Matt Bonness
@mjbonness.bsky.social
IN to NC to DC | Consumer Finance Regulation & Consumer Protection Attorney
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Photographer Christopher Anderson on the Vanity Fair photoshoot
December 18, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Photographer Christopher Anderson on the Vanity Fair photoshoot
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Most of the power authoritarians have is freely given. We should not comply with them in advance.
Trump is far weaker than he looks. So is the GOP. We should draw them out, drain them at every opportunity, and fight for people’s wellbeing at every turn.
We have been sent here to fight for people.
Trump is far weaker than he looks. So is the GOP. We should draw them out, drain them at every opportunity, and fight for people’s wellbeing at every turn.
We have been sent here to fight for people.
AOC: I think there's two things that are happening at once: One, there absolutely is an unprecedented abuse of power, destruction of norms, erosion of our government and our democracy in order to prop up an authoritarian style of governance
However, they are weaker than they look…
However, they are weaker than they look…
October 1, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Most of the power authoritarians have is freely given. We should not comply with them in advance.
Trump is far weaker than he looks. So is the GOP. We should draw them out, drain them at every opportunity, and fight for people’s wellbeing at every turn.
We have been sent here to fight for people.
Trump is far weaker than he looks. So is the GOP. We should draw them out, drain them at every opportunity, and fight for people’s wellbeing at every turn.
We have been sent here to fight for people.
Apparent joint ICE / NPS checkpoint on Clara Barton Parkway Eastbound, between Cabin John Parkway and Glen Echo Park, pulling over construction vans.
September 29, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Apparent joint ICE / NPS checkpoint on Clara Barton Parkway Eastbound, between Cabin John Parkway and Glen Echo Park, pulling over construction vans.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Looks like ICE or someone pulling people over on Clara Barton parkway into DC this morning.
September 26, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Looks like ICE or someone pulling people over on Clara Barton parkway into DC this morning.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)
September 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)
Reposted by Matt Bonness
kennedy is going to kill a lot of people
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces he will cancel $500 million in vaccine development projects.
August 5, 2025 at 10:50 PM
kennedy is going to kill a lot of people
Reposted by Matt Bonness
In high school, I was complaining about how long the school day was and my teacher turned to me and said, "the days are long, but the years are short" and I was like "what the fuck are you talking about you lunatic" and then the bell rang and now I'm in my 30s.
July 30, 2025 at 12:23 PM
In high school, I was complaining about how long the school day was and my teacher turned to me and said, "the days are long, but the years are short" and I was like "what the fuck are you talking about you lunatic" and then the bell rang and now I'm in my 30s.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
more evidence for “a bunch of AI cultists dismantled large parts of the federal government because they believed that their LLMs were intelligent and could do the work better” thesis
Reporter: The FDA has a new AI tool that's intended to speed up drug approvals. But several FDA employees say the new AI helper is making up studies that do not exist. One FDA employee telling us, 'Anything that you don't have time to double check is unreliable. It hallucinates confidently'
July 23, 2025 at 5:51 PM
more evidence for “a bunch of AI cultists dismantled large parts of the federal government because they believed that their LLMs were intelligent and could do the work better” thesis
Reposted by Matt Bonness
A State Department employee shared with PBS News an image from inside the department. The image includes a piece of paper taped to a mirror with the words, "Colleagues, if you remain: RESIST FASCISM. Remember the oath you vowed to uphold."
July 11, 2025 at 10:51 PM
A State Department employee shared with PBS News an image from inside the department. The image includes a piece of paper taped to a mirror with the words, "Colleagues, if you remain: RESIST FASCISM. Remember the oath you vowed to uphold."
Reposted by Matt Bonness
A Texas judge just vacated the Biden-era CFPB's ban on medical debt appearing on credit reports, following a request from the Trump-era CFPB to do so.
news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/...
news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/...
CFPB Medical Debt Reporting Ban Vacated by Texas Federal Judge
A federal judge in Texas eliminated a Biden-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule barring medical debt from credit reports and lending decisions, handing a win to credit reporting companies an...
news.bloomberglaw.com
July 11, 2025 at 9:06 PM
A Texas judge just vacated the Biden-era CFPB's ban on medical debt appearing on credit reports, following a request from the Trump-era CFPB to do so.
news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/...
news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/...
