John Refior
@johnrefior.bsky.social
Supporter of progressive economic policy. Aspiring small business owner. Volunteer lawyer. Amateur economist. Software developer.
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#BLM #economics #TIARA
https://johnrefior.com
https://hachyderm.io/@jrefior
https://www.trumpisarussianasset.info
—
#BLM #economics #TIARA
https://johnrefior.com
https://hachyderm.io/@jrefior
https://www.trumpisarussianasset.info
Pinned
John Refior
@johnrefior.bsky.social
· Nov 24
The SALT tax deduction is a handout to the rich. It should be eliminated not expanded | Brookings
Rather than seeking to remove the cap on the SALT deduction, policymakers would do better to consider steps towards the removal of the deduction itself.
www.brookings.edu
So, you're in favor of taxing the rich, eh?
Do you really mean it, or is it just something you post on Bluesky?
Because if you really mean it, you should be a zealous advocate for higher property taxes, and a vehement opponent of the SALT deduction.
A short 🧵
Do you really mean it, or is it just something you post on Bluesky?
Because if you really mean it, you should be a zealous advocate for higher property taxes, and a vehement opponent of the SALT deduction.
A short 🧵
Reposted by John Refior
Solar PV is so much of an economic no-brainer these days, it's transcending even today's politics.
February 19, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Solar PV is so much of an economic no-brainer these days, it's transcending even today's politics.
Reposted by John Refior
(waves tiny American flag) 🗽
Man Opposing Data Center Arrested for Speaking Slightly Too Long
An Oklahoma man tried to talk about a data center coming to his community. Police arrested him when he went a few seconds over his time limit.
www.404media.co
February 19, 2026 at 8:39 PM
(waves tiny American flag) 🗽
Reposted by John Refior
U.S. taxpayers pay for FBI chief to take government jet to go to Italy to watch hockey. Via CBS
FBI Director Kash Patel, ice hockey superfan, takes agency jet to Olympic hockey finals in Italy, sources say
Patel took an FBI jet to Italy and plans to watch the Men's USA Olympic hockey team compete in the medal rounds, multiple sources said.
www.cbsnews.com
February 19, 2026 at 8:42 PM
U.S. taxpayers pay for FBI chief to take government jet to go to Italy to watch hockey. Via CBS
Reposted by John Refior
This gives you a sense of scale of the Trump admin's new refugee detention policy; they are claiming that all 100,000 of these lawfully present refugees MUST be arrested and detained for "re-vetting" and interrogation about their status.
Approximately 100,000 refugees are awaiting determinations on their applications for adjustment of status.
February 19, 2026 at 8:41 PM
This gives you a sense of scale of the Trump admin's new refugee detention policy; they are claiming that all 100,000 of these lawfully present refugees MUST be arrested and detained for "re-vetting" and interrogation about their status.
Reposted by John Refior
Prince Andrew arrested over Epstein ties on the same day South Korea’s ex-president was jailed for life for attempting a coup.
Lord, I have seen what you’ve done for others 🙏🙏
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Lord, I have seen what you’ve done for others 🙏🙏
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Yoon Suk Yeol: South Korea's ex-president jailed for life over martial law attempt
Yoon Suk Yeol's December 2024 martial law bid fundamentally damaged South Korea's democracy, a judge told the court.
www.bbc.com
February 19, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Prince Andrew arrested over Epstein ties on the same day South Korea’s ex-president was jailed for life for attempting a coup.
Lord, I have seen what you’ve done for others 🙏🙏
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Lord, I have seen what you’ve done for others 🙏🙏
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by John Refior
Kinda weird that the party that controls the House, the Senate, and the White House claims there's rampant voter fraud.
February 19, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Kinda weird that the party that controls the House, the Senate, and the White House claims there's rampant voter fraud.
Reposted by John Refior
Hmm. The US is giving $10 billion in taxpayer dollars, not appropriated by Congress, to a fake board set up by the President and which he put himself in charge of *for life*... seems very, very illegal.
Trump: "I want to let you know that United States is going to make a contribution of $10 billion to the Board of Peace." (Congress has not appropriated this money!)
February 19, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Hmm. The US is giving $10 billion in taxpayer dollars, not appropriated by Congress, to a fake board set up by the President and which he put himself in charge of *for life*... seems very, very illegal.
