Mr. Dan Zak
@mrdanzak.com
Senior editor at The Atlantic.
Bio & work: www.mrdanzak.com
Author of ALMIGHTY, a book on the bomb: http://amzn.to/35PAusZ
Bio & work: www.mrdanzak.com
Author of ALMIGHTY, a book on the bomb: http://amzn.to/35PAusZ
Pinned
Mr. Dan Zak
@mrdanzak.com
· Mar 16
The hero
Rich Fierro fought in America’s war on terror. Then terror found him at home.
wapo.st
I wrote about the life of Rich Fierro, who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for 10 years, returned home and worked hard to put his life back together — only to have his family caught in a mass shooting, which turned them all into combat veterans. wapo.st/3vjxIsU
“If you’ve already figured out that the promise of AI is nothing more than a corporate attack on human curiosity, contemplation, critical thinking & free will, ‘Lux’ will sound like a new kind of feel-good music. Listen up and try not to get swept away. Focus feels better than awe.” wapo.st/47XrLS2
Review | Rosalía’s ‘Lux’ is taking prestige pop to new levels
Rosalía’s new album, “Lux,” wants to blow your mind. Give it your undivided attention instead.
wapo.st
November 10, 2025 at 8:35 PM
“If you’ve already figured out that the promise of AI is nothing more than a corporate attack on human curiosity, contemplation, critical thinking & free will, ‘Lux’ will sound like a new kind of feel-good music. Listen up and try not to get swept away. Focus feels better than awe.” wapo.st/47XrLS2
Vince Gilligan: “A.I. is the world’s most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine. I think there’s a very high possibility that this is all a bunch of horseshit. It’s basically a bunch of centibillionaires … selling a bag of vapor.”
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn on What ‘Pluribus’ Is Really About, Why Hollywood ‘Needs More Heroes’ and How Silicon Valley Has ‘F—ed Up the World’
Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn unpack the first two episodes of 'Pluribus' and slam AI: 'Silicon Valley' has 'f---ed up the world.'
variety.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Vince Gilligan: “A.I. is the world’s most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine. I think there’s a very high possibility that this is all a bunch of horseshit. It’s basically a bunch of centibillionaires … selling a bag of vapor.”
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
We must "determine whether we are to have a Government of respectability,” or one “springing perhaps from anarchy and Confusion, and dictated perhaps by some aspiring demagogue.”
— George Washington (1787)
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
— George Washington (1787)
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
The Insurrection Problem
Violence has marred the American constitutional order since the founding. Is it inevitable?
www.theatlantic.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:22 PM
We must "determine whether we are to have a Government of respectability,” or one “springing perhaps from anarchy and Confusion, and dictated perhaps by some aspiring demagogue.”
— George Washington (1787)
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
— George Washington (1787)
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
DOJ has lost thousands of experienced attorneys & has backfilled a fraction of the jobs, with the process snarled by a lack of qualified candidates. Last year it had ~10k attorneys; this year 5k+ people—not all of them attorneys—have quit the dept, been fired or taken a buyout. wapo.st/3JG4ImA
Justice Department struggles as thousands exit — and few are replaced
The Justice Department has lost thousands of experienced attorneys and backfilled a fraction of the open jobs, in part because of a lack of qualified candidates.
wapo.st
November 10, 2025 at 1:15 PM
DOJ has lost thousands of experienced attorneys & has backfilled a fraction of the jobs, with the process snarled by a lack of qualified candidates. Last year it had ~10k attorneys; this year 5k+ people—not all of them attorneys—have quit the dept, been fired or taken a buyout. wapo.st/3JG4ImA
“Patel’s inexperience, his dismissals of top F.B.I. officials and his shift of bureau resources from thwarting spies and terrorism have heightened concerns among the other Five Eyes nations that the bureau is adrift…” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/w...
F.B.I. Director Is Said to Have Made a Pledge to Head of MI5, Then Broken It
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:21 PM
“Patel’s inexperience, his dismissals of top F.B.I. officials and his shift of bureau resources from thwarting spies and terrorism have heightened concerns among the other Five Eyes nations that the bureau is adrift…” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/w...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
November 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
FEDWATCH: “.. The chaos is escalating, with 3,800 flight cancellations since Thursday, and some states reporting a 40- to 60% increase in visits to food banks. Some of the disruption is evident in private sector weekly economic indicators .. and even the price of electricity.”
November 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
FEDWATCH: “.. The chaos is escalating, with 3,800 flight cancellations since Thursday, and some states reporting a 40- to 60% increase in visits to food banks. Some of the disruption is evident in private sector weekly economic indicators .. and even the price of electricity.”
