Brett Edkins

Excellent thread explaining why Trump’s attempt to deploy California National Guard troops to Portland OR is illegal 👇

Early Tuesday morning in Chicago, ICE agents stormed homes under cover of darkness, ripping families from their beds. They detained 37 people — including U.S. citizens and children — who were held in harsh conditions.

Agree.

The current SCOTUS—openly corrupt (Thomas, Alito), nakedly unrepresentative (last Dem to appoint a Chief Justice=Harry Truman; GOP-appointed majority for 55+ years), cowering to Trump (John "Roger Taney" Roberts)—has failed to stand up for rule of law.

Needs to be central issue.

If rebalancing and reforming this MAGA #SCOTUS is not at the top of the agenda of every Democratic candidates running for federal offices (including the big one) - not sure what are we even doing.

And it needs to be more than an issue page - they need to be campaigning on it.

the question to ask the republican majority on the court is “what CAN’T trump do?”

Does anyone still doubt that we need to structurally reform the Supreme Court?

We need more justices, term limits, and ethics reform.

Say goodbye to the separation of powers.

Top line: The Supreme Court grabs power from Congress, which decides what to do with money that belongs to all of us, and hands it to Donald Trump. Forever.

(This money will never reach its intended recipients.)

www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

If Trump can take Kimmel off the air, then a future Democratic president can shut down Fox News, right?

The First Amendment either protects all of us, or none of us.

Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro X.com Agree with @ezraklein: Democrats must not be party to a government funding bill that does not meet key demands. As a former OMB official, here's what Democrats could demand: Opinion | Stop Funding Trump's Takeover From nytimes.com 10:26 AM • 9/7/25 • 3.3K Views

Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h 9 ... 1. Restore Medicaid cuts, or increase other Medicaid funding, so that no one loses Medicaid coverage (as certified by CBO). 172 0 5 ill 401企 Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h Democrats have the upper hand politically on this. And this demand leaves a lot of flexibility for negotiation, while fulfilling a core, popular principle. . ... 11 08 il1 345只 Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h 2. An iron-clad requirement to spend congressionally-appropriated funds. 09 ill 333只企 Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h .... The Impoundment Control Act (ICA) already prohibits the president from withholding funds. The problem is judicial enforcement is too slow. il1 315只企 Topher Spiro @@TopherSpiro •1h Amend the ICA to give the appropriations committees (chair or ranking member) an express cause of action to bring an action in federal district court to enforce the ICA. 9 ...

Topher Spiro @TopherSpiro • 1h Require the court to hold a hearing and issue a ruling within 30 days, and allow for direct appeal to the Supreme Court within 10 days. セマ Ill 374 贝 Topher Spiro @TopherSpiro •1h In addition, make the OMB Director personally liable (civil penalty up to $50,000) for withholding funds. 172 il1 381贝企 Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h g... Ban "pocket rescissions." Under the ICA, the president can propose rescissions (cancellation of funds) and withhold the funds for 45 days; but if the proposal is transmitted <45 days from the expiration of funds, the funds will expire! This is a pocket rescission. 17 ill 859工 Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h 3. Provide for fast-track congressional review of tariffs that increase prices for consumers (as determined by the CBO). This can be modeled after the Congressional Review Act (i.e., disapproval can't be filibustered).

Topher Spiro @@TopherSpiro •34m 4. Require insurance coverage of all vaccines recommended by the CDC as of September 1, 2025. Parents and doctors must retain choice. E71 il1 840贝工 Topher Spiro &@TopherSpiro • 12m 5. Provide funding for states and localities to hire and train local police officers, and prohibit the president from deploying the National Guard for local law enforcement purposes.

Interesting shutdown politics thread by health policy expert and former OMB official Topher Spiro.

#OnTheAir COUNTERPOINT airs Mondays 8-9:30pmET wpkn.org 89.5FM Bgpt #CT: @brettkins.bsky.social of @standupamerica.com on defending democracy & preventing a 2026' GOP rigged election; Mel Goodman of @cipolicy.bsky.social on "Trump & the Post-American World" & US naval buildup off coast of Venezuela.

People from all over are showing up for DC. This is not a moment. It’s a movement. We are united in our demands. We are all DC! #FreeDC

"Members of Congress cannot be trusted to police themselves, and existing ethics laws do not go far enough to prevent members from using their insider knowledge for personal gain." - @brettkins.bsky.social, managing director of policy and political affairs at Stand Up America

More from my anti-SAVE Act tour of North Carolina 😆

I spoke with NC local news about Trump's attempt to disenfranchise millions of Americans with the SAVE Act, which would require citizens to show a birth certificate or passport in-person in order to register to vote. 69 million women don't have a birth certificate with their current name on it.

Trump’s desire for “long-term” control of DC’s police isn’t about keeping people safe—it’s about normalizing federal takeovers of local police and military crackdowns nationwide.

More from @standupamerica.com with @publiccitizen.bsky.social & @lisa-pubcitizen.bsky.social thehill.com/opinion/whit...

Here, fixed it.

🔥 Ketanji Brown Jackson — my new favorite Justice — says the Supreme Court is now “Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins.”

Texas Republicans Advance Trump-Backed Plan 'to Rig Our Elections' | Common Dreams "Republican lawmakers in Texas should be ashamed," said one campaigner. "They are to blame for the gerrymandering arms race that we will now see across the country."

"Republican lawmakers in Texas should be ashamed," said one @standupamerica.com campaigner. "They are to blame for the gerrymandering arms race that we will now see across the country."

Texas Republicans have locked Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier inside the state house chamber and refuse to allow her to leave.

They are requiring Democrats to sign “permission slips” and have a police escort in order to leave the chamber, and she refuses to sign it.

As a former Texas State Rep, let me be clear: LOCKING Rep. Nicole Collier inside the chamber is beyond outrageous.

Forcing elected officials to sign “permission slips” & take police escorts to leave? That’s not procedure. That’s some old Jim Crow playbook.

Texas Democrats say they are prepared to return to state after two-week absence Chair of the state’s house Democratic caucus said they will return once California submits new congressional map to offset losses in Texas

Sad day for democracy. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Thank you Jeanine Pirro for heroically protecting America from subway sandwiches, the true threat to our safety and security.

NEW: Texas Democrats are giving up.

With democracy and the 2026 election on the line, they’re folding.

If true, this is outrageous, cowardly,

James Carville is right. (yes, I know that’s tough to hear)

In 2029, Democrats have to expand the Supreme Court and add D.C. and Puerto Rico as states to restore balance to the Court and Senate and reverse America’s decline into authoritarianism. thehill.com/homenews/adm...

a reminder of the situation Florida's been in for years: boltsmag.org/desantis-and...

If governors can simply “remove” state legislators they disagree with, we no longer live in a democracy.

My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump’s redistricting power grab.

Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us.

It’s time to fight back.

Trump's response is to fire the person who creates the job statistics, in an obvious effort to cook the books.

Biden's job record vs. Trump.

Senate Republicans just voted to confirm Emil Bove, Trump’s personal lawyer, to a lifetime appointment on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Here are some facts: