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Ferric Fang, MD

@fangferric.bsky.social
2.7K followers 652 following 2.7K posts

Physician-scientist, microbiologist, infectious diseases specialist, medical school professor. Opinions expressed are my own.

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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Christine Kexel Chabot @kexelchabot.bsky.social · 4h
Since when is it anti-democratic for a President to abide by the terms of a federal statute? @leahlitman.bsky.social @profmmurray.bsky.social @kateshaw.bsky.social have an important new paper highlighting slippery slope problems presented by the strong form of UET: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Is the Unitary Executive Democratic or Autocratic Governance?
This essay examines whether the unitary executive theory provides for democratic or autocratic governance. It argues that the unitary executive theory's underly
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Alison Gopnik @alisongopnik.bsky.social · 4h
This is an excellent article by Leif Wetherby - why AI is a cultural technology not a collection of human-like agents (citing our work on this). And why the anthropomorphism is a distraction from the very real risks and dangers and the way to deal with them. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Stop Talking About A.I. Like a Human (Gift Article)
If we want to figure out the proper way to control A.I. models, we need to recognize what they really are.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 19m
“In the past 30 days, 14 commercial flocks and seven backyard flocks have confirmed H5N1, affecting a total of 620,000 birds. Minnesota is the national hotspot for avian flu” www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influe...
cidrap.umn.edu
H5N1 avian flu returns to Midwest poultry farms, with multiple turkey operations hit
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 2h
This is just horrifying. “Whatever the reason the execution failed, medical experts said, the possibility that Ms. Pike had suffered the effects of a nonfatal dose of pentobarbital for an extended period created a risk for lasting brain injury. “She could be facing profound medical complications”
nytimes.com
How Did Christa Pike Survive Two Lethal Injections of Pentobarbital?
A catheter carrying the drug may not have delivered the doses to Ms. Pike’s bloodstream, experts said. The drug itself may have been degraded.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Tim Carvell @timcarvell.bsky.social · 8h
I want to believe that someone at the Times knew what they were doing here.
New York Times homepage link reading: 
FRANK BRUNI AND BRET STEPHENS:
Behold the Paragons of Rank Incompetence
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 1h
Nice to see key Senate Dems introducing a bill to punish Trump for violating the prohibition on using government funds for propaganda. The bill would cut OMB's budget by $20M for each violation found by GAO. Soon to ride on an approps bill near you? www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/do...
appropriations.senate.gov
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Ferric Fang, MD @fangferric.bsky.social · 1h
“Pachinko” was fantastic. After listening to this interview, I can wait to read “American Hagwon.”
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 4h
I don't wanna COUCH my words here: I know JD Vance, his eyeliner, and absent Ashley Moody are used to running away from people when things get tough because they care more about themselves and their billionaire buddies than the people they represent. But this is my home. /1
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 4h
The most ordinary man imaginable came to my home state to tell me to ‘get out of America’ while he & Absent Ashley enjoyed the comfort of buildings my ancestors helped build. Imagine standing on the shoulders of the ppl who built this country & then telling their descendants they don’t belong here/2
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 4h
Wanting lower property insurance and healthcare for everyday families isn't un-American; it’s what working people deserve. They can take their tech-bro cash and their weird, intrusive agenda somewhere else, because I'm not going any damn place. /3
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 4h
I don’t go high when they go low. I get LOUD. Because the soul and humanity of this country are at stake. /end
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Jack Iwashyna @iwashyna.bsky.social · 2h
We asked academic pulm/crit care docs how they think changes in health and science policy are going. They have concerns. New data at www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
text: More than three-quarters of respondents provided examples of adverse impacts on their ability to deliver high-quality care. Many wrote with personal poignancy to highlight concerns regarding recurring themes about:
(1) vaccine hesitancy and suspicion in scientific research, which they felt were actively, and would continually, leading to outbreaks of preventable illnesses. One respondent wrote: "Patients are increasingly hesitant about vaccines, and the increased burden of shared decision-making around vaccines takes away from time spent implementing evidence-based best practices."
(2) reduced Medicaid/Medicare/insurance coverage that, they felt, will decrease hospital tunding and patient accessibility. As one wrote, "More uninsured/underinsured patients if Medicaid eligibility or funding changes resulting in delayed presentations, more severe disease at ICU admission."
