Among all the dipshits and liars
Do we give grace to Pete Hegseth that he is too stupid to understand how bad he is at his job leading the largest department in the federal government?
We knew this going in, but new facts continue to emerge this week about his sloppy (and, on its face, illegal*) behavior in the role.
Details about a second Signal chat (in addition to the one that included Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg) emerged this week in which he shared secret details of a military operation in Yemen with a group of people including his wife and brother.
Hegseth fired three of his top Pentagon advisers last week, his chief of staff stepped down, and another top aide resigned, penning an op-ed in which he claimed to express support for Hegseth but recommended that he be fired.
NPR reported yesterday morning that the White House is actively exploring alternatives to Hegseth, amidst a growing number of stories about “chaos” at the Pentagon.
Those who fear the worst believe TFP would rather keep Hegseth in place—regardless of his competence—so that he can approve the deployment of the US military against its own citizenry.
Conversely, this week professor emeritus of national security affairs at the US Naval War College Tom Nichols wrote in The Atlantic advising Hegseth to resign, as his patriotic duty. It seems near nonsensical to imagine someone like Hegseth to understand concepts like duty or honor, but Nichols is choosing here to defend the institution of the US military, by affirming the service of those thousands within it who do still value these things.
*Sharing sensitive military information a) on Signal, a private communication platform; b) somewhere that is not easily subject to required recordkeeping; c) on a private mobile device; d) with people who neither have security clearances nor need to know. All of these are prosecutable criminal offenses.
So, that’s fun
Tesla’s Q1 results were shared this week, showing a 71% drop in net income from the same quarter last year. CEO Memlon Fuchs asserted without evidence that the protestors at Tesla dealerships were being paid, or were resentful government workers who lost jobs which had been wasteful or fraudulent. Find a #TeslaTakedown event near you. (If you can figure out how to get paid to show up, do let me know!)
One @#$%ing thing
Tonight I spent time reflecting on this practice of synthesis, and whether my skillset makes this newsletter continue to be the right use of my time and attention. Or whether there’s a recalibration that is needed on where it is focused.
(I have, for instance, avoided addressing the pernicious lies and stupidity of our new Secretary of Health and Human Services, because his war on disability and neurodivergence is extremely personal to me. Perhaps that is reason for me to write about it.)
All the @#$%ing things
Night 48: Listened to a historian’s reflection on the lighting of two lanterns in Old North Church
Night 47: Shared photos from April 5 to Facebook
Night 46: Shared photos from the April 5 Hands Off protests
Night 45: Subscribed to Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter
Night 44: Donated to two campaigns for Congress in 2026
Night 43: Looked at projects tracking individuals abducted by ICE
Night 42: Learned more about Louis Armstrong, in his own words
Night 41: Revisited 20 lessons on tyranny
Night 40: Donated to victims of the LA fires
Night 39: Donated to a non-profit disaster alert service
Night 38: Removed Meta apps from my phone
Night 37: Added a new subscription for politics and culture news
Night 36: Catalogued things we know about Memlon Fuchs
Night 35: Described an early MAGA rift
Night 34: The gap between what voters want and what they’re getting
Night 33: An editorial policy of sorts
Night 32: Requesting records when medical claims are denied
Night 31: Things I’ve learned about money laundering
Night 30: Turned to the words of Frederick Douglass
Night 29: Canceled my OpenAI subscription
Night 28: Donated money to three orgs
Night 27: Addressed a hazardous tile floor
Night 26: Picked up trash with the Trash Falcons
Night 25: Learned more about Pete Hegseth than I wanted to
Night 24: Canceled recurring subscriptions I no longer need
Night 23: Dwelt in gratitude
Night 22: Picked up pie from a favorite local business
Night 21: Downsized my clothes closet
Night 20: Increased my monthly contribution to the ACLU
Night 19: Deleted a blog from two decades ago
Night 18: Researched nonprofit board opportunities
Night 17: Contributed to Trans Lifeline
Night 16: Spent time together with loved ones
Night 15: Bought from a not-for-profit online store
Night 14: Refined an icon and wordmark
Night 13: Contributed to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
Night 12: Contributed to The Guardian
Night 11: Read, reflected, and rested
Night 10: Sent money to support vaccinations in Nigeria
Night 9: Sent money to a friend in need
Night 8: Gave gifts and spoke words of appreciation aloud
Night 7: Contributed to a California-focused nonprofit newsroom
Night 6: Made homemade donuts for my team
Night 5: Opted into a paid Buttondown tier
Night 4: Reviewed my local election results
Night 3: Deactivated my X account
Night 2: Contributed to my local nonprofit newsroom
Night 1: Started by starting
Words, sorts, thinks, and actions by Chris Ereneta, from Oakland, California. Thanks for reading! Consider forwarding this to a friend! Thoughtful feedback and questions are welcomed at that.often@gmail.com