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@benfranklinsaid.bsky.social

520 followers 560 following 2K posts

The Founders are appalled. Loves checks and balances, functional markets, boring banks, anticorruption and Lina Khan.

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benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · Feb 17

All these MAGA preppers out here paranoid about EMPs knocking out large areas of critical infrastructure… They’re busy lining rooms with tinfoil while the richest man in the world up and fires the specialists who maintain their grid. Turns out your vote for Trump was the EMP bitches

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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 2h

It honestly blows my mind how this is all in plain sight

on.ft.com/4hxfyrD

FT Investigation: How the Trump companies made $1bn from crypto

[FREE TO READ] The president and his family have built a rapidly growing digital assets empire which has been fuelled by the administration’s industry-friendly policies

on.ft.com

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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 9h

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benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 2h

Fantastic interview.
youtube.com/watch?v=1cTD...

America’s Next Story: Pete Buttigieg | 'The Opinions' podcast

YouTube video by The Opinions Podcast

youtube.com

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 7h

“Kids”

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benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 7h

And the total Republican betrayal of the American experiment is echoing louder by the day

benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 7h

Why is it no longer protecting consumers, Reuters??

a duck is walking down a sidewalk while another duck looks on

ALT: a duck is walking down a sidewalk while another duck looks on

media.tenor.com

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 8h

The CFPB is one of the most staunch financial watchdogs for the American people.

The agency has returned at least $20B to the victims of financial fraud and abuse since 2011.

It's no longer protecting consumers now...BECAUSE THIS REGIME DOESN'T WANT IT TO!

Reuters @reuters.com · 16h

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers reut.rs/4qjMIyT

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers

White House budget director Russell Vought said he wants to close the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and expects to do so within the next two to three months.

reut.rs

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benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 7h

Guess there are no Republicans who have children with disabilities

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21h

Trump has mostly focused cuts on what he calls "Democrat programs" - but even when he lays off employees in places like Homeland Security, it is about settling scores. So, CISA is cut, including the unit that focuses on cyber attacks on infrastructure. Why? donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-shutdo...

DHS is conservative, but the unit targeted was the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. This was the unit that said that the the 2020 election was not, contrary to Trump’s claims, subject to foreign vote manipulation. Since that time Trump has put the unit in his crosshairs, and is even investigating its former head, his own appointee, Chris Krebs.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21h

There is a bunch of unprecedented stuff about this shutdown - turning public resources like airports or govt employees into partisan tools, the blatant lying about what is happening - but the worst is using the shutdown to engage in ideological targeting. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-shutdo...

Trump has been quite upfront about using the shutdown as an opportunity to engage in score-settling. When asked about the first wave of layoffs, Trump said “It will be Democrat-oriented...They should be Democrat-oriented.” When warning about a second wave of layoffs he left no doubt: “we’re closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we’re opposed to. And they’re never going to come back, in many cases…We’re not closing up Republican programs.”

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 20h

Trump is upfront in saying he will use the shutdown to punish Democrats, and here are the receipts. About $27.2 billion cut from Dem districts compared to about $0.7 billion in GOP districts.
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Trump Halts Billions in Grants for Democratic Districts During Shutdown (Gift Article)

The Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion primarily located in Democratic-led districts, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

www.nytimes.com

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Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 10h

BREAKING via WSJ

The Trump administration is planning sweeping changes in criminal division at the IRS.

Full Story: on.wsj.com/3LbVFtK

The Trump administration is preparing sweeping changes at the Internal Revenue Service that would allow the agency to pursue criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups more easily, according to people familiar with the matter.
A senior IRS official involved in the effort has drawn up a list of potential targets that includes major Democratic donors, some of the people said.
The undertaking aims to install allies of President Trump at the IRS criminal-investigative division, or IRS-CI, to exert firmer control over the unit and weaken the involvement of IRS lawyers in criminal investigations, officials said. The proposed changes could open the door to politically motivated probes and are being driven by Gary Shapley, an adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

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benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 9h

Gov contracts, gov data, taxpayer resources, public property and/or miscellaneous other things they have no business getting in return

benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 9h

🤮

benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 9h

Ending the entire 249 year old American experiment to pwn the libs

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Matthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 18h

Eric Trump, in three different right-wing media interviews over the past week, accused Jack Smith of "planting" evidence obtained in the Aug. 2023 Mar-a-Lago raid.

Problem: Smith didn't become special counsel until three months after that search. www.mediamatters.org/eric-trump/e...

Eric Trump attacks Jack Smith for “planting” evidence during Mar-a-Lago search that predated Smith’s service as special counsel

www.mediamatters.org

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 23h

We were actually getting somewhere, too. 😞

@sbmitche.bsky.social
www.library.hbs.edu/working-know...

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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22h

We need to talk about how social media algorithms push moms down a slippery slope of distrust.

From "Are my kids getting enough support in school?" To "Maybe I should homeschool." To "Maybe modern medicine is bad."

I've seen this first-hand in research I'm doing on parenting apps. 1/🧵

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benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 1d

They’re just going to scapegoat harder.

benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 1d

Nice. I hang out with @thebulwark.com for my sanity and have already turned to @propublica.org and the Guardian for investigative reporting and news. @wired.com should be on the roster too IMO

benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 1d

Good for them for calling it disgraceful and unbecoming for any Republican... Are they serious though? Joking about violence and denigrating women and minorities is standard fare for current MAGA influencers all the way up to MAGAPOTUS himself. Expand the dismissals guys.

benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 1d

If this is as widespread as it seems… well I get why young women aren’t as interested in marriage

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

Just trying to imagine what Republicans would’ve done if, say, the head of the California Democratic Party were accused of rape, while one of the state’s Democratic congressmen has his career ended by sex trafficking allegations and a second juggled multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

(taps mic)

“Florida Keys Party”

Florida's GOP power couple is embroiled in scandal

House report on former Rep.
Matt Gaetz reveals rampant sexual misconduct, drug use

Exclusive: Top Florida
GOP official was convicted in probe into his romantic involvement with
inmate during his time as jail employee

Judge grants ex-girlfriend restraining order against
Rep. Cory Mills

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benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 1d

This is according to DHS even. They have already proven untrustworthy. I’m suspicious this guy really is who they want him to be

benfranklinsaid.bsky.social @benfranklinsaid.bsky.social · 1d

‘08. Comparative newcomers punching way above their weight. NYT and WaPo have been around for 150 years or more. ProPublica doesn’t have their kind of pedigree but they’ve more commitment and they’re doing it on a nonprofit model in the interest of the public, not of profit or billionaire preference

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