(3) changing immigration policies that, they felt, were detrimental to patients and staff.
One respondent wrote: "A concrete example is that a patient in ICE custody was recently brought in for outpatient care and did not feel comfortable discussing their
HIV status and anything related to sensitive medical topics as the agents refused to leave the room."
(4) decreased government funding in research will, they felt, further marginalize populations and leave hospitals unprepared for future issues, such as climate change impacts onto patient health. One wrote: "my institution has already had to let some young scientists go and pipeline for replacing them will be difficult to fill if/when circumstances change brain drain to other countries has occurred teaching/research time has been cut in half for CEs (20% -> 10%) across the board, affecting recruitment, morale, and research/advocacy activities." Another wrote...
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 2h
I saw and like this framing: A socialist believes that no one should be rich. A capitalist believes that anyone can become rich. A democratic socialist believes that anyone can become rich, but that no one should be poor. 2/2
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 4h
Millions of Cancers Linked to Infections, Study Says www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...
medpagetoday.com
Millions of Cancers Linked to Infections, Study Says
Four of the five leading infectious causes have 'highly effective' prevention measures
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin @ecmclaughlin.bsky.social · 2h
She’s a fifth generation Floridian. The racism is all they’ve got.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 3h
Doctors shouldn’t be punished for providing their patients with legal abortion care—and extremists in Louisiana have no business dictating what doctors in Seattle can and can't do. This was never about states' rights—it was ALWAYS about banning abortion nationwide.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 4h
Great piece from @emineirmakyucel.bsky.social on Russ Vought’s most recent illegal budgetary action with some quotes from me and others.
talkingpointsmemo.com
Russ Vought Insists He Has a Neat Trick to Override Congress. It’s More ‘a Confession,’ Experts Say
Following a failed bid by Senate Democrats to block it, President Donald...
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 3h
Right, it's not that I disagree that some of the people sentenced to execution are monsters -- many of them are! -- it's that I disagree that we all should be monsters too.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Dr. D Boulware, MD MPH @drboulware.bsky.social · 3h
NIH Funding rate of Early Stage Investigators (ESI). 2025 was a major drop. 2026 will be worse.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 2h
Making a rich nation richer is not the best way to frame the value of global health theconversation.com/global-healt...
theconversation.com
Global health research makes America richer and healthier
US-funded research into the health of people abroad has large health and economic benefits for Americans.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h
it didn't even occur to me that the government might try to execute someone a second time if they torture the person but fail to kill them during a first botched attempt. truly grotesque and a moral stain upon all involved.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Douglas Natelson @nanoscaleviews.bsky.social · 5h
I think it’s very important to talk about the difference between long-term research (the vast majority of which is done at universities and to some degree national labs), short term research (much more common in industry), and development, which is almost exclusively in industry.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Gothamist @gothamist.com · 7h
NY Dems push bill in Congress to restore healthcare coverage, putting GOP on the spot gothamist.com/news/ny-dems...
gothamist.com
NY Dems push bill in Congress to restore healthcare coverage, putting GOP on the spot
The proposal emerges just ahead of the midterm elections and aims to undo cuts forced by Trump and Republicans.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Greg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 4h
The Atlantic: MAHA Gone Mild by Tom Bartlett bit.ly/4e7YLum @tombartlett.bsky.social @theatlantic.com
bit.ly
MAHA Gone Mild
This week’s summit featured J. D. Vance, electrolyte powder, and very few mentions of vaccination.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Reuters @reuters.com · 5h
Florida Attorney General sues Pfizer and CEO over COVID-19 vaccine claims reut.rs/4hH6JvP
reut.rs
Florida Attorney General sues Pfizer and CEO over COVID-19 vaccine claims
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Pfizer and its ​CEO, Albert Bourla, accusing the drugmaker of misleading ‌consumers about the safety and effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Greg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 5h
DeLauro Statement on Deterioration of CDC Under President Trump and Secretary Kennedy @delauro.house.gov bit.ly/4xY7qqB
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 19h
Disruption of global research at NIH is endangering people in the United States and around the world. 27unihted.substack.com/p/disruption... Foreign collaborations have been interrupted and discouraged and foreign scientists in the United States are working in an increasingly hostile environment.
