Breaking: Zuckerberg ends fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, calling election “a cultural tipping point” on free speech. Meta will instead adopt X-style “community notes”.
(Yup, fact-checking costs money and resources – and it offends Trump and other purveyors of false information. Can’t have that!
PS. Realizing on Day One what a brilliant data-mining operation Mark Zuckerberg had launched, I never signed up for Facebook. In hindsight, that decision just gets better and better.)
I don't think Trump will try to turn the US into Putin's Russia, but trying to cow business and civic organizations, like in Hungary or PiS Poland seems a real possibility.
If only corporate America was as afraid of Democrats as they are of Trump.
Next time Democrats take power, we should make sure that corporate America is afraid of us. Having corporations afraid of the government is, in general, a good thing.
There really is no alternative to acting the way Trump does unfortunately. A party that is openly authoritarian and retributive of anyone who opposes them will always beat a party that is obsessed with norms and dignity. That doesn't necessarily mean we need to overturn elections, but in situations like North Carolina we should throw out votes that have minor discrepancies, our judges should block damaging information about democratic figures, and we should threaten corporations if they amplify conservative speech. Republicans had a chance to rein this in Trump's second impeachment trial, instead they've coalesced behind them. Oh well.
Zuckerberg’s business model is predicated on enhancing and protecting *paid speech* – as well as collecting and selling the data of all who dare to use his platforms for *free speech*.
However, being that Zuckerberg was socially awkward when he first started Facebook, I don't think he's ever truly learned anything other than to be more comfortable in his own skin.
I know free speech not just from the freedom of speaking it standpoint but also from the legal definition of it (i.e. knowing the different between private and public domain of free speech).
I hope that Lee has a well thought out plan for the budget crisis Oakland is currently in. The challenges of being Mayor will be very different from those of a congresswoman in a safe seat.
I am not pleased that Lee is running in the race. Given her mentor, the late Ron Dellums, was Mayor and ended up being a lackluster mayor, I think Lee potentially risks her legacy doing this.
Oakland does not need Lee as Mayor to shake things up. It needs responsible and less divisive governing, as well as reforming.
Minimum wage should be much higher than it is now, especially in Oakland.
However, my issue with Lee has nothing to do with what she'd try to do as Mayor and more with the fact that she'd be under increased pressure to deliver. When Dellums was Mayor he at least attempted to lead with interesting progressive initiatives. Unfortunately, he was bogged down with having not been fully transparent with his agenda and became more aloof over time.
Lee was fortunate to have been able to serve in the House and represent Oakland as well as Alameda, Albany, Berkeley and San Leandro for decades and get gigantic margins of victory in her re-election bids. This comes from never having received even remotely of serious challenge in the House.
Representing constituents in this aspect gives her freedom but being Mayor does not.
Of course. Neither Dellums nor Jean Quan, Libby Schaaf or Sheng Thao ever changed things in the city.
Oakland though did proper more pre-pandemic, at least in the Downtown and nearby areas. Once the pandemic hit, that accelerated Schaaf's approval ratings in a downward spiral.
Outside of being a Senator, almost every political job seems really terrible to me. I don't think my local government is doing a good job, but I would never, ever, ever, want to be in their shoes. House reps have to be running constantly. Most governors and mayors are dealing with crappy budgets, institutional corruption, degrading infrastructure, etc.
Smaller cities and towns seem to have it easier but perhaps it’s a matter of perspective.
I live next door to Albany, CA and the city is well run with little to no headlines except when it comes to residents pushing to block a large corporate pharmacy chain to not open a location at the large strip of Solano Avenue.
On the other hand, with larger cities like Oakland, there are a lot more moving parts and headaches to deal with.
Good points. And the fact that the Mayor is held accountable for what goes on in the police is another reason why I don’t envy anyone in the position.
That said, there are good examples of former Mayors who have gone on to being legislators:
Senator Mark Begich - Was Mayor of Anchorage, AK for six years before replacing the late Senator Ted Stevens in the Senate. Was a great advocate for Social Security.
CA State Senator Jesse Arreguin - Served as Mayor of Berkeley for eight years before being elected to the CA State Senate to replace retiring State Senator Nancy Skinner.
