Stephen Copek

Sad that I’m traveling and can’t attend, but looking forward to seeing what candidates attend the Brooklyn and Manhattan chapters of @nywfp.bsky.social’s NY-10 candidate endorsement interviews tomorrow.

Very ready for a change in who we send down to DC. For me there is a pretty obvious choice.

“Duncan’s conviction was based in part on bite mark evidence now considered by experts to be junk science.”

There are crimes worthy of the death penalty, but if we aren’t 100% sure 100% of the time, we should issue the death penalty to 0% of people. That’s how high the bar should be on this one.

Ferentz to return for 28th season with Hawkeyes Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, currently the longest-tenured head coach in the FBS, announced he'll return in 2026 for his 28th season with the Hawkeyes.

I know there are lots of folks who want to turn the page to what’s next for the Hawkeyes football program, but I have to admit I’m pretty okay with this.

www.espn.com/college-foot...

I really don’t understand why we have to prove, over and over again, that giving people money helps them get off the streets. Why can’t we make this a policy everywhere? (If you’re going to say $$, I’d say tax the wealthy)

Definitely feels like a “welcome to the Big Ten” night for McCollum. Can’t say I’m all that surprised with how this one is going. They might be better than I expected this year, but it’ll take time to fully rebuild this team.

WIC reduces birth weight disparities between black and white babies.

www.nber.org/papers/w34521

So are the Bears just good now? I don’t need the stress of that…

‘The Alabama Solution’: A Humanitarian Crisis in Grainy Detail Here are five takeaways from the documentary exposing abuse and neglect that is all too common in U.S. prisons.

I just watched The Alabama Solution, and it is stunning. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/10/a...

Article excerpt: ...and women incarcerated in Carswell in Texas reported a shortage of tampons. “I was told to use my socks,” one said. The facility did not answer questions from ProPublica about conditions there. Fewer staff has meant in some cases that inmates have lost access to care. At the prison complex in Victorville, California, staff lodged written complaints accusing the warden of skimping on the number of officers assigned to inmate hospital visits in order to cut back on overtime. (The complex did not respond to a request for comment.) In some instances, the complaints alleged, that left so few officers at the hospital that ailing inmates missed the procedures that had landed them there in the first place. Chyann Bratcher, a prisoner at Carswell, a medical lockup in Texas, said she missed an appointment for rectal surgery — something she’d been waiting on for two years — because there weren’t enough staff to take her there. She was able to have the procedure almost two months later, after another cancellation.

Federal corrections officers fleeing to go work for ICE has real consequences for the lockups they leave behind, including less programming and fewer health care services for inmates.

➡️ Read our full story: https://propub.li/3LZlde3

Still keeping my expectations pretty low for year one of the McCollum era. But I can be convinced that whoever put them in the “received votes” category of the AP preseason ranking might have been right.

They’re fun to watch, excited to see the Hawkeyes MBB against stronger competition soon.

A parent shouldn’t have to choose which meals they skip so their kids can eat. The Poverty Tracker, produced with Columbia, shows 40%+ of New York families with children can’t afford weekly food costs. Robin Hood is increasing emergency food funding by 50% because families need support now.

A hidden cut that I don’t see nearly enough discussion about is how much of states’ discretionary appropriations will have to go toward the basic needs of folks in their state. At the state level this is a zero sum game, and cuts to other important programs will have to be made just about everywhere

Bears in first place in mid November? The Pope, the ghost of Virginia Halas McCaskey, it might just be their year?

Feels like 2001 again, a fun ride to be along for. Hopefully this one ends better.

Continue to think this Iowa WBB team is going to surprise people and show that they are here to stay

The team looks very good already. It will only get better as the freshmen and transfers get more and more experience

They don’t have one scheduled, but I’m expecting home games at Carver in March

What are Trump accounts? What are Baby Bonds? | Brookings This post explores the structure of Trump accounts, as well as other proposals designed to help families build wealth.

Finally catching up on the Trump Accounts program included in HR1. I was initially optimistically surprised when something that kinda looked like Baby Bonds was passed. But the more you dig into anything this admin does… Another give away to the wealthy.

www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...

Assuming Lander enters the NY10 primary, it’ll be very interesting to see how early endorsements break (or don’t) from those that either didn’t endorse or waited for the last possible moment to endorse Mamdani.

Next week feels big for the Bears. Have to start winning against the North if they really are turning a corner here.

“Even though this stay is temporary, it will cause massive, continued panic and extreme hardship for tens of millions of the most vulnerable Americans, who have already gone a week without the promised food. Food delayed is food denied.”
- Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg, in response

Trump Administration Live Updates: President Appeals to Supreme Court After Losing Bid to Curtail Food Stamp Aid

Whether the court is expected to “move swiftly” or not, hunger doesn’t wait for appeals court decisions.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...

Government backed grocery stores to close food deserts and help reduce prices? How radical…

Alternatively, I could easily argue that when you look at the full context around the NYC Mayoral race, 92% of voters voted for a Democrat. 1M votes is a huge number for Mamdani to have gotten.

Comparing vote share from this race to races with only one Democrat running isn’t a useful data point.

Last night showed what happens when Democrats stay focused on delivering for working people.

We’re fighting for affordability, public safety, and opportunity — and we won’t let up.

Open enrollment for #ACA marketplace plans has begun, and without congressional action to extend premium tax credit enhancements, millions are facing steep premium increases for 2026.

January can’t come fast enough. This city is ready for and in need of fresh ideas and new leadership.

Still being very cautious about expectations for year one of what hopefully becomes the McCollum Era, but purely stylistically I really like what the Hawkeyes are doing tonight.

A little sloppy at times, but overall thought there was a lot to like from the Hawks first game. Heiden and Stuelke took over. Wright and Rodriguez are great additions to this team. Deal has some first game butterflies to brush off.

This team is going to be very good.

Has Gracie Mansion Ever Had a Democratic Socialist? Zohran Mamdani’s opponents have portrayed his Democratic Socialists of America affiliation as unusual, but he is not the first New York politician — or would-be mayor — with ties to the group.

Zohran Mamdani’s opponents have portrayed his Democratic Socialists of America affiliation as unusual, but he is not the first New York politician — or would-be mayor — with ties to the group.

“People (especially children) should never go hungry in America” should be enough justification for this government to save SNAP.

But it also doesn’t make any economic sense to stop the benefit from being delivered. It’s also an infusion of cash into local food systems.

frac.org/programs/sup...

The Handbasket 100% independent journalism by Marisa Kabas

Halloween hangover: waking up on Nov 1 to the GOP Congress having canceled SNAP benefits for millions of Americans.

Most SNAP beneficiaries are kids & seniors. Of the rest, most work in crappy private sector jobs that don’t pay enough to feed their families.
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