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Ellis Hankins

@forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.1K following 6.2K posts

Indignant American in North Carolina. Retired lawyer & public policy/management professor in a purple state (the state, not me). Married up. Public commercial airport board member, aviation enthusiast.

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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
“Befuddled, angry, evil old man draws small crowd in right-wing state.” There. If fixed it.
thedailybeast.com
Trump Humiliated by Empty Seats at Red State MAGA Rally
Not even ruby-red Alabama could pack a state university’s arena for the president.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Another bribe.
foxbusiness.com
Trump announces $90 checks for more than 20M seniors to help combat Medicare costs
President Donald Trump says the nearly $100 Medicare Part B checks for over 20 million seniors will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund he calls a "slush fund."
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Even with a video. Somehow I think the result would have been different if the police officer who opened fire had been black, instead of being the innocent victim.
abcnews.com
Former sheriff's deputy Eddie Duran found not guilty of manslaughter in fatal shooting of Airman Roger Fortson
Eddie Duran, a former Florida county sheriff's deputy, was found not guilty on one count of manslaughter with a firearm in the fatal shooting of Airman Roger Fortson.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Republicans are bailing from NC and GA.
apnews.com
Senate Republicans move cash from purple North Carolina to red Kansas as battle for majority shifts
Senate Republicans’ top campaign spending organization is pulling back in purple North Carolina and pouring money into red Kansas.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Time to renew my daughter’s passport, before she gets stuck with a Trumpified one.
huffpost.com
The Trump Admin Just Revealed A New Passport Design — And People Have A LOT To Say
Here are the big changes you can expect — and when the new passport will be available.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Nicolle Wallace: “Trump munching and lunching with billionaire tech bros,” proclaiming a new “Golden Age.” Actually a new supercharged Gilded Age. These people are all about comforting and further enriching the comfortable and ultra-rich, and afflicting people who are struggling and need help.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Perhaps you can see the flaw here too: Trump and his allies are starting with a conclusion of guilt and attempting to work backwards to find the charges and evidence to justify it.”
theatlantic.com
The DOJ’s Collapsing Probe Into a Supposed Anti-Trump Conspiracy
It’s buckling under the weight of strategic errors, staff turnover, and, most of all, the facts.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
These people have sent the national debt over $40 Trillion.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Brilliant. In some ways, we can be thankful that these people are morons.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Flashback: Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait because he misinterpreted comments by a member of the George H.W. Bush Administration (a competent administration) as a green light. What conclusions must President Xi be drawing about American resolve (which used to be a thing) with respect to Taiwan?
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
February, 2026. That arms sale to Taiwain is still on hold (sounds vaguely familiar), while our virulently anti-Communist president rolls out the red carpet, literally, to the world’s most powerful actual Communist and offers to sell his country, our adversary, advanced American arms.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Attorney General Todd Blanche [by title only]: “It [access to the President, and other essential access that allows journalists to do their job and inform “we the people”] is a privilege, not a right.” Respectfully [actually not respectfully at all], the First Amendment is not a suggestion.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ron Filipkowski, Meidas: “We are paying for Trump to promote himself with campaign ads during the midterms. Another criminal act committed by a felon who has been given immunity by a Supreme Court after they invented it for the first time.”
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is a blatant violation of law, and outrageous.
apnews.com
Trump administration begins airing 2024 Trump campaign ad in latest taxpayer-funded messaging
The Trump administration is using taxpayer funds to air a television advertisement from Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in the latest in a series of ads promoting the president ahead of the ...
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Lucian Truscott “Trump and the Republican Party know that they are on track for a major loss in November. Instead of seeking to convince people to vote for their candidates, they are trying to pick who can vote and who can’t.”
luciantruscott.substack.com
The Supreme Court just sicced ICE on our voting rights
This by far the most dangerous thing that could possibly happen before the midterm elections.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
After the midterms. Along with another Bay of Pigs. (The greatest Bay of Pigs invasion in history. No one has ever seen anything like it.)
huffpost.com
Trump Rejects Iran’s Ceasefire Bid, Plans To Resume Attacks After Midterms: WSJ
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Former CIA Director John Brennan (who is a target of the Trump regime): “President Xi is a very smart, calculating and strategic thinker.” Yes, and he must look at our sociopathic moron and marvel at his good fortune. And wonder how Americans could have put this fool back in power.
huffpost.com
Trump Shows Xi His Helipad And Gold Doodads. What America Gets Out Of It Remains Unclear.
