Ellen J Meany
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ellenjm.bsky.social
Ellen J Meany
@ellenjm.bsky.social
230 followers 350 following 27 posts
Art + Words = Life 🧡💙
Executive Director, Alternative Newsweekly Foundation
Former Publisher, The American Prospect
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
jeffjarvis.bsky.social
Grift and corruption. This just begins to dig into it all. Gift link:
The Trump Family Business Empire Is Growing. We Mapped Out 268 Pieces of It.
www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
The Trump Family Business Empire Is Growing. We Mapped Out 268 Pieces of It.
A second-term boom in crypto and other areas has created billions in new wealth for the first family.
www.wsj.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
thomaszimmer.bsky.social
Sunday reading: I wrote about how the regime’s latest racist hate campaign is tied to the Right’s broader attempt to redefine citizenship and national identity in service of an exclusionary white nationalist vision.

A deep dive into the Right’s visions of blood-and-soil nationalism:
Trumpism Is at War with the Idea of a Citizenry of Equals
The regime’s latest racist fury is tied to the Right’s much broader attempt to redefine citizenship and national identity in service of an exclusionary white nationalist
steady.page
December 14, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
oliviamesser.bsky.social
IRW — a Pulitzer-winning nonprofit newsroom at American — and @thebarbedwire.com traced the history of anti-trans legislation. Houston conservatives realized homophobia didn’t fly anymore, weaponized girls’ safety, and parroted segregationist language. It worked.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/12/04/a...
Where Did Anti-Trans Laws Start? How a Forgotten Houston Ordinance Turned Into a Massive, Nationwide Culture War
In fighting for bathroom bills in Houston, Texas conservatives provided a blueprint for the rest of the country.
thebarbedwire.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:47 PM
ellenjm.bsky.social
This, what do you call it in the workplace, “directive” maybe—it’s so simplistic and superficial. Religion and belief and faith is so complicated. We do need to talk more about it, but this isn’t the way!!
marisakabas.bsky.social Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 23d
NEW — RFK Jr.’s HHS sent out a survey asking employees to report instances of anti-Christian bias during the Biden administration, and the Dept. of Labor announced its inaugural prayer service. These are just the latest instances of Trump’s extreme Christian creep within the federal government.
RFK Jr. is very worried about anti-Christian bias at HHS...under Biden
Employees received a survey Monday asking them to rat on each other.
www.thehandbasket.co
December 4, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
marisakabas.bsky.social
hey @nytimes.com i had the scoop on this story hours ago. add a reference in your story to my name and outlet. thanks.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/u...
Trump Renames Institute of Peace for Himself
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
mattheweadie.bsky.social
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university

Full statement from NU below:
November 29, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
alexip718.com
Here's @thexylom.com!

