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Brandon Friedman

@brandonfriedman.bsky.social

51K followers 590 following 4.8K posts

Founder, Rakkasan Tea Company • Dallas Police Oversight Board • Former Obama guy • Once a soldier Dallas, Texas rakkasantea.com @rakkasantea.bsky.social

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 15

My latest today on how strict adherence to the rules is killing Democrats while fascists take cities

Fascists are using laws and norms against us. Stop letting them. — The McPherson Square Group

There’s a reason cops don’t wait for red lights when pursuing a suspect.

www.themcphersonsquaregroup.com

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 25m

At its core, the obsession with robots, rocket ships, Martian colonies and artificial intelligence has always been less about economics or human advancement and more about incels creating safe spaces for unlimited sex with beautiful android women while they relegate chads to beta status.

Pop Crave @popcrave.com · 4h

OpenAI CEO announces they will soon allow verified adults to use ChatGPT to generate erotic content.

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 1h

"Copyright growing pains" is an interesting way of saying "they stole a bunch of intellectual property"

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 1d

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

www.scientificamerican.com

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 1h

@BFreidmanDC on X: If you want to be horrified, just poll Americans on whether there were positive aspects to slavery and the Holocaust
23 Feb 2016

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 2h

She said this to his face

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 3h

"I think the Democratic base feels like there is a disconnect. We hear you, when you did your 25-hour speech, I was like go Cory, I love this, that is amazing.

And then there's a photo shoot with you with Benjamin Netanyahu, and I was just like, what in the actual fuck? It was heartbreaking."

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 4h

"What do you have to say about the capitulation that you participated in?"

Cory Booker clearly wasn't expecting the pushback he got from @ivehaditpodcast.bsky.social

Full interview: youtu.be/HLfzsOVjlxc

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Aaron Ross Powell ☸️ @aaronrosspowell.com · 6h

It's difficult to overstate the degree to which the GOP and the mainstream American right have been taken over by socially and emotionally stunted and malformed losers.

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 6h

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson calls Sunday's naked bike ride in protest of the Portland ICE facility and and Trump troop deployment "the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet"

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

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Eugene Freedman @eugenefreedman.bsky.social · 6h

The bad faith of the Netanyahu regime is confirmed once again. Has it even been 24 hours? They violated the agreement for aid and they breached by killing a half dozen Palestinians. With two material breaches immediately, it would seem like rescission.

Mondoweiss @mondoweiss.net · 12h

NEW: Israel informed the UN it will permit only 300 aid trucks into Gaza daily, not the 600 mandated by the ceasefire it just signed.

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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 5h

There is no conceivable argument that these ships, even if we assume they were carrying narcotics, could not be dealt with in some other way. I think we can just drop the caveats and say: This is mass murder.

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 10h

Unless and until some kind of compelling legal and moral argument is presented as to why this is a legitimate use of deadly force, this is just…mass murder.

Amarnath Amarasingam @amaramarasingam.bsky.social · 10h

The military has now killed 27 people as if they were enemy soldiers in a war zone and not criminal suspects. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

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Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social · 9h

If I were a journalist, I would be trying to find the names of people in the chain of command.

Amarnath Amarasingam @amaramarasingam.bsky.social · 10h

The military has now killed 27 people as if they were enemy soldiers in a war zone and not criminal suspects. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

U.S. Military Kills Another 6 People in 5th Caribbean Strike, Trump Says

www.nytimes.com

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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 10h

It is to the shame of all the male reporters in the room that they do not immediately leave

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Trump ignores a question from a woman reporter but says, "I just like to watch her talk. Good job. Thank you darling."

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Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine.bsky.social · 11h

Chuck Schumer should be focused on fighting Donald Trump and protecting healthcare for millions of Americans, not meddling in a Maine primary.

DC's choice has lost to Susan Collins five times in a row. We can't afford a sixth.

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Evan Sutton @evansutton.bsky.social · 12h

Even after we deal with Trump, we'll be cleaning up the mess he created for decades. Once you mainstream bigotry, it takes a long time and a lot of work to make it shameful again.

ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 12h

every young Republican staffer is a Nazi, it's that simple www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 13h

Who could've predicted such a thing

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 13h

BREAKING: Israel plans to halve aid into Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating ceasefire with slow release of dead hostages, AP sources say.

Israel plans to halve aid into Gaza over slow return of dead hostages, a test for the Gaza ceasefire

The tenuous ceasefire in the two-year Israel-Hamas war is being tested as complex issues remain a day after widespread jubilation over the return to Israel of the last 20 living hostages held in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

bit.ly

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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 14h

and now mamdani is going to go on fox news.

a close up of a man 's face with his eyes closed

ALT: a close up of a man 's face with his eyes closed

media.tenor.com

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Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 15h

they dont need subscribers, the value in owning the post is getting to say “according to the washington post the only hope for civilization is tax cuts for the rich and private prisons and charter schools”

karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 1d

Lmao WaPo has fewer than 100K circulation now. It turns out “alienate your liberal subscriber base” is not a good strategy when the Republicans also hate you. www.forbes.com/sites/andyme...