The status of Taiwan, Chinese help to Iran and willingness to cooperate on AI are among the issues remaining unresolved despite Trump’s glazing of the communist dictator.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“Any impact on the midterm elections is unclear. Federal law bans states from ‘systematically removing’ voters from rolls within 90 days of a federal election.” As the MAGA majority of the Supreme Republican Court damn well knows, and probably expects, the regime will start mass removal of voters.
npr.org
The Supreme Court revives a controversial data system for citizenship checks
The Supreme Court is allowing use of a data system that Trump officials overhauled. The system has erroneously flagged U.S. citizens and a lower court found it violated federal privacy protections.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Lawless authoritarians.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Another day, another ICEtapo outrage. None of us are safe from this regime. “Lipson said the agents checked cards and papers from the man’s wallet before leaving them scattered on the road. Lipson laid out his sweatshirt for the man to rest on while Garton inspected his injuries.”
huffpost.com
U.S. Citizen Injured In Illinois After ICE Agents Mistook Him For Fugitive, Tried To Arrest Him
A man was left bloodied and injured in an encounter with immigration enforcement agents in a Chicago suburb.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Meanwhile, here in MAGAstan…. This is outrageous. Talk about their “waste, fraud and abuse.”
huffpost.com
'Love Me': Truly Bizarre New Trump Ad Hits TV -- 'Paid For By The U.S. Government'
The bizarre government-sponsored ad was spotted on Fox News.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Praise to Chris Geidner. “It was as close as this court comes to saying, ‘Stop it.’ And yet. When the Supreme Court has repeatedly overturned precedent and changed its interpretation of procedures and rules to suit its ends, it turns out that lower courts get the idea that they can do the same.”
lawdork.com
The Eighth Circuit, Missouri’s maps, and the mess the Roberts Court has brought about
Even as the Supreme Court has tried to stop the Missouri maps chaos, it turns out that a lack of concern for precedent, rules, and stability have trickle-down effects.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Republican hypocrisy. But I repeat myself, said Mark Twain.
dailyboulder.com
Texas Republican who wrote abortion ban law forced into stunning admission after mistress reveals he funded her abortions
Texas Republican state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione helped write one of the country's strictest abortion laws. Now he’s been forced into a stunning admission after a woman revealed that she had carried o...
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Shane Harris “A VIP party like that [on a private island in the Bahamas] is what spies call a target-rich environment.” So much damage. Eventually we will once again have a President (& his or her family) who is on the side of the American people.
theatlantic.com
Don Jr.’s Wedding Trap
His luxurious, Russian-funded wedding celebration was a counterintelligence nightmare.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
So much damage. “Nations that were once firmly in the American orbit are concluding that they cannot rely on the U.S. to provide the same leadership, markets, technology, and military protection that it has for decades…. The shift may be the most consequential legacy of Trump’s foreign policy.”
theatlantic.com
America’s Allies Are No Longer Waiting for Trump to Leave
They now figure isolationism and protectionism will be U.S. foreign policy for a long time to come.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Apparently Susan is not “disappointed” yet.
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Adam Kinzinger, right on the money (emphasis on money). Kleptocracy, regulatory capture, economic risk, China.
open.substack.com
AI Could Be Dangerous. I Am Just As Wary Of The Tech CEOs.
We are all worried about the ghost in the machine. We can’t forget about the men behind the keyboards.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Clue: Sen. Smoot and Rep. Hawley both were defeated in the 1932 election following the fallout from their disastrous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which along with deep budget cuts deepened the market crash & recession into the Great Depression.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Wow. If we had any real civilian leadership of our U.S. Department of Defense, & if these people had not decimated the general officer corps, we would be learning from the remarkably resourceful & innovative Ukrainian military.
businessinsider.com
Ukraine says heavy bomber drones air-dropped exploding war robots miles behind Russian lines during a secretive operation
Ukraine's UGVs and drones have increasingly been teaming up against Russia, and they're seeing success in the secretive Operation Vivaldi.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"’It appears that we are now using this crisis to try to strengthen NATO's cohesion through Greenland,’ said Ulrik Pram Gad, a ​researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies.” Excellent, although “NATO cohesion” here means European countries hanging together against a rogue U.S.
