
Live this New Year with Considered Agency
May you have a healthy, effective New Year.

The Opportunity Costs of Conspiracy Theories about Merrick Garland
You have a choice. You can spend the next few weeks making a big stink about the fact that the aspiring FBI Director tried to help Trump steal classified documents. Or you can spend it clinging to false claims about Merrick Garland so you can blame him rather than John Roberts for the fact that Trump won.

Farewell to the Man from Plains
Former president Jimmy Carter passed away today. He was 100 years old.

The Two Smear Attacks against Jeff Bezos and His Partner
Jeff Bezos' response to being targeted by the same kind of gossipy dick pic sniffing that WaPo has picked up from NYPost was to demand the kind of corrections WaPo hasn't made.


The Complications of Elon Musk
The relationship between Trump and Elon Musk seems to be more complex than just two Malignant Narcissists in a room together.


The BezosPost Struggles with the Boundaries of Press Freedom
An article on the ABC News settlement published by Jeff Bezos' rag collapsed the distinction between media companies, including a multinational company built off a century of IP protection for its cartoon mouse, and the journalism small corners of those media companies might do.

Cotton Swabs and Grievance Myths: Do Not Invite Republicans to Express Support for Kash Patel's Witch Hunts
Given the 8 year con job Trump has pursued to get Republicans to believe his false myth of grievance, you will never get Republicans to oppose Kash Patel as FBI Director by asking them to disavow that myth.

Fridays with Nicole Sandler
We talked about the continuing resolution and the Barry Loudermilk report.

"Friendly to Us:" NYT Buries Its Own Role in Trump's Attacks on Rule of Law
In a story misrepresenting several things about Trump's use of DOJ to attack his adversaries, Maggie Haberman neglects to mention the role leaks to her played in events described in Barry Loudermilk's criminal referral of Liz Cheney.

Barry Loudermilk Provides Proof of Kash Patel's Incompetence Wrapped Up inside His Liz Cheney Referral
One big problem with Barry Loudermilk's referral of Liz Cheney to aspiring FBI Director Kash Patel for criminal investigation is that Loudermilk also referred Kash's DOD colleagues Christopher Miller and Ryan McCarthy for investigation of imagined misconduct in which, Kash has repeatedly claimed, Kash himself was centrally involved.

Trump Is Not on a "Retribution Tour;" He's on an Authoritarian Spree
To accept Trump's framing that he's on a "retribution" tour, you would have to accept that speaking the truth is some kind of crime.

Dear Media: Media Crit Like It's Football, FFS
If media insists on treating our democratic governance like sports, the least they can do is criticize their own industry's performance like they do when it comes to football.

Wimpy Patriarchy
Bro, if you can't compete with women, you'll love Patriarchy!

David Weiss' Rush Job on Alexander Smirnov's Sentencing
The most notable feature of Alexander Smirnov's plea deal is the timing: David Weiss will rush him to sentencing on January 8.

The Terrifying Complexity of Tech Oligarchs' Obeisance to Trump
ABC's capitulation to Trump's lawsuit is a sign of things to come -- but also what has long been true. By contrast, the capitulation of the tech oligarchs to Trump may represent something altogether more horrible.

Kash Patel Also Lied about Trump's Personalization of US Intelligence
The lies Kash Patel has told are likely to be aired at his confirmation hearing, but at unlikely to dissuade Republicans to vote against his confirmation to be FBI Director. The most important lies pertain to Trump's efforts to put information obtained by US intelligence to his own personal use.

Maturing In US Society
A sketch of growing to maturity in the US.

To Pay Off His Election Debts, Trump Seems Prepared to Destroy the United States
Kimberly Strassel thinks Trump wants to hire people who intend to do grave damage to the US to pay off electoral debts. More likely, the grave damage is the point.