Aaron Strauss

WOW... JUST WOW...

In order to justify invoking the insurrection act in Portland, Oregon, trump faked a riot with professional videographers, the military and hired extras.

Sen. Jeffrey Merkley tells us what happened :

NYT article above: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/c...

Why shutdowns didn't exist before 1980: time.com/5493596/gove...

While the messaging part of the shutdown is going better than I expected, Trump is indeed showing that "essential worker" is in the eye of the beholder. I think there is a good chance that there shutdowns cease to exist post-Trump because the next Dem president declares it so.

Find a No Kings protest Saturday and go!

Don't worry that you've never been to a protest before. Don't worry about being dressed wrong or looking out of place. Don't worry that you don't agree about everything -- or even about much -- with lots of people at the protest.

/1

Medicare payments to doctors paused as government shutdown drags on The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is pausing Medicare payments to doctors, as negotiations tied to the government shutdown drag on.

Medicare has stopped paying physicians due to the shut down. Standing right on the third rail www.statnews.com/2025/10/15/c...

And a damn good message it is:

A law was passed a long time ago to place a plaque on the wall to honor the officers who defended the Capitol on J6. The plaque is done and has been ready to hang up for a long time. MAGA Mike refuses to comply with that law, which is a slap in the face to every officer. bsky.app/profile/atru...

the daily caller published a call to violence of the left yesterday, a news organization that has connections to the heritage foundation

Support for Israel in U.S. drops sharply, Netanyahu unpopular, new poll shows Quinnipiac Survey Finds Only 47% of Americans See Backing Israel as a U.S. Interest, Down From 69% in 2023. Half of Voters Believe Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza, While Just 31% Approve of Trum...

NEW Quinnipiac poll of registered U.S. voters:

• Half now say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

• Only 47% see backing Israel as a U.S. interest, down from 69% in 2023

• 60% oppose more military aid to Israel

• 58% favor UN recognition of a Palestinian state

www.haaretz.com/us-news/2025...

The Open Society Foundations unequivocally condemn terrorism and do not fund terrorism. Our activities are peaceful and lawful, and our grantees are expected to abide by human rights principles and comply with the law. These accusations are politically motivated attacks on civil society, meant to silence speech the administration disagrees with and undermine the First Amendment right to free speech. When power is abused to take away the rights of some people, it puts the rights of all people at risk. Our work in the United States is dedicated to strengthening democracy and upholding constitutional freedoms. We stand by the work we do to improve lives in the United States and across the world.

Our statement in response to reporting that the Trump Administration is directing investigations without evidence into our operations.

Link to the substack in question

www.gelliottmorris.com/p/are-democr...

And my fav article on Mamdani www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/n...

@gelliottmorris.com rightfully points out that Dems face a challenge in agenda setting, specifically around affordability.

But, I'd be curious what NYC voters believe Mamdani is focused on. Because I think he has trailblazed a clear path for Dems to follow re: costs.

Challenging ≠ impossible.

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin ✨ figured out what stars are made of ✨ when she was just 25. 🔭🧪

Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.

I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:

One thing she *can* do is call her Senator, and have all her friends do the same. If enough people did this, we'd keep healthcare affordable for millions of Americans.

Trump’s chaotic tariffs and policies are raising prices and causing financial pain for American farmers.

A screen shot of the mckesson vaccine catalog for measles products: #1212891 Providers like you icon 403 Glaxo Smith Kline #58160082415 PRIORIX Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine, Preservative Free 2512 CCID - 15842 CCID - 1995 CCID / 0.5mL Injection 0.5 mL Log in for pricing and availability Compare Product 1238106 M-M-R® II Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine, Preservative Free 1,000 TCID - 12,500 TCID - 1,000 TCID / 0.5 mL Injection - click to view product detail page ,for, Item ID-#1238106 Providers like you icon 1,225 Merck #00006468100 M-M-R® II Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine, Preservative Free 1,000 TCID - 12,500 TCID - 1,000 TCID / 0.5 mL Injection Log in for pricing and availability Compare Product 984817 ProQuad® Measles, Mumps, and Rubella and Varicella Virus Vaccine 1,000 TCID - 20,000 TCID - 1,000 TCID - 9772 PFU / 0.5 mL Injection 0.5 mL - click to view product detail page ,for, Item ID-#984817 Providers like you icon 654 Merck #00006417100 ProQuad® Measles, Mumps, and Rubella and Varicella Virus Vaccine 1,000 TCID - 20,000 TCID - 1,000 TCID - 9772 PFU / 0.5 mL Injection 0.5 mL Log in for pricing and availability

Before people call to ask. Measles is not available as a single antigen product in the USA. It's not FDA approved, we don't carry it, and we can't order it for you.

Yeah man we should really fight back by staying on X

Tom Homan, who was later named President Trump’s border czar, was recorded in September 2024 accepting a bag with $50,000 in cash in an undercover F.B.I. investigation, according to people familiar with the case, which was later shut down by Trump administration officials. The cash payment, which was made inside a bag from the food chain Cava, grew out of a long-running counterintelligence investigation that had not been targeting Mr. Homan, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the case.

it was literally in a bag

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...

Obviously that begs the question "What's popular" -- but polls and this rule of thumb below can help:

bsky.app/profile/aaro...

Dems in d̶i̶s̶a̶r̶r̶a̶y̶ alignment! Take popular positions on salient issues to win in tough districts. (Phew, what were we arguing about then?)

Let's go beat these fascists.

The Second Founding &#8220;Gripping and essential.&#8221;&#8212;Jesse Wegman, <em>New York Times</em>, The Second Founding, How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution, Eric Foner, 9780393358520

that book exists! foner wrote it a few years back! wwnorton.com/books/978039...

Pressure works. Let's keep it up.

HARDEST PHOTO OF 2025 JUST DROPPED

Chicago Starbucks Worker Did Not Write 'Loser' On Order Honoring Charlie Kirk, Company Says A Starbucks spokesperson said time-stamped surveillance footage shows an employee did not write the note, which had prompted online outrage and the store's temporary closure this week.

Hey, we found the "ghouls celebrating Charlie Kirk's death!"

And once again...

Every Republican Accusation is a Confession.™
blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/19/v...

Wow, the public just has no idea what affects housing prices -- and what to do about it. Candidates need to run on lowering grocery prices, not housing.

From Searchlight's first survey: www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/wha...

What a Bigger-Tent Democratic Party Could Look Like Elected officials and operatives are rethinking old litmus tests.

Ack, forgot the link. It's from @lauren-egan.bsky.social's great write-up:

www.thebulwark.com/p/what-a-big...

Sen. Murphy is rethinking his well-earned stance test on guns and gets it exactly right.

Big tent parties + election wins + step-by-step reforms = durable change. See: Social Security, Civil Rights

Fewer litmus tests; more freedom.