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Jim Raffensperger

@jimraff.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1K following 3.4K posts

No relation to Brad Find little sparks of joy to spite the horrors.

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Reposted by Jim Raffensperger
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Remind me never to get on the wrong side of Paul Krugman. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-beclow...
A table showing 30-year Treasury Yield, for the last 45 days or so. It bounces around for August, then after Bessent said, "I am the house" on september 8, it has shot up twice.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I wrote about that here. emptywheel.net/2025/10/30/f...
emptywheel.net
Follow the Money: Chuck Grassley Doxes the Entire Far Right - emptywheel
In an attempt to do a Twitter Files dump on Jack Smith's January 6 investigation, Chuck Grassley exposed very personal details of the far right political establishment, in the process identifying peop...
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Eoin Higgins @eoinhiggins.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
AI isn't going "rogue" because it can't—and we won't get a grip on how companies like OpenAI are playing with fire until we have the language right
eoinhiggins.substack.com
There are no “rogue” AI agents
Identifying them as such only lets companies like OpenAI off the hook.
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Eoin’s piece is worth reading in full. The point is that it’s critical to hold the responsible parties to account and certain types of language obfuscate that responsibility. That said, I fear we’re already trying to close the barn door after the fact when it comes to precision of language.
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@GottaLaff @gottalaff.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
2/ #Texas
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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Should have said before: You can find “What the Heck Just Happened” on my YouTube channel— m.youtube.com/@joannefreem...
m.youtube.com
Dr. Joanne Freeman
Professor Joanne Freeman is an award-winning historian who studies the politics and culture of America's past to better understand our history as a nation, and the roads and choices that have led us t...
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Here's today's column on the astonishing, ongoing mistreatment of people with #ME/CFS. Please spread it far and wide: the only thing which can break the media's wall of indifference is seeing an article about the issue go viral. Thank you. 1/2 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Abandoned, dismissed and gaslighted: there is no excuse for the way ME sufferers have been betrayed | George Monbiot
Changes in guidance and science seem to have little impact on millions of devastated lives. It’s a social crisis playing out behind closed doors, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Reposted by Jim Raffensperger
Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I live with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. MECFS imposes severe energy limitations that interfere with any form of exertion, including mental. At its most severe, it feels as though your body is shutting down, like a living death. Thank you, @georgemonbiot.bsky.social.
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
JUST IN: A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction upbraiding ICE for mass arrests that have strained detention facilities and forced detainees all over the country into "overcrowded, squalid, and degrading rooms for excessive periods of time" www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/defaul...
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Brandi Buchman @brandibuchman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
youtu.be/qY1HkfsLZ3E?...
youtu.be
Trump Faces GOP Backlash for Xi Visit, Snaps at CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Threatens Iran: A Closer Look
YouTube video by Late Night with Seth Meyers
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Reposted by Jim Raffensperger
maimonides nutz @maimonidesnutz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I wanted to show y’all what I’m working on here first! It’s a Lilith amulet in the shape of a C1 (atlas) vertebra. My thought is that if you have something trapped in the bone where your head meets the rest of your body, it will be both the upper and lower limit of who you could be in the world
A cracked vertebra with a dark blob like figure in the middle. Both the figure and the vertebra are covered in Hebrew writingA silver medallion with a loosely human blob in the middle. She is surrounded by Hebrew writing
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Jesse Eisinger @jeisinger.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
“This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.” A Russian oligarch close to Putin bankrolled Don Jr.’s wedding. www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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MeteorBlades @meteorblades.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Meanwhile, the Trump regime will no longer restrict planet-warming carbon pollution from power plants, erasing limits put in place under President Biden. As they prove daily in policies and proposals on a wide range of issues, they are determined to kill us. bsky.app/profile/mark...
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Jim Raffensperger @jimraff.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I had a great conversation with Mitch McConnell today.
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Reposted by Jim Raffensperger
amanda moore 🐢 @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
All you have to do is click a link and send the money. To pay the rent, to pay my bills, to buy my groceries. Whatever.
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CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Here’s what the evidence found on the flu, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations. ⬇️ There were no new safety concerns in comparative studies when examining currently recommended immunizations. Review the full reports, published in @jama.com: bit.ly/4x0nIhW
Graphic titled "VIP released an independent evidence review of respiratory virus immunizations." Includes logos of the Vaccine Integrity Project and CIDRAP. Text states, "Here's what the evidence found on the flu, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations." A rightward arrow is shown against a blue background with virus illustrations. CIDRAP and VIP logos are on the bottom of the graphic. A link to the VIP website is on the bottom right corner of the image. A graphic with an teal and blue ombre background. Microbe icons are in the background of the right hand side of the image. 

