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Jonathan M. Katz

@katz.theracket.news

77K followers 750 following 9.6K posts

Author of GANGSTERS OF CAPITALISM and THE BIG TRUCK THAT WENT BY. Subscribe to my newsletter: http://theracket.news | Signal: jmkatz.18 | @KatzOnEarth on TikTok & Insta | Avi by @mollycrabapple.bsky.social

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · Nov 10

Hello new followers and fellow Twitter refugees. I’m a journalist & author; an international and disaster correspondent turned analyst of U.S. empire and America’s fascist turn. I’m going to keep fighting from here.

Subscribe to my newsletter TheRacket.news

Books and bio: jonathanmkatz.com

The Racket

Explore the unseen connections behind world affairs, politics, disaster, and more. By Jonathan M. Katz

TheRacket.news

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1m

Cheers

darkwebmallcop.bsky.social @darkwebmallcop.bsky.social · 8h

I think the two texts for our current time are Adam Hochschild’s American Midnight and @katz.theracket.news ‘s biography of Smedley Butler

Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 9h

Cheers

Reposted by Jonathan M. Katz

Jordan Uhl @jordanuhl.com · 12h

Free speech is when you are punished for criticizing the President’s favorite podcaster.

Pop Crave @popcrave.com · 12h

The Donald Trump administration has revoked the visas of citizens from Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and Paraguay for comments about Charlie Kirk.

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 14h

It's good that the hostages are home and that the bombs have quieted. But rumors of peace are extremely premature.

New Racket.

theracket.news/p/this-isnt-...

This isn't peace

Israel is threatening the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, the occupation continues, and the real negotiations haven't started. But Trump wants the glory.

theracket.news

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 19h

SOMEONE CHECK ON MATT TAIBBI

Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 19h

I'm sorry, is the Trump Administration talking to a tech platform?

Is it...requesting content moderation?

Today following outreach from @thejusticedept, Facebook removed a large group page that was being used to dox and target @ICEgov agents in Chicago.
The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs. The Department of Justice will continue engaging tech companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent violence against federal law enforcement.

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Reposted by Jonathan M. Katz

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 21h

Part of the reason many Germans supported the Nazis was that there really was a lot of violence in the streets & they wanted order. But much of that violence was carried out by the Nazi paramilitary SA.

So the Nazis presented themselves as the solution to a problem they intentionally created

NPR @npr.org · 1d

Videos taken by eye witnesses of federal agent encounters with immigrants in Chicago and elsewhere have shown increasingly tense incidents. Immigrant advocates and observers say they're indicative of a larger trend of aggression among federal immigration officers.

Tackles, projectiles and gunfire: Many fear ICE tactics are growing more violent

n.pr

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 21h

Same

Reposted by Jonathan M. Katz

Michael E @michaeleichner.bsky.social · 21h

The 2024 media failures, from “fact checks” to active disinterest in Trump lies, to … everything is infuriating. When people say “I didn’t vote for this” sometimes I believe them, because the media whitewashed a TON of Trump’s more distasteful positions and statements.

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 1d

Thinking fondly of all the pre-election fact-checks that said we couldn’t possibly know whether Republicans wanted to get rid of pre-existing condition protections.

• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said that Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, "want to ... repeal the Affordable Care Act and elim nate protections for preexisting conditions." It's unclear what Trump would do, since he hasn't released a plan to replace the ACA. He said he would do so, if "we can come up With something that's better."

Schumer, meanwhile, was wrong to
say, as he did on the Senate floor April 28, that the bill goes "back to the day when insurance companies could deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions."

perorats and Republicans have made
competing claims on whether the latest version of the GOP health care bill maintains protections for people with preexisting medical conditions. President Trump has said, "Pre-existing conditions are in the bill. And I mandate it." Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer has said that
"insurance companies could deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions."
Neither of those comments quite gets it right. The latest version offers lesser protections than the Affordable Care Act, but it doesn't allow insurers to deny coverage to someone with a health

Who's right? Like everything else in health care, it's complicated.

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

The ceasefires were good it was the unwillingness to use the US’s vast leverage to stop the genocide that bothered people

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

Awesome

Reposted by Jonathan M. Katz

Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 1d

Not mentioned much on here yet but Axios revealed this morning that last week Witkoff and Kushner personally and directly met with Khalil al Hayya, the most senior bilateral meeting between the US and Hamas ever.