Reposted by Matt Bonness
"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."
- Commander William Adama, Battlestar Galactica
- Commander William Adama, Battlestar Galactica
May 11, 2025 at 6:24 PM
"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."
- Commander William Adama, Battlestar Galactica
- Commander William Adama, Battlestar Galactica
Reposted by Matt Bonness
it's important this go as viral as the original story for morale purposes if nothing else. despite the image they project these people are NOT unaccountable. consequences CAN be forced. focused anger and outrage MATTERS.
April 20, 2025 at 11:46 PM
it's important this go as viral as the original story for morale purposes if nothing else. despite the image they project these people are NOT unaccountable. consequences CAN be forced. focused anger and outrage MATTERS.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Faculty senates at Rutgers University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the University of Indiana at Bloomington, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have passed resolutions calling for the creation of a mutual-defense compact. chroni.cl/4cBFrnu
These Faculty Senates Are Trying to Band Together to Stand Up to Trump
The idea of a compact among institutions is based on the idea that there’s strength in numbers, and it comes amid frustration that few presidents are speaking out against the administration’s actions ...
chroni.cl
April 15, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Faculty senates at Rutgers University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the University of Indiana at Bloomington, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have passed resolutions calling for the creation of a mutual-defense compact. chroni.cl/4cBFrnu
Reposted by Matt Bonness
If you are in the DC area, join us for two events this Saturday:
1. March from the Mall to the White House
2. Protest at JD Vance's residence
@50501movement.bsky.social @50501dc.bsky.social
@indivisible.org
events.pol-rev.com/events/a04e5...
events.pol-rev.com/events/d613b...
1. March from the Mall to the White House
2. Protest at JD Vance's residence
@50501movement.bsky.social @50501dc.bsky.social
@indivisible.org
events.pol-rev.com/events/a04e5...
events.pol-rev.com/events/d613b...
April 18, 2025 at 3:00 PM
If you are in the DC area, join us for two events this Saturday:
1. March from the Mall to the White House
2. Protest at JD Vance's residence
@50501movement.bsky.social @50501dc.bsky.social
@indivisible.org
events.pol-rev.com/events/a04e5...
events.pol-rev.com/events/d613b...
1. March from the Mall to the White House
2. Protest at JD Vance's residence
@50501movement.bsky.social @50501dc.bsky.social
@indivisible.org
events.pol-rev.com/events/a04e5...
events.pol-rev.com/events/d613b...
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Unidentified men grabbing someone off the street and putting her in a car because she wrote an op-Ed. This as flatly authoritarian as anything we’ve seen in this country in a very long time.
Video of the international student at Tufts being arrested by "federal authorities" in Massachusetts has been released and it's terrifying.
They're not even uniformed officers. Just secret police thugs in hoodies and masks.
From WCVB: youtu.be/PuFIs7OkzYY
They're not even uniformed officers. Just secret police thugs in hoodies and masks.
From WCVB: youtu.be/PuFIs7OkzYY
March 26, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Unidentified men grabbing someone off the street and putting her in a car because she wrote an op-Ed. This as flatly authoritarian as anything we’ve seen in this country in a very long time.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Pete Hegseth is a f*cking liar. This is so clearly classified info he recklessly leaked that could’ve gotten our pilots killed.
He needs to resign in disgrace immediately.
He needs to resign in disgrace immediately.
March 26, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Pete Hegseth is a f*cking liar. This is so clearly classified info he recklessly leaked that could’ve gotten our pilots killed.
He needs to resign in disgrace immediately.
He needs to resign in disgrace immediately.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
It’s important to understand that concepts like "interests," "nation," and "sovereignty" mean nothing to either man. It doesn’t signify to them that the US thrives or doesn’t thrive, exists or doesn’t exist.
When you are partnered with America's enemies, this is what you do: you reveal war plans against a country to an individual tied to that country; and you place the US military in the hands of an incompetent.
"If a foreign country was to learn how the United States planned to fight a war against them, it could reinforce its defenses and address its weaknesses, making the plans far less likely to succeed."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/u...
March 21, 2025 at 8:21 PM
It’s important to understand that concepts like "interests," "nation," and "sovereignty" mean nothing to either man. It doesn’t signify to them that the US thrives or doesn’t thrive, exists or doesn’t exist.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Email shows Trump officials are lying to federal court, directing CFPB staff to ignore law
open.substack.com/pub/populari...
open.substack.com/pub/populari...
