Odette Ilsen (fka PK)

Bravery is wheelchair users putting their bodies on the line to stop Medicaid cuts.

Shame is arresting them instead of listening.

Medicaid is a lifeline — not a line item.

May every single human being on this planet be safe.

May every single person be protected from harm.

May we bring into being a time in which we are all free from those who do evil— together, speedily and in our days.

Warren, Markey call for probe into ‘escalating aggression’ by federal agents in immigration raids - The Boston Globe The Massachusetts senators called for the investigation in a letter sent Wednesday to the US Department of Homeland Security.

ICE's increasingly aggressive tactics are unacceptable and dangerous. They do not make us any safer.

I’m calling for an independent investigation right now — this abuse of power must end.

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a time to gather as a family, reflect on the past and look to the future. Discover ways to celebrate this African American cultural tradition of music, food and freedom.

What if… every government employee had this away message tomorrow👇

I am out of the office in observance of the Juneteenth holiday—commemorating the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas & announced freedom for >250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas
nmaahc.si.edu/explore/mome...

Brad Lander Arrested by ICE The comptroller and mayoral hopeful was handcuffed while demanding to see a warrant.

There is no excuse for this. Violence against politicians MUST stop.
#wethepeople

Hubs and I got to screen it at NYPL earlier this week. You did excellent work, as usual. It’s a lovely film and I can’t wait to watch it again.

A recent study found that for every $1 invested in the National Weather Service, it produces $73 in value to Americans.

Not only is the NWS a life-saving government resource, it's actually quite efficient.

‘They say, We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning.’ —Archibald MacLeish

Remembering the fallen this Memorial Day, we can consider our own duty to strive so that our lives and our country are worthy of the price they paid.

While many Americans were still asleep, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed Trump’s huge, horrible mega-bill.

It might be the worst, most damaging piece of legislation I’ve seen in my nearly 60 years in politics.

Tabby cat with white collar sits on a pine chair next to a crocheted white & pepper blanket, slung over the chair back

Cat on a chair.

#yourneighborTotoro

#catsofbluesky

Image of Wall Street Journal Headline: "The Stark Math on the GOP Tax Plan: It Doesn't Cut the Deficit."

In today's edition of we f*cking told you so...

The GOP’s latest budget proposal does not cut the deficit.

The plan would add TRILLIONS to the deficit by 2034, locking in tax cuts for the wealthy while slashing Medicaid and nutrition assistance.

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The American people should know the facts about what the Trump administration is doing with our money. I laid them out in our @democrats-appropriations.house.gov hearing today.

My message to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem today: We expect the President to follow the constitution and the law. America is a democracy, not a dictatorship.

Some people are cheering Trump ignoring the 5th amendment’s due process clause.

You know what follows that clause? This one: “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

If he gets away with ignoring this amendment, your due process or house could be next.

We’ve talked about this before, but we wanted to expand on it a little more. Late last week, Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) effectively took control of the Department of the Interior without a single Senate confirmation, public hearing, or vote.

Medicaid covers...

-40% of births nationwide
-50% of kids with special needs
-72 million people in total

Remember this as Republicans move to gut the program to finance tax cuts that will overwhelmingly go to the richest 1% of Americans. 

"Party of family values."

Reminder: Tariffs aren't paid by other countries.

They're eventually paid by us at the check out line.

And they're regressive — taking a higher percentage out of the paychecks of working people than out of the wealthy.

Short-haired tabby cat stands on a narrow windowsill, looking up and out.

Cat on a windowsill

The Pitt started very slowly; it has picked up speed over the season and now feels like (forgive the wordplay) a bullet train.
🚨*spoiler alert*🚨

Does anyone else see a twist coming about the shooter’s identity? Just me? 🙋🏼‍♀️
#thepitt

I forgot to breathe beforehand 🥺

Robert Reich debunks 12 misconceptions about tax policy in America. Watch More: Do Corporate Tax Cuts Actually Help Americans? ►► https://youtu.be/srJZHQHHT8g Citations: http://bit.ly/12mythscitations 12 Myths About Taxing the Rich | Robert Reich

At Republican Congressman Mike Flood's town hall last night in Nebraska, the crowd broke out in chants of "tax the rich."

They're right. Here's why.

USDA cancels $11 million in federal funding for North Carolina food banks The USDA has notified the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that it would terminate the agreement for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, which is one of the progr...

If you live in NC, call every Republican politician you know. Call every farmer you know and ask them to do the same

When money walks , voters talk. Make sure they know this effects everyone in their town and state

www.wunc.org/news/2025-03...

Thirty minutes into the movie #Heretic and I’m thoroughly creeped out: by Hugh Grant, the pace, the set design. It’s a whole #mood and I’m completely invested.
#thriller #A24 #horror

Happy Purim! May Esther’s story inspire everyone with hope.
Eat lots of hamantaschen and celebrate! #purim

Chag Purim Sameach to our Jewish communities!

On Purim, we honor Esther's bravery in the face of danger, and we remember to never be silent in the face of hate.

We can take inspiration from Esther and Mordechai as we continue to reject antisemitism of all forms.

חג פורים שמח

Trump gutting the Dept. of Education will impact every child.

But states that voted for Trump rely more heavily on Dept. of Education funds than those that didn't.

Education funding shouldn't be a red vs. blue issue.

It should be about all of us supporting the common good.

The 100 lowest-paying major US corporations spent $522B on stock buybacks from 2019 to 2023.  

Buybacks artificially boost share prices and inflate CEO pay.

The typical worker at these companies earned just $34k. 

Meanwhile, the average CEO was paid $14.7M.

See the problem?

A handwritten list of egg prices posted in the dairy case of a small local grocer.

Last week in NYC

Vaccination as a cause of autism—myths and controversies Despite significant progress in the study of the epidemiology and genetics of autism, the etiology and patho-physiology of this condition is far from being elucidated and no curative treatment current...

Vaccines do not cause autism. If you need a quick reference to studies that disprove this relationship:

Commentary, how we got here: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Meta-analysis synthesizing the results from studies on almost 1.3 million children: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...