Barry Burden

This week in the USA

* Grand jury finds admin targeting of senators not credible
* DHS hires comms director who uses Nazi & conspiracy imagery
* White nationalist & conspiracist picked for top State Dept job
* AG admits hiring indicted J6 rioter who yelled “kill them” at police

Sad end to 88-year run that probably reflects 2 business strategies

Gallup stopped election polling after 2012 due to competition from new pollsters & bigger miss that year

There must also be worry bad polling news drawing Trump’s attention (see Selzer)

thehill.com/homenews/med...

Gerry Christmas to all who celebrate

And Patriots will not the be first team to score zero points in a Superbowl

I assume some players are registered to vote in other states that have party registration

Looks like Packers have no Republicans — but it’s a “sample” missing some data and Wisconsin does not have party registration

‘The sugar high will be short lived’: Trump’s big bet on tax refunds might not pay off While Trump and his top advisers have been banking on the increased refunds as a pocketbook proof point to voters, skeptics caution the money could be quickly swallowed up by stubbornly-high prices el...

Not likely to be much electoral benefit even if the average refund does turn out to be $1k bigger this year. Trump might be tempted to resuscitate his unfulfilled promise of $2k stimulus checks www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

This week in the USA:

*Revealed UAE royal fam gave Trump crypto firm $500M
*Trump says party should take over elections & nationalize voting
* Fed workers at whim of pres pushed from 4K to 50K
* Revealed Trump stopping infrastructure project until airport & station named for him

Join @electionscenter.bsky.social & @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social on March 6 for an all-star analysis of the 2026 mid-decade redistricting battles

Featuring @mcpli.bsky.social @sarasadhwani.bsky.social @profnickstephan.bsky.social @robyablon.bsky.social

Register here: go.wisc.edu/95y7s8

Trump says some states can’t be trusted to run their own elections. The 3 states with the worst election administration performance in 2020 & 2022 were bright red AR & MS elections.mit.edu#/data/rank

The Wisconsin Exchange: Pluralism in Practice program at UW-Madison is offering a cool 2-year postdoc opportunity. Feel free to reach out if you are a political scientist who might apply. Deadline is March 30 for fall start. wisconsinexchange.wisc.edu/grant-and-fe...

Not enough characters available on this platform to capture it all!

This week in the USA:

* Fed agents killed an unarmed man on a city street
* AG Bondi blackmailed MN demanding sensitive voter data to stop ICE violence
* FBI raided election office in GA to get materials from 2020 election Trump tried to overturn
* Epstein files not released

"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's, like, incredible."

Donald Trump 10 years ago this week

Star Tribune Your source for Minnesota news today. Read articles, view photos or watch videos about news in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and beyond.

It’s always a good time to support high quality local media — more so now to ensure the truth on the ground is being reported.

Consider the Star Tribune (www.startribune.com/subscribe) and @mprnews.org (support.mpr.org/news-web)

For Trump, the Truth in Minneapolis Is What He Says It Is

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/u...

Definition of BRANDISH to shake or wave (something, such as a weapon) menacingly; to exhibit in an ostentatious or aggressive manner… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/b...

This week in the USA:

* Trump is first prez not to acknowledge MLK holiday
* Revealed Trump made at least $1.4B in 2025
* Speaker of the House endorses impeaching judges
* Fed regulators threaten free speech of TV talk shows
* US announces departure from WHO w unpaid bill

Why are we Americans paying attention to the European weather model instead of drawing our own predictions on the map with a Sharpie?

This week in the USA:

* DHS Sec posts Nazi phrase
* ICE shoots driver point blank
* Fed Chair reveals Trump blackmail
* FBI raids reporter’s home
* Trump bullies Nobel Peace Prize winner to get award
* Trump says power only limited by “own morality”
* Epstein files not released

4 Supreme Court cases about to be decided could shape the 2026 & 2028 elections @thehill.com thehill.com/homenews/cam...

Maybe Trump and Vance don’t realize that we can all see the video

I believe this shrinks the House majority margin to just 5 seats: 218-213

The administration is trying to erase this history. NPR has fortunately archived it apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/

Trump pardoned the people who smeared feces on the walls, stole equipment, threatened lawmakers, and tried to overturn an election for him.

I was asking for easy things: basic factual information, assembling some well known images, etc. I get tired of pointing out to the interface that it is incorrect.

Glad some of you are having good experiences with AI tools because they have failed at every minor task I sent their way this week

US taxpayers are going to pay to “run” another country?

Late December days are at their shortest and my email inbox is at its lowest

This is your notice that the Elections Research Center @uwmadison.bsky.social has joined @bsky.app elections.wisc.edu