Email shows Trump officials are lying to federal court, directing CFPB staff to ignore law
An email sent Monday by a Trump administration official, obtained by Popular Information, explicitly instructs federal employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to not carry out act...
open.substack.com
March 4, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Email shows Trump officials are lying to federal court, directing CFPB staff to ignore law
open.substack.com/pub/populari...
open.substack.com/pub/populari...
Reposted by Matt Bonness
The United States is no longer the leader of the free world.
Let that sink in.
Let that sink in.
March 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM
The United States is no longer the leader of the free world.
Let that sink in.
Let that sink in.
"Friday, February 28, 2025, will go into the history books as one of the grimmest days in American diplomacy, the beginning of a long-term disaster that every American, every U.S. ally, and anyone who cares about the future of democracy will have to endure." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
It Was an Ambush
Today marked one of the grimmest days in the history of American diplomacy.
www.theatlantic.com
February 28, 2025 at 11:12 PM
"Friday, February 28, 2025, will go into the history books as one of the grimmest days in American diplomacy, the beginning of a long-term disaster that every American, every U.S. ally, and anyone who cares about the future of democracy will have to endure." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"The less damning explanations for Trump’s pattern of pro-Russia positions have all collapsed in the face of evidence. ... The reason they were wrong is that, in addition to his generalized amorality, Trump exhibits a particular affection for Putin and Russia." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Zelensky Walked Into a Trap
Donald Trump and J. D. Vance appear to have entered today’s Oval Office meeting with the goal of generating a pretext for a diplomatic break with Ukraine.
www.theatlantic.com
February 28, 2025 at 11:07 PM
"The less damning explanations for Trump’s pattern of pro-Russia positions have all collapsed in the face of evidence. ... The reason they were wrong is that, in addition to his generalized amorality, Trump exhibits a particular affection for Putin and Russia." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Best case', "[e]ven if authoritarianism is averted, the damage that patrimonialism does ... is severe. ... Civil servants, contractors, grantees, corporations, and the public are corrupted by the habit of currying favor." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
One Word Describes Trump
A century ago, a German sociologist explained precisely how the president thinks about the world.
www.theatlantic.com
February 25, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Best case', "[e]ven if authoritarianism is averted, the damage that patrimonialism does ... is severe. ... Civil servants, contractors, grantees, corporations, and the public are corrupted by the habit of currying favor." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Matt Bonness
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state... This is by far the best, clearest and most realistic analysis of what we're in for that I've seen.
The Path to American Authoritarianism
What comes after democratic breakdown.
www.foreignaffairs.com
February 12, 2025 at 12:19 AM
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state... This is by far the best, clearest and most realistic analysis of what we're in for that I've seen.
Reposted by Matt Bonness
Steve Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die
"the U.S. is sliding toward a more 21st-century model of autocracy: competitive authoritarianism"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"A failure to resist... could pave the way for authoritarian entrenchment"
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
"the U.S. is sliding toward a more 21st-century model of autocracy: competitive authoritarianism"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"A failure to resist... could pave the way for authoritarian entrenchment"
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
February 11, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Steve Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die
"the U.S. is sliding toward a more 21st-century model of autocracy: competitive authoritarianism"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"A failure to resist... could pave the way for authoritarian entrenchment"
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
"the U.S. is sliding toward a more 21st-century model of autocracy: competitive authoritarianism"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"A failure to resist... could pave the way for authoritarian entrenchment"
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
Reposted by Matt Bonness
A classic authoritarian move is to go after judges. I honestly did not think we would see it in the US because the system is already so politicized and Trump has a 6-3 majority. But here we are.
GOP Rep. Eli Crane is drafting articles of impeachment for District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer because he issued an injunction blocking DOGE from accessing Treasury financial data of millions of Americans.
This is classic authoritarian intimidation of the judiciary to remove checks on the executive.
This is classic authoritarian intimidation of the judiciary to remove checks on the executive.
February 11, 2025 at 7:07 PM
A classic authoritarian move is to go after judges. I honestly did not think we would see it in the US because the system is already so politicized and Trump has a 6-3 majority. But here we are.