Shelby
@shelbyv.bsky.social
digital @briefingwithpsaki & editorial @maddow | *reposts & likes ≠ endorsements*
“I noticed a mousetrap in the corner of Blair’s office and was reminded that the rodents are the only truly permanent residents of the White House.”
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/v...
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/v...
‘Vanity Fair’ Goes to the White House: Trump 2.0 Edition
“Is this the part where you say we’re all evil?” the vice president asked.
www.vanityfair.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:27 AM
“I noticed a mousetrap in the corner of Blair’s office and was reminded that the rodents are the only truly permanent residents of the White House.”
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/v...
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/v...
Another nugget flooding the human trafficking zone while Trump and the Epstein files continue to dominate headlines
SCOOP: As Trump takes a beating from his own MAGA crowd for his handling of the case of Jeffrey Epstein, his State Department pulled a surprising move: It decimated its office combating human trafficking.
“Everyone was caught off guard,” an insider told @pemalevy.bsky.social
“Everyone was caught off guard,” an insider told @pemalevy.bsky.social
The State Department guts its office combating human trafficking
The cuts come as Trump reels from MAGA anger over sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
www.motherjones.com
July 17, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Another nugget flooding the human trafficking zone while Trump and the Epstein files continue to dominate headlines
"69% of respondents thought the federal government was hiding details about Epstein's clients"
Trump faces backlash as 69% believe Epstein details concealed -Reuters/Ipsos poll
Most Americans think President Donald Trump's administration is hiding information about accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and give it poor marks on the issue after pledging to make public documents in the case, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
www.reuters.com
July 17, 2025 at 6:45 PM
"69% of respondents thought the federal government was hiding details about Epstein's clients"
Reposted by Shelby
w here’s a picture MN can celebrate. State Senator John Hoffman discharged from ICU today after being shot numerous times during assassination attempt. His family tells me he’s moving to a rehab facility and still has a long road ahead.
July 8, 2025 at 12:48 AM
w here’s a picture MN can celebrate. State Senator John Hoffman discharged from ICU today after being shot numerous times during assassination attempt. His family tells me he’s moving to a rehab facility and still has a long road ahead.
Elon Musk's trump/epstein tweet has Alex Jones’ attention
June 6, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Elon Musk's trump/epstein tweet has Alex Jones’ attention
in a town of fewer than 100 year-round residents ... it's "the nation’s first and only school offering Songahm Taekwondo as a school sport ... the students have literally put Alaska on the taekwondo world’s map."
alaskapublic.org/news/educati...
alaskapublic.org/news/educati...
A taekwondo class in rural Alaska may save the community’s school
Whale Pass doesn’t have a grocery store, but it does have Alaska’s only certified Songahm Taekwondo dojo. That could be key to drawing more students.
alaskapublic.org
June 2, 2025 at 8:50 PM
in a town of fewer than 100 year-round residents ... it's "the nation’s first and only school offering Songahm Taekwondo as a school sport ... the students have literally put Alaska on the taekwondo world’s map."
alaskapublic.org/news/educati...
alaskapublic.org/news/educati...
interesting piece on the parallels of what led to the creation of the boy scouts 125 years ago and the present day rise in loneliness, white nationalism and violence among young men.
Can Scouting Save Young Men?
There is an organization dedicated to addressing the “boy problem.” It operates in over 100 countries and works with tens of millions of children, primarily boys and teenagers.
youngmenresearchinitiative.substack.com
June 2, 2025 at 7:25 PM
interesting piece on the parallels of what led to the creation of the boy scouts 125 years ago and the present day rise in loneliness, white nationalism and violence among young men.
"The draw of the phone is simple: Trump likes to call people. He likes to be called. Unknown numbers come with a thrill akin to putting a coin in a gumball machine and waiting to see which flavor rolls out. Surrendering the phone would be inconvenient, limiting, and so he keeps it."
The Secret History of Trump’s Private Cellphone
“Who’s calling?” the president asks as he answers call after call from numbers he doesn’t know.
www.theatlantic.com
June 2, 2025 at 6:18 PM
"The draw of the phone is simple: Trump likes to call people. He likes to be called. Unknown numbers come with a thrill akin to putting a coin in a gumball machine and waiting to see which flavor rolls out. Surrendering the phone would be inconvenient, limiting, and so he keeps it."
This figure, if remotely accurate, is 5x the current Gaza death toll
If this is even remotely accurate, Elon Musk and Donald Trump have killed more people in several months than the Iraq war killed in a decade
May 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
This figure, if remotely accurate, is 5x the current Gaza death toll
“Interviewing a gang member doesn’t make me a criminal,” Peña said. “Just like interviewing a pope doesn’t make me a saint, and interviewing a corrupt politician doesn’t make me corrupt. But our job is to do those interviews.”