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
1: shoots gun at Capitol on J6
2: slueths tell fbi his name
3: he kills a man, claims self defense
4: he tells police he was the j6 gunman
5: he’s finally arrested
6: trump pardons him for j6
7: he allegedly kidnaps and sexually assaults someone
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
2: slueths tell fbi his name
3: he kills a man, claims self defense
4: he tells police he was the j6 gunman
5: he’s finally arrested
6: trump pardons him for j6
7: he allegedly kidnaps and sexually assaults someone
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
Arrested after a fatal stabbing, a Utah man told police he brought a gun to Capitol riot
“I was in the D.C. riots. You can look me up, OK?” John Emanuel Banuelos told police after he was arrested last July, according to newly obtained records.
www.nbcnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM
1: shoots gun at Capitol on J6
2: slueths tell fbi his name
3: he kills a man, claims self defense
4: he tells police he was the j6 gunman
5: he’s finally arrested
6: trump pardons him for j6
7: he allegedly kidnaps and sexually assaults someone
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
2: slueths tell fbi his name
3: he kills a man, claims self defense
4: he tells police he was the j6 gunman
5: he’s finally arrested
6: trump pardons him for j6
7: he allegedly kidnaps and sexually assaults someone
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
Went back to the history of the Sicilian Mafia to illustrate something obvious but worth stating explicitly: The Trump administration behaves like an organized crime syndicate running a protection racket, not a representative government www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
November 8, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Went back to the history of the Sicilian Mafia to illustrate something obvious but worth stating explicitly: The Trump administration behaves like an organized crime syndicate running a protection racket, not a representative government www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
“Describing rapid response networks and neighborhood moms as professional agitators shows just how out of touch these agents are, and how extreme their views are.”
— U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis
— U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis
FULL STORY: Finding that federal agents repeatedly used force that “shocks the conscience” and lied about their actions, a federal judge issued a sweeping injunction designed to permanently rein in agents’ use of tear gas and pepper balls. @wttw.bsky.social
news.wttw.com/2025/11/06/f...
news.wttw.com/2025/11/06/f...
November 7, 2025 at 4:02 PM
“Describing rapid response networks and neighborhood moms as professional agitators shows just how out of touch these agents are, and how extreme their views are.”
— U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis
— U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
Hundreds of thousands of people, dead because of a decision made by the world's richest man
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Hundreds of thousands of people, dead because of a decision made by the world's richest man
On Tuesday, Gov-elect Spanberger reacted to a fainting by immediately fetching water. youtu.be/Ch92pcxs8PE?...
Spanberger helps fainting woman during victory speech
YouTube video by FOX 5 Washington DC
youtu.be
November 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
On Tuesday, Gov-elect Spanberger reacted to a fainting by immediately fetching water. youtu.be/Ch92pcxs8PE?...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
so far, grand and petit juries are the institutions with the best track record in standing up to authoritarianism
Trump’s Revenge Campaign Has a Weakness
Prosecuting his enemies is turning out to be more difficult than he’d hoped—at least for now.
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
so far, grand and petit juries are the institutions with the best track record in standing up to authoritarianism
"It was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen."
"If you’re going to take one of us, take all four of us."
"They took him. They took him. They took him."
The photos & quotes here, including that of an "extremely volatile" ICE officer enjoying her lollipop... nymag.com/intelligence...
"If you’re going to take one of us, take all four of us."
"They took him. They took him. They took him."
The photos & quotes here, including that of an "extremely volatile" ICE officer enjoying her lollipop... nymag.com/intelligence...
November 6, 2025 at 3:48 PM
"It was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen."
"If you’re going to take one of us, take all four of us."
"They took him. They took him. They took him."
The photos & quotes here, including that of an "extremely volatile" ICE officer enjoying her lollipop... nymag.com/intelligence...
"If you’re going to take one of us, take all four of us."
"They took him. They took him. They took him."
The photos & quotes here, including that of an "extremely volatile" ICE officer enjoying her lollipop... nymag.com/intelligence...
"I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we've had a situation where we're taking these kinds of measures." www.washingtonpost.com/transportati...
FAA orders 10% cut in flights at several airports as shutdown drags on
The Trump administration says the move, which will affect 40 markets, is part of an effort to ease pressure on air traffic controllers.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:40 PM
"I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we've had a situation where we're taking these kinds of measures." www.washingtonpost.com/transportati...
“Addicted to their screens, strapped for cash, spiritually unmoored and socially stunted by the pandemic, young New Yorkers needed a reason to get out of the house. They found it in Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral run.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...
A Little-Noted Element Propelled Mamdani’s Rise: Gen Z Loneliness
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“Addicted to their screens, strapped for cash, spiritually unmoored and socially stunted by the pandemic, young New Yorkers needed a reason to get out of the house. They found it in Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral run.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
Here's another bit of conventional wisdom Zohran completely blew away: His speech was at well above a 10th-grade level. It was complex, erudite, punctuated by deep and fluent references. You don't have to condescend to voters with baby talk! Part of re-establishing norms is speaking like an adult.
