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Helen Fessenden

@hfessenden.bsky.social
253 followers 184 following 24 posts

Senior economy & business editor at The Conversation US. Formerly of The Washington Post, Politico Europe, Richmond Fed and National Journal, to name a few.

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Reposted by Helen Fessenden
Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854
Taxing Entrepreneurial Wealth: Evidence from
Norway, 2021-2025
Marius A. K. Ring
WORKING PAPER 35854|
DOl 10.3386/w35854
ISSUE DATE October 2026
Whether imposing higher taxes on business owners adversely affects business activity by constraining investment and inducing capitalist flight is a central question in the ongoing debate on how to tax the ultra wealthy. To shed new light, I exploit a series of related Norwegian reforms during 2021-2024 that increased dividend tax rates, removed migration-related capital gains tax loopholes, and nearly doubled the effective marginal tax rate on business wealth. These reforms spurred international debate and, allegedly, an "exodus" of Norwegian billionaires (Financial Times,
2023). While I document clear effects on migration, these responses are concentrated among the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution and mostly confined to 2022 and 2023. My results indicate that at most 100 individuals left due to the reforms. I find no evidence of significant outmigration or reduced inflows of startup founders or inventors. I estimate that absent any outmigration, wealth tax revenues would have increased by 75% from 2021 to 2024. Reform-driven outmigration lowers the revenue gain to 71.5%. My findings further show that outmigrating owners' firms remain economically active and do not reduce investment. In a broader set of analyses, I examine whether business outcomes are affected, regardless of whether owners outmigrate, since firms may reduce investment both due to liquidity constraints or distortions to owners' savings decisions. I compare firms owned by Norwegian individuals subject to the wealth tax with firms owned by foreigners and other tax-exempt entities. By merging historical ownership data from Orbis with the Norwegian shareholder register, I perform these analyses on both Norwegian and foreign-domiciled firms.
Across settings, I find no evidence that Norwegian-owned firms pay out more dividends or invest less after the reforms,…
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 20h
At least six soldiers are planning to file for preliminary religious exemptions to avoid participating in the firing squad execution of Nidal Mikal Hasan, a nonprofit leader told The Sun. www.washingtonsun.com/defense/sold...
washingtonsun.com
Soldiers Are Already Looking for a Way Out of Hegseth’s Livestreamed Firing Squad
At least six soldiers are planning to file for preliminary religious exemptions, a nonprofit leader told The Sun. More are expected to follow.
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 09/10/2026
This is why Scorsese had to make "The Irishman."
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Robert Faturechi @robert-faturechi.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
New: A private equity executive took a top Pentagon role. Then a firm he has close ties to landed a $281 Million no-bid contract from the unit he runs. www.propublica.org/article/geor...
propublica.org
The Pentagon Gave $350 Million in Contracts to a Firm Closely Tied to a Senior Defense Department Official
The top Pentagon official left Alvarez & Marsal Capital after ProPublica started looking into his financial ties. The contracts with a related company are another example of firms close to the Trump a...
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Cat Zakrzewski @cqzakrz.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Trump bought over $1 million in SpaceX debt days before unveiling space policy www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump bought over $1 million in SpaceX debt days before unveiling space policy
The purchase, revealed in his latest financial disclosure, involved a firm directly affected by his administration’s actions — and led by presidential ally Elon Musk.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“Marathon Man” turns 50 today. 🎂 It’s true: Hoffman really did stay up all night to look "out-of-it during the dental scenes," director John Schlesinger said. It didn't work. "I had to completely reshoot.. That’s when Olivier said to me 'Why doesn’t he just try acting?'"
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 08/10/2026
We’re calling bull on the idea “use it or lose it,” when it comes to muscles. It turns out your cells keep a record of every workout you’ve done, and new research suggests those gains can stick around even after months off. theconversation.com/your-cells-k...
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Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Easily my favorite detail:
There was the incident that became known as "the Lauren error": One day, her daughter Lauren, then four years old, was playing with
the command module simulator at the Instrumentation Lab when she somehow activated a pre-launch program, called P01, while the simulator was in midflight — which crashed the simulator altogether. Hamilton created a program add-on in the technical documentation warning users not to launch
P01 during flight. She also proposed a software fix to prevent the error happening during a real mission, but she was overruled on the grounds that the highly trained astronauts were never going to make that same mistake. Yet during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, that's exactly what happened: Jim Lovell inadvertently launched P01 during the flight, causing the on-flight navigational data to vanish. Hamilton and her team were called in to solve the error, and after that her proposed changes were
integrated into the program.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 08/10/2026
State supreme court races in Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Montana and elsewhere could help determine the future of abortion access and transgender rights. Here’s what’s at stake: theconversation.com/these-state-...
