Denise Lee
@dadavies.bsky.social
Writer, creative & technical. Lifelong learner, sometime teacher. Passionate about rule of law, democracy, women’s autonomy. And go Dawgs.
Reposted by Denise Lee
the magic of the Muppets is that there are two fourth walls. they constantly break the one that reminds the audience they are performers. they NEVER break the one that reminds the audience they are puppets. this dynamic is the key to their entire comedy style
MY KIDS: so why are there muppets in the AUDIENCE
ME: THE CONCEIT!! IS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING ON A VARIETY SHOW!!! IN A WORLD WHERE MUPPET AND HUMAN COEXIST!!! YOU ARE WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY!! FILMED!! IN REAL TIME!!!
ME: THE CONCEIT!! IS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING ON A VARIETY SHOW!!! IN A WORLD WHERE MUPPET AND HUMAN COEXIST!!! YOU ARE WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY!! FILMED!! IN REAL TIME!!!
February 8, 2026 at 6:22 AM
the magic of the Muppets is that there are two fourth walls. they constantly break the one that reminds the audience they are performers. they NEVER break the one that reminds the audience they are puppets. this dynamic is the key to their entire comedy style
Reposted by Denise Lee
Exactly. This wasn’t a slip, it was calibration. Trump pushed the Overton Window as far as it would go and the #BrokenTimes flinched instead of naming it. Open racism was the point, not the risk, and the Times proved it’ll normalize anything if said loud enough
Racism wasn’t exposed. It was deployed
Racism wasn’t exposed. It was deployed
February 8, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Exactly. This wasn’t a slip, it was calibration. Trump pushed the Overton Window as far as it would go and the #BrokenTimes flinched instead of naming it. Open racism was the point, not the risk, and the Times proved it’ll normalize anything if said loud enough
Racism wasn’t exposed. It was deployed
Racism wasn’t exposed. It was deployed
Reposted by Denise Lee
“Triple-tap” here means the IDF bombed the journalists at the hospital and then bombed emergency responders not once but TWICE:
There is simply no moral argument for allowing war criminals to compete at the Olympics.
February 8, 2026 at 4:56 PM
“Triple-tap” here means the IDF bombed the journalists at the hospital and then bombed emergency responders not once but TWICE:
Reposted by Denise Lee
This administration is one big national security threat.
Amid an ongoing standoff between Harvard and the White House, the Defense Department said it plans to cut ties with the Ivy League — ending military training, fellowships and certificate programs.
Pentagon says it's cutting ties with 'woke' Harvard, ending military training
Amid an ongoing standoff between Harvard and the White House, the Defense Department said it plans to cut ties with the Ivy League — ending military training, fellowships and certificate programs.
n.pr
February 8, 2026 at 4:57 PM
This administration is one big national security threat.
Reposted by Denise Lee
Attention Broward and Palm Beach voters!
Don’t forget there are local municipal elections in March. Only a few days left to ensure your voter registration is active. Free link here for important dates and information!
Every election matters.
Don’t forget there are local municipal elections in March. Only a few days left to ensure your voter registration is active. Free link here for important dates and information!
Every election matters.
Only a few days left to register to vote in Broward, Palm Beach county local elections. Here’s how.
The deadline to register to vote in the March 2026 city, town and village elections in Broward and Palm Beach counties is Monday, Feb. 9.
www.sun-sentinel.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Attention Broward and Palm Beach voters!
Don’t forget there are local municipal elections in March. Only a few days left to ensure your voter registration is active. Free link here for important dates and information!
Every election matters.
Don’t forget there are local municipal elections in March. Only a few days left to ensure your voter registration is active. Free link here for important dates and information!
Every election matters.
Reposted by Denise Lee
kind of funny that an olympian said they are here to represent "compassion, respect, and love for others" and some people automatically knew that was a statement against them
February 7, 2026 at 10:25 PM
kind of funny that an olympian said they are here to represent "compassion, respect, and love for others" and some people automatically knew that was a statement against them
Reposted by Denise Lee
I eagerly await FIRE's amicus brief and legal support on behalf of this HBCU.
February 8, 2026 at 4:39 PM
I eagerly await FIRE's amicus brief and legal support on behalf of this HBCU.
