Chris Barton
@chrisbarton.bsky.social
Writer in San Francisco. Recovering ex-LATimes word person still yammering on about music, books, and whatever this is.
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you have seen:
Ornette Coleman
Wilco
My Bloody Valentine
Prince
Radiohead
Ornette Coleman
Wilco
My Bloody Valentine
Prince
Radiohead
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve seen:
Yo La Tengo
Taylor Swift
Wilson Pickett
Gang of Four
Spice Girls
Yo La Tengo
Taylor Swift
Wilson Pickett
Gang of Four
Spice Girls
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
Paul McCartney
Elvis Costello
Prince
Regina Spektor
The Replacements
Paul McCartney
Elvis Costello
Prince
Regina Spektor
The Replacements
November 28, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you have seen:
Ornette Coleman
Wilco
My Bloody Valentine
Prince
Radiohead
Ornette Coleman
Wilco
My Bloody Valentine
Prince
Radiohead
Reposted by Chris Barton
Unavoidable conclusion: SCOTUS has put 1 man in America above the law & created a king. Not the first time a case has been decided wrong. The fix for democracy lies, as it did in Dred Scott, with fixing a broken decision. Hopefully this one won’t require a civil war. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Judge Dismisses Georgia Election Interference Case Against Trump
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Unavoidable conclusion: SCOTUS has put 1 man in America above the law & created a king. Not the first time a case has been decided wrong. The fix for democracy lies, as it did in Dred Scott, with fixing a broken decision. Hopefully this one won’t require a civil war. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Chris Barton
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
November 23, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
Damn, I’m just happy to have seen Mani play. He sounded like a giant with Primal Scream (we’ll just set aside the Stone Roses’ Coachella set). His tone! I think he was first responsible for helping me understand what a bass player could do in 1990.
November 21, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Damn, I’m just happy to have seen Mani play. He sounded like a giant with Primal Scream (we’ll just set aside the Stone Roses’ Coachella set). His tone! I think he was first responsible for helping me understand what a bass player could do in 1990.
Reposted by Chris Barton
This afternoon, OUSD sent an email alert to parents confirming ICE activity in West Oakland.
We are re-sharing COYOTE's 'What We Can Do About ICE' guide to help our communities stay ready and empowered in alarming moments like this. Please share with your neighbors and friends.
We are re-sharing COYOTE's 'What We Can Do About ICE' guide to help our communities stay ready and empowered in alarming moments like this. Please share with your neighbors and friends.
What We Can Do About ICE
ICE is in the Bay Area. And yes, we can all do something about it.
www.coyotemedia.org
November 19, 2025 at 10:15 PM
This afternoon, OUSD sent an email alert to parents confirming ICE activity in West Oakland.
We are re-sharing COYOTE's 'What We Can Do About ICE' guide to help our communities stay ready and empowered in alarming moments like this. Please share with your neighbors and friends.
We are re-sharing COYOTE's 'What We Can Do About ICE' guide to help our communities stay ready and empowered in alarming moments like this. Please share with your neighbors and friends.
Reposted by Chris Barton
They lied about it. All of it. A thug cop shot an unarmed woman five times without justification, boasted about it to his colleagues, and then this administration tried cover it all up by arresting her and charging her with felonies.
Absolutely incredible; after shooting Marimar Martinez 5 times and arresting her on claims that she rammed them and pulled a gun, prosecutors have now moved to dismiss ALL criminal charges against her and her codefendant.
New: the govt has moved to dismiss its assault case against Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, two people accused of "box[ing] in" a Border Patrol vehicle in Chicago on Oct. 4.
One agent shot Martinez, with evidence presented to the court that he later bragged about in text messages.
One agent shot Martinez, with evidence presented to the court that he later bragged about in text messages.
November 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
They lied about it. All of it. A thug cop shot an unarmed woman five times without justification, boasted about it to his colleagues, and then this administration tried cover it all up by arresting her and charging her with felonies.
Reposted by Chris Barton
This is a TUNE. And all because of him.
RIP Mani
I was thinking about this the other day - from his Primal Scream days, in 1997 - If They Move Kill 'Em, on Later with Jools Holland. It sounds - and looks - like the entire performance is being powered by Mani himself and everyone else wants to go home.
I was thinking about this the other day - from his Primal Scream days, in 1997 - If They Move Kill 'Em, on Later with Jools Holland. It sounds - and looks - like the entire performance is being powered by Mani himself and everyone else wants to go home.
Primal Scream - If They Move Kill 'Em (live on Later)
YouTube video by badtracking
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 4:53 PM
This is a TUNE. And all because of him.
Belatedly, The Lowdown is so freaking good. Meandered in all the right directions and tied itself up beautifully. Let Sterlin Harjo cook.