Text reads, "The influenza review found: 
Among adults over 65, the flu vaccine increased protection against hospitalization by 31%.*
Vaccine effectiveness was 80% against laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated deaths among infants and children aged 6 months to 17 years.**
*according to an analysis of VISION Network data
** in a case-cohort analysis of national surveillance data over eight seasons (2016-2020, 2021-2025)"
CIDRAP and VIP logos are on the bottom of the graphic. A link to the VIP website is on the bottom right corner of the image. A graphic with an teal and blue ombre background. Microbe icons are in the background of the right hand side of the image. 

Text reads, "The COVID-19 review found: 
For adults over 65, vaccination cut the risk of COVID-related hospitalization by 53% in the 2025-26 respiratory virus season. 

Maternal vaccination lowered the risk of emergency department and urgent care visits for pregnant women by 58% and to infants aged 0-2 months too with a vaccine effectiveness range of 50-54%.

Vaccinated young children (9 months-4 years) saw a 76% reduction in COVID-related pediatric emergency department visits."

CIDRAP and VIP logos are on the bottom of the graphic. A link to the VIP website is on the bottom right corner of the image. A graphic with an teal and blue ombre background. Microbe icons are in the background of the right hand side of the image. 

Text reads, "The RSV review found: 
For adults over 60, studies showed significant protection against hospitalization, with vaccine effectiveness ranging from 69%-83% within the same season as vaccination.

Vaccination during pregnancy reduced the risk of RSV among vaccinees by 82% and also reduced the risk of RSV-associated hospitalization among infants born subsequently.

The infant monoclonal antibody immunization nirsevimab reduced the risk of RSV-related hospitalization by 64%-93% within 6-12 months."

