John Helling
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readmorethings.bsky.social
John Helling
@readmorethings.bsky.social
81 followers 80 following 75 posts
I'm a librarian. I think you should read more things. All of these opinions are mine and not (necessarily) anyone else's.
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Reposted by John Helling
unavaleable.bsky.social
like this is basically it, the melts melted under pressure
More than anything else, this is what led some Senate Democrats to cut a deal: Trump’s willingness to hurt people exceeds their willingness to see people get hurt. I want to give them their due on this: They are hearing from their constituents and seeing the mounting problems, and they are trying to do what they see as the responsible, moral thing. They do not believe that holding out will lead to Trump restoring the subsidies. They fear that their Republican colleagues would, under mounting pressure, do as Trump had demanded and abolish the filibuster. (Whether that would be a good or a bad thing is a subject for another column.) This, in the end, is the calculation the defecting Senate Democrats are making: They don’t think a longer shutdown will cause Trump to cave. They just think it will cause more damage. If I were in the Senate, I wouldn’t vote for this compromise. Shutdowns are an opportunity to make an argument, and the country was just starting to pay attention. If Trump wanted to cancel flights over Thanksgiving rather than keep health care costs down, I don’t see why Democrats should save him from making his priorities so exquisitely clear. And I worry that Democrats have just taught Trump that they will fold under pressure. That’s the kind of lesson he remembers.
November 10, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by John Helling
talkopan.bsky.social
“I can guarantee that he’s not part of the Sinaloa Cartel,” Scott Alati said of his son, Tyler ... “He isn’t a high-ranking member of anything. He’s high-ranking dumb.”
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/29/m...
The DEA said it arrested 171 ‘high ranking’ Sinaloa Cartel members. A Spotlight investigation found that’s not true. - The Boston Globe
A Globe investigation found that the federal agency misrepresented the stature of its targets, claiming cartel ties at a time when the Trump administration is taking lethal military action against suc...
www.bostonglobe.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by John Helling
mehdirhasan.bsky.social
Getting ready to speak at the No Kings rally in DC today, the rally for democracy and freedom, alongside Bill Nye, Bernie Sanders and many other great speakers. Could be the biggest protest in modern American history.
October 18, 2025 at 4:17 PM
readmorethings.bsky.social
Counterpoint from a very casual Royals fan:

www.northjersey.com/story/sports...
Matt Harvey never recovered from Game 5 of World Series: Steve Popper
Matt Harvey's time with the Mets came to an end, one that he never could have imagined.
www.northjersey.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:21 PM