Stephwords
@writesteph.bsky.social
Dogs! Legaleser, logophile/wordnerd, fmr journo, newsradio, GenX, liberal (af) indie blue voter, owned by a standard poodle, married, #ResistAgainDammit #AntiOrangeFelon DMs slip into a void that I don't access, so please don't
Reposted by Stephwords
Reposted by Stephwords
July 2, 2025 at 6:44 PM
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This is a wonky process but BIG news regarding the Republican budget bill: My staff successfully got multiple provisions removed from the bill. Two key wins: 1) Medicaid provider tax. Striking this means Republicans have to backtrack on hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts.
Seventh set of Byrd droppings is out, and WOW!
We won on trans care in Medicaid, provider taxes, FMAP, immigrants in Medicaid, and other issues.
These victories are amazing for the people they help - and cost Rs more than $250 billion of their savings by rough calculations, largely not curable.
We won on trans care in Medicaid, provider taxes, FMAP, immigrants in Medicaid, and other issues.
These victories are amazing for the people they help - and cost Rs more than $250 billion of their savings by rough calculations, largely not curable.
Byrd Rule Violations Continue to Mount on the Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” | U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget
The Official U.S. Senate Committee On The Budget
www.budget.senate.gov
June 26, 2025 at 3:16 PM
This is a wonky process but BIG news regarding the Republican budget bill: My staff successfully got multiple provisions removed from the bill. Two key wins: 1) Medicaid provider tax. Striking this means Republicans have to backtrack on hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts.
It's only a matter of time (seconds?) before the majority of Americans find the entirety of their private govt info compromised, and we have to buy it back.
Musk’s team was caught using a customized version of the Grok chatbot, without approval, to sift through sensitive government data inside the Department of Homeland Security. They used a modified version in an attempt to hide the fact that they were doing it.
May 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
It's only a matter of time (seconds?) before the majority of Americans find the entirety of their private govt info compromised, and we have to buy it back.
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Reposted by Stephwords
Happy Saturday 🌞......
May 24, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Happy Saturday 🌞......
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Who’s doing the book on Trump’s cognitive decline?
May 21, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Who’s doing the book on Trump’s cognitive decline?
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This hearing has surpassed 18 hours. Dems are still testifying and offering amendments.
A bit ago, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) offered an amendment to strike an insane work req provision apparently in the bill: it lowers the age of a "dependent child" from 18 to 7 years old.
??
A bit ago, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) offered an amendment to strike an insane work req provision apparently in the bill: it lowers the age of a "dependent child" from 18 to 7 years old.
??
May 21, 2025 at 11:14 PM
This hearing has surpassed 18 hours. Dems are still testifying and offering amendments.
A bit ago, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) offered an amendment to strike an insane work req provision apparently in the bill: it lowers the age of a "dependent child" from 18 to 7 years old.
??
A bit ago, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) offered an amendment to strike an insane work req provision apparently in the bill: it lowers the age of a "dependent child" from 18 to 7 years old.
??
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😳 🤦 😠
More than 200 wealthy, mostly anonymous crypto buyers are coming to Washington to have dinner with President Trump.
The price of admission: $55,000 to $37.7 million.
That’s how much the 220 winners of a contest to meet Trump spent on his volatile cryptocurrency token, according to an analysis
The price of admission: $55,000 to $37.7 million.
That’s how much the 220 winners of a contest to meet Trump spent on his volatile cryptocurrency token, according to an analysis
Trump's crypto dinner cost over $1 million per seat, on average
In total, the 220 winners of the contest to attend the dinner spent $394 million on Trump’s official cryptocurrency.
nbcnews.to
May 21, 2025 at 9:51 PM
😳 🤦 😠
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Reminder that Khalil hasn’t even been charged with a crime—he was arrested without a warrant TWO MONTHS AGO for exercising his 1st amendment rights as a lawful permanent resident. And DOJ is saying that he can’t even be allowed to hold his newborn child. Just despicable levels of inhumane treatment.
UPDATE: In a filing 15 minutes after deadline, the govt says that permitting Mahmoud Khalil to visit with his wife and newborn child would "grant him a privilege that no other detainee receives" and that the ICE facility is ill-equipped for. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
May 21, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Reminder that Khalil hasn’t even been charged with a crime—he was arrested without a warrant TWO MONTHS AGO for exercising his 1st amendment rights as a lawful permanent resident. And DOJ is saying that he can’t even be allowed to hold his newborn child. Just despicable levels of inhumane treatment.
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Reposted by Stephwords
Just a reminder that most of Trump's executive orders are nothing more than press releases.
After he ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to pull funding for NPR and PBS, the CPB responded that it is authorized and funded by Congress and is not subject to the president's authority.
After he ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to pull funding for NPR and PBS, the CPB responded that it is authorized and funded by Congress and is not subject to the president's authority.
![WASHINGTON, D.C, (May 2, 2025) — Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), issued the following statement today regarding the President’s Executive Order on public media:
“CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.