CIDRAP and VIP logos are on the bottom of the graphic. A link to the VIP website is on the bottom right corner of the image.
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@myrna-lee-1959@blsky.com @myrna-lee-59.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
PLEASE, IF YOU SEE THIS, FORWARD IT ON, IF THE REPUBLICAN'S WON'T OUT SOME OF THE CHILD RAPISTS, WE CAN BY MASSI'S LIST, PLEASE FORWARD AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.
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Just Jill 💖 @justjill.sheshed.rocks · 03/09/2026
September is suicide prevention month. See below for Crisis numbers and share to help those in need. #SPM2026 #SuicidePrevention #SuicidePreventionMonth #StrongerTogether #ConnectSupportPrevent #YouMatter #YouAreNotAlone #SupportMatters #988Lifeline #FaithAndSuicidePrevention #SheShed
Suicide Prevention. Connection is Suicide Prevention.
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Just Jill 💖 @justjill.sheshed.rocks · 03/09/2026
Help Is Available Resources in The United States 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 9-8-8 988lifeline.org #SPM2026 #SheShed
988lifeline.org
988 Lifeline
At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life’s challenges can sometimes be difficult. Whether you’re facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns…
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Just Jill 💖 @justjill.sheshed.rocks · 03/09/2026
Veterans Crisis Line 9-8-8, Press 1 www.veteranscrisisline.net #SPM2026 #SheShed
veteranscrisisline.net
Veterans Crisis Line
24/7, confidential crisis support for Veterans and their loved ones. Contact the Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online, or text 838255.
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Just Jill 💖 @justjill.sheshed.rocks · 03/09/2026
TrevorLifeline 1-866-488-7386 (for LGBTQ youth) www.thetrevorproject.org #SPM2026 #SheShed
thetrevorproject.org
Support Homepage
The Trevor Project is a non-profit suicide prevention organization that provides 24/7 crisis support services, research, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ young people.
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Just Jill 💖 @justjill.sheshed.rocks · 03/09/2026
Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860 (for the transgender community) translifeline.org #SPM2026 #SheShed
translifeline.org
Home - Trans Lifeline
Holiday Pause: Our hotline team is on a holiday pause on Monday, September 7, 2026 for Labor Day. We will resume regular service hours on Tuesday,
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“Questionnaire” by the late poet, farmer, and environmental activist Wendell Berry
Questionnaire by Wendell Berry
1. How much poison are you willing to eat for the success of the free market and global trade? Please name your preferred poisons.
2. For the sake of goodness, how much evil are you willing to do?
Fill in the following blanks with the names of your favorite evils and acts of hatred.
3. What sacrifices are you prepared to make for culture and civilization?
Please list the monuments, shrines, and works of art you would most willingly destroy.
4. In the name of patriotism and the flag, how much of our beloved land are you willing to desecrate?
List in the following spaces the mountains, rivers, towns, farms you could most readily do without.
5. State briefly the ideas, ideals, or hopes, the energy sources, the kinds of security, for which you would kill a child.
Name, please, the children whom you would be willing to kill.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Tulsi Gabbard Warned Pete Hegseth; Iran Destroyed the US Base in Bahrain Anyway emptywheel.net/2026/09/01/t...
emptywheel.net
Tulsi Gabbard Warned Pete Hegseth; Iran Destroyed the US Base in Bahrain Anyway - emptywheel
Tulsi Gabbard specifically warned Trump that Iran would strike at American troops and its allies if he started a war. And yet, Whiskey Pete Hegseth failed to secure Bahrain to prevent its destruction.
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Dolly Parton covers Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
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Jim Raffensperger @jimraff.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Popular opinion. Military bases, navy ships, national monuments, national memorials, airports, and highways should not be named after convicted felons and adjudicated rapists.
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Reposted by Jim Raffensperger
MeteorBlades @meteorblades.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Yet another impact that wasn’t on anyone’s climate crisis dance card. But this surely must be fake news since Trump keeps assuring us it’s all a Chinese hoax. wapo.st/4ghx2aX
wapo.st
Why one highway exploded this summer — and why many more are at risk
Hotter summers are wreaking havoc across transportation infrastructure. One solution: Paint everything white.
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David Waldman @kagrox.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Which of these terrible threats Trump made against federal funding in Colorado were averted or reversed when Jared Polis gave in to Trump and released Tina Peters? I think it may be... none. www.denverpost.com/2026/08/14/c...
denverpost.com
‘Smoking gun’ email shows White House summoned agencies to Colorado-focused meeting amid Tina Peters furor
A Trump assistant asked officials from five agencies to join a call “prepared to discuss immediate actions that your department or agency can take with respect to Colorado.”
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Rachel Bitecofer @rachelbitecofer.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
If you’re a Dem on a ballot this fall you need this cheat sheet. Plz spread it
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Jim Raffensperger @jimraff.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Post the transactions.
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Reposted by Jim Raffensperger
Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I join you from the Blaenavon wildfire in Southeast Wales, brought to you by BP, Shell and Equinor. Though it does not look dramatic, the fire has been out of control for days - for a very particular reason. 🧵
A photograph of multiple fire service vehicles parked on moorland. In the background, white smoke from multiple fires is rising.
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Not all heroes wear capes. Some meant to but wind up in gorilla masks instead. Thank you to Joyce Kozloff and all the other Guerrilla Girls, whether or not you ever come forward. What you did was so, so important.
faroutmagazine.co.uk
Founding member of Guerrilla Girls reveals her identity
One of the founding members of feminist art collective Guerrilla Girls has revealed herself to be American painter and sculptor Joyce Kozloff.
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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
So…he is literally saying to the loved ones of those soldiers that they died for nothing. Their deaths don’t count.
