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c_elaine

@semelediotima.bsky.social
1K followers 1.6K following 150 posts

Socially Libertarian. Fiscally Progressive. Anti-Capitalist to my bones.

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Reposted by c_elaine
Project On Government Oversight @pogo.org · 12/10/2026
If Congress wants to truly tackle corruption, there's three key issues they need to focus on: stock trading, crypto, and prediction markets. We lay it all out here:
pogo.org
The Corruption Vortex
When high-ranking government officials can profit from the crypto industry, prediction markets, and stock trading, corruption can thrive.
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Tim Dickinson @timdickinson.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
I've wondered at times whether the "Nerd Reich" framing isn't a little inflammatory. I'm not wondering any more.
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
BREAKING: ICE over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote. The internal documents, obtained by the Democracy Forward, showed that ICE's investigative arm also contemplated sending undercover agents to investigate the organizations.
democracydocket.com
ICE  probed hundreds of voter registration groups across the U.S.
The agency also contemplated deploying undercover agents to "initiate prosecutions" against the groups and "dismantle" them.
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shanley @shanley.com · 03/10/2026
They're trying to get a tech fascist pope in.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This breathtaking NYT story about Trump's Russian entanglements includes three people who've been part of the operation to cultivate Trump since 2015: Bryan Lanza, Sheikh Tahoon, and Kirill Dmitriev. This is literally the culmination of the original plan. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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Transgender World @transgenderreport.com · 02/10/2026
Andy Beshear has a message for Democrats backing away from trans rights: ‘That is not the party that we are’ www.advocate.com/pol... #transgender #trans #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA
advocate.com
Andy Beshear has a message for Democrats backing away from trans rights: ‘That is not the party that we are’
"We don't throw anybody under the bus,” the Democratic Kentucky governor said.
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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Writing something where I will be liberally citing @lilymasonphd.bsky.social's latest and realizing that I can't cite every single thing I would like to because then I'm just reprinting her work. So, I've gotta thread about it instead. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
Screenshot of the article website. Title is: Polarization Is Not the Problem. Author is Lilliana Mason. Journal is the Journal of Democracy, Volume 37, Number 4, October 2026. From Johns Hopkins University Press.
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Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Good piece on a bad guy:
theunpopulist.net
A Catholic Theologian Signs Up for Mass Cruelty
Yet another thinker puts his faith in the service of monstrous deportation policies
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 30/09/2026
Trump introduces Marco Rubio and says, "watch what he does with Cuba"
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Andrea Pitzer @andreapitzer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I wrote about those who are being forced by events to see at least some of the damage Trump is doing, and the ways that his skyrocketing unpopularity opens doors for the rest of us.
degenerateart.beehiiv.com
Opening the blinds
Authoritarians reveal themselves, even to followers who prefer not to see.
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c_elaine @semelediotima.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Where is this piece of art?! I can't find it.
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Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 29/09/2026
Democrats seem headed for big wins, but one avenue for self-sabotage would be adopting R's framing on trans rights. @billiejsweeney.bsky.social spoke with insiders incl Lanae Erikson of Third Way and Rep. Sarah McBride for this substanial piece of new reporting. assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...
assignedmedia.org
Democrats Lose by Punching Down on Trans Issues, Strategists Say - Assigned Media
Insiders, including at centrist think tank Third Way, are cautioning Democratic candidates against echoing Republican talking points on trans rights.
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San Francisco Chronicle @sfchronicle.com · 23/09/2026
Bay Area tech journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher says she plans to leave CNN rather than work under David Ellison once the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. is complete.
bit.ly
She’d rather work for Rupert Murdoch than stay at CNN. Here’s why
Bay Area tech journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher says she plans to leave CNN rather than work under David Ellison once the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. is complete.
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Matt Weiner @mattweiner19.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
longtermism is so repugnant that I hesitate to address it on its own terms but: on its own terms this shit is clearly wrong. the best way *now* to encourage a happy future for umptillion beings who use technology we can't imagine is to make the current world more just for everyone.
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Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Peter Thiel has the wheel: “US Deputy Secty of Defense Stephen Feinberg has drafted a memo directing Defense Department subordinates to purchase up to $243.9 M in services from…[Thiel’s] Palantir…without a competitive bidding process…The memo’s subject line is called ‘Funding Palantir’.” 8/11/26…1/
share.google
Give Palantir up to $244M through 2028, says internal Defense Department memo
Draft memo taps AI data analysis biz for help with military production efficiency
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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
There is no justification for this. It’s just pseudoscience with a side of social Darwinism.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The AI debate has forced me, somewhat agst my will, to grapple a bit more closely with the "longtermists", basically a movement or subculture of morons who propose novel forms of moral reasoning based on sci-fi ideas they imagine might happen hundreds, thousands or millions of years in the future.