Reposted by John Refior
Trump v. United States is an illegitimate decision.
February 19, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Trump v. United States is an illegitimate decision.
Reposted by John Refior
BBC plans David Attenborough celebration for 100th birthday www.bbc.com/news/article...
Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday to be marked by BBC with special programmes
The corporation will look back on the veteran wildlife broadcaster's career for his birthday in May.
www.bbc.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:04 PM
BBC plans David Attenborough celebration for 100th birthday www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by John Refior
So SCOTUS, with its fabricated-out-of-thin-air immunity doctrine, has actually made American presidents less accountable than LITERAL royalty.
Breaking News: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested in Britain on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his links to Jeffrey Epstein, the BBC said.
UK Police Arrest Former Prince Andrew Over Epstein Ties: Live Updates
The British police on Thursday arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of criminal activity linked to the Epstein files.
nyti.ms
February 19, 2026 at 10:50 AM
So SCOTUS, with its fabricated-out-of-thin-air immunity doctrine, has actually made American presidents less accountable than LITERAL royalty.
Reposted by John Refior
This freaks me out to hear it from a respected lawmaker (Rep. Ted Lieu, CA 36).
Protect this man.
www.c-span.org/clip/news-co...
Protect this man.
www.c-span.org/clip/news-co...
February 19, 2026 at 12:34 AM
This freaks me out to hear it from a respected lawmaker (Rep. Ted Lieu, CA 36).
Protect this man.
www.c-span.org/clip/news-co...
Protect this man.
www.c-span.org/clip/news-co...
Reposted by John Refior
"An Associated Press reporter was beaten by the police and detained along with three other journalists on Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on a secretive Trump administration program to deport migrants to the Central African country, according to two of the people detained." (gift link)
Journalists Arrested in Cameroon While Reporting on Trump’s Secretive Deportation Program
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 11:10 PM
"An Associated Press reporter was beaten by the police and detained along with three other journalists on Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on a secretive Trump administration program to deport migrants to the Central African country, according to two of the people detained." (gift link)
Reposted by John Refior
Today President Trump signed the resolution approved by Congress that repeals a D.C. bill that decoupled the local tax code from some provisions of the federal tax code.
It's only the fifth time in the last 50 years that a D.C. bill has been repealed by Congress.
It's only the fifth time in the last 50 years that a D.C. bill has been repealed by Congress.
February 18, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Today President Trump signed the resolution approved by Congress that repeals a D.C. bill that decoupled the local tax code from some provisions of the federal tax code.
It's only the fifth time in the last 50 years that a D.C. bill has been repealed by Congress.
It's only the fifth time in the last 50 years that a D.C. bill has been repealed by Congress.
Reposted by John Refior
Trump clears the way for power plants to dump more mercury into the atmosphere.
US EPA plans to loosen mercury rules for coal plants this week, NYT reports
The Trump administration plans to loosen restrictions on coal-burning power plants this week, allowing them to emit more hazardous pollutants including mercury, the New York Times reported on Wednesda...
www.reuters.com
February 18, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Trump clears the way for power plants to dump more mercury into the atmosphere.
Reposted by John Refior
February 18, 2026 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by John Refior
If you put an older patient in an MRI, you'll find about 80% of them have a rotator cuff tear. Most asymptomatic people have abnormalities on imaging. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
February 18, 2026 at 7:21 PM
If you put an older patient in an MRI, you'll find about 80% of them have a rotator cuff tear. Most asymptomatic people have abnormalities on imaging. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
"As of Wednesday morning, Colbert’s YouTube interview with Talarico had been viewed more than 5 million times, or roughly double what the comic’s CBS program draws each night. The Texas Democrat also reported that he had raised $2.5 million in campaign donations in the 24 hours after the interview."
Late-night host Stephen Colbert isn't backing down from public dispute with CBS bosses
Colbert said that he was surprised by a network statement that denied Colbert had been told he couldn't air an interview with a Texas Senate candidate for fear of triggering a little-known “equal time...
apnews.com
February 18, 2026 at 7:23 PM
"As of Wednesday morning, Colbert’s YouTube interview with Talarico had been viewed more than 5 million times, or roughly double what the comic’s CBS program draws each night. The Texas Democrat also reported that he had raised $2.5 million in campaign donations in the 24 hours after the interview."
