Andrew Bates

The Trump family's multibillion dollar crypto fortune raises new questions about the prices of Hunter Biden's paintings.

Trump's shutdown is jackpot for billionaires while working Americans pay President Donald Trump faces criticism for breaking campaign promises on healthcare costs while his tariffs and policies drive inflation higher for Americans.

"The bottom line is that Americans cannot afford to have their premiums skyrocket and, politically, Republicans cannot afford another broken economic promise to everyday Americans." www.foxnews.com/opinion/trum...

Wrote for @foxnews.com.web.brid.gy about how 2/3 of Trump voters agree w/ Democrats that he should not take health care from millions.

As polls get even worse for him, Trump should "admit he got this wrong, reach back out to Democrats and his own voters, and end his health care shutdown."

👀 Marjorie Taylor Greene breaks with Republicans on Obamacare funding, saying she’s not a fan of the law but demands action to prevent a premium hike. “I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year.” She says GOP leaders don’t have a plan.

Oregon AG Rayfield: Huge win at this moment in our democracy right now.

This is the president that is normalizing the use of the United States military in our country.

So to get this strong of a ruling out today for the public to see—it’s incredibly important.

YouGov survey results by political party for the question, Which do you think is the more important goal for Congressional Democrats in government shutdown negotiations?

Oct 3 poll of 2,811 U.S. adults (+/-2.4%)
% of U.S. adults saying Democrats' bigger goal in congressional shutdown talks is to:
Preserve Affordable Care Act tax credits & restore Medicaid funds 61%
Expand Medicaid benefits to immigrants in the U.S. illegally 13%
today.yougov.com/topics/polit...

Trump in 2011: A shutdown is "a tremendously negative mark on the President of the United States. He's the one that has to get people together."

We asked 1,000 Americans who is to blame for the shutdown. Here’s what they said. More Americans blame Trump and Republicans than Democrats for shutdown, poll finds.

New WaPo poll:
Extend ACA subsidies 71%-29%
Blame Rs for shutdown 47%
Blame Ds for shutdown 30%

Dems winning the big arguments so far

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

James Comey case jeopardizes Americans' free speech rights, retired judges warn A group of retired judges said Trump "continues to corruptly abuse the power of his office" by directing the Justice Department to target "his critics and his perceived political enemies."

An extraordinary statement from more than 40 former federal judges & state high court ones appointed by both D's & R's

They condemn Trump's abuse of DOJ powers & his prosecution of Comey

We @democracydefendersfund.org were proud to support!

www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...

BREAKING: We are going to court to stop the Trump administration’s abuse of the coming shutdown to illegally RIF employees

So proud to be part of this lawsuit w/
AFGE @afscme.bsky.social @democracyforward.org & Altshuler Berzon

Here’s the complaint
democracydefendersfund.org/prs/9.30.25-pr

Re: Was Lindsey Halligan Validly Appointed as United States Attorney? | National Review Some further reinforcing comments on my post last Friday in which I explained why, based on the facts as I understand them, I believe that Lindsey Halligan has not been validly appointed as United …

An interesting argument from Ed Whelan at EPPC: He makes the case that Lindsey Halligan's appointment is invalid.

www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/...

Oregon AG Rayfield: I know for a fact, from talking to cities across Oregon, that if you pick up the phone and ask, “What could be helpful?” the answer would not be the United States military.

A little more than two years ago, Governor Cooper first appointed me to serve as your N.C. Supreme Court Justice. Thank you for electing me to keep that seat, and I pledge to continue serving the people of this state without fear or favor.

Ex-Biden Adviser Says Trump Crackdown ‘Disrespectful To Charlie Kirk’s Memory’ Andrew Bates said the perceived President Donald Trump -led crackdown on speech is "disrespectful to the memory" of slain activist Charlie Kirk.

.@mediaite.com: "Ex-Biden Adviser Says Trump Crackdown ‘Disrespectful To Charlie Kirk’s Memory’" www.mediaite.com/online/ex-bi...

Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.

After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

Tweet From Obama mentioning my firing from the Washington post. Wirh a photo of me

The last political column I was allowed to write in the @washingtonpost.com was a criticism of Obama.

His people took issue with my piece, but we were respectful.

Now he is tweeting in support of me.

This is how free political speech and respect for debate *actually works*.

Or used to work.

We need an FBI Director who has the experience to lead & the trust of his workforce. Kash Patel has neither.

We urge Senators to push for a qualified leader at tomorrow's Judiciary Committee hearing.

Our full statement: bit.ly/3ViWtiw

A tragic murder, a baseless smear, and the fight for the U.S. Senate A high-stakes race for an open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina has gotten nasty very quickly.

The @roycoopernc.bsky.social task force Whatley lied about "did not recommend the early release of any prisoner. It did recommend eliminating cash bail for misdemeanors, but only in circumstances where there was no 'risk to public safety.'" popular.info/p/a-tragic-m...

.@juddlegum.bsky.social shows Whatley's "smears" about the tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska are "objectively false."

The killer was released because of a law passed by "the Republican-dominated North Carolina legislature and signed...by Governor Pat McCrory in July 2013."

Days ago Trump falsely said, "We have no inflation. Prices are down on just about everything."

New numbers from his own administration prove he's wrong.

@wsj.com: "Inflation Rose to 2.9% in August" "Americans paid more for essentials like food and housing." www.wsj.com/economy/cpi-...

"'If Republicans thought they could win on their record, they wouldn’t have opened the redistricting conversation in the first place,' Andrew Bates, a former senior staffer to President Joe Biden, told me."

America Surrenders in the Global Information Wars The U.S. is reorienting its foreign policy to protect governments that manipulate and suppress information.

On our unilateral disarmament: America is reorienting its foreign policy to help governments that manipulate and suppress information.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Good talk

Republicans fret about inflation's impact on 2026 midterms GOP insiders and lawmakers believe the cost of drugs and consumer items — and how the White House deals with tariffs — will be key to whether the GOP keeps control of Congress.

The White House believes creating chaos will make voters forget his tariffs and tax cuts for the rich.

They're wrong.

@axios: "Republicans fret about inflation's impact on 2026 midterms"

Polling shows "costs as the single most important issue to voters" www.axios.com/2025/09/02/r...

Spoke with @garretthaake.bsky.social on @msnbc.com about how anti-vaccine scaremongering is ending research into cures for terminal diseases, like childhood cancers.

The White House is speaking out of both sides of its mouth on this any many other issues - including Epstein and tariffs.

Contrarians Fight for – & Celebrate! – Unions Publisher's Roundup 33

Some astonishing omissions by Eric Loomis in his Times oped on labor 👉
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

Not that unions & all of us don't need to do more--we do

But the essay ignores the substantial efforts that unions have undertaken that I chronicle here👇1/x

open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

I asked Andrew Bates, Biden’s deputy press secretary what he thought about the media’s obsession with Biden’s age and health while it ignores Trump’s visible health troubles. Here’s what he said

more of this tbh

WSJ Page One:

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/business/ret...

Trump Deals A New Immigration Blow To International Students Trump officials have proposed a new rule limiting international students to fixed periods of entry, making a U.S. education more precarious.

Trump admin planning to change student visas from lasting for duration of academic program to fixed 4-yr term, and then much harder to renew
Could destroy US ability to attract global talent, particularly those seeking advanced degrees in STEM. The median time to complete a PhD is 5.7 yrs per NSF.