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Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 15/09/2026
“I am not complicit,” I say plaintively, while siding with a billionaire censoring artists for speaking about genocide. “I have opinions. You will never know them. But they exist.” I continue, “This should insulate me from criticism even as I, again, side with the billionaire censor.”
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Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
*looks directly at camera*
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
🚨BREAKING: Agents of the Department of Homeland Security have been ordered to unlawfully access state voting records to carry out the department’s escalating elections-related probes, an anonymous federal whistleblower recently disclosed to Sen. Alex Padilla. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
Homeland Security officers are illegally accessing state voter data, new whistleblower alleges
The searches likely resulted in "thousands of violations of state laws," Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said.
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Representative Becca Balint @balint.house.gov · 15/09/2026
THIS JUST IN: The Supreme Court blocked Trump’s plan to sow chaos in the mail-in voting process. This is big news and exactly what we needed to hear.
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Dave Jorgenson @davejorgenson.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Back to the classics
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 11/09/2026
Jesus Christ: · According to Miami Herald deputy investigations editor Carol Marbin Miller, the reporter who broke the news of Ron Desantis diverting $10 million in child welfare funds to defeat a statewide marijuana legalization referendum is gone. Their replacement at Tallahassee is also gone.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Trump administration is investigating the Utah lieutenant governor because she didn’t hand over sensitive voter data. She says other election officials told her they’re being investigated too. www.sltrib.com/news/politic...
sltrib.com
Trump’s DOJ is investigating Utah’s election chief for refusing to hand over voter data, it says in letter
The Justice Department has warned Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson that she is under investigation for not complying with the Trump administration's demands for voter information. Meanwhile, Henderson has we...
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 10/09/2026
TikTok investor Jeff Yass avoided paying $1 billion in taxes while largely escaping public scrutiny. He then poured that money into campaigns to cut taxes and support election deniers. (Published 2022)
propublica.org
Meet the Billionaire and Rising GOP Mega-Donor Who’s Gaming the Tax System
Susquehanna founder and TikTok investor Jeff Yass has avoided $1 billion in taxes while largely escaping public scrutiny. He’s now pouring his money into campaigns to cut taxes and support election de...
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Indivisible MN03❌👑🇺🇸 @indivisiblemn03.org · 09/09/2026
🚨🚨ALERT🚨🚨 votesafe . org is a MUSK site popular.info/p/the-hidden...
popular.info
The hidden dangers of Musk’s votesafe.org
The slick voter registration website, currently being promoted to millions of people, is a digital surveillance machine.
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Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 09/09/2026
I still think the biggest threats from software automation have very mundane human origins, and the claims of looming superintelligence both misrepresent the tech's capabilities for marketing purposes and to provide ethical distance for company responsibility
arstechnica.com
UnitedHealth uses AI model with 90% error rate to deny care, lawsuit alleges
For the largest health insurer in the US, AI's error rate is like a feature, not a bug.
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David DeWitt @daviddewitt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
More than half of households surveyed that visited an Ohio food bank were forced to choose between paying for utilities or paying for food, according to a new report. Nearly half had to choose between paying their rent or mortgage, or paying for food ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/09/07/a...
ohiocapitaljournal.com
Nearly half of households using Ohio food banks have had to choose between paying for rent or food • Ohio Capital Journal
More than half of households surveyed that visited an Ohio food bank were forced to choose between affording utilities or affording food, according to a new report.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 08/09/2026
Health care companies are using debt to trap nurses on the job. Many caregivers are paying a high price for fleeing jobs they thought were unsafe or intolerable.
motherjones.com
Health care companies are using debt to trap nurses on the job
Many caregivers are paying a high price for fleeing jobs they thought were unsafe or intolerable.
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Jakub 🌿 @jakubx.eurosky.social · 07/09/2026
"Living through a global resurgence of fascism, the greatest difficulty has proved to be not arguing against it, but convincing non-fascists that fascism’s adherents really mean it. That they believe what they are telling us they believe—and they will act accordingly."
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Gwen Snyder is uncivil @gwensnyder.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Forever trying to get my apocalypse ducks in a row
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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The challenge as I see it: 1) making sure the election isn’t stolen; 2) cementing this unpopularity not as a unique Trump feature, but as an intrinsic part of the Republican brand. Republicans must be made equal to failure, corruption, incompetence, cruelty, and authoritarianism in the public mind.
