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Stephen

@sbobcat.bsky.social
245 followers 270 following 80 posts

linktr.ee/sbobcat This account represents my views only and not the views of my employer.

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Reposted by Stephen
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 06/10/2026
Pennsylvania has a divided legislature, and control of both chambers is at stake in the 2026 midterms. A public policy scholar explains how the results could affect affordability, election reform, marijuana policy and more:
theconversation.com
2026 midterms could be the end of Pennsylvania’s split legislature, with effects on affordability, election reform, marijuana and more
Pennsylvania has a split legislature, and both chambers are up for grabs in the 2026 midterms.
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Reposted by Stephen
John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 01/10/2026
I will be forever grateful to @tristanelwell.bsky.social for his Starter Villain cover art. The moment we all saw it we were all, "Oh, we're gonna sell a LOT of this one." And we were right! Authors, please use Tristan for all your cover art needs.
The cover of Starter Villain, which features a delightful business cat.
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WTF Just Happened Today? by Matt Kiser @whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com · 29/09/2026
💡 Do something: A normal person's guide to civic action. whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/do-something/
whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com
Do Something: A Normal Person’s Guide to Civic Action
A practical guide to having your voice heard, engaging your community, and driving change through civic action.
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Andrew Schreck @andrewschreck.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
i don't think cis guys realize how much power they can shift in a conversation just by casually telling their friends
"that's fucked up, man" when someone says something
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The Economist @economist.com · 29/09/2026
Reliably Republican counties skew older, but they have significantly higher death rates even after adjusting for age, as our charts show
bit.ly
In MAGA-land people are dying faster than they are being born
Our analysis suggests Trump country is only growing because of migration
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The Nation Magazine @thenation.com · 26/09/2026
Despite being embroiled in scandal, the Maine senator is benefiting from Democratic Party divisions.
thenation.com
Susan Collins Is Corrupt. She Still Might Be Reelected.
Despite being embroiled in scandal, the Maine senator is benefiting from Democratic Party divisions.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 26/09/2026
Sunnyfields Farm in Britain broke its own Guinness World Record with a giant squash mosaic of David Attenborough. The artwork measured more than 2,350 square feet and broke the farm’s previous record, which was held by its 2025 mosaic of Ozzy Osbourne.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Troubling. Here’s the link: ewerickson.substack.com/p/the-midwes...
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Jen🇺🇸🏴‍☠️ @jen.sheshed.rocks · 12/09/2026
🧵AI isn’t a personality. It’s a tool. It can help a blind person read a menu, help a parent translate a school form, help a small nonprofit get work done, and it can also scam, surveil, steal, and spread garbage. Both things can be true. That’s the grown-up conversation. #SheShed
AI isn’t a personality. It’s a tool.

It can help a blind person read a menu, help a parent translate a school form, help a small nonprofit get work done, and it can also scam, surveil, steal, and spread garbage.

