Michael Byrne
@cmichaelbyrne.bsky.social
I’m a retired journalist, labor advocate and communication strategist, now active as a blogger, novelist and Taoist martial and healing arts enthusiast. I love music, movies and college basketball. Looking for allies and fellow travelers.
Even Trump's former supporters get sick at their stomach watching his sick, "strongman narcissist" ads, which have been funded by taxpayers. open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
‘I Need Some Pepto-Bismol’: Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ad Bombs in Focus Group
It’s not *just* the corruption that bothers them. It’s the actual content, too.
open.substack.com
October 9, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Even Trump's former supporters get sick at their stomach watching his sick, "strongman narcissist" ads, which have been funded by taxpayers. open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
Yes, with the help of RFK Jr., Trump is causing a veritable shitshow for consumers.
robertreich.substack.com/p/is-trump-t...
robertreich.substack.com/p/is-trump-t...
Is Trump to blame for explosive diarrhea, too?
Yes. His cuts in food safety have literally caused a shitshow.
robertreich.substack.com
October 8, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Yes, with the help of RFK Jr., Trump is causing a veritable shitshow for consumers.
robertreich.substack.com/p/is-trump-t...
robertreich.substack.com/p/is-trump-t...
Beware the Office of Management and Budget and its Project 2025 executor distributing the spoils of a democratic nation. Wake up! statuskuo.substack.com/p/trump-is-c...
Trump Is Certifiable. The Press Shrugs It Off.
A week of alarming, unhinged statements by Trump raises the question of whether the press can still report with clarity and courage.
statuskuo.substack.com
October 7, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Beware the Office of Management and Budget and its Project 2025 executor distributing the spoils of a democratic nation. Wake up! statuskuo.substack.com/p/trump-is-c...
Finger-pointing: Is Sophie Cunningham too toxic for the Fever to win? Indiana has a lot of questions to resolve after the Caitlin Clark-led team fizzled against the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...
Fever should part with Sophie Cunningham. She’s too turbulent to be paired with Caitlin Clark (Gift Article)
If the Fever ever want to go back to being a basketball team, Cunningham — who was largely responsible for this year's circus — has to go.
www.nytimes.com
October 6, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Finger-pointing: Is Sophie Cunningham too toxic for the Fever to win? Indiana has a lot of questions to resolve after the Caitlin Clark-led team fizzled against the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...
Fascinating and revealing interview from The Atlantic with Kara Swisher (Burn Book) on the evolving culture of Silicon Valley, "the AI threat matrix, the broligarchs now playing in the political sandbox. ... There are no guardrails on these people, ever," she says.
youtu.be/F_lINL20h3c?...
youtu.be/F_lINL20h3c?...
The Tech Economy: Is AI Reshaping America?
YouTube video by The Atlantic
youtu.be
October 5, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Fascinating and revealing interview from The Atlantic with Kara Swisher (Burn Book) on the evolving culture of Silicon Valley, "the AI threat matrix, the broligarchs now playing in the political sandbox. ... There are no guardrails on these people, ever," she says.
youtu.be/F_lINL20h3c?...
youtu.be/F_lINL20h3c?...
Yes, I'm talking about “affordability” and income inequality, and the importance of labor law reform to afford workers the power to bargain for better wages and working conditions. EPI and The American Prospect deliver the goods. cmichaelbyrne304858.substack.com/p/the-real-e...
The Real Economy and US
What we owe the Economic Policy Institute and The American Prospect
cmichaelbyrne304858.substack.com
October 4, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Yes, I'm talking about “affordability” and income inequality, and the importance of labor law reform to afford workers the power to bargain for better wages and working conditions. EPI and The American Prospect deliver the goods. cmichaelbyrne304858.substack.com/p/the-real-e...
Americans are lining up in cities across America to see first-hand evidence of the Trump-Epstein pedophilia and corruption. The Epstein Memorial Bookmobile is in Pennsylvania, heading to Ohio. open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
I need to tell you about something remarkable happening in America.
Donald Trump’s crowds are shrinking. But in city after city, Americans are lining up around the block to see firsthand evidence of his corruption.
open.substack.com
October 2, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Americans are lining up in cities across America to see first-hand evidence of the Trump-Epstein pedophilia and corruption. The Epstein Memorial Bookmobile is in Pennsylvania, heading to Ohio. open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
@bsky.app A profile in courage: Jack Smith will tell senators his investigation found proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump committed crimes and that the rule of law is being directly threatened by the Trump regime today.
open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
Jack Smith is what courage looks like. Today he walks into the lion’s den for all of us.
