Sign in

Melissa Jones Pelczynski

@mejomelissa.bsky.social
4K followers 2.1K following 5.5K posts

Mom of 3 awesome grownups. Wife of wonderful Army vet. Democrat. Davidson College & UVA Law alumna. Public school tutor. Armchair musher with #UglyDogs.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Michael Planey @airplaney.bsky.social · 3h
Well, on one side, you have a candidate who preaches and openly promotes not just the Word of the Lord, but lives his works and actions, too On the other side you have a millionaire doctor who forecloses on poverty-stricken patients who cannot afford to pay Maybe that’s what’s happening in Kansas
061
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 4h
The Cook Political Report just moved the Kansas Senate race to TOSS UP. Kansas. Which hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1932. 🤯 www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/sen...
cookpolitical.com
A Senate Majority is Squarely in Democrats’ Sights as Kansas Moves to Toss Up; Two Other Races Shift Left
Four weeks out from Election Day, the Senate map is shifting further in Democrats’ favor — and with it, their odds of winning back the majority.While Republicans continue to have a financial edge in a...
1013536
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Rep. James Walkinshaw @repwalkinshaw.bsky.social · 3h
Trump keeps pushing voter fraud conspiracy theories to make you distrust our elections. Chairman McKay broke down the safeguards in place to prevent someone from voting more than once. The facts are clear. Our elections are secure.
062
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 3h
One group was not evacuated out of Kuwait for 10 days after the attack, including Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rodney Bearman, who had shrapnel embedded in his face and legs. trib.al/3kn69B9
57142
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 3h
UPDATE: Trump just awarded another $3 BILLION military contract to a company backed by his son Don Jr. (and Peter Thiel) — what skilled businessmen these Trumps are! Robbing the American taxpayer in broad daylight.
12317211035
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 3h
Video game store owner: AI data centers are causing chip prices to increase. This has raised the cost for laptops, smartphones, smart TVs, video games, and accessories.
1199
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 3h
It's good to point out these sorts of lame intimidation efforts. But it's also important to put the ineffectiveness in context. If the goal is to promote voting, flagging the structural limitations of federal threats should be part of that process.
112421
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 3h
Look, this is bad. Yes. But the Trump admin sent six (6) people to Maricopa and Pima. Where, by my count, there are 404 polling places, spread across 18,000 square miles (each county is ~9k sq mi). What they want is the FEAR to discourage the voting they can't actually prevent.
20816276
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 05/10/2026
This is your occasional reminder that generative "AI" in particular could have been developed on public domain materials and/or licensed and compensated works but the major players intentionally, methodically and systemically chose to steal labor from working creative folks instead
10388532767
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Ann Telnaes @anntelnaes.bsky.social · 6h
...and 35 years ago on Oct 11th the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings began. Nothing has changed.
531488
Melissa Jones Pelczynski @mejomelissa.bsky.social · 8h
😬
000
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 10h
A few weeks ago, US Citizenship and Immigration Services released quarterly data on the legal immigration system through June. The data presents a stark picture of an agency going through a period of total dysfunction. As of June, net application backlogs have risen by 80% since Trump took office.
Chart showing total net USCIS immigration application backlog, from Q4 Fiscal Year 2023 through Q3 Fiscal Year 2026. The data shows backlogs were slowly dropping from net 4.3 million applications in Q4 FY 2023 to 3.8 million in Q3 FY 2024, after which applications began to rise again, increasingly every single month until Q3 FY 2026, where they stand at 7.7 million.
18329128
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 9h
"Just come here the legal way" was always light years easier said than done; now they aren't even in the same galaxy.
127395
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
ProPublica @propublica.org · 11h
12/ We spent months compiling every case we could find of immigration agents detaining Americans. We did it because the government hasn't. And now, we're sharing every one of those cases with you. Explore our database: propub.li/4egbSK2
Screenshot of database titled "Explore All Incidents Where Citizens Were Detained." Text below explains that this is every incident ProPublica could find in which one or more citizens were reportedly detained between January 2025 and September 2026. There are 506 citizens' cases in the database, and users can sort by what the incidents involve, where the incident is located, and the recency of the case.
3732319
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
ProPublica @propublica.org · 12h
The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD (content warning: violence) ⬇️
8050782980
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 12h
White supremacist cops take a minority citizen, drive him out to the woods as a threat, and leave him there. No, it's not Mississippi in the 1930s, why do you ask?
7732361267
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 10h
We can’t just move past what SCOTUS has permitted this Administration to do to people who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years and even decades.
7700239
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 9h
"[W]hen a majority of the justices on our highest court show themselves to be consistently indifferent to the growing chasm between law and justice, it is not 'public rhetoric' that causes Americans to distrust the Court. It is the Court that surrenders its own legitimacy in the eyes of the public."
2402144
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 11h
Trump's Ohio rally crowd chanted: "Deport! Deport!" But don't overlook this: New NYT poll finds Trump underwater *on immigration* even in Ohio, which he carried by double digits. MAGA sadists are yelling in a shrinking bubble. Check out our exchange on this: newrepublic.com/article/2162...
