Markos Moulitsas kos.bsky.social

Imagine how bad this place got for me to give up 170K+ followers and start fresh, but that place with the blue skies is leagues better than this hellhole, so I’m out for good. Not deleting for professional reasons, but in my mind, it’s all gone. See you over there

The @Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, is out with a major new research study showing that immigrants, both legal and illegal, contribute significantly more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. And there's more: because immigrants (both legal and not) are such large net-contributors of tax revenue, they also structurally reduce government budget deficits.

My take: dailykos.com/stories/2026/2…

NOW: Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino hounded by activists and shoppers protesting his presence as he and a federal agent caravan leave a Target in St Paul, Minnesota for a restroom break.

🚨 BREAKING: ICE/Border Patrol agents once again threaten to illegally arrest a U.S. citizen… for standing on a public sidewalk and filming them. Yes. Really. In the video, in Beaverton, Oregon, multiple agents swarm a man who is doing nothing more than observing and recording from a public sidewalk, something that is 100% legal and protected by the First Amendment. An agent claims they “know who he is” and accuses him of driving erratically and being “a danger to the public.” Which is rich, coming from an agency with a long history of hitting people with vehicles, assaulting women and children, and “accidentally” firing or dropping loaded firearms. But, even so, they are not police and cannot arrest someone for a traffic violation. Then the threats start. “You are interfering with our operations.” “You could be arrested.” “We will arrest you.” Again, the man is standing on a sidewalk. Not blocking anyone. Not touching anyone. Not saying anything beyond asserting his rights. Another agent jumps in with, “You were following us yesterday.” Cool story. Still not illegal. They repeatedly claim he has “interfered with operations,” yet, the only behavior they can actually point to is… observing them. Existing near them. Filming them. When the man calmly says, “I’m not interfering,” the response is: “If you continue, you will be in handcuffs.” Let’s be crystal clear about what that means: ICE agents are threatening to arrest a U.S. citizen for continuing to legally observe and film them in his own neighborhood. When the man states the obvious, “I’m not breaking the law and you know it,” the agent completely loses it. He steps inches from the man’s face, points at him, shoves into his shoulder or chest, and screams, “One more time and I will put you in handcuffs.” This isn’t law enforcement. This is intimidation. The man tells him to get off him. The agent responds, “No, I’ll stand right here, pal. Right here all day,” while continuing to press into him. The citizen points out the setup perfectly: “If I touch you, you’re going to arrest me, right?” Exactly. That’s the game. That’s when the agent snaps completely, screaming that the man is “worthless” and has “no honor.” Which… feels like projection. This video shows exactly what ICE and Border Patrol are doing across the country: They are trying to scare people into not filming. They are trying to bully citizens out of exercising their rights. And when intimidation doesn’t work, they escalate. Because they know that cameras expose them. So here’s the takeaway: Always film. State your rights calmly. Keep your hands visible and on your phone. Narrate everything that’s happening. They want silence. They want fear. They want no witnesses. Don’t give it to them.

When I was 22 years old, I commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and swore an oath to the Constitution. I upheld that oath through flight school, multiple deployments on the USS Midway, 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, test pilot school, four space shuttle flights at NASA, and every day since I retired – which I did after my wife Gabby was shot in the head while serving her constituents. In combat, I had a missile blow up next to my jet and flew through anti-aircraft fire to drop bombs on enemy targets. At NASA, I launched on a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and was part of the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my astronaut classmates who died on Columbia. I did all of this in service to this country that I love and has given me so much. Secretary Hegseth’s tweet is the first I heard of this. I also saw the President’s posts saying I should be arrested, hanged, and put to death. If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.

If you are Ukrainian, where ever you are in the world, stand tall and be proud tonight. Your President has just shown the entire civilized, sane world what leadership and courage looks like . A modern Churchill, @ZelenskyyUa is a leader who has shown the most integrity, belief and morals to have ever set foot in the Oval Office. It’s been an honour to support, see, be and feel Ukraine since 22. I and the rest of the civilized free world are with you all. Slava Ukraini . 🇬🇧👊🇺🇦

"VANCE: Have you said thank you once?" This is insane. Zelenskyy gave an address to a joint session of Congress less than a year after the Russian invasion started, and said these words (among many other words of gratitude):

So let’s get this straight—a sitting Republican congressman, Cory Mills, allegedly beats up his mistress in a luxury penthouse, police show up, see fresh bruises, and even hear him telling her to lie about it. They decide to arrest him. But then—poof!—the case gets downgraded, the arrest never happens, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (stacked with Trump appointees) conveniently refuses to sign the warrant. The game is rigged, folks. If this were anyone else—especially a Democrat or an average citizen—they’d be in cuffs before they could blink. But a Republican congressman? Suddenly, it’s “let’s investigate further.” Funny how the law only seems to apply when it’s politically convenient. Meanwhile, the same party screaming about “law and order” is running interference for their own criminals. Mills should be sitting in a jail cell, not Congress. But when you’ve got the right connections, the law bends in your favor. Hell of a democracy we’ve got here.

Remember when Trump was president?

@JohnBasham @POTUS @SenTedCruz Trump re: Adelson’s Medal of Freedom 8/24: "it’s actually much better b/c everyone gets the Congr. Medal of Honor, they're soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape b/c they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead. She gets it, and she’s a healthy, beautiful woman"

The famous Syrian activist Mazen Hamada was alive the whole time in Sednaya prison - Assad’s men killed him right before they fled. No doubt they did not want him to testify to their barbaric crimes. He lived the most hellish life on Earth. The photo of his corpse is something you can never unsee. They raped and tortured him for years. Maybe no man on planet earth lived a life of greater pain and suffering. Assad and his men are demons and everybody who supports them are pure scum. There were tens of thousands who committed obscene crimes against humanity in Assad’s name and they all walk the face of the Earth today unpunished because tens of millions spread Russian propaganda and lies to defend them. The injustice of the world is too much…

Hey, wink wink, we're at the other place too. Come join us! 😉 bsky.app/profile/dailyk… #bluesky #bsky #BlueskySocial

Kind of wild that, of all these stories written about how Trump's deportations will likely cause even higher prices in grocery stores, only one was published before election day.

WATCH: “There was another person who tried to raise concerns about the health of the food we feed our children…” CNN’s @abbydphillip shows a supercut of how Hannity and other Republicans attacked Michelle Obama for what they’re now turning RFK Jr. into a hero for.

Among the most important charts for thinking clearly about the 2024 election — and politics in general. The hardest divide to cross isn't left vs. right. It's interested vs. uninterested. dataforprogress.org/insights/2024/…

If you want to know the scale of collapse of the “climate”movement, here’s a primer: 1. NIMBYs block new housing in blue cities for a ~ decade 2. Also block transit & bike lanes 3. “Climate leaders” buy Teslas; “the workers we displace to Turlock will have EVs! No pollution!”

Harris did better with ALL white voters than any Democratic candidate since 2008 (Barack Obama), and she did better with whites than most Dems since 1972. If you are explaining her loss through a racial lens, you are misunderstanding this political moment. h/t @Musa_alGharbi