bsky.app/profile/thex...
thexylom.com The Xylom @thexylom.com · Nov 24
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November 27, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social
another Lizza article is circulating, which reminds me to tap the sign reminding you to please support independent, worker-run, billionaire and felch-free news outlets when and how you can. if you can spare some $, here's some w/NewsMatch, which will 2x your donation through the end of the year!
51st.news The 51st @51st.news · Nov 18
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51st.news
November 27, 2025 at 3:16 AM
ellenjm.bsky.social
😳
mjsdc.bsky.social Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · Nov 25
When liberals secured a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, they changed internal procedures—over the objection of the conservative chief justice, who claimed they were taking away her power. Today the justices released MESSY details about the affair...
www.wicourts.gov/sc/rulhear/D...
BRIAN HAGEDORN, J. (concurring). The Wisconsin Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are supposed to be members of the same team. Unlike trial courts, when we act, we do so collectively. To accomplish this, over the last 175 years, this court has established various practices and traditions, both formal and informal. These practices ensure all voices are heard, create clear lines of decision-making authority, and establish consistent and neutral processes to govern our case-deciding and administrative work. Some of these are reflected in formally adopted Supreme Court Rules, and some in our Internal Operating Procedures. But the true currency of a court like ours is trust. When trust is broken like it has been here, every aspect of our work suffers. ¶2 This all began in the summer of 2023 when four justices wished to make significant changes to how this court functions. Fair enough. These modifications could have been pursued through a process built on collegiality and mutual respect. Instead, my colleagues pursued a more destructive path. ¶3 The morning our then-newest justice was sworn into office——August 1, 2023——my four colleagues at that time set off to reshape our court and the operation of the court system. They had apparently engaged in significant discussions in the months prior and decided to force through these changes during our summer recess, and to do so via email with or without the input of their other colleagues. They issued a press release triumphantly announcing that these changes were all about transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. This was true in the same way Pearl Harbor was a strike for peace in the Pacific. I will not rehash every detail (Justice Ziegler's excellent writing recounts much of the history), but the reader deserves a taste. ¶4 The first shot sounded when my four colleagues fired the Director of State Courts, who functions as the CEO of administrative matters for the entire judicial branch. Without following any established process, one of my colleagues sent an email proposing that we fire our Director and install a new, preselected interim Director in his place. This happened through email, over the course of two business days, while the Director was out of town on state business, during our summer recess. He never received a performance review indicating concerns; he was simply told his employment was over. This came just months after some of these same colleagues emphasized the importance of having all justices participate in hiring key staff. ¶5 Later that same week, my colleagues proposed dramatic changes via email affecting both our case-deciding and administrative responsibilities. The email invited justices to attend a new, unscheduled meeting of the court later that week to discuss the proposals. One justice said she could not be there; another objected to the meeting as outside our court calendar. The meeting would go forward no matter what, we were told. I implored my colleagues to reconsider, to treat their fellow colleagues with the respect they would want if circumstances were reversed. They refused. The meeting went on as expected, and with only four members present, they voted to fundamentally remake our court. ¶7 Among their changes, my colleagues radically altered the role of the chief justice. They created a new, three-person administrative committee (on which the chief justice would ostensibly sit) to take over nearly all of the chief justice's most important administrative duties. And they did so in the face of serious objections that these changes violated the Wisconsin Constitution, which says the chief justice "shall be the administrative head of the judicial system." Wis. Const. art. VII, § 4. One justice who in the past championed the constitutional role of the chief justice suddenly changed course. Again, these actions stripping the chief justice of powers she had exercised for as long as anyone could remember were proposed via email, and were voted on a few days later during an unscheduled meeting of just four justices during our summer recess. Not exactly transparent, accountable, and inclusive. ¶8 Another significant series of amendments to our internal rules involved modifying the way we consider certain kinds of cases, essentially making it much easier for this court to expedite cases coming to us outside the normal appeals process. Why the change? As everyone understood, my colleagues had the not-sosecret goal of swiftly hearing particular politically charged cases. This was all by design. ¶9 And how did this experiment go? Not well. Administratively, it was not clear who was in charge. We experienced significant breakdowns in communication amidst a lack of clarity about who was doing what. Our staff was often caught in the middle of a court that did not have established lines of communication and authority. And when the Director of State Courts was unceremoniously fired for what many perceived as political reasons, it sent a shockwave through the system. Furthermore, my colleagues' changes were not one and done. Throughout the past two years, they continued to modify the court's procedures in a similar ad-hoc fashion, often after realizing problems with their earlier ill-considered changes. This only added to the confusion. ¶10 Finally, at one of the court's internal conferences this past June, my colleagues shifted course. One of the four announced she was "withdrawing" her prior votes from the past two years (which, by the way, is not a thing) with the idea that every disputed change was now, all of a sudden, reversed. What changed? Again, it was no mystery. My colleagues wanted to take power away from then-Chief Justice Annette Ziegler. Such a move ensured that my colleagues would run the court through the administrative committee. Following the April 2025 election, they concluded they would have the votes to elect a chief justice of their choosing and have a block of votes to support her, so they no longer needed to seize those powers. This is not a cynical take. It is exactly what happened. ¶11 What's past is past, however. I have no desire to hold this against my colleagues, and I am grateful they have changed course. In fact, I was happy to work collaboratively on many operational changes reflected in this order, most of which I
November 25, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
chrismurphyct.bsky.social
The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. "HANG THEM", he posted.

If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
November 20, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
taniel.bsky.social
NEW: Dems easily flipped the sheriff's office in Pennsylvania's Bucks County, a big swing county in the Philly suburbs.

So? The incumbent GOP sheriff had contracted with ICE. His Dem challenger promised to end the contract.

