(THREAD) This thread compiles the 25 finalists in the Proof of Corruption Shop Contest. I hope you'll weigh in in the comments on which you like the most! I'll make a decision on the winners—including the signed-book winner—based on creativity and shop quality. #ProofofCorruption
(FINALISTS #5—#8) I want to take a moment to say "thank you" to all the incredible folks who entered the Proof of Corruption Shop Contest. At my count we had nearly 150 entries in just 48 hours—and so many of them (finalists and otherwise) were *impressive*. You all are the best!
(FINALISTS #9—#12) I hope the contest provided everyone with levity in a dark time. I hope, too, it acknowledged the special place curatorial journalism has come to occupy in American media: as an emerging digital mode considered *vital* to fast-growing community of news-readers.
(FINALISTS #13—#16)
(FINALISTS #17—#20) More finalists from the Proof of Corruption Shop Contest. #ProofofCorruption
(FINALISTS #21—#24) More finalists from the Proof of Corruption Shop Contest. #ProofofCorruption
(FINALIST #25) This last Proof of Corruption Shop Contest finalist gets its own tweet—but only because we have an uneven number of finalists! (I'm not giving away any preferences!) I'll admit it made me laugh out loud, though. Winners announcement coming soon! #ProofofCorruption
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This was a potential outcome discussed at length in my pinned report.
The Court demands signs of effort but not a result—a win for the Trump administration, as it appears to confirm its theory that Bukele has control over anyone on his soil.
Do be careful in reading analysis of this case. Casual observers who aren't familiar with it will tell you this was a win for Garcia—and it certainly will be if Trump and his pal in El Salvador decide to save his life. But as a matter of the law going forward, this is a disaster.
The legal question was whether a human body comes under the control of a foreign dictator the moment that body is put on a plane to that country and the plane leaves the ground.
The implication of this decision is that the answer is yes. Which means the disappearances can start.
They didn't even care enough about the American economy to do any of the work themselves.
It almost feels... impeachable?
How could sloppily using AI to create domestic policy, then hiding it, be consistent with the Oath of Office? theverge.com/news/642620/tr…
This explains everything. The bad tariff math, placing tariffs on uninhabited islands, the odd errors that keep popping up in administration texts, the fact that Musk has said he wants to replace the humans in our government with AI, the fact that he *runs an AI company*.... JFC!
So much makes sense now. The website deletions that seem based on the most imbecilic reading of search results, the bizarrely high number of EOs, the obsession with the idea that people don't matter because AI can do everything in government... few if any humans are at the wheel!
Musk is now a bigger fount for toxic, self-aggrandizing bullshit than P.T. Barnum ever was.
He’s an utter 🤡—and that’s both a historical and provable fact. There’s nothing non-journalistic about observing when a man has become infamous for his rank nonsense and foolish gambits.
But that’s only the start of the story.
PROOF has outlined—with full sourcing—how Musk for years avoided politics on the advice of his father, and for years avoided revealing his far-right ideologies for fear they would destroy his business empire.
He was right. It’s happening.
In other words, he *knew* his far-right ideologies would be grotesque to consumers.
He *knew* that if he entered politics in America, those ideologies would cause him to become an instant target for hate from a majority of patriotic Americans—who unlike him believe in democracy.
Musk has been told—repeatedly—that this is a lie. The global population is rising and will continue to rise until 2100, then it’ll decline slightly. Many countries, JUST NOT MAJORITY WHITE ONES, have over-replacement birth rates. Musk focuses on a small number of white nations.
So no, there are NO experts in this field who agree humanity is dying. There are NO experts who have a longterm underpopulation concern. There are NO experts who agree with Musk. The ONLY people concerned are white supremacists who worry white nations may become SLIGHTLY smaller.
But his lie is worse than this. He KNOWS and has been TOLD that rich, developed, often—but certainly not exclusively—majority-white nations see a birth rate decline BECAUSE of their wealth. That’s normal. It does not mean those nations will collapse, just reduce slightly in size.
1. Elon Musk has many biographers; none are “official.” 2. I’m a Musk biographer; I don’t use Musk as a source because he’s a known pathological liar. 3. My second Musk biography (first is below) arrives in 2026.
4. Grok is aware I’m a Musk biographer, as is the world (see my bio excerpt below, from my website). But Grok, by Musk’s design, sometimes struggles to access Substack—which confuses it about my status. 5. I’m a multiple-time NYT-bestselling biographer of public figures.
(🧵3/3)
6. Elongelicals have a favorite Musk biographer—Isaacson—as Walt tells them what they want to hear. He just repeats what Elon says and is himself a fanboy. My methodology is different: I’m a curatorial journalist. 7. You want fan-fiction? Go with Walt. For the truth, me.