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Weston Abney

@westonabney.bsky.social
216 followers 251 following 568 posts

President of AFSCME Local 96. Just some guy. Posts do not reflect employer's positions.

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Reposted by Weston Abney
Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 6h
Employers worldwide are pulling back on AI as they navigate a flood of errors and low-quality work that sap employee time, raise privacy and security risks, and drive up costs
theguardian.com
Companies rushed in on AI. Now some are pulling back
Rapid AI adoption left workers cleaning up a flood of errors and low-quality work
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Eric McD | Hill @ NPR @ericm.cd · 1h
NEWS: Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was among the offices targeted. His statement to me:
“My office is in touch with the FBI, U.S. Postal Service and Senate security officials following a suspicious package the U.S. Postal Service intercepted before reaching our office. Thankfully, no threat was posed to my staff or our office.

“Still, this incident is a stark reminder of the very real dangers facing those who serve the public and who help administer our elections in the face of increasingly hostile political rhetoric – especially from Donald Trump. We must remain vigilant as we head further into the midterm elections and invest in a strong, well-funded Postal Service that has the resources to protect its workers, safeguard the mail, and reliably serve the American people.

“I am grateful to the law enforcement officers and postal workers who acted quickly, and I will continue to work to keep our elected officials, our election workers, and our democracy safe.”
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Reposted by Weston Abney
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 9h
President Trump has lifted U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel fuel. Is it legal, what will it actually do, and what does it say about the administration’s shifting posture on Russia and Ukraine? On Lawfare Daily, On Lawfare Daily, Scott R. Anderson talks with Rachel Alpert and Peter Harrell. 🎧
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 23h
Is it weird that Facebook is baking the bubble into it's tax strategy?
Since it began applying the credit to the costs of its A.I. data centers and their expensive computer chips, Meta has become the largest claimant of the research tax credit in the United States, using it to knock off nearly $4 billion from its tax bill last year, and $2 billion the year before.

Tax experts told The Times that the credit is intended for projects that have technical uncertainties and might fail, such as the mini data center on a satellite that Google is sending to space. Meta’s characterizing the A.I. data centers it is building on thousands of acres across the country as experimental is “kind of wild and out there,” Andre Shevchuck, a partner at the tax advisory firm BPM, told The Times.
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Reposted by Weston Abney
Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
back in the olden days DOJ would investigate a particular crime it believed had been committed, rather than just poking around to see if anything was wrong
The investigation is seeking information to see where it leads, the source said. For example, if records, representations related to age and immigration status contain false information, that would provide material for investigators to scrutinize further. They could also examine communications related to such matters.
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Been slapping these up around campus. State of Iowa employees need to recertify their union representation every. Single. Year. Not voting is counted as a No! Cast your ballot as soon as you can (because I'm going to start calling folks who haven't voted)!
A sticker pad reading:

Vote Yes! Recertify AFSCME to Protect Your Pay!

