@lukethomas.bsky.social says "People didn't just walk away from the UFC who don't agree with Donald Trump... They are embarrassed to have ever been a part of the UFC or MMA fandom."
Me: *Raises hand* That's me. I won't even steal shows, I despise the UFC so much.
substack.com/@lukethomasn...
feeling some nostalgia for when stories about a known sex criminal hiring a neo-nazi were usually confined to the dumber tiers of the professional concussion industry like this
The U.S. has intervened in Iran repeatedly since 1953 via coups, sanctions, covert action, and diplomacy.
With strikes underway, it’s worth revisiting and understanding that history. Zeb Larson digs in here
This shit is so unbelievably deranged. One can only hope that we, as a species, somehow and despite our worst efforts make it to a point sometime in the future when our descendants can look back at us and be aghast at how aggressively stupid we were to let this all happen.
Many Americans believe immigrants are a drain on public resources. They use more than they give, so they believe. However, according to a new report from the Cato Institute (!!!), that view is entirely wrong. Here’s my convo w/ the lead author. No paywall.
WATCH lthomas.substack.com/p/immigratio...
Many Americans believe immigrants are a drain on public resources. They use more than they give, so they believe. However, according to a new report from the Cato Institute (!!!), that view is entirely wrong. Here’s my convo w/ the lead author. No paywall.
WATCH lthomas.substack.com/p/immigratio...
It's for no other reason than to exert control over the industry so no other promoter or event, long term, can compete with them.
It's been kinda funny watching the boxing crowd ponder what Zuffa Boxing has in store for the sport as if this question hasn't been thoroughly answered a million times over.
My favorite part of American democracy is the secret births of American citizens to avoid the capture of their parents.
Nikita Hand may be awarded damages against a couple who swore affidavits on behalf of former MMA fighter Conor McGregor, after judgments were awarded against the couple by the High Court today
In Dana White's UFC, the job of media is fan and promotional service. The press conference is the perfect example. Fans are invited and the entire event is designed to get them excited. Media are expected to ask questions that ONLY service this role. Anything else gets booed. Sadly, they comply.
IMO it’s for the best that hockey is getting ahead of potentially attracting a new, diverse audience by making clear that they are second only to MMA as the highest concentration of chuds in sports
The political effects of X's feed algorithm https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10098-2 Received: 16 December 2024 Accepted: 4 January 2026 Published online: 18 February 2026 Open access • Check for updates Germain Gauthier,5, Roland Hodler?5, Philine Widmer35 & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya3,4,5 m Feed algorithms are widely suspected to influence political attitudes. However, previous evidence from switching off the algorithm on Meta platforms found no political effects'. Here we present results from a 2023 field experiment on Elon Musk's platform X shedding light on this puzzle. We assigned active US-based users randomly to either an algorithmic or a chronological feed for 7 weeks, measuring political attitudes and online behaviour. Switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. In contrast, switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects. Neither switching the algorithm on nor switching it off significantly affected affective polarization or self-reported partisanship. To investigate the mechanism, we analysed users' feed content and behaviour. We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm, helping explain the asymmetry in effects. These results suggest that initial exposure to X's algorithm has persistent effects on users' current political attitudes and account-following behaviour, even in the absence of a detectable effect on partisanship.
A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitter’s algorithmic feed significantly shifts people’s political views to the right.
Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.
This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.
Someone should cut a promo on his gross ass sportswashing.
!["On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1
More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreicrroq5taft777rmau2ffjlsphbcatlxnwwigf2yekoke533yycim@jpeg)
"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].
So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem
![has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up,
twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite
country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of
suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified
Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that
she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8
U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all.
See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here
illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section
IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she
ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id.
The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary
unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes,
the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary,
Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to
replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A.
As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS
holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreid3cmawech25ummuj2tjvgxsrvufma2kmrijlfpglalwddd3qkikq@jpeg)
has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]
Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.
Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.
It's a tour de force:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
I spoke to @attackerman.bsky.social about how ICE and their tyranny, methods, extra-legal justifications and ethnic cleansing campaign can't be understood properly without realizing ICE is our inheritance from the war on terror.
Truly illuminating from Spencer:
lthomas.substack.com/p/war-on-ter...
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
Weird that hiring away a few checked-out Tory alcoholics from British dailies and emphasizing op eds about Why Your Boss Deserves A Tax Cut didn't deliver better results but what can you do? What, at the end of the day, can you do?
As strange and alarming images come out of Minneapolis, I’ve been thinking again about this article @tomscocca.bsky.social published after January 6th 🧵
To understand ICE's violence mandate, you have to understand Trump has for years claimed policing is too kind, stop-and-frisk was good and that police should have immunity from prosecution. For Trump, ICE is violent because, to him, *that is authentic policing*.
New video: youtu.be/JVa66a3PeIY?...
Markey seems a bit confused here. Qualified immunity applies to state and local police. Feds have almost complete immunity (from civil liability, *not* criminal). It looks like his bill would basically strip any sort of immunity from all of them.
Which is sensible, but definitely won’t pass.
To understand ICE's violence mandate, you have to understand Trump has for years claimed policing is too kind, stop-and-frisk was good and that police should have immunity from prosecution. For Trump, ICE is violent because, to him, *that is authentic policing*.
New video: youtu.be/JVa66a3PeIY?...
New & free Punch-Out on @wrestlingobserver.bsky.social as the inimitable @lukethomas.bsky.social makes his show debut for an extended talk.
We talk about the next stage of Morning Kombat, the evolution of his career, TKO taking over combat sports & lots more.
Links below:
My understanding is that this is for immigrant visas, like the kind for residency and green cards. This is not for tourist visas.
Some tried to turn the lady’s encouragement as a sign she didn’t have legit media chops. She does. And it’s a kind sentiment that people appreciated.
But this chumminess between sports org and media within combat sports has been a total cancer and is part of the reason CS media no longer functions.
There is a crisis of impunity. The Musk/Grok stuff is just one f many examples of people who are counting on there never being any consequences. And it all makes me just incandescently mad.
ICE is now behaving in such a way that even Tucker Carlson’s favorite Holocaust minimizing, Hitler-apologist “historian” is like “hey now guys, this is getting a little out of hand.”
TKO might try to use their resources to boost Rahm’s political fortunes, but he has no juice with the Dem base. Zero. None. They could parade Rahm at every WWE and UFC event and it would do nothing. He’s the opposite of what the Dem base says they want and what they are voting for currently.
A few thoughts on the role ICE plays in a larger project of right-wing dominion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI3j...