Reposted by Denise Lee
Conservatives Boycott All Forms Of Entertainment
Conservatives Boycott All Forms Of Entertainment
WASHINGTON—Decrying the un-American nature of any activity intended to provide amusement or the slightest bit of diversion, conservatives across the country announced an immediate boycott Tuesday of a...
theonion.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Conservatives Boycott All Forms Of Entertainment
Reposted by Denise Lee
Even as senior Trump officials cut vital foreign aid programs — in one case celebrating with cake afterward — they had been repeatedly warned that people would die.
Join ProPublica journalists for a conversation about the dismantling of USAID.
📌 RSVP and submit a question:
Join ProPublica journalists for a conversation about the dismantling of USAID.
📌 RSVP and submit a question:
ProPublica Event: Inside the Destruction of the U.S. Agency for International Development
Join ProPublica journalists for a conversation about the dismantling of U.S. foreign aid worldwide.
events.propublica.org
February 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Even as senior Trump officials cut vital foreign aid programs — in one case celebrating with cake afterward — they had been repeatedly warned that people would die.
Join ProPublica journalists for a conversation about the dismantling of USAID.
📌 RSVP and submit a question:
Join ProPublica journalists for a conversation about the dismantling of USAID.
📌 RSVP and submit a question:
Reposted by Denise Lee
Good morning! Taxing the wealth of the richest 1% of Americans down to the median wealth of the next-richest 9% ($5.2 million per household) would free up $48 trillion. Redistributing that to the poorest 50% of Americans would give *68 million households* an average of *$700k per household*.
February 8, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Good morning! Taxing the wealth of the richest 1% of Americans down to the median wealth of the next-richest 9% ($5.2 million per household) would free up $48 trillion. Redistributing that to the poorest 50% of Americans would give *68 million households* an average of *$700k per household*.
Reposted by Denise Lee
NEW: The Trump admin certainly put on a show last week about changing tactics in Minnesota after ICE agents killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse.
Trump even suggested it's time for "a softer touch."
Except residents say nothing has changed. At all. www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-mi...
Trump even suggested it's time for "a softer touch."
Except residents say nothing has changed. At all. www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-mi...
Trump Using A ‘Softer Touch’ With ICE In Minnesota? Residents Say Don’t Be Fooled.
Two weeks after Alex Pretti’s killing, federal agents have shown no signs of backing down. The resistance definitely hasn't.
www.huffpost.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:41 PM
NEW: The Trump admin certainly put on a show last week about changing tactics in Minnesota after ICE agents killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse.
Trump even suggested it's time for "a softer touch."
Except residents say nothing has changed. At all. www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-mi...
Trump even suggested it's time for "a softer touch."
Except residents say nothing has changed. At all. www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-mi...
Reposted by Denise Lee
I’ve seen commentators ask if two halftime shows mean we’re that polarized. As is often true, this polarization focus misses the mark. It papers over a fight over power, including cultural power, and whether it’s shared w/ppl who look & sound like Bad Bunny or monopolized by folks like Kid Rock.
February 8, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I’ve seen commentators ask if two halftime shows mean we’re that polarized. As is often true, this polarization focus misses the mark. It papers over a fight over power, including cultural power, and whether it’s shared w/ppl who look & sound like Bad Bunny or monopolized by folks like Kid Rock.
Reposted by Denise Lee
An Administration of, by and for rapists.
McGregor was found liable for sexual assault in 2024 and the jury ordered him to pay the victim $257,000. He lost all his appeals.
February 8, 2026 at 5:03 PM
An Administration of, by and for rapists.
Reposted by Denise Lee
😡 OH DEAR GOD.
CSR funding was ELIMINATED by the TRUMP Admin in 2017 when HIS Justice Dept. chose NOT to appeal a court decision IN REPUBLICANS FAVOR.
Furthermore, *reinstating* CSR funding would RAISE net premiums on millions of ACA enrollees while only reducing them for a few hundred thousand.
CSR funding was ELIMINATED by the TRUMP Admin in 2017 when HIS Justice Dept. chose NOT to appeal a court decision IN REPUBLICANS FAVOR.
Furthermore, *reinstating* CSR funding would RAISE net premiums on millions of ACA enrollees while only reducing them for a few hundred thousand.
BASH: Can you give me one specific example of a solution the president has put forward that is lowering healthcare costs, beyond prescription drugs?
DR OZ: There's something called a CSR
DR OZ: There's something called a CSR
February 8, 2026 at 4:47 PM
😡 OH DEAR GOD.
CSR funding was ELIMINATED by the TRUMP Admin in 2017 when HIS Justice Dept. chose NOT to appeal a court decision IN REPUBLICANS FAVOR.
Furthermore, *reinstating* CSR funding would RAISE net premiums on millions of ACA enrollees while only reducing them for a few hundred thousand.
CSR funding was ELIMINATED by the TRUMP Admin in 2017 when HIS Justice Dept. chose NOT to appeal a court decision IN REPUBLICANS FAVOR.
Furthermore, *reinstating* CSR funding would RAISE net premiums on millions of ACA enrollees while only reducing them for a few hundred thousand.
Reposted by Denise Lee
Put differently: If anger over elite impunity==>populism, & anger over Epstein cover-up==>release of docs, why isn't evidence of elite wrongdoing in the financial crisis, a major event in elite impunity timeline, driving outrage? Too easy to say "elite impunity" when docs released b/c of 2025 anger.
Dumb question: This scandal, considered seismic in Britain, is really about Mandelson leaking confidential, market-moving govt information to Epstein amid the 2008 financial crisis, which Epstein in turn passed to JP Morgan, including advice to Jamie Dimon.
Why is this not hitting Jamie Dimon?
Why is this not hitting Jamie Dimon?
BREAKING: Morgan McSweeney quits as Keir Starmer's chief of staff amid fall-out from the Mandelson scandal
February 8, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Put differently: If anger over elite impunity==>populism, & anger over Epstein cover-up==>release of docs, why isn't evidence of elite wrongdoing in the financial crisis, a major event in elite impunity timeline, driving outrage? Too easy to say "elite impunity" when docs released b/c of 2025 anger.
Reposted by Denise Lee
“It’s hard not to think America has seriously regressed in its fight against racism & the pursuit of inclusion and equality. But the outrage over Trump’s racist post is a sign that there are plenty of Americans who yearn for a more just, less hateful society.”
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
Can America Ever Overcome the Scourge of Racism?
A Saturday Prompt
www.americaamerica.news
February 8, 2026 at 3:34 PM
“It’s hard not to think America has seriously regressed in its fight against racism & the pursuit of inclusion and equality. But the outrage over Trump’s racist post is a sign that there are plenty of Americans who yearn for a more just, less hateful society.”
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
Reposted by Denise Lee
Watch in the coming years for the drumbeat to turn SNAP into a block grant, and remember what happened to TANF.
Same pattern: add so many administrative burdens that states say it would be easier to just take cash, and then fail to deliver that cash to the poor.
Same pattern: add so many administrative burdens that states say it would be easier to just take cash, and then fail to deliver that cash to the poor.
Good report here on how very little TANF funds actually go to supporting low income families. It has become a slush fund for states to spend on things that have little to do with program’s mission.
“How a $30 Billion Welfare Program Became a ‘Slush Fund’ for States”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
“How a $30 Billion Welfare Program Became a ‘Slush Fund’ for States”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
How a $30 Billion Welfare Program Became a ‘Slush Fund’ for States
Republicans and Democrats alike decry the lack of oversight for America’s famous antipoverty experiment.
www.wsj.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Watch in the coming years for the drumbeat to turn SNAP into a block grant, and remember what happened to TANF.
Same pattern: add so many administrative burdens that states say it would be easier to just take cash, and then fail to deliver that cash to the poor.
Same pattern: add so many administrative burdens that states say it would be easier to just take cash, and then fail to deliver that cash to the poor.
Reposted by Denise Lee
Trumpworld assumed MAGA-adjacent parts of the culture would thrill to ICE brutality. ICE recruits among fans of UFC, Nascar, military tactical equipment.
But even MAGA-friendly constituencies and parts of the culture are now rejecting ICE and mass deportations. 5/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
But even MAGA-friendly constituencies and parts of the culture are now rejecting ICE and mass deportations. 5/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
February 8, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Trumpworld assumed MAGA-adjacent parts of the culture would thrill to ICE brutality. ICE recruits among fans of UFC, Nascar, military tactical equipment.
