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The Gray Matters Report

@graymattersrep.bsky.social
1.8K followers 2K following 12K posts

Longtime loudmouth, chief cook & bottle washer, dab hand. Curator of stuff, enjoyer of food. Lots of etceteras. NYC in my bones, Terre Noire in my heart. Margaree Community Oven 🔥 Bespoke follower/blocker. This ≠ That. Lenapehoking and Unama'ki

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 7h
I'm grateful to Radcliffe and the Schlesinger Library for ensuring that my mom's work will be accessible to her many students, past and future
hls.harvard.edu
Lani Guinier’s legacy, in her own words - Harvard Law School
Schlesinger Library collection offers scholars a closer look at Lani Guinier's work on voting rights, race, education, and equality.
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 55m
just horrific this is torture
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 3h
they were all rubbing their hands, gloating over the coup they were about to pull off against their hated foe friendly outlets alerted, mouthpieces set on spray - they weren't about to spoil the surprise!
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 4h
yet another example of how the ripple effects of Trump's tariffs end up taking money out of people's pockets - either directly at the register as consumers, or in pass-along expenses like this as taxpayers
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Tobias Harris @tobiasharris.bsky.social · 9h
Update: my review of the book is here. observingjapan.substack.com/p/a-weberian...
observingjapan.substack.com
A Weberian bureaucrat in King Donald's court
What Akazawa Ryōsei reveals about negotiations with the Trump administration
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 5h
JUST IN: A federal judge has denied DOJ's effort to obtain Georgia's complete, unredacted voter list, the latest in a string of more than two dozen defeats for the Trump administration in efforts to obtain state voter rolls. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
#146 in United States v. Raffensperger (N.D. Ga., 1:26-cv-00485) – CourtListener.com
ORDER. It is ORDERED that Defendant Raffensperger and Intervenor-Defendant's BVMF's Motions to Dismiss (Docs. 16, 23 ) are GRANTED IN PART as set forth in this Order. Intervenor-Defendants' Common Cau...
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Christine Kinser @ckinser.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🆘BELLO URGENT MEDICAL He was abused head/face; now has vestibular syndrome😥 Rescue org covers vet $ “He’s a hugger…rested his paws on my arms& looked up w/softest, mushiest face…leaned in2 me w/a dreamy blissful expression&snuggled his head in2 crook of my arm…my❤️ went on full meltdown” 🙏Repost
youtube.com
Bello 255989 the best part of our day!
YouTube video by Rachel Bennett
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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 5h
The 988 suicide prevention hotline's Press 3 option — which provides specialized services to LGBTQ callers — has been restored more than a year after the Trump administration shut it down. Confirmed by HHS and the office of Senator Tammy Baldwin, who led on legislation that forced its restoration
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 5h
this thread, which is onging, is both heartbreaking and rage-inducing the state should not have the power to put people to death exactly because of situations like this
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Adam Isacson @adamisacson.com · 7h
You see, Trump is joking about how hundreds of migrants fall from the giant new border wall each year, but "only" dozens of them actually die. Freaking hilarious, right?
These numbers come from Scripps Mercy Hospital and UC San Diego Medical Center. Together, the two Hillcrest hospitals provide trauma services for a 30-mile stretch of the border from the Pacific Ocean to Tecate.

In 2023, these two facilities collectively recorded 629 falls from the 30-foot steel structure severe enough to result in a hospital stay. So far in 2024, the total number of severe falls is up to 993, though that number is incomplete. UC San Diego data covers January through September while the total provided by Scripps runs through August.

