Michael_Modal

@michaelmodal.bsky.social

56 Followers 58 Following

I am an American who cares about democracy, opportunity, and fighting autocracy in all its forms. By day, I work to make IT usable and empowering. I love jazz, America's art of collaboration, improvisation, and self-expression.

Art White House threatens Smithsonian funds in sweeping content review "American people will have no patience" for any museum that is "uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history," read a letter from Trump aides.
POLITICS | NATIONAL SECURITY New Class of Warship to Be Named After President Trump The new vessels, which the president calls battleships, will be the latest in what the White House envisions as a 'Golden Fleet' By Lara Seligman (Follow and Marcus Weisgerber (Follow Updated Dec. 22, 2025 at 3:40 pm ET Share AA Resize 308 do Listen (2 min)
Across the government, much information is simply no longer being collected. The Department of Homeland Security for years had issued monthly reports on immigration statistics; the Trump administration stopped that practice in February. The law requires the administration to conduct an annual report on the federal workforce; officials did not deliver it this year. Dozens of climate change reports and data collections have been taken down across the government. When information is produced, it may be in skeletal form. The Education Department is required by law to produce a yearly report on the condition of education in America, but the 2025 version omits key data and is "extremely truncated," according to Rachel Dinkes, president of the Knowledge Alliance, a coalition of research education groups. "Data is a flashlight that lets us see, and if we don't have that light, we're in the dark," Dinkes said. "There is no other entity that can provide reliable, high quality timely data that the federal government provides. It's unique to the federal role." An Education Department spokesperson said the agency will update the information "on a rolling basis," ensuring it is current. Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said DHS provides updates on arrests and deportations "regularly — more than monthly." A number of ongoing surveys have also been dropped, including the Agricultural Labor Survey, which collected wage information from farms; the Drug Abuse Warning Network, which monitored hospital data on substance abuse; and a household survey on hunger, according to watchdogs.
Justice Judge dismisses unprecedented DOJ lawsuit against Maryland federal court Justice Department officials are expected to continue their legal challenge, either by appealing Cullen's ruling or pursuing separate legal challenges... 9 minutes ago
Armored National Guard vehicle collides with SUV on Capitol Hill The incident is under investigation by the D.C. National Guard, an official said. Yesterday at 5:16 p.m. ET • 3 min MYODNP 273RD CHUTEN HOT ESNA
CZA-tA TO S9190 LABEL OTHER END Paper s, afresod on fed woman LABEL OTHER END UNITED STATES POSTAL WARNING THIS EQUIPI UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE HALF MM TRAY - EIRS 74HP A worker handles ballots on election night in 2024 at the Los Angeles County ballot processing center in the City of Industry. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 10 By Michael Wilner Washington Bureau Chief | X Follow Aug. 18, 2025 Updated 1:54 PM PT D 193 • The U.S. Constitution gives the president no authority to prescribe or govern election procedures, leaving that to the states. • The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Putin attempted to influence the last three U.S. presidential elections in Trump's favor. President Trump said Monday he would renew his assault on mail-in voting after Russia's autocratic leader, Vladimir Putin, told him to do so at their meeting in Alaska last week. The president provided few details, but wrote on social media that he would "lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we're at it, Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES."
A = The Atlantic Sign In Notably, both sets of statistics seem out of keeping with the views of D.C. residents. About 65 percent of them told The Washington Post that crime was a "very" or "extremely" serious problem last year, even as violence declined. Perhaps locals are responding to a measurable increase in public disorder - petty offenses such as vagrancy, shoplifting, and unsanitary conditions, which drive our perceptions of major crime. As I noted in a Manhattan Institute report last summer, indicators such as unsheltered homelessness and sanitation-enforcement requests to the city's 311 line have spiked (and those trends continue into this year). When Trump complains of rising ; "squalor," he's not off base.
