Ball of Thread – Details, episodes & analysis

Pam Bondi did two totally reckless things yesterday: re-ratify the indictment Lindsey Halligan obtained against Jim Comey, and immediately agree to investigate Democrats' involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.

Read the post: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/11/16/might-pam-bondis-latest-prosecutorial-abuse-give-us-ponies-and-puppies/

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Just about every aspect of Trump's tariffs are falling apart. And he's trying to convince credulous people that, instead, he's delivering them a win.   Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zjd_SkvN9c   Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/ 

While much of the left is pushing for a shutdown later this month, almost none are talking about how a shutdown ties to any articulable strategy to fight fascism. Indeed, the hope it will be an "attentional" event simply outsources the agency of fixing the Democrats' attentional problems generally.   Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/GH7kzWO2c1s?si=4QVJ4DX1Fvi2MU9H   Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/09/the-education-of-ezra-klein/   Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/ 

JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom both gave press conferences showing that Trump's attempts to invade their states is about authoritarianism, not law enforcement. But Newsom's effort more successfully exposed Trump's authoritarian spectacle.   Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/02/a-tale-of-two-governors-confronting-versus-dick-wagging/   Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/ 

In June, Republicans on the Supreme Court lifted a stay, giving DOGE access to all Americans' Social Security records. Then, DOGE gave Ed "Big Balls" Coristine -- a guy with ties to criminal hackers -- access to that.   Read more:  https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/26/amid-hunt-for-crime-in-dc-whistleblower-implicates-ed-big-balls-coristine-and-john-roberts/   Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/ 

Tulsi Gabbard just stripped the security clearances of 37 intelligence officials, including one of the NSA's top math whizzes. Her excuse for doing so stems from conspiracy theories invented by a disgruntled whistleblower.
Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbdY69KYf3U    Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/21/quantum-leaps-the-so-called-whistleblower-that-got-nsas-top-mathematician-fired/   Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/ 

We know why Vladimir Putin has leverage over Trump, and it's not the goddamned pee tape. Trump has survived for the last eight years--not just the Russian investigation, but his first impeachment, his second impeachment, January 6, stealing classified documents--by claiming every push for accountability was just a hoax by Hillary Clinton.

Russia Russia Russia.

But Putin has proof that Trump knows Hillary didn't frame him--instead, Russian spies framed her.

And if he released that, it would destroy the very means by which Trump has avoided accountability for eight years.

Solicitor General John Sauer wrote a batshit letter to the appeals court reviewing Trump's tariffs. It's little more than Trump's Truth Social posts slapped on a page -- not even on DOJ letterhead! But here's why it might work with SCOTUS.

Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/13/trump-confesses-he-will-bankrupt-the-country-unless-scotus-lets-him-break-the-law/

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The ways in which John Durham sustained his prosecutions of Michael Sussmann and Igor Danchenko even after concluding that the theory of his case was actually Russian disinformation provide a good sense of how Pam Bondi plans to do it going forward.

Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/10/john-durhams-show-trials-a-preview-of-coming-attractions/

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Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, and John Ratcliffe share a secret with Vladimir Putin's spies: There's an email redacted in the classified Durham appendix that makes it clear that Hillary Clinton didn't frame Trump, Russian spies framed Hillary.
Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/06/how-chuck-grassleys-politicized-redactions-gave-putin-leverage-over-trump/   Suport Marcy and emptywheel:  https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/