November 20, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Belatedly, The Lowdown is so freaking good. Meandered in all the right directions and tied itself up beautifully. Let Sterlin Harjo cook.
Reposted by Chris Barton
Hey so “underage girls” are…children. The word you’re looking for is children. They’re not like, women-in-waiting or women-lite or whatever. They’re children. I think some of you are very uncomfortable with what that means for you but it is still true.
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Hey so “underage girls” are…children. The word you’re looking for is children. They’re not like, women-in-waiting or women-lite or whatever. They’re children. I think some of you are very uncomfortable with what that means for you but it is still true.
Reposted by Chris Barton
the republican party is engaged in a cover up to keep the american people from learning whether president trump is president pedo
A direct email exchange from 2011 between Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, just released by House Oversight Committee Democrats.
November 12, 2025 at 2:35 PM
the republican party is engaged in a cover up to keep the american people from learning whether president trump is president pedo
Catch-22 in high school taught me novels could be funnier and more true than I could ever imagine.
performative reading, lack of reading skills, nobody's reading anymore -- NO!
tell me about a book that changed you
for me? the *extremely* ahistorical novel, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY which I read at 13 and was like, "Oh, art can be *everything* to a maker, for good and bad"
tell me about a book that changed you
for me? the *extremely* ahistorical novel, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY which I read at 13 and was like, "Oh, art can be *everything* to a maker, for good and bad"
November 12, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Catch-22 in high school taught me novels could be funnier and more true than I could ever imagine.
Reposted by Chris Barton
🚨LA-based journalists/journos willing to relocate to the west coast:
We're looking for a senior news editor to help run our news operation in downtown LA!
If you're well-versed in breaking news and want to work with really wonderful humans, APPLY!
workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
We're looking for a senior news editor to help run our news operation in downtown LA!
If you're well-versed in breaking news and want to work with really wonderful humans, APPLY!
workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
Senior News Editor, West Coast
The Guardian is a global news organization that delivers fearless, independent journalism. From breaking news and award-winning investigations, to in-depth coverage of technology, sports, film, cultur...
workwithus.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:49 PM
🚨LA-based journalists/journos willing to relocate to the west coast:
We're looking for a senior news editor to help run our news operation in downtown LA!
If you're well-versed in breaking news and want to work with really wonderful humans, APPLY!
workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
We're looking for a senior news editor to help run our news operation in downtown LA!
If you're well-versed in breaking news and want to work with really wonderful humans, APPLY!
workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
Reposted by Chris Barton
Vote for the Party of Law and Order or significant amount of them will be convicted of the crimes they've committed
Steve Bannon: If we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included.
November 7, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Vote for the Party of Law and Order or significant amount of them will be convicted of the crimes they've committed
Reposted by Chris Barton
JUST IN: California voters have approved a ballot measure to redraw the state's congressional map to favor Democrats, marking the party's biggest victory to date in a national battle over redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms.
California voters OK new congressional lines, boosting Democrats ahead of midterms
California voters have approved a ballot measure to redraw the state's congressional map to favor Democrats, marking the party's biggest victory to date in a national battle over redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms.
n.pr
November 5, 2025 at 4:06 AM
JUST IN: California voters have approved a ballot measure to redraw the state's congressional map to favor Democrats, marking the party's biggest victory to date in a national battle over redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Reposted by Chris Barton
Normal people are just sick to fucking death of the cruelty and meanness
BREAKING: Colorado voters approved a ballot measure that would raise state income taxes on higher-earning households to fund free meals for all public school students.
Follow AP for live updates.
Follow AP for live updates.
Live updates: US voters head to the polls in first general election since Trump's return to power
One year after Donald Trump retook the presidency, 2025 Election Day includes closely watched races for New York City mayor, New Jersey governor and California's Proposition 50.
bit.ly
November 5, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Normal people are just sick to fucking death of the cruelty and meanness
Never ever forget.
There are more of us than there are of them.
November 5, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Never ever forget.
What is this….feed riven with Good news??? Hopescrolling?
November 5, 2025 at 2:24 AM
What is this….feed riven with Good news??? Hopescrolling?
Reposted by Chris Barton
Jonathan Gold loved LA and he’s sorely missed
November 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Jonathan Gold loved LA and he’s sorely missed
Reposted by Chris Barton
for @coyotemedia.org, I wrote about Uber, Waymo, sexual assault, surveillance, and Kit Kat, the feline mayor of 16th street — who deserved better, as do we all www.coyotemedia.org/in-which-we-...
