[327 Days to Midterms] Brian Leong
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sbkbrian.bsky.social
[327 Days to Midterms] Brian Leong
@sbkbrian.bsky.social
610 followers 560 following 1.6K posts
• Opinions expressed here are my own, do not represent my employer’s views, and are subject to change.
• Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins.
• Please Keep Right Except To Pass.
• Level 72 Pokémon trainer.
• Solved Wordle in one guess on 8-Nov-2025.
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sbkbrian.bsky.social
And yet.

www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
PBS: Violent threats pile up as Indiana Republicans confront pressure from Trump on redistricting Dec 7, 2025 1:48 PM EST By — Thomas Beaumont, Associated Press By — Isabella Volmert, Associated Press Republican leaders in the Indiana Senate said in mid-November that they would not hold a vote on the matter because there was not enough support for it. Trump lashed out on social media, calling the senators weak and pathetic. “Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED,” he wrote. The threats against senators began shortly after that.
December 12, 2025 at 12:40 AM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Given his history of caustic disparaging remarks to reporters asking him fair and relevant questions, this part jumps out.

theconversation.com/why-donald-t...
Why Donald Trump is such a relentless bullshitter Published: February 25, 2025 2:30pm EST Tim Kenyon Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Brock University Really obvious bullshit can succeed politically, we proposed, because there are many audiences in mass communication. Bullshit targeted at Audience A can be a big hit with Audience B, if B thinks A deserves it. Then it becomes a display of power over A, with B enjoying the spectacle. This overt bullshitting lends itself to authoritarian politics for someone cultivating a strongman image. It marks an opponent for disrespectful treatment, and advertises that the bullshitter cannot be held to account.
December 11, 2025 at 5:34 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
She has adopted Trump’s “All bullshit, all the time” approach.

theconversation.com/why-donald-t...
Why Trump bullshits Our notion of bullshit is a refinement of the term that was the subject of American philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s seminal 2005 book On Bullshit. Most liars care enough about the truth to try to conceal it. But simply not caring either way is a different vice, which Frankfurt called bullshitting. An example would be claiming a trade deficit without having any idea whether that’s true or false. Other examples include uttering falsehoods that are so obvious they couldn’t possibly be intended to deceive anyone.
December 11, 2025 at 5:28 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Another example of the importance of a free press and how criminals take advantage of deregulation.

www.npr.org/2025/12/10/n...
NPR: Congress calls for a crackdown on companies charging disabled vets December 10, 2025 5:30 PM ET By Chris Arnold, Caley Fox Shannon, Quil Lawrence Federal law states that anyone helping veterans prepare initial claims for disability benefits must be accredited by the VA and that the service must be free. Nonprofit veterans service organizations such as The American Legion and VFW have long helped vets with such claims. But in an effort to reduce barriers for vets, Congress removed criminal penalties from the law in 2006. Entrepreneurs leapt into that legal gray area, realizing they could help vets and make money. The number of these claims consulting outfits has exploded over the last 10 years. Some vets told NPR they were happy to pay for the help since it would net them more money long term. But others said they felt taken advantage of by these claims companies. Lawmakers took particular issue with a business practice, uncovered by NPR, in which these companies use veterans' private information to access a VA system to learn about their disability benefits.
December 11, 2025 at 3:46 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
You have to admit that he has an impressive wattle. He still can't tie a decent knot, though.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
Orange tyrant wattle as of 09-Dec-2025, with yet another poorly-tied necktie.
December 11, 2025 at 3:34 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
YEAH, I’M SURE THAT’S BEEN THE PROBLEM FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS, CORNYN. 🙄

wapo.st/48uEsVO
Ludicrous assertion from a shameless liar: “The challenge Republicans have always had is trying to unify behind a single proposal,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters. “We’ve just got too many good ideas.”
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
@piperformissouri.bsky.social

Josh Hawley of the Jan. 6 insurrection fist pump admits that he will do nothing to help millions of Americans who will soon face unaffordable health care premiums.