SEPTEMBER 2025 THEATLANTIC.COM THE WAR ABOUT NOTHING Sudan and the world America left behind By Anne Applebaum Photographs by Lynsey Addario The Atlantic EST: 1857 Plus: Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods By Nancy Walecki The Death Doctors By Elaina Plott Calabro
The Kennedy Center Glenn Miller Orchestra Oct. 17 at 7 & 9 p.m. I Terrace Theater The golden age of jazz is back! For one night only, the most popular big band in the world takes the stage performing timeless hits like "Tuxedo Junction," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Chattanooga Choo Choo." Formed in 1956, the Glenn Miller Orchestra continues to tour globally with swingin' music from the 1930s and 40s paired with modern, Miller-style tunes. GET TICKETS JAZZ AT THE KENNEDY CENTER »
top EXCLUSIVE Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American history museum The Smithsonian said it restored the display to an earlier version, which notes that "only three presidents have seriously faced removal." Yesterday at 8:08 p.m. ET
Catch the full schedule of National Symphony Orchestra programming here: • Sept. 11-13: The Legacy of John Williams & Steven Spielberg • Sept. 16-17: Stayin' Alive: The Bee Gees & Beyond with Rajaton • Sept. 19-20: Troupe Vertigo: Cirque España • Sept. 23-24: The Princess Bride in Concert • Oct. 23-25: Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga Concert Experience • Nov. 7-8: Steven's Classical Mixtape • Nov. 28-30: Home Alone in Concert • Dec. 11-13: A Holiday Pops! With Special Guest Melinda Doolittle • Feb. 10-11: Brahms x Radiohead • Feb 13-14: American Promise
Washington Post fact-checker takes buyout By Dominick Mastrangelo - 07/28/25 12:44 PM EDT Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post's longtime lead fact-checker, announced Monday he had taken a buyout, becoming the latest in a slew of the outlet's top journalists to leave in recent months. "Much as I would have liked to keep scrutinizing politicians in Washington, especially in this era, the financial considerations were impossible to dismiss," Kessler wrote on social media reviewing his more than 20 years at the Post, including 15 as its lead fact- checker. The Post has not indicated any plans to replace him, Kessler wrote, and a representa- tive for the outlet did not respond to an inquiry about its plans to hire a new head of fact-checking. Kessler estimated he has written or edited some 3,000 fact checks, some of which have taken heavy criticism, particularly on the right and among supporters of President Trump.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. SUBSCRIBE SIGN IN EXCLUSIVE POLITICS Jeffrey Epstein's Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump. The leather-bound book was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell. The president says the letter 'is a fake thing.' Share AA Resize 107 do Listen (2 min)
TAKEOVER 'Big Balls' No Longer Works for the US Government The technologist Edward Coristine, a key operative in Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency who's gone by the name "Big Balls" online, has resigned, the White House tells WIRED. JAKE LAHUT. MAKENA KELLY, VITTORIA ELLIOTT. AND ZOE SCHIFFER 06.24.25 17:06 PM
A 22-year-old college grad with no security experience is now leading a government terror prevention team: 'Putting the intern in charge' Thomas Fugate's leadership of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships has raised alarm bells
The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay By Andy Meek, Senior Contributor. © I report on media as well as its... Follow Author Published Jun 21, 2025 at 04:45pm EDT
Opinion Opinion by George F. Will Progressives suddenly remember presidents shouldn't act monarchically Barack Obama again descends from Olympus in his usual lecture mode. Yesterday at 5:27 p.m. ET . 4 min
Another Mysterious Anti- Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall BY KATIE DORAN, KATE CORLISS AND ANDREW BEAUJON JUNE 17, 2025, 1:05PM ER DICTATOR APPROVED
•YSBAY Truck carrying tank after Army's 250th birthday parade kills pedestrian in DC DAVIS WINKIE, USA TODAY Updated 6:24 pm EDT Jun. 17, 2025
Trump to Again Extend TikTok's Reprieve From U.S. Ban The president plans to sign another executive order this week that would give the popular video app more time to change its ownership structure.
