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Riley Messer

@rileymesser.bsky.social
129 followers 321 following 5 posts
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future @livablefuture.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Guardian takes a look at how some food + ag corporations are supporting the GAHA movement, which is a response to the MAHA movement—CLF’s Tom Philpott chimes in on how the food industry is "freaking out" about the vibe shift in the Republican party. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
A ‘freaked out’ US food industry is hitting back at Maha – with social media influencers
Cross-partisan support in Washington on issues like pesticides and food additives pose a threat to the industry’s bottom line
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Popular Information @popular.info · 01/10/2026
“Some of the biggest food and agriculture corporations in the US are funding a campaign that pays social media influencers to combat elements of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Make America Healthy Again platform.”
theguardian.com
A ‘freaked out’ US food industry is hitting back at Maha – with social media influencers
Cross-partisan support in Washington on issues like pesticides and food additives pose a threat to the industry’s bottom line
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Phoebe Petrovic @phoebepetrovic.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
My brilliant colleague @rileymesser.bsky.social has an excellent investigation out today in @us.theguardian.com! She’s got the inside scoop on fractures on the right as industry groups try to win the public’s trust in the wake of MAHA. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
A ‘freaked out’ US food industry is hitting back at Maha – with social media influencers
Cross-partisan support in Washington on issues like pesticides and food additives pose a threat to the industry’s bottom line
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 30/09/2026
Cross-partisan support in Washington on issues like pesticides and food additives pose a threat to the industry’s bottom line
theguardian.com
A ‘freaked out’ US food industry is hitting back at Maha – with social media influencers
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
WOW: Jodi Kantor & Adam Liptak have the memos that describe the origins of SCOTUS shadow docket - the 2016 order halting Obama’s Clean Power Plan @jodikantor.bsky.social @adamliptak.bsky.social @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...
nytimes.com
The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court
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Phoebe Petrovic @phoebepetrovic.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
NEW from me at @theguardian.com + @documented.net An official at Trump-aligned AFPI said the quiet part out loud: They want to end medical transition for everyone, adults included. Children are the “low-hanging fruit” in their quest to do so. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Children ‘low-hanging fruit’ in fight to end trans care, official at pro-Trump thinktank says
America First Policy Institute, which boasts close ties to president, discussed transgender policy ‘reform’ at DC event
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Trans Journalists Association @transjournalists.org · 17/04/2026
"So far, these restrictions have primarily affected minors. But leaders in the emboldened movement have begun to more openly admit their desire to attempt to end gender-affirming care for adults, too."
theguardian.com
Children ‘low-hanging fruit’ in fight to end trans care, official at pro-Trump thinktank says
America First Policy Institute, which boasts close ties to president, discussed transgender policy ‘reform’ at DC event
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 14/04/2026
“I have learned that my original vision of what my child’s life would look like is very different from reality—and yet, this version is just as beautiful... That is why I find it so hard to understand why the government would try to interfere in such personal and medically complex matters.”
motherjones.com
Trump is about to drop a “nuclear weapon” on trans youth health care
How a report led by a right-wing pundit laid the groundwork for upending gender-affirming treatment
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 07/04/2026
NEW: Fifteen laws in 11 states that could immunize the fossil fuel industry from climate-related legal claims have either been passed or are being debated. Many bills are part of a coordinated effort by groups linked to right-wing activist Leonard Leo.
propublica.org
“Economic Civil War”: States Push Laws to Shield Oil and Gas Companies From Accountability
Most of the 15 bills being considered are part of a coordinated effort by groups linked to right-wing activist Leonard Leo.
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Reposted by Riley Messer
ProPublica @propublica.org · 29/01/2026
NEW: The FBI’s search warrant, which sought 2020 election ballots, tabulator tapes, digital data and voter rolls from Fulton County, GA, marked what experts described as a significant escalation in President Donald Trump’s breaking of democratic norms.
propublica.org
FBI’s Search of Georgia Election Center Is “Dangerous,” Experts Warn
The search warrant, which sought 2020 election ballots, tabulator tapes, digital data and voter rolls from Fulton County, marked what experts described as a significant escalation in President Donald ...