Both things can be true. That’s the grown-up conversation. 🧵
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 12/09/2026
I wrote a whole piece two years ago about how watching Marvel was about assigning homework to yourself and very clearly things have not gotten better in the interim www.uncannymagazine.com/article/scal...
uncannymagazine.com
Scalzi on Film: When Fun Becomes Homework - Uncanny Magazine
The Marvels, the sequel to Captain Marvel, has come and gone in the theaters, and with it, a whole number of questions have been raised. The first film was tremendously successful ($1.13 billion in wo...
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“.. Of course they didn’t know. No one knew it was coming. .. It’s a bad idea. There’s no need for it economically and it looks desperate politically.” @washingtonsun.bsky.social @jeffstein.bsky.social washingtonsun.com/congress/key...
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NPR @npr.org · 12/09/2026
Leading Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh has documented Israel's occupation of the West Bank since day one. Fearing the occupation might consume his archive, he secretly moved it to Scotland n.pr/4yyXSmn
n.pr
The secret quest to preserve Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh's diaries
Leading Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh has documented Israel's occupation of the West Bank since day one. Fearing the occupation might consume his archive, he secretly moved it to Scotland
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Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 01/09/2026
Upper Pottsgrove Police Officer Sean Farrell's actions were not justified, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.
inquirer.com
Montgomery County cop charged with manslaughter for killing a college student who accidentally knocked on the door of the wrong house
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Queerty @queerty.com · 01/09/2026
Remembering the love that inspired George Michael’s “Jesus To A Child” - buff.ly/hz19CSM
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The Economist @economist.com · 22/08/2026
In his battles for direct elections for Congress and the presidency, James Wilson was “by a long shot the most democratic of all the founders”, argues a new book. Why, then, is he not better known?
bit.ly
Two vital figures of the American revolution forgotten by history
Charles Lennox and James Wilson, a pair of Britons, played important roles in the struggle for independence
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The Briefing with Jen Psaki @briefingwithpsaki.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"However, new Center for American Progress analysis finds no evidence that National Guard deployments have reduced violent crime. Moreover, if these deployments are extended and continue through the end of 2026, they could cost American taxpayers more than $1.7 billion."
americanprogress.org
The Trump Administration’s $1.7 Billion National Guard Deployments Fail To Reduce Urban Crime
New CAP analysis reveals the Trump administration’s costly National Guard deployments have failed to reduce violent crime despite its claims of success.
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Tea Pain @teapainusa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
If you don’t approve of Donald Trump, then you don’t approve of his Republican enablers. Every Republican in the House and Senate votes with Donald Trump over 99% of the time. Show them how you feel about that with your vote in November!
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Bucks County Beacon @buckscountybeacon.com · 29/07/2026
Latest Pennsylvania Budget Provides Support for Nursing Homes, but Work Remains | In a rapidly aging state, the fifth-oldest in the country, the need for long-term services is only growing, reports @penncapital-star.com.
tinyurl.com
Latest Pennsylvania Budget Provides Support for Nursing Homes, but Work Remains - Bucks County Beacon
In a rapidly aging state, the fifth-oldest in the country, the need for long-term services is only growing.
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Murshed Zaheed @murshedz.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
“Trump has rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” Right now people in blue states are basically paying federal taxes as if they’re colonized territories of red states. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Trump has denied most disaster requests from Democratic-led states

A graph  showing Presidential approval rates for disaster requests from Democratic-led states and Republican-led states

