Cathy Gellis
@cathygellis.bsky.social
Lawyer, writer, all-around-great person
I mostly post about technology, law, and civil liberties (especially free speech), and how they intersect. And mostly at Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/user/cathy/
I also post silly things too.
I mostly post about technology, law, and civil liberties (especially free speech), and how they intersect. And mostly at Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/user/cathy/
I also post silly things too.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
oh fuck off. www.foxnews.com/sports/comma...
Commanders fans face backlash for booing Trump during US military ceremony
President Donald Trump read the name of those who decided to enlist in the U.S. military but faced boos during the ceremony at Northwest Stadium.
www.foxnews.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:33 AM
oh fuck off. www.foxnews.com/sports/comma...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
this is literally never not accurate
November 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
this is literally never not accurate
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Senate Democrats lack "muscle memory" of how to win in Senate. The filibuster is a tool to force majority to allow up or down votes on amendments to pending bills. 51 votes and it's in the bill: that's how the Senate worked for decades. If Dem Leadership won't fight for that, we need new leaders.
November 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Senate Democrats lack "muscle memory" of how to win in Senate. The filibuster is a tool to force majority to allow up or down votes on amendments to pending bills. 51 votes and it's in the bill: that's how the Senate worked for decades. If Dem Leadership won't fight for that, we need new leaders.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
@sanders.senate.gov: "We have already had 15 Republicans in the Senate defy Trump and say, 'Release the SNAP funds.' So I think that if we had held firm, it would be the Republicans who would yield. That was not the position of these 8 Democrats."
November 11, 2025 at 2:12 AM
@sanders.senate.gov: "We have already had 15 Republicans in the Senate defy Trump and say, 'Release the SNAP funds.' So I think that if we had held firm, it would be the Republicans who would yield. That was not the position of these 8 Democrats."
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Just in case someone doesn’t know this: one reason individual health insurance was so expensive before was that it’s generally a lot cheaper to insure groups. (Not just bulk discounts but the fact that you don’t need to do individual underwriting.) The ACA turned individuals into a big group.
Trump: "I want the money to go into an account for people where they buy their own health insurance. It's so good. The insurance will be better. It'll cost less. Everybody is gonna be happy. They're gonna feel like entrepreneurs. They're actually able to go out & negotiate their own insurance"
November 11, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Just in case someone doesn’t know this: one reason individual health insurance was so expensive before was that it’s generally a lot cheaper to insure groups. (Not just bulk discounts but the fact that you don’t need to do individual underwriting.) The ACA turned individuals into a big group.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Wife of a furloughed federal worker here. We live in Okinawa & they aren't paying our housing or his salary. We are worried about neighbors & coworkers in the same boat. This sucks. But what sucks worse? Dems fucking betraying us and caving so all of this was for nothing right when we had leverage.
November 10, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Wife of a furloughed federal worker here. We live in Okinawa & they aren't paying our housing or his salary. We are worried about neighbors & coworkers in the same boat. This sucks. But what sucks worse? Dems fucking betraying us and caving so all of this was for nothing right when we had leverage.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Maybe the Senate Spineless Caucus should have been more careful before voting for this bill
Buried inside the deal to reopen government is a provision that would give Senators private right of action to sue for millions in damages over their phone records being analyzed by Jack Smith's team.
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue Over Jack Smith Searches
Senators whose phone records were sought by Special Counsel Jack Smith would gain authority to sue for millions in damages under a provision buried in the Senate-advanced deal to reopen the government...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Maybe the Senate Spineless Caucus should have been more careful before voting for this bill
Not that I'm in the mood to credit Democrats with anything, but it may be a strategic move to sink the bill by letting a terrible term stay in it so that ultimately it peels off too many votes.
November 11, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Not that I'm in the mood to credit Democrats with anything, but it may be a strategic move to sink the bill by letting a terrible term stay in it so that ultimately it peels off too many votes.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
... and again: www.cbsnews.com/news/high-pr...
High-profile Jan. 6 defendant facing charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting woman
John Banuelos' case was unique among Capitol riot prosecutions because he was the only defendant accused of pulling and firing a gun while on Capitol grounds.
www.cbsnews.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:06 AM
... and again: www.cbsnews.com/news/high-pr...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
If you actually want a more united front, the most obvious choice is replace Schumer as leader because he has zero credibility and people rightly loathe him. But at a bare minimum if you want to at least make some gesture, replace Durbin as whip. He's retiring anyway. There would be no downside.
