Eric Papa

This system was put in place to prevent big money from out of state influencing campaigns. The best part of this system is that the smaller the donation, the more public money candidates receive. Small donations get matching public funds that are around $12:$1; larger donations are more like $6:$1.

How Zohran Mamdani Beat Citizens United The New York City mayoral candidate used an undervalued political strategy to battle against dark money.

NYC has a great public financing system that allocates to candidates matching funds for campaigns. This means that when a candidate raises a min. amount of money in small dollar donations (under $250), they obtain matching public funds.

How Zohran Mamdani Beat Citizens United The New York City mayoral candidate used an undervalued political strategy to battle against dark money.

🎧LEVER TIME: @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social is the culmination of a 40-year movement that built NY’s clean elections system giving outsider candidates public money to compete with oligarchs.

Now, there’s a push to replicate that system across the country.

Search “Lever Time” in your podcast app.

🧾 Factchecking Trump on '60 Minutes' Mehdi debunks the president's lies, unpacks the failure of our mainstream media, and has the latest from Gaza, as well as Trump's 'Great Gatsby'-esque Halloween party.

"Factchecking Trump on '60 Minutes'"

In today's 'First Draft' morning newsletter from Zeteo, I counted and debunked at least *17 obvious, brazen lies* that the president told CBS's Norah O'Donnell, and that she just let slide:

‘Progressive’ Tech Group Asks Trump to Block AI Copyright Cases - The American Prospect The Chamber of Progress’s campaign to promote fair use, which they have created a campaign around called “Generate and Create,” comes as at least three of the nonprofit organization’s past or current ...

According to recent reporting, many of your board members previously worked for big tech companies and are trying to get the Trump administration to protect AI firms from copyright lawsuits.

I also just goes to show you that you should never trust organizations by default without looking into their background and history first.

@progresschamber.org is apparently an organization that isn't really progressive.

Another big reason why I will always recommend @prospect.org for news.

Important read.

Out of all of the outlets I read for news, there is always one I keep coming back to: The American Prospect.

They do a great job and the best part is that they don't have an opinion section like the New York Times does. They just have articles that tell you what's happening and what it all means.

ALIEN ENEMIES ACT: ALIEN ENEMY VALIDATION GUIDE In the case of: ________________________________ A-File No:__________________ 1. The person named above is fourteen years or older: 2. The person named above is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States: 3. The person named above is a citizen of Venezuela: If any of these three requirements are not satisfied, the person named above shall not be ordered removed under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA). In such a case, you should consult your supervisor and the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and, where applicable, initiate removal proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). 4. The person named above is validated as a member of Tren de Aragua (TDA), as determined by reference to the following evaluation form: Instructions: Complete the following validation evaluation form for each suspected alien targeted for removal under the AEA, or, following apprehension, for each alien potentially subject to an AEA removal. After accounting for the two comments below, aliens scoring 8 points and higher are validated as members of TDA; you should proceed with issuing Form AEA-21B, titled, “Notice and Warrant of Apprehension and Removal under the Alien Enemies Act.” Aliens scoring 6 or 7 points may be validated as members of TDA; you should consult with a supervisor and OPLA, reviewing the totality of the facts, before making that determination; if you determine an alien should not be validated at this time as a member of TDA, when available, you should initiate removal proceedings under the INA. Alien scoring 5 points or less should not be validated at this time as member of TDA; when available, you should initiate removal proceedings under the INA.

The following alt-text is excerpted of a larger checklist, as the whole page doesn't fit within alt-text character limits. Comment 2: For purposes of validating an alien as a member of TDA, at least one scoring category must involve conduct occurring, or information received, within the past five years. Valuation Explanation Category Definition Explanation Points Judicial Outcomes and Official Documents a. Subject has been convicted of violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 521 or any other federal or state law criminalizing or imposing civil penalties for activity related to TDA 10 b. Court records (e.g., indictments, criminal complaints, sentencing memorandums) identifying the subject as a member of TDA, describing specific activity of TDA 5 Self-Admission a. Subject self-identifies as a member or associate of TDA verbally or in writing to law enforcement officer, even if that self identification to a law enforcement officer is unwitting, e.g., through lawful interception of communications. 10 Criminal Conduct and Information a. Subject participates in criminal activity (e.g., narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, etc.) with other members of TDA, including preparatory meetings and significant incidents directly attributed to TDA 6 b. Law enforcement or intelligence reporting identifying subject as a member of TDA, to include Bureau of Prisons validations and reliable foreign partner information. 4 c. Credible testimonies/statements from victims, community members, or informants that affirm the subject’s membership in or allegiance to TDA. 3 d. Detailed open-source media (e.g., newspapers, investigative journalism reports) that describe arrest, prosecution, or operations of a subject as a member of TDA 2 e. Subject conducts and/or facilitates business with TDA (e.g., money laundering, mule, service provider) 2 Documents and Communications

Final page: Association a. Surveillance documentation that a subject is frequently observed closely associating with known leaders and members of TDA 2 b. Subject part of group photos with two or more known members of TDA 2 c. Subject presently resides with known members of TDA 2 Total Points VALIDATION DETERMINATION Note: If any of the four requirements are not satisfied, do not complete this validation determination. Based on the validation guide and instructions above, including Comments 1 and 2, I find that the person named above, _______________________________________________: 1. Is fourteen years or older; 2. Is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States; 3. Is a citizen of Venezuela; and 4. Is a member of Tren de Aragua. Accordingly, the above-named person is validated as an Alien Enemy. _____________________ _________________________ __________________ Name of Agent/officer Signature of agent/officer Date completing the form completing the form ______________________ _________________________ ____________________ Name of Supervisor Signature of Supervisor Date

NEW: @aclu.org obtained ICE's "Alien Enemies Act Validation Guide," confirming all it takes to be sent to rot in prison in El Salvador is being Venezuelan and 1) having a tattoo an ICE officer says is a "gang tattoo" and 2) displaying "logos," "symbols" or clothes an ICE officer says are gang signs.

