Whistling down the road

Hello and welcome to the Flashpoint.

It’s been a minute!

Here’s some of what I’ve been up to.

On March 21, I was a featured speaker at the launch of WebSummit’s Whistleblower Cafe in Dublin, Ireland. I spoke with the store’s manager, Art O’Connor, for about an hour, and took questions.

Great crowd, great space—looking forward to returning when I can.

Here are some pictures from the event.

This Friday, April 3, at noon Pacific/3pm ET I’l be speaking to Secular AZ.

You can sign up for it here if you’d like to attend.

The court case with Matt Taibbi continues. We are waiting for the judge’s ruling on our motion to dismiss.

Oral arguments were last week, there’s a decent liveblog rundown at this link.

One of my favorites from the day:

Inner City Press@innercitypress

Judge Daniels: If I saw, Mr. Garson is bought by the plaintiffs' bar, is that defamatory? Garson: If someone says, that judge is bought by the Mafia, it's defamatory Judge: I'm not so sure. Why did they write the book? Garson: To make money Judge: Exactly (laughs)

3:30 PM · Mar 25, 2026 · 9.96K Views

1 Reply · 1 Repost · 41 Likes

I wrote for The Intercept on the Democratic primary for Senate in Maine and how the fight is breaking down along familiar lines between the establishment and the more progressive wing of the party.

The Democratic establishment is trying to draw a line in the sand on the future of the party. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats from New York, are actively working to elect Mills. There is speculation that the governor, who has pledged to only serve one term in Washington, is Senate leadership’s preferred candidate because she would be a more pliable member of the delegation, while Platner is seen as more independent and willing to take populist, further left stands.

…

It’s another chapter in the intraparty civil war that has been simmering and often boiling over for decades. The Clinton wing, the Obama wing, the Sanders wing, and every other part of the sprawling political coalition that is the Democratic Party are all still vying for dominance. In 2008, the main dividing line was Iraq; in 2016, the failure of the Obama presidency; in 2020, Trump and Covid.

In 2026, the party is still reeling from defeat at the ballot box just two years ago, one that was driven by a perception that the party was out of touch with voters on economic issues as well as, reportedly, its complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The latter issue has become a flashpoint for conflict between the base and the establishment, especially with Schumer — who has described one of his roles in leadership as ensuring Israel gets “all the aid” it needs from the U.S.

More at The Intercept.

Since publishing, Mills has gone on the attack—and Platner has improved his polling numbers.

Thanks for reading!

More substantive posts to come now that I’m back from leave.