Eric Whitney

I'm Eric Whitney, and I'm a Tar Heel.

[David Axelrod @davidaxelrod]

The DSA is dining on the moment to get themselves attention.
But the spotlight on some of their crazy-ass ideas is unhelpful--not just for Dems but for progressive goals.
You can be for honoring the humanity and value of immigrants, and for blowing up the gangster operation that ICE has become, and still recognize the importance of our borders and the need for appropriate immigration enforcement.
You can be for profound police reforms, alternative policing strategies and an end to mass incarceration, and still recognize that police and policing are necessary and important for the safety of our communities, and that some people commit crimes that warrant prison.
You can be for universal healthcare, climate action, fair wages, tougher regulations and anti-trust enforcement to rein in corporate abuse, and a host of other progressive goals and not be for the government seizing all or part of businesses--though on this, the DSA is making common cause with @realDonaldTrump, who thinks it's fine for the government to grab pieces of major corporations.
You can be opposed to senseless wars and bloated Pentagon budgets and still recognize the need for a well-trained military because there are real threats in the world against which we have to defend.
In their most extreme views, the DSA doesn't represent the majority of Democrats or the country.
But because candidates they've backed have won primaries in isolated places--often by not emphasizing some of their more extrene positions--they are having a moment.
And they have become the boogeymen and women an embattled Republican Party, saddled with an unpopular @POTUS, have seized on to try and deflect attention and hold the Congress.

[Stephen Richer @stephen_richer]

We. Use. Auditable. Paper. Ballots.

Even if tabulation machines are vulnerable (a predicate I don't accept), and even if connected to the internet (not true), then any manipulation would still be revealed in post-election hand counts.

[Doug Wheeler @dwheeler379]

Thanks Trump, @RobertKennedyJr and MAHA

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

COLBERT: How dumb do you think it is for people to say that I should run for president?

OBAMA: Well, you know, the bar has changed. I think you would perform significantly better than some folks we've seen.

COLBERT: Is that an endorsement?

OBAMA: It was not

[John Bistline @JEBistline]

Leaked memos show SCOTUS blocked the Clean Power Plan in 2016 when justices feared companies couldn't afford to comply. Those companies cut CO2 enough to hit the plan's 2030 goal, a decade early. The emergency that changed how America is governed turned out not to be one.

[Tommy Vietor @TVietor08]

What a bunch of petty assholes

[Edward Luce @EdwardGLuce]

People will be closely studying how Hungary's opposition pulled off their win in such a pro-incumbent system. Important to note that the theme was corruption. Democrats need to get much better at calling out Trump's corruption.

[Eric Whitney @ericwhitney]

@lisamurkowski @jonfavs Nice statement, but what do you and your republican colleagues plan to do about it, other than tweet?

[Gandalv @Microinteracti1]

I am not sure the American military establishment has fully grasped what Trump has actually done here. So let me spell it out in language even a Pentagon procurement officer can understand.

Europe has been buying American weapons at a staggering rate. In 2024 alone, US foreign military sales notifications to European countries hit $76 billion. Four times the European average since 2008.  F-35s, missile systems, air defence, ammunition. All of it American. All of it coming with decades of service contracts, maintenance agreements, spare parts, software updates and training programmes worth hundreds of billions more over their operational lifetimes.
Between 2020 and 2024, the United States supplied 64 percent of all European weapons imports. 
That is now over.

Europe has an $860 billion defence plan, and American contractors are being frozen out. The goal is 80 percent of all military purchases from European factories by 2030.  Airbus. Rheinmetall. KNDS. Saab. Leonardo. BAE Systems. They are about to receive the largest order book in the history of European defence industry. Because Trump made it politically impossible for any European government to keep writing cheques to Washington.

Some European governments have discussed worries that the Pentagon could remotely disable American F-35 fighters or impose restrictions on how US weapons can be used.  When your supplier is also threatening to annex your allies, that is not paranoia. That is basic procurement logic.

Trump set out to make America great again. He has succeeded magnificently. For Rheinmetall.

Gandalv / @Microinteracti1

[Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @FmrRepMTG]

On Easter morning, this is what President Trump posted.
Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness.
I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit.
I’m not defending Iran but let’s be honest about all of this.
The Strait is closed because the US and Israel started the unprovoked war against Iran based on the same nuclear lies they’ve been telling for decades, that any moment Iran would develop a nuclear weapon.
You know who has nuclear weapons?
Israel.
They are more than capable of defending themselves without the US having to fight their wars, kill innocent people and children, and pay for it.
Trump threatening to bomb power plants and bridges hurts the Iranian people, the very people Trump claimed he was freeing.
On Easter, of all days, we as Christians should be reminded that the son of God died and rose from the grave so that we can be forgiven once and for all of our sins. Jesus commanded us to love one another and forgive one another. Even our enemies.
Our President is not a Christian and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians.
Christians in the administration should be pursuing peace. Urging the President to make peace.
Not escalating war that is hurting people.
This NOT what we promised the American people when they overwhelmingly voted in 2024, I know, I was there more than most.
This is not making America great again, this is evil.

[Idrees Ali @idreesali114]

Trump's National Security Adviser does not mention retaking the Strait of Hormuz or securing Iran's highly enriched uranium as an objective of the war. It's for reasons like this, why people are rightly asking, what are the goals of the United States' war in Iran?

[Armandoavenue @Armandoavenu3]

UNC beat each one of the blue bloods this year

UNC has been to a title more recently than all but one blue blood

UNC is bringing in a top 10 recruit for the 3rd straight year despite the standard not being where it’s supposed to lately.

Stop the nonsense.

[Jonathan Jones @jjones9]

A few thoughts on Carolina basketball as an alum and reporter 🧵

[Jon Favreau @jonfavs]

A list of Republican leaders refusing to support the Constitutional right of American citizens to practice their religion

[Eric Whitney @ericwhitney]

@briancbarbour It was at least 6 seconds

[Eric Whitney @ericwhitney]

Waiting for a legit explanation from the DOJ… 🦗🦗

[Sheldon Whitehouse @SenWhitehouse]

“The Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor, an NPR investigation finds.” https://t.co/43FAFiyhJf

[Eric Whitney @ericwhitney]

https://t.co/EsrxPQDh7I

[Eric Whitney @ericwhitney]

How could anyone in our country be in favor of this?!

[ProPublica @propublica]

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained. We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

[Eric Whitney @ericwhitney]

What an incredible comeback and shot by #Trimble. Legendary! #GDTBATH #UNC

[Tar Heel Nation @UNC_TarHeelFan]

Seth Trimble, basically