27unihted.substack.com
Disruption of global research is endangering people in the United States and around the world
Concern 8 of the Bethesda Declaration: One Year Later
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
STAT @statnews.com · 6h
A proposed redesign of the federal government’s annual health survey would result in significant undercounting of Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. www.statnews.com/2026/10/01/cdc-hea…
statnews.com
As CDC redesigns annual health survey, it removes questions about disabilities
Proposed changes to the federal government’s health survey would undercount Americans with disabilities, advocates say.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 6h
MSF staff member tests positive for Ebola in Congo www.reuters.com/business/hea...
reuters.com
MSF staff member tests positive for Ebola in Congo, aid organisation says
A Médecins Sans Frontières staff member working on the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of ​Congo has contracted the Ebola Bundibugyo virus and is being ‌evacuated to the Netherlands for trea...
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 7h
“A bulletin to San Diego State students from the university on Wednesday said San Diego County Public Health Services had confirmed 14 cases and that the outbreak remained within a single athletic team… San Diego State is offering students a free MMR booster.” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social
espn.com
San Diego State football team dealing with mumps outbreak
San Diego State's football team is dealing with a mumps outbreak as it prepares for Saturday's Pac-12 opener against Texas State.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 6h
OMB's focus on NIH and NSF, which has confused a lot of folks, pretty much boils down to stopping money going to universities.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 7h
Fairly late on posting this, but this is pretty important reporting for those tracking science policy/reform. To be clear, I think most in the metascience community are well-meaning and intend to do good work. But the community's findings--which have not endured the same rigorous scrutiny...
sciencebusiness.net
Is metascience being co-opted?
In July, the White House released a report that argued academia is deeply dysfunctional and in need of radical reform.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Alan Regenberg @aregenberg.bsky.social · 7h
For nearly 50 years, the federal government has said people with disabilities should live, work and learn in the most integrated setting possible rather than be segregated in institutions. The Trump admin just took its most concrete step yet to reverse that position. www.npr.org/2026/10/01/n...
npr.org
Trump administration reverses stance on integration of people with disabilities
Disability rights advocates are angered by the latest reversal but are rallying behind proposed legislation and working with states to strengthen protections for community integration.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 8h
BREAKING: Davey Hearn reflecting pool prosecution dismissed WITH PREJUDICE That means the case cannot be brought again  Huge victory for Davey, for us at @democracydefendersfund.org & our legal team colleagues Washington Litigation Group and Steptoe--& for rule of law More to follow!
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 8h
2 enhanced flu vaccines offer similar protection against infection in older adults Adjuvanted and high-dose flu vaccines show similar efficacy in preventing infection and hospitalization in US adults aged 65 and older. Read more: bit.ly/4hSYJcd
Older man with vaccine bandaid
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 8h
America today is a country where regulators won't allow private companies to air interviews of the opposition on TV, but declare that taxpayer funded propaganda is fine.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 10h
"It is high time for us to regulate usage of systems sold as “AI”, not because they are magical machines, but because they are error-prone products that shouldn’t be used in high stakes scenarios." Stupidity was always the real danger. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Forget ‘superintelligence’: error-prone AI nearly sparked world war three this month | Timnit Gebru and Emily M Bender
The risks of AI aren’t what we think they are, as a recent security incident between China and the United States reveals
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Nigel Goldenfeld @nigelgoldenfeld.bsky.social · 21h
NSF announces a new branding page. "You shared your feedback — we listened!" WTF content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USN... At the end of FY 2026, NSF has made 6218 awards compared to 11,387 average in previous years. Thx @grantwitness.org If you're listening NSF, how about doing your job?
