Tom Nichols
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
Staff writer at The Atlantic. Cat guy, democracy defender. Actor for a day on Succession, Jeopardy champ. New Englander and curmudgeon.
Pinned
Pete Hegseth’s Weak Excuses
His evasive responses to Signalgate are shameful nonsense.
www.theatlantic.com
The Signalgate report showed that Hegseth risked American lives. Instead of taking responsibility, his sniveling responses were the worst kind of bureaucratic ass-covering.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Damn right
Hey @radiofreetom.bsky.social did you read this (NGL almost thought you might've written this)?
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/08/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/08/o...
Was Boston a sellout rock band? Today’s musicians could use its founder’s fighting spirit. - The Boston Globe
Tom Scholz, the artist behind ‘More Than a Feeling,’ took on the industry that tried to own him.
www.bostonglobe.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Damn right
The restaurant for curmudgeons
December 8, 2025 at 5:46 PM
The restaurant for curmudgeons
“Brad Majors! Hi!”
Every time I see Bessent on TV I'm thinking of Barry Bostwick in a role as some rich out-of-touch twit
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @kenwhite.bsky.social
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @kenwhite.bsky.social
You have to be fucking kidding me with this shit!
“Americans don’t realize how good they have it.” ~ Scott Bessent on affordability
“Americans don’t realize how good they have it.” ~ Scott Bessent on affordability
December 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM
“Brad Majors! Hi!”
My Christmas rapper name
December 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
My Christmas rapper name
We need to undo deregulation and give all these people the shock of real air travel
Absolutely!!! The airlines are nothing but money rubbing thieves.
The fees are high.
The fees are high.
December 8, 2025 at 2:18 PM
We need to undo deregulation and give all these people the shock of real air travel
Reposted by Tom Nichols
This lady was the Steve Jobs of the Online Death Threat Industry for like 10 years. Not to be a dick, but fucking spare me.
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she shared with Trump death threat she received that he incited, and his response was "extremely unkind"
December 8, 2025 at 3:26 AM
This lady was the Steve Jobs of the Online Death Threat Industry for like 10 years. Not to be a dick, but fucking spare me.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
Perhaps…not a true change of heart, then? Gosh
LESLEY STAHL: You contributed to the toxic culture. You were out there pounding, insulting people
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: You've contributed to it as well
STAHL: I want you to respond to what you have done in terms of insulting people
MTG: I'd like for you to respond to that
December 8, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Perhaps…not a true change of heart, then? Gosh
Not today, Satan
We can dress better when they increase seat sizes. But if it’s a cattle car, they can’t expect passengers not to maximize their comfort.
December 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Not today, Satan
So basically, they’re trying to shape this so that the strikes now look like the Obama terrorist kill list that took place under an AUMF during the war on terror.
Ah, no.
Ah, no.
December 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
So basically, they’re trying to shape this so that the strikes now look like the Obama terrorist kill list that took place under an AUMF during the war on terror.
Ah, no.
Ah, no.
Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes. The RFT fam is the best (and weirdest) social media community.
And the crew here on BA gave us a nice bottle of bubbly WHICH IS MORE THAN MY UNGRATEFUL CHILDREN HERE GOT ME
(Seriously, thank you all very much.)
And the crew here on BA gave us a nice bottle of bubbly WHICH IS MORE THAN MY UNGRATEFUL CHILDREN HERE GOT ME
(Seriously, thank you all very much.)
December 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes. The RFT fam is the best (and weirdest) social media community.
And the crew here on BA gave us a nice bottle of bubbly WHICH IS MORE THAN MY UNGRATEFUL CHILDREN HERE GOT ME
(Seriously, thank you all very much.)
And the crew here on BA gave us a nice bottle of bubbly WHICH IS MORE THAN MY UNGRATEFUL CHILDREN HERE GOT ME
(Seriously, thank you all very much.)
Reposted by Tom Nichols
The always sharp @radiofreetom.bsky.social with a perfect distillation of Hegseth, Patel, Noem and the rest [email protected]
'MAGA thinks of itself as a movement but its actually a cult of personality surrounded by grifters'
@velshimsnow.bsky.social @msnowreports.bsky.social
'MAGA thinks of itself as a movement but its actually a cult of personality surrounded by grifters'
@velshimsnow.bsky.social @msnowreports.bsky.social
December 7, 2025 at 4:18 PM
The always sharp @radiofreetom.bsky.social with a perfect distillation of Hegseth, Patel, Noem and the rest [email protected]
'MAGA thinks of itself as a movement but its actually a cult of personality surrounded by grifters'
@velshimsnow.bsky.social @msnowreports.bsky.social
'MAGA thinks of itself as a movement but its actually a cult of personality surrounded by grifters'
@velshimsnow.bsky.social @msnowreports.bsky.social
I always hated that line, because NWC never taught that. The screenwriter clearly confused NPS and NWC.
That provides some interesting context for this scene
"Rickover gave me my command, a checklist, a target and a button to push ... They seem to want you to know why.
At the Naval War College it was metallurgy and nuclear reactors, not 19th century philosophy."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hur6...
