davidrussellmoore.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

NEW: DOGE aid Katie Miller, a special government employee, has retained her position at a firm that lobbies for drone and tech companies looking to profit from the slashing of federal programs. readsludge.com/2025/02/28/m...

submitted 21 hours ago • 0 comments

"Campaign financing made up of small contributions and the public matching funds they unlocked was 45% of overall funding in the 2024 cycle, whereas small contributions made up just 5% of campaign financing in prior cycles before the public funding was available." readsludge.com/2025/02/27/n...

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Wrote about elevators as a luxury in New York apartment buildings, conforming to the culture of always being annoyed, and learning patience when waiting for those elevators to arrive. flaminghydra.com/issue-266/?a...

submitted 1 day ago • 4 comments

New York State (!?!) has transformed its campaign funding with the rollout of a small-donor matching program, a new @brennancenter.bsky.social report finds. Free to read:

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Here's the best thing I ever read about Gene Hackman, by @rbuas.bsky.social at @flaminghydra.com flaminghydra.com/gene-hackman...

submitted 2 days ago • 19 comments

New York elections have been infamously dominated by wealthy donors, corporations, and PACs. But last cycle was the debut of a public campaign financing option—and with matching funds, in-district small donors became an astonishing 45% of overall funding, a new Brennan Center report found.

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People are upset about billionaire power! In 2011, @usprogressives.bsky.social released the first People's Budget, including Schakowsky millionaire tax rates proposal (adding higher rates, up to a top of 49%). But the party allows for a lot of billionaire backing of lawmakers who kept it down:

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Can anyone show this to former Biden White House senior advisor Anita Dunn? To Biden's pollster Mike Donilon? Send a text to Jeff Zients? "One in four New Yorkers—over 2 million people—lived in poverty in 2023, nearly twice the national poverty rate..." according to Robin Hood and Columbia U study.

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Hakeem Jeffries knows that Cuomo was behind the NY Senate IDC, a group of breakaway Dems who caucused with Republicans and blocked progressive legislation. Cuomo was “deeply involved" and “absolutely” encouraged the arrangement keeping GOP in power, per Politico: www.politico.com/states/new-y...

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Freshman reps got seats on committees while owning millions in stocks in companies they oversee. The reps from #TX12, #TX32, #AK00, #NC14, and more covered at @sludge.bsky.social:

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Freshman reps in Congress hold stock in companies they're overseeing on committees, as found in our latest @sludge.bsky.social review of their financial disclosures, many in large amounts: Palantir, Exxon Mobil, more.

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House Republicans plan to use the Congressional Review Act to repeal the CFPB's authority over payment apps from Big Tech companies. The rollback would further clear the way for X Money after Musk spent big for swing district House GOP candidates. New for @sludge.bsky.social subscribers:

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

House Republicans announced they may reverse a Biden-era CFPB rule giving the agency oversight of digital payments from Big Tech companies—a boon for Elon Musk's plans to roll out X Money.

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

SpaceX already has billions in government contracts. Contracts to it and Tesla have been growing by billions of dollars in recent years, as now DOGE slashes federal agencies. Lobbyists for SpaceX just donated big to the DCCC, reports @donnydonny.bsky.social:

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

Want to know why Democrats are failing us? They are TAKING MONEY from the very people and groups undermining our democracy. This is untenable. I keep saying this, but the current leadership in the party ARE NOT WORKING FOR US.

submitted 4 days ago • 6 comments

New: The top lobbying firm for Palantir and SpaceX, the bipartisan Invariant founded by Heather Podesta, gave millions of dollars to the DCCC in January. At @sludge.bsky.social

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NEW: The DCCC raised $2.5 million in January from the top lobbying firm for Palantir and SpaceX. readsludge.com/2025/02/24/d...

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EXCLUSIVE: New York’s congestion pricing plan raised $48.6M in tolls during its first month, a strong start that exceeded expectations. The revenue figures, expected to be released publicly on Monday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, are the latest sign that the tolling plan is working.

submitted 5 days ago • 15 comments

"When it comes to the priceless commodity of time, congestion pricing has decreased commute times for drivers from New Jersey and crosstown bus riders in Manhattan. It has made streets safer, and it certainly hasn't discouraged people from spending money in Midtown." Links to data/studies in here:

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

In December, House Dems voted 131 to 84 to give their top spot on Oversight Committee to 74-year old Gerry Connolly over AOC, in a secret ballot. Elon Musk is emailing all federal employees with demands, and Connolly has not posted any videos to IG or X this weekend, just posts. (Latest video:)

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

Coinbase and the crypto industry Fairshake network of super PACs announced at the end of January that they had $116 million cash on hand for the 2026 midterm cycle. That's... quite a bit. It means they're on pace to blow past their massive 2024 spending.

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Buy. Paper. Books. (and download ownable ebooks onto your own devices) New from me at @flaminghydra.com flaminghydra.com/issue-261/

submitted 8 days ago • 17 comments

Coinbase just got a big win from Trump's SEC after naming Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita to its advisory council and pumping $50 million into the chief crypto industry super PAC.

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

The SEC plans to drop its lawsuit against Coinbase for allegedly operating as an unregistered securities exchange. Coinbase donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration and the Trump campaign co-manager, Chris LaCivita, recently joined its advisory council. Our latest:

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

UnitedHealth Group makes billions of dollars a year by overcharging Medicare Advantage, according to an October 2024 report by HHS' Office of Inspector General, and a December investigation by the Wall Street Journal. The Medicare Advantage game is detailed here on Wendell Potter's newsletter:

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Probably what James Harden got up to yesterday too

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New in @flaminghydra.com: the tech "geniuses" of Silicon Valley are obsessed with a hypothetical about AI, a nuclear warhead, and uttering an offensive word to save millions of lives. The scenario reveals just how stupid the culture wars have made them:

submitted 8 days ago • 2 comments

You may have noticed that Democrats didn't bring up a public option for health insurance, much less Medicare for All. That's just as UnitedHealth Group wants, and now the insurance giant's lobbyist is back in the office of its ally Rep. Clyburn. Free to read @sludge.bsky.social:

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

NYC is short-circuiting thanks to Eric Adams, who edged out a win in 2021's primary, with huge backing from super PACs. Also, Adams was ranked 2nd in ranked-choice by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Gregory Meeks, and Ritchie Torres. So, we can thank the reps for #NY08, #NY05, and #NY15 for jamming up NYC.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments