This was a very interesting thread.
Sassiest Minx nka Petty Betty š šŗšø
@SassiestMinx
I had a disciplined update drafted, but events have moved faster than even I expected. A thread.First, a baseline reminder:
Congressional Republicans will never arrive at impeachment the way Democrats do.
They will not frame it around morality, cruelty, victims, or outrage, even if those factors exist privately.
Republicans act when institutions stop functioning and they lose power as a result. I hesitate to call out only impeachment in this analysis. Instead, I am using āinstitutional changeā to encompass both that, and removal of the Speaker, and more sudden & unexpected retirement/resignation announcements.If movement happens, it will be justified as restoring order, preserving Congressās constitutional role, and making governance possible again. The language will be procedural, restrained, and frankly boring on purpose.
If youāre waiting for Republicans to say, āTrump crossed a moral line,ā youāll wait forever.
If youāre watching for Republicans to say, calmly, āthis is no longer sustainable,ā youāre watching the right thing.Here are the signals that have happened congress went in to recess, which is the date Iām using as a timeline marker.
1. Elite Donors and Corporate Power Have Gone Quiet.
During the election, inauguration, and through late December, major corporate and financial figures were publicly engaged: congratulatory statements, āworking togetherā language, meetings, photo-ops, and selective policy support.Since the VE attacks, that engagement has collapsed into silence. They are not defending Trumpās actions. They are not amplifying his agenda. They are not publicly owning outcomes. This is not neutrality. This is reputational risk containment.
When elite actors go quiet all at once and/or pushback (See: oil companies), it usually means they no longer believe defending the governing trajectory is worth the downside risk. That matters, a lot.
10:28 AM Ā· Jan 11, 2026Sassiest Minx nka Petty Betty š šŗšø
@SassiestMinx
2. A Senior, Institutionally Respected Republican Drew a Structural Red Line.Iāve been watching for a very specific moment: a senior Republican, not a MAGA firebrand and not a habitual dissenter, publicly rebuking Trump over function, not morality.
That happened!!!!!
Tom Tillis went on the Senate floor and drew a clear red line around Greenland, not because itās āwrong,ā but because it breaks institutional order and bypasses Congress.
His tone wasnāt fear or performative outrage. It was exasperation and the sound of someone who has already processed the implications.
Important point:
You do not do this publicly unless youāve already taken the temperature privately!!!! You only do it if you have support, even if it is private support for now.
10:28 AM Ā· Jan 11, 2026Sassiest Minx nka Petty Betty š šŗšø
@SassiestMinx
3. Leadership Has Gone Silent Instead of Directive.In moments of crisis, functional leadership (Speaker, majority and minority leaders, whips, committee chairs) does one of two things: coordinates messaging, or goes quiet when coordination isnāt possible. Speaker Johnson has done the latter. Remember, the GOP just held itās āstart of the sessionā pep rally, uh, āretreatā on MONDAY! Messaging has already fallen apart.
There has been no leadership attempt to reframe recent events, set narrative boundaries, or align the caucus around all of Trumpās actions and proposals. Instead, leadership communications have retreated to safe, generic content. That absence is not accidental. It suggests internal disagreement strong enough to prevent unified messaging. Johnson didnāt even take a side on the Renee Good murder. Instead, he posted a sort of āHappy Local Policeā post on X right after the Mpls shooting. Heās acting as if this event never happened. However, you can darn well be assured Levitt and team, including DT, have told him to get out there are tow the Trump line, to create unified Republican messaging. Thatās his job. He didnāt and couldnāt.
That, IMO, is exactly why Vance was sent instead. Normally, youād see Johnson in the hallways of the Capitol talking to reporters, or holding a presser, right? Not this time. Heās gone quiet since the 17 Republicans threatened him with ouster & voted yes on the restoration of ACA subsidies.
10:28 AM Ā· Jan 11, 2026
Sassiest Minx nka Petty Betty š šŗšø
@SassiestMinx
4. Republicans Are Quietly Shifting from Policy Disputes to Process Language.This is subtle but critical. Rather than defending or opposing individual actions on the merits, Republicans are increasingly framing concerns around congressional authorization, separation of powers, jurisdiction, precedent and custom, and sustainability of governance.
That shift matters more than any single vote or press conference.
When arguments move from āI disagreeā to āthis breaks the system,ā institutional change becomes thinkable. Especially when the Speaker has been silenced and a shutdown is looming. In fact, why arenāt Rās screaming about how Dems are trying to do another shutdown, and Dems are preventing us from governing, blah blah? Crickets. Theyāre beginning to look at this as a whole, versus issue by issue.
10:28 AM Ā· Jan 11, 2026Sassiest Minx nka Petty Betty š šŗšø
@SassiestMinx
5. Flood-the-Zone Has Reached Institutional Saturation.
Here is the keystone constraint most people are missing:Congress cannot realistically pass a War Powers resolution through committee, both chambers, and leadership, for Greenland, Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Ukraine, Iran, and other flashpoints in anything resembling real time. (See: Noem impeachment). And definitely canāt pass a CR with everything being thrown at them at once.
It is procedurally impossible. And it is doubly impossible before a likely government shutdown approaching. That means Republicans cannot manage this administration issue-by-issue, even if they wanted to.
At some point, the choice becomes endless reactive firefighting that collapses governance (and their credibility) or addressing the source of the lawlessness itself: Trump & friends. Thatās why individual proposals are starting to matter less than the pattern.
As far as the possible Noem impeachment goes: Dems are screaming for this, however, I believe it has 2 functions. One, to put the actual word āimpeachmentā out there for Congressional Republicans, and the public. Two, to make it clear thereās no freaking way they could do that without upending their ability to govern over everything else thatās flooded the zone. They are raising this as a signal to Rās that even if they wanted to, doing so is nearly impossible before a likely shutdown ā the avoidance of which SHOULD be their focus right now. In other words, Congressional Republicans will ask themselves, āWhat will this really accomplish?ā Nothing, because itās not her thatās the REAL problem. Itās Trump. Dems are forcing that confrontation and Noemās impeachment is the vehicle theyāre using to do so.
10:28 AM Ā· Jan 11, 2026
Ā·
5,221
ViewsSassiest Minx nka Petty Betty š šŗšø
@SassiestMinx
6. What to watch for over the next 2 weeks that signals institutional change is inching closer:A. More process language from Republicans but not more passion & outrage or defensiveness.
B. WHO echoes Tom Tillis, and how.
C. Continued leadership silence or generic, vague messaging.
D. Absence of whip pressure and no visible efforts to āget members in line,ā no unity messaging, no enforcement language by Tom Emmer and Steve Scalise.
E. Elite donors remaining quiet rather than defensive & corporations pushing back further.
F. No attempt to manage chaos issue-by-issue.
G. Shutdown language replacing culture-war language with a focus on governability, timelines, and procedural bottlenecks instead of PURELY partisan blame.
H. Democrats forcing institutional questions, not moral ones.If several of these appear together, especially within a short time window, thatās not just noise or coincidence. Thatās coordination and coalescence beginning to form. Theyāre exactly the things we need to see to signal REAL CHANGE.
Watch for the public silence, Jordan, Graham, etc. They may post online, but we want to see just how *visibly* they tow the party line on everything Trump is saying. We want to see if they’ll speak out in public, creating a clip that can be used forever. Or not.
https://x.com/SassiestMinx/status/2010388374079652317?s=20
Ron Filipkowski
@RonFilipkowski
Mike Lindell lays out his campaign platform for his MN governor campaign. He says he will ban Sharia Law on day one and arrest all the people protesting ICE because theyāre all being bussed in and arenāt from MN.