Each facility, then, has averaged two border fall admissions per day, about double the caseload observed in 2021, when the number of falls spiked significantly.
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Too Big to Fail @toobigtofail.bsky.social · 6h
This is called price inelasticity, and the usual example given for it is life-saving cancer medication: people won't stop buying it until you've raised the price high enough that they accept dying as an alternative to paying for it.
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 6h
afraid what we have seen so far is just the beginning
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Cheryl in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦🍁🍁 @minibubbly.bsky.social · 7h
Fly With Me Animal Rescue in Halifax #NovaScotia is urgently looking for some people to foster dogs or you can adopt 🥰 Link here www.flywithmeanimalrescue.com
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Documented @documentedny.bsky.social · 9h
In a 125-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Luis A. Kaplan issued a permanent injunction against DHS to improve inhumane conditions at ICE detention rooms in 26 Federal Plaza.
documentedny.com
In Scathing Ruling, Judge Orders ICE to End 'Squalid' Conditions at 26 Federal Plaza
In a 125-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Luis A. Kaplan issued a permanent injunction against DHS to improve inhumane conditions at ICE detention rooms in 26 Federal Plaza.
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Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 8h
To recap: three GOP-led states that wanted the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in order to "send abortion back to the states" are now asking the Court to strike down abortion protections in blue states
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 10h
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 8h
🧊⚖️🧵👇
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 8h
not good Police say four pedestrians were hit in a "collision," describing the events as a "medical incident."
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Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · 10h
😳 On 9/29/26, Argentina’s Supreme cleared the way for President Javier Milei’s administration to scrap historical restrictions on foreign land ownership, opening the door to the likes of Peter Thiel & Sam Altman who have shown great interest in the region … 1/ share.google/t7nTsPAkbpC8...
share.google
Supreme Ct clears way for Milei to scrap limits on foreign land purchases
Opposition parties condemn the ruling, question its scope and warn that it leaves the door open to unrestricted foreign ownership of rural land.
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 10h
Ken Paxton, who is loathsome beyond even normal GOP loathsomeness, is currently polling at around 46% - which means perhaps 5 million Texans or so are still planning to cast a ballot for him says a lot, none of it good
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Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 14h
Not a great sign when your 12-person private fundraiser includes someone who hates you enough to leak damaging audio
The audio of Mr. Paxton was shared with The Times by an attendee who recorded him speaking at a private fund-raiser in Washington attended by roughly a dozen people. The person, who opposes Mr. Paxton’s campaign and provided the recording to The Times, was granted anonymity because Mr. Paxton’s remarks were private.
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Sam Brunson @smbrnsn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It's not new, but literally every shadow docket hearing, the Supreme Court is reinforcing its illegitimacy. It is not a court. It is not doing the work of a court. In the interest of the rule of law, we need to ultimately abide by its rulings, but there is no future without significant court reform
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Hong Kong Free Press HKFP @hongkongfp.com · 11h
Nat. security police reportedly arrest independent journalist over ‘fake news’ hongkongfp.com/2026/09/30/n...
hongkongfp.com
Nat. security police reportedly arrest independent journalist over ‘fake news’
Hong Kong’s national security police have reportedly arrested an independent journalist behind an online news outlet on suspicion of publishing fake news. Tang Ho-wing in a YouTube video. Pho…
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Anishinabek Nation @anishinabeknation.bsky.social · 11h
(1/2) TW: Readers may be triggered by the recount of Indian Residential Schools. To access a 24h National Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419.  September 30th recognizes both #OrangeShirtDay & #NationalDayForTruthAndReconciliation.
(1/2) TW: Readers may be triggered by the recount of Indian Residential Schools. To access a 24h National Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419. 

September 30th recognizes both #OrangeShirtDay & #NationalDayForTruthAndReconciliation.(1/2) TW: Readers may be triggered by the recount of Indian Residential Schools. To access a 24h National Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419. 