Go to https://vote.yeselections.com/iaeab/ to cast your vote!
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Reposted by Weston Abney
United Wizards of the Coast - CWA @uwotc-official.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Yesterday, Wizards informed us that it doesn’t intend to voluntarily recognize the D&D or Studio X units of our union ahead of a vote. We remain committed to creating a workplace focused on wellness, transparency, and collaboration by winning our coming election.
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United Wizards of the Coast - CWA @uwotc-official.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
If you’d like to join us in calling on leadership to reconsider yesterday’s decision and help us build a better Wizards together, you can encourage them to do so by signing our petition and sharing it! actionnetwork.org/forms/uwotcp...
actionnetwork.org
Stand with Dungeons & Dragons and Magic Workers Forming a Union!
The Dungeons & Dragons team and Studio X (Magic: The Gathering; Duel Masters) are forming a union! We are joining the ranks of United Wizards of the Coast - CWA (UWOTC-CWA) and following in the…
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
LURIA: “.. If the AI cycle sputters, Coreweave is going to be the first to go, its equity value is going to ZERO. The reason is, it’s a poster child for bad behavior. For borrowing at very high rates to build a speculative asset.” $CRWV
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
If this winds up being a bubble, and if - as @kairyssdal.bsky.social says - the stock market is currently driving the economy, then when this bubble pops it's going to cause a LOT of damage.
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Reposted by Weston Abney
The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 14/10/2026
⚡️Zelensky says he feels betrayed over Trump-Russia deal. "It's painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side," Zelensky said in an interview with British host Piers Morgan.
kyivindependent.com
Zelensky says he feels betrayed over Trump-Russia deal
"It's painful when President Trump chooses one ‌side, not our ⁠side," Zelensky said in an interview with British host Piers Morgan.
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Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink has been restricted without warning, according to the presidential office, severely disrupting several military missions.
kyivindependent.com
'This cannot be a coincidence' — Ukraine's Starlink access restricted without warning, Zelensky adviser says
Ukraine relies on Starlink to operate its mid-strike drones in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
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Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
US consumer prices rose 3.7% in September from a year earlier. www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi....
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Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
"The Pentagon has named one of its own public affairs officials to run the publication Stars & Stripes, and he will keep his Pentagon job while doing it. This places a single official inside both the office that shapes the military's message, and the newsroom charged with covering it independently"
military.com
Pentagon PR Official Takes Over Stars and Stripes Months After Editor, Publisher Kicked Out
Christian Devine, an executive director and principal adviser in the Pentagon's public affairs office, was appointed weeks after terminations.
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
A friend of mine has a good writeup:
gossip-reading-club.ghost.io
Some Thoughts on Shane Gillis and the Business of Hating Women
When being bad at your job makes you rich.
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Reposted by Weston Abney
Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 14/10/2026
Advisory comes amid growing concern about the devices being used to secretly record girls and women.
aljazeera.com
EU watchdog urges smart glasses to clearly signal when recording
Advisory comes amid growing concern about the devices being used to secretly record girls and women.
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Stars and Stripes @starsandstripes.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
The archbishop who oversees the U.S military's Catholic community has condemned plans to livestream the execution of former Army officer Nidal Hasan and urged any Catholic service members assigned to carry out the sentence to seek exemption. From Stars and Stripes' Phillip Walter Wellman:
stripes.com
Catholic archbishop opposes livestream of Fort Hood shooter’s execution
Broadcasting Nidal Hasan’s execution would undermine human dignity and risk turning his death into a spectacle, Archbishop Timothy Broglio said.
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Iowa Capital Dispatch @iowacapitaldispatch.com · 14/10/2026
After an incredibly wet September with just a handful of days suitable for field work, the first full week of October brought drier, warmer conditions that allowed farmers to make some progress on corn and soybean harvests, Cami Koons reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/10/13/w...
iowacapitaldispatch.com
With drier weather, farmers make some progress on harvest • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Farmers to made some progress on corn and soybean crop harvest thanks to warm and drier weather conditions.
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Reposted by Weston Abney
NPR @npr.org · 12/10/2026
Nearly $22 million in taxpayers funds has been spent to air the ads, with nearly half spent after Trump promised to fund what the White House calls public service announcements through his super PAC. n.pr/4e35Z2U
n.pr
Government spent $10 million on pro-Trump ads after president said super PAC would fund
Nearly $22 million in taxpayers funds has been spent to air the ads, with nearly half spent after Trump promised to fund what the White House calls public service announcements through his super PAC.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11/10/2026
The Pentagon has again quietly raised the number of U.S. casualties during operations related to the Iran war. The military now is reporting that 21 U.S. service members have been killed, up from 18, and 865 have been wounded, up by 98 since August.
nyti.ms
Pentagon Again Increases Number of U.S. Casualties in Iran War
In an unannounced change, the Defense Department is now acknowledging troops who died or were wounded in support roles.
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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Executing a search warrant while early voting is underway in Minnesota, on an old, moldy "crime" is all you need to know about the motivation here. Absolutely no reason not to wait until the second week of November. It's abundantly clear that this is about politics, not a legitimate prosecution.
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Vanity Fair @vanityfair.com · 12/10/2026
"It turns out that you can deploy secret police onto American streets. You can deport immigrants in defiance of the courts. You can have the Justice Department badger your enemies. And you can become very rich while doing it."
vanityfair.visitlink.me
How Donald Trump Made Himself Into The Dominant American Of Our Age
The 45th and 47th president has been called consequential, imaginative, influential—sometimes for better, mostly for worse. Ta-Nehisi Coates takes it one beat further in a bid to examine just how pivo...
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
The FT, with the data.
Chart showing US diesel prices soaring from the start of the Iran War
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Micah @rincewind.run · 10/10/2026
if your agents are going to commit crimes, you are legally responsible if you cannot figure out how to prevent your agents from doing crimes, you’re going to have to choose between releasing them and protecting yourself from criminal liability imo this would do more for “ai safety” than a sex cult
