Andrew Lorimer

Freedom, equality, fair elections, rule of law, checks & balances are truths that are not owned by one political party.

They are American ideals. And they belong to all of us.

Join me to defend our shared truths: weholdtruths.org

#WeHoldTheseTruths

"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment." - Ansel Adams, photographer (20 Feb 1902-1984)

Listening to Trump talk about patriotism and honoring all those who served makes me sick. He didn’t have that level of patriotism when it came to serving in Vietnam, he just claimed to have bone spurs.

It's depressing to see Trump turn the Olympics into a political sideshow. Posting a meme of himself scoring a hockey goal, using the men’s team as ploys in the SOTU is frustrating, especially after the flippant remarks he made about the women’s USA hockey team whose record is better than the men's.

Trump will use the false claim of Chinese interference to take over the '26 elections. This isn't just Trump blustering; the SOTU was about inciting people to execute that plan. Find orgs like @statesunited.org & @fwdparty.bsky.social that are fighting for democracy & get active before it's too late

2 weeks ago, they closed down the El Paso airspace to shoot down a drone that ended up being a party balloon. Now we learn they closed the airspace again & this time they did shoot down a drone, except it was one of ours. Does this give us confidence in this administration? Does anyone feel safer?

The callouness and cavalier attitude of the administration toward the war - comparing it to football - is beyond comprehension. Ask the families of those who have been brought home in body bags just how much of a game this is.

thehill.com/opinion/judi...

💯🎯💯 as America watches, one man destroying Humanity
@maddow.bsky.social
@jenpsaki.bsky.social

💯🎯💯 as America watches, one man destroying Humanity
@maddow.bsky.social
@jenpsaki.bsky.social

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." -Dr. Seuss, author and illustrator (2 Mar 1904-1991)

PM Mark Carney, speaking with media in Tokyo, Japan, responds to a reporter’s question about the possibility of Canadian military involvement in the Middle East.

#cdnpoli

Body-cam video shows NYPD response to fed agents’ arrest of Columbia student Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman has said that DHS agents “misrepresented” that “they were police searching for a missing child.”

The NYPD has released body-cam footage of officers encountering DHS agents after last week’s federal immigration arrest of Columbia U student Ellie Aghayeva
www.nydailynews.com/2026/03/06/b...

FDA's top vaccine regulator to leave in April Vinay Prasad has presided over a series of controversial regulatory decisions.

FDA's controversial top vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, is leaving the agency at the end of April. www.axios.com/2026/03/06/f...

A photo of a flooded street. Text says "Judge orders FEMA to take concrete steps to restore disaster mitigation funding." Below that is the seal of the Attorney General's Office and atg.wa.gov.

1/3: AG Nick Brown and a multistate coalition today secured a court order requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to take concrete steps to reverse the termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program (BRIC).

Portland details:

Whatever happens, even miraculous Venezuela-like stability in Iran and/or Cuba, the end of US diplomacy as we knew it weakens the US. Diplomacy is a tool of power, we had the best, and we blew it up deliberately. These waters are plenty charted, and they are full of icebergs. 15/15

Blowtorching diplomatic and humanitarian capacity while burning through military capabilities and alienating allies is malpractice of the highest order by the Secretary of State, the nation's top DIPLOMAT, and by the National Security Advisor. It does not help the military to kill US diplomacy. 14/

And apparently now we are going to pivot to Cuba. Before Venezuela, Trump yelled at regional leaders, e.g. in Colombia. Zero evidence of any diplomatic effort now. He is just spouting to reporters that Cuba is next, and it's Rubio's dearest, longstanding wish. 13/

Whatever one thinks of the previous order in the Gulf, surely this is not the way to break it, with no capacity to rebuild it. In the most cynical sense, the US cannot get what it needs out of the aftermath without diplomacy. That's before you get to the human toll. And the loss of soft power. 12/

But you need actual people in post who know the region. You cannot rely on real estate magnates who do not understand what the adversary is offering and who only care about making money after the war. You need people who know how to play hardball and whom to call to reassure behind the scenes. 11/

Diplomacy is not weak. Achieving the Iran nuclear deal had real costs, e.g. to Iranians who suffered under sanctions, to Syrians. In war, diplomacy can help deconflict military ops, avoid/mitigate mistakes like sinking an unarmed Iranian ship that was visiting India, mitigate refugee flows, etc. 10/

The US did not even ask Ukraine for anti-drone help. Now the Gulf countries are talking to Ukraine. Who knows where that leads? The UK (the UK!) is also adrift defending bases and getting its people out. Alliance tensions are normal, starting wars without basic alliance management is not. 9/

The US did not even ask Ukraine for anti-drone help. Now the Gulf countries are talking to Ukraine. Who knows where that leads? The UK (the UK!) is also adrift defending bases and getting its people out. Alliance tensions are normal, starting wars without basic alliance management is not. 9/

The United States Could Lose the Gulf Iran’s attacks on its neighbors are a reminder that the United States cannot protect them.

Here, none of that. @abuaardvark.bsky.social describes the shock in the Gulf at the US inability to protect countries to which it had made security promises, if not treaty commitments. One may think the US should not be in the Gulf, but this is chaos. 8/

foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/05/i...

Can the U.S. pressure Israel to end the war? U.S. military aid and support have been critical to Israel’s war effort. But can the U.S. press Israel to protect civilian lives in Gaza?

Regional allies knew what was coming. In 1991 there was a concerted effort to keep Israel from participating in the war and provide it with defense (Patriot missiles) instead. @djpressman.bsky.social @goodauth.bsky.social 7/

goodauthority.org/news/can-the...

Don't forget Greenland: between Venezuela and Iran, Trump flew to Davos and used that platform to threaten a NATO ally's territory. Setting more diplomatic currency on fire, for literally nothing and no reason. We could get anything we wanted from Denmark if we just...asked. 5.5/

Now the 2026 regime-changey spree. Diplomacy is not the opposite of war, it is also a tool of war. If you threaten war to get what you want, you need to do coercive diplomacy. If you know you want to fight, diplomacy can make war go better for you. Allies, opposition party support, they help! 5/

Russia’s Ukraine ‘peace’ plan may be doomed from the start History shows settlements need local consent to endure.

Face-to-face meetings, Oval Office visits, and leader summits are diplomatic currency. Trump/Rubio burned through them like drunk gamblers. Remember Putin's visit to Alaska? To a US military base? The red carpet? The clapping? 4/

goodauthority.org/news/russias...