Mayor is a shit job..but some folks are somehow effective at it..imo strong city manager is the better model; then the political aspect is more oversight
In news reporting, perhaps the age of our politicians should sometimes be expressed thus: half-a-century old, two-thirds of a century, four-fifths, 15 years shy of a century old...
Fascist megalomaniac Donald Trump is a danger to world peace, as he suggested that the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed Gulf of America. Trump continues his obsessive quest to take over Greenland, Panama Canal, and Canada.
It all feels like obfuscating, distracting crap. The US took out Noriega because he would have used the Canal as his personal piggy bank and the US navy gets toll-free crossing to this day under the current government. The US got a solid, but fair arrangement.
But if you want to set smoke screens, you should at least pick domestic issues that won't cause the rest of the world to see you as an unhinged buffoon.
I think most politically disengaged people find it dumb, too.
This is all laying the groundwork to present an excuse for his tariffs he can fall back on when they present real pain and, imo, test the boundaries of the extent to which Trump and his goons can shape the politics of trade partners through threats and bluster
An appropriate name might be "Gulf of the Americas". But then again, how many people in the US of A realize "The Americas" consist of all the countries of North America, of Latin America and South America, and of the Caribbean?
Precisely! Our use of "America" to mean only "Estados Unidos" is seen as the ultimate insult – an arrogant combination of colonialist chauvinism and cultural appropriation.
Senate Democrats are forcing a delay in Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing next week, claiming she hasn't provided required vetting materials.
Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has pointed out that the committee has not yet received Gabbard's FBI background check, ethics disclosure or a pre-hearing questionnaire. Committee rules require the background check a week in advance of a hearing.
And with the VA-GOV race around the corner, this should give Abigail Spanberger hope if she ends up becoming the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in general election.
Ds hold the VA state legislature by defending a couple of Harris +22 seats in Loudoun Co. Margin in both districts looks like it'll be a touch higher than that, although Biden won these seats by 35 pts apiece.
And despite our expected loss in SD-10, we outperformed the margin by 9 there (lost by 18 in a Trump +27 district). That's actually more impressive than the ~1.5 point outperformances in Loudoun.
Overall these are good numbers. VA has down-ballot lag that favors Republicans in state and local races. Outperforming Harris by an average of 3-4 is not bad. (If repeated verbatim in this fall's gubernatorial, we'd win by almost 10).
Considering Ralph Northam won the Governorship in 2017 by just over nine per cent, that's actually quite telling. The last Democrat in Virginia to win the Governorship by double digits: Gerald Baliles back in 1985.
Republican election theft in action.
ZUCKERBERG genuflects to “Alternative Facts”
Breaking: Zuckerberg ends fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, calling election “a cultural tipping point” on free speech. Meta will instead adopt X-style “community notes”.
(Yup, fact-checking costs money and resources – and it offends Trump and other purveyors of false information. Can’t have that!
PS. Realizing on Day One what a brilliant data-mining operation Mark Zuckerberg had launched, I never signed up for Facebook. In hindsight, that decision just gets better and better.)
Facebook was fact checking?
The corporate genuflecting continues apace.
I don't think Trump will try to turn the US into Putin's Russia, but trying to cow business and civic organizations, like in Hungary or PiS Poland seems a real possibility.
If only corporate America was as afraid of Democrats as they are of Trump.
Next time Democrats take power, we should make sure that corporate America is afraid of us. Having corporations afraid of the government is, in general, a good thing.
There really is no alternative to acting the way Trump does unfortunately. A party that is openly authoritarian and retributive of anyone who opposes them will always beat a party that is obsessed with norms and dignity. That doesn't necessarily mean we need to overturn elections, but in situations like North Carolina we should throw out votes that have minor discrepancies, our judges should block damaging information about democratic figures, and we should threaten corporations if they amplify conservative speech. Republicans had a chance to rein this in Trump's second impeachment trial, instead they've coalesced behind them. Oh well.
Does Zuckerberg have any clue what free speech is?
Zuckerberg’s business model is predicated on enhancing and protecting *paid speech* – as well as collecting and selling the data of all who dare to use his platforms for *free speech*.
In other words, Zuckerberg has no balls to have firmly held convictions on just about anything.
Unless it helps him with Facebook.
He doesn't care; hoping you know that
Oh I know that.