But even MAGA-friendly constituencies and parts of the culture are now rejecting ICE and mass deportations. 5/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
But even MAGA-friendly constituencies and parts of the culture are now rejecting ICE and mass deportations. 5/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Reposted by Denise Lee
Celebrating 250 years of democracy by only allowing vassals willing to pay tribute an opportunity to speak to the King.
SCOOP: Freedom 250 — the group launched by Trump to oversee projects including the @UFC fight on the WH lawn & his arch overlooking DC — is offering access to him for donors who give $1M.
For $2.5M, donors are being offered the chance to speak at the national July 4 celebration. 🎁🔗
For $2.5M, donors are being offered the chance to speak at the national July 4 celebration. 🎁🔗
For $1 Million, Donors to U.S.A. Birthday Group Offered Access to Trump
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Celebrating 250 years of democracy by only allowing vassals willing to pay tribute an opportunity to speak to the King.
Reposted by Denise Lee
Historian here: “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody."
— Thomas Paine
— Thomas Paine
February 8, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Historian here: “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody."
— Thomas Paine
— Thomas Paine
Reposted by Denise Lee
”What turns people into radical jihadist clerics? A new book suggests thwarted career ambitions. A subset of Muslim clerics who advocate for jihad started out as mainstream clerics looking for state-sponsored jobs…only to become unemployed, disenchanted, and radicalized” news.mit.edu/2017/why-som...
February 8, 2026 at 3:43 AM
”What turns people into radical jihadist clerics? A new book suggests thwarted career ambitions. A subset of Muslim clerics who advocate for jihad started out as mainstream clerics looking for state-sponsored jobs…only to become unemployed, disenchanted, and radicalized” news.mit.edu/2017/why-som...
Reposted by Denise Lee
NEW: Leqaa Kordia — who’s been in ICE detention for nearly a year, since ICE took her the same week as Mahmoud Khalil — has been hospitalized after having a seizure.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
February 8, 2026 at 3:44 AM
NEW: Leqaa Kordia — who’s been in ICE detention for nearly a year, since ICE took her the same week as Mahmoud Khalil — has been hospitalized after having a seizure.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
Reposted by Denise Lee
Anne Frank died from a typhus epidemic that spread through the concentration camp where she was imprisoned.
Two active cases of tuberculosis and 18 cases of COVID-19 have been identified at a massive immigration detention center in El Paso, according to the local Democratic member of Congress.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/07/i...
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/07/i...
Two tuberculosis cases detected at Camp East Montana ICE facility
Eighteen cases of COVID-19 were also identified. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar on Friday visited the 5,000-bed tent facility on the Fort Bliss Army base and said she saw many "chronic issues."
www.texastribune.org
February 7, 2026 at 11:35 PM
Anne Frank died from a typhus epidemic that spread through the concentration camp where she was imprisoned.
Reposted by Denise Lee
every study of term limits shows that it makes pols less responsive to constituents and gives lots of power to staffers who have no commitment to constituents.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
If we had term limits for politicians, perhaps they'd spend more time caring about their constituents instead of kissing ass for reelection money from wealthy donors.
I often see ppl say things like, "this pol is only doing this thing/saying this because they think it will be popular"
which...yes? this is why politicians do things or say things.
which...yes? this is why politicians do things or say things.
February 8, 2026 at 2:57 AM
every study of term limits shows that it makes pols less responsive to constituents and gives lots of power to staffers who have no commitment to constituents.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
term limits are a shitty, counterproductive idea. I wish ppl woudl stop treating it like god's brainstorm.
Reposted by Denise Lee
Topol: The same thing occurs with all these wellness influencers—the latest being Peter Attia. There are hundreds and hundreds of these so-called longevity hackers. One cardinal rule I have is this: if somebody is selling something, they have no credibility. Zero.
February 8, 2026 at 3:34 AM
Topol: The same thing occurs with all these wellness influencers—the latest being Peter Attia. There are hundreds and hundreds of these so-called longevity hackers. One cardinal rule I have is this: if somebody is selling something, they have no credibility. Zero.