If the think tank @csis.org was really concerned about munitions supplies, they could have pointed out, anytime over the past decades, that giant defense contractors like Lockheed and RTX were spending way more on stock buybacks than R&D.
But Pentagon contractors are CSIS funders, so here we are.
TODAY: @milesklee.bsky.social on ten years in the maddening, mythical Los Angeles. "That disaster, in fact, is possibly what made us come to see ourselves as Angelenos, no longer quite so naive about our paradise that rests on the edge of oblivion." flaminghydra.com/ten-years-be...
I interviewed the incredible Keeonna Harris for Flaming Hydra. We talked about incarcerated pen pals, literary moms, bacon wrapped hot dogs and more. 💚
Experts with the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( @csis.org ) will appear on your media and say they're concerned about munitions stockpiles.
They won't say that the defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and RTX that give them millions spent lavishly on... stock buybacks. Latest:
NEW: As Trump prepares $50 billion supplemental for munitions depleted by Iran strikes, experts from defense contractor-funded think tanks are amplifying shortage warnings to reporters. readsludge.com/2026/03/05/d...
Maybe some future Congress! Pelosi blocked a congressional trading measure from being included in 2021's For the People Act:
readsludge.com/2021/03/04/p...
And neither chamber has moved the stronger Anti-Corruption Act, which would cover executive branch officials:
readsludge.com/2025/04/15/c...
If you vote to fund the war, you support the war.
www.huffpost.com/entry/ruben-...
Democratic consultancy Precision Strategies, whose co-founders led the Kamala Harris campaign, acquired Republican firm Firehouse Strategies, whose co-founders led Marco Rubio's 2016 campaign, according to Politico Influence.
Harris' campaign did not close with an affordability message. "Oh well."
TODAY: @lesbrains.bsky.social in conversation with author and memoirist Keeonna Harris. “Women shoulder the burden of male incarceration. Prison forced me to mother my children without their father. Prison forced me to mother my incarcerated partner.” flaminghydra.com/im-from-the-...
If you think it's unethical that the president can profit from his deregulatory actions... ask Nancy Pelosi why she never moved the Anti-Corruption Act, first intro'd in 2018.
The ethics bill would force executive branch officials, and members of Congress, to divest.
Dem leaders never moved it.
Soon after the Trump admin gutted the CFPB watchdog agency, the president secretly invested millions in bank securities that offer returns of up to 8%. The holdings were only disclosed today, late.
As Trump pushed through his massive tax-and-spending bill that was cheered by bank lobbying groups, he was secretly investing millions in bank securities. The public did not have disclosure until now (but don't worry, he paid a late filing fee). New by @donnydonny.bsky.social:
SCOOP: Trump quietly invested as much as $20 million in bank securities last year and violated the STOCK Act by failing to publicly disclose the transactions. readsludge.com/2026/03/04/t...
Four House Dems publicly oppose the Iran war powers resolution: Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Greg Landsman, Jared Moskowitz, and Tom Suozzi.
The four have received $1.5 million in donations from AIPAC PAC this cycle alone, and more than $1.8 million from the group before...
Great concern over insider betting on Polymarket, even on nuclear weapons!
House Dems could have passed a bill, anytime from 2019–2022, that would have prohibited executive branch officials from such assets, and sent it to the Senate.
Pelosi never gave the Anti-Corruption Act a hearing.
The CIA did deliberately marginalize "Adore" though
Film and media historian @alicelovejoy.bsky.social on the parallels between the current ICE surge in Minneapolis, where she lives, and the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. Read through the end, deeply observed >>
TODAY: our NEWEST HYDRA @sarahweinman.com with an examination of Epstein's dentist, who was also, yikes, Sarah's dentist. "Everyone is powerless in a dental chair. Supine, with a mouth full of rubber dams or painful X-ray cards, you cede every iota of autonomy." flaminghydra.com/issue-514/#s...
“More than just being unconstitutional, and very clearly illegal under international law, this war is also morally reprehensible. It's wrong,” says Chris Hayes. “All of this may sound obvious, but it must be said.”
On Feb. 28, the day the strike on Iran started, AIPAC's account thanked many members of Congress who supported or OK'd Trump's attack.
Three of them—Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV)—have received $1.2 million from AIPAC PAC so far this cycle.
screngrab of paragraphs on the Substack by Dean Ball, arguing that under the Trump Department of War's message sent to Anthropic, "there is no such thing as private property." - https://open.substack.com/pub/hyperdimensional/p/clawed?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
Dean Ball of the conservative Foundation for American Innovation (FAI) wrote the Trump AI Action Plan, released in July.
Now he's taken to Substack pretending to wring his hands about whether the Trump admin can be trusted. Which is likelier: he's been betrayed by Hegseth, or was power-hungry?
According to a Gallup poll released in September of 3,128 adults: "80% of U.S. adults believe the government should maintain rules for AI safety and data security."
The industry is spending a fortune to knock out candidates who favor transparency and safety rules for the very-biggest AI companies:
Democratic megadonor Ron Conway of SV Angel is backing AI super PACs with the Trump-aligned a16z and OpenAI heads. The PAC Think Big just dropped another $317k of attack ads against Alex Bores in #NY12, bringing its total against him so far to $1.84 million.
More info on their spending strategy:
Currently the caucus is co-chaired by Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez #WA03, Vicente Gonzalez #TX34, and Lou Correa #CA46. Others: Adam Gray #CA13, Sanford Bishop #GA02, Jim Costa #CA21, Henry Cuellar #TX28, Jared Golden #ME02, Josh Gottheimer #NJ05, Mike Thompson #CA04.
readsludge.com/tag/blue-dogs/
👀 NYCC’s memo opposing Hochul's attack on the NYS climate law. Her Trump math is trash and she's raised our energy bills by ignoring the climate law for years now.
The legislature should reject her Republican talk points and her bums rush in the budget 👀
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
hello I am now a member of @flaminghydra.com and am kicking things off with a multi part series on fascist aesthetics and what their whole deal is flaminghydra.com/toward-an-un...
AIPAC PAC Disbursements to Members of Congress In the 2025–2026 election cycle, all disbursements by AIPAC PAC to sitting members of Congress, with FEC data through Jan. 30, 2026. Click through for all pages Mark Warner - $636,610
Mark Warner is into AIPAC for more than half a million bucks this election cycle alone: readsludge.com/2026/03/01/h...
How come, 'How will you pay for it?' is never asked about war?
There's an answer for that! The conservative Blue Dog Coalition opposes efforts by progressives to trim the Pentagon budget by 10%. They are backed by corporate and dark money, as are other centrist groups opposing the measures.
New: Bernie Sanders to unveil $4.4 trillion tax on America's ~1,000 billionaires, saying it would pay for:
— Medicare to cover dental/vision/hearing
— Teacher pay at $60K/yr min.
— $3K/person checks (under $150K/yr)
— Universal childcare
— Housing expansion
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