Now he wants other swing-state Dems to look at his victory as a lesson:
Voters Ousted This Pennsylvania Sheriff After He Signed Up to Collaborate With ICE - Bolts
A populous, swing county replaced its GOP sheriff on Tuesday after months of controversy over his joining ICE’s 287(g) program. The Democratic winner promises he’ll end the contract.
boltsmag.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
buckscountybeacon.com
Bucks County’s ICE-Loving, MAGA Sheriff Fred Harran Got What He Deserved: A Pink Slip From Voters | Sheriff-elect Danny Ceisler, a 33-year-old Democrat from Bristol Borough, was in many ways the crest of the Blue Wave that washed away local GOP office holders, writes Editor @cmychalejko.bsky.social.
Bucks County’s ICE-Loving, MAGA Sheriff Fred Harran Got What He Deserved: A Pink Slip From Voters on Election Night - Bucks County Beacon
Sheriff-elect Danny Ceisler, a 33-year-old Democrat from Bristol Borough, was in many ways the crest of the “Blue Wave” that washed away local Republican office holders.
buckscountybeacon.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
ddayen.bsky.social
This is a great piece from @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social, who was out all day in NYC reporting. It's about Mamdani but from the perspective of the organizers and volunteers who helped him to victory, and who won't stop organizing to help him carry out his agenda.
prospect.org/2025/11/05/n...
New Yorkers Say Yes to Mamdani, That’s Spelled M A M D A N I - The American Prospect
By 3 p.m. Tuesday, New York voters had already surpassed the turnout of any mayoral election since 2001, casting 1.4 million votes. Volunteers and advocates say the best thing to do today is celebrate...
prospect.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Dick Cheney did more than anyone else to build up expansive and destructive executive branch powers in the wake of 9/11; he lived to see another president turn those same powers against his own daughter.

He should be a warning sign to the GOP today but too many of them are in the cult.
November 4, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
nycsouthpaw.bsky.social
Dick Cheney was a dangerous fool. He not only wanted to exploit the trauma of 9/11 to turn America into the kind of country that builds a network of gulags, tortures random unfortunates, and embarks on misdirected wars, he got the whole power structure of the republic to go along with him.
November 4, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
alexip718.com
NEW: From today until 12/31, NewsMatch matches any gift you make towards @thexylom.com!

In a nutshell: Your gift will be quadrupled. If you start a membership, your monthly amount is matched *x36*!

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November 1, 2025 at 6:27 PM
ellenjm.bsky.social
I looking forward to spending some quality time with this! Thanks for doing it, @joshtpm.bsky.social 😀https://talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25
Pivots, Trolls, and Blog Rolls
Reflections on 25 years of digital media.
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
prospect.org
Andrew Cuomo blamed his poor performance in the NYC mayoral race on bad social media. Zohran Mamdani responded: “We haven’t heard Gov. Cuomo say the word ‘affordability.’ That’s why he lost the primary.” From @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social: trib.al/JrF3WTc
Mamdani Dogwalks Disgraced Ex-Governor Cuomo in First NYC Mayoral Debate
The New York state assemblymember repeatedly returned to his platform of making the city affordable for working people, while Andrew Cuomo flailed around in pancake makeup.
trib.al
October 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
ellenjm.bsky.social
Brewers magical double play 😁
October 14, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
justinelliott.bsky.social
Here is our full story that Vance is dismissing, with primary source documents showing Trump cabinet members with multiple primary-residence mortgages

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
October 12, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
jfallows.bsky.social
Any news organization that treated "Will Trump Get Nobel?" as a remotely serious question, and not one more indication of his accelerating hallucinatory patterns, has some 'splaining to do.

Looking at you, all major news orgs.
October 10, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
assignedmedia.org
On Friday 18 blue state attorneys general BLASTED the Federal Trade Commission, telling it to back off trans youth healthcare and warning of an insidious attempt to reshape the regulation of medicine in the US.

And nobody covered it.

www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...
State AGs Defend Trans Americans in Stunning Rebuke to Trump’s FTC — Assigned
Eighteen state Attorneys General unite to stand up in defense of trans Americans, in opposition to a Federal Trade Commission investigation into trans healthcare.
www.assignedmedia.org
October 1, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
evanurquhart.bsky.social
I have to ask for your support, because we are running on a shoestring as it is. Someday I dream we'll grow large enough to support a couple of full time reporters, but until that day we simply ask for you to give what you can, if you can.

fnd.us/AssignedMedi...
Fight Anti-Trans Propaganda
Assigned media is a daily news website fighting back against the disinformation and misleading coverage distorting the stories about trans people and our struggle to survive.
fnd.us
October 1, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Ellen J Meany
karlbode.com
Trump's FCC yesterday voted to kill a program that provided free Wi-Fi to rural school kids at no cost to taxpayers, falsely claiming the program was "illegal" and was being used to "censor Conservative ideology."
FCC moves to end discounts for Wi-Fi hotspot lending and school bus connectivity
The Federal Communications Commission voted to end discounts for library and school Wi-Fi hotspot lending programs on Tuesday, drawing criticism from lawmakers and librarians who say the move will mak...
apnews.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:31 PM