BEvery few cycles, the New York Times tries to figure out Elon Musk's politics.
BAnd every time, they get it wrong.
BA Bluesky post from mtsw points out they ran pieces saying he'd lost interest in politics right before he became the largest GOP donor in history. Twice.
BTwo times. You'd think after the first miss they'd stop writing that article.
BIt's a pattern with these profiles. They want him to be a mystery, so they ignore what he's actually doing.
BTo be fair, he does keep everyone guessing. He'll post about rockets, then suddenly he's at a rally.
BBut the money isn't a mystery. The donations are public. It's just inconvenient for the narrative.
BAnd that's the real criticism here: elite media wants a complicated genius, not a straightforward partisan donor.
BExactly. The simplest explanation is usually right, and they keep missing it.
BNow, switching from media blind spots to a rumor that got put to bed.
BThere was a viral claim going around that Don Lemon owed 17 million dollars to 34 church parishioners.
BSomeone asked Grok if it was true, and it said no. No jury, no lawsuit, no verdict.
BI saw that screenshotted everywhere. It had just enough specificity to feel real: 17 million, 34 people, 500,000 each.
BThat's how these fabrications work. Precise numbers, no actual source.
BAnd Don Lemon's name attached, because he's a lightning rod. Easy to get people to believe it.
BWhich is why the correction matters. Grok shut it down, and we checked: there's nothing there.
BAnd now for something that is true, but very ugly.
BTwo posts are circulating about Amy Acton's childhood.
BThey claim her stepfather was arrested and indicted in 1978 for abusing her, then fled and died a fugitive.
BHere's what we can confirm: Acton has spoken publicly about being abused as a child. That part is established.
BBut the specific arrest, the indictment, the flight, the fugitive death — we couldn't independently verify any of that.
BAnd it matters. When you're talking about sexual violence, getting the details right isn't optional.
BThe posts read like court records from a database. They cite an actual case number.
BBut citing something isn't the same as confirming it. We don't have a source that backs the specifics.
BAnd there's a political context here. Acton was Ohio's health director during Covid, and she's been a target ever since.
BThat doesn't mean the posts are false. It means we have to be careful about what we repeat.
BThe full picture isn't in yet. We'll keep an eye on it.
BNow to a political fight that's just heating up.
BJD Vance has been out there saying the administration rejects people getting rich off government connections.
BAnd a Bluesky post from Jon Cooper is calling that beyond parody.
BCooper's point is pretty direct: Trumpworld, as he puts it, reeks of self-dealing and family profiteering.
BHe says corruption isn't a bug in their world — it's the business model.
BCome on. That's a rhetorical line, not an argument.
BIt's not just rhetoric. Reporting says Jared Kushner's firm got a two billion dollar investment from the Saudis after he left the White House.
BI'm not defending every deal. But Vance's point is about government connections, and that happens in every administration.
BThere's a difference between a book deal and a sovereign wealth fund dropping billions. The scale is not the same.
BAnd the other side would say: Hunter Biden, the Clinton Foundation. This isn't a new problem.
BOh, that's whataboutism and you know it. Vance is the one giving the lecture. The question is whether he can.
BI think the point of the lecture is that they're trying to change the culture. Whether it works is a fair fight to have.
BAnd critics like Cooper are saying the culture hasn't changed at all — it's just wearing a different jacket.
BFair. But calling it 'the business model' is a smear, not an analysis.
BIt's an argument about incentives. If the system rewards self-dealing, more people will do it.
BAnd that's the real debate. I'll grant you the scale question is legitimate. But the structural critique needs receipts.
BThe receipts are public. They're just not in one place, and nobody wants to read a spreadsheet.
BNow, from the swamp to the ballpark. A Bluesky post from Micah says 'never ask about a baseball or hockey player's politics' remains undefeated.
BBecause the second you do, someone's favorite player is suddenly a jerk.
BIt's good advice. Football and basketball players tell you their politics. Baseball and hockey players? You don't want to know.
BThere's a reason the MLB clubhouse reputations stay quiet. Same with the NHL.
BThe closest we got was Tim Thomas refusing the White House visit. And everyone immediately decided that was enough.
BIt's a clean rule: enjoy the double play, don't ask about the podcast.