“In creating CPB, Congress expressly forbade ‘any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over educational television or radio broadcasting, or over [CPB] or any of its grantees or contractors…’ 47 U.S.C. § 398(c).”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kjjhbsc3pp3vkqjsivk6z2yd/bafkreie7ky7hw4h6fcaqa6fkkqdyhg6czlebc2udp6fbbsjah4eoj7qg2y@jpeg)
May 2, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Just a reminder that most of Trump's executive orders are nothing more than press releases.
After he ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to pull funding for NPR and PBS, the CPB responded that it is authorized and funded by Congress and is not subject to the president's authority.
After he ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to pull funding for NPR and PBS, the CPB responded that it is authorized and funded by Congress and is not subject to the president's authority.
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I never want to hear Republicans pretend to care about national security ever again.
I've been traveling so forgive me for not posting this yesterday, but: That Signal clone app for archiving messages that Mike Waltz has been using, TeleMessage? It's unlicensed. Signal was unaware of its existence until they saw it in that Reuters photo. There's no known security vetting.
Photo appears to show Mike Waltz using Signal-like app that can archive messages
More than a month after he drew criticism for using Signal to discuss an impending military attack, Waltz was seen using what appears to be a different messaging app to message others in the Trump adm...
www.nbcnews.com
May 3, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I never want to hear Republicans pretend to care about national security ever again.
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4/ From Aug. 1 — when the law took effect — to Dec. 13, 2024, at least 70 Louisiana prisoners’ parole hearings were canceled just like that, ProPublica and @veritenews.org found:
An Algorithm Deemed This Nearly Blind 70-Year-Old Prisoner a “Moderate Risk.” Now He’s No Longer Eligible for Parole.
A Louisiana law cedes much of the power of the parole board to an algorithm that bars thousands of prisoners from a shot at early release. Civil rights attorneys say it could disproportionately harm B...
www.propublica.org
April 11, 2025 at 1:06 AM
4/ From Aug. 1 — when the law took effect — to Dec. 13, 2024, at least 70 Louisiana prisoners’ parole hearings were canceled just like that, ProPublica and @veritenews.org found:
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Prediction:
Today (4/9/25) registered the greatest ill gotten gains from insider trading in history.
Today (4/9/25) registered the greatest ill gotten gains from insider trading in history.
April 10, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Prediction:
Today (4/9/25) registered the greatest ill gotten gains from insider trading in history.
Today (4/9/25) registered the greatest ill gotten gains from insider trading in history.
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The executive targets his opponents w/bogus investigations. His government disappears people w/out due process and vanishes them beyond reach. He usurps legislative power, controls public funds at will, & consolidates power. Loyalty is expected — or else.
Authoritarianism isn’t coming. It’s here.
Authoritarianism isn’t coming. It’s here.
April 10, 2025 at 12:08 PM
The executive targets his opponents w/bogus investigations. His government disappears people w/out due process and vanishes them beyond reach. He usurps legislative power, controls public funds at will, & consolidates power. Loyalty is expected — or else.
Authoritarianism isn’t coming. It’s here.
Authoritarianism isn’t coming. It’s here.
Reposted by Stephwords
wsj editorial board from wednesday evening, before thursday's market cliffdive
www.wsj.com/opinion/dona...
www.wsj.com/opinion/dona...
April 10, 2025 at 5:32 PM
wsj editorial board from wednesday evening, before thursday's market cliffdive
www.wsj.com/opinion/dona...
www.wsj.com/opinion/dona...
This is so ugly. Are they going to take their money, too? Shameful! Gift article
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/u...
Pressuring Migrants to ‘Self-Deport,’ White House Moves to Cancel Social Security Numbers (Gift Article)
By placing migrants in Social Security’s “death master file,” the Trump administration is seeking to cut off their access to credit cards, bank accounts and other financial services.
www.nytimes.com
April 11, 2025 at 1:57 AM
This is so ugly. Are they going to take their money, too? Shameful! Gift article
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/u...
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In any other administration, the president would already be huddled with advisors trying to stave off collapse
April 9, 2025 at 11:17 AM
In any other administration, the president would already be huddled with advisors trying to stave off collapse
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Here's the webpage put up by the office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for people to notify her office if they're havig problems dealing with Social Security.
Every state AG's office could do this. Might help.
www.azag.gov/socialsecurity
Every state AG's office could do this. Might help.
www.azag.gov/socialsecurity
Attention Arizona: Report Social Security Disruptions
Attorney General Kris Mayes continues to hold the federal government accountable for the illegal and unconstitutional actions by President Trump and Elon Musk, including reversing devastating federal ...
www.azag.gov
April 9, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Here's the webpage put up by the office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for people to notify her office if they're havig problems dealing with Social Security.
Every state AG's office could do this. Might help.
www.azag.gov/socialsecurity
Every state AG's office could do this. Might help.
www.azag.gov/socialsecurity
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Somebody just got filthy rich and it wasn't you or me.
April 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Somebody just got filthy rich and it wasn't you or me.
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It's all a game to the greedy wealth hoarders
April 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It's all a game to the greedy wealth hoarders
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“Money is pouring in like no one has ever seen before,” he said today. Just for the record, the tariffs haven’t started yet.
April 8, 2025 at 10:53 PM
“Money is pouring in like no one has ever seen before,” he said today. Just for the record, the tariffs haven’t started yet.