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Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo @digitalwarrior.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
10/ When a dramatic poll appears, ask five questions: Who paid? Who commissioned it? What questions were asked? Was the full methodology released? Why did this result become a headline?
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Lee West @whodat35.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
“The Trump administration secretly obtained 6 months of phone records for a journalist without a search warrant or any judicial oversight, raising alarm over an obscure legal tool it is deploying.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump’s DHS is using an obscure law to secretly snoop on journalists, non-profits and unions: ‘It’s outrageous’
Even after judges rejected the same ploy, the Trump administration is going directly to social media and telecommunications companies
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Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Elon Musk opening up the checkbook is always framed as a problem for Democrats, never as an ethical quandary for Republicans.
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Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
hey, if you like my writing, now is a good time to support me! I have a 40% off sale today; $30/year on the newsletter. if you join today you can commission a film review! www.everythingishorrible.net/subscribe
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c_elaine @semelediotima.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Yeah this is the first I’m hearing or getting any hints they were scumbags what a fucking bummer. I’m sure Mike being gone made this easier to pull off.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 29/08/2026
the “op” is that vance is the most visibly sweaty, pathetic and juiceless national politician in recent memory
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c_elaine @semelediotima.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
@michaelhobbes.bsky.social broooooooo!
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Chris Jones @cjonesny.com · 25/08/2026
It's natural to assume something really nefarious, but this is exactly how the presidential motorcade is transported to other countries. Of course, a surprise meeting with Putin in Moscow is nefarious enough. www.nbcnews.com/world/russia...
nbcnews.com
Mystery as U.S. military transport plane lands in Moscow
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not have information about the aircraft.
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Matthew Cheney @melikhovo.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
It's noteworthy how so many people who were screaming about learning loss caused by protections during a global pandemic are not screaming about learning loss caused by technologies that make billionaires wealthier.
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Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 21/08/2026
“Any politician who is not speaking about the role of Silicon Valley fascism in the destruction of our democracy is not someone who can be trusted.” Read “Silicon Valley’s Most Dangerous Innovation,” my interview with @capitalandmain.bsky.social capitalandmain.com/silicon-vall...
capitalandmain.com
Silicon Valley’s Most Dangerous Innovation
Author Gil Durán says the rise of ‘tech fascism’ is putting our democracy in peril – and asks us to imagine a world without billionaires.
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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I know there are lot of people who think voting does nothing to stop fascism, but I do notice that one group who seems to think voting does something to stop fascism are the fascists, who are trying to prevent it as much as possible.
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Norm Ornstein @normornstein.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
What we have in store next year, my latest newrepublic.com/article/2142...
newrepublic.com
The Republicans Are Going to Kill People—but Not Until After They Vote
In the Big Beautiful Bill, the GOP put off Medicaid cuts until after midterms. America is about to find out why.
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Khashoggi's Ghost @urocklive1.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I hope Tucker runs a third party campaign because he'll steal mostly Republican votes.
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
This story, as much as any you'll read, encapsulates how deeply Trump has poisoned the well of his own party. Even Mike Rogers -- as establishment a politician as you'd find anywhere -- has plunged himself into the sewer of election conspiracy theories. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/u...
nytimes.com
Michigan Senate Candidate, a Former Trump Critic, Shifts Toward Election Skepticism (Gift Article)
Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, has suggested that further scrutiny of the 2020 election was warranted and that voting irregularities sank his first Senate bid two years ago.
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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
"pastors lurking in the Capitol like lobbyists, intercepting members en route to votes and inviting them to Bible studies."
nytimes.com
A Democrat Sounds the Alarm on Christian Nationalism in Congress (Gift Article)
Representative Jared Huffman of California, the only self-declared “humanist” in Congress, writes in a new book that the separation of church and state is in grave danger.
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bjkeefe @bjkeefe.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
A good interview of @rephuffman.bsky.social. Thanks for the heads-up, John. Minor note: another reason to dislike Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Past 48 hours: @reuters.com @cnn.com @washingtonpost.com @nbcnews.com
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tomwellborn3rd @wellborn.net · 04/08/2026
A 60 Minutes probe into Epstein's banking, with Wyden already interviewed, vanished right after Sharyn Alfonsi got pushed out under Bari Weiss. Same editor who stalled the CECOT migrant story until Stephen Miller got a say. CBS keeps calling it timing. Sure looks like a pattern.
mediaite.com
60 Minutes Epstein Banking Story Vanished After CBS Ousted Sharyn Alfonsi, Dem Senator Reveals
Wyden revealed he was interviewed for the show in a Senate report alleging the country's largest banks turned “a blind eye” to Epstein's financial activity
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