November 5, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Here's another bit of conventional wisdom Zohran completely blew away: His speech was at well above a 10th-grade level. It was complex, erudite, punctuated by deep and fluent references. You don't have to condescend to voters with baby talk! Part of re-establishing norms is speaking like an adult.
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
Next week's @newyorker.com cover. www.newyorker.com/culture/cove...
November 5, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Next week's @newyorker.com cover. www.newyorker.com/culture/cove...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
There is some sad irony in McClatchy shutting its DC bureau the same day that Dick Cheney died.
That bureau (then Knight-Ridder) did some of the best, most skeptical reporting anywhere in the run-up to the Iraq War. And they took a lot of shit for it at the time.
www.cato.org/commentary/q...
That bureau (then Knight-Ridder) did some of the best, most skeptical reporting anywhere in the run-up to the Iraq War. And they took a lot of shit for it at the time.
www.cato.org/commentary/q...
November 4, 2025 at 9:33 PM
There is some sad irony in McClatchy shutting its DC bureau the same day that Dick Cheney died.
That bureau (then Knight-Ridder) did some of the best, most skeptical reporting anywhere in the run-up to the Iraq War. And they took a lot of shit for it at the time.
www.cato.org/commentary/q...
That bureau (then Knight-Ridder) did some of the best, most skeptical reporting anywhere in the run-up to the Iraq War. And they took a lot of shit for it at the time.
www.cato.org/commentary/q...
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
We saw this same issue — voting day bomb threats — in 2024. Motive could be strategic voter suppression, but in 2024 it was likely foreign interference designed to cause mayhem and further erode trust in US election. These tactics can also provide pretext for contesting elections later.
Across New Jersey, bomb threats at multiple polling locations have prompted closures and relocations today
Bomb threats force closures at some New Jersey polling places
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said polling sites at School 2 and School 10 in Paterson were shut down after threats were received.
newjersey.news12.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:55 PM
We saw this same issue — voting day bomb threats — in 2024. Motive could be strategic voter suppression, but in 2024 it was likely foreign interference designed to cause mayhem and further erode trust in US election. These tactics can also provide pretext for contesting elections later.
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
Defense is now questioning Lairmore on cross-examination. They show a video still of the sandwich and wrapper on the ground, post-throw.
"Do you recognize that sandwich?" the attorney asks.
Lairmore won't confirm.
"I did not go back to collect it," he says.
"Do you recognize that sandwich?" the attorney asks.
Lairmore won't confirm.
"I did not go back to collect it," he says.
November 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Defense is now questioning Lairmore on cross-examination. They show a video still of the sandwich and wrapper on the ground, post-throw.
"Do you recognize that sandwich?" the attorney asks.
Lairmore won't confirm.
"I did not go back to collect it," he says.
"Do you recognize that sandwich?" the attorney asks.
Lairmore won't confirm.
"I did not go back to collect it," he says.
Reposted by Mr. Dan Zak
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
November 4, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
From the standpoint of energy and behavior, the Mamdani and Cuomo campaigns are the difference between wanting it and expecting it.
Zohran Mamdani marching across the Brooklyn Bridge with supporters, including Tish James and Brad Lander, before delivering his closing campaign message in City Hall Park.
November 3, 2025 at 1:12 PM
From the standpoint of energy and behavior, the Mamdani and Cuomo campaigns are the difference between wanting it and expecting it.
In three straight elections, more voters wanted someone other than Trump to be president: 53.9% voted against him in 2016, 53.2% in 2020, and 50.2% last year.
Now, 59% of Americans disapprove of the job he's doing. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Now, 59% of Americans disapprove of the job he's doing. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Voters broadly disapprove of Trump but remain divided on midterms, poll finds
Most Americans disapprove the president’s handling of top issues, and a majority say he has gone too far in exercising his powers.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:34 PM
In three straight elections, more voters wanted someone other than Trump to be president: 53.9% voted against him in 2016, 53.2% in 2020, and 50.2% last year.
Now, 59% of Americans disapprove of the job he's doing. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Now, 59% of Americans disapprove of the job he's doing. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
There are 12 main markers of democratic erosion into autocracy.
Trump has passed five of them, and is approaching the other seven. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump has passed five of them, and is approaching the other seven. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | In Trump’s America, Are We Losing Our Democracy?
Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:40 PM
There are 12 main markers of democratic erosion into autocracy.
Trump has passed five of them, and is approaching the other seven. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump has passed five of them, and is approaching the other seven. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...