Leah McElrath

Politics, geopolitics, psychology, etc.
Making sense of a world that doesn’t
Smith College BA, MSW | LSE
#AuDHD #LGBTQ #MECFS
Patreon: patreon.com/leahmcelrath

🌉 bridged from 🦋 leahmcelrath.bsky.social, follow @bsky.brid.gy to interact

Public Key

npub18z5mdyg65tkedarcryvnc9n0tf2k4syrfztzxawvuk905edf3dwqlhvh9w

NIP-05 Address

leahmcelrath.bsky.social@bsky-brid-gy.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsr32dkjyd29mvk73upjxfuzeh454t2czp5393rwhxwtzh6vk5ckhqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dss45q2a

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub18z5mdyg65tkedarcryvnc9n0tf2k4syrfztzxawvuk905edf3dwqlhvh9w

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-05-05 16:09:20 UTC

There is NOTHING in this article about improving access to psychotherapy.
SSRIs are a critical tool for addressing some mental health challenges. Therapy is another. Access to the latter has been dismantled by the insurance industry.
(And you should ALWAYS taper when going off SSRIs…)
Gift link:
Kennedy Starts a Push to Help ...

2026-03-24 21:49:08 UTC

L: Hegseth
R: Advisor to former President Rouhani of Iran
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreidcad4frj6ch45opetzwwqk3ukczm3f52tp25kjth42zjku7tymsu
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreicdt2nl4zzhggmxwiuljgnbpb7hmnewoasovifpiponheuanrnmmi

2026-03-01 21:25:03 UTC

NEW TRUMP VIDEO
On Iran:
“Combat operations will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives.”
[Yes, he really said that.]
On the deaths of US service members:
“Sadly there will likely be more…that’s the way it is.”
[Yes, he really said that.]
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreiguc7e5mfwwca6wkwu4gxk4u2lvseuhmumvmsvaio376bgiafxqse

2026-03-01 19:25:12 UTC

In his Substack, Israeli Def Min Gallant positions Israel as in possible confrontation with Turkey.
Once the Iranian state has been destabilized and weakened sufficiently from Israel’s POV, will Israel will set it sights on Turkey, a NATO member?
Worth watching.
open.substack.com/pub/generaly...
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreiemd6kdyzjcytn2eknh46f3fqzh53jxprd4tff2gb7snsprx5qrpu

2025-11-14 19:10:58 UTC

The US Secretary of Health and Human Services continuing to abuse hallucinogens seems newsworthy.
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreib2vjvqvpw2kf3tojxixccshjimdte7hf5alagps3bykinzxyrtwm

2025-10-17 22:22:59 UTC

(I’ve changed engagement settings for this thread because the trolls already found it.)

2025-10-17 22:18:09 UTC

Remember you have the option of various functions to control who can engage with your content, including the ability to disable quote-posts:
#nevent1q…hzgt

2025-10-17 22:09:25 UTC

They’ve now been verified:
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreif4iglot5xrpuh7gxjvomsjffugftvoadcgjcftjvlyfuz3azzmja

2025-10-17 22:06:26 UTC

If you’re the blocking type, the DHS account is following a number of newly created Trump administration accounts that you might want to consider, as well as these two.

2025-10-17 19:20:44 UTC

A top Trump DOJ official falsely claims the No Kings protests are an attempt to “destabilize our government.”
She is Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreieuyoexh6zgiktlkywu3l5tnlbn55nkrleaawariyl2j526eer4su

2025-10-17 15:36:48 UTC

⚠️ Senators Move to Force Vote to Bar Ground Strikes in Venezuela
Senators Kaine, Schiff, and Paul are forcing a vote because they’re worried “the Trump administration’s order of covert C.I.A. action in Venezuela could be the first step toward an all-out war” and want to go on record.
Gift link:
Senators Move to Force Vote to...

2025-10-17 04:56:02 UTC

And this is from February:
#nevent1q…a08w

2025-10-17 03:02:41 UTC

I hope that viral Substack about Opus Dei turns out to be correct, but it’s pretty thinly sourced.

2025-10-16 17:45:41 UTC

Also, in case it’s not obvious, she’s laying rhetorical foundation for use of force against protesters and also inciting Trump supporters against Democrats generally.

