Ball of Thread

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UPDATE: Murder on Ice and Water Feb 02, 2026

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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 that.

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Feed the MAGAt Conspiracism Jan 22, 2026

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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.emptywheel.net/portfolio-item/where-we-go-from-here/

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Murder on ICE and Water Jan 13, 2026

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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://youtu.be/dIi6tA-DV_k?si=cLWePZcwI6gSZSzR

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RE-RELEASE: The Meaning of January 6th Jan 06, 2026

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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 their own.

This Ball of Thread unwinds what made the pincer attack that overran the Capitol on January 6th possible. Donald Trump's grievance narratives gave disaffected Americans meaning, and in that meaning, he convinced thousands of people to throw their lives away in his name. The thing is, it's all the same con. That con defeated the Russia investigation and weaponized the Department of Justice against his opponent. And when he lost in 2020, he unleashed it to unite fringe right-wing groups and mainstream Republicans in a shared revenge fantasy. Thus, he was able to raise a ragtag army to sack the nation's Capitol briefly, and in the process, savagely battered hundreds of police officers and ended America's tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.

Though the attack ultimately failed by only delaying the certification of Joe Biden's victory, the bets Trump and many of his biggest fans made on January 6, 2021 are now paying off in ways that were inconceivable on January 6, 2025.

Stephen Miller's Mayonnaise Days Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

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 his demand that DHS attempt to snatch 3,000 people a day has led to backlash without making the US safe from dangerous immigrants. These failures must become part of making Stephen Miller the villain of Trump's failures in 2026.

Read the post: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/12/27/we-dont-know-how-when-stephen-miller-fails/

Watch this: https://youtu.be/-j2JfEzuqY8?si=_nt2eC5T5fjb93ry

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Young Playboys Gone Wiles Dec 19, 2025

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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, and JD Vance -- instead. But she's still misjudging who cares about this.

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Stephen Miller Lectures Europe about His Incompetence Dec 16, 2025

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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 less safe -- starting with the way he sells out American sovereignty whenever anyone offers him a pile of cryptocurrency. Watch this: https://youtu.be/n-E-BU6OOfw?si=QLLy_AYSBU19_AzK Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/ Support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LOLGOPStudios

Marco Rubio in the Room Nov 26, 2025

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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 noon. Or he could buy time for Congress to stand up to Trump on this. Read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/11/26/the-dim-philby-leaks/ Support emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/

Back to Bondi Nov 24, 2025

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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/support/ Support LOLGOP Studios: https://www.patreon.com/c/LOLGOPStudios

A General Warrant for Jim Comey Nov 18, 2025

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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-fuck-ups-pam-bondis-doj-made-in-indicting-jim-comey/ Support: https://www.emptywheel.net/about/support/

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