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msmaureen.bsky.social
@msmaureen.bsky.social
Today: mosaic artist, cat-lover, hiker, kayaker, guide at local historic site
Past lives: history, civics, social justice teacher, nonprofit leader.
Substack: https://maureenbcostello.substack.com
I've been working with vintage china lately, so I have a lot of white porcelain. Added my stash of costume jewelry for these pique-assiette ornaments, which remind me of women I grew up with who always wore Christmas jewelry.

huzzahmosaics.etsy.com/listing/4399...
huzzahmosaics.etsy.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Yay Charlottesville! It felt great to be out and the support from drivers was amazing.

bsky.app/profile/macs...
Charlottesville #NoKings protest
October 18, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Reposted
The New York Times should hire someone who understands how laws work.
President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.
Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money
The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.
nyti.ms
October 15, 2025 at 11:46 PM
This all gives new meaning the the phrase, "Trumped-up charges."

wapo.st/4mZgm9F
Justice Department indicts N.Y. attorney general
Justice Department wins indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her of committing mortgage fraud in 2023.
wapo.st
October 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM
So much for Trump's suit against the NY Times for -- wait for it -- $16B. Worth reading if only to see just how pissed off this judge was after being forced to read 85 pages of nonsense.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:40 PM
ATTN: Teachers, librarians, high school folks! Great fact-based journalism for free!
The Atlantic Announces Free Digital Subscriptions for All U.S. Public High Schools
None
www.theatlantic.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Whatever this is, it is NOT going to be civics. How the NY Times could report this with a straight face is beyond me. It's Trump and MAGA who need a refresher course in civics.

Trump Administration Announces New Civics Effort With MAGA-Aligned Groups www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/u...
Trump Administration Announces New Civics Effort With MAGA-Aligned Groups
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Today feels ... consequential. With Putin's incursion into Poland to test NATO (and Trump) and Charlie Kirk's assassination, every threat we fear has ratcheted up a few notches.
September 10, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Donald (“Neville Chamberlain”)Trump drops ceasefire demand for Ukraine war, tells allies Putin wants land.

History really does repeat itself
August 16, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Hey @nytimes.com: It's not a "longstanding custom." It's in the Constitution. The Constitution, aka, the "supreme law of the land."

NY Times: "The Trump administration has fought to end the longstanding custom that people born in the United States are automatically citizens ..."
a man in a sweater vest is standing in front of a blackboard and says `` you 're wrong '' .
ALT: a man in a sweater vest is standing in front of a blackboard and says `` you 're wrong '' .
media.tenor.com
July 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Vance has joined Bsky along with a flood of followers. Luckily, Bsky allows you to block them and ignore the trolls and menaces preemptively. Here's a block list to which you can subscribe:

bsky.app/profile/did:...
June 19, 2025 at 12:16 AM
May 15, 2025 (Thursday)
A must-read and a must-share, open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
May 15, 2025 (Thursday)
Perhaps in frustration, this season’s writers of the saga of American history are making their symbolism increasingly obvious.
open.substack.com
May 17, 2025 at 4:51 PM
The groceries are very sad.
Trump to UAE president: "We have a term 'groceries.' It's an old term but it means basically what you're buying, food, it's a pretty accurate term but it's an old fashioned sound but groceries are down."
May 15, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Let's talk birthright citizenhip. open.substack.com/pub/maureenb...
May 15, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I dream of the day when every American who sees a headline like this immediately thinks of the Emoluments Clause
#airforceone
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05...
Trump Administration Live Updates: Trump Is Said to Be Getting Qatari 747 for Air Force One, and Post-Presidency Travel
www.nytimes.com
May 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Wonder if @lmchervinsky.bsky.social saw this?
This is a pretty remarkable exchange from Trump's interview with Time Magazine
April 25, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Good. I imagine Harvard’s got some pretty good lawyers.

Harvard sues the Trump administration in escalating confrontation
April 21, 2025 at 9:12 PM
I am also advocating for due process. And I didn't even swear an oath to uphold the Constitution.
Just to be clear, I’m advocating for due process for Kilmer Abrego Garcia.
JUST IN: Deputy Assistant to the President and "Counterterrorism Czar" Sebastian Gorka says anyone advocating for due process for Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be viewed as "aiding and abetting a terrorist" and be federally charged. (h/t Philip Germain)
April 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Is this the same reasoning German industrialists used?

“... we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come.”
Small airline faces boycotts over deal to run deportation flights for ICE
Thousands have pledged to boycott Avelo Airlines over its new deal with Homeland Security.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 12, 2025 at 9:36 PM
It's the "Looking Back Strategy." I recommend it.

Historians Politely Remind Nation To Check What's Happened In Past Before Making Any Big Decisions — theonion.com/historians-p...
Historians Politely Remind Nation To Check What's Happened In Past Before Making Any Big Decisions
WASHINGTON—With the United States facing a daunting array of problems at home and abroad, leading historians courteously reminded the nation Thursday that when making tough choices, it never hurts to ...
theonion.com
April 10, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Right now, Cory Booker is filibustering in the Senate. Four hours so far. Watch live. www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2ut...
Live: Speaking on Trump, Musk, and America’s Moral Moment on the Senate Floor | Senator Cory Booker
YouTube video by Senator Cory Booker
www.youtube.com
April 1, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Reposted
So much wrong with this latest executive order, but especially promotes white supremacy by including the racist belief that race is biological and obsesses about "western civilization," "classical architecture," and a concealed restoration of Confederate monuments. www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores Truth and Sanity to American History
RESTORING TRUTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order restoring truth and sanity to American history by
www.whitehouse.gov
March 28, 2025 at 3:19 AM