They are toast because they put Bari Weiss in charge.
February 18, 2026 at 7:08 PM
They are toast because they put Bari Weiss in charge.
Reposted by John Refior
X's algorithm is in fact doing what you think it's doing. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 18, 2026 at 5:24 PM
X's algorithm is in fact doing what you think it's doing. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by John Refior
BREAKING: The latest version of the GOP’s “Save America Act” would require that all 50 states give our voter data to Trump’s DHS. Are we supposed to just “trust” that Trump’s people won’t then give our data to Palantir (Peter Thiel)? Call your Senators: 202-224-3121 #NoOnSave #ProtectOurVotes
BREAKING: I read the new version of the “Save America Act” (S. 1383) so u don’t have to. Here’s my summary. Point 1 is new. It requires that all 50 states send their voter rolls to the DHS to run thru DHS’s faulty “SAVE” voter purge program. Points 6 & 7 are new too. Tell ur Senators #NoOnSAVE 1/
February 18, 2026 at 5:28 PM
BREAKING: The latest version of the GOP’s “Save America Act” would require that all 50 states give our voter data to Trump’s DHS. Are we supposed to just “trust” that Trump’s people won’t then give our data to Palantir (Peter Thiel)? Call your Senators: 202-224-3121 #NoOnSave #ProtectOurVotes
Reposted by John Refior
Publicists who represented Johnny Depp during his 2022 trial against Amber Heard charged Jeffrey Epstein five figures a month for representation during 2017, according to invoices in the Epstein Files. Their PR strategies for Epstein reflect the later MeToo backlash. spitfirenews.com/p/epstein-jo...
The Epstein-Johnny Depp-Justin Baldoni connection
These men shared some of the same crisis publicists and PR strategies.
spitfirenews.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Publicists who represented Johnny Depp during his 2022 trial against Amber Heard charged Jeffrey Epstein five figures a month for representation during 2017, according to invoices in the Epstein Files. Their PR strategies for Epstein reflect the later MeToo backlash. spitfirenews.com/p/epstein-jo...
Reposted by John Refior
The Justice Department is meant to serve the law, not a president’s personal agenda. In our latest episode, former DOJ officials from both parties discuss what’s happening inside the department. Tune in to the The Briefing with Michael Waldman: bit.ly/4kHYXm9
How the Justice Department Came to Threaten Elections (with Eileen O'Connor and Chris Berger)
Listen to this episode from The Briefing with Michael Waldman on Spotify. Recently, we’ve seen an escalation in efforts to meddle with elections, from the dangerous SAVE Act, which is gaining momentum in Congress, to President Trump himself calling for “nationalizing” the counting of ballots. Less known is how the administration is leveraging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to subvert the vote. Over the last several months, the DOJ has been demanding access to voter rolls and suing states that don’t comply — a move that is not only unlawful but raises numerous alarms. In this episode, former DOJ officials and Brennan Center experts break down what’s happening inside the department, why it matters for the future of free and fair elections, and what can be done to stop the administration from undermining the rule of law.Recorded on February 10, 2026.Speakers:Eileen O’Connor, Senior Counsel and Manager, Democracy Program, Brennan Center Chris Berger, Patricia Bauman Senior Fellow, Brennan CenterHost: Michael Waldman, President and CEO, Brennan CenterKeep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.
open.spotify.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM
The Justice Department is meant to serve the law, not a president’s personal agenda. In our latest episode, former DOJ officials from both parties discuss what’s happening inside the department. Tune in to the The Briefing with Michael Waldman: bit.ly/4kHYXm9
Reposted by John Refior
DOG AT THE OLYMPICS
FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
February 18, 2026 at 1:26 PM
DOG AT THE OLYMPICS
FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
Reposted by John Refior
"iS tHeRe a tEcHnoLoGY tHe leFt Is eXcItEd aBoUt" yeah, renewable energy, mRNA vaccines. Lots of cool stuff like that! Probably not the one whose main promise was cutting payrolls
February 18, 2026 at 2:42 PM
"iS tHeRe a tEcHnoLoGY tHe leFt Is eXcItEd aBoUt" yeah, renewable energy, mRNA vaccines. Lots of cool stuff like that! Probably not the one whose main promise was cutting payrolls