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jfallows.bsky.social
James Fallows
@jfallows.bsky.social
140K followers 1.3K following 4.3K posts
Reporter and writer: https://fallows.substack.com/ and https://www.ourtownsfoundation.org/ One-time speechwriter, long-time pilot, longer-time husband of linguist/writer Deborah Fallows. Note same wristwatch in the two photos, more than 50 years apart.
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Reposted by James Fallows
emilynussbaum.bsky.social
Refreshingly clear language from the NYT
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Calls Somalis 'Garbage' in Anti-Immigrant Tirade Somali immigrants: President Trump unleashed a xenophobic tirade against Somali immigrants during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, calling them "garbage" he does not want in the United States in an outburst that captured the raw nativism that has animated his approach to immigration. Even for Mr. Trump - who has a long history of insulting Black people, particularly those from African countries - his outburst was shocking in its unapologetic bigotry. And it came as he started a new ICE operation targeting Somalis in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region.
December 3, 2025 at 12:36 AM
jfallows.bsky.social
Good for George Will.
drewharwell.com Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 14h
George Will: "Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement. ... The killing of the survivors by this moral slum of an administration should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself" www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | A sickening moral slum of an administration
Regarding Venezuela, Ukraine and much more, Trump and his acolytes are worse than simply incompetent.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by James Fallows
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Statehood for D.C. is an ethical obligation at this point, required to protect the rights of our residents to govern ourselves against such out-of-state troops being sent to patrol our city.
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 15h
NEW: Republican-led states, in a new filing at the D.C. Circuit, say D.C. residents are irrelevant, D.C. belongs to everyone else. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The filing is led by the South Carolina and West Virginia attorneys general. Both states sent troops to DC.
No. 25-5418 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Plaintiffs-Appellee V. DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity as President of the United States, et al., Defendants-Appellants BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE SOUTH CAROLINA, WEST VIRGINIA, AND 22 ADDITIONAL STATES IN SUPPORT OF STAY PENDING APPEAL Appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia District Court Case No. 1:25-Cv-03005-JMC ALAN WILSON ATTORNEY GENERAL STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Thomas T. Hydrick Solicitor General P.O. Box 11549 Columbia, South Carolina 29201 JOHN B. MCCUSKEY ATTORNEY GENERAL STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA Michael R. Williams Solicitor General OFFICE OF THE WEST VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES 11 INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE ............... 1 INTRODUCTION ............ 1 ARGUMENT ........... 3 The Equities Weigh Heavily in Favor of a Stay, as the Injunction Usurps Presidential Power and Endangers D.C. Citizens and the Government ............................... ..... 3 A. Securing the District Is the President's Constitutional Responsibility and Vital to a Functioning Republic .... .....3 B. Crime Has Exploded in Our Capital, Hurting Residents and Hindering the Federal Government 5 C. In the Few Months Since the Executive Orders, President Trump and National Guard Troops Have Made the Capital Safer ......... 10 CONCLUSION .............. 13 ADDITIONAL COUNSEL........................ 15 INTRODUCTION The District of Columbia is the Seat of America's National Government and the house of all three of its branches. U.S. CONsT. art. I, § 8, cl. 17. Safety, security, and domestic tranquility in D.C. are critical, not only to the good people of the District, but to the functioning of the United States. The American People rely on the effective operation of their Government, which in turn depends on the safety of elected representatives and officials who carry out the popular will. The American People travel from all over the country to Washington, every day, to visit its historic sites and exercise their First Amendment right to petition the Government. See U.S. CONST. amend. I. The District belongs to "the People" as a whole, and its safety is critical to our constitutional republic.
December 2, 2025 at 8:51 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
This thread from @markjacob.bsky.social is worth reading.

Framing in the very first paragraph of the Q-and-A is a clue to what's ahead.
Text from NYT: How does The New York Times cover the fire hose of news from the Trump administration? What journalistic principles drive that coverage? Why does The Times publish work that challenges our audience’s assumptions at a time when many people want their views validated? Where do we wish we had more reporters based? And who makes these decisions?
December 2, 2025 at 9:50 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
#1 'Strong Floor' etc is a blah motto. But...

#2 Mottos for midterms Do Not Matter.

#3 Don't believe #2? Then tell me one "messaging" line from 2022, 2018, 2014, 2010, 2002, etc that you remember.

("Tea party" mattered in 2010, but that was name for a movement, not a "message.")
gbbranstetter.bsky.social Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 2d
No value, no villain, no vision. Sounds like the tagline for the earnings call of a collapsing appliance retailer
November 30, 2025 at 8:35 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
You can take the boy out of Southside Chicago, but you can't take ...
mrsbettybowers.bsky.social Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 2d
The Pope has a word with the man in 27E who is listening to an action movie on his iPad's speakers.
November 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by James Fallows
marisakabas.bsky.social
i’m being radicalized by peacock charging $10.99 per month and having A MILLION COMMERCIALS
November 30, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Reposted by James Fallows
martylederman.bsky.social
How did the @nytimes.com editors let this sentence appear?

