Cassie Schmitt
@cassieschmitt.bsky.social
Info pro w/focus on data, governance, equity & inclusion. Baker, outdoor lover, baseball fan, new quilter & @umsi alum.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
So for months they have tried to blame the entire fentanyl crisis on Venezuela and the indictment only mentions cocaine, which they pardoned a different guy for weeks ago
January 3, 2026 at 2:03 PM
So for months they have tried to blame the entire fentanyl crisis on Venezuela and the indictment only mentions cocaine, which they pardoned a different guy for weeks ago
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
It's illegal for the president to relieve student loan debt. It's completely fine for the president to unilaterally decide to have the head of a foreign nation black bagged on foreign soil.
January 3, 2026 at 2:36 PM
It's illegal for the president to relieve student loan debt. It's completely fine for the president to unilaterally decide to have the head of a foreign nation black bagged on foreign soil.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
"Congress" as described by civics classes, law professors, Democrats, and libertarians — an independent branch capable of executing designated responsibilities irrespective of the partisan balance of power — does not exist. It is a fiction. Every time these things happen, more Americans see that.
January 3, 2026 at 3:41 PM
"Congress" as described by civics classes, law professors, Democrats, and libertarians — an independent branch capable of executing designated responsibilities irrespective of the partisan balance of power — does not exist. It is a fiction. Every time these things happen, more Americans see that.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Are we supposed to call our reps and tell them we don’t like when the president engages in overt war crimes, or can we trust them to get there on their own?
January 3, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Are we supposed to call our reps and tell them we don’t like when the president engages in overt war crimes, or can we trust them to get there on their own?
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
January 3, 2026 at 3:34 PM
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
CNN commentator just now: "You have to congratulate the administration on keeping this quiet".
The news media is a huge contributor to the rise of unlawful tyranny.
The news media is a huge contributor to the rise of unlawful tyranny.
January 3, 2026 at 3:52 PM
CNN commentator just now: "You have to congratulate the administration on keeping this quiet".
The news media is a huge contributor to the rise of unlawful tyranny.
The news media is a huge contributor to the rise of unlawful tyranny.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
I am reminded here to tap the sign encouraging you all to support independent, worker run, billionaire free newsrooms how and where you are able
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump reut.rs/3YWbo3K
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump
Nicolas Maduro ruled Venezuela with a heavy hand for more than 12 years, presiding over deep economic and social crises and resisting pressure from domestic opponents and foreign governments for political change.
reut.rs
January 3, 2026 at 2:35 PM
I am reminded here to tap the sign encouraging you all to support independent, worker run, billionaire free newsrooms how and where you are able
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
part of the genius of his major campaign ideas is that they can be deployed fairly quickly as tangible deliverables. they can help him build trust with voters as someone who does what he says he will do. and trust goes a long way!
I think people are underestimating how much Mamdani, even more so than your average elected leftist, see it as his top priority to not be seen as a failed mayor. He is not going to be another Brandon Johnson, I’d wager
January 1, 2026 at 8:20 PM
part of the genius of his major campaign ideas is that they can be deployed fairly quickly as tangible deliverables. they can help him build trust with voters as someone who does what he says he will do. and trust goes a long way!
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Mamdani: Where else can you hear the sound of the steel pan, savor the smell of sancocho, and pay $9 for coffee on the same block? Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?
January 1, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Mamdani: Where else can you hear the sound of the steel pan, savor the smell of sancocho, and pay $9 for coffee on the same block? Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
They're going to *throw out* one-of-a-kind NASA archives?!
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
December 31, 2025 at 7:55 PM
They're going to *throw out* one-of-a-kind NASA archives?!