September 30th recognizes both #OrangeShirtDay & #NationalDayForTruthAndReconciliation.
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Sky Kalkman @skykalkman.bsky.social · 11h
Politics, business, anything where you can every control -- THIS is why AI companies are pushing it so hard. You get to control the truth for people who use your products.
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Texas Tribune @texastribune.org · 11h
Today is the final day of The Texas Tribune’s Fall Member Drive. Our goal: 500 new members and $50,000. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, and our journalism is free for everyone to access. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to support the Tribune, today is it. trib.it/help
trib.it
Texas Tribune Fall Member Drive
Donations from readers help The Texas Tribune pursue the truth. Will you support trusted reporting today? give.texastribune.org/donate
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Macster @millhousebooty.bsky.social · 12h
Krakauer wrote something in the intro to Missoula about rape being the only crime where the victim is assumed to be lying www.npr.org/2015/04/19/4...
npr.org
Jon Krakauer Tells A 'Depressingly Typical' Story Of College Town Rapes
Krakauer's Missoula looks at stories of women who have been sexually assaulted by people they know. He says rape is unlike other crimes because in other crimes, "the victim isn't assumed to be lying."
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Secretary of Defense Rock @sodrock.bsky.social · 12h
By god he’s doing it
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 12h
alsoooooo and i feel like a broken record bringing this up over and over but targeted advertising on Meta platforms means that people were told all kinds of things, individually, and we don't know what all they were told because researchers have no way of seeing the direct adverts
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Roy Edroso @edroso.bsky.social · 12h
Robert Sietsema, who should know, gives the reopened Carnegie Deli a good review robertsietsema.substack.com/p/carnegie-d...
robertsietsema.substack.com
Carnegie Deli Steps Back Into the Spotlight
A review of the reopened Midtown mainstay
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@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 13h
People frequently ask me where to go to credible news coverage. States Newsroom is one such place. There is a much needed focus on the local & statewide news plus coverage of DC politics and big/important national news stories. It's a great news org to read AND to support with your donations.
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A Simard 🇨🇦 @adadcoaching.bsky.social · 15h
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Most swing state GOP Senate candidates took $$ from Jack Abramoff's now pardoned partner.
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
the Roberts six will live in infamy joining the long list of those who deliberately chose to make their own personal legacies a shitheap the taint will never wash away
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Schmitt is too stupid to shut up, let alone stop digging
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
good for them and also about damn time Van Hollen has been the de facto Dem leader on this issue for a while now
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I am no big art-knower but I've seen several Caravaggios in their natural habitats (including this one) and it's never failed to take my breath away
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Roger Parloff @rparloff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
On another platform, @pjaicomo.bsky.social asks a good question. Anyone seen SCOTUS give one party an open-ended, one-sided opportunity to name their own "question presented"?
This seems like a very uncommon QP from the Supreme Court in today's cert. grant in DHS v. DVD.
Is anyone aware of a similarly open-ended and one-sided QP like this in another case?
CERTIORARI GRANTED
DEPT. OF HOMELAND SEC., ET AL. V. D.V.D., ET AL.
The application for stay presented to Justice Jackson and
by her referred to the Court is granted. The February 25, 2026
order and judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, case No. 1:25-cv-10676, are stayed.
The application is also treated as a petition for a writ of
certiorari, and the petition is granted. The parties are
directed to brief and argue the following questions: (1) Whether
the district court had jurisdiction over Respondents' claims.
(2) Whether the district court had authority to enter classwide
declaratory relief and APA vacatur under 8 U. S. C. §1252(f) (1).
(3) Whether the Government's Guidance on third-country removals is unlawful under 8 U. S. C. §1231(b), the Due Process Clause, or FARRA/CAT and its implementing regulations.
*(4) Such other
questions that the Government determines are appropriate for the
proper disposition of the case.* The Clerk is directed to
establish a briefing schedule that will allow the case to be
argued in the December 2026 argument session. The stay shall
terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court.
Justice Sotomayor, Justice Kagan, and Justice Jackson would
deny the application
for stay.
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Lindsay Owens @lindsayowens.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Gouged" is OUT! I started this book angry about all the ways corporations are ripping us off. I finished it hopeful, because once you know how they're doing it—you can start to fight back. Thanks to everyone who has been part of this. Now go read it.
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Jon Danziger @danziger.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
ketchup - it's Trump Sauce now
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
the NYT isn't even pretending to hide their bias for the right anymore left-wing media my ass
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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The "Broadview Six" are in with an "ICYMI" for Judge April Perry, making sure she's aware of ex-AUSA Sheri Mecklenburg's "widely published" retirement letter:
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) Plaintiff, )
v. ) ) MICHAEL RABBITT, ) KATHERINEMARIEABUGHAZALEH, ) ANDRE MARTIN, BRIAN STRAW, ) and CATHERINE SHARP )
Defendants. )
