Oliver O'Connell
@olioc.bsky.social
Writer, editor, journalist, live blogger in New York.
Social media users are already referring to the idea as “grotesque,” a version of The Hunger Games, or reminiscent of the 1987 dystopian movie The Running Man, in which people compete for freedom by participating in a state-controlled game show.
Kristi Noem’s Homeland Security department considering U.S. citizenship reality show
Homeland Security spokesperson denies reports secretary is ‘backing’ project as social media users compare it to ‘Hunger Games’
www.independent.co.uk
May 16, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Social media users are already referring to the idea as “grotesque,” a version of The Hunger Games, or reminiscent of the 1987 dystopian movie The Running Man, in which people compete for freedom by participating in a state-controlled game show.
The picture of Trump is reminiscent of portraits of leaders hanging from public buildings, often seen in dictatorships, monarchies, and in descriptions in George Orwell’s 1984 of “Big Brother.”
Enormous brooding banner of Trump hung alongside Lincoln at Department of Agriculture
X users are scoffing at the banner, saying it has a ‘North Korean aesthetic’ and gives off ‘Saddam Hussein vibes’
www.independent.co.uk
May 15, 2025 at 3:58 AM
The picture of Trump is reminiscent of portraits of leaders hanging from public buildings, often seen in dictatorships, monarchies, and in descriptions in George Orwell’s 1984 of “Big Brother.”
“These numbers are just horrible, there’s no way to sugarcoat it…”
Trump’s 100-day approval rating at historic low compared to predecessors
Previous worst performance for a president at 100 days was...also Trump, in 2017
www.independent.co.uk
April 28, 2025 at 5:28 PM
“These numbers are just horrible, there’s no way to sugarcoat it…”
Great stuff from @richardhalljourno.bsky.social my colleague at @the-independent.com
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Donald Quixote and the stock market meltdown: Inside Trump’s failed tariff gamble
ANALYSIS: Even the most complex algorithms created by artificial intelligence to predict macro trends are not equipped to account for a president who tries to levy taxes on flightless sea birds, write...
www.independent.co.uk
April 11, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Great stuff from @richardhalljourno.bsky.social my colleague at @the-independent.com
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Follow along live...
Trump administration live updates: Pentagon denies Musk is part of China briefing
President attacks New York Times over reporting as backlash over billonaire’s role in administration grows
www.independent.co.uk
March 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Follow along live...
Reposted by Oliver O'Connell
EDITORIAL | Why The Independent will not be silent in the face of Trump’s assault on truth and democracy
We will not be silent in the face of Trump’s assault on truth and democracy
Editorial: The US president is pedalling dangerous misinformation about Zelensky and Ukraine – now is the time to tell the truth and stand up to the bully in the White House
www.independent.co.uk
February 21, 2025 at 11:16 AM
EDITORIAL | Why The Independent will not be silent in the face of Trump’s assault on truth and democracy
Analysis from @alexwoodward.bsky.social of @the-independent.com on Trump and Elon Musk's primetime interview
Analysis: Trump and Elon Musk’s constitutional wrecking ball goes primetime
Analysis: The world’s wealthiest man spins his government siege as the will of the people but has no idea how government works
www.independent.co.uk
February 19, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Analysis from @alexwoodward.bsky.social of @the-independent.com on Trump and Elon Musk's primetime interview
On ways to describe the "shabby deal" Trump is planning to do with Putin: "Few have captured the emotions of many, more than the words of a British official, who said it had gone down “like a bowl of cold sick”."
From @the-independent.com
From @the-independent.com
Sir Richard Shirreff: Trump’s craven appeasement of Putin spells danger for us all
Russia is a cruel, vindictive and murderous state and has Moldova, Georgia and Romania in its sight, says former deputy Supreme Allied Commander Sir Richard Shirreff. Now that Trump has paved the way ...
www.independent.co.uk
February 15, 2025 at 5:47 PM
On ways to describe the "shabby deal" Trump is planning to do with Putin: "Few have captured the emotions of many, more than the words of a British official, who said it had gone down “like a bowl of cold sick”."
From @the-independent.com
From @the-independent.com
@the-independent.com's @andrewfeinberg.com looks at Trump's obsession with tariffs
‘If they charge us, we charge them’: What is Trump’s goal with his trade war?
