Now what?

I’m a little tortoise and I agree with this message! Propublica is exactly the investigative journalistic entity we need right now.

You are an A #1 democracy defender and we are so thankful that you’re out there doing this hard work daily. As an educator, I particularly appreciate your bringing awareness to how difficult it is to do our jobs.

The economy is on the precipice of recession. That’s the clear takeaway from last week’s economic data dump. Consumer spending has flatlined, construction and manufacturing are contracting, and employment is set to fall. And with inflation on the rise, it is tough for the Fed to come to the rescue. Unemployment remains low, but that’s only because labor force growth has gone sideways. The foreign-born workforce is shrinking, and labor force participation is declining. Telling is the economy-wide hiring freeze, particularly for recent graduates, and the decline in hours worked. It’s no mystery why the economy is struggling; blame increasing U.S. tariffs and highly restrictive immigration policy. The tariffs are cutting increasingly deeply into the profits of American companies and the purchasing power of American households. Fewer immigrant workers means a smaller economy. Any notion that the economic data misrepresents the reality of how the economy is performing is way off base. There are revisions to the data, even big revisions, but they universally say the economy is doing worse. That’s because it is. BTW, the DOGE cuts are a key factor in the revisions—not because BLS has cut staff, although that can’t help, but because the government often reports payrolls to BLS late. It didn’t matter when government employment was stable, but now that it’s declining, the cuts are picked up in the revisions.

Trump is panicking because the economic numbers are giving a recession vibe.
From the Chief Economist at Moody's.

@faineg.bsky.social this reminded me of your thread awhile back about AC and human rights. Hearbreakjng. I don’t have a sub so there may be a paywall sorry if there is.

I mean that in the sense of her chosen career that has been interrupted. I have no doubt she will land on her feet in a fantastic role that she’s very deserving of. But that was the career she chose and someone stepped in and terminated it.

If you’re looking for a company to add to your purchase power impact, Ocean State Job Lot should be high on your list!

Holy shit. That’s whacked.

That I didn’t know your name until today, says you did your job without fear or favor. That I know it now, says that a dictator wanted a favor for which you said no — without fear, & with bravery. Thank you for your service, & I’m sorry you lost your career because you chose to do the right thing.

Coal, Con Men and a Kidnapping Scheme Lawless Planet · Episode

If you haven’t listened to Lawless Planet episode one, you need to. open.spotify.com/episode/6puF...

Where the flippety f&ck is all this money going? There’s not one legitimate government account set up to receive extorted funds. Seriously, who do they make the check payable to?

Santos did that? WTH? That makes Gaetz Nestor seem tame.

Can he legally fire her? I guess it doesn’t matter because he does it anyway.

Right now it feels like we’re living in an alternative universe.

Trump orders firing of labor statistics chief hours after data showed jobs growth slowed US president claimed without evidence that Erika McEntarfer had ‘faked’ employment figures in the run-up to last year’s election

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

He just can’t handle the truth and wants to hide it from us. Dictator.

Don’t you mean 36DD?

202-633-1000 punch zero at the main menu.

I tried calling to complain but was on hold for 15 minutes. Then had to hang up to take the call back from my city because I lodged a complaint that DPW workers were wearing Trump and MAGA gear. Welcome to 2025.

What Drives the GOP Obsession with Restricting Voting? Race. - Alliance for Justice

One more homework assignment for today. afj.org/article/what...

It’s a staggering loss that we likely will not recover from in my lifetime.

YouTube video by greenmanbucket Senator Chris Murphy on The Real Reason for Trump's Tariffs

This is a good explainer of the tariff damages. youtu.be/TfZqjsfZcks?...

Gerrymandering: The Origin Story | Timeless In 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a bill he didn't like, one the reordered some political districts into particularly odd shapes to favor one party. One contorted district looked ...

This is a good read about history of gerrymandering and how it got its name. blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/07/...

My heart broke watching this interview. The tariffs are designed to force even more capitulation and get everyone “in line” for the continued power grab. Gerrymandering already gerrymandered districts to squeeze out the last of the artificial advantages. They are twisted and morally bankrupt.

They eat lies for breakfast and serve them up for lunch.

2015 in a nutshell: I was on hold with the Smithsonian to complain about their rewriting of impeachment history but had to hang up because my DPW director called me back about my complaint about city employees wearing MAGA and Trump gear on the job.

My retirement funds just gasped out a resounding —“NO!”

Pees be with you.

They forgot how he got Tom & Jerry to shake hands, and settled that long feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. Oh, and how he finally settled Coke vs Pepsi, The War of the Roses, as well as sorted out Drake and Lamar.

Gerrymandering: The Origin Story | Timeless In 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a bill he didn't like, one the reordered some political districts into particularly odd shapes to favor one party. One contorted district looked ...

blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/07/...

Can’t wait! I just learned from HCR about how it got its name from Gerry and Salamander!

Can’t get through link. Can you summarize? Please and thank you.