Ron Culmer

The Trump administration is canceling the DOT’s rule to get passengers compensation for extreme airline delays - just the latest example of them siding with corporations and against customers.

The Trump Administration Wants Your Voter Registration Data. Why? Read about the fight for democracy from activists, elected officials, legal experts and others.

If not for the deployment of the military, this would be the biggest story right now. Or at least it should be...

"In recent weeks, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has doubled down on its sweeping bid to wrangle private voter data from states — including by threatening legal action."

🚨Dakotans for Health v. Johnson Learn more.

🚨BREAKING: Federal court STRIKES DOWN down new South Dakota law imposing a nine-month deadline to file ballot measures declaring it unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

Congrats to Dakotans for Health and their legal team! www.democracydocket.com/cases/south-...

Wages of unionized workers are 13% higher than their nonunion counterparts.

But unions also set a higher pay standard that all workers enjoy.

In high-union-density states, median household income is $12,000 higher than in low-union-density states.

This is why unions are vital.

DOJ Doubles Down on Demands for Maine’s Voter Data, Secretary of State Fires Back Read more here.

🚨BREAKING: The U.S. Department of Justice has escalated its demand for access to Maine’s voter registration records, now requesting that election officials turn over unredacted copies of voter rolls and every voter registration application submitted in the past 18 months.

Absolutely disgraceful and despicable. If you are a partner at Paul Weiss or Kirkland & Ellis you should be ashamed of yourself -- that is, if you had any shame left.

Novo Halves Ozempic Price to $499 a Month for Those Paying Cash Novo Nordisk A/S is slashing the cost of Ozempic for cash-paying patients after the diabetes shot became the poster child for high US drug prices.

Novo Nordisk’s move to cut the price of Ozempic to $499 for the uninsured is a modest step forward, but let’s not forget.

Ozempic costs just $59 in Germany while it costs less than $5 to make.

The U.S. must no longer pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.

Gerrymandering Explained The practice has long been a thorn in the side of American democracy, but it’s becoming a bigger threat than ever.

Gerrymandering has been around since the nation’s founding, but like most things since then, it has changed dramatically — and not for the better. Here's what to know: bit.ly/3MqI6FI

Texas in 2025.

TK Noon, a Blues, Folk, and Americana band were in concert yesterday. Outstanding!

Traveling along the Rhine and Mosel Rivers.

Exclusive: US aid cuts leave food for millions mouldering in storage The food stocks have been stuck inside four U.S. government warehouses since the Trump administration's decision in January to cut global aid programs.

Because of Trump's dismantling of USAID, 60,000 metric tons of food that were bound to serve the poorest kids on earth are now on the brink of rotting in America. Our anti-hunger groups are ready to spring into action.

What say you, Mr. President?

Holy shit! I didn’t realize there were people on the masts of the ship. 🫣

⚓️

@stclaresepiscopal.bsky.social choir at practice.

DOGE employees gain accounts on classified networks holding nuclear secrets Two DOGE employees have access to a network used to transmit classified nuclear weapons data and a separate network used by the Department of Defense, sources tell NPR.

"Access to both networks would normally require a "Q" clearance, the highest level of security clearance at the Department of Energy..."
www.npr.org/2025/04/28/n...

Judge says 2-year-old US citizen appears to have been deported with ‘no meaningful process’ The girl was deported Friday with her mother to Honduras, despite her father’s efforts to keep her in the United States.

"A federal judge is raising alarms that the Trump administration deported a two-year-old U.S. citizen to Honduras with “no meaningful process,” even as the child’s father was frantically petitioning the courts to keep her in the country."
www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

BREAKING: we won! A federal judge has enjoined the administration's shut down of Voice of America

Another success for the Constitution and for us @sddaction.bsky.social & our many wonderful partners & clients

More details to follow--stay tuned!

Astronomers Detect a Signature of Life on a Distant Planet Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.

“Now a team of researchers is offering what it contends is the strongest indication yet of extraterrestrial life, not in our solar system but on a massive planet, known as K2-18b, that orbits a star 120 light-years from Earth.” Right in our backyard! www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/s...

Tomorrow I’ll be calling all of my representatives to demand that they call for RFK jr’s immediate resignation.

AOC is calling out colleagues for stock trades before tariffs were paused: “Any member of Congress who purchased stocks in the last 48 hrs should probably disclose that now … It’s time to ban insider trading in Congress.” AOC is absolutely right.

More here: www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/saturdays-...

Tough language from JPMorgan tonight:

“.. we view the full implementation of these policies as a substantial macro economic shock not currently incorporated in our forecasts. .. these policies, if sustained, would likely push the US and global economy into recession this year.”

🚨 51-48, Senate PASSES a measure to terminate Trump’s tariffs on Canada.

Four Republicans join Democrats to deliver a rare rebuke to the president:

Susan Collins
Lisa Murkowski
Rand Paul
Mitch McConnell

A reminder for this Transgender Day of Visibility:

Trans people have always existed, and we always will. 

No president, politician, or court can change that.

Truth or Consequences May 9, 2017, feels like eons ago in our political and social history—not to mention that my two college-student children weren’t even in high school yet.

“Truthfulness in our political leaders is a virtue, but it is far more than that—it is intimately tied to our flourishing as a society. And its radical devaluing under Trump cannot be separated from the many frightening and immoral aspects of his rule.”

open.substack.com/pub/harrylit...

From the “pro-life” party…

Heartbreaking and completely unnecessary. Way to go MAGA.

Democratic House Rep. Chrissy Houlahan:

"Show us the money. Show us the receipts. Don't edit it. Don't redact it. Don't disappear it. Release it, and release it right now. But we know they won't do that either. They're lying about what happened...they're gaslighting us"

Boom!

🔥

The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.

Absolute fucking clown show.

Hegseth accidentally included a reporter in a text message group announcing strikes in Yemen, including weapons, targets, and timing.

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The Sunday shows are keeping it real—Schumer gave away the game for nothing.

Jen Psaki lays out what he could have done. He played this wrong on every level.

And with a Social Security, Medicare, and a tax cut fight coming, do you really want @schumer.senate.gov leading the fight?!