Source: POLITICO's E&E News analysis of FEMA records
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NPR @npr.org · 28/07/2026
A new study finds that hotter nights caused by human-driven climate change are eating away at hours of sleep every year.
n.pr
Hot nights are costing you up to 56 hours of sleep per year, study finds
A new study finds that hotter nights caused by human-driven climate change are eating away at hours of sleep every year.
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The Nation Magazine @thenation.com · 25/07/2026
Athar Abu Samra recently returned to her homeland of Gaza after nearly three years away. She wasn't prepared for what she found. bit.ly/4bSnzp5
bit.ly
I Thought I Knew Gaza. Then I Went Back.
After nearly three years, I finally returned to my homeland. I wasn’t prepared for what I found.
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Jay Kuo @nycjayjay.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
This is actually on the CDC site as of July 22. Just shameful anti-science nonsense. URL: buff.ly/8BCFg7T
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Jeremy D. Miller (The Shade Tree Developer) @jeremydmiller.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Listening to a podcast today talking about the "right of repair" in regards to agriculture. Thinking about how much time I spent as a kid helping my grandfather work on farm equipment. I can't even imagine how bad it would be if you really couldn't do your own maintenance or repair.
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Reposted by Stephen
Melody Joy Kramer @mkramer.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Wooder www.phillyvoice.com/philly-accen...
phillyvoice.com
How deaf Philadelphians developed their own sign language 'accent'
Penn researchers say they want to preserve the well-documented cultural phenomenon that is fading from popular use.
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Stephen @sbobcat.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
An Atlanta man arrested last year as arriving back in the U.S. because he allegedly provided border officials with a passcode that wiped the contents of his phone. The Justice Department is prosecuting him on destruction of data while using a so-called “duress” password. @Techcrunch: flip.it/Yph5SV
flip.it
US accuses American of allegedly wiping his phone using a 'duress' password during border search | TechCrunch
A U.S. citizen has asked a court to throw out the government's claim that he gave over a passcode to border authorities that wiped his phone's data, opening up fresh questions about a person's constit...
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Reposted by Stephen
Stephen F. Knott @stephenknott.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
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McSpocky™ @mcspocky.substack.com · 22/07/2026
Thanks for including my other account! 🙏
It's climate change you idiot.
Smokey bear to Donald Trump.
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Reposted by Stephen
NPR @npr.org · 18/07/2026
Yes, there is a way to gracefully address that you've been walking around with spinach in your teeth. Here are tactics to quickly defuse your most embarrassing, cringe-inducing moments.
n.pr
D'oh! I can't believe I did that! Graceful ways to handle awkward moments
Yes, there is a way to gracefully address that you've been walking around with spinach in your teeth. Here are tactics to quickly defuse your most embarrassing, cringe-inducing moments.
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Stephen @sbobcat.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Trump says these documents prove his false claims of election fraud. Here's what they really say
President Donald Trump has released a trove documents that he claims prove voter fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election.
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Reposted by Stephen
Bucks County Beacon @buckscountybeacon.com · 15/07/2026
“The Trump Administration is choosing to give a tax cut to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of hungry Pennsylvanians,” said Brandon Cwalina, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services spokesperson.
buckscountybeacon.com
Pennsylvania Taxpayers Could Be on the Hook for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Fund SNAP Benefits to Help Pay for Trump’s Tax Cuts for the Wealthy - Bucks County Beacon
According to rule changes from President Trump and Republicans' “big beautiful bill”, each state’s SNAP “error rate” will bring severe financial consequences.
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Reposted by Stephen
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The Federal Cover-up of Three Minnesota Shootings Finally Unravels talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...
talkingpointsmemo.com
The Federal Cover-up of Three Minnesota Shootings Finally Unravels
‘Now We Have All the Evidence’ The first hints that the Trump...
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ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Here's my Lindsey Graham obit. While most people are focused on his late career villian arc, I will never get over his sneering, hysterical defense of an alleged attempted rapist. My latest in @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/poli...
thenation.com
Lindsey Graham’s Defense of Brett Kavanaugh Told Us Everything
The senator’s infamous cry of rage spoke not only to his cruelty but also to his larger role in changing the court.
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DrH @drhaup.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
“There’s a petulance, a vindictiveness that is endemic in DHS people, reminiscent of the anti-communist paranoia of the McCarthy era. It’s no different,” said Rosenberg, former senior executive service leader USCIS who spent more than 26 years in federal service www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Six-hour polygraphs, forced reassignments: inside homeland security’s campaign of fear
The ruthless gutting and reforming of the Department of Homeland Security has traumatized both workers and the most vulnerable immigrants
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Stephen @sbobcat.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
We travel *a lot* and a functional shower layout and useful placement of outlets in a room are the biggest unicorns we chase.
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Stephen @sbobcat.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 09/07/2026
18 months into a second term marked by chaos, corruption, and war, Trump’s brand has been reduced to a symbol of American failure.
motherjones.com
Belgium’s Trump dance exposes the collapse of the president’s soft power
“Overturn this.”
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