Graph of NSF awards for FY 2021-2026 showing that at the end of FY 2026, NSF has made about half the usual number of awards.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 9h
“Those losing their health benefits who were previously eligible include refugees of war, asylees who fled persecution, victims of sex trafficking, & interpreters who risked their lives assisting U.S. service members in Afghanistan — all of whom are in the country w/ the federal govt’s permission”
statnews.com
U.S. poised to boot legal immigrants from Medicaid, including refugees and sex-trafficking victims
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants with legal status, including refugees and sex-trafficking victims, are at risk of losing government health coverage starting Oct. 1.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
elizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 9h
More details about the illegal OMB "pocket rescission" that canceled programs the WH doesn't like by not spending Congressionally appropriated money. This is a violation of the Impoundment Control Act. Will Congress and the Courts allow OMB to break the law? www.highereddive.com/news/trump-t...
highereddive.com
Trump targets $70M for international scholars in $810M funding clawback
The U.S. Government Accountability Office deemed the process used to pull the funding back is illegal, a stance it reasserted Tuesday.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Fiji is experiencing an alarming HIV outbreak at a time when we have more tools than ever to diagnose, treat and prevent HIV. It is a warning that progress against HIV is not self-sustaining and to end the epidemic we cannot become complacent bktitanji.substack.com/p/hiv-is-not...
bktitanji.substack.com
HIV Is Not Done With Us
Fiji’s rapidly growing epidemic is a warning about what happens when complacency, vulnerability and retreating resources give the virus an opening
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Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
People were upset when the government tried to position AIDS as an equal-opportunity disease in the 1980s. They’re at it again with an HIV plan that doesn’t mention the key populations at higher risk, incl gay men, trans women, Black & Latino people, sex workers, PWID, homeless. What’s the point?
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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“This pulse, known as a Kelvin wave, will boost the ocean’s height across an area extending 12 to 18 miles offshore. It is coming on top of several other factors that are raising the seas off California and increasing the threats from coastal flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion”
nytimes.com
See How El Niño Is Washing Ashore in California
An enormous pulse of wave energy will soon reach Southern California and continue north, raising sea levels by half a foot and increasing threats from swells and tides.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
KUOW Public Radio @kuow.org · 30/09/2026
About 14,000 Washington state residents will no longer be eligible for Medicaid, or Apple Health, starting Oct. 1.
kuow.org
14,000 WA residents expected to lose Medicaid Oct. 1
About 14,000 Washington state residents will no longer be eligible for Medicaid, or Apple Health, starting Oct. 1.
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Senator Angela Alsobrooks @alsobrooks.senate.gov · 30/09/2026
RFK Jr.s leadership has been nothing but a train wreck.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
DC🕊🌍🔥🌱 @dcminx.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🚨 As a record breaking El Niño continues to grow in the Eastern Pacific, climate scientist Daniel Swain explains what may be in store for the next year as we brace for an El Niño “so far above anything we've previously seen, it doesn't even fit on the same axis.”
insideclimatenews.org
Incoming El Niño Is so Extreme It Doesn’t Have a Scientific Name - Inside Climate News
As a record breaking El Niño continues to grow in the Eastern Pacific, climate scientist Daniel Swain explains what may be in store for the next year as we brace for an El Niño “so far above anything ...
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RoseMarie @rosesbloom24.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Andrea Shaw has spent most of the summer alone in a cell in Payette, Idaho, taking comfort from photos of her family, according to her lawyer. Her twins were 18 months old when they died, in May 2025, and her living daughter is three months old. (cont.) www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/w...
nytimes.com
Andrea Shaw Says Vaccines Killed Her Twins. Authorities Say She Suffocated Them. (Gift Article)
In a small Idaho town, a young mother is accused of killing her young twins. She blames the childhood vaccines they received.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Semafor @semafor.com · 30/09/2026
Visitors to the US are on track to drop by almost two million year-on-year. “We’re the only major country in the world losing visitation,” the head of the US Travel Association said. “It’s mind-boggling.” www.semafor.com/article/09/2...
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STAT @statnews.com · 30/09/2026
#Breaking: HHS announced a set of new initiatives aimed at speeding up clinical trials by incorporating more artificial intelligence and computational models and moving away from sharply delineated trial phases. bit.ly/4hzhj7X
bit.ly
HHS announces new efforts to speed up, expand clinical trials with AI
Federal health officials want to speed up clinical research to compete with countries like China.
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Reposted by Ferric Fang, MD
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Senate Dems Will Attempt to Stop Trump White House’s Latest Illegal Pocket Rescission  talkingpointsmemo.com/news/senate-...
talkingpointsmemo.com
Senate Dems Will Attempt to Stop Trump White House’s Latest Illegal Pocket Rescission
Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senate Budget Committee...
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