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Kolina Koltai @koltai.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Our initial analysis is up. The video footage appears to show that the gun was taken away from the man before he was shot. He was UNARMED before any of the shots were fired.
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Andy Kroll @andykroll.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Last fall, @propublica.org and @documented.net broke the story that Russell Vought, Trump’s current budget chief, said he planned to put career civil servants “in trauma.” Now, we're investigating the full extent of Vought's impact on the federal government. We need your help… 🧵 1/
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 10/04/2025
It comes after the investigative group Documented on Tuesday released a 2021 letter in which Sgamma wrote that she was “disgusted” by Trump “spreading misinformation” about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s pick to oversee public lands withdraws after criticism of Jan. 6 riot surfaces
Kathleen Sgamma, Trump’s Bureau of Land Management nominee, wrote in 2021 that she was “disgusted” by the Jan. 6 attack, an investigative group had just disclosed.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
ICE has arrested Iranian national Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral candidate studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama. He was arrested at home at 5 a.m. Tuesday. As with some of the others who've been disappeared, unclear why he was detained. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
ICE detains University of Alabama doctoral student as government's college crackdown continues
According to ICE records, Iranian national Alireza Doroudi is currently being held in a "detention facility" after he was recently detained.
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Jane Mayer @janemayer.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
I asked an international human rights lawyer recently what red lines to watch for - he said, “when people start to disappear.” Well…https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/us/ice-tufts-student-detained-rumeysa-ozturk.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
nytimes.com
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts Student, Is Detained by ICE
The university was told that the student’s visa had been terminated, its president said in a late-night email to students and faculty members.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 22/03/2025
Elon Musk is spending millions of dollars to elect Brad Schimel, a conservative judge in Wisconsin, to the State Supreme Court. If he succeeds, conservatives will retake a 4-to-3 majority and be in a position to push the state rightward on issues like abortion, labor rights and congressional maps.
nytimes.com
Elon Musk Returns to His Trump Playbook in a Big Wisconsin Race
The billionaire, now a White House official and no longer a private citizen, is spending millions of dollars to elect a conservative judge, and making himself a main character in the race.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 27/02/2025
NEW: St. Louis officials say the state’s plan to wrest back control of the police department is an attempt by white conservatives to weaken Black political influence. It’s part of a broader pattern of Missouri Republicans trying to override the will of voters. By @jeremykohler.bsky.social
propub.li
Missouri GOP’s Effort to Take Over St. Louis Police Hearkens Back to Civil War
City officials say the state’s plan to wrest back control of the police department is an attempt by white conservatives to weaken Black political influence. It’s part of a broader pattern of Missouri…
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 14/02/2025
Musk-linked group offered $5m for proof of voter fraud – and came up with nothing
theguardian.com
Musk-linked group offered $5m for proof of voter fraud – and came up with nothing
Fair Election Fund has yet to reveal evidence of voter fraud despite deep-pocketed backers – and has now gone silent In May 2024, a flashy ad went viral on social media warning that “across the country, there are real cases of fraud and abuses of the…
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Brendan Fischer @brendanfischer.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
NEW from @documented.net + @theguardian.com: An Elon Musk-linked nonprofit, Fair Election Fund, offered a $5M reward for proof of voter fraud. It found… nothing. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Musk-linked group offered $5m for proof of voter fraud – and came up with nothing
Fair Election Fund has yet to reveal evidence of voter fraud despite deep-pocketed backers – and has now gone silent
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Ed Martin ran Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum. Schlafly was a Bircher whose first big book (A Choice not an Echo) promoted Goldwater’s nomination in 1964. Her final book was “The Conservative Case for Donald Trump.” This is the culmination of the far right’s 60+ year effort to take over the GOP.
