R. Bell
@robtbell.bsky.social
Former editor of political and general news at a metro daily. Yes this is a pseudonym. Views expressed are my own. Pleased if they match yours; unbothered if they don't. The America Fairy won't save us.
Pinned
R. Bell
@robtbell.bsky.social
· Jan 25
The Trumpists' seemingly crazy actions have one common goal: Weaken the USA as a nation and a global power.
Divide its people, wreck its economy, its health and safety, its relationships with other countries.
Who benefits? Russia, China, autocrats and oligarchs.
That's who Trump+GOP work for.
Divide its people, wreck its economy, its health and safety, its relationships with other countries.
Who benefits? Russia, China, autocrats and oligarchs.
That's who Trump+GOP work for.
This exactly.
Important to understand the Epstein stuff and the fascism and the corruption are, in a lot of ways, really all the same story from different angles: powerful men who can and do abuse vulnerable people around them because they can, and because systems of elite accountability catastrophically failed
November 13, 2025 at 5:36 AM
This exactly.
Reposted by R. Bell
Some thoughts on the CR/minibus.
1 The Dems negotiating with Rs were not freelancing. They coordinated with Sen Schumer. A few were ready to give in on day one, others worked to maximize appropriations wins.
Those voting for the 'deal' are the ones furthest away from electoral consequences.
1 The Dems negotiating with Rs were not freelancing. They coordinated with Sen Schumer. A few were ready to give in on day one, others worked to maximize appropriations wins.
Those voting for the 'deal' are the ones furthest away from electoral consequences.
November 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Some thoughts on the CR/minibus.
1 The Dems negotiating with Rs were not freelancing. They coordinated with Sen Schumer. A few were ready to give in on day one, others worked to maximize appropriations wins.
Those voting for the 'deal' are the ones furthest away from electoral consequences.
1 The Dems negotiating with Rs were not freelancing. They coordinated with Sen Schumer. A few were ready to give in on day one, others worked to maximize appropriations wins.
Those voting for the 'deal' are the ones furthest away from electoral consequences.
Reposted by R. Bell
It's going to be a beautiful weekend to help KEEP NJ BLUE! 🙌
ALL HANDS ON DECK - YOU'RE NEEDED NOW 👇
Find an opportunity to volunteer here: www.mobilize.us/njvictory2025/
ALL HANDS ON DECK - YOU'RE NEEDED NOW 👇
Find an opportunity to volunteer here: www.mobilize.us/njvictory2025/
Volunteer Opportunities, Events, and Petitions Near Me · NJ Victory 2025 on Mobilize
Find events, petitions, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers and more with NJ Victory 2025.
www.mobilize.us
October 24, 2025 at 11:37 AM
It's going to be a beautiful weekend to help KEEP NJ BLUE! 🙌
ALL HANDS ON DECK - YOU'RE NEEDED NOW 👇
Find an opportunity to volunteer here: www.mobilize.us/njvictory2025/
ALL HANDS ON DECK - YOU'RE NEEDED NOW 👇
Find an opportunity to volunteer here: www.mobilize.us/njvictory2025/
Reposted by R. Bell
Trend since Trump announced tariffs in April:
October 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Trend since Trump announced tariffs in April:
Reposted by R. Bell
Gift link, because if you read ANYBODY on a Sunday, you should be reading @willbunch.bsky.social: share.inquirer.com/0mZ2Xw
The 7 million Americans who took the streets for 'No Kings' made history, and they did something even more important
They got under the skin of Donald Trump and his dictatorial regime, on a day that showed that most Americans love democracy instead
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/no-k...
They got under the skin of Donald Trump and his dictatorial regime, on a day that showed that most Americans love democracy instead
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/no-k...
Then they fight you: How the No Kings protests are winning America | Will Bunch
A massive turnout of 7 million and a panicked White House showed Saturday why the No Kings protests matter, a lot.
www.inquirer.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Gift link, because if you read ANYBODY on a Sunday, you should be reading @willbunch.bsky.social: share.inquirer.com/0mZ2Xw
Reposted by R. Bell
Reposted by R. Bell
Citizens waving American flags protest Trump violating the Constitution.
MAGA: They’re Marxists who hate America.
GOP operatives praise Hitler and joke about rape and gas chambers in their group chat.
MAGA: Boys will be boys!
MAGA: They’re Marxists who hate America.
GOP operatives praise Hitler and joke about rape and gas chambers in their group chat.
MAGA: Boys will be boys!
October 17, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Citizens waving American flags protest Trump violating the Constitution.
MAGA: They’re Marxists who hate America.
