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John Refior

@johnrefior.bsky.social
837 followers 512 following 3.1K posts

Supporter of progressive economic policy. Aspiring small business owner. Volunteer lawyer. Amateur economist. Software developer. — #BLM #economics #TIARA johnrefior.com hachyderm.io/@jrefior www.trumpisarussianasset.info

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by John Refior
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 2h
when your country's new accord on “super intelligence” misspells the country's name
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Sergio Perez @sergioperez.bsky.social · 4h
This graph turns my stomach - why is the current government at war with some of our most vulnerable neighbors? I don't want hungry children in my city. I want my tax dollars to help them, and to fund efforts to go after corporations & others who created that hunger.
A line graph titled: SNAP ENROLLMENT IS FALLING FAST

Below title: More than 5 Million people have lost SNAP since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in in July 2025.
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Reuters @reuters.com · 10h
Viruses run rampant across Havana as water, power fails reut.rs/3VaLvPk
reut.rs
Viruses run rampant across Havana as water, power fails
Cuban housewife Yuamilka Hechavarria was asleep last Tuesday when water rushed into the cistern of the crumbling tenement where she lives in old Havana.
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Mike Zaccardi, CFA, CMT @mikezaccardi.bsky.social · 10h
The average length of joblessness is now more than six months, the longest since the mid-2010s outside the pandemic. @soberlook @economics thedailyshot.com/sub...
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Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 11h
Let’s remember that Sen. Eric Schmitt is a white nationalist who employs other white nationalists while spreading white nationalist/racist conspiracy theories. missouriindependent.com/2025/09/15/m... White supremacists never fail to demonstrate how they’re inferior:
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Alex Finley @alexzfinley.bsky.social · 10h
EU finally sanctions Xenia Fedorova, meaning French oligarch Vincent Bolloré can no longer platform her on any of his media platforms, even if she appears from outside Europe (he can't pay her!). Here is some background: alexzfinley.substack.com/p/france-mov...
alexzfinley.substack.com
France Moves to Expel a Russian Propagandist
Will the move set up a court battle to test the line between freedom of expression and protection of the constitutional order?
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EU Council @consilium.europa.eu · 24/09/2026
The EU has sanctioned Xenia Fedorova for her role in Russia’s continued hybrid activities against the EU and its member states, and in particular for engaging in information manipulation and interference. Find out more ➡️ link.europa.eu/B3Gtxp
A collage including a stack of newspapers, a laptop, and a transparent ballot box with papers inside. The text on the visual reads 'New sanctions in response to Russia's hybrid threats'.
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Nick Brumfield @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 15h
There are no US forces in Iraq for the first time in two decades I need people to remember this when some folks say deploying troops to Iran or Yemen will be a six month op.
reuters.com
US forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran
The departure is celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies ​who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.
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ArtButMakeItSports @artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Circus Performers, by Walt Kuhn, 1978, 📸 via @marisakabas.bsky.social
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 29/09/2026
Here's a $20 million order, paid for by CBP's Office of Public Affairs, awarded to LMD Agency for a national media campaign starting on Sept. 20. The first pro-Trump ad aired on Sept. 23. www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_A...
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Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Call
PIID

70B06C26F00001137
In Progress
(11 months remain)
Unlinked Award
Awarding Agency
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Recipient
LMD AGENCY, INC.
5950 SYMPHONY WOODS RD STE 500
COLUMBIA, MD 21044-3592
UNITED STATES
Congressional District: MD-03
Related Awards
Parent Award Unique Key
CONT_IDV_70Z02323ACGRC0001_7008
Dates
Today
Start Date
Sep 20, 2026
Current End Date
Sep 19, 2027
Potential End Date
Sep 19, 2027
$ Award Amounts
$20.0 Million
Current Award Amount
$20.0 Million
Obligated Amount
$20.0 Million
Potential Award Amount
Outlayed Amount
$0.00
Obligated Amount
$20,000,000.00
Current Award Amount
$20,000,000.00
Potential Award Amount
$20,000,000.00
View Transaction History
Description

NATIONAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)Code
54 : Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
5418: Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
541810: Advertising Agencies
Product or Service Code(PSC)
SERVICES
R: SUPPORT SVCS (PROF, ADMIN, MGMT)
R7: MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES
R701: SUPPORT- MANAGEMENT: ADVERTISING
Contract Activity
$0$5 M$10 M$15 M$20 M$25 MSEP FY '26OCT FY '27DEC FY '27JAN FY '27FEB FY '27APR FY '27MAY FY '27JUN FY '27AUG FY '27SEP FY '27StartTodayCurrent EndPotential End
View transactions table
Federal Accounts
This award has not been linked to any federal account.
Award History

This section displays the awards:

Transaction History - Displays modification records for an award. Each modification appears as a row in the table below.

Sub-Awards - Displays any sub-contracts reported by this contract's recipient (the 'prime recipient' in the sub-award context). Sub-contracts are contractual agreements that a prime recipient makes with another entity (sub-reci
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 29/09/2026
New York man killed after bag caught in subway train doors, police say
theguardian.com
New York man killed after bag caught in subway train doors, police say
Man, 57, was reportedly leaving A train at Utica Avenue station when stuck bag dragged him back and on to tracks
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
🤡 Schmitt beclowns himself 🤡 Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atl for a Hawks game and to collude with Fani Willis, & flashed his "evidence" before accusing Smith of perjury. There's just one problem -- his facts were totally wrong. Here's the whole sequence:
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"More than 20% of the F.B.I.’s work force has been assigned to immigration enforcement, pulling agents and analysts away from investigating public corruption, cybercrime, white-collar crime, drug trafficking and terrorism." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Inside Kash Patel’s F.B.I.: Meltdowns, Chaos, Vendettas
Forty-five current and former employees on the changes they say are undermining the agency and making America less safe.
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Since taking office last year, FBI director Kash Patel — a fierce loyalist of President Donald Trump — has fired, demoted, or forced into retirement countless career employees" www.cnn.com/2026/09/26/p...
cnn.com
Two senior FBI agents ousted over investigation into alleged harassing calls to wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller | CNN Politics
Two veteran FBI agents overseeing counterterrorism operations in the nation’s capital have been removed from their jobs and reassigned over the handling of an investigation involving Katie Miller, the...
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Missouri needs a new Senator
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
June 24: "FBI officials have informed some agents in recent days that they will be exempt from a mandate to focus part of their time on immigration enforcement given the elevated threat level from Iran" How nice of them.
reuters.com
FBI shifts some agents back to counter-terrorism following Iran strike, people familiar say
The FBI has ramped up its efforts to monitor potential threats to the U.S. from Iran following President Donald Trump’s decision to attack the country’s nuclear facilities, two people briefed on the m...
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"offices in the DOJ’s National Security Division have lost at least half of their employees, people familiar with the matter told CNN, including the office dedicated to counterterrorism. Senior FBI officials who oversaw counterintelligence and international terrorism efforts have been pushed out."
cnn.com
Kash Patel gutted FBI counterintelligence team tasked with tracking Iranian threats days before US strikes, sources say | CNN Politics
Just days before the United States launched a major military operation in Iran, FBI Director Kash Patel fired a dozen agents and staff members from a counterintelligence unit tasked with monitoring th...
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Kieran Healy @kjhealy.co · 15/09/2026
The terrible prose is extruded using catalog copy and Wikipedia. Like the book club spam, you can see how the lack of an up-front ask is trawling for somewhat vain people who are susceptible to flattery, which of course excludes academic authors [puts hand to ear] sorry I’m just getting an update
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David Wessel @davidmwessel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Cambridge political economist Helen Thompson: "I don’t think we’re ever really going back to a world in which the US acting as a guarantor of passage through the Strait of Hormuz can be taken for granted." www.ft.com/content/5ae5...
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Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
How clear is it that Trump's taxpayer funded ads are illegal? I explain why it is 10/10 clear. Senate in passing the law: Ban is designed to stop public funds used for "glorification" of an individual official. GAO: funds can not be used for "self-aggrandizement" nor partisan political purposes.