Bukele’s crackdown pushes top Salvadoran journalists to flee
El Salvador’s top independent investigative news outlet moved its headquarters to Costa Rica in 2023. More of its journalists left the country this month.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 19, 2025 at 2:09 PM
“Interviewing a gang member doesn’t make me a criminal,” Peña said. “Just like interviewing a pope doesn’t make me a saint, and interviewing a corrupt politician doesn’t make me corrupt. But our job is to do those interviews.”
"some of the 133 high-ranking clerics set to enter the Sistine Chapel when the conclave starts on Wednesday have looked to the Ralph Fiennes movie ― handily titled just “Conclave” ― for pointers."
www.politico.eu/article/card...
www.politico.eu/article/card...
Cardinals are watching ‘Conclave’ the movie for guidance on the conclave IRL
The 2024 movie is proving a useful primer for clerics about to take part in the real thing to choose the next pope.
www.politico.eu
May 7, 2025 at 1:41 AM
"some of the 133 high-ranking clerics set to enter the Sistine Chapel when the conclave starts on Wednesday have looked to the Ralph Fiennes movie ― handily titled just “Conclave” ― for pointers."
www.politico.eu/article/card...
www.politico.eu/article/card...
250 years ago today was Paul Revere's midnight ride: "But, the real taste of the same American — and Boston — pride that the revolutionaries may have felt in their rejection of tea can be found in the seven Dunkin' stores that dot Revere's route today"
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/p...
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/p...
1 if by land, 2 if by Dunkin'? What Paul Revere's midnight ride would be like today
The route of Paul Revere’s midnight ride from Boston to Lexington 250 years ago looks much different today. For starters, it’s easier to find a Dunkin’.
www.nbcboston.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
250 years ago today was Paul Revere's midnight ride: "But, the real taste of the same American — and Boston — pride that the revolutionaries may have felt in their rejection of tea can be found in the seven Dunkin' stores that dot Revere's route today"
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/p...
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/p...
Big Gretch next to Natalie Harp in a photograph was not on my bingo card
Can’t get over this image of Governor Gretchen Whitmer shielding herself from cameras in the Oval Office this past week.
Whitmer’s spokesperson said she was at the White House to meet with Trump about Michigan matters and didn’t know she would be walking into a press event.
(Photo: Eric Lee/NYT)
Whitmer’s spokesperson said she was at the White House to meet with Trump about Michigan matters and didn’t know she would be walking into a press event.
(Photo: Eric Lee/NYT)
April 12, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Big Gretch next to Natalie Harp in a photograph was not on my bingo card
“How is ‘skibidi’ different than ‘fire’?” the second-term Democrat asked his son on the first episode of his new podcast. “Fire is, like, it’s really good,” Will Beshear, 15, explained. “‘Skibidi’ is just, like ‘Oh, OK.’”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear nabs the latest must-have for a major politician: His own podcast
In an interview with NBC News, Kentucky's Democratic governor said he hopes his podcast and direct-to-cam videos draw in (and comfort) viewers amid a torrent of political news.
www.nbcnews.com
April 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
“How is ‘skibidi’ different than ‘fire’?” the second-term Democrat asked his son on the first episode of his new podcast. “Fire is, like, it’s really good,” Will Beshear, 15, explained. “‘Skibidi’ is just, like ‘Oh, OK.’”
“He’s not demanding cookies, he’s not demanding a helicopter,” an Interior Department official told us in response. “It is antithetical to diva behavior.”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Cabinet Secretary Who Wants His Cookies Freshly Baked
The unusual requests made of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s staff are raising concerns all the way to the White House.
www.theatlantic.com
April 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
“He’s not demanding cookies, he’s not demanding a helicopter,” an Interior Department official told us in response. “It is antithetical to diva behavior.”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
114 years ago today was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire www.cnn.com/2025/03/25/b...
Florida debates lifting some child labor laws to fill jobs vacated by undocumented immigrants | CNN Business
Florida has been working for years to crack down on employers that hire undocumented immigrants. But that presented a problem for businesses in the state that are desperate for workers to fill low-wag...
www.cnn.com
March 25, 2025 at 10:09 PM
114 years ago today was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire www.cnn.com/2025/03/25/b...
"... Natalie constantly fed Trump from the printer—carefully assembled with Trump’s signature gold paper clips, faithfully carried by him in a beige Lululemon bag—flying off his table, and everyone had to suddenly scurry to collect them, seeing, dumbfounded, the contents."
“Bring Me the Poison”: On the Trail With Trump’s Inner Circle of Suck-Ups
In this exclusive first excerpt from ‘All or Nothing,’ Michael Wolff’s raucous chronicle of the 2024 campaign, MAGA lackeys Boris Epshteyn and Natalie Harp worship at the altar of the will-be presiden...
www.vanityfair.com
February 20, 2025 at 6:53 PM
"... Natalie constantly fed Trump from the printer—carefully assembled with Trump’s signature gold paper clips, faithfully carried by him in a beige Lululemon bag—flying off his table, and everyone had to suddenly scurry to collect them, seeing, dumbfounded, the contents."