2025-10-16 17:09:05 UTC

I mean, I wish insurance still covered psychotherapy period.
Incremental changes at an individual level can compound into larger changes at a population level.
Both positively and negatively.

2025-10-16 17:00:37 UTC

I wish insurance still covered group therapy because it seems like feedback loops on social media now often replace that function but without the mediating presence of a therapist.

2025-10-16 16:25:11 UTC

I’m sure the pile-ons are exhausting. (As you know, I’ve been the target of this dynamic myself many times in the past on old Twitter.)
It’s also exhausting for those of us who appreciate some of your commentary to watch and experience the cycle in the second point above over and over again.

2025-10-16 14:40:00 UTC

What happened to top officials from the Assad regime in Syria who were responsible for war crimes and human rights abuses?
Some have vanished without a trace. Others have been tracked to Russia and Iran.
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/w...
The Vanishing Act: How Assad’s...

2025-10-16 13:57:23 UTC

Also: Laura Loomer

2025-10-16 13:07:44 UTC

Related video:
#nevent1q…0ezg

2025-10-16 04:29:18 UTC

“It’s often difficult to determine how much any given action should be seen as…a performance meant to make an impression on an outside audience, and how much it is better seen as a collective ritual meant to educate, inspire, entertain, and transform the sense of possibilities of the participants…”
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreiee3yz4pnfrz5sii4oobionale6ju6dwphicunov46kxpu4t6d6ea

2025-10-16 03:42:57 UTC

The feed tonight is really scratching that ADHD itch to follow a dozen separate conversations at once, lmao.

2025-10-15 19:39:02 UTC

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security for Israel, personally oversaw and participated in the torture of Greta Thunberg.
www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/25...
Greta Thunberg: “They kicked m...

2025-10-15 18:25:11 UTC

From the NYT article:
“American officials have been clear, privately, that the end goal is to drive Mr. Maduro from power.”
“…The U.S. military is planning its own possible escalation, drawing up options for President Trump to consider, including strikes inside Venezuela.”
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreie4yrajt3hrqbxj3p4apeiqhksufk2fjmdi3wxuacor2vglrsjrue
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreihyggeoflf7zfypgc22yxpnjh7zxlludxxc4l7yyoykz7elthewwy

2025-10-15 18:13:21 UTC

Some people got upset with me a few days ago for saying I thought Machado and Trump were working together toward regime change in Venezuela, and now there are B-52 bombers in the sky off the coast of the country and the CIA engaging in covert ops within it.
#nevent1q…2nr9

2025-10-15 18:04:44 UTC

BREAKING
“The Trump administration has secretly authorized the C.I.A. to conduct covert action in Venezuela, according to U.S. officials, stepping up a campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian leader.”
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...
Trump Administration Authorize...

2025-10-15 17:45:00 UTC

Speculative context:
#nevent1q…y7q9

2025-10-15 17:15:39 UTC

I’ve seen criticism of No Kings not being “real” protests because they aren’t designed to be openly confrontational with law enforcement, which is a misunderstanding of how many different types of protest actions there are and the varied purposes they can serve.
People need to stop splitting.

2025-10-15 15:07:26 UTC

Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians, all marked with numbers rather than names.
The bodies reportedly arrived with their hands and legs cuffed. Some were still blindfolded. Some had been shot. Others appear to have been run over by tanks.
www.cnn.com/world/live-n...
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreig2dtzyzwmtcahq6zqh7cro33dgzn7lykzuf7vac536vey5qjgioi

2025-10-15 02:44:28 UTC

At about 0:55, a couple in a nearby car gets out and hurries away with an infant in a carseat to try and escape the tear gas:
#nevent1q…25yq

2025-10-15 00:47:35 UTC

The US military attacks on boats off the coast of Venezuela and the characterization of their occupants as “terrorists” and “unlawful combatants” by the Trump administration could potentially be used as a backdoor for engaging in military intervention toward the goal of regime change.
Gift link:
U.S. Military Kills Another 6 ...