GOP operatives praise Hitler and joke about rape and gas chambers in their group chat.
MAGA: Boys will be boys!
MAGA: They’re Marxists who hate America.
GOP operatives praise Hitler and joke about rape and gas chambers in their group chat.
MAGA: Boys will be boys!
Reposted by R. Bell
Extraordinary NEW story: We Found That More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. @nicolefoy.bsky.social w/ photos by @sbmaneyphoto.bsky.social
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
www.propublica.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Extraordinary NEW story: We Found That More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. @nicolefoy.bsky.social w/ photos by @sbmaneyphoto.bsky.social
Reposted by R. Bell
Let’s not forget that every single Republican who stands by and enables Donald Trump could stop this recklessness today, tomorrow or any damn day of the week. Their failure—their refusal—to do so makes them complicit in his crimes and the crimes of his corrupt, lawless regime.
October 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Let’s not forget that every single Republican who stands by and enables Donald Trump could stop this recklessness today, tomorrow or any damn day of the week. Their failure—their refusal—to do so makes them complicit in his crimes and the crimes of his corrupt, lawless regime.
Reposted by R. Bell
“The Trump administration said that its immigration crackdown is hurting farmers and risking higher food prices for Americans by cutting off agriculture’s labor supply.”
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices
U.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:29 PM
“The Trump administration said that its immigration crackdown is hurting farmers and risking higher food prices for Americans by cutting off agriculture’s labor supply.”
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Reposted by R. Bell
“We’ve arrested American citizens for being too close.”
New — Video shared with me shows ICE officers in DC detaining a man on Friday.
Bystander filming asks man for his name. ICE agent lies and says he’s not allowed to speak to him “by law” and another says “We’ve arrested American citizens for being too close…If he gets any closer, put him in cuffs.”
Bystander filming asks man for his name. ICE agent lies and says he’s not allowed to speak to him “by law” and another says “We’ve arrested American citizens for being too close…If he gets any closer, put him in cuffs.”
October 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM
“We’ve arrested American citizens for being too close.”
Reposted by R. Bell
there's really just zero motivation for Ds to negotiate when they're saying things like this. if they're just going to rule by recissision anyway, might as well make them admit they're gutting the fillibuster in order to destroy healthcare.
Q: Rescission are something Dems have said is a reason for a lack of trust. What rescissions are you discussing?
JOHNSON: We have more than $37t in debt. We're doing everything we can to get us back to sound fiscal responsibility. What does that include? A rescission package is part of our process
JOHNSON: We have more than $37t in debt. We're doing everything we can to get us back to sound fiscal responsibility. What does that include? A rescission package is part of our process
October 11, 2025 at 1:04 AM
there's really just zero motivation for Ds to negotiate when they're saying things like this. if they're just going to rule by recissision anyway, might as well make them admit they're gutting the fillibuster in order to destroy healthcare.
Reposted by R. Bell
Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."
October 10, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."
Reposted by R. Bell
apnews.com/article/fact...
FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to 'illegal immigrants'
Despite what Blotus and the Repuglicans tell their sheep, this is NOT true.
FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to 'illegal immigrants'
Despite what Blotus and the Repuglicans tell their sheep, this is NOT true.
FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to 'illegal immigrants'
This is false. Democrats say they are pushing for the inclusion of key health care provisions in the next congressional spending package.
apnews.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:32 PM
apnews.com/article/fact...
FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to 'illegal immigrants'
Despite what Blotus and the Repuglicans tell their sheep, this is NOT true.
FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to 'illegal immigrants'
Despite what Blotus and the Repuglicans tell their sheep, this is NOT true.
Reposted by R. Bell
We're now less than 12 hours away from a shutdown and House Republicans aren't even in D.C.
House Democrats are ALL here, ready to vote on a bill that protects healthcare & reinforces Congress as a separate but EQUAL branch of government.
If Republicans are serious: they know where to find us.
House Democrats are ALL here, ready to vote on a bill that protects healthcare & reinforces Congress as a separate but EQUAL branch of government.
If Republicans are serious: they know where to find us.
September 30, 2025 at 8:45 PM
We're now less than 12 hours away from a shutdown and House Republicans aren't even in D.C.
House Democrats are ALL here, ready to vote on a bill that protects healthcare & reinforces Congress as a separate but EQUAL branch of government.
If Republicans are serious: they know where to find us.
House Democrats are ALL here, ready to vote on a bill that protects healthcare & reinforces Congress as a separate but EQUAL branch of government.
If Republicans are serious: they know where to find us.
Can anyone tell me how this is not terrifying?