1639995
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 13h
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...
19924542
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 13h
“.. San Diego is not collateral damage,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria posted. “We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.” @latimes.com www.latimes.com/california/s...
1381984666
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 23h
The big tech companies want you to believe that their default software offerings are the only option, but spoiler alert, there’s a wide array of fantastic software out there. www.eff.org/pages/i-wan...
eff.org
How to Opt Out of Software Made by Big Tech
Big tech companies make the devices we use and the operating systems that come on them. They also make the bulk of the default software that comes packed into those operating systems. But spend even
11410204
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 23h
Texans know Big Bend is one of our greatest natural treasures. And it belongs to all of us. It's great news that a federal judge halted construction of Trump's reckless border wall that would run through it.
11432110
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 05/10/2026
U.S. citizens overseas are the latest voters targeted by the Trump administration. The Pentagon changed the form overseas voters use to register and request mail ballots, while removing online resources for checking voter eligibility. Don't miss out. Subscribe today: demdock.com/46JjoJp
616098
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Nicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Paxton is threatening Texas pediatricians who are just trying to do their jobs and keep kids healthy, accusing them of “misleading or deceptive acts regarding incentives associated with the administration of childhood vaccines”
nytimes.com
Texas Pediatricians Face Paxton Investigations for Vaccinating Children
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, has alleged a sprawling profit-driven conspiracy. Pediatricians say the accusations are an attempt at intimidation.
14015
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
In Austin, a 9-year-old watched ICE detain and drive away with his mother, leaving community members to scramble to find him care. Senate Republicans just blocked a bill that would bar ICE from making arrests at school bus stops. Their cruelty is endless.
commondreams.org
'It Has to Stop': Community Members Condemn ICE Arrests at Bus Stops After GOP Blocks Bill to Protect Kids | Common Dreams
Republicans in the US Senate blocked a bill to protect school bus stops from ICE arrests, leading to outrage in Pennsylv
24054672636
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Greg Greene (he/him/his) @greene.haus · 05/10/2026
It's what explains why Musk runs roughshod over environmental or consumer-safety laws, and Meta thumbs its nose at corporate-tax laws: experience has taught them to expect no punishment. It's elite impunity in practice: when you're a star, they let you do it.
219367
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A hallmark of democratic backsliding is government leaders stealing from taxpayers and using public funds to try to get themselves electoral advantages. Backsliding countries keep the form of elections, but corrupt leaders render them no longer free and fair by putting a state thumb on the scale.
7930275
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Karen Benjamin Guzzo @karenguzzo.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Investigating pediatricians for following evidence-based best-practices, designed to protect the most vulnerable among us, to score political points with a bunch of grifters and narcissists. Texas folks, today's the last day to register to vote. You know what needs to be done.
nytimes.com
Texas Pediatricians Face Paxton Investigations for Vaccinating Children (Gift Article)
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, has alleged a sprawling profit-driven conspiracy. Pediatricians say the accusations are an attempt at intimidation.
25532
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Elizabeth Anne, PhD @lacksauthority.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
never the wrong time for this classic
Screenshot of a tweet by @RobbtKraft reading “scientist: "does everyone here know what Watson and Crick discovered?" 
me from back of room: "Rosalind Franklin's notes"”
54117123463
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Moms Demand Action @momsdemandaction.org · 05/10/2026
We need more lawmakers like Mayor Scott, telling it like it is and working tirelessly to end our gun violence crisis. Twelve-year-old Khloe Ishway should still be here, but when guns are present, everyday disagreements can turn deadly. Our children deserve better.
0174
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Moms Demand Action @momsdemandaction.org · 05/10/2026
“Men turn into stone-cold weak asses and pull out guns and start shooting at each other with a whole bunch of kids around.” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott did not mince words after a 12-year-old girl was shot and killed at a youth football game during a dispute over a parking spot.
34215
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Erik Halvorsen @erikhalvorsen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I give to @abreezeclayton.bsky.social and @ncdp.org with that in mind! I think they’ll need to flip the state Supreme Court too, à la Wisconsin www.ncdp.org
ncdp.org
North Carolina Democratic Party
North Carolina Democrats are building the foundation for a prosperous and inclusive North Carolina, from Murphy to Manteo.
083
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The irony of course is that Originalism’s big selling point was supposed to be constraining the discretion or judges to impose their own political preferences as law. In practice the effect has been very much the reverse: Liberating justices from the constraints of stare decisis.