The former Trump prosecutor is defying threats from the president and standing up for the rule of law.
open.substack.com
September 29, 2026 at 6:05 PM
@bsky.app A profile in courage: Jack Smith will tell senators his investigation found proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump committed crimes and that the rule of law is being directly threatened by the Trump regime today.
open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
So true, so underreported: It’s not that the prices are going up, it’s that earnings are not keeping up, diminishing the power of the dollar and the existence of a middle class. The GOP is liable for a War on Workers, not just Trump.
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
The Biggest Lie About America’s Affordability Crisis Is Hiding in Your Paycheck
Prices didn’t leave working Americans behind all by themselves. Decades of weakened unions, stagnant wages, billionaire tax cuts, and policies favoring capital changed who gets the money…
open.substack.com
September 24, 2026 at 7:13 PM
So true, so underreported: It’s not that the prices are going up, it’s that earnings are not keeping up, diminishing the power of the dollar and the existence of a middle class. The GOP is liable for a War on Workers, not just Trump.
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
Good advice from the Professor on steps to rebuild our democracy after Trump. But first: Go get in that Blue Wave! robertreich.substack.com/p/10-steps-t...
10 Steps To Fix What Trump Has Broken
And mend everything thereafter
robertreich.substack.com
September 24, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Good advice from the Professor on steps to rebuild our democracy after Trump. But first: Go get in that Blue Wave! robertreich.substack.com/p/10-steps-t...
Trump and his FCC forced Jimmy Kimmel to take his interview with James Talarico off ABC and onto YouTube. The same thing happened to Stephen Colbert, producing his most-watched interview ever. It probably won't beat this one, now at 2.7 million views. youtu.be/WLDE9LrGpNk?...
Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview with James Talarico That the FCC Doesn’t Want You To See
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
youtu.be
September 11, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Trump and his FCC forced Jimmy Kimmel to take his interview with James Talarico off ABC and onto YouTube. The same thing happened to Stephen Colbert, producing his most-watched interview ever. It probably won't beat this one, now at 2.7 million views. youtu.be/WLDE9LrGpNk?...
Americans love unions, and why not? United, workers build economic progress for everyone, not just for the Epstein class. We have the power to change labor laws and practice. prospect.org/2026/09/07/l...
Labor Day 2026: Record-High Popularity, Record-Low Power for America’s Unions - The American Prospect
Wages now constitute the lowest share of the nation’s income since the government began measuring them in 1947.
prospect.org
September 7, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Americans love unions, and why not? United, workers build economic progress for everyone, not just for the Epstein class. We have the power to change labor laws and practice. prospect.org/2026/09/07/l...
The hits just keep on coming. Time to put down the remote and get to work. Open the door and tell the world, "I'm made as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" We've got two months until Election Day.
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
Saturday Report 8/29/26 — Your Family Is Out $3,800, the Navy Is Out of Money, and Yosemite Is Apparently for Sale
The Best of the Rest of the News
open.substack.com
August 29, 2026 at 6:11 PM
The hits just keep on coming. Time to put down the remote and get to work. Open the door and tell the world, "I'm made as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" We've got two months until Election Day.
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
Fascinating conversation between two of my favorite professors, Robert Reich and Heather Cox Richardson about our political circumstance. History may not repeat, but it does recycle.
robertreich.substack.com/p/in-convers...
robertreich.substack.com/p/in-convers...
In Conversation with Heather Cox Richardson
On the Origins of Trumpism
robertreich.substack.com
August 25, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Fascinating conversation between two of my favorite professors, Robert Reich and Heather Cox Richardson about our political circumstance. History may not repeat, but it does recycle.
robertreich.substack.com/p/in-convers...
robertreich.substack.com/p/in-convers...
What a lovely goodbye! She's still in a League of her Own. youtu.be/59St41a2TRE?...
Rosie O’Donnell Sings a Song for Donald Trump
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
youtu.be
August 22, 2026 at 5:52 PM
What a lovely goodbye! She's still in a League of her Own. youtu.be/59St41a2TRE?...
Do MAGA men get off on Trump's misogyny? open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
Grabbing Them by the Pussy: Trump Continues His Fifty-Year War on Women
The insults, the threats, the humiliation of women, and the obsession with male dominance are no longer fringe behavior in the GOP…
open.substack.com
August 19, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Do MAGA men get off on Trump's misogyny? open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
Do you trust this man? Todd Blanche is the consigliere of the Trump crime family, and heads the team trying to keep Trump in power. His job has been to undermine the justice system, to save his client's assets. He doesn't work for us. We are the patsies.
statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-trust-...
statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-trust-...
