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sandymd21.bsky.social

@sandymd21.bsky.social
1.9K followers 280 following 43 posts

76yo retiree from academia and public sector. I'm trying to keep my wits about me while living in Bizarro World.

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Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 1h
BREAKING: Davey Hearn reflecting pool prosecution dismissed WITH PREJUDICE That means the case cannot be brought again  Huge victory for Davey, for us at @democracydefendersfund.org & our legal team colleagues Washington Litigation Group and Steptoe--& for rule of law More to follow!
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darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 43m
my god
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NBC News @nbcnews.com · 5h
FCC Chair Brendan Carr says that new pro-Trump TV ads paid for with government funds don’t “merit any sort of FCC review.”
nbcnews.to
FCC head says government-funded Trump ads are ‘normal’ and ‘don’t raise any red flags’
Brendan Carr said the ads are “normal-course public service announcements” and nothing that would “merit any sort of” review by the Federal Communications Commission.
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 5h
So what if you just want to serve your country in the military now and don’t want Christian nationalism shoved down your throat and pushed on you by military leadership? I guess you are out of luck. Because that was our military for the entire history of the country until now.
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Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I think we all saw that coming
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4fuxake @blueheartedly1.bsky.social · 17h
Jack Smith is an American hero 👇
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Democratic Activists @democratswin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Migrant children as young as 2 are showing up at immigration courts nationwide, many without attorneys, to make their case to stay in the US and avoid deportation. cnn.it/4ykLIhn
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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 14h
A win! A federal judge in Georgia today dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking unredacted copies of the state’s voter registration list.
democracydocket.com
DOJ now 0-26 after judge rejects demand for Georgia voter rolls
The judge said the Civil Rights Act does not authorize DOJ's demands for the Peach State’s unredacted voter roll.
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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 17h
NEW: Meta found a way to turn massive data centers into “pilot models” and cash in on a 1980s tax credit. The result? Meta avoided nearly $4 billion in taxes last year alone. Gift link. 👇 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...
nytimes.com
How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes (Gift Article)
Meta is exploiting a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation. Its own accountants say the gambit is risky.
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 18h
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Wyden says the DOJ and FBI withheld a secret interview with a banker tied to Jeffrey Epstein from the files released to the public. And he says there may be more.
meidasnews.com
EXCLUSIVE: Senator Accuses DOJ and FBI of Withholding Secret Epstein Banker Interview, Demands Release of All FBI 302s
Senator Ron Wyden is accusing the Justice Department and the FBI of withholding a key record from the Epstein files, demanding in a letter obtained exclusively
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semperloquatius.bsky.social @semperloquatius.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (again) and hands the GOP senators' butts to them.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 15h
We are ruining our own institutions, which is sad for us and great for our enemies.
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Pyperkub @pyperkub.bsky.social · 17h
But we'll suck at InfoSec, Logistics, etc.... bsky.app/profile/zack...
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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 17h
Pretty clear to me there’s a very good case against this man for mass murder, and I’m saying that in as measured a fashion as I can. He’s order the killing of 234 people under no plausible war or legal justification. I am skeptical he will ever face legal accountability for til his but he should.
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The Red Terra @theredterra.bsky.social · 15h
This country is finished if we can't even prevent them from doing this kind of thing 30-odd days out from an election.
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Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 14h
Pierre Damas Bel was an honor student & part of his college's ROTC program. He was also a TPS recipient. After Trump's attacks on TPS, he was forced to wear an ankle monitor that isolated and humiliated him. Pierre died in an apparent suicide. He was 20.
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USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 13h
New York sexual assault law includes a controversial "voluntary intoxication exclusion." Critics say it's a dangerous and outdated legal standard.
bit.ly
Too drunk to consent? Cornell case highlights legal controversy
New York sexual assault law includes a controversial "voluntary intoxication exclusion." Critics say it's a dangerous and outdated legal standard.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 18h
This is another big story today. I was waiting on @kelciemmorris.bsky.social's report, excellent as always, as I knew she was on it. —>
