Josh Marshall thinks that the MBS/Khashoggi issue will play badly in the light of Vindman's intervention because it will demonstrate that Trump outright lied to the press and public in that oval office meeting. I hope he's right, but personally I doubt it. Trump's well established as an outright liar, and I can't see, even if the call were to prove that MSB conceded to him that he knew about the murder, that MAGA or Trump's base would give a damn. And it really looks like that's all that Trump cares about.
2 weeks ago
Pro Bono: FYLTGE
2 weeks ago
Also treating this as an open thread: this is an piece from today's NYT, about the Tucker Carlson - Nick Fuentes interview and more importantly the Heritage Foundation's reaction, and on to Vance's response to so much of what has been happening around the tolerance of Nazi/fascist opinion among the right:
I posted this on People and Politics, which might now be a kind of defunct thread. But since lj has luckily now posted a thread specifically about the Epstein email releases, I am copying it here. Now that lj has helpfully given us the link, there may be other worthwhile finds.
I guess this is the closest thing we have to an open thread at the moment? I find it hard to know for sure. Anyway, I just wanted to say that on the Epstein emails release, I think the most interesting thing so far is the correspondence between Bannon and Epstein. It’s an astonishing illustration of moral bankruptcy on Bannon’s part, and to the extent that he is such an integral part of MAGA world I do think it really keeps the heat on.
Josh Marshall thinks that the MBS/Khashoggi issue will play badly in the light of Vindman's intervention because it will demonstrate that Trump outright lied to the press and public in that oval office meeting. I hope he's right, but personally I doubt it. Trump's well established as an outright liar, and I can't see, even if the call were to prove that MSB conceded to him that he knew about the murder, that MAGA or Trump's base would give a damn. And it really looks like that's all that Trump cares about.
Pro Bono: FYLTGE
Also treating this as an open thread: this is an piece from today's NYT, about the Tucker Carlson - Nick Fuentes interview and more importantly the Heritage Foundation's reaction, and on to Vance's response to so much of what has been happening around the tolerance of Nazi/fascist opinion among the right:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/opinion/tucker-carlson-trump-groypers-fuentes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2E8.dcFB.iS10t8lip43s&smid=url-share
I posted this on People and Politics, which might now be a kind of defunct thread. But since lj has luckily now posted a thread specifically about the Epstein email releases, I am copying it here. Now that lj has helpfully given us the link, there may be other worthwhile finds.
I guess this is the closest thing we have to an open thread at the moment? I find it hard to know for sure.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that on the Epstein emails release, I think the most interesting thing so far is the correspondence between Bannon and Epstein. It’s an astonishing illustration of moral bankruptcy on Bannon’s part, and to the extent that he is such an integral part of MAGA world I do think it really keeps the heat on.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/steve-bannon-jeffrey-epstein-text-messages-publicity