Wannabe dictator pulls all commanding generals from their posts;
Cuts out the chain of command between himself and troops;
Orders them to one base and brings his personal guard to secure it.
Perfect setup for issuing illegal orders to troops, no?
Wannabe dictator pulls all commanding generals from their posts;
Cuts out the chain of command between himself and troops;
Orders them to one base and brings his personal guard to secure it.
Perfect setup for issuing illegal orders to troops, no?
September 28, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Can anyone tell me how this is not terrifying?
Wannabe dictator pulls all commanding generals from their posts;
Cuts out the chain of command between himself and troops;
Orders them to one base and brings his personal guard to secure it.
Perfect setup for issuing illegal orders to troops, no?
Wannabe dictator pulls all commanding generals from their posts;
Cuts out the chain of command between himself and troops;
Orders them to one base and brings his personal guard to secure it.
Perfect setup for issuing illegal orders to troops, no?
Reposted by R. Bell
Troops. In an American city. Using full force.
Your now-regular reminder that Republican members of Congress are letting this happen.
Your now-regular reminder that Republican members of Congress are letting this happen.
Trump says he’s authorized Hegseth to use “Full Force” against Antifa in “War ravaged” Portland
September 27, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Troops. In an American city. Using full force.
Your now-regular reminder that Republican members of Congress are letting this happen.
Your now-regular reminder that Republican members of Congress are letting this happen.
Reposted by R. Bell
More than 1800 detainees who were interned in Trump's shuttered Alligator Alcatraz concentration camp have now disappeared without a trace. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site
As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.
www.miamiherald.com
September 27, 2025 at 2:21 PM
More than 1800 detainees who were interned in Trump's shuttered Alligator Alcatraz concentration camp have now disappeared without a trace. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Reposted by R. Bell
Not only is this foreign aid stay an assault on the separation of powers and rule of law, it’s also an assault on Congress as an institution. If Congress can’t tell the executive to spend money, what can it *actually* do?
September 26, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Not only is this foreign aid stay an assault on the separation of powers and rule of law, it’s also an assault on Congress as an institution. If Congress can’t tell the executive to spend money, what can it *actually* do?
Reposted by R. Bell
In the LaMonica McIver case (you know--that political prosecution of a Black women the press has largely forgotten), DOJ has been stalling on giving her:
Video from the detention center
At least one bodyworn camera
The names of officers involved
www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/26/m...
Video from the detention center
At least one bodyworn camera
The names of officers involved
www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/26/m...
Mainstream Press Confesses They Missed the Other Politicized Prosecutions - emptywheel
Watching the mainstream press, you'd think it was the first time that an investigation ordered up by Donald Trump resulted in a flimsy false statements charge just before the statute of limitations ex...
www.emptywheel.net
September 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
In the LaMonica McIver case (you know--that political prosecution of a Black women the press has largely forgotten), DOJ has been stalling on giving her:
Video from the detention center
At least one bodyworn camera
The names of officers involved
www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/26/m...
Video from the detention center
At least one bodyworn camera
The names of officers involved
www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/26/m...
We can only hope they weren't "relocated" to mass graves.
Not only do we routinely see kids dying in ICE custody, now they’re missing nearly 1000 people who were being held in Alligator Alcatraz?
HOW THE HELL is this not a stop the presses moment?
We can only hope it’s not a Brubaker moment.
HOW THE HELL is this not a stop the presses moment?
We can only hope it’s not a Brubaker moment.
September 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
We can only hope they weren't "relocated" to mass graves.
Reposted by R. Bell
This is what politicization of the Justice Department results in.
September 22, 2025 at 3:55 PM
This is what politicization of the Justice Department results in.
Reposted by R. Bell
An alleged $50,000 bribe…
To help secure government contracts…
By a now senior Trump official…
And Trump lackeys shuttered the investigation.
Ignoring actual wrongdoing to protect allies, while punishing prosecutors for not going after enemies.
Blatant corruption.
To help secure government contracts…
By a now senior Trump official…
And Trump lackeys shuttered the investigation.
Ignoring actual wrongdoing to protect allies, while punishing prosecutors for not going after enemies.
Blatant corruption.
September 22, 2025 at 1:45 PM
An alleged $50,000 bribe…
To help secure government contracts…
By a now senior Trump official…
And Trump lackeys shuttered the investigation.
Ignoring actual wrongdoing to protect allies, while punishing prosecutors for not going after enemies.
Blatant corruption.
To help secure government contracts…
By a now senior Trump official…
And Trump lackeys shuttered the investigation.
Ignoring actual wrongdoing to protect allies, while punishing prosecutors for not going after enemies.
Blatant corruption.