Long Time Listener

NEW: A federal appeals court ruled Saturday that the Trump administration's bid to shut off public access to crucial government spending data was an affront to Congress' power of the purse — and a law requiring disclosure.

w/ @joshgerstein

www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

Translation for 🧪 folks:

Vought has been illegally covering up how he’s withholding appropriated $ from NIH, NSF, etc., an appeals court ruled.

The illegal coverup here = hiding data on how OMB/Vought is sending $ to agencies (called “apportionments”)

She’s in California for god’s sake! These are not serious people.

Ukraine war briefing: European leaders stress protection of Ukrainian interests ahead of Trump-Putin talks Leaders present counterproposal and urge more pressure on Russia ahead of summit; Zelenskyy rejects idea of giving up land to end the war. What we know on day 1,264 * See all our Ukraine war coverage European leaders stressed the need to keep pressure on Moscow and protect Ukrainian and European security interests after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin arranged to meet in Alaska next week. A joint statement from French, Italian, German, Polish, British and Finnish leaders and the president of the European commission welcomed the move but noted that the “path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine” and that negotiations could take place only in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities. It added: “only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed”. They also said a resolution “must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests”, including “the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity”. US vice-president JD Vance met British foreign secretary David Lammy and representatives of Ukraine and European allies on Saturday at Chevening House, a country mansion south-east of London, to discuss Trump’s push for peace. A European official confirmed a counterproposal was put forward by European representatives at the Chevening meeting but declined to provide details. The Wall Street Journal said European officials had presented a counterproposal that included demands that a ceasefire must take place before any other steps are taken and that any territory exchange must be reciprocal, with firm security guarantees. “You can’t start a process by ceding territory in the middle of fighting,” it quoted one European negotiator as saying. The White House did not immediately respond when asked about the European counterproposals. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday rejected the idea that his country would give up land to end the war with Russia after Trump suggested a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.” Zelenskyy said Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.” Later, Zelenskyy called the Chevening meeting constructive: “All our arguments were heard,” he said in his evening address to Ukrainians. “The path to peace for Ukraine should be determined together and only together with Ukraine, this is key principle.” French leader Emmanuel Macron stressed the need for Ukraine to play a role in any negotiations: “Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years now,” he wrote on X after what he said were calls with Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Starmer. “Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake.” On Saturday two people died and 16 were wounded when a Russian drone hit a minibus in the suburbs of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Two others died after a Russian drone struck their car in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets across 15 different locations. It also said it shot down one of the two missiles Russia deployed. Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences shot down 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight and 21 more on Saturday morning. Continue reading...

Ukraine war briefing: European leaders stress protection of Ukrainian interests ahead of Trump-Putin talks

Trump-Putin summit in Alaska resembles a slow defeat for Ukraine | CNN Location matters, former real estate mogul US President Donald Trump said. Moments later he announced Alaska, a place sold by Russia to the United States 158 years ago for $7.2 million, would be where...

Putin invaded a democracy and now he wants Ukraine to hand over chunks of its land . . . and Donald Trump is helping Putin defeat democracy. It's revolting and the Republican members of Congress who are enabling this are traitors and cowards.

www.cnn.com/2025/08/09/e...

Trump just killed Solar for All — a $7B program to cut electric bills for 900,000 low-income families, create good-paying jobs, and boost clean energy in red and blue states alike. Higher bills, fewer jobs, dirtier air — all to please fossil fuel donors

1 last thing re that, make peace w/ the reality that about 7 strategic Dems will likely vote to keep the gov open again even if all House Dems vote against it again. Federal court reserve funding only lasts so long in a shutdown & they’d prioritize criminal cases, not Dem efforts to stop this admin.

a man with glasses says it actually is straightforward ALT: a man with glasses says it actually is straightforward

YOU can help stop appointments by calling REPUBLICAN Senators as a constituent. Be calm, don’t be an idiot. Don’t threaten people.

Senate Minority Leader Schumer & various Democratic Senators are why Republicans have had delays. Give them a majority & some of the worst ones won’t have a shot.

Attacking Hakeem Jeffries for “voting for Trump’s nominees” shows that you’re uninformed or ignorant at best, or racist trolls at worst. Attacking other House Dems for the same is also ignorant. Even if the House voted on these nominees, REPUBLICANS WOULD STILL HOLD THE MAJORITY.

They can’t do much else beyond this to stop noms. You didn’t elect enough of them to stop all nominees. 53 is bigger than 45 + 2 (Independents). This & raising awareness online or in media are the main things Democrats have power to do beyond rule processes or lawsuits re other things Congress does.

For nominees to be derailed you need to call Republican Senators in the majority. Some noms won’t get out of committee.

