6, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I feel like every single day I need to post a reminder: if you ask an LLM about itself it DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ITS INNER WORKINGS and WILL NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING ACTUALLY ABOUT ITSELF. It just (as it always does) will make up some plausible sounding answer.
One of the most interesting things about where I live is how much farmers talk about climate change. They all love Trump (the number of cars I’ve seen with Trump’s face on car wraps would shock you) but they know climate change is real better than anybody (80% of them). It’s fascinating to watch.
NEW: EPA to revoke 2009 finding that climate pollution endangers humans.
EPA to revoke 2009 finding that climate pollution endangers humans
The repeal of the finding on the dangers greenhouse gases pose to human health and welfare will face fierce legal challenges.
www.politico.com
July 29, 2025 at 6:19 PM
One of the most interesting things about where I live is how much farmers talk about climate change. They all love Trump (the number of cars I’ve seen with Trump’s face on car wraps would shock you) but they know climate change is real better than anybody (80% of them). It’s fascinating to watch.
Reposted by Mike Whelan, Jr.
Faculty who wrote to defend their president and object to a DOJ investigation of their university...are now being investigated by the DOJ.
The most banal defense of free speech and academic freedom will trigger the full wrath of the US government now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/u...
The most banal defense of free speech and academic freedom will trigger the full wrath of the US government now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/u...
Faculty Support of George Mason’s President Draws Federal Investigation
www.nytimes.com
July 29, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Faculty who wrote to defend their president and object to a DOJ investigation of their university...are now being investigated by the DOJ.
The most banal defense of free speech and academic freedom will trigger the full wrath of the US government now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/u...
The most banal defense of free speech and academic freedom will trigger the full wrath of the US government now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/u...
I guess I understand the math argument but you’d think higher ed would be more thoughtful than doing simple arithmetic
"resolve dispute" is a bizarre way to describe extortion.
Harvard Is Said to Be Open to Spending Up To $500 Million to Resolve Trump Dispute
www.nytimes.com
July 29, 2025 at 2:37 AM
I guess I understand the math argument but you’d think higher ed would be more thoughtful than doing simple arithmetic
Reposted by Mike Whelan, Jr.
The NIH’s 2024 budget of just under $37B generated $95B in economic activity in 2024 alone. 99.4% of new pharmaceuticals approved from 2010-2019 came from NIH-funded research. I’m hard pressed to think of anything that generates as much direct economic benefit as our NIH did before they destroyed it
TAPPER: 14 Republicans say you're risking undermining critical research by holding up NIH funding
VOUGHT: If they were a company, their stock price would in shambles. They in some respects caused the pandemic. You have an entire institute that does nothing more than DEI research at the NIH.
VOUGHT: If they were a company, their stock price would in shambles. They in some respects caused the pandemic. You have an entire institute that does nothing more than DEI research at the NIH.
July 27, 2025 at 10:49 PM
The NIH’s 2024 budget of just under $37B generated $95B in economic activity in 2024 alone. 99.4% of new pharmaceuticals approved from 2010-2019 came from NIH-funded research. I’m hard pressed to think of anything that generates as much direct economic benefit as our NIH did before they destroyed it
Reposted by Mike Whelan, Jr.
Legal note: Sending a letter does not establish a contract.
Trump: "When those letters go out, that means they have a deal, it's done, they pay that tariffs, and that is a contract essentially."
July 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Legal note: Sending a letter does not establish a contract.
Aldous Huxley demands royalties from Marvel after they use his movie theater ideas
July 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Aldous Huxley demands royalties from Marvel after they use his movie theater ideas
Reposted by Mike Whelan, Jr.
A reminder that our profession is not just big firms, and that countless lawyers are stepping up in this critical moment. GIFT LINK
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/u...
Big Law Firms Bowed to Trump. A Corps of ‘Little Guys’ Jumped in to Fight Him.
www.nytimes.com
July 22, 2025 at 11:29 AM
A reminder that our profession is not just big firms, and that countless lawyers are stepping up in this critical moment. GIFT LINK
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/u...
If she lies and says what the admin wants to hear, she’ll earn a get out of jail free card. The incentives are too obvious and the players too corrupt to think any truth will come out of this. I’m surprised she hasn’t already played this card.
July 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM
If she lies and says what the admin wants to hear, she’ll earn a get out of jail free card. The incentives are too obvious and the players too corrupt to think any truth will come out of this. I’m surprised she hasn’t already played this card.
“You can’t invent the ship without inventing the shipwreck except this wreck destroys the human world it’s fine because progress.”
“Yes, atmospheric CO2 has increased over time—but so has life expectancy,” writes Chris Wright. In a guest essay America’s energy secretary invites the world to rethink renewable energy
econ.st/4kCU2kY
Illustration: Dan Williams
econ.st/4kCU2kY
Illustration: Dan Williams
July 16, 2025 at 9:39 PM
“You can’t invent the ship without inventing the shipwreck except this wreck destroys the human world it’s fine because progress.”
When he said Epstein is no biggie compared to the really important things he’s dealing with, this is what he meant.
July 16, 2025 at 9:35 PM
When he said Epstein is no biggie compared to the really important things he’s dealing with, this is what he meant.
How does he get us all to move on from the Epstein story? Shockingly, talking about Rosie O’Donnell didn’t work, so let’s try crashing the economy.
July 16, 2025 at 5:31 PM
How does he get us all to move on from the Epstein story? Shockingly, talking about Rosie O’Donnell didn’t work, so let’s try crashing the economy.