Because you see, Missouri constituents, he already got his, and it sucks to be you.

wapo.st/48uEsVO
Washington Post: Republicans struggle to unite on health care as Obamacare subsidies expire Recent weeks have showcased a free-for-all of competing GOP ideas and reinforced deep partisan divisions over the issue. By Theodoric Meyer, Paige Winfield Cunningham, Riley Beggin and Marianna Sotomayor Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), who has expressed support for extending the subsidies, said he would vote for the Republican bill Thursday even though it would not do that. “Rather than sitting back and saying, ‘Well, I don’t like that part of it, and therefore I’m going to vote no on it,’ my attitude is I can find things to like,” Hawley said. Jan. 6 committee shows Josh Hawley fleeing from Senate after pumping fist to protesters Kansas City Star Daniel Desrochers July 21, 2022 Former Sen. Claire McCaskill calls out Sen. Josh Hawley after he vows not to run away The U.S. House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol on Thursday highlighted footage of U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, fleeing the Senate Chamber as the building was being overrun by a mob of Trump supporters.
December 11, 2025 at 2:55 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
It was nice to see that a tofu company in Oregon was a rare exception to the many livelihoods and properties lost because of the racist Executive Order 9066.
Perseverance Through Adversity During the war, the Ota family, along with tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans along the west coast, were forced to give up their homes and businesses. Fortunately, a sympathetic landlord protected their original location in Northwest Portland and at the end of the war the Ota's were able to resume producing Tofu for Portland's Asian-American community.
December 10, 2025 at 8:38 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Futurama’s Donbot informing you that the command to work happy with AI was not a request.
December 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
I would say don’t hold your breath waiting for Newsmax to *correct* disinformation.

People whose brains aren’t atrophied by right-wing media can quickly see that US soybean sales to China during the Biden years amounted to $59.74 billion.

www.fas.usda.gov/data/commodi...
USDA soybean export chart showing $59.74 billion in sales to China during the Biden administration. https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/commodities/soybeans
December 10, 2025 at 6:07 AM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
The orange insurrectionist crime boss is the picture of health and vitality, huh?
December 10, 2025 at 4:23 AM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
The US:
A Tiger King meme, captioned “I am never going to financially recover from this.”
December 9, 2025 at 11:43 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Patrick Star meme with the caption: “AI subscription expired; Unable to wipe own ass.”
December 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
The green area represents soybean sales to China; in the four years of the Biden administration, they amounted to $59.74 billion.

www.fas.usda.gov/data/commodi...
USDA soybean export chart showing $59.74 billion in sales to China during the Biden administration. https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/commodities/soybeans
December 9, 2025 at 5:37 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
I wish I lived in less-interesting times.
Cover art for “Without Precedent” by Lisa Graves. ISBN 9781645030676.
December 8, 2025 at 10:10 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
If you need more Demon Hunter in your ramen, help is available.
December 8, 2025 at 7:55 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Cleveland Clinic: What’s the Difference Between Psychopathy and Sociopathy? What is psychopathy? Psychopathy has traditionally been viewed as a more severe form of ASPD that carries an increased risk of violence. Today, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) categorizes psychopathy as a variant of ASPD based on the following traits: Lack of fear Low levels of anxiousness and isolation High levels of attention seeking Difficulty recognizing or connecting with emotions in yourself or others Limited understanding of the differences between right and wrong Lack of empathy or remorse Inflated sense of self-worth or superiority Using insincere charm to hide or mask your true feelings or thoughts https://health.clevelandclinic.org/psychopath-vs-sociopath
December 8, 2025 at 5:16 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
An angered cereal piece that knows the importance of the rule of law to a representative democracy asks “What the cinnamon toast fuck is this?”
December 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Seen on Reddit:
Image of a reader board with the text: “Free Nobel peace prize with an order of shrimp tacos.”
December 8, 2025 at 8:35 AM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
At least for now.
vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent....
Screenshot of the VAERS reporting site captured on 05-Dec-2025, showing a banner that reads, “This website is being modified to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders.” No details about the changes are shown.
December 5, 2025 at 6:39 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
The AP headline is correct, the other is not.
Comparison of search result headlines. The AP headline correctly reports that FIFA *gave* the meaningless award to Trump. The USA Today headline incorrectly suggests that Trump did anything to win it.
December 5, 2025 at 6:18 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Does anyone feel safer letting President Cognitive Test and HHS Secretary Raw Milk make health care decisions for the country?

