ConnieRR

Read this thread about our @propublica.org reporting on how immigration officers are increasingly smashing car windows to arrest immigrants

(just a warning, many of the videos in this thread contain footage/audio of violent arrests and screaming children)
⬇️ projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-sm...

The Media Keeps Ignoring the Truth About American Politics As the Republican Party further radicalizes, mainstream news organizations are still trying to cover politics as they always have. But alternative news sources are emerging.

As the Republican Party further radicalizes, mainstream news organizations are still trying to cover politics as they always have. But alternative news sources are emerging. trib.al/k4ZeW7O

Shining a Light on the Destruction of our Government The Trump administration promised transparency, but on one of its most consequential priorities, it has gone to great le

In the first 200 days of his presidency, Trump has fired roughly 149,000 civil servants 

Max Stier places a floodlight on the gutting of our federal institutions ⬇️

An open letter to Sen. Bill Cassidy Hi, Bill, let's talk about your legacy

"An open letter to Sen. Bill Cassidy." New by me. open.substack.com/pub/robertma...

Hey folks:

Tomorrow morning on my live webcast:

Congress on the Run: The Whats and Whys of Missing Members of Congress

The absent Texas legislators?
The practice isn't new.
It's a power move with a past.

Join us for more.

Friday 10AM ET
ncheteach.org/conversations

Why the Extremists Took Over on the Right Fear of a pluralizing America is fueling a radicalization out of a sense of weakness and besiegement

Some light evening reading - on the extremists who are in charge on the Right and the escalating siege mentality that has fueled their rise.

It’s a long piece - but it comes with an added audio version (read by me, not some AI garbage) to make it more accessible, hopefully.

As someone who has represented multiple lifers at Angola, I can tell you that this will be bad, bad, bad.

The costs of Trump will be immense, are getting higher daily and leave almost no area of the economy unscathed.

BREAKING on MSNBC:

A group met to discuss Jeffrey Epstein and other topics at the White House last night. AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were both there.

Another topic discussed: Two fired FBI agents with ties to the Mar-a-Lago search. @msnbc.com

Tax cuts for the rich and next to nothing for pretty much everybody else is the republican way

As of today, thanks to Trump, Americans are paying the highest tariff rate since 1933.

And the average household is going to lose out on $2,400 thanks to Trump's tariffs.

You are paying more for almost everything because of Trump himself.

Why does Trump hate Texas? from Houston Chronicle: Trump orders new census that excludes immigrants and could cost Texas billions

It seems unhelpful to me that whenever someone says “Trump proposal X would be clearly illegal” a thousand people all chorus in to say “yes but SCOTUS is in the bag, it doesn’t matter.” Sure, the corrupt majority might sign off on anything. But we need to ACT like the law still matters.

N: Edinburgh Scotland
E: Bucharest Romania
S: Cancun Mexico
W: Great Ocean Road Australia

Idaho OBGYN exodus continues: state lost 35% of obstetricians since abortion ban The exodus of Idaho obstetricians continues: a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows Idaho has lost a little more than a third of its OBGYNs since the repeal of Roe V. Wade in 2022. Before Idaho banned almost all abortions in August 2022, there were 268 OBGYNs in the state. Today, there are 174 obstetricians serving the state’s roughly one million women, 600,000 of whom are of reproductive age. The 35% decline is in line with falling numbers captured last year.

www.boisestatepublicradio.org/health/2025-...

Trump to Sign Order Easing Path for Private Assets in 401(k)s President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday that aims to allow private equity, real estate, cryptocurrency and other alternative assets in 401(k)s, a major victory for industries look...

Trump will sign an executive order today that allows your 401K money to be invested in private equity. Aside from what that means for your retirement fund, it will also roughly DOUBLE the amount of money P.E. firms have at their disposal to take over companies/hospitals/housing/etc.

WER Live: Why Elites Are Caving to Trump A conversation with Perry Bacon Jr.

I talked to @perrybaconjr.bsky.social, one of the sharpest analysts of American politics out there, about why so many institutions are failing to reckon with the current authoritarian moment, and how we should think about it instead.

www.weekendreading.net/p/wer-live-w...

Trump Calls for New Census, Sans Noncitizens, Based On ‘Presidential Election of 2024’ Trump Calls for New Census, Sans Noncitizens, Based On ‘Presidential Election of 2024’

Whatever his intention, Trump lacks the authority to order changes to the Census. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Funded by several NIH grants, including two of them to a Harvard researcher. This is the kind of thing the current administration is trying to take away from us. THIS

Wait you mean a Democrat can just go to a microphone and make news and it’s not always about cowering under your desk all day, consulting a focus group to shape a mealy mouth message?

Whoa if true

💯

Netanyahu attacks his top general as he runs out of scapegoats for Gaza failure ***

THAT's a headline: www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Republicans' attempt to redistrict Texas is a power grab: Ari Berman explains "Texas has basically violated the Voting Rights Act every single redistricting cycle since the Voting Rights Act was passed."

Republicans' attempt to redistrict Texas is a power grab: Ari Berman explains...a true expert! fascinating deep dive open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

It’s About the Corruption Ordinary Americans can expose it and hold Trump accountable

snooty D politicians, consultants, and pundits who scoff at the power of mass protests (They’ll fade! Not serious!) are politically tone deaf, not to mention dead wrong. There is a well-developed body of research that shows political protest translate into votes. open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Worth mentioning...

#TrumpEpsteinCoverUp

How Chuck Grassley's Politicized Redactions Gave Putin Leverage over Trump - emptywheel Days before Trump sent his golfing buddy Steve Witkoff to pretend he's going to get stern with Vladimir Putin, all Trump's top spies renewed a secret they share with Putin's own spies. And that likely...

Given news that Trump is effectively capitulating to Putin, reupping: the Durham annex made it clear ALL Trump's spies have embraced SVR's campaign to frame Hillary ... and Russian spies have proof Trump is trying to cover that up.

www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/06/h...

At every opportunity, Netanyahu has made the situation in Gaza (and the West Bank) worse. And Trump and MAGA are enabling him and abetting his crimes.

Texas Dems are doing the right thing. But many across the US are rationalizing staying quiet or keeping their heads down.

Has the fear environment led you to disengage? Are you starting to bargain with yourself about why it shouldn't be you who stands up?

Here's what I told the @bostonglobe.com‬:

In this week's 1-on-1, @marcelias.bsky.social joins Harry to expose how Trump’s DOJ is laying the groundwork for 2026 election denial—and how GOP states plan a second wave of extreme gerrymandering. Link: bit.ly/MarcEliasTF