How Ireland’s Sherlock Beat the Mobster with the Bad Hair
In Ireland’s General Election, Proportional Voting helped to avoid any of the far right successes other democracies are experiencing.
Author Archive for: emptywheel
About emptywheel
Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties. She writes as emptywheel at her eponymous blog, publishes at outlets including Vice, Motherboard, the Nation, the Atlantic, Al Jazeera, and appears frequently on television and radio. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit, a primer on the CIA leak investigation, and liveblogged the Scooter Libby trial.
Marcy has a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she researched the “feuilleton,” a short conversational newspaper form that has proven important in times of heightened censorship. Before and after her time in academics, Marcy provided documentation consulting for corporations in the auto, tech, and energy industries. She lives with her spouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
Entries by emptywheel
America Just Failed the Test of Responding to Trump’s Politicized Prosecutions
/62 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election/by emptywheelWhatever else you think about the Hunter Biden case and the way Joe Biden pardoned him, it is crystal clear proof that the thing defenders of democracy swear they’ll do in a second Trump term — rise to the defense of those targeted for political prosecution — they already failed to do.
Joe Biden Pardons Hunter
/84 Comments/in Hunter Biden/by emptywheelIn the face of Trump’s threats of retaliation, Joe Biden has changed his mind about pardoning his son.
How Trump Rolled Out this Kash Patel Pick Is Part of Spinning False Claims about Rule of Law
/41 Comments/in emptywheel/by emptywheelThe means by which Trump is attempting to install one of his chief propagandists as FBI Director is as important as the pick itself.
Ball of Thread: Rudy’s Hunter Biden Witch Hunt
/6 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, Hunter Biden/by emptywheelThis Ball of Thread episode lays out Rudy Giuliani’s effort to frame Joe Biden.
The Little Noticed Jay Clayton Pick at SDNY
/6 Comments/in 2024 Presidential Election/by emptywheelOne day after FBI executed a search on Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, Trump took steps to replace the incumbent SDNY US Attorney with Jay Clayton, just as he tried but failed to do in 2020.
On Background Checks for Trump Appointees, The Magic Number Is “Four”
/45 Comments/in 2024 Presidential Election/by emptywheelOn any given issue requiring Senate involvement, four Republican Senators joining with the Democrats have the ability to block Trump’s worst attacks on the United States.
The Zombie Case against Trump’s Indicted Co-Conspirators
/25 Comments/in 2024 Presidential Election, Hunter Biden, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheelSustaining the Mar-a-Lago case against Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira may slightly limit how Jack Smith describes his investigative discoveries in Mar-a-Lago.
Boris’ Shakedown
/37 Comments/in 2024 Presidential Election/by emptywheelThe report into Boris Epshteyn’s “consulting” appears to be a failed attempt to suggest corruption would keep key advisors out of the casino.
“Without Prejudice:” Jack Smith Moves to Dismiss the DC Case
/96 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheelJack Smith has moved to dismiss the DC case against Trump — but he is doing so without prejudice, meaning if Congress chose to impeach Trump on these charges, the case could be refiled.