Michael McKean

@governorferguson.bsky.social Please do this in Washington

Trump’s Decapitation of CDC Takes Darker Turn—and Hands Dems a Weapon Illinois’s J.B. Pritzker is leading a charge other Democratic governors should take up: In our America, we’ll make sure public health systems remain strong.

This is good: With Trump/RFK destroying CDC, JB Pritzker's officials are exploring the possibility of buying Covid vaccines from manufacturers and distributing them in-state themselves, source tells me.

Dem govs must step up and fill the void.

New piece from me:
newrepublic.com/article/1998...

These men are inspirational

“For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences”

Do they really not see the irony here? Are they missing that gene?

this is Mohsen Mahdawi, the green card holder who was just arrested by ICE for rendition at his citizenship interview

Columbia Activist Arrested by ICE at His Appointment for Citizenship (Gift Article) Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident, has lived in the United States for 10 years and was arrested in Vermont. He has not been charged with a crime.

You are 100% not the "good guy" if you have to hide your face. We've so quickly gone from a country that tried to stand for the right thing to one I no longer recognize. I'm so disgusted by this and honestly struggling with so many people that have enabled this.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/n...

This is a concerning look at how tightly connected our personal finances are to the decisions being made by our governments. It's a bit of a long read, but really helps to make the case for we need elect grownups that want to govern and not politicians that are only interested in revenge.

Truth

What if you’re so outrageously incompetent you get it done in a matter of minutes?

Pete Buttigieg breaks down DEI for everyday folks…

“The opposite of diversity is uniformity. The opposite of equity is inequity. The opposite of inclusion is exclusion.” @petebuttigieg.bsky.social

Our problem: too many value uniformity over inclusion and they’re the ones running the government.
🧵

Florida’s Future is on the Line—We Need Gay Valimont in Congress Electing Gay is the first step towards winning back the house before 2026—here's how you can help make that possible

Some good news—Florida’s District 1 has a special election to replace credibly accused statutory rapist Matt Gaetz.

Gay Valimont is 100% people funded. If we flip FL-1 blue, MAGAs are only 2 seats from losing the House majority.

Here's how you can help Gay win:
www.qasimrashid.com/p/floridas-f...

I’m struck by how close we’re getting to finally curing some of the world’s worst diseases—sickle cell, Alzheimers, pancreatic cancer, etc.—at the same time that the world’s worst people are destroying medical research and care around the world.

Video from a friend out at El Centro training with the Blue Angels and Jesus Christ this low pass 😬😮

Jets on Whidbey Here's the carrier landing practice schedule for jets from (NAS) Whidbey Island.

If you can find a time when they’re doing training at OLF - Coupeville, there are some good views of the F-18 Growlers from the nearby roads.

whidbeycamanoislands.com/jets-on-whid...

They look so good. But, not sure the efficient hit is worth it.

Trump’s disgusting behavior in our Oval Office in the company of a genuine hero and defender of democracy like Volodymyr Zelensky may be the most disgraceful public behavior by any president in our history.

Donald Trump is embarrassing the United States on the world stage. We are a country that stands up to dictators and fights for democracy.

Minnesota stands firmly with our allies in Ukraine.

F.D.A. Cancels Meeting of Vaccine Experts Scheduled to Advise on Flu Shots (Gift Article) The cancellation plays into fears among scientists who worry that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will use his position as health secretary to sow doubts about vaccines.

NEWS

The FDA, which operates under the authority of Robert Kennedy Jr., canceled the meeting to discuss next year’s flu vaccines.

This could interfere with or delay production of flu vaccines.

86 children and 19,000 adults have died from flu this season.

About 430,000 people were hospitalized.

If you wanted to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, you would empower the inspectors general.

If you wanted more waste, fraud, and abuse, you would fire them.

Beyond Despair

We are so fucking awful

In the past day or so, a Jewish man in Miami saw two Palestinians on the street and opened fire. Seventeen shots. No words exchanged. No threat. Just stops his truck in the middle of the road, gets out, and starts shooting. In fucking Miami.

This administration has convinced half the country that the real problem isn’t billionaires who evade taxes and collect government handouts but the working class who pay taxes and get nothing in return.

Let's say this louder for those not paying attention.

ABA It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform. Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity. We have seen attempts at wholesale dismantling of departments and entities created by Congress without seeking the required congressional approval to change the law. There are efforts to dismiss employees with little regard for the law and protections they merit, and social media announcements that disparage and appear to be motivated by a desire to inflame without any stated factual basis. This is chaotic. It may appeal to a few. But it is wrong. And most Americans recognize it is wrong. It is also contrary to the rule of law. The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well.

Someone at the American Bar Association ate their Wheaties this morning.

A false claim about USAID was viewed ~80 million times on X before there was a correction just 10 hours later. How many more people saw the falsehood compared to the correction?

When I was a Hill staffer in 2009, a Dem trifecta was trying to pass universal healthcare. In response, Senate GOP released a memo detailing all of the tactics they in the minority could use to delay the effort as much as possible. I'm recirculating that 2009 GOP memo here. Take inspiration from it.

I'm honestly shocked to read that Washington Senator @cantwell.senate.gov voted to confirm Scott Bessent as Trump's Secretary of the Treasury. Why are the Democrats not resisting this illegal takeover of our government?

I'm curious if this idea is popular with supporters of the new administration.