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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 19h
The Pentagon is notifying millions of current and former U.S. military servicemembers and staff that hackers stole their *unencrypted* personal information during a months-long data breach. The agency that had the breach also handles ID and login/credential access to U.S. military systems and bases.
techcrunch.com
Hackers stole millions of US military personnel records during months-long data breach | TechCrunch
The Department of Defense notified millions of current and former U.S. military personnel that their personal information had been stolen in a months-long breach.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
In the "Unites States" of "Super Intelligence," "Issues Are Remediated" emptywheel.net/2026/09/30/i...
emptywheel.net
In the "Unites States" of "Super Intelligence," "Issues Are Remediated" - emptywheel
Once you realize Trump's morally binding AI code doesn't even spell "United States" properly, the whole sham looks even more ominous.
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 30/09/2026
Trump's DOJ wants to deploy 1,000 election monitors for the midterms. But are they all trained personnel? “The same people that you saw on the streets in Minneapolis are the people who I am worried they are going to say are now the monitors from the DOJ,” Marc Elias says.
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 30/09/2026
Trump White House misspells “United” on the official “super intelligence” document with AI executives. Instead of “President of the United States,” it reads: “President of the Unites States.” Nothing says “super intelligence” quite like misspelling the name of the country.
Screenshot of a Truth Social post from Donald J. Trump’s verified @realDonaldTrump account displaying a signed document titled “Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities.” The document outlines voluntary AI safety and oversight commitments for companies developing frontier artificial intelligence models. On the right side are signatures and company labels for leaders including Sundar Pichai of Google, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Greg Brockman of OpenAI, Elon Musk of xAI, and Jensen Huang of Nvidia. Near the center-right, Donald J. Trump’s large signature appears above the printed title identifying him as president. The title contains a noticeable typo: instead of “President of the United States,” it reads, “President of the Unites States,” misspelling “United” as “Unites.”
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Definitely Danny @semperwry.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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Jen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Let this sink in. Cornell University refused to refund Jane Doe's tuition the semester she was raped. Without this money, she could not transfer to another school. Essentially, she was forced to stay on campus where she saw those seven rapists frequently. Eventually she dropped out of college.
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Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: “it’s inconceivable to me how you can pardon people who beat police officers… and then vilify the officers”
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Pocket News 📰 @jeanpocket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today before Senate.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 29/09/2026
A bipartisan effort to ban the demolition of presidential memorials — including the Kennedy Center — was blocked Monday night in the Senate by an objection from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
washingtonpost.com
GOP senator blocks bill to stop Trump from demolishing Kennedy Center
The bipartisan effort to ban the demolition of presidential memorials was thwarted in the Senate by an objection from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
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kenofseattle @kenofseattle.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seattle
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 28/09/2026
Donald Trump’s rush to deport as many immigrants as possible is creating a new family-separation crisis, @caitlindickerson.bsky.social writes. She reports on the babies left behind in America:
bit.ly
The Babies Left Behind in America
The United States is deporting parents without their children, creating a whole new family-separation crisis.
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Say The Thing Tee @saythethingtee.com · 29/09/2026
For people thinking the math ain't mathing:
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
MacFarlane: The Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio has got the same issue. Last year, they paid $50,000 for diesel to transport their food. Now, they’re paying $150,000 for the diesel to transport their food.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Tho I actually like this post better. IMO, one smart response to these ads is to taunt GOP MoCs that Trump is still sitting on mountains of $$ and instead using taxpayer dollars to remind voters what a corrupt asshole he is.
The inept White House political propagandists are using our money on government-sponsored campaign TV ads for the sinking GOP. The latest commercial tries to rally the dwindling MAGA base by reminding them that Trump once posed as a fighter against warmongers and a corrupt political establishment, but the recycled ad just sharply reminds everyone that the lying Trump is the war-maker-in-chief and presides over the most corrupt presidential administration in U.S. history. You can’t use our tax dollars to fool us.
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Bayliss Wagner
@baylisswagner
·
Sep 27
NEW: The Trump admin is airing *another* taxpayer-funded political ad, & this time, it's from his 2024 campaign.

