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John Markoff

@johnmarkoff

Once upon a Time New York Times science and technology writer. Stewart Brand biographer. Born and raised in (what would become) Silicon Valley.

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18.08.2023
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Latest posts by John Markoff @johnmarkoff

Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, “A Call to Conscience” - Statements - Archdiocese of Chicago - AoC Portal As more than 1,000 Iranian men, women and children lay dead after days of bombardment from U.S. and Israeli missiles, the official White House X account on Thursday evening posted a video of scenes fr...

Please please read this from the archbishop of Chicago

www.archchicago.org/statement/-/...

08.03.2026 03:46 👍 5760 🔁 2240 💬 164 📌 160
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U.S. sub sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, killing 87 and expanding war zone A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.

A US submarine sinking a lonely, dinky Iranian surface ship an ocean away from the theater of the main conflict—and 9000
miles from North America—makes it pretty clear the US is fighting a general war, without the declaration required by the Constitution. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

04.03.2026 17:40 👍 13503 🔁 4972 💬 543 📌 294
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"Why aren't reporters asking whether the president has the legal right to launch another Middle Eastern war?"

From my Zeteo piece/newsletter today:
zeteo.com/p/an-illegal...

21.02.2026 03:53 👍 6241 🔁 1764 💬 273 📌 85
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Trump Says He Will Release Files on Aliens and U.F.O.s

Trump Says He Will Release Files on Aliens and U.F.O.s www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/u...

Anything but Epstein!

20.02.2026 05:23 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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19.02.2026 00:20 👍 10262 🔁 2908 💬 392 📌 290
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megan padilla | travel writer + wayfinder | The artwork emerging from the Resistance continues to take my breath away. Repost @firstamendmenttroop | On President’s Day, the First... | Instagram 2,165 likes, 71 comments - travelswithmeg on February 16, 2026: "The artwork emerging from the Resistance continues to take my breath away. Repost @firstamendmenttroop | On President’s Day, the First....

www.instagram.com/reels/DU2Sds...

17.02.2026 17:23 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs

How many people will die because of this? Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/h...

16.02.2026 22:35 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Wow! This is some top-notch investigative journalism. The report claims the 3 million Epstein files released are only 2% of the total.

The massive scale of what’s still missing is hard to comprehend.

15.02.2026 05:08 👍 13166 🔁 6009 💬 504 📌 393
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Ofelia Torres, teen who fought to have her father released from ICE custody, dies from rare cancer Ofelia Torres, 16, died on Friday from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, her father's lawyer confirmed.

A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
 
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
 
Not one dime for this cruelty.

www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...

15.02.2026 21:20 👍 19140 🔁 7404 💬 641 📌 396

No one can deny that ICE under this Administration is being overly aggressive, violating people's rights, and endangering the lives of U.S. citizens and law abiding immigrants. We cannot move forward without commonsense reforms.

11.02.2026 15:35 👍 10987 🔁 2409 💬 1746 📌 257

I gotta say, "the Pentagon uses a high powered laser to shoot down a party balloon" feels like enough symbolism for awhile. all full up thanks

11.02.2026 20:02 👍 5476 🔁 813 💬 82 📌 57

I honestly can’t remember any prior AG being this overtly disrespectful in a Congressional hearing.

They really think they’re never going to be in the minority.

Maybe I memory holed it, but personal attacks on members of Congress during testimony just seems so out of bounds.

11.02.2026 18:16 👍 19088 🔁 2765 💬 47 📌 281
09.02.2026 01:00 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Massie on Howard Lutnick: "He should just resign. Three people in Great Britain resigned for less than what we've seen Howard Lutnick lie about. He clearly went to the island, if we believe what's in these files. He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein."

08.02.2026 16:29 👍 24365 🔁 7649 💬 718 📌 353

The President says elections should be nationalized. Isn't that what is done in Russia? GOP preaches "states rights" until things are done they don't like, then the Feds take it over. World's biggest hypocrites.

08.02.2026 01:50 👍 11140 🔁 2498 💬 492 📌 117
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Six Senators Accuse Deputy Attorney General of “Glaring” Crypto Conflict, Cite ProPublica Investigation The senators presented a letter demanding that top DOJ official Todd Blanche clarify the legality of his actions, pointing to ProPublica reporting that found he owned at least $159,000 in related asse...

The senators had argued Blanche’s shutdown of crypto investigations would help support drug trafficking, child exploitation and scams.