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Reuters @reuters.com · 29/09/2026
Shares of fast-fashion platform Shein fall 6% after quarterly profit slides 67% reut.rs/3VhYoqO
reut.rs
Shares of fast-fashion platform Shein fall 6% after quarterly profit slides 67%
Shares of fast-fashion retailer Shein dropped more than 6% ​on Tuesday after it reported a ‌67% fall in quarterly profit, fuelling investor concerns over margin pressure and slowing growth.
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 29/09/2026
Reuters got some of the IPO docs. Anthropic is a total dog of a company. Spent $12.6bn to make $4.6bn in revenue in 2025, $7.33bn of which was compute costs. Operating loss of $8bn. Losses getting worse year over year. Amazing stuff www.reuters.com/business/fin...
Summary
Companies
• Anthropic IPO could value the company at more than $2
trillion
• Anthropic lost $42 billion in 2025
• Al lab spent $7.33 billion on compute and infrastructure last year
• Operating loss widened to $8.06 billion in 2025 from $2.98 billion in 2024
• Execs, industry analysts have expressed concerns over harms of Al tech
Sept 28 (Reuters) - Anthropic is making a massive bet that Al will transform the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity and the internet, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.
But the cost to get there will be staggering. Anthropic reported a net loss of $42 billion in 2025, and plans to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing and infrastructure obligations in coming year, according to the
prospectus.
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Cosmopolitical 🇬🇱🇩🇰🇺🇸🇨🇦 @flashback21.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seems like the most likely reason. Trump supports Russia.
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Reuters Legal @legal.reuters.com · 28/09/2026
A jury in Santa Fe found on September 25 that Meta misled New Mexico residents in a case arising from allegations that Cambridge Analytica obtained data from millions of Facebook users without their consent. New Mexico's AG filed the lawsuit in 2021 reut.rs/47nJQZe
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Trump raised the prospect of the arms sales from the U.S. to its ascendant geopolitical rival, an unlikely offer that if consummated would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and potentially expose U.S. technology to a potential foe." apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Trump asked China's president if he wants to buy US arms, ambassador says
The U.S. ambassador to China says President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping if he wanted to buy weapons from the United States.
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Baltic Takes (formerly badbaltictakes) @baltictakes.com · 27/09/2026
The lack of a stronger international response to each escalation of Russian aggression, such as after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, and all that nonsense about resetting the relationship just reinforced its perception that it could keep escalating more.
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Baltic Takes (formerly badbaltictakes) @baltictakes.com · 27/09/2026
Western and Russian thinking around Golden Arches theory had each taken the exact opposite lessons. The West thought economic integration restrained aggression, while Russia thought economic integration restrained any response to its aggression.
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 27/09/2026
The last three months are the warmest on record globally, relative to every other June-July-August period since 1850. Data from NOAA/NCEI's NOAAGlobalTempv6.1.0.
Line graph time series of global land mean surface temperature anomalies for each June-August period from 1850 through 2026. There is a long-term increasing trend and large year-to-year variability. The mean surface temperature anomaly averaged for June-August 2026 was 1.21°C for global land areas. Anomalies are computed relative to a 1901-2000 climate baseline. Data from NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI NOAAGlobalTemp v6.1.0.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 27/09/2026
Why is so much untraceable dark money flooding elections? Because the Supreme Court demolished campaign finance laws. bit.ly/4d1GYVr
brennancenter.org
$1 Billion in Secret Cash Is Reshaping the Midterms
We may never know where most of the money came from.
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The idea that people want AI oversight to happen "all of a sudden" ignores years of research, warnings, and policy efforts. The delay hasn’t been a lack of awareness; it’s been because of years of industry lobbying against regulation, political resistance, and inaction.
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Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
chat is this good?
all construction dropping massively.
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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 27/09/2026