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Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
This Day in Labor History: October 11, 1979. OSHA fined the chemical company American Cyanamid $10,000 for coercing women workers into sterilization if they wanted to work in jobs where they would be exposed to lead and chemicals. Let's talk how companies forced women to be sterilized in the 70s!
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Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
A company executive stated, “We don’t allow children in the workplace and we shouldn’t allow a fetus in the workplace.” So the company pressured the women into sterilization. At least five agreed, all between the ages of 26 and 43.
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Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Even the moderate OSHA fine was appealed by the company and set aside in 1981.
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
…over what period of time?
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Reposted by Weston Abney
Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
1) it’s great the times painstakingly attempted to document how much this had grown 2) and also how do you do the article about HOW this is happening without addressing WHY? What CAUSED this uptick? Did you try to figure that out?
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
What if, alternatively, we PAID firefighters?
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Clear standard that government cannot compel speech, so good luck.
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
But only one has a university.
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
This would make the next bear market an economic catastrophe.
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Reposted by Weston Abney
Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
This looks like a carjacking. I think any reasonable person would hit the gas.
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United Farm Workers @ufw.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
"John" is an H-2A worker harvesting apples in Western NY. "We spend our day climbing up and down ladders, filling up a 30-40lb bag full of apples. Because of the Trump wage cuts we're earning less this year than in the past for the same thing. That isn't fair." #WeFeedYou
A New York apple orchard
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NPR @npr.org · 10/10/2026
It has been one year since Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages and President Trump promised an end to the war, but Palestinians say the past 12 months have been a ceasefire in name only. n.pr/47hkjkD
n.pr
A year of ceasefire in Gaza through the lens of NPR's reporter
It has been one year since Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages and President Trump promised an end to the war, but Palestinians say the past 12 months have been a ceasefire in name only.
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Catching up on house maintenance: sweeping, mopping, union literature and sign making for the No Kings protest next weekend, dishes, lawn mowing.
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Weston Abney @westonabney.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Government work used to be prestigious. Highly paid, well rewarded, well respected. Professional careers. Now it's… whatever this is.
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Mohamed A. El-Erian @elerianm.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Still on what would have been deemed unlikely if not unthinkable not so long ago... 👇🏼 #economy #markets #energy
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Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
This Day in Labor History: October 9, 1961. The Supreme Court refused to review a Tennessee state Supreme Court order revoking the charter of the Highlander Folk School. Let's talk about this legendary space of radical labor and civil rights organizing in the rural South!
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Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
While Highlander played an invaluable role in helping to organize the South’s workers, it became far more famous for its civil rights organizing. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King trained there. So did John Lewis and Julian Bond. People such as Septima Clark taught there.
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Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
It was here where Guy Carawan reworked the old spiritual “We Shall Overcome” to create the anthem of the civil rights movement.
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NPR @npr.org · 09/10/2026
South African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay wins the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing human rights and international law. n.pr/4hOI08y
n.pr
South African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay wins the Nobel Peace Prize
South African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay wins the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing human rights and international law.
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 09/10/2026
She is a judge on the International Court of Justice
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Lauren McGaughy @lmcgaughy.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Scoop: In 2014, Ken Paxton sat for a deposition where federal lawyers quizzed him about his growing wealth and investment tactics. The depo has never been made public. We got a copy. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/u...
nytimes.com
Inside Ken Paxton’s Private Testimony About His Money
A leaked deposition from a fraud inquiry in 2014 provides insight into the Senate candidate’s growing wealth and his tactics for defending himself.
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Eric Levai @ericlevai.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Now THIS is how you write a story. Devastating.
Screenshot from this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/us/politics/fort-hood-execution-streamed-public.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HVE.Rw7O.Sj-0_s5YONzL&smid=nytcore-android-share
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 09/10/2026
Trump encouraged Minnesotans to “fight back” and said the federal government “will come to your rescue.” The Star Tribune has asked the White House for clarification on the remarks but has not heard back.
startribune.com
Trump makes more inflammatory comments on Somali community in Minnesota
The immigrant community has been a frequent target of the president. Governor Walz pushed back against the comments.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 08/10/2026
a livestreamed execution is just a lynching
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Whoa. @haleaziz.bsky.social has the scoop on a truly insane plan to use some military training ships for deportations, with people presumably shackled or locked in cells for days at a time as they transit to Central and South America. Each journey would be staggeringly expensive — and dangerous.
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Considers Using Ships to Deport Immigrants (Gift Article)
Journeys to destinations including El Salvador and Venezuela could take days and cost millions. Officials cautioned that discussions are still preliminary.
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AFL-CIO @aflcio.org · 08/10/2026
“Suck it up.” That’s what Ken Paxton says to us when he threatens to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Working people don’t need more cuts to our essential services. Texans need @jamestalarico.bsky.social who will fight to protect our retirement security and health care.
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