Now, they say their fears have been realized: Illicit crypto activities surged in 2025, a study found.

01.02.2026 02:00 👍 1456 🔁 645 💬 51 📌 36
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Tell Congress: Impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Contact Congress today!

It's not the rulers that make America great. It never has been.

The resistance is what makes us great. Keep pushing and never let up.

31.01.2026 04:09 👍 9133 🔁 2246 💬 281 📌 97

We rejected great candidates like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris in favor of a deranged narcissist, who promotes Project 2025, which aims to remove civil service protections and bring independent agencies like the DOJ and FBI under direct presidential control.

31.01.2026 01:17 👍 3933 🔁 937 💬 351 📌 73
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Correct. Homan saying “in theater” says it all — they view themselves as at war with other Americans

30.01.2026 14:39 👍 6058 🔁 2101 💬 314 📌 111
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FBI’s Search of Georgia Election Center Is “Dangerous,” Experts Warn The search warrant, which sought 2020 election ballots, tabulator tapes, digital data and voter rolls from Fulton County, marked what experts described as a significant escalation in President Donald ...

“The idea that federal officials would seize ballots in an attempt to prove fraud is especially dangerous in this context when we know … the Georgia 2020 election has been extensively counted, recounted and investigated,” one expert said.

By @dougbockclark.bsky.social @jenafifield.bsky.social

31.01.2026 04:00 👍 1115 🔁 447 💬 39 📌 23

This Epstein drop is HUGE and utterly disgusting. I don’t see how this man is allowed to remain in office. Where are the evangelical leaders, the soccer moms, the folks stocking up on eggs, the farmers, the small business owners.

Decide. Who are you?

30.01.2026 22:04 👍 33941 🔁 9041 💬 1197 📌 345

Law enforcement officers have always been unmasked in this country until ICE started wearing them last year.

*That* is the departure from norms. *That* is the step too far.

28.01.2026 23:23 👍 8953 🔁 2051 💬 438 📌 74
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ICE doesn’t de-escalate, it escalates, then runs.

🚨ICE agent pepper-sprays woman after shoving her. Totally unnecessary. Santa Barbara police and paramedics showed up to clean up the mess. ICE already fled the scene.

29.01.2026 00:23 👍 7549 🔁 3055 💬 374 📌 142
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A retired Minneapolis couple who had guns pointed at them by ICE in a church parking lot.

"They were obviously not trained at all. I've known many police officers in my life. These people were right off the streets."

"They had the professional demeanor of criminals."

ht: @paulgraham.bsky.social

28.01.2026 19:09 👍 26959 🔁 10064 💬 999 📌 792
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Rand Paul: "There has to be an investigation. I don't know who trusts an investigation done by DHS when they're the ones calling this person an 'assassin,' a 'domestic terrorist,' saying he was assaulting police. How can they be in charge of an independent investigation? Something's got to happen."

28.01.2026 13:16 👍 16651 🔁 4230 💬 810 📌 352

Dangerous domestic terrorist vs patriotic 2A enthusiast

27.01.2026 22:40 👍 631 🔁 207 💬 13 📌 2

The Secretary of Homeland Security is asserting that the Deputy White House Chief of Staff ultimately bears responsibility for the murder of two American citizens, which is something that would normally generate a dozen congressional inquiries.

28.01.2026 14:11 👍 7096 🔁 1946 💬 434 📌 92
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In Minneapolis, far-right influencers frame ICE resistance as terrorism As communities organize against Trump's federal crackdown, a network of pundits is building an "insurrectionist" narrative against them.

In Minneapolis, far-right influencers posing as journalists are casting themselves as victims and labeling ICE-watch groups “terrorists.” Their big new evidence—“infiltrated” Signal chats—isn’t a secret, had no calls for violence and urged people to witness, not interfere.
www.ms.now/news/minneap...

28.01.2026 14:01 👍 2111 🔁 719 💬 60 📌 47
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The investigation is the coverup Trump's "pivot" on Pretti is just a head fake.

We can assume Trumpers' "investigation" of Petti's execution will be a sham, as @lizdye.bsky.social explains. Therefore, it will fall to Minnesota authorities - who are not duped by Trump's belated promise of a fair federal inquiry - to provide justice in the Petti, and the Good, cases. 1/

28.01.2026 13:54 👍 624 🔁 138 💬 15 📌 3

Embarassing

28.01.2026 15:04 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1