In Which We Deserve Options Other Than Rapists and Robots
I don’t want to be assaulted by a driver, nor surveilled by cat-killing robot cars. Is this really the best we can do?
www.coyotemedia.org
October 29, 2025 at 7:21 PM
for @coyotemedia.org, I wrote about Uber, Waymo, sexual assault, surveillance, and Kit Kat, the feline mayor of 16th street — who deserved better, as do we all www.coyotemedia.org/in-which-we-...
Reposted by Chris Barton
i think if you ride public transit enough you learn that most weird behavior is not dangerous, and conversely i think driving a car teaches you that everyone is trying to kill you at all times
October 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
i think if you ride public transit enough you learn that most weird behavior is not dangerous, and conversely i think driving a car teaches you that everyone is trying to kill you at all times
Reposted by Chris Barton
Once again, the main day of Tea Party protests had about 300,000 nationwide, but saw endless coverage.
The No Kings protests had about 7,000,000 nationwide, and many media outlets reacted with a yawn.
No Kings was nearly 25x as big as the Tea Party but the Tea Party got 25x the attention.
The No Kings protests had about 7,000,000 nationwide, and many media outlets reacted with a yawn.
No Kings was nearly 25x as big as the Tea Party but the Tea Party got 25x the attention.
Ask yourself this: How would the New York Times have covered the protests if it had been seven million MAGA supporters flooding the streets? We don’t even have to guess: We know how they and other mainstream outlets covered the Tea Party protests during Obama’s first term.
October 26, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Once again, the main day of Tea Party protests had about 300,000 nationwide, but saw endless coverage.
The No Kings protests had about 7,000,000 nationwide, and many media outlets reacted with a yawn.
No Kings was nearly 25x as big as the Tea Party but the Tea Party got 25x the attention.
The No Kings protests had about 7,000,000 nationwide, and many media outlets reacted with a yawn.
No Kings was nearly 25x as big as the Tea Party but the Tea Party got 25x the attention.
Reposted by Chris Barton
The blast radius of how much this is going to suck is going to be huge. Best practice for creatives in Hollywood, for crude self interested reasons alone, is to stay as far away from whatever the fuck is going on at Paramount as possible
David and Larry Ellisons’ sloptastic vision for Hollywood is coming into focus:
“Paramount has reportedly signed a $200M+ multiyear deal for Higgsfield AI to use mass-use Popcorn AI model that ingests dailies and script notes, then outputs regional cuts: new leads, alternate jokes, revised endings”
“Paramount has reportedly signed a $200M+ multiyear deal for Higgsfield AI to use mass-use Popcorn AI model that ingests dailies and script notes, then outputs regional cuts: new leads, alternate jokes, revised endings”
October 23, 2025 at 5:54 PM
The blast radius of how much this is going to suck is going to be huge. Best practice for creatives in Hollywood, for crude self interested reasons alone, is to stay as far away from whatever the fuck is going on at Paramount as possible
Reposted by Chris Barton
The same week the Trump administration announced that federal agents were to be sent to the Bay Area, one of the city’s most cherished institutions — City Lights Bookstore — raised banners with a message on defying authoritarianism.
via @andrewchamings.bsky.social
www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...
via @andrewchamings.bsky.social
www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...
SF institution hangs protest banners as federal agents are sent to Bay Area
"Pity the nation whose leaders are liars."
www.sfgate.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:14 AM
The same week the Trump administration announced that federal agents were to be sent to the Bay Area, one of the city’s most cherished institutions — City Lights Bookstore — raised banners with a message on defying authoritarianism.
via @andrewchamings.bsky.social
www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...
via @andrewchamings.bsky.social
www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...
Reposted by Chris Barton
While this federal administration has been busy empowering ICE to become, essentially, an extrajudicial militia allowed to disappear people from our streets, the Bay has been organizing. We will not be beaten down.
What We Can Do About ICE
ICE is in the Bay Area. And yes, we can all do something about it.
www.coyotemedia.org
October 22, 2025 at 10:12 PM
While this federal administration has been busy empowering ICE to become, essentially, an extrajudicial militia allowed to disappear people from our streets, the Bay has been organizing. We will not be beaten down.
Reposted by Chris Barton
"The White House has released few details on the project’s funding — and has not sought permission from Congress, which is empowered with authorizing all federal spending." is in the story
President Trump’s plan to build a White House ballroom has underscored an overlooked aspect of presidential power: no one could stop him.
“Our hands are tied,” Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League, said.
“Our hands are tied,” Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League, said.
‘Our hands are tied’: Can anyone stop Trump’s tear-down of the East Wing?
Many preservationists fear the answer is no. A pro-Trump review board is expected to approve the president’s planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, too.
wapo.st
October 22, 2025 at 11:24 PM
"The White House has released few details on the project’s funding — and has not sought permission from Congress, which is empowered with authorizing all federal spending." is in the story