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Reposted by Jonathan M. Katz

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 2d

A miracle they’re still alive. Elated for their families. Can’t help but think of all the hostages who would have also come home two years ago had Netanyahu chosen his own people over his thirst for war.

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 2d

Hamas has released all 20 remaining living hostages.

The Israeli military says it has taken custody of them and will transport them onward to Israel. Follow AP's live updates.

Live updates: Israel says Hamas hands over first 7 hostages to Red Cross as part of Gaza ceasefire

The key exchange follows a breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump was also arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans.

bit.ly

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

I appreciated it in real time

Reposted by Jonathan M. Katz

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d

I posted about this on X, and Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS spokesperson, QTed me to say the kid was actually a hardened criminal arrested with a knife and a gun.

So far she has provided no evidence of this. I share this to give DHS's response, and for the possibility she is telling the truth.

My original post on X: "This makes NO SENSE. A 13-year-old was arrested by local police for unknown reasons, and then turned over to ICE, which is detaining him far away from his mother — who is going through immigration court, has an asylum application on file, and is legally authorized to work." Underneath that I posted a link to the opening paragraphs of the article and the headline.

In response, DHS Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, @TriciaOhio, wrote: "Here are the facts: he posed a public safety threat with an extensive rap sheet including violent assault with a dangerous weapon, battery, breaking and entering, destruction of property. He was in possession of a firearm and 5-7 inch knife when arrested."

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

“Yeah but there was no final status negotiated under those”

There’s no final status agreement now either

“Yeah but those were temporary”

This one hasn’t even been in force for a week

“But this time Bibi promises it’s for real!”

[stares]

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

There were at least two ceasefires under Biden! In which more than five times as many living Israeli hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinians! Has everyone forgotten this?

Coffee Indiana @coffeeindiana.bsky.social · 1d

Also, ceasefires have happened under prior Presidents! The day he gets Palestine their own country he can be told he's the most special boy deserving of a shiny prize.

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

It seems like that’s … all they’re talking about?

Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

That’s a fine summary of the convention. Have you read the convention?

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

The story he wants (and is getting!) at the moment is that he Ended the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Brought World Peace. Any reminder that he did no such thing is annoying to him. That’s it. That’s all of it. He has not learned anything.

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

Oh my God stop this. Trump has one goal always: getting shiny things he wants. The shiny thing he currently wants is a Nobel Peace Prize, and he thinks Bibi mouthing off could keep him from getting that. He will forget about it in a month.

Dr. Nick Posegay @nposegay.bsky.social · 1d

I have strong doubts that the 'ceasefire' will hold and lead to an actual peace deal, but it seems like, maybe, somehow, Trump kinda learned a lesson here...?

Screenshot from CBS news:

Trump tells Netanyahu to be "nicer … you're not at war anymore"
President Trump jokingly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in remarks at the Knesset to be "nicer," as "you're not at war anymore."

"Only by embracing the opportunities of this moment can we achieve our goal of ensuring that the horrors of recent years will never happen again. You don't want to have to go through this again," Mr. Trump said, turning to address Israeli lawmakers.

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Reposted by Jonathan M. Katz

A penitent who is loud @loudpenitent.bsky.social · 2d

It genuinely is not actually hard to condemn the actions of the Israeli state without engaging in blatant, naked gutter antisemitism.

The issue isn't that this is some nuanced and complicated topic, the issue is that people want to do antisemitism because they have discovered bigotry feels good.

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

Probably not one of the most important days for world peace in the last year.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

MARCO RUBIO: This is probably one of the most important days for world peace in 50 years. That's not an exaggeration

TRUMP: Only 50?

RUBIO: Maybe 100

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

The problem now is that a substantial part of Bibi’s coalition still wants to achieve its actual maximalist goals of wiping out Hamas, Palestinian nationhood, and most or all of the population of Gaza. How long they’ll have to wait before trying again is unclear.

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 1d

Nothing changed since then except that Trump came back to power and Netanyahu ran out his patience when he bombed the Hamas negotiators in Doha. This forced Bibi to take door number two: get the hostages back and declare victory without having achieved his actual goals.

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Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · 2d

I wrote about the centrality of and contradictions surrounding the Israeli hostages last year. In short, Netanyahu and the war cabinet saw them as a useful initial pretext, but many Israelis believed that freeing then was the actual goal of the war.

theracket.news/p/uses-hosta...

The uses of hostages

For Israelis, the hostages aren't just a graphic detail of the Oct 7 war. They ARE the war: casus belli, justification and primary war aim, all rolled into one.

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