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Andy Kroll @andykroll.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
NEW: Elon Musk's buddies and DOGE underlings are working in the dark to make drastic changes to the US government. @propublica.org is shining light on them with our new tracker. Read. Share. Most importantly, send us your Musk tips: projects.propublica.org/elon-musk-do...
projects.propublica.org
Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has been unleashed on federal agencies. ProPublica is attempting to document who is working with him and what they are doing.
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Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) @hansilowang.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
BREAKING: @npr.org has confirmed U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos is resigning, giving President Trump an early opportunity to nominate an appointee to lead the bureau during key preparations for the #2030Census
npr.org
Census Bureau Director Robert Santos is resigning, making way for Trump's pick
Census Bureau Director Robert Santos is resigning, giving President Trump an early opportunity to nominate an appointee to lead the bureau during key preparations for the 2030 census.
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Reposted by Riley Messer
southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
NYT reports an air traffic controller’s seat was empty at DCA last night www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01...
Staffing at the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic," according to an internal preliminary Federal Aviation
Administration safety report about the collision that was reviewed by The New York Times.
The controller who was handling helicopters in the airport's vicinity
Wednesday night was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from its runways. Those jobs typically are assigned to two controllers, rather than one.
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Riley Messer @rileymesser.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Andrea Lucas, the sole remaining commissioner and Acting Chair of EEOC, has ties to influential groups on the right including Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Research Council. She previously attended ADF’s Christmas party. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
politico.com
Eyes on a pivotal EEOC commissioner
Republican EEOC Commissioner Andrea Lucas sought comments directly from anti-abortion groups on the commission’s enforcement plans.
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Reposted by Riley Messer
Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Army Blackhawk helicopters are crashing into passenger planes at DCA while the Secretary of Defense is on Fox News ranting about DEI
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Documented @documented.org · 29/01/2025
Russ Vought promised donors that a second Trump admin would put career civil servants "in trauma," according to a recording of a private speech obtained by @documented.net and @propublica.org. It's now clear he wasn't bluffing.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 29/01/2025
Back in August, when @propublica.org and @documented.net obtained these training videos, this is what Leavitt had to say about Trump and Project 2025: “As our campaign leadership and President Trump have repeatedly stated, Agenda 47 is the only official policy agenda from our campaign.”
propub.li
Watch: 14 Hours of Never-Before-Published Videos From Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy
The videos are part of an ongoing effort to recruit and train thousands of future conservative appointees. Despite Donald Trump’s efforts to disavow Project 2025, most of the speakers in the videos ha...
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dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
NEW: OPM — the US govt's HR department — is now being run exclusively by Big Tech lackies, mostly from Elon Musk companies. Reporting directly to the chief of staff is a kid who just graduated high school & was recently a camp counsellor before interning at Neuralink. From @telliotter.bsky.social:
wired.com
Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management
Sources tell WIRED that the OPM’s top layers of management now include individuals linked to xAI, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and Palantir. One expert found the takeover reminiscent of Stalin.
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Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Maria Moe had been held in a low-security women's facility with no disturbance, complaints, or disciplinary record. Trump has held her in solitary confinement for the past four days and plans to send Moe, who transitioned at 15, to a men's prison where she risks facing abuse, assault, and rape.
