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JT Spartz

@jtspartz.bsky.social
524 followers 549 following 409 posts

Writer & editor based in Madison, WI. Find me in the #DriftlessArea, ancestral lands of the Ho-Chunk, Dakota, Sauk + Meskwaki. Pro-democracy anti-fascist. Songwriter & bandleader. MA, PhD

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Reposted by JT Spartz
MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 29/09/2026
Interesting. Thank you, America.gov!
Screenshot of America.gov answering whether the Trump administration has arrested any of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients or co-conspirators during Trump’s current term. It says no arrests could be verified and cites a July 2025 DOJ/FBI review stating it found no incriminating “client list” or evidence sufficient to predicate an investigation of uncharged third parties.
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 29/09/2026
Thank you, America.gov!
Screenshot of America.gov answering a question about the highest diesel prices in U.S. history. It states that President Donald Trump was in office when the national average retail diesel price reached a record nominal high of $6.29 per gallon on September 14, 2026, according to the EIA.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Nailed it ⛽️ 🤷🏻‍♀️
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RevDaniel @revdaniel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Cornell 7 we’re all talking about? That story was broken in the work of Cereese Qusba, who is a reporter at The Ithaca Voice and a news editor at The Cornell Daily Sun, two independent newspapers. She is still herself, a student at Cornell University.
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Justice Connection @justiceconnection.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith warns that the rule of law “is rarely destroyed all at once.” It is chipped away by attacks on the institutions and public servants sworn to protect it. Speaking to Congress today, Smith condemns the targeting of members of his team simply for doing their jobs and upholding the law.
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Every day! The dumbest shit I've ever heard somehow pales in comparison to the very latest dumbest shit I've ever heard.
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Institute for Research on Poverty @irpwisc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Could Social Security face a 2032 shortfall? Join us w/ @kedseconomist.com Anita Mukherjee, and Anil Kumar on Sept 30 for an expert discussion on what potential benefit cuts mean for vulnerable retirees relying on every dollar. Register: www.irp.wisc.edu/resource/the...
irp.wisc.edu
The Future of Social Security for Vulnerable Retirees
Research | Training | Policy | Practice
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 25/09/2026
NEW: Iowa GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn campaigns as a “family farmer” and rails against out-of-state investors. But records reviewed by MeidasTouch paint a very different picture.
meidasnews.com
Zach Lahn is a Millionaire Investor Who is Running a Misleading Campaign Claiming to Be a Family Farmer
Iowa Gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn claims to be a family farmer, but in reality he is an investor and political consultant who doesn't live on his farm
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NYT has now independently corroborated all the major allegations against Susan Collins in the ProPublica report, including that investigators were prepared to move against her and then Trump intervened to shut it down. This put Trump in a position of exceptional and extortionate leverage over her.
nytimes.com
F.B.I. Shut Down Inquiry Into Top Ally of Senator Susan Collins
The inquiry was closed last year because senior bureau officials questioned the veracity of a campaign donor’s account, according to current and former officials.
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Canadian Climate Institute @climateinstitute.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Applications are open for the 2027 Indigenous Perspectives series! Get to know the program and how you can submit your research in different climate policy areas. Learn more and apply by Nov 6 ⬇️ Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources ow.ly/YAvm50ZQaQi
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Fascists are in The House... #birdsofafeather
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 22/09/2026
This is a real tweet. They're so cooked.
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John Gramlich @johngramlich.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW @pewresearch.org survey (n=10,548) shows increasingly negative views about data centers in the US. Just since January, there have been big attitudinal shifts across the demographic and political spectrum. Full analysis: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Bar chart showing that a growing share of Americans think data centers are mostly bad for the environment, home energy costs, local quality of life, local jobs and local tax revenue. The chart is based on two Pew Research Center surveys of U.S. adults, one conducted in January 2026 and the other in August 2026.Chart showing that views of data centers' impact on the environment have become more negative among Americans in a range of demographic and political subgroups. The chart is based on two Pew Research Center surveys of U.S. adults, one conducted in January 2026 and the other in August 2026.
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MadGreek 🧿 @madgreek2024.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Signs of Fascism" originated in my town. (Sequim, WA) I filmed it. I remember getting a call, "hey your video got 5,000 views." By the end of the day it had 60K. Over 100K in a few days from just one platform. Then my DM blew up! Everyone wanted to replicate the signs. Nice to see the signs today.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Every regime has one true sociopath among the opportunists.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Midwest bearing the brunt of recent gas-price increases. (via @gasbuddyguy.bsky.social) ⛽️
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MTH @megt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
States have an outsized role in climate and energy policy. #Minnesota, #Wisconsin, #Michigan could effect climate change and energy policy changes based on election results. #Arizona, #Pennsylvania and #Nevada are longer shots, but still possible. 🌎 insideclimatenews.org/news/1709202...
insideclimatenews.org
These State Elections Could Reshape Climate and Energy Policy - Inside Climate News
The prospects for state-level climate and energy legislation could hinge on the outcomes of just a few races.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The fact that this is imaginary is perfect. The whole premise is based on a fantasy that the optimal form of public education is the midpoint of a polarized society. Just split the difference between the science of climate change and the lobby of denialism.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
When you find out AI bots don’t attend conventions.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
you can be arrested if you give water to people waiting on line to vote
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Here's an anecdote: On 9/10/2001, The Onion staff had a New York launch party at the Bowery Ballroom to celebrate the staff's move from Madison, Wisconsin to New York City. They woke up hungover, took a week off, and then produced one of the greatest front pages in the history of newspapers.
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After Dinner Conversation® @afterdinnerconversation.com · 10/09/2026
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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 10/09/2026
It's shameful that the FCC is abusing its authority to prevent Americans from hearing directly from candidates during election season. Interviews with political candidates are chilled thanks to the FCC, and news programs aren't immune from it.