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Jesse Felder @jessefelder.com · 07/10/2026
‘The US’s largest utility megadeal is running into fierce opposition, as concerns over electricity affordability and anti-monopoly sentiment mount before November’s midterm elections.’ www.ft.com/content/7030...
ft.com
Largest-ever US utility megadeal faces backlash in Virginia
Rising power bills and concerns about monopoly power prompt officials to intervene in NextEra’s $67bn Dominion takeover
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“.. A lot of people in the investment community had hoped he was the adult in the room,” said Stephen Myrow, a former Treasury official. Investors are “starting to see him as acting more and more like Trump…and that’s shaking confidence in him.” @wsj.com www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 07/10/2026
The SEC's proposal to let companies report earnings every six months instead of quarterly has drawn record opposition – over 280,000 comments, 99% against. Investors worry less frequent reporting would hide red flags about companies.
theconversation.com
US regulators want to make corporate earnings reports less frequent, but investors have doubts
No federal rule proposal has ever generated so much opposition.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The NY Fed examines how tariffs affected inflation and finds that, without them, goods prices would have declined as of last February. libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2026/10/how-...
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Nick Timiraos @nicktimiraos.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Kevin Warsh wants investors to watch the economy, not the Fed. But after two of his deputies stepped in, the probability of an October rate hike fell to around 25% from 70% ahead of new data releases. Weaning the markets off Fed signals is harder than it sounds www.wsj.com/economy/cent...
wsj.com
Why Weaning Markets Off Fed Speak Is Harder Than It Sounds
Kevin Warsh wants investors to focus on the economy and not the Fed. Last week, his top lieutenants stepped in to reset bets on an October rate increase.
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Jason Furman @jasonfurman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
You would have no idea that we went through COVID or are going through AI from the labor market data. The employment rate has fallen from 61.0% in 2019-Q4 to 59.1% in 2026-Q3. That is a bit more than aging only would have caused and a bit less than CBO expected.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 06/10/2026
The sudden proliferation of Flock cameras and abuses has led to Florida to ban their use on state highways, but that’s only a small step towards privacy protection. An economist working at the intersection of economics, politics, surveillance and civil liberties explains:
theconversation.com
Florida’s limited ban on Flock cameras only scratches the surface of widespread surveillance concerns
The sudden proliferation of Flock cameras and abuses has led to a response from Florida lawmakers, but they have stopped short of regulating this technology and its uses.
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Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 06/10/2026
Bit of a slow news day in #Germany, eh?
bbc.com
Former German spy chief arrested for espionage and treason
August Hanning is accused of obtaining classified information for a foreign power.
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Bill Scher @billscher.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
“The Republican Plan to Buy the Election Got Too Expensive” — my @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social latest on how Republican ad dollars aren’t going as far Democratic dollars because they’re too reliant on super PACs washingtonmonthly.com/2026/10/06/t...
washingtonmonthly.com
The Republican Plan to Buy the Election Got Too Expensive
New data shows the GOP’s money advantage has narrowed because it relies too heavily on super PACs, which pay more for broadcast ads.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 06/10/2026
White men under 30 show the highest support for white nationalism, at 13% — more than double women their age. A study of nearly 8,000 white Americans also found stronger support among those whose closest friendships are online only and not in person.
theconversation.com
White nationalism’s appeal runs deeper than partisan politics
Nearly 1 in 7 white men under 30 in the US support white nationalism, and partisanship alone doesn’t explain who’s drawn to it.
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Michelle Singletary @michellesingletary.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It's here! Introducing: Dollars & Sense with Michelle Singletary www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRKf...
youtube.com
Introducing: Dollars & Sense With Michelle Singletary
YouTube video by Washington Post
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
NEW FROM PP The Trump admin keeps denying immigration agents are grabbing Americans, so we tracked it 500+ Americans detained 70+ kids, some cuffed or zip-tied 60+ held after filming 36+ held for day+ w/o access to lawyer ~12 deported (yes, deported) projects.propublica.org/american-cit....
projects.propublica.org
More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown — ProPublica
The government doesn’t track how often immigration officers detain U.S. citizens. So ProPublica did. We’ve found more than 500 Americans who were held against their will during this Trump administrati...