https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2012202295761465673?s=20
Dave Keating
@DaveKeating
“We cannot leave the security of Europe in the hands of voters in Wisconsin every 4 years” says France’s Europe Minister
“Let’s get out of collective denial. Europeans must take their destiny into their own hands, regardless of who is elected šŗšøpresident”
https://x.com/DaveKeating/status/1849915556335407543?s=20
Tim
@trouble_man90
Weāre losing allies because they can no longer guarantee that America wonāt elect a fascist every other election. They could handle us electing Trump once then kicking him out. But electing him a second time is what sealed the deal.
https://x.com/trouble_man90/status/2012226960370311530?s=20
The Tennessee Holler
@TheTNHoller
DELETED
After lying about this baby they gassed and almost killed in their own neighborhood, DHS deleted their post
https://x.com/TheTNHoller/status/2012242573692113310?s=20
Meidas_Charise Lee
@charise_lee
Two American teenagers just arrested by ICE
Lashawn James and Treyshawn James
https://x.com/charise_lee/status/2011977864707785005?s=20
Jay in Kyiv
@JayinKyiv
Confirming that the US did indeed cut off the supply of Ukraine’s air defense missiles just long enough for Putin to fully devastate the remaining power plants.
“Until this morning, Ukraine did not have missiles for air defense systems” ā Zelensky
Trump and Putin working together to pressure Ukraine.
6:08 AM Ā· Jan 16, 2026
https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/2012134971796844933?s=20
Just Phucking Evil
Texas Observer
āŖ@texasobserver.orgā¬
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Our top story: Rather than putting the unhoused into homes, these billionaires want to recriminalize living on the streets and force institutionalization through civil commitment. In Dallas and on the national stage, they seem to be winning the debate.
https://bsky.app/profile/texasobserver.org/post/3mckupebzoy2p
The Intercept
āŖ@theintercept.comā¬
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Dark-money groups want a look at the Chicago Teachers Unionās finances. The Trump administration could help them get it.
https://bsky.app/profile/theintercept.com/post/3mckunas2pl23
Trifling Azz Muthaphuckas
Indiana University Cancels MLK Celebration Dinner
By Emma Whitford
Indiana University in Indianapolis canceled a dinner in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. hosted annually in January by the Black Student Union, Mirror Indy reported. This yearās would have been the 57th consecutive annual MLK dinner, which was first convened in 1969.
Officials in the Division of Student Affairs told the Black Student Union the event was canceled at the end of the fall semester, citing ābudget constraints,ā according to a letter the Black Student Union executive council posted on Instagram.
āFor months prior, we had been diligently seeking guidance and confirmation on whether the dinner would be approved, funded and supported,ā the executive council wrote. āThis is not just about a dinner. This is about the erosion of Black traditions under vague justifications. This is about institutional decisions being made without Black voices at the table.ā
In a letter to campus Tuesday, IU Indianapolis chancellor Latha Ramchand said, āThe MLK Dinner is not going awayārather we are in a moment of transition,ā and described a new task force that will āhelp us reimagine our affinity dinners and related events.ā The task force will complete its work by April 10, she said. The university will host other MLK Day events next week, including a teach-in and an open mic session āon Dr. Kingās legacy expressed through words and art,ā Ramchand wrote.
In their response letter to the Division of Student Affairs, the Black Student Unionās executive council questioned whether the current political climate may have influenced administratorsā decision to cancel the dinner. The university in May closed its diversity, equity and inclusion office, which included the Multicultural Center and the LGBTQ+ Center; student organizations within the office were transferred to the Office of Student Involvement. A student with the Queer Student Union told Mirror Indy that the Harvey Milk Dinner, typically held in October, was also canceled this academic year.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/15/indiana-university-cancels-mlk-celebration-dinner
The crazyfication factor is 27%
So, how close is the green bar to 27%
If below 27%, then that tells you something. He lost part of the crazy of the crazy.
