Chris Walker

@thatchriswalker.bsky.social

6768 Followers 892 Following

Journalist since '03. News writer for Truthout.org. Lifetime Wisconsinite, which is obvious by my cheesy posts. Tips 'n such to: chris@truthout.org

An image of Stefan from Saturday Night Live, with the caption: "This halftime show has everything: Shakira. Ted Lasso. Bieber. The Muppets."
An image of a Facebook post that reads Chris Walker Did some quick "back of the napkin" math here... Gas prices were at $2.937/gal, on average nationally, before the start of the war. Prices are going down, but very slowly. We're currently at $3.99/gal, national average -- a rate that's still 36% higher than pre-war levels. Put another way, for every $100 you spent on gas in February, you're now spending $136 for the same amount of gas. At the current rate that gasoline costs are dropping, it will take another 82 days before prices get back to those pre-war levels. Which means, the Iran War -- which did not produce a positive outcome for the U.S., despite Trump's rosy claims -- will likely result in a substantial increase in gasoline costs for somewhere between 185 to 210 days todal, depending on other factors between now and the next few months. A rise in gasoline prices also raises costs for other goods, including food. Indeed, inflation last month increased by rates that were higher than when Biden left office. Thanks, Trump.
An image of a text only Facebook post, which reads: Christian nationalism isn't just a threat to secularists or people of other faiths. It's a threat to Christians, too. The moment a government says it endorses a religion, and will pass laws to "protect" it over others, it incorporates itself into that faith. It then manages the faith, leading to regulation and rule making within it, and eventually, punishment to those who do not abide by the government's God. Sound extreme? Well, I'm just relying on millennia of history as evidence. But this time will be different, right?
An image showing a Facebook social media post, with the text of the post reading: High gas prices aren't going away anytime soon, Trump administration predicts (but you won't hear them say it on TV!)... In April, the Trump admin released a little-read report indicating it didn't believe gas prices would dip back to pre-Iran War prices until 2027. The May update to that report suggests it could be until 2028 before we see those prices again, with gas next year costing, on average, $3.62/gal (for comparison: it was $3.10/gal, on average, for the year 2025, and nationally, gas cost around $2.93/gal the week before the war started).
An image of a Facebook post by Chris Walker. The post reads: I support democracy in Iran. Bombing the country, which has so far included the killing of dozens, if not hundreds, of innocent civilians, is not supportive of that end, and actually undermines it. The regime will use this attack, and future ones, to galvanize the public against the movement for democracy. They will use the killing of Iranians as evidence that the U.S. is seeking to invade and destroy the country, and to falsely assert that the movement is in league with Trump, in an effort to move public opinion against it, and in support of their repressive leaders. This war is unjustified and unlawful. And if you believe Trump is doing this to play "savior" for the Iranian people, you are completely off base, too. This is war because he wants war -- plain and simple. He wants to portray strength, distract from other issues at home, and of course, he wants the oil. His choosing to ignore his own military intelligence is proof positive that he's doing this for selfish reasons.
[WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOOTING TODAY. GRAPHIC VIDEO ALSO IN THE COMMENTS.] New graphic video of the man who was shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis is now available (the "lady in the pink jacket" angle). Here's the play-by-play text version -- video is available in the comments. Prior to the struggle, a Border Patrol agent shoves a different person to the ground. The man (who is eventually shot) confronts that agent, who then immediately sprays chemicals in the man's face.