The “Trust Me, Bro” DOJ
Attorney General Todd Blanche isn’t even trying to claim independence from the White House. He just wants us to take his word that he won’t act illegally or unethically.
statuskuo.substack.com
August 17, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Do you trust this man? Todd Blanche is the consigliere of the Trump crime family, and heads the team trying to keep Trump in power. His job has been to undermine the justice system, to save his client's assets. He doesn't work for us. We are the patsies.
statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-trust-...
statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-trust-...
Trump doesn't believe in laws he can't break. He believe he is above the law, but he is not.
statuskuo.substack.com/p/no-means-n...
statuskuo.substack.com/p/no-means-n...
No Means No, Donald
In case after case, Trump has refused to accept the judgment of the legal system.
statuskuo.substack.com
August 14, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Trump doesn't believe in laws he can't break. He believe he is above the law, but he is not.
statuskuo.substack.com/p/no-means-n...
statuskuo.substack.com/p/no-means-n...
Hey, Barack! Stop having so much fun. Your country needs you. prospect.org/2026/08/10/b...
Barack, Your Country Needs You - The American Prospect
It’s great to have fun creating your library and doing a skit with Larry David, but it’s time to engage with Trump.
prospect.org
August 10, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Hey, Barack! Stop having so much fun. Your country needs you. prospect.org/2026/08/10/b...
The news media is largely ignoring the fact that Elon Musk, who is spending billions to influence U.S. politics, is the world’s most vocal white supremacist and advocate of ethnic cleansing. He uses his own social media channel, X, to amplify his message of hate. open.substack.com/pub/critical...
The world’s most vocal racist will be the Republican Party’s biggest donor again. But don’t mention it.
Our top news organizations are covering up Elon Musk’s white supremacist propaganda
open.substack.com
August 1, 2026 at 5:02 AM
The news media is largely ignoring the fact that Elon Musk, who is spending billions to influence U.S. politics, is the world’s most vocal white supremacist and advocate of ethnic cleansing. He uses his own social media channel, X, to amplify his message of hate. open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Got inflammation? Good. Your body is fighting off an infection. And new discoveries point to how you can help it along, easing discomfort and fighting off sickness.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Inflammation Keeps Us Alive. It's Also Making Us Sick. (Gift Article)
The discovery that chronic inflammation is a cause of myriad illnesses could be this century's biggest medical breakthrough.
www.nytimes.com
July 30, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Got inflammation? Good. Your body is fighting off an infection. And new discoveries point to how you can help it along, easing discomfort and fighting off sickness.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
I'm with Dr. Fauci, and science. Sen. Rand Paul's political motives are obvious, and President Trump's campaigns against both Fauci and science are dangerous. It's a shame that Fauci is persecuted after a career dedicated to fighting disease. www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
The Unmaking of Anthony Fauci
He built an empire. It did not last.
www.theatlantic.com
July 28, 2026 at 6:15 PM
I'm with Dr. Fauci, and science. Sen. Rand Paul's political motives are obvious, and President Trump's campaigns against both Fauci and science are dangerous. It's a shame that Fauci is persecuted after a career dedicated to fighting disease. www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
Once again the media can't explain what's going on with Trump and his tariffs. Yes, it's a distraction.
open.substack.com/pub/critical...
open.substack.com/pub/critical...
What you need to know (and didn’t read) about Trump’s new tariffs
Starting with how they’re based on a bald-faced lie
open.substack.com
July 25, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Once again the media can't explain what's going on with Trump and his tariffs. Yes, it's a distraction.
open.substack.com/pub/critical...
open.substack.com/pub/critical...
The Department of Justice (Just ICE?) takes it on the chin. open.substack.com/pub/statusku...
DOJ Humiliated in Federal Court
The government’s New York Times subpoenas just collapsed in court. And it was glorious.
open.substack.com
July 24, 2026 at 4:46 PM
The Department of Justice (Just ICE?) takes it on the chin. open.substack.com/pub/statusku...
Republican politicians and the billionaire-owned media that supports them are constantly telling us who to hate and fear.
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
They Made You Fear and Hate Your Neighbor So They Could Rob Your Future
For 45 years, billionaires and their political allies have weaponized hate, divided Americans, and quietly dismantled the middle class while we fought each other instead of them…
open.substack.com
July 23, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Republican politicians and the billionaire-owned media that supports them are constantly telling us who to hate and fear.
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...