Matt McDermott
@mattmfm
Devastating new CNN poll on the anniversary of Trumpās first year in office: voters think heās made everything worse ā crime, free speech, health, global security. Literally every promise.
https://cnn.com/2026/01/16/politics/trump-economy-first-year-cnn-poll
https://x.com/mattmfm/status/2012144382858895367?s=20
Orla Joelsen
@OJoelsen
President Trump, gave an exclusive interview to the news agency Reuters on Wednesday, in which the conversation, among other topics, addressed Greenland.
So far, only excerpts from the interview have been released, but according to Reuters, the American president dismissed concerns about Greenlandās future.
The media outlet also confronted Trump with an Ipsos opinion poll showing that few Americans support his desire to take control of Greenland.
Trump rejected this, however, calling the poll āfake,ā Reuters reports.
3:02 AM Ā· Jan 15, 2026
https://x.com/OJoelsen/status/2011725739293319187?s=20
BrooklynDad_Defiant!ā®ļø
@mmpadellan
We didn’t see this chaos in President Obama’s America.
We didn’t see this chaos in President Biden’s America.
This is a pattern of chaos and violence in trump’s America.
It IS intentional.
ICE is provoking it.
https://x.com/mmpadellan/status/2011648409477034273?s=20
Governor Tim Walz
@GovTimWalz
State investigators have been on the scene in North Minneapolis.
I know youāre angry. Iām angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets.
But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace.
Donāt give him what he wants.
11:04 PM Ā· Jan 14, 2026
https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/2011665852265881872?s=20
Don Winslow
@donwinslow
1. Blue states cut off federal tax payments.
2. National shutdown strike for three weeks.
Shut the country down.
3. And this BS will stop.
8:35 PM Ā· Jan 14, 2026
https://x.com/donwinslow/status/2011628274192093640?s=20
Acyn
āŖ@acyn.bsky.socialā¬
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Reporter: Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE Agent.
Leavitt: Why was she killed?
Reporter: Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably
Leavitt: Youāre a left-wing hack. Youāre not a reporter.
https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3mciapoou4y2c
CalMatters
āŖ@calmatters.orgā¬
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A panel of three federal court judges shot down the latest āHail Maryā attempt by California Republicans and President Donald Trumpās administration to halt the use of the new congressional maps voters approved under Proposition 50. bit.ly/3LOogpJ
šø Larry Valenzuela
https://bsky.app/profile/calmatters.org/post/3mcitsvax472h
The Wall Street Journal
āŖ@wsj.comā¬
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Tensions are rising between the Department of Homeland Security and indigenous tribal leaders who say they believe federal agents have arrested several Native American men amid the immigration-enforcement surge in Minneapolis.
https://bsky.app/profile/wsj.com/post/3mcitm36ie42e
John Moe
āŖ@johnmoe.bsky.socialā¬
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Saint Paul schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for optional online learning.
Iāve seen schools close for snow, for pandemic, for natural disaster. Iāve never seen schools close because of threat from our own government.
7:05 PM Ā· Jan 14, 2026
https://bsky.app/profile/johnmoe.bsky.social/post/3mcgfd65wl22n
Laurie Hertzel
āŖ@lhertzel.bsky.socialā¬
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One of the stories that makes me the saddest out of this ICE invasion is one out of the Minnesota Star Tribune today about ICE agents eating at a little Mexican restaurant in the small town of Willmar, Minn, āand then, when they were done, arresting some of the workers.
6:56 PM Ā· Jan 15, 2026
https://bsky.app/profile/lhertzel.bsky.social/post/3mcivbchb2c2v
Rachel Maddow
āŖ@maddow.bsky.socialā¬
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“Fierce opposition to ICE and the Border Patrol has sprung up through block clubs, neighborhood group chats, school Facebook groups and Catholic parishes, stretching beyond the typical Democratic voter base…”
Yup. Exactly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
https://bsky.app/profile/maddow.bsky.social/post/3mciskshedk2o
Mr. Dan Zak
āŖ@mrdanzak.comā¬
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Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. http://www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
https://bsky.app/profile/mrdanzak.com/post/3mcicng2rsc23
Minneapolis church has delivered more than 12,000 boxes of groceries to families in hiding | MPR News
https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2026/01/15/minneapolis-church-has-delivered-more-than-12000-boxes-of-groceries-to-families-in-hiding
Glenn Kirschner
āŖ@glennkirschner.bsky.socialā¬
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Here is the first information we have about the nature of Renee Goodās injuries. Itās absurd and inexcusable that federal law enforcement authorities still are apparently refusing to investigate this police use of force resulting in death.