"Critics have likened Mr. Trump’s approach to extortion, while others have chalked it up as a cost of doing business with this administration."

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Northwestern University Nears Deal to Resolve Its Conflict With the White House
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Reposted by James Fallows
coachfinstock.bsky.social
Northwestern and Columbia being famous for journalism and bending over for Trump seems a little too on the nose these days
mattheweadie.bsky.social Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 4d
This is the second largest payout from a private university to the Trump admin yet, second only to Columbia’s $200m
November 29, 2025 at 2:07 AM
jfallows.bsky.social
Have spoken/taught at Northwestern many times; have many good friends there; always been an admirer and fan. Multiple ties especially with Medill School. Will never forget commencement ceremony there, 19 years ago.

Not an admirer or fan of this.

Courage is contagious. So is capitulation.
mattheweadie.bsky.social Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 4d
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university

Full statement from NU below:
November 29, 2025 at 2:26 AM
jfallows.bsky.social
Re-upping from earlier today:

Donald Trump, who is in dire cognitive meltdown before the world's eyes, has used a shocking-even-for-him slur about Tim Walz.

No decent person will think of Walz what Trump says. But here is what I thought of him, before VP run.

fallows.substack.com/p/election-c...
Election Countdown, 99 Days to Go: Who Is Tim Walz?
A governor, a six-term Congressman, a National Guard artillery specialist, a school teacher for 20 years—and a geographer. A speech that will introduce you to him, and that contains surprises.
fallows.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:39 AM
jfallows.bsky.social
1/2 Several weeks before he came onto national scene, last summer while Biden was still in the race, I was at a tech conf where Walz gave 40-minute keynote, about the way advanced geospatial data systems were transforming all sectors in Minnesota. Gov, ag, educ, mfr, research, sustainability [cont]
November 28, 2025 at 9:02 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
A central issue at trial for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam was whether an Army lieutenant, or the Army captain who was his superior, was responsible for the order to leave no survivors.

Neither suggested the SecDef would have given such a command.
November 28, 2025 at 6:47 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
Insulting to have to point this out, but if you have spent even 30 minutes reading US history, you realize that every decade has been dominated by racist hysteria that the "new" people won't ever fit in.

This exact prejudice would have been applied to Miller's forebears, when they fled pogroms.
publius24.bsky.social John Q. Public @publius24.bsky.social · 5d
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
Also just one episode in, but agree.

Three generations watching this together last night; us, our kids, their school-age kids. All found it gripping and enlightening.
eliasisquith.blog elias isquith @eliasisquith.blog · 5d
i’m only one ep in but the new ken burns does an unusually good job depicting how the worst and best of american identity and character were present at the creation. it’s a shift from the civil war where imo he presents the american soul in more binary/dichotomous terms.
November 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
For those familiar w downtown of Redlands CA (incl Rep. Pete Aguilar, former Redlands mayor) some Thanksgiving-worthy news:

Eyesore "dead mall" that has blighted city for decades has been sold—to local tech/philanthropists Jack and Laura Dangermond www.communityforwardredlands.com/dangermonds-...
Dangermonds Buy Redlands Mall, Plan New Redevelopment
Local business owners step in after out-of-town developers face foreclosure, struggle to move project forward
www.communityforwardredlands.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:36 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
Sixty years ago this week, Ralph Nader, then age 31, changed corporate and civic culture with his book 'Unsafe at Any Speed.'

What he is doing at age 91:

www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/p/unsafe-at-...
Unsafe At Any Speed - Sixtieth Anniversary (1965-2025)
On the 60th anniversary of Unsafe at Any Speed we are asking those who want a stronger democracy to solve current crises to join with us in launching a new and enduring era of activism.
www.ralphnaderradiohour.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:05 AM
jfallows.bsky.social
Deb Fallows, on some of the reasons to be thankful for one another these days — and some more examples of people standing up, standing together, standing strong.