2025-10-15 00:30:33 UTC

Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado appeared on Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast.
She touted the oil reserves in Venezuela (the largest in the world) and vowed to privatize the oil industry to enable American corporations to exploit and profit from the country’s resources if she gains power.
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreibc4xpbotkmom4w5d73hnqljipn6gxvalmyhav2b3fxx7rurch3fq

2025-10-15 00:20:51 UTC

Current and former Trump admin ambassadors to Israel—Mike Huckabee and David Friedman—performed a "Sweet Home Alabama" cover titled "Sweet Home Yerushalayim.”
The performance took place in Israel at a benefit for United Hatzalah, whose members spread the "baby baked in oven" hoax about October 7th.
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreidoepm3gcqvqp2kkverqzciren6sr6sh4fbtkmwunho6cafposioa

2025-10-14 23:41:43 UTC

(Emphasis added on the “cheap local labor” to stress the degree to which the people involved in this deal see the people of Gaza not as Palestinians deserving of the dignity of a state but as a resource to be exploited.)

2025-10-14 17:15:31 UTC

Among pro-Palestinian activists, there is a saying based on Israel’s behavior in the past that a “ceasefire” agreement with Israel means Palestinians cease and Israel continues to fire.

2025-10-14 17:15:31 UTC

Israel has killed at least five people in Gaza so far today.
Israel claims they came too close to the imagined “yellow line” in Gaza City.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
Gaza ceasefire tested as Israe...

2025-10-14 17:15:31 UTC

Additionally, Israel is limiting the humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza until more bodies of deceased hostages are returned.
Israel is reportedly also not allowing the heavy equipment into Gaza necessary to retrieve bodies.
english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-...
Israel tells UN will only allo...

2025-10-13 23:01:11 UTC

One of the military leaders they quote is a top US Army commander in SOUTH KOREA, a country under the US nuclear deterrence umbrella.
It’s highly likely they’re not just talking about optimizing supply operations or whatever.

2025-10-13 19:58:32 UTC

I’m relieved beyond words that children and infants in Gaza are no longer being killed and dismembered.
I’m also wary of the extent to which the agreed upon plan is meant to provide cover for the ongoing land grab and population displacement.
It’s impossible—and unwarranted—to exhale fully.

2025-10-13 19:38:27 UTC

One thing I keep coming back to in my mind is how the lines of the current plan are designed not to free Palestine (or further any two-state vision) but are rather designed—yet again—to contain Palestinians within an ever shrinking territory. Gaza won’t even have a border with Egypt under this plan.

2025-10-13 19:22:42 UTC

“If Israel wants to actually prevent the next October 7, in whatever form it will take, it must free Palestine. The rest is commentary. Or avoidance.”
A cautionary analysis worth reading by @attackerman.bsky.social:
www.forever-wars.com/the-barbaris...
‘The Barbarism of The Enemy’

2025-10-13 13:53:11 UTC

American “journalism”
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreiay6m6radiv5nkszjpcrpk6txsowpzrwuma7wqrue3ktfsnwiagwe

2025-10-13 13:13:46 UTC

It’s striking to see both Israelis and Palestinians released today flashing peace signs as they emerge from captivity.
May they and those who love them find healing in their freedom.

2025-10-12 17:58:02 UTC

Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 email:
“I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!”
Release the Epstein files.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Eps...

2025-10-12 17:09:41 UTC

@jd-vance-1.bsky.social is no Donald Trump.
Hard to see him eventually carrying the mantle of the MAGA movement.

2025-10-12 15:24:12 UTC

A couple of the original frog photos:
#nevent1q…mq7y

2025-10-12 15:20:39 UTC

ANTIFASCIST FROGS
TOGETHER STRONG
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreigqxky3m2hmsdkexk2ep4exuljutvlnbqg7kofuqqvt7qg53ri64i
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreidlvptclu5remgma3ubyugewm7nmgyt7jopixqzzoetucldqizan4

2025-10-12 04:37:28 UTC

The “antifa”/“antifascist” discourse has been going on for years. The reality is that it is not comfortable to be an antifascist, no matter what you call yourself, because you will be targeted by fascists. It is even less comfortable to be perceived as an enemy of the state, but that’s where we are.
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreigauymwxlc2bzvxb4ghtgw6opa5rwdjeyrw3htdnx4rnrduebuasy
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreidifdsputmh4yklo7mvcoovpmhuqniq2top7rde4kutzrelryvmly
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreibkdduefsw5g3v3rnvdpoddkj2hzz6ke7bnszmat7j66z5vd2cxn4
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreih7smcl3yvei4vwkuhojh5yxgdhrmxc3ir2ygow7ynfnmxkdtztve

2025-10-12 03:59:56 UTC

That said, if someone is more comfortable using “antifascist” and wants to educate others that “antifa” is short for antifascist, I think they should go for it—and I agree the media has a responsibility to clarify that fact. It’s going to take ALL of us using every ability we have to defeat fascism.

