@mrkota.bsky.social
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My theory of the moment: The extraordinary courage of ordinary people in places like Minneapolis is reawakening us to our social and economic ties to immigrants. It's making "love thy neighbor" cool again. That's the ultimate antidote to MAGA hate.
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
February 16, 2026 at 1:21 PM
My theory of the moment: The extraordinary courage of ordinary people in places like Minneapolis is reawakening us to our social and economic ties to immigrants. It's making "love thy neighbor" cool again. That's the ultimate antidote to MAGA hate.
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Thoughts on this:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
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Ossoff: "Among today's false prophets are the election deniers who indulge this president's obsession with overturning the 2020 election. Hear me when I say this -- they tell a lie so absurd, and therefore so debasing, that the act of telling it proves the teller's total and humiliating submission."
February 16, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Ossoff: "Among today's false prophets are the election deniers who indulge this president's obsession with overturning the 2020 election. Hear me when I say this -- they tell a lie so absurd, and therefore so debasing, that the act of telling it proves the teller's total and humiliating submission."
Our elected representatives should be spending their time thinking about and introducing legislation that materially and structurally improves the lives of their constituents and all residents of the commonwealth. Instead, our tax dollars pay for this absolute nonsense. What a clown show.
A Kentucky bill allowing health care workers to deny care because of their moral, ethical or religious principles passed the Senate on Friday. From @sylviaruthg.lpm.org #kyga26
Kentucky doctors could refuse care based on their ‘conscience’ under bill passing Senate
Legislation allowing health care workers to deny care because of their moral, ethical or religious principles passed the Senate on Friday.
www.lpm.org
February 16, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Our elected representatives should be spending their time thinking about and introducing legislation that materially and structurally improves the lives of their constituents and all residents of the commonwealth. Instead, our tax dollars pay for this absolute nonsense. What a clown show.
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Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
February 16, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
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You can understand media consolidation into the hands of the very wealthy not just as a product of wealth concentration but also as a means to defend it, with Bezos at the Post being the most obvious example
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 3:34 PM
You can understand media consolidation into the hands of the very wealthy not just as a product of wealth concentration but also as a means to defend it, with Bezos at the Post being the most obvious example
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interesting to think that revolutionary era americans understood themselves as making a break with the “old world” and establishing a new civilization. and crucially, this new civilization rested on republican self-government, not “sovereignty.”
The Rubio speech really is appalling, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.
www.state.gov/releases/off...
www.state.gov/releases/off...
February 15, 2026 at 1:17 AM
interesting to think that revolutionary era americans understood themselves as making a break with the “old world” and establishing a new civilization. and crucially, this new civilization rested on republican self-government, not “sovereignty.”
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i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
February 15, 2026 at 1:49 AM
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
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CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF!
(I never post Olympic videos bc the IOC will hunt you down but I am taking that risk so that you can hear the Canadian curling cursing)
(I never post Olympic videos bc the IOC will hunt you down but I am taking that risk so that you can hear the Canadian curling cursing)
February 13, 2026 at 9:44 PM
CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF!
(I never post Olympic videos bc the IOC will hunt you down but I am taking that risk so that you can hear the Canadian curling cursing)
(I never post Olympic videos bc the IOC will hunt you down but I am taking that risk so that you can hear the Canadian curling cursing)
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“I’ve never protested before - but I just watched 4th & 5th grade kids run away from our own government.” 😕🇺🇸💔
(From @crindivisible.bsky.social )
(From @crindivisible.bsky.social )
February 15, 2026 at 12:45 AM
“I’ve never protested before - but I just watched 4th & 5th grade kids run away from our own government.” 😕🇺🇸💔
(From @crindivisible.bsky.social )
(From @crindivisible.bsky.social )
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Just as ICE and CBP have no legitimate role in "election security" neither does the head of DHS. The mere existence of this press conference should be a scandal, much less this tone-deaf comment.
Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
February 14, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Just as ICE and CBP have no legitimate role in "election security" neither does the head of DHS. The mere existence of this press conference should be a scandal, much less this tone-deaf comment.
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This is a hell of a headline:
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped.
The decisions amount to a huge legal rebuke, but the administration has continued jailing people indefinitely.
www.reuters.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:25 PM
This is a hell of a headline:
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Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
February 14, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
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Kristi Noem actually saying what is driving the extraordinary elections maneuvers. Flag this one.
Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
February 14, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Kristi Noem actually saying what is driving the extraordinary elections maneuvers. Flag this one.
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The $38.3 billion they are going to spend for interment camps could fund the annual budget of NASA, the EPA, and all clean energy R&D at the Department of Energy—combined.
Breaking news: ICE expects to spend $38.3 billion on its plan to acquire warehouses across the U.S. and retrofit them into immigrant detention centers that can hold tens of thousands of people, according to agency documents.
ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion turning warehouses into detention centers
ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion converting warehouses into detention centers, according to planning documents, more than the annual budgets of 22 states.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:14 AM
The $38.3 billion they are going to spend for interment camps could fund the annual budget of NASA, the EPA, and all clean energy R&D at the Department of Energy—combined.
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Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
academic.oup.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
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You can't... repeal... a scientific finding. At that point it's just called lying about it.
Breaking News: The Trump administration repealed the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well being, meaning that the EPA can no longer regulate them. nyti.ms/4rSszQu
February 12, 2026 at 8:38 PM
You can't... repeal... a scientific finding. At that point it's just called lying about it.
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There are so many fucked up things with the current administration that it's hard to focus on one but this recent move is basically a death sentence for the planet. I've been involved with more boots on the ground actions over the years than I can count and this really bums me out.
EPA reverses long-standing climate change finding, stripping its own ability to regulate emissions
The agency announced it is repealing its 2009 conclusion that greenhouse gases warm the Earth and endanger human health and well-being.
www.nbcnews.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:06 AM
There are so many fucked up things with the current administration that it's hard to focus on one but this recent move is basically a death sentence for the planet. I've been involved with more boots on the ground actions over the years than I can count and this really bums me out.
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If Moderna is no longer bringing vaccine trials for Epstein-Barr virus (good evidence that EB causes Multiple Sclerosis), herpes, and shingles because of Trump appointees, I want prison time for those appointees.
This might be dooming millions to disease they don’t have to experience.
This might be dooming millions to disease they don’t have to experience.
February 13, 2026 at 1:04 AM
If Moderna is no longer bringing vaccine trials for Epstein-Barr virus (good evidence that EB causes Multiple Sclerosis), herpes, and shingles because of Trump appointees, I want prison time for those appointees.
This might be dooming millions to disease they don’t have to experience.
This might be dooming millions to disease they don’t have to experience.
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The president is overruling science to eliminate measures that protect us from pollution and environmental damage, mainly to benefit multinational corporations that have thrown money at his campaign, ballroom, and family.
It's simple corruption, and it will cost American lives and livelihoods.
It's simple corruption, and it will cost American lives and livelihoods.
February 12, 2026 at 10:49 PM
The president is overruling science to eliminate measures that protect us from pollution and environmental damage, mainly to benefit multinational corporations that have thrown money at his campaign, ballroom, and family.
It's simple corruption, and it will cost American lives and livelihoods.
It's simple corruption, and it will cost American lives and livelihoods.
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It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.
February 13, 2026 at 4:48 AM
It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.
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NEW EPISODE: I lay out the concrete, actionable steps state and federal Democrats can take to block election subversion, from banning mass voter challenges to stripping immunity from officials who interfere with voting.
Watch, act and share. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzgy...
Watch, act and share. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzgy...
I Warned You About Trump. Here’s the Plan to Stop Him in 2026.
YouTube video by Democracy Docket
www.youtube.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:03 PM
NEW EPISODE: I lay out the concrete, actionable steps state and federal Democrats can take to block election subversion, from banning mass voter challenges to stripping immunity from officials who interfere with voting.
Watch, act and share. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzgy...
Watch, act and share. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzgy...
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This is important. The head of CBP says here that his agency did NOT provide the assessment that led DHS to label Alex Pretti a terrorist looking to inflict mass casualties.
That appears to contradict Stephen Miller's claim that the initial assessment was based on CBP reports:
That appears to contradict Stephen Miller's claim that the initial assessment was based on CBP reports:
February 12, 2026 at 5:37 PM
This is important. The head of CBP says here that his agency did NOT provide the assessment that led DHS to label Alex Pretti a terrorist looking to inflict mass casualties.
That appears to contradict Stephen Miller's claim that the initial assessment was based on CBP reports:
That appears to contradict Stephen Miller's claim that the initial assessment was based on CBP reports:
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Trump nominated a legit white nationalist to a top post at the State Department. I asked him some basic questions about his belief in the “erasure of white culture”. Watch this embarrassing, fumbling answer. Like he has never before been asked to explain his views.
February 12, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Trump nominated a legit white nationalist to a top post at the State Department. I asked him some basic questions about his belief in the “erasure of white culture”. Watch this embarrassing, fumbling answer. Like he has never before been asked to explain his views.
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Rand Paul to ICE officials on Pretti's killing: "Because people within the government made conclusions immediately that he was a terrorist and an assassin, people aren't believing that it's gonna be an honest investigation ... there has to ultimately be repercussions ... it's inexcusable."
February 12, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Rand Paul to ICE officials on Pretti's killing: "Because people within the government made conclusions immediately that he was a terrorist and an assassin, people aren't believing that it's gonna be an honest investigation ... there has to ultimately be repercussions ... it's inexcusable."