Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Judd Legum Profile picture
@JuddLegum
Oct 28 • 9 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
1. @JeffBezos did not become the second-richest person in the world because of his dedication to journalist integrity

He did it by prioritizing the bottom line

And, even though he owns the @washingtonpost, wealth maximization continues to be his priority

🧵
2. How important is the @washingtonpost to Bezos? He paid $250 million for it in 2013

That's half of what he paid for his superyacht, Koru

He also spent $75M on Abeona, a 246-foot yacht that follows around his other yacht w/a helipad and other toys

popular.info/p/the-billiona…
@washingtonpost 3. Bezos overruled his editorial staff and canceled plans for the paper to endorse Kamala Harris

Why?

He's not talking but Bezos' wealth is tied up in @amazon and @blueorigin -- companies whose success is inextricably linked to the federal government Image
@washingtonpost @amazon @blueorigin 4. Bezos believes that former President Trump's hostility toward the Washington Post, which produced critical coverage of Trump's presidency, cost his companies billions in government contracts.

This is documented in litigation.

popular.info/p/the-billiona…
5. In 2019, Amazon sued the federal government for awarding a $10 billion cloud-computing contract to Microsoft, alleging that Amazon lost out on the contract based on Bezos' ownership of the Washington Post

Excerpts from the lawsuit: Image
6. Bezos now faces an even more acute threat to his business interests. Elon Musk, who owns Blue Origin's chief rival SpaceX, has aligned himself closely w/Trump, spending tens of millions in support of Trump's campaign and making appearances in swing states on Trump's behalf.
7. Hours after the Washington Post announced it would not endorse, Trump was seen meeting with Blue Origin CEO David Limp.

Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign's chief spokesman, embraced the suggestion that the meeting and the announcement of the non-endorsement were linked. Image
8. According to CNN, "Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also recently reached out to check in" with Trump.

popular.info/p/the-billiona…
9. So it probably makes sense to also get news from outlets that are not owned by billionaires seeking to ingratiate themselves with Trump.

You can sign up for Popular Information for free

popular.info/subscribe

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Judd Legum

Judd Legum Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @JuddLegum

Judd Legum Profile picture
Oct 29
1. @ElonMusk is spending 9-figures to elect Trump, appears alongside Trump at rallies, and his Super PAC is coordinating w/the Trump campaign

Musk just produced the most misogynistic ad in the history of politics

Coverage of the ad has ranged from muted to non-existent Image
2. "America really can't afford a 'C-Word' in the White House right now," America PAC posted, adding a laughing emoji. "Kamala Harris is a ‘C word,’" the narrator of the ad says. "You heard that right. A big ole ‘C word.’"

popular.info/p/the-most-mis…
3. The "joke" of the ad is that Harris is a "communist." Of course, Harris is not a communist. And the ad makes no effort to show she is a communist. The line is only included as a pretext to repeatedly use a crass, misogynistic slur against Harris. Image
Read 13 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Oct 24
1. Three GOP state senators in North Carolina have demanded an investigation of state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs

They claim that Riggs has "blatantly violated" the Code of Judicial Conduct

Riggs' transgression? She mentioned reproductive rights in a campaign ad. Image
2. In a TV ad, Riggs says that "women should be in charge of our own reproductive health care"

She notes that the GOP nominee for Governor, Mark Robinson, supported a total abortion ban and her opponent "could decide if [Robinson's] ban becomes law"

popular.info/p/republican-l…
3. In a letter to colleagues announcing their request for an investigation, the Republican Senators claim that the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct "prohibits any judicial candidate, regardless of the office they seek, from taking a position on any issue that may appear before the court."

This is false.

The North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct states that judges "should abstain from public comment about the merits of a pending proceeding in any state or federal court dealing with a case or controversy arising in North Carolina." Riggs’ ad does not comment on any pending court proceeding.
Read 7 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Oct 23
1. This is an OUTRAGEOUSLY MISLEADING headline by @NBCNews

The 600 people w/"possible ties" to the Venezuelan gang includes PEOPLE WHO WERE VICTIMS OF THE GANG OR WITNESSED CRIMES BY THE GANG

Unfortunately, it's part of a pattern of NBC pushing misleading Trump talking points Image
2. Being a victim of a gang crime does not mean you are "tied" to a Venezuelan gang.

Only 100 Venezuelan migrants in the US are believed to be members of the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang and many of them are in ICE custody or in the custody of other law enforcement!
3. Keep in mind that Trump claims the TDA gang has TAKEN OVER THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, which has over 400,000 people. That's quite an accomplishment for 100 people, many of whom are actually in jail already.
Read 5 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Oct 22
1. There is a brazen and ongoing attack on free speech in Florida, where the DeSantis admin is attempting to coerce TV stations to stop running ads in support of abortion rights

Funny that none of the people on X who claim to care about free speech are talking about it.

🧵 Image
2. Earlier this month, the general counsel for the Florida Department of Health sent a letter to TV execs threatening jail time if they continued to run an ad supporting abortion rights.

popular.info/p/update-its-t…
3. Now the man who signed the letter has RESIGNED. In an affidavit, he says the letter was drafted by top DeSantis deputies who ordered him to sign it. He decided to quit his job rather than continue to be involved.
Read 5 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Oct 21
1. If the government found someone laundered $67,000 in drug money, they would almost certainly go to jail

Meanwhile, TD Bank executives oversaw the laundering of $670 MILLION, but no one is going to jail

The company is paying a fine

Follow this thread for details

🧵
2. On March 7, 2024, Attorney General Merrick Garland, speaking at the American Bar Association's 39th Annual White Collar Institute, gave an impassioned soliloquy on the importance of criminally prosecuting individual corporate executives for serious corporate crimes.

"[O]ur first priority in the area of white-collar crime is going after individual bad actors… All of us in this room know that the acts of corporations are actually the acts of individuals. All of us in this room who have counseled corporations—and I did very early on in my career—know that the greatest deterrent to white-collar crime is fear of individual prosecutions of the executives and companies. But the most important element of this is the rule of law. That people see that if a corporate executive is held to account, is in prison for a corporate crime, people are being treated equally, that there isn't a different set of rules, that like circumstances are treated alike. That increases respect for the rule of law, and, conversely, without that, people's respect for the rule of law goes down in every element."Image
3. On October 10, 2024, Garland held a press conference and announced that TD Bank had illegally laundered over $670 million of drug money. "By making its services convenient for criminals, TD Bank became one," Garland declared.

popular.info/p/td-bank-exec…
Read 14 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Oct 15
1. Since Kavanaugh was confirmed in 2018, he's been a key vote in Supreme Court rulings that ended federal protections for abortion, gave presidents near total immunity from prosecution, etc.

New evidence shows his narrow confirmation was aided a sham FBI investigation

🧵
2. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released a report last week documenting how the FBI investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh — key to his Senate confirmation — was deeply flawed

popular.info/p/the-kavanaug…
3. Former President Donald Trump said publicly, contrary to contemporaneous media reports, that the FBI was free to interview whomever they wished.

This was a lie.

The Trump White House "specified the name of each witness the FBI was permitted to contact as part of the supplemental background investigation" and, in some instances, "specified particular lines of questioning." The Trump White House never gave "the FBI discretion to decide whom to interview, or what follow-up investigative steps to take." Ultimately, the FBI conducted just 10 interviews.Image
Read 7 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(