However, being that Zuckerberg was socially awkward when he first started Facebook, I don't think he's ever truly learned anything other than to be more comfortable in his own skin.
I know free speech not just from the freedom of speaking it standpoint but also from the legal definition of it (i.e. knowing the different between private and public domain of free speech).
OakIand Mayor:
I hope that Lee has a well thought out plan for the budget crisis Oakland is currently in. The challenges of being Mayor will be very different from those of a congresswoman in a safe seat.
I am not pleased that Lee is running in the race. Given her mentor, the late Ron Dellums, was Mayor and ended up being a lackluster mayor, I think Lee potentially risks her legacy doing this.
Oakland does not need Lee as Mayor to shake things up. It needs responsible and less divisive governing, as well as reforming.
What would be her solution anyway? A minimum wage of $50/hr?
Minimum wage should be much higher than it is now, especially in Oakland.
However, my issue with Lee has nothing to do with what she'd try to do as Mayor and more with the fact that she'd be under increased pressure to deliver. When Dellums was Mayor he at least attempted to lead with interesting progressive initiatives. Unfortunately, he was bogged down with having not been fully transparent with his agenda and became more aloof over time.
Lee was fortunate to have been able to serve in the House and represent Oakland as well as Alameda, Albany, Berkeley and San Leandro for decades and get gigantic margins of victory in her re-election bids. This comes from never having received even remotely of serious challenge in the House.
Representing constituents in this aspect gives her freedom but being Mayor does not.
It hasn't had that since Jerry Brown
Of course. Neither Dellums nor Jean Quan, Libby Schaaf or Sheng Thao ever changed things in the city.
Oakland though did proper more pre-pandemic, at least in the Downtown and nearby areas. Once the pandemic hit, that accelerated Schaaf's approval ratings in a downward spiral.
Chicago municipal government is in a world of hurt too: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/06/johnson-administration-passes-on-state-funding-for-publicly-owned-grocery-store/
Let's Go (Away) Brandon!
For a Mayor Brandon who's doing better, look at Brandon Scott of Baltimore, reelected last year.
If only the 2nd round opponent wasn't a Trojan horse Republican.
Scott is a really impressive public servant
Outside of being a Senator, almost every political job seems really terrible to me. I don't think my local government is doing a good job, but I would never, ever, ever, want to be in their shoes. House reps have to be running constantly. Most governors and mayors are dealing with crappy budgets, institutional corruption, degrading infrastructure, etc.
Smaller cities and towns seem to have it easier but perhaps it’s a matter of perspective.
I live next door to Albany, CA and the city is well run with little to no headlines except when it comes to residents pushing to block a large corporate pharmacy chain to not open a location at the large strip of Solano Avenue.
On the other hand, with larger cities like Oakland, there are a lot more moving parts and headaches to deal with.
Being a mayor is either the cushiest job or the worse job.
Even in affluent, somewhat well-run Seattle, Bruce Harrell is about to become the first mayor in 20 years who’ll be re-elected
Good points. And the fact that the Mayor is held accountable for what goes on in the police is another reason why I don’t envy anyone in the position.
That said, there are good examples of former Mayors who have gone on to being legislators:
Senator Mark Begich - Was Mayor of Anchorage, AK for six years before replacing the late Senator Ted Stevens in the Senate. Was a great advocate for Social Security.
CA State Senator Jesse Arreguin - Served as Mayor of Berkeley for eight years before being elected to the CA State Senate to replace retiring State Senator Nancy Skinner.
Mayor is a shit job..but some folks are somehow effective at it..imo strong city manager is the better model; then the political aspect is more oversight
Indeed. LBJ actually proposed that US Representatives serve four year terms rather than two year terms for that very reason.
I like the 2 year aspect of the House as is
At this point there are 240 House members older than I am, 193 younger, 1 uncertain. Laura Gillen was born the same day I was.
In news reporting, perhaps the age of our politicians should sometimes be expressed thus: half-a-century old, two-thirds of a century, four-fifths, 15 years shy of a century old...
Found an interesting link with congressional demographic breakdowns for the 119th Congress.
https://www.wdsu.com/article/119th-us-congress-new-members-age-race-gender/63327142
Excellent!
There are 26 Mikes/Michaels elected to the 119th Congress and John/Jon is the runner-up at 22 members.