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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Very much worth reading. Some of you may remember how — years ago— I began suggesting folks document what’s happening. Write it down for future historians. These folks went further. Collecting evidence and precious memories as group efforts. To protect the truth.
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Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
News article: www.wpr.org/news/man-sho...
wpr.org
MPD: Man shot, killed by police on Madison's east side after officer was injured with knife
A person was shot by police on Madison's near east side Wednesday.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Harmeet Dhillon's Team Is Using Customs Summonses to Spy on Journalists emptywheel.net/2026/07/22/h...
emptywheel.net
Harmeet Dhillon's Team Is Using Customs Summonses to Spy on Journalists - emptywheel
During the period when Harmeet Dhillon's case against Georgia Fort has been falling apart, HSI Agents have been using customs summonses to spy on her phone records.
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Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X) @markanthonyneal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Denise Oliver-Velez, a Powerful Voice of the Left, Dies at 78 She became the highest-ranking female member of the Young Lords in New York, where she pressed for women’s rights, and later joined the Black Panthers. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/u...
nytimes.com
Denise Oliver-Velez, a Powerful Voice of the Left, Dies at 78 (Gift Article)
She became the highest-ranking female member of the Young Lords in New York, where she pressed for women’s rights, and later joined the Black Panthers.
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Jim Raffensperger @jimraff.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Someone needs a picture of baby bunnies in a bunny nest.
Baby bunny peeping out of a bunny hole. Momma bunny caring for baby bunnies.
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
HEY TERFS ARE YOU PLEASED REMEMBER HOW WE SAID THAT EVERYONE'S LIBERATION IS BOUND UP TOGETHER BECAUSE EVERYONE'S SAFETY AND THRIVING IS ONE SINGLE THING AND NONE OF US ARE TRULY SEPARATE AND EVERYONE SHARES THE SAME ENEMY Do you remember that can you see it yet, like
lgbtqnation.com
Heritage Foundation now targeting women's sports after SCOTUS' anti-trans sports ruling - LGBTQ Nation
Project 2025's architects say that Title IX and women's sports harm men's sports and "feminine graces."
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 17/07/2026
You need a new social media team. This should say "TRUMP and his FAMILY are stealing BILLIONS from taxpayers in broad daylight and need to be HELD TO ACCOUNT. Help us FLIP THE HOUSE BLUE and get the gavels so we can INVESTIGATE his fraud on the American people!"
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Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
One vote. That's all that stands between Todd Blanche and the top law enforcement job in America. Be the pressure 👇 actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
actionnetwork.org
Tell Your Senators: Oppose Todd Blanche for Attorney General
Contact Congress today!
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Jim Raffensperger @jimraff.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
@durbin.senate.gov DO NOT VOTE TO CONFIRM BLANCHE.
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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
In honor of Duel Day, I’m reposting my essay (assignment: write about a historical event as though it’s a newspaper article) about the duel from seventh grade. Using primary sources, I might add! 🤣
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Jim Raffensperger @jimraff.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
@cromgood.bsky.social You quote posted me and called me a rape enabler. Please delete your quote post. My post is satire. In fact making fun of something Kevin McCarthy said. It is also a satire response to a satire account.
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Celeste Ng @pronounced-ing.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Want to fight book bans? Join @portersqbooks.bsky.social @maris.bsky.social @joshthelibromancer.bsky.social @dannycaine.com & me for a "How to Defend Books" virtual panel discussion & fundraiser. Free to attend; donations encouraged (you get a free book!) portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-0...
portersquarebooks.com
How to Defend Books Panel & Fundraiser for Authors Against Book Bans
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This Garden of American Heroes brought to you by Communist China (and Singapore).
Separately, Meredith O’Rourke appears to be already actively soliciting
foreign donations for the National Garden of American Heroes Foundation,187 a
separate nonprofit that seeks to raise private funds for President Trump’s desired
redevelopment of the East Potomac Golf Links into a Trump-style golf course,
which has been bundled with a proposed sculpture garden. The “Contribution
Instructions” sheet of a pledge agreement reviewed by Committee Democrats sets
out detailed international wire instructions to Chain Bridge Bank, N.A., complete
with SWIFT/BIC routing through a correspondent intermediary, Pacific Coast
Bankers’ Bank.188 Chain Bridge Bank is a small national bank that, like many
institutions of its size, appears to not be a direct member of the SWIFT network
and can receive cross-border wires only when a foreign sender routes the funds
through a U.S. correspondent intermediary—in this case, Pacific Coast Bankers’
Bank—which then forwards the wires domestically to Chain Bridge.189 It is possible
an individual with access to the Chain Bridge account—such as Meredith O’Rourke
or Abby Matthis, who are both listed as points of contact on the pledge agreement—
configured the capability for this account and only then placed it before prospective
donors. Despite Freedom 250’s claims it does not receive foreign money, a gift
solicitation built—by its chief fundraiser—does not advertise an avenue for inbound
foreign money unless foreign money is among the contributions it seeks.
In addition, U.S. ambassadors are effectively competing to raise foreign money
for Freedom 250.190 Solicitation forms bearing the “America250” name have gone
to companies in Hong Kong, and fundraising dinners in Singapore have ended
with thank-you notes stamped with the Freedom 250 logo.191 America250 and
Freedom 250 have been treated as interchangeable in these appeals, with some
announcements of corporate sponsorships bearing America250’s logo as other
fundraising dinners tout the Freedom …
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Brandi Buchman @brandibuchman.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Totally normal in a fascist lite nation
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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Trump has turned the White House into a 24/7 corruption operation. This is a national crisis. Trump thinks the public will stop paying attention. So I went to the Senate floor to call his bluff. I told the ENTIRE STORY of his 500 days of corruption. 1/ Here it is - in one🧵
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