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 06/10/2026
Hunter-gatherer societies are often praised as being incredibly egalitarian – but the reality of inequality is more complicated. Anthropologists working with the Hadza people of Tanzania and with the Tsimane people of Bolivia’s Amazon rainforest explain:
theconversation.com
Hunter-gatherer societies are often put on a pedestal as paragons of equality – but the reality is more complicated
Hunter-gatherers do not always seek total equality, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t egalitarian.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 06/10/2026
Republicans accounted for 80% of the $80 million spent on AI-generated political ads tracked by researchers this year, with deepfakes of politicians like AOC appearing in multiple spots across the country, as well as AI-generated crowds.
theconversation.com
We’ve tracked $80M of spending on almost 170 AI-generated political ads this year – it’s weird
Almost 170 ads and $80 million in spending and only 31% with a disclaimer: Here’s what researchers found when they tracked AI in this year’s campaign ads.
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Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
UPDATE: After deciding this weekend to block Politico from riding on Air Force One, White House staffers called numerous outlets to ask one to fill the primary print slot for the out-of-town pool rotation. Each of those outlets declined to step in. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
White House blocks Politico from Air Force One trip, cannot secure replacement
President Donald Trump will travel without a primary print pool reporter for the first time in recent memory.
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The Upshot @upshot.nytimes.com · 05/10/2026
Democrats Expect Record Number of Women in Party in House After Midterm Elections (Gift Article) www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/u...
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Ben Mullin @benmullin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
news: CNN C.E.O. Mark Thompson says he will be staying on under David Ellison. "They both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for." www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/b...
nytimes.com
CNN C.E.O. Mark Thompson Says He Will Stay On Under New Owner Skydance (Gift Article)
Mark Thompson told the network’s employees that he had faith that David Ellison, the chief executive of Skydance, would support “independent news that CNN has always stood for.”
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Mr. Dan Zak @mrdanzak.com · 04/10/2026
A Haitian man legally immigrated to Ohio, then was given an ankle monitor bc Trump withdrew his status. He threw himself in front of truck. The trucker, who voted for Trump, is haunted. “Pierre was doing what he was supposed to do. We did not do right by him.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
theatlantic.com
A Reckoning in Springfield
A truck driver out on his route confronts what the country has become.
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David Karol @davidkarol.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
In this polarized era, it’s hard to expect most voters to care more about candidates’ ages than their party affiliations. But for all the “gerontocracy” complaints, it turns out that even in primaries, age isn’t their chief focus. Watch what voters do, more than what they say.
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Karen Tumulty @ktumulty.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A @washingtonpost.com story you really need to read today. From Naftali Bendavid. How Democrats plan to reverse the changes the Trump has made to the power of the presidency. — www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s opponents are planning efforts to reverse his changes to presidency
As the midterms approach, some of the president’s foes are working to ensure his aggressive approach to executive power doesn’t outlast him.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 04/10/2026
The fruitful creative partnership between singer Nina Simone and poet Langston Hughes that helped shape Simone’s sound is getting new attention.
theconversation.com
Nina Simone, Langston Hughes and their forgotten creative collaboration
A new book details the fruitful creative partnership between the singer and poet that helped shape Simone’s sound.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 04/10/2026
Incredible piece: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/m...
nytimes.com
Dying Patients Are Inundated by Misinformation. My Dad Was One of Them.
Cancer patients are being persuaded to spend tens of thousands on unproven treatments by alternative-medicine clinics.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
New: Trump’s abrupt announcement to send $90 payments to seniors by dipping into a Medicare fund has rattled Capitol Hill. One GOP aide told WaPo that lawmakers had planned to use the money to offset funding for community health centers, diabetes programs and other initiatives.
washingtonpost.com
Trump announces plan to send $90 payments to millions of seniors
The White House said the one-time payments would be drawn from a fund set up to improve Medicare.
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 02/10/2026
The US Department of Justice will not reopen its criminal probe of Jay Powell over the Federal Reserve’s $2.5bn renovation project, after an investigation by the central bank’s watchdog cleared the former chair of criminal wrongdoing. ft.trib.al/X3hfP3B
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I'm not sure who saw this coming, but so far nearly all the jobs created during the second Trump administration have gone to women.
Line chart titled "So far during Trump's second term, just 8% of all job growth has gone to men" showing change in employment by gender since January 2025. Total nonfarm employment grew by 776,000 jobs through September 2026, with women gaining 711,000 positions (92% of growth) while men added only 65,000 jobs (8% of growth). Women's employment gains accelerated sharply through 2026, reaching 711,000 by September, while men's employment growth remained flat with brief periods of decline, including a drop of 96,000 jobs in February 2026.