1125959
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Dave Stevens @noviceanarchist.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I am less than 10 minutes into this interview and the analysis from @timnitgebru.blacksky.app is absolutely razor sharp. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
There Is No ‘Existential Threat’ From AI Says Timnit Gebru
Podcast Episode · Uncanny Valley | WIRED · September 29 · 32m
110432
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Internet Archive @archive.org · 05/10/2026
🏛️ Government information belongs to everyone. Government documents help us understand society, investigate the past, and participate in democracy. 📚 Democracy's Library brings government publications together so they're easier to discover. Start with the record. 👇 archive.org/details/demo... 🧵
Four "Tools You Can Use" Democracy's Library tiles in a 2x2 grid on cream graph paper with blue schematic line drawings. Top left, "Democracy's Library" above a blue folder reading "Government Information Freely Accessible For All." Top right, a screenshot of the Democracy's Library page with collection highlights. Bottom left, bold black text repeating that line. Bottom right, "Tell us why government information is important to you," with a multicolor line drawing of a columned building.
3307101
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Jesse Felder @jessefelder.com · 05/10/2026
‘If you want to know where inflation is heading, look at the price of diesel. Diesel moves the trucks, trains, tractors, and construction equipment that everything else depends on, so its cost works its way into final goods prices across the economy.’ sarmayakar.substack.com/p/rock-and-a...
727693
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Leah Greenberg ❌👑 @leahgreenberg.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I am darkly enjoying how the popularization of founder-driven go-direct communications has led to a situation where the public is getting real-time direct exposure to the reality that the major AI actors are led by sociopathic lunatics
715935
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 05/10/2026
It’s not just one billionaire. It’s a full-blown cult of billionaires who believe dictatorship should replace democracy—and that technology (crypto and AI) will make this inevitable. They say it loud. Some guy just wrote a book about it (That guy is me!) www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
simonandschuster.com
The Nerd Reich
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This transfixing debut from journalist Durán investigates the antidemocratic ideologies espoused by tech billionaires ...
7933236
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Levin: People then said, “Do you think you can take out a fascist just by voting, just by organizing? You think that’s how this works?” Yes, that’s how this works. If they can do it in Hungary, we can do it here.
593046862
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Rep. James Walkinshaw @repwalkinshaw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
On Kristi Noem’s last day, she approved the purchase of $300 million worth of luxury jets from her political donor's company. One is a $108 million jet with a stand-up bar and marble showers.
33217
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
PacifistCell @peacefulbrevard.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This is SO COOL! And it's free. Popular Information is releasing PaidForBy.info, a web app that gives you unprecedented insight into who is really sending you mail — and who is paying for it. All you have to do is take a photo of the front and the back of the political mailer and upload it.
paidforby.info
Who paid for this?
Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.
2277136
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Sameer Ashar @sameer-ashar.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This is my nephew, please forward to your networks, esp any University of Maryland students.
2016081554
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
How @propublica.org Reporters Became Private School Owners in 24 Hours The reporting experiment demonstrates how easy it can be to open private schools that might then access public money. No credentials or background checks required. / by @jodiscohen.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
propublica.org
How ProPublica Reporters Became Private School Owners in 24 Hours
The reporting experiment demonstrates how easy it can be to open private schools that might then access public money. No credentials or background checks required.
218358
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Ken Martin @kenmartin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Texas is in play-and my friend Gina Hinojosa can WIN. She's leading Abbott in the polls. But polls don't win elections. Investment and organizing do! Now's the time to go ALL IN on Gina. Let's give her the resources to finish the job and flip Texas! GIVE HERE: secure.actblue.com/donate/ads_m...
secure.actblue.com
Donate to Gina Hinojosa
Gina Hinojosa is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas to take on Greg Abbott and his corruption. Will you join me today in supporting her campaign?
916957
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Fairfax Democrats @fairfaxdemocrats.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Calling all former DOJ attorneys - here's a way to use your expertise and take a stand for the rule of law. www.wvtf.org/news/2026-09...
wvtf.org
AG Jones seeking out former federal attorneys for his federal overreach unit
While many attorneys left the Department of Justice in the wake of Trump taking office, a recruiter tells Radio IQ there’s still some left.
065
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
ex-Lethality Jane @lethalityjane.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I kind of love it when military bands are set loose from the constraints of John Philip Sousa.
5613
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Peggy Flanagan @peggyflanagan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Today, Anne showed me around her farm and made it clear that Minnesota’s farmers are being hit from all sides right now. Our farmers deserve stability from the federal government — not skyrocketing diesel prices from Trump’s illegal War.
Peggy Flanagan meets with Anne on her farm.Peggy Flanagan meets with Anne on her farm.Peggy Flanagan meets with Anne on her farm.
110428
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
capitolhunters @capitolhunters.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The Atlantic did not fact-check their main subject though. Maybe it doesn't matter to the point here, but he's not a "lifelong Democrat" and they let him falsely make that claim without checking. Maybe the interesting thing is that people don't want to admit their past votes for Trump.
110118
Reposted by Melissa Jones Pelczynski
Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The rise in dengue in the US was predicted a quarter century ago by #climate scientists in the first US National Climate Assessment. This article doesn't mention climate change. thehill.com/policy/healt...
thehill.com
Florida’s dengue outbreak reportedly largest US has seen in decades
A dengue fever outbreak in the state of Florida appears to have grown to the largest in the continental U.S. in decades, totaling 252 reported cases this year in the Sunshine State according to an …
214881