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swordsmith.bsky.social
Writer, editor, independent publishing professional, professor, and game designer. Principal of Swordsmith Productions and Unleash the Book. Elected Democrat.
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Federal law specifies that members of Congress can access any DHS facility, including ICE detention centers, but two US representatives were denied entry today: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/n...

submitted 19 hours ago • 18 comments

I love how they patiently take turns... www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tt-...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

not a data take but this is fucked up. cutting food benefits to poor moms, infants, and toddlers is pointlessly cruel. not a partisan issue, just straightforwardly fucked. the cruelty is the point. call your congressperson

submitted 9 days ago • 63 comments

Just a matter of time before Trump started cooking the books

submitted 17 days ago • 4 comments

RAMAPHOSA: I am sorry I don't have a plane to give you TRUMP: I wish you did. I'd take it. If your country offered the US Air Force a plane, I would take it RAMAPHOSA: Okay

submitted 19 days ago • 605 comments

did they think that nobody would notice most of these books aren’t real? what was the end game here?

submitted 20 days ago • 8 comments

So Republicans oppose background checks for gun buyers, but support background checks for Social Security benefit claimants (that have found virtually no fraud)

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

independent media is not just important, it is necessary

submitted 20 days ago • 19 comments

Attacks on the ballot initiative process are a mainstay in the GOP playbook. But what is so jarring about Florida's new law is that it criminalizes direct democracy, turning ordinary political activity into a felony: boltsmag.org/florida-new-...

submitted 28 days ago • 4 comments

1/2 Just-dismissed Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, has a PhD from U Chicago, is in numerous scholarly societies, has wide acclaim. She is also first African-American to lead LoC. The dismissal note did not say "Dear Dr. Hayden" or "Dear Madame Librarian" or even "Dear Carla."

submitted 29 days ago • 290 comments

Someone out there has the chance to make an excellent hire right now:

submitted 35 days ago • 2 comments

these newborn screenings are how I found out my daughter has an inborn error of metabolism - and then found out I have it too

submitted 35 days ago • 2 comments

I went to the Senate floor to tell a story about Trump’s first 100 days - a story of daily, norm shattering corruption. I laid out 40 different corrupt acts - each one alone could have taken down previous presidents. 1/ A 🧵 of my speech. People need to know this story.

submitted 40 days ago • 195 comments

Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/

submitted 40 days ago • 93 comments

Rubio is a lawyer and officer of the court.

submitted 39 days ago • 321 comments

Looks like Donald Trump is going to have a real War on Christmas www.nbcnews.com/business/con...

submitted 43 days ago • 2 comments

New on Substack: “Out of Service” Joann’s is gone. Fire trucks sat idle as California burned. This is the business model. Private equity bleeds communities dry, and #BlackRock funds it all with your pension. #privateequity open.substack.com/pub/marygedd...

submitted 45 days ago • 6 comments

👇👇

submitted 44 days ago • 592 comments

the word 'deported' is being pretty commonly misused

submitted 43 days ago • 125 comments

ah we’re at the “arresting judges” phase of totalitarianism, cool

submitted 45 days ago • 6 comments

DOGE's firings, and the ways they did it, will cost the federal government $135 billion this fiscal year, www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...

submitted 45 days ago • 33 comments

This story never verifies that the people involved were in fact ICE agents

submitted 47 days ago • 3 comments

Religious Studies getting the axe in a DEI purge

submitted 47 days ago • 96 comments

This is terrifying. I'm sure the eugenicist wouldn't think of using a list of autistic people for anything bad...

submitted 48 days ago • 0 comments

The Larry David article once more: t.co/wN66jpnTQo

submitted 48 days ago • 58 comments

“Boeing Co. has begun flying 737 Max jets that were refused by Chinese airline customers back to the US, as the trade war between the two biggest economies escalates.”

submitted 51 days ago • 27 comments