"Rickover gave me my command, a checklist, a target and a button to push ... They seem to want you to know why.
At the Naval War College it was metallurgy and nuclear reactors, not 19th century philosophy."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hur6...
Crimson Tide 1995 "The true enemy is war itself"
YouTube video by Lego Blur Sotong
www.youtube.com
December 7, 2025 at 2:45 AM
I always hated that line, because NWC never taught that. The screenwriter clearly confused NPS and NWC.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
'If I Did It'
Hegseth says he would have ordered second strike on Caribbean vessel reut.rs/3XBMtCb
Hegseth says he would have ordered second strike on Caribbean vessel
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that he backs a September 2 decision to launch a second strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
reut.rs
December 7, 2025 at 1:53 AM
'If I Did It'
When I was a department chair, I leared that only 22 percent of the Navy's admirals had gone to NWC.
The other services - who all regarded us as the best - made their students *compete* to get in to NWC. The Navy fought us constantly, on the belief that education is a waste of time.
The other services - who all regarded us as the best - made their students *compete* to get in to NWC. The Navy fought us constantly, on the belief that education is a waste of time.
I’m surprised someone can get to flag rank without attending the NWC.
December 7, 2025 at 2:03 AM
When I was a department chair, I leared that only 22 percent of the Navy's admirals had gone to NWC.
The other services - who all regarded us as the best - made their students *compete* to get in to NWC. The Navy fought us constantly, on the belief that education is a waste of time.
The other services - who all regarded us as the best - made their students *compete* to get in to NWC. The Navy fought us constantly, on the belief that education is a waste of time.
Bradley did not attend NWC, as far as I know
Again: is "How to Spin Damned Near Anything" a required course or an elective at the NWC?
December 7, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Bradley did not attend NWC, as far as I know
The next time someone says "well, you say stuff from a position of privilege, but us ordinary people have to watch what we say because they'll come after us."
Uh huh.
Uh huh.
December 7, 2025 at 1:29 AM
The next time someone says "well, you say stuff from a position of privilege, but us ordinary people have to watch what we say because they'll come after us."
Uh huh.
Uh huh.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
Tom Nichols: “This ongoing game show of ‘strike a boat every day’ […] is making us into worse people — every one of us, whether we’re in uniform or just ordinary citizens. It is spiritually and morally corrosive on every level.”
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
December 6, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Tom Nichols: “This ongoing game show of ‘strike a boat every day’ […] is making us into worse people — every one of us, whether we’re in uniform or just ordinary citizens. It is spiritually and morally corrosive on every level.”
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
Reposted by Tom Nichols
"It's a cult of personality surrounded by a bunch of very child-like grifters," The Atlantic staff writer @radiofreetom.bsky.social says of the scandal-plagued Trump admin. "They're there to get clicks" and make "propaganda style clips," adds @bradmossesq.bsky.social. #Velshi
‘Child-like grifters’ are leading the Trump administration – and becoming a huge liability
Some top officials in the Trump administration – like FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – have recently been plagued with scandals related to their personal and/or professional conduct. Tom Nichols, writer for The Atlantic, and National Security Attorney Bradley Moss join Ali Velshi to discuss it. Nichols says there’s a “bunch of very child-like grifters” at the head of the government. “One of the things that's so striking about all these people is not just how amateurish they are, but how completely unfocused they are,” Nichols adds.
www.msnbc.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
"It's a cult of personality surrounded by a bunch of very child-like grifters," The Atlantic staff writer @radiofreetom.bsky.social says of the scandal-plagued Trump admin. "They're there to get clicks" and make "propaganda style clips," adds @bradmossesq.bsky.social. #Velshi
Joining Alex Witt on MSNOW at 320pm ET to talk about
December 6, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Joining Alex Witt on MSNOW at 320pm ET to talk about
Reposted by Tom Nichols
December 6, 2025 at 6:33 PM
I turned it on this morning, and I thought the same thing. They call it the music of the video era, but MTV didn’t go on the air until late 1981.
A hill I won’t die on but would at least suffered a scraped knee or stubbed toe on:
The 80s station should not do its top-40 replay for the year 1980. None of that is 80s music.
The 80s station should not do its top-40 replay for the year 1980. None of that is 80s music.
December 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I turned it on this morning, and I thought the same thing. They call it the music of the video era, but MTV didn’t go on the air until late 1981.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
Reminds me of this
December 6, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reminds me of this
Reposted by Tom Nichols
It’ll be the funniest thing when he gets dumped once he’s no longer in government
lol
Kash Patel is using the FBI to serve as an Uber for his girlfriend's drunk pals.
www.ms.now/news/kash-pa...
Kash Patel is using the FBI to serve as an Uber for his girlfriend's drunk pals.
www.ms.now/news/kash-pa...
Kash Patel ordered FBI detail to give girlfriend’s pal a lift home: sources
FBI agents have grown increasingly concerned by Patel’s use of the bureau’s strapped resource.
www.ms.now
December 6, 2025 at 12:55 AM
It’ll be the funniest thing when he gets dumped once he’s no longer in government