Jason Renker

One of my Russian professors told me the difference between autocracy and democracy is in a democracy a portrait of the leader is hard to get, while in an autocracy the portrait is hard to get away from

10 Things Federal Workers Should Know About Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) 1. File in your last duty station, and that state will determine your benefit amount. 2. File with your SF-50 and SF-8, but don’t wait. 3. File for UI even if you are challenging your termination. 4. Don’t panic if you get a $0 monetary determination. 5. The process may take twenty-one days or more. 6. Your home agency must verify your wage. 7. If your claim is delayed, request a wage affidavit. 8. Check your portal, email and mail frequently—you may need to respond to requests for information. 9. Certify and report your work search while you wait. 10. Rules limit how much extra earnings you can receive while collecting UCFE. 11. If you apply for benefits during a furlough in this shutdown, you'll have to refun d the state when you get your back pay. 12. If you are an excepted and required to work without pay, you cannot file but DC and MD have alternate aid.

Double whammy unemployment day for feds. Government shutdown, and the end of Musk's fork-in-the road deferred resignation program. Here's an updated list of 12 things feds should know before filing UI benefits, from Andrew Stettner at @tcfdotorg.bsky.social

See more here: tcf.org/content/repo...

5 Things to Know About the Government Shutdown While politicians in D.C. argue over who’s to blame for the ongoing federal government shutdown, families at home should know the truth: this shutdown is

Fact: this shutdown is primarily a cost of living fight—specifically, the cost of health care. The president and much leadership in Congress seem okay with soaring costs. #shutdown #ACA #healthcare

tcf.org/content/comm...

Once again, Gateway has become a political football.

The ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ Phase of the Shutdown Russ Vought has no authority during the shutdown to implement DOGE 2.0 to extract political pain from Democrats. In fact, he’s admitted that outright.

In honor of Taylor's new album, Russ Vought is in his "Look What You Made Me Do" phase of the shutdown.
He's making decisions he’s always wanted to make & blaming Democrats for forcing him to make them. It’s just as unpopular as DOGE was; the public is smart enough to see (and abhor) Mafia tactics.

Fun fact - the NJ Turnpike extension through downtown Jersey City roughly follows the path of the now-underground Mill Creek. Imagine if we ripped out the highway and restored the creek…

Sooooooo, I guess that puts you in the camp of readers who express "skepticism that borders on hostility. " 🤔

Dem Says Mike Johnson Is Delaying Her Swearing-In to Prevent Epstein Vote Newly elected Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva says her swearing in ceremony has been delayed over her support for a petition to release Epstein files.

NEW: Adelita Grijalva Says Mike Johnson Is Delaying Her Swearing-In to Prevent Epstein Vote

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

MADELEINE DEAN: The president is unhinged. He's unwell

JOHNSON: A lot of folks on your side are too

D: Oh my god, please. That performance in front of the generals?

J: I didn't see it

D: It's so dangerous! Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing. You have a POTUS who's unwell.

House Democrat: ‘Law Is Very Clear’ Trump Can’t Use Shutdown For Mass Layoffs

Dem congressman on Russ Vought's threats of mass firings of federal employees during the government shutdown: "It's illegal and unconstitutional."
www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...

Russ Vought isn’t really a bureaucrat, he’s an anti-constitutional criminal seizing a bunch of unlawful powers to conduct economic warfare against hundreds of millions of Americans because they live in states that voted against his patron.

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

Trump Administration to Withhold $18 Billion for N.Y.C. Infrastructure

The Gateway Development Commission, which oversees the Hudson tunnel project, held its monthly board meeting on Tuesday. No mention was made of a possible suspension of funding.

Rural Americans Face Unprecedented Price Hikes for Health Care The implications of actions by the Trump administration and congressional leadership are becoming increasingly clear: overall private health insurance

Just a reminder that the shutdown is a struggle over health care—the Trump administration and congressional leadership don't care if millions of Americans see their costs soar.
tcf.org/content/comm...

Astounding.

“We are arresting the Mayor, per the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.”

Read that again. This wasn't about trespassing. It was a direct order from the highest levels of the Trump administration to silence and punish a political opponent.

Hegseth is the shitty boss who calls a meeting at 4pm on Friday, then spend 45 min blathering about something minor that could have been a three-line email.

Border Patrol spotted with guns on Chicago River in Trump's latest deportation push While federal officials said the boats were needed as part of their anti-immigration blitz, at least one alderperson called the effort a "photo op."

Cheap photo op.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

YouTube video by The Century Foundation The Price of Excellence | The Century Foundation

Huge shoutout to my collegue Denise Smith (@drde7.bsky.social) for this excellent film on the need to redress the historical underfunding of the nation's HBCUs!
#HBCU

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HALb...

This literally looks like something you'd do in a Mario Kart game.

Mass Federal Layoffs Present Unprecedented Unemployment Insurance Challenges Communities across America are reeling from a sudden and unprecedented surge in workers laid off from federal jobs. Elon Musk announced the intention of

This more recent guide was prepared during the DOGE firings, but it has an important section: "10 Things Federal Workers Should Know About Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)"

#unemployment #shutdown

tcf.org/content/repo...

Unemployment Compensation for Furloughed Federal Employees and Contractors: A Guide to the Shutdown As budget negotiations break down and a federal government shutdown appears likely, unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and Unemployment Compensation for

As a federal government shutdown appears likely, unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) can be a lifeline for federal workers and contractors. This guide from 2023 still holds true. #unemployment #shutdown

tcf.org/content/comm...

Trump wants to rebrand his tax bill as the ‘Working Families Tax Cut’. Don’t be fooled | Steven Greenhouse The budget measure will hurt poor people and boost rich people. It should really be called the Billionaires’ Tax Cut Act

"Frankly, it would be more accurate to call the bill the Working Families Benefits Cut Bill." Great piece by @greenhousenyt.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The responses in this polling piece on young Republicans and independents are wild.

I submitted my comment and I hope you all will join me.

www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

🐟🐠🐡

‘He’s brazenly anti-worker’: US marks the first Labor Day under Trump 2.0 Advocates say Trump has hurt workers in many ways, often by cutting their pay or making their jobs more dangerous

This rundown of Trump's anti-worker actions is astounding.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

BREAKING: Fed Governor Lisa Cook pushes back with a strong statement after Trump claimed to fire her:

“President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign and will continue my work to support the U.S. economy”

Report: RFK Jr. and Trump to Pull Covid-19 Vaccines 'Within Months' Cardiologist Aseem Malhotra claims that the Trump administration will take action to remove mRNA vaccines from the U.S. market later this year.

"A purported close ally of the health secretary has claimed that Kennedy and President Donald Trump are preparing to imminently shelve the mRNA covid-19 vaccines."
gizmodo.com/report-rfk-j...

Trump’s FBI Raid of John Bolton’s Home Looks Like a “Five Alarm Fire” Thus far little is known about Friday’s law enforcement action against a top Trump critic. But we’re seeing an escalation of authoritarian power on many fronts that has grown unmistakable.

This is getting very bad:

*FBI raids top Trump critic's home
*Trump loyalist gins up "mortgage fraud" pretexts for DOJ probes of Schiff, Letitia James, Lisa Cook
*Bannon says ICE will monitor 2026 voting
*DHS memo vows LA operations "for years to come"

New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/1994...