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susandespres.bsky.social
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This is an excellent and timely factsheet on Ukraine, U.S. v. European security assistance, and other misunderstood or lied about aspects of the war, by our friends at @thestudyofwar.bsky.social. I'll summarize a few main points below, with additional sources of my own:

We can make this true but we have to get loud and very, very visible about it. Get busy with Good Trouble folks.

We've come a long way from "I will lower prices on day one"

today in breaking laws no matter how obscure, ladies and gentlemen, the Goldwater-Nichols Act

Smell that? Bad things.

Staffing the security apparatus and justice department with loyalists and purging non loyal elements is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes. It’s not a “shake up”; it’s power consolidation.

Is that showing us the love of God, “pastor”?

On this day John Lewis was born. If you don't know why he's a civil rights icon, please read about him. In his honor, always get in good trouble. It's time. Just because the administration declares something illegal doesn't mean it's wrong. www.si.edu/spotlight/jo...

Sometimes as a journalist you find something out that you know is has the potential to be a society-level game-changer. When my phone rang this morning, on a crowded train, I knew this would be one of those stories. Apple is removing its toughest data protection tool from the UK….

[yawns]

This is how you do it. You go Janet Mills 💪

State governments should cut off all state and local cooperation with the FBI, and they should do it immediately. No law requires it, the Constitution fully empowers you to not even return their calls. But there is no legitimate purpose now in treating them as an acceptable partner for anything.

New: DOGE's spending has been secret. No longer. My colleagues have uncovered it. www.propublica.org/article/doge...

Evergreen gif

This is who Republicans just made FBI Director. Kash Patel calls for “offensive operations” to jail Americans who they consider “the enemy.” “We will go out and find the conspirators... Yes, we are going to come after the people in the media”

What's the over/under on "Mitch McConnell traded his vote for a deal that Patel's FBI wouldn't go after him or his wife?"

Extremely bad things, the very worst, start happening now.

A good thing to do if you are flailing a bit right now (as who is not??) is to get in touch with your own values, the things that you find life affirming and necessary in the world. Read some inspiring works about things you value - labor solidarity, scientific achievement, social justice.

👇🏻

Senator Maggie Hassan lays out the ill-advised and devastating cuts to Medicaid being contemplated right now in Congress. Thank you, Senator, for your insight and advocacy! #ProtectMedicaid

Medicaid pays for more than 60% of nursing home residents, making it the primary payer for most. Asking you to think about what will happen to those people, many of them our parents or grandparents, if that funding is cut or eliminated. To me, it's impossible to envision any way it can end well.

Make sure everyone you know who receives healthcare coverage thru medicaid KNOWS Republicans took it away from them. Make them OWN IT FOREVER.

Guy who could have endorsed Harris said what about Russia now? SMH

It starts! Anyone from DHS who wants help with their polygraph examinations, just reach out. I have 25+ years experience representing both polygraphers & polygraphees. And if you want to be a #whistleblower, we're here for you too! @wbaidlaw.bsky.social news.bgov.com/bloomberg-go...

Fwiw I have heard that NIH funding is still paused in spite of court orders, at least to some extent. People seem confused, which seems like the point.

Oh, look what normal countries do when a former president leads a far right coup attempt.

What’s the over/under Governor. Hochul makes an announcement within the next 24 hours now that Nadler has re-upped his call for Adams to resign?

Dean of the NY House delegation Rep. Jerry Nadler, who called for Eric Adams to resign after the indictments in the fall, in new statement: "Mayor Adams has lost his ability to lead the City of New York effectively. I reiterate my call for Mayor Adams to resign or be removed from office.”

Every union should be echoing this statement.

CNN is enabling propaganda. Block it.

I feel pretty strongly that if you're warming up to the idea of forcibly annexing an ally because you think it'll net your party more seats in congress, you should be barred from ever talking about American politics again

This is a concerning milestone. Bringing new investigations and prosecutions is different than just dismissing cases against allies.

"How Much Would Buying the Sudetenland Cost?" Chancellor Hitler wants to acquire the territory from Czechoslovakia, which says it's not for sale. Dealbook asked experts how they'd approach the deal

Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada were never really about stopping fentanyl ————— Trump’s foreign aid freeze stops anti-fentanyl work in Mexico www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Kakistocracy in action.

[whispers:] this…this is the content I live for….

If you wanted to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, you would empower the inspectors general. If you wanted more waste, fraud, and abuse, you would fire them.