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Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 22/01/2025
Commentary: Elon Musk’s outsized influence in Donald Trump’s new administration is a direct result of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which turns 15 this week.
rollingstone.com
Blame the Supreme Court for Elon Musk's Power in Trump's Administration
Elon Musk’s outsized influence with Donald Trump is a direct result of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which turns 15 this week.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
among the many things Trump is not wasting time on — an effort to upend longstanding rules around the Census, that would pave the way for a totally different way of distributing power and drawing maps, likely after 2030. (hard to overstate how important this would be) www.npr.org/2025/01/20/n...
npr.org
Trump rescinds Biden's census order, clearing a path for reshaping election maps
President Trump revoked a Biden-era executive order that affirmed the longstanding practice of including the total number of persons residing in each state in a census count used for election maps.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 14/01/2025
US sues Elon Musk for allegedly failing to disclose early Twitter stock purchase
theguardian.com
US sues Elon Musk for allegedly failing to disclose early Twitter stock purchase
Financial regulator alleges Musk later acquired shares of company at ‘artificially low prices’, stiffing shareholders A US financial regulator has sued Elon Musk for allegedly failing to disclose his ownership of Twitter stock and later acquiring shares…
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
New: Meta has deleted trans and nonbinary Messenger themes, as well as the blog posts announcing them. Happens the same week that it has changed its rules to allow users to say LGBTQ+ people are "mentally ill" www.404media.co/meta-deletes...
404media.co
Meta Deletes Trans and Nonbinary Messenger Themes
Amid a series of changes that allows users to target LGBTQ+ people, Meta has deleted product features it initially championed.
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Yvonne Wingett Sanchez @yvonnewingett.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
NEW: An audit of @AZGOP's 2022 finances found no evidence of "theft or fraud" by those involved in prior administration. At the time, the state party chair was Kelli Ward. Some background here: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Arizona GOP raised record money with misleading pitches on election audit
GOP chair Kelli Ward said in a text message the party had no plans to fund the review, despite what it was telling supporters.
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Bryan Anderson @bryanranderson.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
#BREAKING: The North Carolina Supreme Court blocks certification of the Supreme Court election, will hear Jefferson Griffin's protest later this month. #ncpol #Election2024
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Riley Messer @rileymesser.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
MO Representative-Elect Bryant Wolfin prefiled a bill that would undermine the will of Missouri voters by repealing employee protections guaranteed by Proposition A, including a $15/hour minimum wage and paid sick leave. Prop A was approved by 57.6% of voters in the state last November.
house.mo.gov
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Kit O'Connell (🏳️‍🌈Big & Bright Queerdo👽) @kitoconnell.com · 24/12/2024
I'm going to do my own Best of 2024 thread at some point but this is definitely on there. Thanks to @texasobserver.org, American Oversight and the anonymous TDA employee who agreed to speak up.
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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 24/12/2024
“This timing could lead one to conclude that this policy is a direct result of trans visibility in the workplace.” Best of 2024: @kitoconnell.com documents the chilling effect of the Texas Department of Agriculture's transphobic dress code, which an expert says is likely illegal.
texasobserver.org
Transphobic Dress Code Prompted Turmoil in Agriculture Department, Emails Show
The Texas agency’s policy may be ripe for a lawsuit.
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Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Billy Long is Trump's pick to lead IRS, an agency that the former congressman has previously tried to dissolve. He hypes his credential as a "certified tax and business advisor," but — far from making him a tax expert — all it involved was attending a 3-day seminar. New @jeremykohler.bsky.social
propublica.org
Billy Long, Trump’s Nominee to Lead the IRS, Touts a Credential That Tax Experts Say Is Dubious
The former representative from Missouri, who once pushed to abolish the IRS, has marketed himself as a certified tax and business advisor after attending only a three-day seminar.
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Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Uline, "a company owned by two of Donald Trump’s top mega-donors, has routinely brought dozens of its workers from Mexico to staff its warehouses in Wisconsin and other locations even though they do not appear to have permission to work in the US, according to a Guardian investigation."
theguardian.com
Major Trump donors who complained of immigrant ‘invasion’ used Mexican workers illegally, sources allege
Exclusive: Experts believe the alleged ‘shuttle support’ program used by Uline – a company owned by billionaires Liz and Dick Uihlein – is likely illegal and exploitative of workers
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
an important story in ProPublica about how states are doing little to monitor the deaths caused by abortion bans: www.propublica.org/article/abor...
propublica.org
Are Abortion Bans Across America Causing Deaths? The States That Passed Them Are Doing Little to Find Out.
