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Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius - Video: As someone who was once responsible for all U.S. military logistics in the southern half of Afghanistan, I can assure everyone that the U.S. military has always tried to give the troops an occasional nice meal, even when serving on a remote, medieval style outpost and getting attacked every night from across the Pakistani border.
It is a morale booster, without any exaggeration.
This is not even remotely a new thing.  We've always done this in the modern era.  Anybody trying to make an issue of this is a subtard moron who not only does not know how things work, but has also established themselves as haters of our fighting men and women. 
https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/HDF5zwTaMAYYnQK.mp4
https://x.com/CynicalPublius/status/2031538843774759391

DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican - Turns out that @LeaderJohnThune was totally projecting when he said the SAVE Act was an influencer campaign. 
Senator John Thune is compromised by a company that literally exists to sell access to himself. 
Pass it on.
Quote
DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican
Hello, Mr. Deiderio,
Punchbowl News sells access to Capitol Hill for corporate clients. Their senior Senate reporter is you, Andrew Desiderio.
Here's how the access works: Punchbowl has a weekly show called "Fly Out Day," taped at the Punchbowl News Townhouse and described on their own site as an "exclusive first look" for Premium subscribers. Those Premium subscribers are the K Street corporate government affairs staff and trade association officials whose legislative interests depend on what Senate leadership decides to schedule or kill. 
The second-ever guest was Senate Majority Leader John Thune,  on September 11, 2025. This is documented in your own webste. 
Now lets go over your post carefully.
You say Mike Lee "primed the GOP base to believe" something. Thats manipulative framing, the language of a man working a crowd. But Thune "pointed out" something. Thats the language of a man correcting the record, establishing fact. 
This is not a one-off phrasing choice on your part.
Your Punchbowl coverage consistently frames Thune's positions as institutional reality and conservative alternatives as base management. Thune "declared" that the talking filibuster is dead. Lee and his allies "captivated Trump's base." Thune "had enough." The SAVE Act push is "a self-inflicted wound." These are not neutral verbs. They are a point of view and it's Thune's point of view, delivered with a byline.
There's a structural reason this happens.
Jake Sherman described Punchbowl's business model in his own words on The Rebooting podcast (January 2022): nearly 90% of the outlet's revenue comes from corporate sponsorships "trade groups and companies looking to get their public affairs messaging in front of those making public policy." The sponsors documented at Punchbowl include PhRMA, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Facebook, JPMorgan, Blackstone, the American Investment Council (private equity lobby), and others.
These sponsors need the goodwill of the Senate Majority Leader, who controls which of their legislative priorities come to the floor. Thune controls the floor. Thune sits in Punchbowl's townhouse. You reports Thune's framing as conventional wisdom.
When Desiderio writes that the talking filibuster "will ultimately fail" ... not might fail, not Thune argues it will fail, but when it ultimately fails ... is that journalism? Or is it the view from Thune's Fly Out Day chair?
You are busted, Mr. Desiderio.
https://x.com/DataRepublican/status/2031210131908931837
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