This from The New York Times:
https://bsky.app/profile/glennkirschner.bsky.social/post/3mckc7x5agk23
According to this poll, 58% of Americans say that Trumpās first year was a failure and 55% say heās made economic conditions worse.
Let me guess, CBS News will just double down on its leader worshipā¦.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/16/politics/trump-economy-first-year-cnn-poll
What Now
@mullenbe11
Right-Wing Influencers Have Flooded Minneapolis – WIRED
https://x.com/mullenbe11/status/2011144352253559145?s=20
preview of the new HBCU exhibit, At the Vanguard, at The Museum. Lots of good stuff there. Focus on 5 particular schools.
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/vanguard
Jesus Freakin Congress
@TheJFreakinC
šØLast night, in Minneapolis, federal agents fired green chemical gas into a residential neighborhood after community members showed up to document what was happening on their own block.
Letās be very clear about what that meansā¦
This wasnāt a federal courthouse.
This wasnāt federal property.
This was people standing in the streets where they liveā¦ streets lined with houses, apartments, kids, babies, and pregnant people.
That green gas didnāt just hit people outside. It spread through the neighborhood, into yards and homes.
Agents also threw flash bangs at a family trying to leave because of the smoke, even though they had small children, including a 6-month-old who was later taken to the hospital by ambulance.
And, the green gas matters. This isnāt ānormalā tear gas.
That same green smoke has been documented beforeā¦ in Portlandā¦ where it was used by federal agents to āprotectā federal buildings.
Independent testing found it contained hexachloroethane, which produces zinc chloride smoke when deployed. The U.S. military stopped using it decades ago because of how toxic it is.
Exposure to this gas is linked to burning skin and eyes, coughing, vomiting, chest pain, and serious respiratory injury, with the risk of delayed and long-term lung damage. This is especially dangerous for infants, children, pregnant people, and anyone with asthma or other respiratory conditions.
Now, federal agents are using it in neighborhoods.
And on top of thatā¦ ICE and other federal agents are not supposed to be doing crowd control in residential areas at all.
Their authority is limited to specific federal functions. Crowd control in city streets is not one of them. They do not have blanket jurisdiction to gas neighborhoods because people are in their own neighborhood streets.
So what weāre watching is federal agents:
ā¢ acting outside their role
ā¢ performing crowd control where they have no jurisdiction
ā¢ firing toxic green gas into civilian neighborhoods
ā¢ and exposing families inside their own homes to chemicals that cause real physical harm.
This isnāt public safety.
This isnāt lawful enforcement.
This is the federal government treating American neighborhoods like hostile territoryā¦ and using chemical weapons to do it.
That should alarm everyone, because there is nothing stopping this from happening in your neighborhood next.
https://x.com/TheJFreakinC/status/2011846411395137790?s=20
PATHETIC
Aaron Rupar
@atrupar
MarĆa Corina Machado on her meeting with Trump: āI presented the president of the United States with the Nobel Peace Prizeā
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2011914770790666677?s=20
Edward-Isaac Dovere
@IsaacDovere
Nobel Prize Committee:
āOnce a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.ā
Last yearās winner, going on the presidentās favorite outlet, to say she gave her prize to him:
https://x.com/IsaacDovere/status/2011922193337160096?s=20
When the technology you grew up with is now a museum exhibitionšŖšŖ
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8fB2FKV/
Good Morning Everyone ššš
This is brilliant, thank you. I need to follow this person.