reuters.com
Denmark says NATO shares responsibility for Arctic security under Greenland deal
Denmark, Greenland and the US are to sign a deal on Greenland's security on Tuesday.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Is it MAGAstan or North Korea? Yes.
forbes.com
What Is Trump TV? What We Know About The 24/7 YouTube Stream
Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over the weekend.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Russian money laundering, to get around sanctions & their being cut off from the international bank payments system.
ft.com
Kremlin-backed forgery scheme moved $6.9bn through global banks
FT finds thousands of Russian payments handled by Standard Chartered, Citigroup and other international groups in vast leak from inside fintech A7
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Reposted by Ellis Hankins
Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 21/09/2026
BREAKING: Judge Kelly has ordered the government to RESPOND to the CNN/MSNOW/Politico TRO by TOMORROW, and a hearing is set on the Temporary Restraining Order motion for WEDNESDAY at 3:30 PM.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Excellent. This includes Fox. This is exactly what needed to happen, in addition to the lawsuit filed by the currently affected news media.
huffpost.com
TV Networks To Skip White House Video Coverage In Solidarity With CNN
“There will be no replacement pool put in place,” the current TV pool chair said in an email announcing the decision.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Eliot Cohen. This is sobering.
theatlantic.com
Don’t Ask How This War Ends
It is, unfortunately, the wrong question.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
John Dickerson, formerly of the former CBS News. This is excellent.
theatlantic.com
The Pinball President
No commander in chief has been better at seizing public attention than Donald Trump. But there is a difference between getting attention and doing something with it.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Fun.
americanmuckrakers.com
🚨 BREAKING: Ethics Complaint Alleges Boebert Had Sexual Relationships With Three Senior Staffers, Paid $200,000 in Hush Money to Conceal One Affair; Sworn complaint filed🚨
© Copyright 2026 by American Muckrakers. All rights reserved.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I sent a contribution to America Votes.
wral.com
Voting groups sound alarm on funding shortfalls that they say could affect midterm turnout
Several of the nation’s largest left-leaning voter engagement and racial justice organizations are facing steep funding shortfalls and staffing cutbacks. Their financial woes are surfacing just as vot...
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Kansas.
huffpost.com
Two-Term GOP Gov. Explains In 1 Savage Minute Why He 'Can't Resist' Democrat In Senate Race
Longtime Republican Bill Graves said he “can’t resist” the Democratic challenger.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Phillips O’Brien “The American age that followed World War II was bound to end eventually. What’s shocking is how suddenly that moment has arrived.”
theatlantic.com
The American Age Is Over
A period of global dominance has ended in plain sight.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Good for this judge. “A federal district court judge in Massachusetts postponed the effective date on the grounds that—paraphrasing—the rule is mind-bendingly stupid and would create a needless, self-inflicted economic catastrophe.” Why do we want well-educated, skilled students to go home?
slate.com
Trump’s New Effort to Mess With Student Visas Was Shot Down in Humiliating Fashion
The change was set to take effect on Tuesday.
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Reposted by Ellis Hankins
Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Fed decided to raise rates by a quarter of a percentage point, and -- more importantly -- the decision was unanimous. Markets will be happy that the chair has decided to signal he's more of a Serious Kevin than a Sockpuppet Kevin (which was their main concern).
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A President who insists on taking actions that foreseeably trigger inflation has no reasonable grounds to object to the Fed using its primary weapon to contain inflation. Not that reason has anything to do with this President.
apnews.com
Federal Reserve hikes key rate for 1st time in 3 years, defying Trump demands for a cut
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is stuck between two strong but opposing forces: Financial markets that anticipate the central bank will raise interest rates, and President Donald Trump, who wants the Fed to cut them or leave them unchanged.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Anne Applebaum
theatlantic.com
MAGA Is Making the World Safe for Corruption
Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“Two conservative justices — Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. — dissented from the high court’s decision Monday evening.” What a surprise. Please stop calling these people “conservatives.” They’re not. They’re radical regressives.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Wow. Good for them.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
To commemorate Trump’s disastrous midterm “convention,” which he made all about himself and tied every R candidate to him, here’s a handy partial list of his broken promises.
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
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Ellis Hankins @forrepdemruleoflaw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
There’s always a tweet.
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