The same political leaders who enacted abortion bans oversee the state committees that review maternal deaths. These committees haven’t tracked the laws’ impacts, and most haven’t finished examining c...
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Riley Messer @rileymesser.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Show-Me Institute is an affiliate of the State Policy Network, a national group that offers a “catalogue” of policy projects for state-level groups to pursue (which are often shaped by their private donors). The 2025 Blueprint document is a signal of some of SPN’s policy priorities for next year.
newyorker.com
Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?
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Jason Hancock @jasonhancock.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
The ACLU warns that the CoreCivic facility just across the Missouri border could be used as a hub for mass deportation efforts under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. #moleg #mogov via @allisonkite.bsky.social
missouriindependent.com
Shuttered private jail in Kansas could become immigration detention center • Missouri Independent
CoreCivic inquired with federal officials in June about turning its shuttered Leavenworth jail into an immigration detention center.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Musk fully endorses a government shutdown for a month, which would mean closing all National Parks during the biggest holiday season and blocking federal paychecks for weeks — right after a lot of people spent money to buy gifts for their loved ones. Not to mention the impact on the transition...
Tweet from @WallStreetMav: "Just close down the govt until January 20th. Defund everything. We will be fine for 33 days." Elon responds in all caps "YES"
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Documented @documented.org · 16/12/2024
With support from a secretive network of Christian nationalist donors known as Ziklag, Jenny Donnelly and her "mama bears" are organizing prayer hubs to rally against LGBTQ+ inclusion. NEW: from @aliceraeherman.bsky.social + @us.theguardian.com + @documented.bsky.social here:
theguardian.com
‘Mama bears are rising up’: the rightwing Christian entrepreneur aiming for a takeover of local US government
Jenny Donnelly, multi-level marketer turned rising star on the Christian right, wants to fight against LGBTQ+ inclusion and abortion rights
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Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
“Restricting the Vote: Inside the Right-Wing Push to Rewrite Election Rules in 2025; Cleta Mitchell offered ALEC state lawmakers a list of restrictive voting policies” electionlawblog.org?p=147824
electionlawblog.org
"Restricting the Vote: Inside the Right-Wing Push to Rewrite Election Rules in 2025; Cleta Mitchell offered ALEC state lawmakers a list of restrictive voting policies" #ELB
Documented: “We’re going to begin a real effort next year to educate state legislatures and legislators, as well as members of Congress, to identify the problems” in elections, Mitchell said, accordin...
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Kira Lerner @kira-lerner.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
‘Mama bears are rising up’: behind the Christian influencer mom pushing for a takeover of local US government Fascinating look by @aliceraeherman.bsky.social into Jenny Donnelly, the multi-level marketer turned rising star on the Christian right www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...
theguardian.com
‘Mama bears are rising up’: behind the Christian influencer mom pushing for a takeover of local US government
Jenny Donnelly, marketer turned rising star on the Christian right, wants to ‘send a million women into school boards’ and fight against LGBTQ+ inclusion and abortion rights
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Patrick LaForge @palafo.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Idaho lawmakers would let school staff carry concealed firearms and make it easier to sue school libraries. Oklahoma legislators plan more abortion restrictions. Arkansas could make "vaccine harm" a felony. And Texas is taking aim at migrant children. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/...
washingtonpost.com
Energized by next Trump term, red states move agendas further right
Governors, legislators and attorneys general ready plans for the “perfect storm of conservative policies” coming to many state legislatures and Washington.
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The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 13/12/2024
Exclusive: Trump's team is exploring ways to drastically shrink or even eliminate top bank watchdogs, including the FDIC
on.wsj.com
Exclusive | Trump Advisers Seek to Shrink or Eliminate Bank Regulators
The advisers have asked potential nominees whether Trump could abolish the FDIC.
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