Rachel May

Disgusting. We are phasing it out in NY State

Top US banks weigh suing federal regulator over crypto banking rules Exclusive: Bank Policy Institute, representing lenders such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, argues that new licenses could harm US consumers and financial system

We heard a lot of powerful testimony last week about the depth and extent of fraud and scams in crypto and other fringe fintech enterprises here in NY. I'm with the banks on this one. (watch the hearing here: www.nysenate.gov/calendar/pub...) www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Just this week in the NYS Senate a Senator insisted that if there was once an ice sheet over Albany, that means climates are always changing and no one can tell him that when he turns on his gas stove he’s affecting the atmosphere in any way.

Great news for the Village of Marcellus: a $4.5M NY Forward Award. Thanks to the hard work of Mayor Clark and many others, this investment will support village improvements and help boost the local economy. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for investing in this community.

A Statement from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

Another white man failing upward. (Actually, does this even count as upward?)

U.S. Gas Prices, Up 11% in a Week, Pile Pressure on Trump

In the SOTU Trump claimed gas prices were as low as $1.85, so by his logic, he own war has more than doubled the cost of gas. Ruh-roh. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/b...

Pass the Freedom to Read Act! NYS s8630/a9537

MAGA Unreality vs the World The U.S. government is in the hands of people who are fully detached from reality. That is a major weakness for the regime – but also a source of further radicalization.

In the last week in the NYS Senate we have heard that climate change is just natural, burning gas has no effect on the atmosphere, and the Lorax is really about protecting the trees from the scourge of solar panels. “Fully detached from reality” is right. steady.page/en/democracy...

Met with one of the most MAGA constituencies in my district today. They argued for more $$ in budget b/c “this war is driving up oil and gas costs.” They are not buying the spin.

U.S. Opens Military Action in Ecuador Against ‘Terrorist Organizations’

Now I get it. “America first” means we’re the only one left when all the other countries are obliterated. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/u...

On our dear leader's prediction of "Four to Five Weeks or More" in Iran - anyone remember when Rumsfeld predicted the Iraq War would last "six days, six weeks. I doubt six months"?

Every house on my street had an anti war sign in 2002, and one night they all vanished. There was an organized effort to suppress any impression that Americans opposed the war.

Citizenship in Society Merit Badge Discontinuance The Citizenship in Society Merit Badge will be discontinued effective Friday, February 27, 2026. Beginning on February 27, 2026, Scouts will no longer be able to start requirements on the Citizenship ...

Scouting America is discontinuing the Citizenship in Society merit badge for Eagle Scouts, because Hegseth thinks citizenship is for sissies and scouting should be about fealty to Dear Leader and White supremacy. Got it. www.scouting.org/program-upda...

How many cabinet members and billionaire media monopolists can you spot? “Merchants of Death,” 1935 litho by Mabel Dwight at the Whitney.

“Sadly there will likely be more…that’s the way it is.”
The most graceless, cruel, unfeeling words ever spoken by a Commander in Chief on the deaths of US service members. There truly is no bottom to this man’s moral emptiness.

“The bombing will continue until we have peace throughout the world.” Can’t decide if it’s straight up Orwellian or just creepily reminiscent of the classic coaching motto, “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”

Haven’t found a single mention of Congress in the coverage of our war of aggression in Iran this morning.

I’ve heard pundits call him дорогой Трампушка (“Darling Trampushka”), exactly like a lapdog.

I love that his name comes out “Tramp” in Russian phonetic spelling. They fondly call him Trampushka, like he’s their puppy dog.

My 2024 opponent. Campaigned on stopping government waste. (Also came out strongly against satanism in schools.) An utter charlatan, and he still got 43% of the vote.

Beautiful afternoon in Albany. I ❤️ NY!

For a movement that was generally strong on messaging, the fact that the same people changed the calendar and still relentlessly promoted the “Great October” has always been mind boggling.

Small victories 2: a man in the audience questioned why we object so much more to deportations under Trump than under previous presidents, and then listened respectfully to my answer and actually seemed open to hearing it. More of those kinds of interactions, please!

Small victories: after last night’s budget town hall in rural Cayuga County, a couple came up to say they are staunch conservatives but totally agree with me that Lee Zeldin’s EPA is dead wrong on abandoning clean water/air/climate protection. “He’s such a disappointment.”

There was big energy in Albany last week for getting NY State to allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they'll be 18 by the election. It did my old heart good to see 17-year-olds there in force to promote it.

I guess the white nationalist bros don't even trust the trad wives in their own families to support their policies.

@lartist.bsky.social

Amtrak Is Revamping Its Run-Down Fleet. Check Out the New Trains.

This is good news. I love riding Amtrak, but we've had delays this winter b/c all the doors were iced shut, which is frankly a little scary, when you think about it. I just hope they stop designing the cars so half the passengers are facing backwards. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

Winter blues