Dems have holds on several hundred positions. This doesn’t end them. This forces them to have hearings. That forces Republicans to waste time not passing awful legislation.

The House of Representatives doesn’t vote on positions appointed by the executive office, the Senate does.

Republicans control the House majority anyway, not just the Senate.

If every Dem votes against a nom & every Republican for them, they’re still confirmed.

Majorities matter.

Thread:

Senate GOP ready to go nuclear after Schumer's 'political extortion' of nominees President Donald Trump killed negotiations between Senate Republicans and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and now lawmakers are considering nuking Senate rules.

Here is Fox News showing how pissed off Republicans are about Schumer & Democrats’ effectiveness at stalling. www.foxnews.com/politics/sen...

Over 1,200 positions require Senate confirmation. Senate Republicans have only confirmed just over 130, because Democrats you screech at have stalled them.

Great opportunity to share the 1965 debate between Baldwin and Buckley, that Baldwin won 544 to 164. It was pretty much Baldwin kicking his ass and Buckley spouting bad arguments and thinly veiled racism.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tek...

I have not….yet. Thanks for the recommendation!

Fuck Harry Potter

Go watch His Dark Materials instead (plus the books by Phillip Pullman are much better)

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, left, embraces community members as she surveys the damage from Hurricane Helene, in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of Augusta, Georgia, Oct. 2, 2024. https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-surveys-hurricane-helene-s-damage-in-southeastern-us-states-/7809719.html

President Joe Biden hugs a woman in Keaton Beach, Florida, during his tour of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, Oct. 3, 2024. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.voanews.com%2Fa%2Fbiden-surveys-hurricane-helene-s-damage-in-southeastern-us-states-%2F7809719.html&psig=AOvVaw3qtk8CG2WvJe8ue1BXC4Z4&ust=1754876025578000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBYQjRxqFwoTCNjUmemM_44DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Keep the faith. Spread the faith. 🗽

Article link in ALT text. #HurricaneHelene

Are Americans aware that down here in Mexico we’ve been getting bombarded for months with ads of Kristi Noem telling us to our face that we’re out welcome in the US, and that these ads even found their way into our national TV broadcasts

Because I feel like I have seen nobody mention it

Any FBI agent asked to spend any time at all on the Texas quorum break had better be able to articulate the specific statute enumerating the specific federal crime they’re investigating.

And any reporter giving any credibility to alleged FBI efforts had better be asking the same.

An update from us here at PBS 💙

So, About Those Big Trade Deals If you read the fine print, the “concessions” from America’s trade partners don’t add up to much.

No one but the most ignorant, low-information rube or hopelessly delusional MAGA cultist should be in the least surprised that Trump’s much-ballyhooed trade “deals” are largely fake. Essentially all just smoke and mirrors (gilded, of course).
tinyurl.com/5bf2n683

Boosting this thread because I'm still seeing white people demanding that Democrats save them from a government they thought they could live with in November.

Fair warning: This is not the place for a "not all" - "not me" - "don't be divisive" reply, debate or discussion.

60 years after the Voting Rights Act, voter suppression is still targeting our communities.

That’s why I introduced the SWIFT VOTE Act and the POLL Act. These bills cut the lines, expose the delays, and give folks real power to fight back when states play games with our right to vote.

Emory University shooting live: Suspect dead and cop killed Police are reportedly working on the theory that the CDC was the suspect’s target, who ‘blamed his illness on the Covid-19 vaccine,’ according to an unconfirmed report

The police think that the man who killed a police officer at Emory University today was seeking revenge on the CDC. He had an unspecified illness that he believed was caused by the COVID19 vaccine.

www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...

Thanks to @jonsam1961b.bsky.social for the heads up.

During COVID Donald Trump encouraged protests and ridiculed people who wore masks

Then appointed vaccine skeptic RFK, Jr as head of Health and Human Services

Giving credence to science denying lunatics throughout the US

So it’d be no shock if this really was the motive behind the Emory shooting

BREAKING NEWS: Starting today, Georgia is canceling nearly half a million voter registrations in one of the largest voter roll removals in U.S. history.

Voting should not be a use-it-or-lose it right. Take 3 minutes to check your voter registration RN at weall.vote/georgia.

These servicemembers put their lives on the line for this country. It is disgraceful and wrong to deny them at least the same benefits any other veteran would receive.

Pure hatefulness and spite from the least qualified Secretary of Defense in history and President bone spurs.

Are parents really behind book bans? We asked @txfreedomread.bsky.social for their thoughts. 🤔 #freedomtoread #bannedbooks

Last week, I told you about my new book, 107 Days — a behind-the-scenes, candid, and personal account of my time leading the shortest presidential campaign in modern history.

Now, here's a behind-the-scenes look at announcement week.

Mind boggling and humiliating that CBS would permit this.