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
A more detailed account of the purchase by @ricksteves.bsky.social of a neighborhood hygiene center, his plans to help improve it further, and him calling out a failure to support vulnerable people. What a mensch. Be Rick.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Rick Steves buys ‘the most beautiful Christmas present’ for homeless neighbors
Five years after the Lynnwood Hygiene Center opened, serving hundreds in poverty, the landlord planned to sell. Steves stepped in to buy it.
www.seattletimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:33 PM
A more detailed account of the purchase by @ricksteves.bsky.social of a neighborhood hygiene center, his plans to help improve it further, and him calling out a failure to support vulnerable people. What a mensch. Be Rick.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW OPEN on prohibiting gender affirming care for young people.
Flood 'em with comments!
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Flood 'em with comments!
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children
This proposed rule would require that a State Medicaid plan must provide that the Medicaid agency will not make payment under the plan for sex-rejecting procedures for children under 18 and prohibit t...
www.federalregister.gov
December 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM
PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW OPEN on prohibiting gender affirming care for young people.
Flood 'em with comments!
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Flood 'em with comments!
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Republicans outright REFUSED to stop your health care premiums from skyrocketing in January—and now, millions of Americans are being kicked off their health care coverage altogether.
December 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Republicans outright REFUSED to stop your health care premiums from skyrocketing in January—and now, millions of Americans are being kicked off their health care coverage altogether.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
The scale of the proposed ICE camps is similar to that of the racist 1940s incarceration of Japanese American immigrants and their families.
There's ways to stop the camps - a reason there aren't any planned for California may be the organized opposition of local activists and leaders.
There's ways to stop the camps - a reason there aren't any planned for California may be the organized opposition of local activists and leaders.
We have to find ways to stop these concentration camps.
December 24, 2025 at 10:32 PM
The scale of the proposed ICE camps is similar to that of the racist 1940s incarceration of Japanese American immigrants and their families.
There's ways to stop the camps - a reason there aren't any planned for California may be the organized opposition of local activists and leaders.
There's ways to stop the camps - a reason there aren't any planned for California may be the organized opposition of local activists and leaders.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
NEWS: The Trump admin has quietly implemented a near-total BAN on abortion care at VA, even in cases of rape or incest.
This is yet another attack on reproductive freedom and a profound betrayal of veterans who put their lives on the line for our country. Shameful.
This is yet another attack on reproductive freedom and a profound betrayal of veterans who put their lives on the line for our country. Shameful.
Department of Veterans Affairs quietly implements abortion ban
A VA spokesperson confirmed to MS NOW that the ban was in place following a Department of Justice memo issued last week.
www.ms.now
December 23, 2025 at 9:56 PM
NEWS: The Trump admin has quietly implemented a near-total BAN on abortion care at VA, even in cases of rape or incest.
This is yet another attack on reproductive freedom and a profound betrayal of veterans who put their lives on the line for our country. Shameful.
This is yet another attack on reproductive freedom and a profound betrayal of veterans who put their lives on the line for our country. Shameful.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
I received a thank you from some library workers for this piece after a Chicago city budget was passed this week without the previously proposed library cuts I described here. Many thanks to everyone who made noise about this issue. There were wins and losses in this budget, but this win matters.
You Can’t Fight Fascism While Defunding Libraries
“Libraries embody everything that we need right now to fight back against fascism," says Sara Heymann.
organizingmythoughts.org
December 23, 2025 at 4:25 PM
I received a thank you from some library workers for this piece after a Chicago city budget was passed this week without the previously proposed library cuts I described here. Many thanks to everyone who made noise about this issue. There were wins and losses in this budget, but this win matters.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Brett Kavanaugh (September 2025): The facts and how they relate to the law don’t matter. Assume ICE and other federal forces always act with integrity, always respect rights, and consistently impose minimal burden.
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Kavanaugh in a footnote in today's opinion says "the officers must not make interior immigration stops or arrests based on race or ethnicity."
December 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Brett Kavanaugh (September 2025): The facts and how they relate to the law don’t matter. Assume ICE and other federal forces always act with integrity, always respect rights, and consistently impose minimal burden.