(On my substack, no paywall.)

fallows.substack.com/p/thankful-f...
Thankful for One Another.
Keeping sight of the encouraging examples, in discouraging times. (Including a guest post.)
fallows.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
Well deserved. An important, and gripping, book about our times.
brian-goldstone.bsky.social Brian Goldstone @brian-goldstone.bsky.social · 7d
This one means a lot: just woke up to find that THERE IS NO PLACE FOR US has been named a New York Times Notable Book of 2025.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/b...
Screenshot from The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2025 list. It shows the cover of There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone. Below the cover is the description: THERE IS NO PLACE FOR US, by Brian Goldstone. Goldstone offers an immersive narrative of how five Atlanta families found themselves in the direst of straits: Working a lot and earning very little, they ended up sleeping in cars, crashing with relatives or paying for a squalid room in an extended-stay hotel, statistically invisible even as they suffered some of the most difficult years of their lives.
November 25, 2025 at 2:35 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
This seems a significantly worse "tell" of derangement

-Sen Kelly has flown nearly 40 *combat missions* as a pilot.
-He's done 375+ carrier landings (Jeesh!)
-He's been in space as astronaut.
-He's flown 50+ different kinds of aircraft

And Hegseth and Trump are picking fight about valor with him?
adamjschwarz.bsky.social Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 8d
The Department of Defense announces it's considering "court-martial proceedings or administrative measures" against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.
November 24, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by James Fallows
owillis.bsky.social
the trump admin wants to pick a fight about the military code with a guy who has this resume?

cool. lets go.
MARK E. KELLY (CAPTAIN, USN) NASA ASTRONAUT PERSONAL DATA: Mark Edward Kelly is the son of Richard and Patricia Kelly, two retired police officers. He was born in Orange, New Jersey, on February 21, 1964, and raised in West Orange, New Jersey. Kelly is married to U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Kelly’s identical twin brother, Scott J. Kelly, is also an astronaut and served as commander of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 26. The Kelly brothers are the only siblings who have both traveled in space. EDUCATION: Kelly graduated from Mountain High School in 1982. He received a B.S. degree in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduating with highest honors in 1986. In 1994, he received an M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. AWARDS: Defense Superior Service Medal (with one bronze oak leaf cluster); Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Medal (with valor device and three bronze service stars); Navy Commendation Medal (with valor device and one bronze service star); Navy Achievement Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal (with one bronze service star); Navy Expeditionary Medal; National Defense Service Medal (with one bronze service star); Navy Unit Commendation (with one bronze service star); Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (with one bronze service star); Overseas Service Ribbon; Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia); Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait); NASA Exceptional Service Medal; NASA Space Flight Medal (with three bronze service stars). EXPERIENCE: In December 1987, Kelly became a naval aviator and received initial training on the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft. He was then assigned to VA-115 (Attack Squadron 115) in Atsugi, Japan, and made two deployments to the Persian Gulf on the aircraft carrier USS Midway, flying 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. After receiving his master’s degree, he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School from June 1993 to Jun…
November 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
Having often given NYT headline-writers a hard time, let me be sure to congratulate whoever decided on "Tosses" for this breaking news.

Nicely done! Keep it up.
Headline: "Judge Tosses Criminal Charges Against James Comey and Letitia James."
November 24, 2025 at 6:52 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
These Sunday shows....

This Sunday show in particular.
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 9d
He's the mayor-elect of America's largest city and financial capital. What kind of a question is this?
November 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by James Fallows
enbuenora.bsky.social
DOGE did not fail in any way to accomplish its goals.

Its goals were never efficiency or saving money.

Its goals were to destroy as much of government as possible forever, and to steal data for the Space Nazi.

DOGE is fading away like bank robbery gangs fade away after the robberies are done.
November 23, 2025 at 12:26 PM
jfallows.bsky.social
Student Journalists (Again) Showing Us How dept:

—@theharvardcrimson.bsky.social plays latest 'Harvard about to cave' story the way it should. Ie, as another MAGA claim. (Left image)

—Gives "well, actually...." context missing from most MSM reports. (Right)

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Headline: "White House Renews Claims That Settlement With Harvard Is Close." News story: McMahon’s remarks Thursday aren’t the first time the Trump administration has said it is close to a settlement with Harvard. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the White House was on the verge of finalizing a deal with Harvard. When he first announced in June that talks had resumed, he predicted that an agreement would be reached “in the next week or so.” More than four months later, no deal has been announced. Trump previously told reporters in the Oval Office on Sept. 30 that the White House had “reached a deal” for a settlement with Harvard before clarifying that the agreement had not yet been finalized. “All you have to do is paper it, right?” Trump said to McMahon. “It’ll be great.” Trump said in September that reaching a deal would mean that Harvard’s “sins are forgiven.” A settlement would likely resolve multiple federal investigations into the University, which have targeted everything from its ties to the Chinese government to its financial aid formulas. It might also halt attempts to force Harvard to stop enrolling international students and protect the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that Harvard researchers receive each year. But the pressure on Harvard to accede to a deal lightened somewhat after a series of favorable decisions from federal judges. A judge agreed this summer to Harvard’s requests to temporarily block revocation of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification and a Trump order that would prevent many of Harvard’s international students from entering the U.S. In response to a separate lawsuit by Harvard, a judge agreed to restore billions of dollars in multiyear federal funding that the Trump administration attempted to freeze this spring.
November 22, 2025 at 9:53 PM