Ball of Thread

Corruption is a Process

In a perfect phone call in July 2019 orchestrated for months by mobbed up corrupt Ukrainians -- some backed by Russia -- Trump attempted to corrupt the newly elected pres

DOJ is invoking Trump v. US in an attempt to dodge accountability for the Broadview 6 case

Why Andrew Boutros' invocation of Trump v. US in an attempt to dodge sanctions in the Broadview 6 case is terrifying.   Support these episodes by backing LOLGOP Studios o

DOJ Invents Conspiracies Out of Some Dents in a Car

DOJ rolled out a conspiracy indictment against 15 people in Minnesota that risks criminalizing opposition to Trump more generally. Watch:  https://youtu.be/tviFq9EkpvY

Donald Trump's Swamp Creature

Donald Trump has rolled out a Fraud Task Force, under JD Vance and Scott Brady (the guy who set up a way to criminally frame Joe and Hunter Biden). It itself is pretty fr

Trump's Twin Intractable Psychological Dilemmas

To find a resolution with Iran, Trump will need to budge on one or another of his most fundamental psychological rules: He can't oppose Vladimir Putin and he cannot admit

Think of the Iran War as Global War

You can't separate Trump's disastrous war in Iran from the opportunities it gives Russia and China to wreak havoc in Europe and elsewhere. WATCH: https://youtu.be/nqNV

Trump Hoards the Money He Stole

By sending an invoice for the damages Trump's tariffs did to the American consumer, JB Pritzker will make it obvious that Trump is trying to hoard the money he stole from

Marco Rubio Tries to Tell Europe He's Not the Grandson of an "Illegal" Immigrant

Marco Rubio went to Europe and invited them to remain allies of the US, but only if they adhere to a vision of Western culture and history that excises the contributions

Behind the Masks

Behind the masks that Stephen Miller's goons are wearing lies a truth about America that destroys his claims of white supremacy. He cannot carry out his deeply racist pro

Swapping VA Care for Dead VA Nurses

Republicans have made a choice: to dump billions of money that previously went into healthcare, including VA care, to pay goons who are shooting people dead in Minneapoli

UPDATE: Murder on Ice and Water

Two weeks ago we argued that Stephen Miller thinks of his invasions of Venezuela and Minneapolis the same. This week, after Alex Pretti's murder, Donald Trump confirmed t

Feed the MAGAt Conspiracism

It may be easier to separate MAGAt from Trump by stoking their conspiracism than by explaining, factually, all the problems with Trump. Read the post: https://www.empty

Murder on ICE and Water

Stephen Miller's plan to murderbomb boats in the Caribbean and invade Venezuela and Greenland has direct ties to the latest invasion of Minneapolis. Watch this: https:/

RE-RELEASE: The Meaning of January 6th

Donald Trump will never accept losing anything – whether an election or a bet. But that wouldn't matter if he didn't convince millions of Americans to make his grievances

Stephen Miller's Mayonnaise Days

Stephen Miller has had two notable failures in 2025. His initial success at deporting 200 mostly innocent men to a concentration camp has been backfiring ever since. And

Young Playboys Gone Wiles

Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair she didn't really know how bad the Epstein scandal would be, and so relied on her resident conspiracy theorists -- Dan Bongino, Kash Patel, a

Stephen Miller Lectures Europe about His Incompetence

Donald Trump's second term National Security Strategy was an attack on Europe. While boasting of its own competence, it lists a bunch of ways Donald Trump has made the US

Marco Rubio in the Room

I've got bad news for you. Marco Rubio may be the main thing standing between us and the end of the Western Order and the dismemberment of Ukraine. He could be fired by n

Back to Bondi

Pam Bondi did some reckless things in the Epstein and Comey cases a week ago Friday. They're likely to backfire.   Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/su

A General Warrant for Jim Comey

Jim Comey suspects that the FBI snuck into data they had not lawfully seized to get the indictment against him.   Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/11/17/the-11-