POLITICS• TARIFFS Trump's hand against Beijing is getting weaker as Chinese exports to the U.S. tank 34% year over year
ARGUMENT An expert's point of view on a current event. Elon Musk Is a Security Risk The billionaire's access to sensitive information should have been a giant flashing red light for any administration. By Christian Caryl, the former Moscow bureau chief for Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ALEAMING RAT AGADY
#WORLD NEWS For first time since invasion of Ukraine, US congratulates Russia on National Day kyivindependent.com
WORLD • RUSSIA In Moscow, Musk's father praises Putin and blames his son for falling out with Trump Errol Musk attended the Future Forum 2050, an event organized by an Orthodox conservative magnate and an ultranationalist ideologue. Contrasting 'Russian values' with the West's 'moral confusion,' he pinned his son's clash with Donald Trump on 'stress' and fatigue. By Benjamin Quénelle Published yesterday at 12:51 am (Paris), updated yesterday at 10:38 am • Ở 3 min read Lire en français
The religious orientation has at times extended to the institution's staff. The Kennedy Center's new head of development, Lisa Dale, invited her staff to pray during a May meeting, a request that prompted an audible gasp from some staff members, according to a person familiar with the matter. Dale dropped the idea at the time. In the same meeting, she mentioned that insubordination would be grounds for dismissal, the person said. Dale didn't respond to requests for comment. Grenell has proposed creating residency-type programs for certain stars to per- form over weeks at a time, according to people familiar with the matter, suggest- ing stars such as Dolly Parton do a stint.
Transportation Reagan National Airport to close for Army anniversary parade f in @ Unlock URL Order Reprints i Gift this Article
HOME = SEARCH NEWS FORTUNE 500 TECH FINANCE FORTUNE LEADERSHIP LIFESTYLE MULTIMEDIA SUBSCRIBE NOW SIGN IN HEALTH• FOOD AND DRINK Doritos and Mountain Dew could carry a new 'not recommended for human consumption' warning under landmark Texas bill BY SASHA ROGELBERG REPORTER June 4, 2025 at 7:07 AM EDT
COMMENTARY. POLITICS Jamie Dimon for president? Why the banking CEO would be a welcome alternative for many voters BY JEFFREY SONNENFELD BY STEPHEN HENRIQUES
OPINION REVIEW & OUTLOOK Follow Whose Pork Do You Mean, Elon? Musk trashes the House bill that cuts subsidies for Tesla. By The Editorial Board June 3, 2025 at 5:34 pm ET Follow
= FINANCIAL TIMES Subscribe  Sign In Looking at Trump's two periods in office, Shapiro finds 22 occasions so far in which he has threatened the use of force - but only two in which he has actually followed through. There have been 25 actual uses of force - mainly limited strikes against terrorist groups such as Isis or al-Qaeda. But only on two occasions were they preceded by a presidential threat. Surveying the record, Shapiro comes to a clear conclusion: "Trump uses threats and force much like a playground bully: while large and outwardly powerful, he actually fears the use of force in any situation even vaguely resembling a fair fight... Actual violence only occurs against much weaker foes that have no hope of striking back." Applying the Taco principle to today's foreign policy crises is instructive. Trump has threatened to authorise attacks on Iran, if the current talks to limit its nuclear programme end in failure. But the record suggests that he is likely to remain very reluctant to strike Iran whatever happens in the negotiations.