Russia’s Finance Ministry has proposed new tax increases, including higher levies on excess profits and a 22% VAT on cross-border e-commerce. Asked how this squared with previous statements that the tax burden would not rise, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied: “No comment.” #Russia
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Ryan Cummings @weakinstrument.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
1/2 Me+@jaredb-econ.bsky.social are out w/ a new piece examining how much revenue is needed to justify hyperscaler AI capex. We estimate that incremental AI revenue is currently b/n $86-$188.1B for the hyperscalers, but they need $13.1-$18.7 *trillion* over the next decade for that to pencil out.
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Seems like a stunning Freudian word salad from Trump today: "I'm rejecting the deal, they want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately... they want to make a deal... but that deal would not be acceptable. And what they want to do is immediately open the Hormuz Strait" (see video)
trumpisarussianasset.info
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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Denmark is trolling Trump.
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John Refior @johnrefior.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Remember when Trump ambushed world leaders at the G20 in Asheville by secretly inviting Russia? That was just a few weeks ago. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/b... #TIARA
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Joel Tenney is an Iowa pastor who gave the invocation for a Trump rally there in 2023. He's been to Mar-a-Lago and campaigned this summer with IA GOP gubernatorial Zach Lahn. He's got pics of himself with Trump and Vance. Oh, and also, he's an antisemitic white nationalist Holocaust denying Nazi.
Joel Tenney @Realcrusaid • 12/9/23
X
Standing by the man who stood by his promises! It was such a great honor to pray over The Greatest President of my life time. Believing for 4more yrs! I will be opening the Coralville lowa Rally in prayer before The President Speaks, on Dec 13th @ 6pml hope to see you all there!
**大**
TRUMP
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
TRUMP
TRIT
DonaldTrump47Joel Tenney
Jun 27 •
is in Fairfax, lA.
Zach Lahn for Governor, Had the honor to march with this lowan Patriot in the fairfax parade today!... moreDid you know that Auschwitz had a swimming pool, dentist, hospital just for inmates. swimming pool, theater, orchestra, sports fields, and soccer team
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Joel Tenney
Joel Tenney • Original au..
I bet you didn't learn this in school
FollowJoel Tenney
4d •
Yup that's me!
Reply to tronlebowski's comment
Is that Rolfe from Sound of Music?
Because that sure is a young Nazi if I ever saw one.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 26/09/2026
Q: Will you coordinate with Zelenskyy that Ukraine could work toward Patriot missiles? TRUMP: I agreed with Zelenskyy that we talked about a lot of different topics. But you know what I want him to do? Make a deal. I want him to settle with Putin.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 26/09/2026
Trump: "I'm rejecting their deal. They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately ... we're winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait ... that deal would not be acceptable. They want to immediately open the Hormuz Strait."
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Claudia Sahm @claudia-sahm.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“I don’t see this ending soon,” said Firrincieli. “Chaos increases prices.” Plenty of chaos from the White House: war, restrictions on immigrants, and tariff threats are all raising transport costs now. www.wsj.com/business/inf...
wsj.com
The Cost of Transporting Pretty Much Everything Just Won’t Stop Going Up
Trucking and cargo-shipping rates are at their highest levels in years—and it isn’t just because of the price of fuel.
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Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Trump is doing his best to weaken and undermine higher education, an area in which the United States has been a global leader since World War II, with economic and other benefits that extend far beyond the students, staff, and faculty at universities.
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Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
In what world is it the purview of the President/Executive branch “to force conservative cultural changes on academia‘? And why end the paragraph without noting that there is no legal justification whatsoever for Trump and his minions to “force cultural change” on institutions of higher education.
Inside the White House, some of Mr. Trump’s top lieutenants have expressed frustration about a perceive slowdown in the adminstration’s attempts to force conservative cultural changes on academia.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