President’s obsessions with tariffs have been a constant for his entire time in public life, dating back to his emergence as a real estate tycoon in the 1980s and 1990s, write Andrew Feinberg
www.independent.co.uk
February 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
@the-independent.com's @andrewfeinberg.com looks at Trump's obsession with tariffs
Reposted by Oliver O'Connell
So, let's go over this whole $9 million Reuters thing:
-- it was first awarded UNDER TRUMP
-- it wasn't paid to the news agency but rather an entirely different Reuters division that does data analysis
-- it was to help PREVENT phishing and cyber attacks
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
-- it was first awarded UNDER TRUMP
-- it wasn't paid to the news agency but rather an entirely different Reuters division that does data analysis
-- it was to help PREVENT phishing and cyber attacks
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump demands ‘Radical Left Reuters’ return the $9 million that he first paid out
After Elon Musk first pushed a misleading claim about Reuters, the president raged about the global news agency returning a contract that was awarded under his first administration
www.independent.co.uk
February 13, 2025 at 4:19 PM
So, let's go over this whole $9 million Reuters thing:
-- it was first awarded UNDER TRUMP
-- it wasn't paid to the news agency but rather an entirely different Reuters division that does data analysis
-- it was to help PREVENT phishing and cyber attacks
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
-- it was first awarded UNDER TRUMP
-- it wasn't paid to the news agency but rather an entirely different Reuters division that does data analysis
-- it was to help PREVENT phishing and cyber attacks
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Follow along for the latest from @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump live updates: President details Putin call; Gabbard confirmed as intel head
President and Russian leader discussed bilateral relations on Wednesday morning phone call covering Ukraine, Middle East, energy and AI
www.independent.co.uk
February 12, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Follow along for the latest from @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Reposted by Oliver O'Connell
Kristi Noem warns the public that they can’t trust the government - and is then reminded that she is the government
Noem warns the public that they can’t trust the government - which she is part of
DHS chief signals that Musk’s team has access to FEMA systems containing Americans’ private information
www.independent.co.uk
February 11, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Kristi Noem warns the public that they can’t trust the government - and is then reminded that she is the government
A father of five was detained by ICE on his way to work. Now his family is losing their home
By @richardhalljourno.bsky.social for @the-independent.com
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
By @richardhalljourno.bsky.social for @the-independent.com
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
A father of five was detained by ICE. Now his family is losing their home
Donald Trump’s deportations have created a climate of fear among immigrant communities across the country, Richard Hall writes.
www.independent.co.uk
February 9, 2025 at 1:09 AM
A father of five was detained by ICE on his way to work. Now his family is losing their home
By @richardhalljourno.bsky.social for @the-independent.com
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
By @richardhalljourno.bsky.social for @the-independent.com
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Reposted by Oliver O'Connell
Annnnnd now Trump is saying he's going to toss tariffs on pharmaceuticals -- along with oil and gas.
January 31, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Annnnnd now Trump is saying he's going to toss tariffs on pharmaceuticals -- along with oil and gas.
Join my @the-independent.com colleague @richardhalljourno.bsky.social over on Reddit at 12 pm ET for an AMA on what Donald Trump’s second term means for the Middle East: www.reddit.com/r/politics/c...
I’m Richard Hall, a senior US correspondent for The Independent, covering what Trump’s second term means for the Middle East. Ask me anything.
www.reddit.com
January 16, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Join my @the-independent.com colleague @richardhalljourno.bsky.social over on Reddit at 12 pm ET for an AMA on what Donald Trump’s second term means for the Middle East: www.reddit.com/r/politics/c...
Reposted by Oliver O'Connell
Attorney General Merrick Garland will publicly release special counsel Jack Smith’s highly anticipated final report from his investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Here's why and how Trump is trying to stop him:
Here's why and how Trump is trying to stop him:
Merrick Garland plans to release Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 report. Trump wants to stop him
The special counsel handed in his final report days before Trump returns to the White House
www.independent.co.uk
January 8, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Attorney General Merrick Garland will publicly release special counsel Jack Smith’s highly anticipated final report from his investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Here's why and how Trump is trying to stop him:
Here's why and how Trump is trying to stop him:
Trump and Musk blame Democrats for tanking spending bill despite 38 Republicans voting against it as shutdown looms — Follow along live today for all the latest out of Washington, D.C.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump and Musk put DC in tailspin with spending bill attacks as shutdown nears: Live
The proposed continuing resolution, championed by GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson, would have kept agencies running at current funding levels through to mid-March 2025
www.independent.co.uk
December 20, 2024 at 9:27 AM
Trump and Musk blame Democrats for tanking spending bill despite 38 Republicans voting against it as shutdown looms — Follow along live today for all the latest out of Washington, D.C.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Reposted by Oliver O'Connell
From Joel Grey: “History is giving us another chance to confront the forces that ‘Cabaret’ warned us about. The question is: Will we listen this time, or will we keep laughing until the music stops?”
Opinion | Joel Grey: ‘Cabaret’ Was a Warning. It’s Time to Heed It. (Gift Article)
Much has changed since the show debuted on Broadway in 1966, but it’s what hasn’t changed that should worry us.
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2024 at 4:28 PM
From Joel Grey: “History is giving us another chance to confront the forces that ‘Cabaret’ warned us about. The question is: Will we listen this time, or will we keep laughing until the music stops?”