Bluesky adoption is concentrated on the left Many news influencers identified in 2024 have joined Bluesky, but about twice as many are on X % of news influencers in 2024 sample who have an account on each site as of early 2025 All news influencers Bluesky ... 43% • X (Twitter) 82% • Left-leaning influencers Right-leaning influencers •15 @ No clear political orientation 69 • 75 • 87 47 • 83 " 0 50 100 Note: "Right-leaning" includes people who explicitly identified as conservative, Republican or who expressed support for Donald Trump in summer 2024. "Left-leaning" includes those who explicitly identified as liberals, Democrats and who expressed support for Joe Biden or Kamala Harris in summer 2024. Political orientation could be expressed in account bios, recent social media posts, personal and professional websites, and news coverage. News influencers with other political orientations are not shown. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 500 news influencers with over 100,000 followers who regularly posted about news on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube in early 2024. We checked whether influencers from this sample had a Bluesky account in February/March 2025. Refer to the report methodology for more details. PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE
Trump administration to prioritize 'patriotic Americans' for federal jobs Applicants for government jobs will be required to write essays explaining how they will advance President Donald Trump's policy priorities.
The goal of uniting data on Americans has been quietly discussed by Palantir engineers, employees said, adding that they were worried about collecting so much sensitive information in one place. The company's security practices are only as good as the people using them, they said. They characterized some DOGE employees as sloppy on security, such as not following protocols in how personal devices were used. Ms. Xia said Palantir employees were increasingly worried about reputational damage to the company because of its work with the Trump administration. There is growing debate within the company about its federal contracts, she said.
Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans Alex Karp, a co-founder and the chief executive of Palantir, at a forum in Washington in April. The Trump administration has expanded Palantir's work across the federal government. Caroline Gutman for The New York Times The Trump administration has expanded Palantir's work with the government, spreading the company's technology — which could easily merge data on Americans - throughout agencies.
MONEYWATCH Trump was asked about the "TACO" trade and called it a "nasty question." Here's what it means.
Vietnam vets' annual ceremony relocated from D.C. due to Army parade For more than three decades, it has been held by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for those who served in the war and later died. Not this year. May 28 at 6:00 AM 2025
• Al Overview "No Kings" protests, also referred to as "NO KINGS Nationwide Day of Defiance," are a series of protests organized by Indivisible and other pro- democracy organizations. The protests, intended to reject authoritarianism and corrupt politics, are planned to coincide with Donald Trump's military parade in Washington, D.C. on Flag Day (June 14). Activists will be holding marches, rallies, and demonstrations across the country on that day. Key aspects of the "No Kings" protests: • Goal: To reject authoritarianism and corrupt politics in the United States. • Timing: The protests are planned to take place on Flag Day (June 14), during Donald Trump's military parade in Washington, D.C. o • Location: The protests are not just in Washington, D.C., but also across the country, in towns and cities in every state. • Actions: Participants will be holding marches, rallies, and demonstrations. • Motivation: Inspired by the success of previous actions like "Hands Off!" and May Day. o • Organization: The protests are being organized by Indivisible and a coalition of pro-democracy partner organizations. • Call to Action: The organizers want to highlight the power of grassroots activism and the fact that "real power isn't staged in Washington - it rises up everywhere else". ©
FOREIGN Former Israeli Hamas Hostage Detained at JFK Airport by American ICE Agents Convinced She Was Still in Captivity Liri Albag spent 477 days held by Hamas at Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
MAGAZINE Q&A "That's the Way Militaries Work in Russia and China and North Korea' A military veteran in Congress raises the alarm about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's firing of high-ranking officers.
Personal Finance Column No tax on tips' could backfire amid growing tip fatigue The legislation has implications for those who give gratuities and those who pocket them, with the potential to leave both sides feeling shortchanged. May 23, 2025
Invitees to the White House Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto billionaire who was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for allegedly inflating the value of a cryptocurrency. Mr. Sun is a major investor in a separate crypto venture largely owned by a company tied to Mr. Trump, World Liberty Financial. After Mr. Trump took office, the S.E.C. asked a judge to put Mr. Sun's case on hold. He declined to comment on Thursday night. Justin Sun arriving for the White House tour on Friday. He was the top holder of $TRUMP coins. Jason Andrew for The New York Times