ICE agents under Trump have shot at least 20 people who were inside their cars They did it again today, killing a father ICE said he "weaponized his vehicle" -- a claim they've often made & that often has turned out to be BS. The FBI is investigating...the dad. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/u...
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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The feds just made it official: They won't fight a bid by members of the "Broadview 6" for attorneys' fees. They do "not concede that the United States has acted or done anything to warrant those fees." They also say there should be no discovery. Full filing: cst.brightspotcdn.com/dc/d1/e34a37...
I. Hyde Amendment Motion
Discussion
The Hyde Amendment motions are not ripe for decision and may never be. The United States does not intend to contest defendants’ entitlement to reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs in this matter as permitted by statute. (To be clear, the United States’ litigation decision not to challenge the defendant’s entitlement to fees, like in any typical settlement, does not concede that the United States has acted or done anything to warrant those fees.) The parties are currently attempting to work out the amount of recoverable fees and expenses. This court should take defendants’ Hyde Amendment motions under advisement while the parties attempt to amicably resolve this civil issue in good faith. The United States received the last of the former defendants’ fee submissions the day before this response was being filed, so the parties are now in a position to negotiate.
II. Discovery
Discovery related to defendants’ Hyde Amendment motions is not warranted under the circumstances of this case nor under applicable law. Defendants sought discovery, in their own words, to give them the “opportunity to demonstrate the bad faith, vexatious, and/or frivolous nature of this misguided prosecution.” Dkt. 206. But they will not be required to make that showing, so there is no reason or basis under the statute or otherwise to conduct that discovery.
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NBC News @nbcnews.com · 07/07/2026
An Afghan national who fought alongside U.S. forces has died from an allergic reaction while in ICE custody, one day after he was detained for deportation proceedings, his death certificate shows. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Afghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of allergic reaction in ICE custody
Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, suffered “an adverse drug reaction” to an unidentified substance, which triggered anaphylaxis and exacerbated his asthma, the death report shows.
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The Onion @theonion.com · 06/07/2026
Lucky Old Woman Getting Wheeled Around Airport theonion.com/lucky-old-woman-gettin…
Lucky Old Woman Getting Wheeled Around Airport
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 03/07/2026
When @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social visited this marquee anniversary event, she found a dearth of visitors, a shortage of napkins, and a decaying model of the triumphal arch the president wants to build across the Potomac.
motherjones.com
Watch: Trump’s dystopia takes over the National Mall
A week of absurdity at the reflecting pool and the Great American State Fair.
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 04/07/2026
Fire up the grill and press play 🇺🇸 From Woody Guthrie to Lead Belly, cowboy songs to the blues, one remarkable record collection from 1964 tells the story of America through its music. And we pulled it all together in a playlist for you ⬇️ theconversation.com/how-a-box-se...
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NPR @npr.org · 03/07/2026
Around the time the United States was founded, Americans' diets included Parmesan ice cream and terrapin. But what you ate depended on your social status.
n.pr
Food defined social hierarchy in 1776. Here's what was on the table
Around the time the United States was founded, Americans' diets included Parmesan ice cream and terrapin. But what you ate depended on your social status.
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 01/07/2026
One year after Trump signed his “big, beautiful bill,” it has begun reshaping the country. At least 4 million people have lost food stamps. Millions more will lose healthcare. Refugees and other legal immigrants are getting kicked off the safety net. And the wealthiest Americans have gotten richer.
nbcnews.com
How Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ changed America
President Donald Trump signed his “big, beautiful bill” a year ago. It unleashed the biggest ever rollback of federal programs serving the poor, while extending trillions of dollars in tax breaks disp...
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The Economist @economist.com · 01/07/2026
“Every president is ready to cite the constitutional excesses of his predecessor as justification for his own legal stretches,” argues Sai Prakash. “It is time to return to an era where Congress makes laws and presidents do not write and rewrite them”
econ.st
America’s Supreme Court was right to expand presidential power
As undesirable as an imperial executive is, the court read the constitution correctly, argues Sai Prakash
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Stephen @sbobcat.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"Trump cannot comprehend patriotism, the love of one’s country. Instead he defaults to nationalism, the sour and hostile glorification of one’s own nation over everyone else’s."
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Antifa Princess™🗿💖🌻⛵️✨ @tleighb.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Trump canceled the housing bill signing. Per Art. I §7 cl. 2, if Congress stays in session & he sits on it 10 days, it becomes law anyway. Key word: stays in session Johnson's favorite move is calling recess when he wants to protect a rapist Watch the calendar, not another of Trump's tantrums 🕙
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The Register @theregister.com · 24/06/2026
Anthropic's Mythos mess just keeps getting more complicated
theregister.com
Anthropic's Mythos mess just keeps getting more complicated
It sure seems a lot like the Trump administration is just bulling Anthropic for not acquiescing to its every move, and its the cybersecurity community who'll suffer for it
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Flipboard Tech Desk @techdesk.flipboard.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/06/2026
No one wants to be the one who gets duped into singing along to an AI-generated track. Deezer seems to be on to this and has introduced a tool that scans playlists and identifies The Velvet Sundowns of the music world. Read more from @Techcrunch: flip.it/zvaS_X #Tech #Music #AI
techcrunch.com
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💙❤️💙Mia💙❤️💙 @mommamia.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
…And this is being kind.
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