DOJ’s decision to end its involvement in more than 50 longstanding school desegregation cases is an indefensible retreat from federal govt responsibility to ensure the promise of Brown v. Board of Education is realized in classrooms across the country. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
LDF Decries U.S. Department of Justice Dismissal of Over Fifty Federal School Desegregation Cases
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a misleading announcement, claiming that it had “ended” more than 50 federal school desegregation cases. The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) decried the...
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Susan Collins is always horrified by the predictable results of her own vote, which means Mainers who genuinely care about Susan Collins should elect Troy Jackson as he won’t vote for things that wind up upsetting Susan Collins, unlike Susan Collins
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Katie Bergh @katiebergh.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🚨New: With data added from more states, we now estimate that about 2 million fewer kids are receiving SNAP in the wake of deep cuts enacted in last year’s Republican reconciliation law. Overall, more than 5 million people have lost SNAP since July 2025. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...
cbpp.org
SNAP Tracker: People Are Losing Food Assistance as the Harmful 2025 Republican Reconciliation Law Is Implemented
SNAP participation nationwide fell by roughly 5 million people (12 percent) between the law’s July 2025 enactment and May 2026, based on the latest month of data.
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Dan Hirschman @asociologist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“the Trump administration has implemented policies more extreme than those of even the AfD, the furthest-right of the European parties discussed, and has done so with the near-unanimous support of US Republicans.” crookedtimber.org/2026/09/25/n...
crookedtimber.org
NY Times should look across the Hudson, not across the Atlantic — Crooked Timber
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Sergio Perez @sergioperez.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Absolutely awful. The judges on these cases should treat this for what it is: an unjust & politicized effort to give up the hard, painstaking fight to desegregate our schools.
cbsnews.com
DOJ says it's moving to end more than 50 decades-old school desegregation cases
The Justice Department said Thursday it was seeking to end more than 50 long-standing consent decrees dating back decades that sought to curb unlawful racial segregation that was prevalent during the ...
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Incredible. First Secretary Mullin claimed that DHS had identified 15,903 noncitizens on Nevada’s voter roll. Then DHS officials told a skeptical Nevada, no no no, that’s just people we flagged. Here are the names of 185 people we KNOW aren’t citizens. All 185 were citizens. DHS got 100% wrong.
When the Department of Homeland Security sent Nevada a list of 185 names last month that it claimed identified noncitizens who had been improperly allowed to register to vote, state election officials got to work.
On Tuesday, the state sent a strongly worded rebuke to the federal government: Every single person on the list was a lawful citizen.
"As for the 185 individuals, our records indicate that they were citizens," Greg D. Ott, a deputy attorney general in Nevada, wrote, according to a copy of a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security officials obtained through open records requests.
"You have provided nothing of substance to suggest otherwise."Following the meeting, Ms. Vogt sent a clarifying email to Nevada officials. "I also wanted to be sure I clarified that we did not reduce the 15,903 to 185," she wrote. "We've manually reviewed some of the 15,903 and confirmed 185 are not U.S. Citizens."
Now, Nevada officials are saying even that 185 number is wrong. They also took issue with a letter D.H.S. sent them in early September, in which the agency reiterated its initial claims about nearly 16,000 noncitizens on the rolls and pressured state officials to review each case in a letter to Nevada officials in early September.
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Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is bad but *not* in violation of Judge Kelly's order. He ordered only that WH reinstate the "hard pass" held by MSNOW/CNN reporters that allows them access to WH grounds. He said nothing about access to specific events. But now plaintiffs likely will amend their complaint accordingly.
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
BREAKING NYT: The California Supreme Court just ordered a county sheriff to return about 650,000 ballots he seized from election officials as part of an investigation into voter fraud that state officials said had no basis in fact.
nytimes.com
Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules
The California Supreme Court ordered Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County to return ballots to election officials after he confiscated them for an investigation.
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