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Dan Lamothe @danlamothe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The U.S. military is planning for a possible surge of thousands of naval forces to the Middle East in coming weeks, as President Donald Trump considers renewing strikes on Iran after the midterm elections, U.S. officials said Thursday. wapo.st/4hUh6xr
wapo.st
Pentagon prepares for potential surge of naval forces in Middle East
The U.S. military may soon have three aircraft carriers in the region as the Trump administration figures out its next steps in the months-long war with Iran.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 01/10/2026
Trump campaigns for Ken Paxton in Texas: "He can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I'll be honest. Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is. I didn't even know if he was here! I don't care."
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 01/10/2026
For more than 60 years, Head Start has provided free preschool and other services to low-income children. Now the Trump administration is proposing major changes to how the program works. theconversation.com/why-trumps-p...
theconversation.com
Why Trump’s plan to cut Head Start regulations could undermine services for the country’s poorest families
There is research showing that there are numerous benefits for a low-income child to attend a Head Start program, though these effects are less clear as the child ages.
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Mike Zaccardi, CFA, CMT @mikezaccardi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Corporate profits now represent 14.9% of GDP, the highest share on record going back to 1947 Citadel Rubner
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Jeff Stein @jeffstein.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
News - Trump is set to attend another dinner at his resort for the biggest buyers of his meme coin You can probably get in to see the president for $1 million Trump has pocketed $635 million Investors down +$4 billion on Trump crypto www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/t...
washingtonsun.com
Want Dinner With the President? Buy His Meme Coin.
The $Trump meme coin is offering buyers a new "exclusive" opportunity to meet the president.
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Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com · 01/10/2026
Decades After Watergate, Justice Department Reviews Whether Nixon Got a Raw Deal
wsj.com
Exclusive | Decades After Watergate, Justice Department Reviews Whether Nixon Got a Raw Deal
A revisionist historian went to the DOJ headquarters to present his case that the former president and his associates weren’t treated fairly.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Judge Strikes Down Latest Version Of $100,000 H-1B Immigration Fee www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...
forbes.com
Judge Strikes Down Latest Version Of $100,000 H-1B Immigration Fee
A federal judge has struck down the $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa holders and invalidated the Sept. proclamation that renewed it.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 01/10/2026
Coffee wakes you up with its caffeine, and does a bunch of other weird things to your body while it’s at it. Celebrate #InternationalCoffeeDay with this story from our sister edition in Austrailia:
theconversation.com
7 of the weirdest things coffee does to your body
Coffee doesn’t just make you feel more alert. Here’s what else happens when you drink a cuppa.
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Nick Miroff @nickmiroff.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW: Trump says the steep drop in violent crime is the result of his immigration crackdown. But a comparison of FBI data and ICE stats doesn’t show that. More @theatlantic.com with Jack Rodriquez-Vars www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
theatlantic.com
The Problem With Trump’s Crime Claims
The president says that his immigration crackdown is behind falling crime rates. The numbers don’t back that up.
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Stanley Pignal @spignal.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A town in Germany has banned the laying of Stolpersteine, the "stumbling stones" remembering victims of the Holocaust. A couple of years I interviewed Gunter Demnig, the artist who came up with the scheme, and met the family behind one of the over-100,000 stones. www.economist.com/europe/2023/...
economist.com
Stolpersteine grieve for victims of the Nazis, one at a time
Gunter Demnig’s paving stones spark countless acts of remembrance
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I can't think of a more effective way to ensure that Jay Powell stays on the Fed, and I want to thank the President for his creative efforts to retain him.
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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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Jeff Stein @jeffstein.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New - Senate Republicans prepare to kick debt ceiling until after Trump's term, depriving Dems of potential point of leverage in divided government, should midterms not go GOP's way www.washingtonsun.com/congress/sen...
washingtonsun.com
Senate Republicans Are Preparing to Extend the Debt Ceiling Until 2029
Senate leaders are looking to remove a key point of leverage for Democrats in case of a divided government.
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 30/09/2026
In re: the Hegseth presentation today. bsky.app/profile/pbum...
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POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 30/09/2026
EXCLUSIVE: The EU and Canada will use a landmark summit next month to announce an expansive new partnership, ranging from breaking down digital trade barriers to joint support for Ukraine and investing in fighting wildfires.
politico.eu
EU and Canada to announce sweeping new partnership pact
From critical raw materials to fighting wildfires, a document obtained by POLITICO reveals a wide-ranging expansion in relations.
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Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Scoop: Comcast executives are weighing RETAINING their 12 local owned-and-operated stations, wary of a fight with Donald Trump's FCC if they attempt to spin them off with NBCUniversal. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/comcast-nb...
status.news
Comcast’s Carr Calculation
While the company announced plans to spin off NBCUniversal, Status has learned executives are weighing whether to hang on to their local television stations rather than risk a fight with Trump’s FCC.
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