iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Joel Berger

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

a strong letter! We’re saved!

Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Really love that the Lions used their first two picks this year on the D Line and O Line. Especially re the O Line, this is all about ensuring that a current strength remains a strength. Dan Campbell 101: shore up those trenches.

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 25/04/2025

Americans, especially white collar Americans, not understanding labor organizing is one of the greatest successes of the Reagan era. People just don’t understand solidarity and say stupid shit like “Fuck that union because I don’t like its president” instead of “join and fight!”

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

The reason billionaires like McMahon are obsessed with student debt is that creating financial precarity makes people more stressed about losing their job. If you’re worried about your job you’re less likely to quit and find work elsewhere. You’re less likely to ask for a raise. It’s pure class war.

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I Scare You Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 22/04/2025

Generations of poor kids were sold the idea that taking out a student loan was an investment on their future and one they couldn’t afford to pass. Now after multiple once-in-a-lifetime economic downturns and endless avocado toast pieces those same poor kids are being targeted for immiseration.

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Watched Sinners last night and was wowed. This might be best review I’ve read of it yet, by Nadira Goffe. Only critic I’ve read so far that really grapples fully with the racial politics of the vampire metaphors, what it means that Remmick is Irish, the layers of villainy. slate.com/culture/2025...

slate.com

What, Exactly, Is Sinners Trying to Say?

The racial politics of Ryan Coogler’s buzzy new vampire movie aren’t so black and white.

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Van Hollen has been pretty good fighting this whole Trump II term, but I’ll be honest that I didn’t know he had that El Salvador trip in him. In an era full of unpleasant surprises, really nice to get pleasantly surprised by someone showing some actual guts

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Reposted by Joel Berger

AFL-CIO @aflcio.org · 16/04/2025

The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump admin must facilitate the return of SMART Union Local 100 apprentice Kilmar Abrego Garcia. They need to quit wasting time and bring our union brother home NOW!

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Sometimes my intellectual brain melts away for a moment and I wonder what went wrong in our society that there is a mass constituency for this absolute, undiluted wickedness. These photo ops are evil. The politicians engaging in them make me question my core belief in the possibility of redemption.

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Deva Woodly @devawo.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Grim. It’s tough to understand what’s happening without paying attention to the ideology that underlies the unprecedented actions & ambitions of the 21st c right wing.

theguardian.com

The rise of end times fascism | Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor

The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Proud to have you as my senator @vanhollen.senate.gov. Thank you!!!

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Gathering sources for my next dissertation chapter today and pulled back up this Detroit Free Press profile of DFT prez Mary Ellen Riordan during the 1967 Detroit teachers’ strike. I love it so much.

“Mary Ellen: Strike Boss.” Two pictures of DFT president Mary Ellen Riordan with caption “Mrs Riordan can be militant - or reasonable - in her dealings with the schools.” Title of article by William Pannill is “Teachers Boss: She’s Tough”

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

I still can’t get over how crazy this is. Republican House blew up DC’s budget (by accident?) in their spending bill, and sanctimonious zealot Mike Johnson refuses to schedule a bill to fix it. Thus DC is barred from spending ITS OWN TAX MONEY - resulting in layoffs, service cuts, & more. TYRANNY.

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Really respect Van Hollen for this. Next level shit. Happy he’s my senator.

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Randi Weingarten 🖇️📚✊🇺🇸 @rweingarten.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Despite attacks from Trump and Musk, educators & community partners stood strong to protect and invest in public schools. This contract pushes back against dismantling public ed—securing smaller classes, more resources, student protections, and respect for veteran teachers. bsky.app/profile/ctul...

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Andrew Tobolowsky @andytobo.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

I will say this - EVERYONE with power seems to be desperately hoping that unpopularity does the work that consequences need to do

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

This reminds me that the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next yr offers a prime year-long organizing opportunity for any and all activist groups who oppose this lawless, fascist administration. SO much you can do with this (assuming Trump isn’t impeached and removed before 2026)

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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Good way to see the current tariffs, as of literally today, is no tariffs on high value add manufactured goods marketed to middle and upper middle classes. Massive tariffs for cheap consumer items which amount to the biggest economic privilege of working class/middle class life in US.

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

The late Mike Davis (RIP) said in an interview near the end of his life that a good 30% of ppl in this country are hardcore fascists…

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Stuff like this helps me remember what the brilliant Marcia Chatelain told a class of undergrads in her “American Activism” course I TA-ed. When ppl say “I can’t believe ___ is happening in 2023,” she said, it shows that a lot of ppl’s understanding of history follows a progressive narrative /1 of 2

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Love the creative ideas in here. As this political crisis deepens, our foremost public sector labor historian @josephamccartin.bsky.social continues to sound the alarm: the US labor movement needs to respond to this moment with more than lawsuits and strongly worded statements. It’s action time.