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

Once a titan of American journalism, The Washington Post now struggles to reach even 100,000 print subscribers most days.

www.forbes.com

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 17h

The many media outlets, politicians, and commentators who rushed to declare “a great peace, glory to the king!” should ask themselves why they did that, and figure out how to not make the same mistake again.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 19h

(ABC) - The Israel Defense Forces said its troops opened fire on Palestinians, killing five, after they allegedly violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Israel-Gaza live updates: 5 Palestinians killed in Gaza City for alleged ceasefire violation, IDF says

Israel on Tuesday identified two of the people whose remains were returned.

abcnews.go.com

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 16h

wow. bezos has destroyed this paper.

karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 1d

Lmao WaPo has fewer than 100K circulation now. It turns out “alienate your liberal subscriber base” is not a good strategy when the Republicans also hate you. www.forbes.com/sites/andyme...

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

Once a titan of American journalism, The Washington Post now struggles to reach even 100,000 print subscribers most days.

www.forbes.com

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 1d

Police officers who publicly declare that they’ll quit if a mayoral candidate they dislike wins the election are (1) usually bluffing—sure buddy, toss away that paycheck and pension—and (2) exactly the sort of cops cities would be better off without, ones who don’t see themselves as public servants.

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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 4d

I like how the news will be like “while the President claiming Portland was ruled by a giant skeleton named Mr Nibbles is not strictly true, it does speak to the anxiety of many Americans”

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 1d

Time magazine is owned by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who just came out as a Trump supporter and said it would be great if he sent the National Guard to invade San Francisco

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 1d

Just in case the dramatically low Leni Riefenstahl-style angle was too subtle, they used a word from her most famous movie

Time magazine cover featuring a photo of Trump from a dramatically low angle

HIS
TRIUMPH
by ERIC CORTELLESSA
THE LEADER ISRAEL NEEDED
by EHUD BARAK
HOW GAZA HEALS

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 1d

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson is a collaborator and she's trying to place the blame on protesters

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 1d

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson's full statement, in which she says she will sign an EO permitting protest "only at the safety zone located at the ICE facility on Beach Street," is up on the village's website.

"There are too many protesters abusing their right to protest," Thompson says.

Image text:

Broadview Shrinks Protest Safety Zones

The following statement can be attributed to Village of Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson:

“The protests at the ICE facility on Saturday night degenerated into chaos. There were 15 arrests, and 10 of those were around the age of my own daughter. As a mother and a mayor, I am mad. Broadview didn’t choose to have the ICE facility in our community. But it’s here. And so are Broadview residents. There are too many protesters abusing their right to protest. Too many are raising their fists rather than their voices, creating chaos at the expense of the people who call Broadview home. Broadview residents lack the protestors’ privilege to return to calm, quiet neighborhoods for undisturbed rest.

Therefore, I have issued a new executive order, in consultation with the Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff, that permits protests only at the safety zone located at the ICE facility on Beach Street.

There will no longer be a designated protest safety zone at 2000 South 25th Avenue between Lexington and Fillmore.

Additionally, it has been only God’s grace alone that a protester has not been struck and killed by a motorist on 25th Avenue given how frequently protesters dash onto this busy, four-lane street. This new
measure will provide for both the serenity of residents and safety of protestors.

As I have repeatedly said, I respect, support, and defend the protesters’ free and – peaceful – speech against the outrageous injustices and deplorable unprovoked chemical arms attacks by ICE agents against American citizens, journalists, and ministers that put Broadview police and firefighters in harms’ way.

Nevertheless, my first priority is to defend public safety and the residents who live here and people who work here. They deserve stability, safety, and respect, a quality of life that is currently being denied to them. They deserve the love and kindness that they expect by being Broadview residents.”

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StrictlyChristo 🇺🇦🌻❌👑 @strictlychristo.bsky.social · 1d

Federal Secret Police and plainclothes ICE agents kidnap multiple people from a neighborhood in Chicago. They then deploy teargas and brutally beat neighbors who come out to express their concern.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 1d

Four decades wrongfully incarcerated isn’t punishment enough for these sadistic fucks.

Tricia McLaughlin
@TriciaOhio
·
1h
Burglary, carrying a firearm without a license, drug trafficking—break the law, you will face the consequences.

Having a single conviction vacated when you have a laundry list of criminal charges will not stop ICE’s enforcement of the federal immigration laws.

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Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 1d

These are the same kind of weasels who would’ve called George Washington & America’s revolutionaries “terrorists.” They spend their days sucking up to King Trump & demonizing peaceful protest just as some in America sought to appease King George III.

Looking forward to No Kings Day.

Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering

Organizers largely blew off the rhetoric, but some Democrats online criticized the tone.

www.politico.com

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 1d

We will be in a state of civil conflict or civil war if Democrats ever decide to resist White House efforts with the same level of intensity that Trump's team is using to tear down the Republic. Until then, we're just waiting for autocracy to become official.

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · 1d

While politicians and judges debate the legality of Texas National Guard troops’ presence in Illinois, columnists and creators are wondering: “Are we in a civil war?”

‘Are We in a Civil War?’ Texas Troops Are Still in Illinois, but It’s Getting Messy

The escalating tension between the states has devolved into personal insults, a legal battle, and fears of an actual second civil war.

thebarbedwire.com

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