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violahowles.bsky.social

@violahowles.bsky.social
264 followers 65 following 108 posts
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
🚨BREAKING: The NAACP sued the Trump administration, seeking records about its plan to deploy roughly 1,000 federal personnel to polling places during the 2026 midterms. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
DOJ sued for records on ‘unprecedented’ plan to deploy 1,000 election monitors in midterms
DOJ's planned effort represents an extraordinary expansion of federal election monitoring. It has already sparked confrontations with state officials and concerns about voter intimidation.
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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
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
If a politician takes money from weapons manufacturers, don't be surprised when they back weapons contracts. If a politician takes money from Big Pharma, don't be surprised when they try to stop guaranteed healthcare. That's why I don't take ANY corporate money. None.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
DoorDash spent $1.4mn trying to stop Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor. This week's historic $131.5mn enforcement action against DoorDash for underpaying NYC delivery workers shows why. Yet another reminder that the only thing that can beat organized money is organized people.
theintercept.com
DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop Mamdani From Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why.
In a wage-theft settlement, DoorDash now has to pay its workers around 100 times what it spent trying to beat Zohran Mamdani.
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 25/09/2026
NEW: The Supreme Court revived the Trump administration's flawed citizenship database that's been used to erroneously kick eligible voters off the rolls ahead of the midterms. A total of 27 states voluntarily use the modified SAVE system — this is what it could mean for voters👇
democracydocket.com
The Supreme Court is letting Trump use a faulty database for purges. What it could mean for voters
The Trump administration said states made “some 60 million voter-verification queries" to its flawed SAVE system between January 2025 and April 2026.
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
JUST IN: A federal judge (Trump-appointed Stephanie Gallagher) has held the Trump administration in contempt for deporting a man to El Salvador in violation of three court orders. She's ordering the government to return him. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Please don't overreact to the SCOTUS SAVE database decision today Page 6 of the decision makes clear that we are in the 90 day statutory window when mass changes cannot be made to voter lists! Yeah it's a shit decision for the reasons the 3 dissenters say but we can deal with it. More to come...
nytimes.com
Supreme Court Allows Expansive Voter Screening Tool Ahead of Midterms (Gift Article)
Critics of the Trump administration system to monitor the citizenship status of voters had raised alarms about privacy and improper voter purges.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
We’re at the “shipping container courts” stage of ICE’s mass expansion of the enforcement system.
Each detention unit would sit on asphalt or concrete behind an office's existing security fence, with a counter for processing people and a separate holding area fitted with a toilet and sink for detainees according to the draft work statement.
The agency also wants a 300-square-foot unit for interviewing people in custody and a 60-square-foot "Virtual Immigration Court Unit" for hearings run by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Justice Department agency that operates the immigration courts.
Both must also be designed for their purpose before delivery.
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Frank Figliuzzi @frankfigliuzzi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A disgrace to the badge: Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
nytimes.com
Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules (Gift Article)
The California Supreme Court ordered Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County to return ballots to election officials after he confiscated them for an investigation.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
• A new private membership club in Washington, D.C., co-founded by Donald Trump Jr. is charging a $500,000 membership fee — and there’s already a waiting list. • The club, called Executive Branch, held a launch party on Saturday night that included at least a half dozen members of President
cnbc.com
Donald Trump Jr. co-founds new private members club, Executive Branch, with a $500,000 fee
Executive Branch held a launch party that included members of President Donald Trump's administration as well as wealthy CEOs, tech founders and policy experts.
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Barb McQuade @barbmcquade.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This, my friends, is gaslighting. Congress is the top three or four of all time only on abdicating its responsibilities. 
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Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
So to sum up a busy week in American politics: - Trump is a titanic f-ck up - He is far more a painted clown than a President - The country and the world have turned on him - The American people are ready to put Democrats back in power More 👇 www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/so-in-sum-...
hopiumchronicles.com
So, In Sum - Trump Is A Titanic F-ck Up, His Madness Is Getting Worse, American Voters Are Angry, And Are Ready Now To Put Us Back In Power
Trump had a very bad week and we had a very good one
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
What would Fox shows look like over the following several weeks and months if a Democratic president banned them from the WH because their coverage was biased? Is there anything else they would talk about?
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
So a Democratic president can ban Fox, Newsmax and other right-wing reporters from the WH and Republicans are good with that since they are apparently good with that precedent now?
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 19/09/2026
8/
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The US national average gas price was $3.82 on the day Trump posted this tweet. It is $4.47 today.
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violahowles.bsky.social @violahowles.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
So good! Make sure you vote!
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 17/09/2026
HHS wants to relax regulations on human subject research (The Common Rule). For example, they want to redefine “undue influence” on vulnerable human research subjects (children, prisoners, disabled, culturally disadvantaged). 1/
From the federal register: The foundational framework for human subjects protection in the United States was established by the National Research Act of 1974 in response to widespread public concern over unethical biomedical and behavioral research practices. Following its passage, the then-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare issued the first version of 45 CFR part 46. These regulations established institutional review boards (IRBs) as the key mechanism for oversight and ethical review of human subjects research. While these protections remain vital, the current regulatory framework no longer reflects the realities of modern research.