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Brett Kavanaugh (December 2025): Should I not have done that? Was that wrong?
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
This means the VA won't cover abortions EVEN in the case of rape, incest, or serious threat to the health of the patient.
The DOJ memo was authored by Josh Craddock, one of the chief legal advocates for fetal personhood, i.e. imposing a nationwide abortion ban through the courts.
The DOJ memo was authored by Josh Craddock, one of the chief legal advocates for fetal personhood, i.e. imposing a nationwide abortion ban through the courts.
🚨🚨 SCOOP @ms.now : The Department of Veteran Affairs has quietly implemented its abortion ban following a DOJ memo issued last week.
This will affect 9 million veterans and their dependents, and has been a long time coming: It was outlined in Project 2025.
Read/share 👇
This will affect 9 million veterans and their dependents, and has been a long time coming: It was outlined in Project 2025.
Read/share 👇
Department of Veterans Affairs quietly implements abortion ban
A VA spokesperson confirmed to MS NOW that the ban was in place following a Department of Justice memo issued last week.
www.ms.now
December 23, 2025 at 7:18 PM
This means the VA won't cover abortions EVEN in the case of rape, incest, or serious threat to the health of the patient.
The DOJ memo was authored by Josh Craddock, one of the chief legal advocates for fetal personhood, i.e. imposing a nationwide abortion ban through the courts.
The DOJ memo was authored by Josh Craddock, one of the chief legal advocates for fetal personhood, i.e. imposing a nationwide abortion ban through the courts.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Congresswoman Dexter and I are at the Tacoma ICE Detention Center to do our Congressional Oversight duty and make sure ICE is following the law.
December 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Congresswoman Dexter and I are at the Tacoma ICE Detention Center to do our Congressional Oversight duty and make sure ICE is following the law.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
60 Minutes journalist Sharyn Alfonsi sharply summarizes the appalling decision of Bari Weiss not to run her CECOT story: “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.”
December 22, 2025 at 2:46 PM
60 Minutes journalist Sharyn Alfonsi sharply summarizes the appalling decision of Bari Weiss not to run her CECOT story: “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.”
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Now seems like a swell time to point out that Frontline just released this excellent 11-minute mini-documentary about what happened inside CECOT.
Surviving CECOT (full documentary) | Deported to a Maximum-Security Prison | FRONTLINE + ProPublica
YouTube video by FRONTLINE PBS | Official
m.youtube.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Now seems like a swell time to point out that Frontline just released this excellent 11-minute mini-documentary about what happened inside CECOT.
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
One of the more important stock-taking moments to watch a bootlegged news program censored in your country.
December 23, 2025 at 12:12 AM
One of the more important stock-taking moments to watch a bootlegged news program censored in your country.
The doctors are the ones who have said children need vaccines in childhood!! No need to defer to individual ones!
December 20, 2025 at 1:08 AM
The doctors are the ones who have said children need vaccines in childhood!! No need to defer to individual ones!
Reposted by Cassie Schmitt
Every legal story now is either
Ancient Circuit Judge Delivers Crystal Clear 100 Page Rebuke To Trumpist Overreach
or
In Unsigned Shadow Docket Decision, 6-3 Majority Declares Trump Can Hunt People For Sport
Ancient Circuit Judge Delivers Crystal Clear 100 Page Rebuke To Trumpist Overreach
or
In Unsigned Shadow Docket Decision, 6-3 Majority Declares Trump Can Hunt People For Sport
October 3, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Every legal story now is either
Ancient Circuit Judge Delivers Crystal Clear 100 Page Rebuke To Trumpist Overreach
or
In Unsigned Shadow Docket Decision, 6-3 Majority Declares Trump Can Hunt People For Sport
Ancient Circuit Judge Delivers Crystal Clear 100 Page Rebuke To Trumpist Overreach
or
In Unsigned Shadow Docket Decision, 6-3 Majority Declares Trump Can Hunt People For Sport