No. 25 CR 693
Judge April M. Perry
DEFENDANTS’ NOTICE OF SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Defendants, by and through their respective counsel, respectfully seek to supplement the record with the attached resignation letter from the proposed intervenor, Sheri Mecklenburg, which has been widely published in the local and national news media (attached as Exhibit A).
Included in Ms. Mecklenburg’s resignation letter are additional facts that directly and materially implicate issues in the pending motions before the Court (Dkt. 225, 226, and 227). Specifically, the following factual disclosures made by Ms. Mecklenburg in her letter are of particular note:
• The Front Office threatened to discipline and/or terminate Ms. Mecklenburg, thereby resulting in a loss of healthcare benefits, if she attempted to file anything with the Court to provide her recollection of events. (Ex. A, AUSA Mecklenburg’s ForcedResignation Letter, at 1; id. at 2 (“you [U.S. Attorney Boutros] have threatened to terminate me if I attempt to rebut the false allegations and bring additional matters to the Court’s attention.”).
• Ms. Mecklenburg “repeatedly sought guidance from, kept informed, and followed the directions of the Front Office — including [U.S. Attorney Boutros] — at every consequential stage” of this failed prosecution. Id. at 2.
• U.S. Attorney Boutros “personally directed” a felony prosecution of the Defendants be pursued over Ms. Mecklenburg’s objection. Id.
• In May 2026, U.S. Attorney Boutros “placed [Ms. Mecklenburg] on leave and cut off [her] devices and credentials without any notice.” Id.
• Ms. Mecklenburg expresses her severe disappointment in the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s handling of the post-dismissal briefing to the Court because she expected that “the leaders who directed or approved the prosecution would accept responsibility for their own roles and decisions rather than assigning the consequences to me alone.” Id. at 3.
In response to Ms. Mecklenburg’s resignation letter which was published in the media, the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. (not the local U.S.Attorney’s Office) disputed one of Ms. Mecklenburg’s factual assertions about the involvement of U.S. Attorney Boutros (and perhaps other higher-ups in the DOJ) in the prosecutorial decisions and conduct here as flat-out “false,” based on what it claims is contained in Ms. Mecklenburg’s written recommendation on this case:
The claim that AUSA Mecklenburg proposed a misdemeanor and was told instead to file a felony charge is false. Mecklenburg’s recommendation in writing to the supervisory chain of the U.S. Attorney’s Office included the section 372 felony as the strongest charge.
Jason Meisner, ‘Broadview Six’ prosecutor pens fiery resignation letter saying US attorney pushed for felony charges, CHI. TRIBUNE, Sept. 25, 2026, available at: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/25/broadview-six-prosecutor-resignation- letter-us-attorney/ (last visited Sept. 29, 2026).
The Defendants will be prepared to further discuss the materiality of the information contained in Ms. Mecklenburg’s “Forced Resignation letter,” which reinforces Defendants’ position that there are ripe factual disputes concerning positions taken by the U.S. Attorney’s Office before the Court at Thursday’s hearing or as directed by the Court in writing.
Respectfully submitted,
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Jason Meisner @jmetr22b.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Lawyers for the "Broadview Six" have submitted Sheri Mecklenburg's resignation letter to Judge Perry in advance of Thursday's hearing, saying it contains "additional facts that directly and materially implicate" issues pending before the court. 👇
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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 29/09/2026
Senator Van Hollen is forcing a vote on his 502B resolution TONIGHT. It would force the U.S. State Department to conduct a comprehensive review of Israeli human rights abuses and release that to Congress and the public. Tell your senators to vote yes at the link below imeupolicy.org/exposeisrael
imeupolicy.org
Message Your Senators: Expose Israel's Violence and Human Rights Abuses — IMEU Policy Project
We need to pressure our U.S. Senators to take real action. Tell them to report on human rights violations in the West Bank and hold Israel accountable.
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Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Here's the latest: State Supreme Court Blocks Brooklyn Democratic Party from Voting on New Chair www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/09/29/a...
thecityreporter.nyc
State Supreme Court Blocks Brooklyn Democratic Party from Voting on New Chair
The order comes hours after a state appellate court sided with reformers, tossing out party rules changes pushed by outgoing chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.
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Sarah Szalavitz💡 @dearsarah.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This $1000+ Screw takes a YEAR to make—each🇺🇸missile needs 4 or more With missiles dwindling, soon this’ll be an “immediate single-point failure for our national defense” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/b... So the🇺🇸is fucked by its putinously predictable lack of BALL SCREWS—which’ll force the🇮🇷war to end?
nytimes.com
This Screw Is Needed for Missiles and Planes. Buying One Can Take Years.
As the Trump administration scrambles to increase the production of munitions, these special screws are expensive and hard to source.
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
deport SCOTUS (not all of them - just the six who signed on to this)
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
one of the all-time greats RIP
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it" Jonathan Swift
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The Gray Matters Report @graymattersrep.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
something Mars Inc had never thought of, something that had never ever even entered their minds throughout all of their product development/testing, including feedback from focus groups underage drinkers as a target market? heaven forbid! it's for adults who love pop-tarts but wish they had booze!
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