In 1991 the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, known as the Common Rule, was formally adopted by HHS and 15 other federal departments and agencies. Although the last major revision in 2017 introduced several changes to modernize human subject protections while reducing unnecessary regulatory burden, investigators and institutions have continued to report that the Common Rule imposes unnecessary burdens and unclear requirements, particularly for minimal-risk studies. For example, the Department has received feedback that applying the Common Rule remains cumbersome for research within Learning Healthcare Systems and for other research methods that are integrated into clinical care settings and are intended to improve the quality and safety of medical care.
Without additional changes intended to clarify ambiguities, expand flexibilities, and redirect protective measures toward high-risk activities, the rights and safety of research participants as well as scientific breakthroughs can be impeded. Examples of how this rulemaking will address these issues include expanding exemptions for certain additional types of low-risk research, incorporating flexibilities for de minimis protocol changes, and clarifying key terms such as the definition of undue influence. These reforms will reduce ambiguity and undue administr…
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Did Don Jr write this new rule?
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Why is it a "hostile act" for two countries to enter into peaceful trading relations? The answer is clear enough: because Trump has territorial aspirations with respect to one of them, Canada. www.ft.com/content/7b0f...
ft.com
Donald Trump suggests EU-Canada associate member deal would be ‘hostile act’
US president threatens to impose ‘very serious’ tariffs on the bloc if the measure is approved
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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A 'tidal wave' of forever chemicals are being pumped out to satisfy the AI industry, according to The Guardian. Nearly all of the 10 biggest manufacturers of Pfas are planning to increase production for use in semi-conductors and data center cooling systems.
theguardian.com
‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn
Big manufacturers planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from datacentres
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I wrote about who is actually making America “poorer and dirtier.” It’s not immigrants. (Gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Who is responsible for this terrible state of affairs? The opposition party and immigrants, apparently. Vance went on to say, “The Democrat legacy of the last few years was that they bankrupted our country and left us poor. They left our country weaker. They left our border wide open and our communities less safe.”

But this account represents a preposterous inversion. Almost every problem Vance lists, the Trump administration has made worse.

The administration’s environmental policies have made American water and air dirtier. Its health-care, tariff, and tax policies have worsened inflation and increased the financial burden on most American households, even as incomes have grown. And its public-health policies have led to outbreaks of contagious disease.
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Adam Klasfeld @klasfeldreports.com · 16/09/2026
Attorneys for Rep. Beatty want an emergency hearing about the Kennedy Center’s closure in “apparent violation of the Court’s order” — and they want a “high-level decisionmaker” at the Center to be required to attend. Doc: buff.ly/Ju8TZSm Background buff.ly/cwQv8g2
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
JUST IN: Attorneys for Rep. Joyce Beatty asked for an emergency hearing after a staffer was denied access to the Kennedy Center and told it was closed to the public. www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...
documentcloud.org
Kennedy Center Closed
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
They can self-regulate, says the guy who shares a porn accountability app with his son.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 16/09/2026
Trump’s handpicked Fed Chair just raised interest rates on him, stating inflation is just too high. Meltdown in 3…2… www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...
nbcnews.com
Fed raises interest rates for first time since 2023, defying Trump as inflation mounts
“The plain fact is that inflation is too high and has been for too long,” said Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This is insane. DOJ officials who by law are required to exercise independent judgment appear to have been ordered to overturn torture protections granted to a political opponent of a Trump ally, with a deportation flight fueled up and ready for their preordained decision made in less than 24 hours.
nytimes.com
U.S. Fast-Tracked Deportation of Ecuadorean Politician Despite Torture Fears
The removal of José Serrano, a critic of President Daniel Noboa who has been accused of criminal activity, underscores how the Trump administration has asserted control over U.S. immigration courts.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I don’t normally write about what ails me because I can’t imagine anything more boring for you to read. But I decided to tell you something about my health today that I’ve never before revealed because I want to help dispel some of the stigma attached to a condition I’ve had.
robertreich.substack.com
Subject to Fits
My epilepsy
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Shefali Luthra @shefali.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Big news: The family of Tierra Walker, who died after she couldn't get an abortion, is suing a slate of Texas actors in state court, including AG Ken Paxton. They say the state ban is unconstitutional. This is the first suit of its kind. 19thnews.org/2026/09/texa...
19thnews.org
Tierra Walker died after she couldn’t get an abortion. Her family is suing Ken Paxton
The case, filed Tuesday, argues that Texas’ near-total abortion ban violates the state and U.S. Constitutions, which “prohibit state actors from killing their citizens.”