2025-10-12 03:03:41 UTC

Not splitting means not wasting energy and causing division by attacking those on your side even if you disagree with their tactics:
#nevent1q…gygk

2025-10-11 17:13:17 UTC

Gaza lives.
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreia6gj32o2zssuaxfqnsxgqkjnbrvwtiecw2xogpucdl5u23w2phf4

2025-10-11 16:35:09 UTC

“It’s possible that what I have to say is how to live with defeat… We have got to stop thinking about victories and start thinking about how the hell we are going to live with each other, how are we going to live with the world…we have constructed and keep constructing.”
Alaa shares his thoughts:
‘I deserve to heal’: freed Bri...

2025-10-11 16:10:06 UTC

The US dollar is having its worst year in decades:
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreiegrjtplghjypyecbuiqosllccmehwn56lvnvwn2jasoxbs3ffchu

2025-10-11 15:52:49 UTC

The person in this costume has been doxed by Andy Ngo and should be protected at all costs.
#nevent1q…48gc

2025-10-11 15:17:56 UTC

At a minimum, Trump’s actions display a depraved indifference to human life.
At worst, Trump and his administration want more people to get sick and to die because the resulting emotional, physical, and financial vulnerability will make Americans more pliable as they continue to consolidate power.

2025-10-11 00:00:55 UTC

Not a fan of being forced to live inside other people’s delusions.
Reality testing is not meant to be a continually conscious process, and, when it is, it can be exhausting.

2025-10-10 15:31:19 UTC

The father of a family in our apartment complex has been kidnapped by ICE.
My daughter found out when she went to walk our dog and heard one of the children crying from the hallway.

2025-10-10 13:43:26 UTC

Machado has also expressed support for foreign military intervention to topple the socialist government of Maduro and personally appealed to Netanyahu for help with regime change in Venezuela. Trump has publicly praised Machado in the past.
#nevent1q…k2e3

2025-10-10 01:37:19 UTC

The Antifa terrorists are feeding the babies inside the placentas the Tylenol trafficked by the Venezuela water drug gangs who are burning Portland to the ground.
See? It makes just as much sense.

2025-10-09 16:58:41 UTC

Palestinian-American awarded Nobel Prize in chemistry
Gift link:
wapo.st/46HEysh
A long ‘journey’ for Nobel che...

2025-10-09 14:25:21 UTC

⚠️ Fascinating new research shows LLMs become misaligned when optimized for audience—even when explicitly instructed to remain truthful
Paper:
arxiv.org/pdf/2510.06105
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreiamlsv4tzmdacinitnzjrprtqfst6urtn7afdo7ajgmuarjtp5qpe

2025-10-09 13:50:10 UTC

⚠️ Netanyahu’s propaganda outlet in Israel is laying foundation for a pivot to the West Bank:
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreicholkorxaa7zcr7ytcq2fbgbdcihflrrj45ya6erlkxmmntclqqu

2025-07-08 22:32:22 UTC

Grok has begun referring to itself as “MechaHitler” in replies.
(Many of those replies are now being deleted.)
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreigtizyygkpbnfrflluacdgnff5ay4lldzbuledjwldlcgon7kobl4

2025-06-10 19:54:44 UTC

One of the central principles in the Hong Kong pro-democracy protest movement was:
Do Not Split
(In Chinese: 不割蓆)
When you are part of a decentralized movement against an authoritarian power, it is critical to respect the roles others play, even when you do not agree with all of their actions.

2025-06-04 14:45:46 UTC

Yarvin ends with a supercilious declaration that he has proven moral relativism with regard to our perception of Nazi Germany.
https://enoki.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:gvda6fem6r7selm4gzjjww4a&cid=bafkreiepsfjbs3ptz3h2a3lhlciobkq5fwux3juitpgyxhxl6kbuzrvkp4

2025-06-03 17:48:50 UTC

When some of us talk about how Trumpism is an extension of Reaganism, this is the kind of thing to which we’re referring.
Trump is unique in his severity of character pathology and extent of corruption, but much of the policy being enacted has been on the GOP wishlist for more than half a century.