thehill.com
Kimmel pulls Talarico interview after FCC threat
ABC late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel said an interview he conducted with Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico will not air on broadcast because of what he called threats issued to his net…
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Weird? Say it isn't so.
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Qatari Air Force One's flaccid member is just a perfect metaphor.
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Colin Woodard @colinwoodard.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
In an OpEd, the sister of the GOP's gubernatorial candidate in Maine condemns his divisive rhetoric, anti-abortion stance, lack of intellectual honesty and....close friendship with disgraced House Speaker/pedophile Dennis Hastert. www.pressherald.com/2026/09/09/b...
pressherald.com
Bobby Charles’ sister says she will vote for Hannah Pingree for Maine governor
In an op-ed in the Portland Press Herald, Anita Charles said she will not support her brother's campaign for governor.
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This is the sort of thing that would get you labeled a conspiratorial nut if you had tried to warn about it.
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
If you have wronged me for my own piece of mind, you are forgiven.
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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Kansas gets to choose in its Senate race between a Methodist pastor whose congregation donates tens of millions to help the local poor, and an incumbent who sues vulnerable people into the jailhouse to recover 18 percent interest www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...
nytimes.com
Roger Marshall Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator.
Patients sued by Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas were routinely charged 18 percent interest, The Times found. Some had bank accounts garnished.
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God @thegodshow.com · 07/09/2026
MAHA = Measles Are Here Again
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
See this chart? Workers’ share of the nation’s income is at the lowest it’s been since records began in 1947. Corporate profits’ share, on the other hand, is the highest it’s been since 1950. This is why we must build back worker power.
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Took a similar shot yesterday!
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Remarkable
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 08/09/2026
NEWS: Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the United States are now officially in effect, hitting $20 BILLION worth of American imports with tariffs ranging from 15% to 50%. The new tariffs target U.S. steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, electronics, and more.
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Brandy @3dogz.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Someone else said it for him. Love him. Miss him.
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Ward Q. Normal (he/him) @wardqnormal.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
A particularly infuriating aspect of this A.I. bullshit is that nobody seems to remember that we all got along just fine without it for centuries. How are we all suddenly incapable of reading and understanding written words? Of creating art? Of telling stories? It’s madness.
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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The idea that classrooms are chiefly spaces for product testing, and that it is irresponsible pedagogy not to enforce this, is both cynical and vile, and “fuck off” is a cogent response from any professional educator to any non-teaching salescreep or tech-but-not-subject-matter expert who voices it.
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Carole with an e @crwright.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Our neighbor, Mexico, seems to care about the food their people eat. Wish that were so here.
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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The title really says it all.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Federal minimum wage in: 2009: $7.25 2010: $7.25 2011: $7.25 2012: $7.25 2013: $7.25 2014: $7.25 2015: $7.25 2016: $7.25 2017: $7.25 2018: $7.25 2019: $7.25 2020: $7.25 2021: $7.25 2022: $7.25 2023: $7.25 2024: $7.25 2025: $7.25 2026: $7.25 Folks, it's time to raise the damn wage already.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 06/09/2026
I haven’t been indicted yet.
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The Contrarian @contrariannews.org · 04/09/2026
"Target’s costume — and the pose of the child wearing it for the store’s website — was a near-carbon copy of a 19th-century illustration of Thomas Dartmouth Rice, called the “father of minstrelsy,” dressed as the character he called Jim Crow." @shalisemyoung.bsky.social
contrariannews.org
Target Gets a Lesson in Why DEI Matters
Any Black person in the chain of command would have struck down a horribly offensive Halloween costume immediately.
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Edge Effects @edgeeffectsmag.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Weird times call for weird recommendations. Today on Edge Effects, faculty across academic disciplines recommend books, songs, and films that explore the polluted, uncanny, planetary, satirical, and otherwise non-normative dimensions of what we’re calling the “ecological weird.” 🐸 🍄
edgeeffects.net
Faculty Favorites: Encountering the Ecological Weird - Edge Effects
Faculty across the disciplines recommend books, films, and songs that engage critically with the ecological weird.
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Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 02/09/2026
dems would be well served by ditching the ambiguous "affordability" platitudes and just hammering these clowns on corruption, all day every day. That's what they did to Orban in Hungary
news.gallup.com
Record-High 89% in U.S. Say Government Corruption Widespread
Perceptions of government corruption in the U.S. hit a record high in 2026, with broad agreement across partisan lines.
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
🔥🔥🔥🔥 "Suppressing the ways Indigenous nations manage their forests has led to hotter, faster, and more catastrophic wildfires." #GoodFire
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Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The Lake Ontario name change is insanely unpopular: just 14 percent support it. By point of comparison, 14 percent of Americans also believe that the moon landing was fake.
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JT Spartz @jtspartz.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Labor economist Kathryn Anne Edwards on WBUR —On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti— discussing “Who’s really working class in America?” www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026...
wbur.org
Who’s really working class in America?
When politicians talk about America’s working class, they often mean blue collar workers without college degrees. But as more workers feel financially squeezed, should we expand that definition?
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 30/08/2026
Four months ago, top scientists published a report showing that Himalayan glaciers are losing ice at double the rate since 2000, with some glaciers losing a third of their area in just three decades. "This isn’t a distant problem; it’s a crisis unfolding in real-time," they said. We were warned.
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Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Mitch McConnell can get 75 days off as a US Senator, but women can’t get maternity leave. Welcome to America.
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