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D. Earl Stephens @dearlstephens.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
📌NYT/Sienna Poll: 71 percent of voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the cost of living while 28 percent approve. Mark my words, bookmark it, whatever ... It is going to be an absolute BLOWOUT on Nov. 3.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The CNN investigation concludes that the devastation that was visited on 16 US military installations in the Gulf region was clearly possible because of Russian missile technology and guidance data supplied to Iran. That's the same folks who paid for Trump Jr's wedding party, by the way.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
CNN shows how Russia helped Iran to kill 18 Americans. edition.cnn.com/2026/09/16/w...
edition.cnn.com
CNN Investigates: Iran has improved targeting of US assets. Here’s how Russian satellites likely have helped | CNN
Fourteen Russian spy satellites moved over a US military base in Saudi Arabia two days before a devastating attack by Iran. The timing and sequencing of the spacecraft gave them access to a large spec...
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John Tomlinson @johntomlinson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
'Police are routinely searching the Flock database without providing any legitimate justification, making a mockery of our civil liberties by logging reasons like "LOL" (short for “laugh out loud”), "LMAO" (short for "laughing my ass off"), "sexy," and "idk"...' www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
eff.org
The High Crime of “LMAO”: How Cops Are Treating Mass Surveillance As a Joke
With no warrant requirements, limited guardrails, and deficient audit processes, ALPR databases have fostered a culture of unrestricted access to everyone’s location information. This culture of abuse...
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Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This is how we save money...or something something.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
While the available demographic data from the 19th century is pretty sketchy, it appears that the Anglophone white population of Texas has been pretty constant at between 35-38% of the total from 1847 to today. Texas has always been majority "minority." bsky.app/profile/nate...
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Swedish institute that tracks conformity of supposed democracies to actual democratic norms, IIDEA, concludes unsurprisingly that the United States is no longer much of a democracy... because it's become a kleptocracy. www.npr.org/2026/09/15/n...
npr.org
State of U.S. democracy reaches new low, report finds
A new global democracy report finds the U.S. at its lowest level of democratic performance in the 50 years it has been measured.
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Rightardia @rightardia.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Firefighters battling enormous wildfires in the United States say the federal government is failing them when supercharged blazes have made their jobs exponentially more dangerous. While the US continues to grapple with a critical shortage of federal firefighters . . .
theguardian.com
‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season
US grapples with federal firefighter shortage as crews say they’re spread thin and lack resources during unrelenting year of fire
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Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
CLARITY Act Fails in the Senate... it wasn't close. It was a humiliating loss for crypto cronies
open.substack.com
CLARITY Act Fails in the Senate
*PLUS* Democracy Defenders Action releases a new scorecard to help the public keep track of how members of Congress vote on these consequential bills
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Under Trump, ICE and CBP appear to actively recruit sex offenders. There's no other way to explain how the ranks have gotten so full of them. chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...
chicago.suntimes.com
CBP officer tells jury he met sex workers but 'never raped anyone' — then brags he 'got a good workout in'
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Luis Uribe spent a little more than an hour on a witness stand trying to explain himself Tuesday, as his trial nears its end. Prosecutors have accused Uribe ...
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The Marque @themarquepac.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We know what we’re up against. And we know what it will take to fight back. Help us expose the corruption, hold Trump and his enablers accountable, and take the fight directly to MAGA. Join the fight: secure.actblue.com/donate/thema...
secure.actblue.com
Donate to The Marque
Show your support with a contribution to The Marque
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Unlike the recipe for cheesy baked cauliflower, the editors of NYT concluded that the fact that the House voted to deauthorize the Iran War, with seven Republicans joining all Democrats, is just not reportable news.
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violahowles.bsky.social @violahowles.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“But Nancy Pelosi” 🙄
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 16/09/2026
🚨 NEW: PETA is blasting FBI Director Kash Patel over the bureau’s decision to lift a longtime ban on selecting new trainees who have engaged in bestiality. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk tells MeidasTouch: “Director Patel must immediately cancel this abominable misstep. It cannot happen.”
meidasnews.com
PETA Blasts Kash Patel Over FBI Bestiality Hiring Change: ‘It Cannot Happen’
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk is demanding FBI Director Kash Patel reverse the controversial policy change, calling the prospect of an agent who engaged in bestiality “unconscionable and unacceptable.”
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
My good friend @rickwilson.bsky.social and I have teamed up by forming a PAC that—we promise, and I think he and I are pretty credible on things like this—will cause a great deal of (very good) trouble. Hope you'll take a look, follow, and help.
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violahowles.bsky.social @violahowles.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Whoa! Just stop and think about this for a minute. It is insane.
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HELL Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 15/09/2026
Patel on people who have engaged in bestiality: "I eliminated the bureaucracy that prevented these great Americans from serving." I still can't believe the quote even after triple checking.
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violahowles.bsky.social @violahowles.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Uhh…no, I believe Biden’s economy was named “the envy of the world”
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HELL Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 15/09/2026
Calling it: this is the straw that breaks the camel's back with Trump. The sweet, gentle, so very soft camel.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 15/09/2026
some chud interviewing for patel’s FBI: “if anything the goat fucked *me*”
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Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
What the fuck man
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