November 11, 2025 at 3:09 AM
If you actually want a more united front, the most obvious choice is replace Schumer as leader because he has zero credibility and people rightly loathe him. But at a bare minimum if you want to at least make some gesture, replace Durbin as whip. He's retiring anyway. There would be no downside.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Rhetorical pleas against infighting are always begging the question about who's actually on the same side as you.
The sooner we get past internal recriminations and back to fighting united, the better off we all are — the likelier our victory next November.
November 11, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Rhetorical pleas against infighting are always begging the question about who's actually on the same side as you.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
JUST IN: 7th Circuit does NOT immediately grant Trump admin's request for emergency administrative stay of judge's order limiting fed response to anti-ICE protests in IL. Sets Thursday deadline for protester/journalist response. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
HeadlineCA7Ord111025
www.documentcloud.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 AM
JUST IN: 7th Circuit does NOT immediately grant Trump admin's request for emergency administrative stay of judge's order limiting fed response to anti-ICE protests in IL. Sets Thursday deadline for protester/journalist response. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
It’s wild to suggest this is a circular firing squad or something when it’s millions of citizen Democrats who hate it versus 47 elected Democrats who conspired to surrender for nothing.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
But there are real dangers out there that must be fought; and energy spent fighting each other is energy lost to that bigger fight.
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 AM
It’s wild to suggest this is a circular firing squad or something when it’s millions of citizen Democrats who hate it versus 47 elected Democrats who conspired to surrender for nothing.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
The thing about Mamdani is that he’s a talented politician but not otherworldly or one in a billion, he’s just a competent guy with popular ideas who ran against an entitled piece of shit and to me it’s a lot more optimistic to imagine 1000 campaigns like his than to view him as a unique phenomenon
November 11, 2025 at 1:42 AM
The thing about Mamdani is that he’s a talented politician but not otherworldly or one in a billion, he’s just a competent guy with popular ideas who ran against an entitled piece of shit and to me it’s a lot more optimistic to imagine 1000 campaigns like his than to view him as a unique phenomenon
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
“I’m so relieved that the only problem I cared about - me experiencing mild social discomfort - is now over”
my brother in Christ, do you want to bet
my brother in Christ, do you want to bet
Tim Kaine on backlash he's getting: "I got the first good night's sleep last night that I've gotten since Oct 1, b/c I wasn't worried about being able to look Capitol Police in the eye when I walked in, or what a furloughed fed worker would say to me at church, or what somebody would say about SNAP"
November 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
“I’m so relieved that the only problem I cared about - me experiencing mild social discomfort - is now over”
my brother in Christ, do you want to bet
my brother in Christ, do you want to bet
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
so, today I got the surgery center where I got my deviated septum fixed to send me an itemized bill so I could submit to my FSA for reimbursement
my out of pocket cost: $473
what my insurance paid: $4258
what they tried to charge my insurance (not a misprint): $173692
my out of pocket cost: $473
what my insurance paid: $4258
what they tried to charge my insurance (not a misprint): $173692
I was at an event yesterday where Rand Paul spoke via video and talked about how great it was to send ACA money "directly to the people" so that they could work collectively to get better deals on health care.
November 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
so, today I got the surgery center where I got my deviated septum fixed to send me an itemized bill so I could submit to my FSA for reimbursement
my out of pocket cost: $473
what my insurance paid: $4258
what they tried to charge my insurance (not a misprint): $173692
my out of pocket cost: $473
what my insurance paid: $4258
what they tried to charge my insurance (not a misprint): $173692
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
The historian in me feels the need to note that contests between cities and their rural hinterland are not new things and they do not generally go great for the rural folks.
California alone produces a third of all the food America eats. So this is a lie.
But let’s break down the food produced by the red states:
Guess what percent is harvested by people from Latin America?
But let’s break down the food produced by the red states:
Guess what percent is harvested by people from Latin America?
November 11, 2025 at 1:14 AM
The historian in me feels the need to note that contests between cities and their rural hinterland are not new things and they do not generally go great for the rural folks.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
In a new lawsuit on behalf of a media coalition, @rcfp.org attorneys are fighting secrecy around state executions in Tennessee by challenging unconstitutional restrictions on press access.