"Tillis has said that if people want to understand Trump, they should read the 2006 book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work. (When asked for comment for this story, a spokesperson for Tillis said it was false that the senator had recommended the book in that capacity. ...)"
“They’re Scared Shitless”: The Threat of Political Violence Informing Trump’s Grip on Congress
With the president smashing norm after norm, even lawmakers within his party have feared for their personal safety, and at least one has told confidants that it has swayed his decision-making.
www.vanityfair.com
February 20, 2025 at 4:56 PM
"Tillis has said that if people want to understand Trump, they should read the 2006 book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work. (When asked for comment for this story, a spokesperson for Tillis said it was false that the senator had recommended the book in that capacity. ...)"
"... prioritize the termination of contracts with six news organizations in particular: the Economist, the New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, the Associated Press and Reuters." But they can "submit a request to maintain a news subscription but that it “must be done within 1 sentence.”
State Dept. orders cancellation of news subscriptions around the world
U.S. embassies and consulates were told to terminate subscriptions to the New York Times, the Associated Press and other media outlets.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 19, 2025 at 3:37 PM
"... prioritize the termination of contracts with six news organizations in particular: the Economist, the New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, the Associated Press and Reuters." But they can "submit a request to maintain a news subscription but that it “must be done within 1 sentence.”
"With leadership being pushed out, funding drying up, morale plummeting, and firings coming by the hour, the question now confronting people beginning their careers in the field of scientific research is not whether the government is there to help them, but whether they can survive its wrath."
The DOGE Brain Drain Has Begun
It’s not just jobs cut and agencies gutted. It’s the talent that will be lost for generations to come.
www.thebulwark.com
February 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM
"With leadership being pushed out, funding drying up, morale plummeting, and firings coming by the hour, the question now confronting people beginning their careers in the field of scientific research is not whether the government is there to help them, but whether they can survive its wrath."
"Unemployment is already low ... jobs for people with bachelor's degrees have decreased "by more than 50%,"
Kansas City doesn't have enough jobs available for all the federal workers getting laid off
Federal workers in Kansas City whose jobs were eliminated under the Trump administration's massive budget cuts will have a hard time finding comparable work in the area. Instability in the city's work...
www.kcur.org
February 19, 2025 at 2:47 PM
"Unemployment is already low ... jobs for people with bachelor's degrees have decreased "by more than 50%,"
Reposted by Shelby
"Everything I say leaks," Zuckerberg says in leaked meeting audio. "It sucks"
www.404media.co/zuckerberg-s...
www.404media.co/zuckerberg-s...
Zuckerberg Says 'Everything I Say Leaks' in Leaked Meeting Audio
"There are a bunch of things that I think are value-destroying for me to talk about, so I’m not going to talk about those."
www.404media.co
January 30, 2025 at 9:42 PM
"Everything I say leaks," Zuckerberg says in leaked meeting audio. "It sucks"
www.404media.co/zuckerberg-s...
www.404media.co/zuckerberg-s...
"Hundreds of subreddits are considering banning all links to X.com in response to Elon Musk’s salute at a Donald Trump inauguration rally that was celebrated by Nazis as being a Nazi salute. The moderators of dozens of those subreddits have said that they have decided they will ban all links to X."
Hundreds of Subreddits Are Considering Banning All Links to X
Dozens of big subreddits have already banned all Twitter links, and posts about potential bans are some of the most popular on the site.
www.404media.co
January 22, 2025 at 7:00 PM
"Hundreds of subreddits are considering banning all links to X.com in response to Elon Musk’s salute at a Donald Trump inauguration rally that was celebrated by Nazis as being a Nazi salute. The moderators of dozens of those subreddits have said that they have decided they will ban all links to X."
Reposted by Shelby
Sergeant Gonell @sergeantaqgo.bsky.social sent me this picture. This is his call log. Each call is an automated Dept of "Justice" notification saying "The defendant you testified against is being released from the dept of corrections."
Each defendant assaulted him.
Each defendant assaulted him.
January 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Sergeant Gonell @sergeantaqgo.bsky.social sent me this picture. This is his call log. Each call is an automated Dept of "Justice" notification saying "The defendant you testified against is being released from the dept of corrections."
Each defendant assaulted him.
Each defendant assaulted him.
“What Democrats have is an attention problem, not a media problem, and it stems partly from the fact that they still treat attention as something the media controls rather than as something they have to fight for themselves.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/o...
Opinion | Trump Barely Won the Election. Why Doesn’t It Feel That Way?
The president-elect’s cultural victory has lapped his political victory.
www.nytimes.com
January 20, 2025 at 2:41 AM
“What Democrats have is an attention problem, not a media problem, and it stems partly from the fact that they still treat attention as something the media controls rather than as something they have to fight for themselves.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/o...