Trump says in the ad: "We will demolish the deep state, expel the warmongers from our government... We will rout the fake news media..."

10:55 PM · Sep 28, 2026
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Here's the CNN story that cites it. www.cnn.com/2026/09/28/p...
cnn.com
Trump personally helped orchestrate taxpayer-funded ads promoting himself and his policies, source says | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump has personally driven the controversial, tax-payer funded video ads promoting himself and his administration’s policies, including helping select the imagery and videos used, a ...
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Jamie Raskin calls out the shitty ads as a crime (this was cited by CNN and other stories). This is the kind of Xitter post that I beg of @raskin.house.gov or other MoCs to cross-post over here -- not least bc more people over here are likely to magnify it.
Rep. Jamie Raskin

@RepRaskin
This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes. 18 U.S.C. § 1641. It is a Hatch Act violation for any government employees who worked on it or used government resources to make it. It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.
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Yashar Ali 🐘
@yashar
·
Sep 24
The White House is currently airing this video as an ad during commercial breaks on Fox News. 

It looks and sounds like a political spot and includes a disclaimer stating that it is paid for by the U.S. government.

The soundtrack: as images of Trump flash across the screen,

2:30 PM · Sep 24, 2026
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Massimo (mirror) @rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
143 million people thought they were catching Pokémon, they were mapping the real world for AI Original post
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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 29/09/2026
The author "urges parents to reframe healthy eating not as discipline or deprivation but as a smart investment and a genuine pleasure." Children didn't always need to learn how to eat well. From the archives:
lnk.thebulwark.com
How Children Learned to Hate Food
On the origins of pickiness.
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Johnny 🫧 Cowlick @jefferycowlick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Elect a convicted felon, you get a criminal government.
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tomwellborn3rd @wellborn.net · 28/09/2026
DHS used a Brian Dawkins highlight to hype ICE raids on a migrant caravan and got a takedown notice from the NFL before Eagles fans even finished cursing them out. They stole a beloved player's legacy to sell a deportation dragnet and didn't even ask permission first.
rawstory.com
'Scumbags!' Eagles fans unleash profane takedown of DHS after using player footage in ad
The Department of Homeland Security put out a highly charged social media post in response to reports of a migrant caravan approaching the U.S. The post said "our time has come," accompanied by video ...
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CaitBrie @caitbrie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Every day at some point (or at a few points) I ask myself “what stupid moronic embarrassing untrue thing has Drumpf said today?” And then I come on this site and go to @atrupar.com to catch up.
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Rebecca E ❌👑 @spoutiblegirl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The SCOTUS' ruling unleashed a madman who has no fear of repercussions from anything he does as POTUS - legal or illegal. These ads are not PSA's as his lackeys claim - they are pure dictator wannabe generated AI propaganda. Trump Goes Full-Orwell open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com
Trump Goes Full-Orwell
The administration’s propaganda hype-ads are an abuse of power.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 28/09/2026
New @jamestalarico.bsky.social ad just dropped.
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Lex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 28/09/2026
+ this
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Now would be a good time for @pallone.house.gov to send Fox a letter promising an investigation into why they accepted this ad and how much they got paid to run it.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A Q&A I did recently with Ashoka and Forbes - Why Bellingcat Wants Everyone To Become An Investigator www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka...
forbes.com
Why Bellingcat Wants Everyone To Become An Investigator
The founder of one of the world's best-known open-source investigation outfits on building it from a laptop, why anyone can do this work, and why democracies have misread the problem.
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Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ukrainian civilians heroically ride bicycles, evading landmines while under Russian bombs and drones, to retrieve food and aid for others left behind in Russian-occupied Oleshky. About 40 children remain, while most of the other survivors are elderly people.
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New whistleblower account: Former employees of the Kennedy Center say that center officials canceled a plan to start overhauling its leaking infrastructure months ago, despite those officials now asserting the leaks posed an urgent safety risk requiring the building to close.
nytimes.com
Kennedy Center Shelved Repairs Now Cited for Closure, Whistle-Blowers Say
In a letter to Congress, former employees say the center delayed a plan to address the leaks that its officials now cite as a serious safety risk.
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Louise @louiseplease.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Food banks have two fundamental, destabilizing problems that are getting worse: The food is getting more expensive The diesel to deliver the food is getting more expensive
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SnowsMom 🐶❤️🌊 @snowsmom.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
He's going to kill us all Trump Offered to Sell Arms to China, U.S. Ambassador Says - The New York Times share.google/zWzvxVB8fIQY...
share.google
Trump Offered to Sell Arms to China, U.S. Ambassador Says
President Trump made the offer to Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said David Perdue, the ambassador to China. The White House later said the U.S. had no plans for such a sale.
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Trump had $400 million in his PAC and he STILL decided that he needed to steal taxpayer money to pay for campaign ads for the midterms.
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Jack Hopkins-The Original @therealjackhopkins.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
37 more wounded troops. Added quietly. No explanation. Here's the No B.S. truth: when anyone (a vendor, a CEO, a government) revises the numbers without telling you why, the silence IS the message. 861 wounded. Their families deserve the full story.
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