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Politico: CDC endorses RFK Jr. vaccine panel recommendations The Trump administration’s move formalizes advice to soften or eliminate previous policies. By Lauren Gardner and Sophie Gardner 10/06/2025 11:48 AM EDT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off Monday on an outside panel’s decision to downgrade Covid-19 vaccine recommendations for Americans and to effectively eliminate the option for parents to choose a combination measles and chickenpox vaccine for young children. The move formalizes the position of CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill also urged vaccine manufacturers to develop separate, monovalent vaccines to replace the combined measles, mumps and rubella shot, citing President Donald Trump’s advice that the shot should be broken up into “three totally separate shots” because “when you mix them, there could be a problem.” Trump, at an event about autism last month, said the advice was based on “what I feel.”
December 5, 2025 at 3:58 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
“Let’s not bicker and argue about who has an irrational bias against vaccines, and has pushed out professional organizations who actually care about protecting the population.”

www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...
CDC Taps Vaccine Skeptic to Lead COVID Shot Review: Here's What to Know — Group will be guided by "open-mindedness," says HHS; critics call it a "substantial disruption" by Terrence Rudd, Staff Writer, MedPage Today August 28, 2025 "There is not a transparent selection of members, and there is no participation of the many professional organizations that are there to really advocate for the populations they represent," said Munoz, referring to the banishing of multiple healthcare organizations from ACIP's 11 workgroups. "The lack of transparency is just so blatant." Munoz, who serves as the Infectious Diseases Society of America's ACIP liaison, noted that workgroups' ACIP-member chairs typically would be expected to have knowledge of a group's area of focus, based on their own clinical work and research expertise. At the June ACIP meeting, "it was very clear that there's an anti-vaccine sentiment overall, specifically against mRNA vaccines and toward casting doubt on vaccine safety in general," she said. "It is very worrisome to have individuals with those types of agendas and perspectives being in charge of these working groups." Asked about Levi's chairmanship of the COVID workgroup, Paul Offit, MD, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told MedPage Today, "I expect the country will not be getting good advice from him." "I think what we'll be getting from him is the same thing we get from RFK Jr., which is his personal biases against vaccines that are not supported by any quality science," he said. "If you ask me what do I think this new-look ACIP is going to do -- this science-averse, conspiracy-theorist, anti-vaccine ACIP -- I have no idea," Offit added. "They don't make their decisions based on data, and therefore, anything is possible."
December 5, 2025 at 3:49 PM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Trump has pardoned domestic terrorists and pointed them at his political opponents. He needs to be impeached, removed, banned from holding public office, and stripped of all taxpayer-funded benefits.

www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Politico: Justice Department urges judge to jail former Jan. 6 defendant after alarming return to DC By Rachel Umansky-Castro and Kyle Cheney 12/04/2025 07:44 PM EST A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol returned to Washington in recent days and has been wandering the neighborhood of Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin — alarming police and prosecutors, who urged a judge to immediately jail him. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who convicted Taylor Taranto at a bench trial this year for a threat to federal buildings and for bringing weapons to President Barack Obama’s D.C. neighborhood, did not immediately order him back to prison, but said he would weigh the request over the next few weeks. He ordered Taranto at a court hearing Thursday to return immediately to his home in Washington state for the holidays. Taranto is the latest Jan. 6 defendant, pardoned by Trump, to face new legal trouble. He drew national headlines when he was arrested in 2023 shortly after livestreaming a threat to blow up the National Institute of Standards and Technology and entered a Maryland elementary school while livestreaming apparent threats to Raskin, a Democrat from the state. He was arrested after authorities found him with weapons in Obama’s Kalorama neighborhood a day after Trump posted the address on Truth Social.
December 5, 2025 at 4:21 AM
sbkbrian.bsky.social
Republicans: States’ rights!

Also Republicans: F**k your state and local regulation of concealed carry.

www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
December 4, 2025 at 6:04 PM