But fortunately only one each of Marjorie, Chip, Anna Paulina, Victoria, Ronny, Byron, Buddy or Dusty. Thank God!
Dusty Johnson isn't one of the bad ones.
imo future Senator
There are four house members younger than me. At least 143 are more than twice as old as me.
Seven younger than myself.
I count 18 younger than me.
how old are you? Curious
55, same as Gillen.
Fascist megalomaniac Donald Trump is a danger to world peace, as he suggested that the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed Gulf of America. Trump continues his obsessive quest to take over Greenland, Panama Canal, and Canada.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/gulf-of-america-trump-renames-gulf-of-mexico.html
It all feels like obfuscating, distracting crap. The US took out Noriega because he would have used the Canal as his personal piggy bank and the US navy gets toll-free crossing to this day under the current government. The US got a solid, but fair arrangement.
So this saber rattling is just smoke screen.
But if you want to set smoke screens, you should at least pick domestic issues that won't cause the rest of the world to see you as an unhinged buffoon.
I think most politically disengaged people find it dumb, too.
This is all laying the groundwork to present an excuse for his tariffs he can fall back on when they present real pain and, imo, test the boundaries of the extent to which Trump and his goons can shape the politics of trade partners through threats and bluster
Ahhh yes, Gulf of America.
Except what Trump doesn't realize is that Mexico IS apart of the North American region along with Canada.
An appropriate name might be "Gulf of the Americas". But then again, how many people in the US of A realize "The Americas" consist of all the countries of North America, of Latin America and South America, and of the Caribbean?
Or that when Latin America hears the term "America", they think of what we would think of "the Americas."
Precisely! Our use of "America" to mean only "Estados Unidos" is seen as the ultimate insult – an arrogant combination of colonialist chauvinism and cultural appropriation.
It's showmanship
TULSI DELAYED!
Senate Democrats are forcing a delay in Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing next week, claiming she hasn't provided required vetting materials.
Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has pointed out that the committee has not yet received Gabbard's FBI background check, ethics disclosure or a pre-hearing questionnaire. Committee rules require the background check a week in advance of a hearing.
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/07/tulsi-gabbard-senate-democrats-delay-hearing
She should NOT be confirmed to any office.
she's probably going to make it through
Good news from Virginia! The elections all went as expected - one Dem House win, one Dem Senate win, one Rep Senate win - but our candidates outperformed Harris by 3 per cent! https://bluevirginia.us/2025/01/live-blog-results-from-virginia-special-elections-in-sd10-sd32-hd26
Nice!
And with the VA-GOV race around the corner, this should give Abigail Spanberger hope if she ends up becoming the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in general election.
She went door to door with them here in Virginia. This is VERY good news for her. Right now she is uncontested for the nomination.
Now that’s dedication. Spanberger is the real deal.
Working for the CIA, then later Congress, now being Governor. Quite a profile!
Hopefully it remains that way.. I am betting that the Republicans are contested in their primary
Excellent👍 and unsurprising; I am convinced that Trump will be the Democratic party's best motivator going forward
Ds hold the VA state legislature by defending a couple of Harris +22 seats in Loudoun Co. Margin in both districts looks like it'll be a touch higher than that, although Biden won these seats by 35 pts apiece.
https://x.com/kkondik/status/1876801836159574360
And despite our expected loss in SD-10, we outperformed the margin by 9 there (lost by 18 in a Trump +27 district). That's actually more impressive than the ~1.5 point outperformances in Loudoun.
Overall these are good numbers. VA has down-ballot lag that favors Republicans in state and local races. Outperforming Harris by an average of 3-4 is not bad. (If repeated verbatim in this fall's gubernatorial, we'd win by almost 10).
Great analysis
Considering Ralph Northam won the Governorship in 2017 by just over nine per cent, that's actually quite telling. The last Democrat in Virginia to win the Governorship by double digits: Gerald Baliles back in 1985.
By election day I'm sure Trump will have killed the Republicans chances in many Virginia marginal districts
Imo Peters did a incredible job considering the headwinds
I'm a fan of Cartwright.. Bet he wins if he runs in 2026
Can I say just how stupid it is that we have governing bodies that contain an even number of members..!!.. Arrgghh
Buddy MacKay was a great Democrat and a very decent man; a rare combination imo