News outlets challenge Tennessee restrictions on press access to executions
Represented by RCFP attorneys, a news media coalition argues that Tennessee’s restrictions on press access to executions are unconstitutional.
www.rcfp.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:02 AM
In a new lawsuit on behalf of a media coalition, @rcfp.org attorneys are fighting secrecy around state executions in Tennessee by challenging unconstitutional restrictions on press access.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Furious Liberals Call for Schumer to Step Aside, Senate Dems Mostly Quiet
After their shutdown surrender, liberal lawmakers are begging their base to unite behind them anyway – as Trumpland celebrates that their opposition is a bunch of 'p*ssies.'
zeteo.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:23 AM
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Update: In 3 recent editorials, WaPo failed to disclose owner Jeff Bezos's interest in the matter under discussion.
WaPo added one disclosure after @bgrueskin.bsky.social called it out.
Two weeks after my story, the other two editorials still have none. And the paper still won't say why
WaPo added one disclosure after @bgrueskin.bsky.social called it out.
Two weeks after my story, the other two editorials still have none. And the paper still won't say why
'Washington Post' editorials omit a key disclosure: Bezos' financial ties
Three times in the past two weeks, editorials at the 'Washington Post' failed to disclose that they focused on matters in which owner Jeff Bezos had a material interest.
www.npr.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Update: In 3 recent editorials, WaPo failed to disclose owner Jeff Bezos's interest in the matter under discussion.
WaPo added one disclosure after @bgrueskin.bsky.social called it out.
Two weeks after my story, the other two editorials still have none. And the paper still won't say why
WaPo added one disclosure after @bgrueskin.bsky.social called it out.
Two weeks after my story, the other two editorials still have none. And the paper still won't say why
OK, great. But that's not enough, he needed an end game that was better than this.
Axios reports that some senators wanted to end the shutdown after two weeks.
"But Schumer persuaded the moderates to hold out until at least the beginning of November, when open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act began."
"But Schumer persuaded the moderates to hold out until at least the beginning of November, when open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act began."
November 11, 2025 at 2:06 AM
OK, great. But that's not enough, he needed an end game that was better than this.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
This is more aggressive than before but also they need to make some firm demands here of what they want someone new to be able to do.
Just shuffling some chairs around won't do anything.
Just shuffling some chairs around won't do anything.
If you’ve got a Senate Democrat who is not calling for new leadership, they’re part of the problem.
We should no longer trust Senate Dems who decline to come out against the leadership that led us here. Until proven otherwise, we should assume they were in on the game to fool their own supporters.
We should no longer trust Senate Dems who decline to come out against the leadership that led us here. Until proven otherwise, we should assume they were in on the game to fool their own supporters.
“After a year spent organizing to try to convince the Democratic Party to unify and oppose this regime, here’s where I am: The time for convincing is over. We need new leadership.” - @ezralevin.bsky.social
Demand that your Dem senators call on Schumer to step aside: indivisible.org/resource/cal...
Demand that your Dem senators call on Schumer to step aside: indivisible.org/resource/cal...
November 11, 2025 at 2:04 AM
This is more aggressive than before but also they need to make some firm demands here of what they want someone new to be able to do.
Just shuffling some chairs around won't do anything.
Just shuffling some chairs around won't do anything.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
look this is all stupid as hell and it'll be a worse program but talk like this is why I'm pretty optimistic that we're going to get something vaguely like an expanded ACA subsidy fix
Trump: "I want the money to go into an account for people where they buy their own health insurance. It's so good. The insurance will be better. It'll cost less. Everybody is gonna be happy. They're gonna feel like entrepreneurs. They're actually able to go out & negotiate their own insurance"
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 AM
look this is all stupid as hell and it'll be a worse program but talk like this is why I'm pretty optimistic that we're going to get something vaguely like an expanded ACA subsidy fix
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
The Trump administration State Department is taking money that's supposed to be used for helping vulnerable refugees around the world and using it to bribe corrupt governments into taking people that ICE can't deport to their home countries.
November 11, 2025 at 1:09 AM
The Trump administration State Department is taking money that's supposed to be used for helping vulnerable refugees around the world and using it to bribe corrupt governments into taking people that ICE can't deport to their home countries.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Bluesky's newest anti-toxicity feature is also its best
i have a cat on my posting hand
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Bluesky's newest anti-toxicity feature is also its best