AOC: I want to live in an America that guarantees healthcare to every person.

I want to live in an America that has a living wage for every person

I want to live in an America where you have free speech to express yourself and not be afraid of being put on a list or deported.

23 Senators constituents have gotten responses from - out of 23 four are some version of No, Sens. Kim, Sanders, Murray and Kaine. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/tally-3

Robert Reich explains why using the private sector for government services can have negative consequences. Watch More: 7 Economics Fundamentals ►► https://youtu.be/utuX4_uD5lE The Truth About Privatization | Robert Reich

Elon Musk has called for Amtrak and the Postal Service to be privatized.

Be warned: this is a call to gut essential public services to pad corporate profits.

Here are my 5 rules of thumb for when public services should NOT be privatized.

YouTube video by Secular Talk CAUGHT: Elon Plots DESTRUCTION Of Social Security | The Kyle Kulinski Show

GOP and Musk plotting to cut mandatory spending that funds social security, medicare, and medicaid, just so they can fund tax cuts that have been proven to increase the debt and the deficit.

Tim Scott Is “Proud” To Protect His Donors’ Junk Fees Sen. Tim Scott took millions from banks and said exorbitant customer fees “should not be disturbing or illegal.” Now he’s overseeing financial agencies and trying to reinstate junk fees.

Sen. Tim Scott took millions from banks and said exorbitant customer fees “should not be disturbing or illegal.” Now he’s overseeing financial agencies and trying to reinstate junk fees.

It’s no secret that Chair Powell and I disagree on a lot, but today we agreed: without the CFPB, there is no federal regulator making sure giants banks don't cheat you.

Bleak but true. To have any hope of rebuilding it, any Democratic president that comes next would have to match Trump’s aggressive pace and wield the executive branch to destroy the billionaires’ power for good and permanently safeguard our regulatory agencies. Hard to imagine.

In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Law ProPublica’s reporting provides new details about what legal risk officials were prepared to take and what laws they may have violated on their way to creating a “constitutional crisis.”

NEW: President Donald Trump and Elon Musk nearly destroyed USAID in three weeks. And the new administration may have broken the law almost immediately, experts told ProPublica.

By @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy

...forced to travel by car for every trip if some trips could reasonably be done by train or bicycle if it weren't for the lack of infrastructure?

Many in the Netherlands drive sure, but they don't make every trip by car. They will probably drive to work, then cycle to the market for food.

...can often hold one back when it comes to traveling to auditions or an interview for a job. That money you put toward your car payment every month just to be able to travel could be put toward maintenance on your instrument or anything else.

Think about it this way: why should you be...

For all of my musician friends out there, just know that it would certainly be in your best interest in advocating for more investments in public transit such as increased national connections via train and more walkable neighborhoods.

Why? Well, driving is prohibitively expensive and...

...designed to be very well connected by train (primarily because it was the main means of getting around in the early 1900s.

Then, gradually, smaller stations were removed, and eventually the remaining stations followed when the US stopped investing in public transit.

How less car-centric planning can benefit rural areas too Transportation policies that are less car-centric offer benefits for rural areas too, a new report argues.

Pretty good article that addresses the need to redesign rural areas in the US so that they are less car-dependent.

Yes, even in rural areas, design choices and public transit investments can be made so that it's less necessary to drive.

Where I live in northeastern PA, it was originally...

...was able to get a commission for one of her symphonies (I believe). No other orchestra would perform the work, but a Federal Music Project orchestra did.

Do We Need a Second New Deal? Revisiting the New Deal era offers crucial lessons in the current political moment. It shows how a distinctly American progressive politics might capture the support of a broad swath of the country an...

I am always amazed at the programs that were established under the New Deal Era that were aimed at supporting the people and creating a better life for them.

There was also a Federal Music Project, which employed musicians across the US. It was also a big reason why Florence Price...

The Elite Lawyers Working for Elon Musk’s DOGE Include Former Supreme Court Clerks Much attention has been paid to the young Silicon Valley engineers working for Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, but the group has also hired high-powered legal talent.

New DOGE names:

The accounts of DOGE focused on young Silicon Valley engineers are incomplete.

It also includes attorneys with elite establishment credentials -- at least two former SCOTUS clerks and a third who will clerk for Gorsuch next term

www.propublica.org/article/elon...

“We Feel Terrorized”: What EPA Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go Under Trump More than 300 career employees at the Environmental Protection Agency have left. Those who remain face a painful decision: resign or work for an administration that plans to radically reshape the EPA…

NEW: More than 300 career employees at the EPA have left. Those who remain face a painful decision: resign or work for an administration that plans to radically reshape the EPA while reversing environmental protections.

By @fastlerner.bsky.social & @pratheekrebala.bsky.social