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

lol. This reminds me of my mother - an anarchist in the ‘80s, slightly softened up to lefty teacher unionist in the following decades. She heard me in high school playing Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” and said she didn’t like it, it reminded her of “those wishy-washy hippies” 😂😂😭😭

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Dave Stieber @dstieber.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

“Chicago Teacher's Union is leading the way by including affirmation of trans youth and teachers in their contract negotiations with Chicago Public Schools” As Trump Attacks Trans Youth, States and Schools Step Up transupfrontil.substack.com/p/as-trump-a...

transupfrontil.substack.com

As Trump Attacks Trans Youth, States and Schools Step Up

Chicago Teacher's Union is leading the way by including affirmation of trans youth and teachers in their contract negotiations with Chicago Public Schools

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Incredible how similar the background stories are of many Detroit teachers/teacher unionists I study in early and mid ‘60s. Fathers - whether white or Black - worked at auto factories. Teaching was the next generation’s pathway to the middle class.

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

The cake looks delicious — too bad Republican Economic Policy “doesn’t leave much on the plate” for the average family!

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Beyond the world being on fire, we’ve had a lot going on personally. Was able to write 1K words today on my diss for first time in wks and it honestly feels like a big victory. To many more (words).

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Wild to owe in taxes this yr (PhD student worker, paid partly in grants, this happens some yrs) as Trump and his minions illegally gut all the programs that actually help human beings AND as billionaires way underpay their taxes. Truly have to dissociate so as not to combust with rage

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Absolutely horrifying - EVIL - and so, so close to home. As with many things these days I’m not sure my brain is fully confronting the depravity & the tragedy on display here - to do so would be too intense, too painful, too heartbreaking. This is WRONG.

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Deva Woodly @devawo.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

For real. And serve some cheap or free food while you’re at it. Campaigns as civil society & direct support/service. It’s what needs to happen. 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 08/04/2025

the de facto social contract in this country has been you don't get a good welfare state or infrastructure or (with few exceptions) a union job, but you do get access to a cornucopia of cheap consumer goods. I'd guess people will *flip the fuck out,* but we'll see!

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

First illegal impoundment to directly hit us. The 7 y/o’s after school reading program? Ending 6 weeks early. I am so mad at these ghouls. Props to local NBC affiliate for making it clear in headline that Trump admin is responsible for taking $$$ from our kids www.wbaltv.com/article/fede...

wbaltv.com

City Schools cuts programs due to $48M gap from Trump administration

The federal government took $48 million from Baltimore City Public Schools, which was previously designated as COVID-19 relief reimbursements.

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

i think it's worse than this. the Republican Party as an institution has thoroughly discredited itself as either interested in or capable of being trustworthy with respect to basic democratic governance

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Everything is going down in flames but my 7 y/o just explained that a chapter in his Dogman book “is supposed to say ‘The Man with the Plan’ but instead it’s ’The Bot with the Plot’ because he’s a robot” and at least the orange motherfucker and his sycophants can’t take that moment away from me

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

I knew Strong had a good game while watching but that stat line 🤯🤯🤯 Insane touch for a post player…an absolute joy to watch

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Joel Berger @joelberger313.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Was hoping Bueckers would finally get a natty and it’s gonna happen. UConn has looked incredible today. Really impressed with Strong too, only a freshman (!!!)

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Randi Weingarten 🖇️📚✊🇺🇸 @rweingarten.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

If a school’s reading teacher uses a book the President doesn’t like, is funding for after-school care cut? If a school is celebrating Jewish Heritage or Juneteenth, does it lose tutoring support? If an educator teaches Jim Crow, is summer school gone? This is wrong! www.aft.org/press-releas...

aft.org

AFT’s Weingarten on Trump’s Illegal Attack on Poor Kids

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after the Trump administration released a new memo threatening to withdraw billions of dollars in Title I support for low-incom...

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Reposted by Joel Berger

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley @pressley.house.gov · 04/04/2025

🚨UPDATE: Rümeysa Öztürk has now suffered three separate asthma attacks while in DHS custody. She has not received her required asthma medications—a violation of her fundamental right to medical care. This is cruelty, it is neglect, and it is a damning moral and legal failure.

Pressley, Warren, Markey Sound Alarm on Rümeysa Öztürk’s Medical Neglect, Renew Urgent Calls for Her Release (1/2):

“It is unconscionable that Rümeysa Öztürk—a young woman pursuing her education, exercising her First Amendment rights, and contributing to her community—remains detained by DHS. Her ongoing incarceration is not only a blatant violation of her constitutional rights to due process and free speech, but it is now an egregious denial of her fundamental right to medical care.

Pressley, Warren, Markey Sound Alarm on Rümeysa Öztürk’s Medical Neglect, Renew Urgent Calls for Her Release (2/2):

“According to her lawyer, Rümeysa has not received her required asthma medications and has now suffered three separate asthma attacks while in custody. This is cruelty, it is neglect, and it is a damning moral and legal failure.

“As her representatives in Congress, we demand DHS immediately provide Rümeysa with access to the health care she needs, and absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa. Every minute she remains in custody is another minute her health and rights are at risk, and DHS must move with urgency.”

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Princess Moss @neapresident.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Educators and parents know that teaching should be guided by what is best for students, not by threat of illegal restrictions and punishment. Instead, Trump is threatening to withhold federal funding from public schools that promote an inclusive education for all students. This is unconscionable.

nytimes.com

Trump Administration Threatens to Withhold Funds From Public Schools

State education officials will be required to verify that they have eliminated all programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion that the administration deems unlawful, according to a new…

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