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Aster Vérité @aster-verite.bsky.social · 2d

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Froggie vs. ICE: The asymmetrical symbol of a failing authoritarian state.

You’ve seen the video.
An inflatable frog at a Portland protest.
Unarmed. Unbothered. Unapologetically absurd.
And ICE panics.

They fire pepper spray up a frog caricature's ass.

The frog wins.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 11h

I look forward to AOC2028 sending in the Marines to clear the way for the Combat Forensic Accountants in the Cayman Island offshore accounts.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 12h

UPDATE: Judge Perry issued an opinion explaining why she blocked the Texas National Guard deployment in Chicago.

She begins with Alexander Hamilton’s rejection of a “preposterous” idea that the Constitution lets a President deploy a State’s militia to a different State for political retribution. 🧵

OPINION AND ORDER
Since this country was founded, Americans have disagreed about the appropriate division
of power between the federal government and the fifty states that make up our Union. This
tension is a natural result of the system of federalism adopted by our Founders. And yet, not even
the Founding Father most ardently in favor of a strong federal government believed that one
state's militia could be sent to another state for the purposes of political retribution, calling such
a suggestion "inflammatory," and stating "it is impossible to believe that [a President] would employ such preposterous means to accomplish their designs." But Plaintiffs contend that such
an event has come to pass, and argue that National Guard troops from both Illinois and Texas
have been deployed to Illinois because the President of the United States wants to punish state elected officials whose policies are different from his own.

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

JB Pritzker has also been emphatically placing Trump's mental decline squarely on the agenda. On our pod, he adds a new element: People around Trump are using his decline to manipulate him, so they're less likely to intervene. More Dems should say this. 1/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 15h

His slip of the tongue reveals who’s really in charge. trib.al/mIvP0yE

“Illinois governor says we’re provoking actions that are unlawful,” Miller said on CNN. “If I put federal law enforcement and National Guard into a nice sleepy Southern town, is anyone gonna riot?”

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 14h

#PresidentStephenMiller will have his revenge on the American people for every slight he has ever experienced, starting with being asked to pick up his own trash.

youtu.be/0FJ7gqoyeY0?...

racist Trump advisor Stephen Miller in high school screaming that he’s “sick and tired of

YouTube video by Trending News Now

youtu.be

Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 14h

What elder abuse is #PresidentStephenMiller committing this week?

Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 14h

Waiting for China, the EU, or another larger country to respond with "any tariff that the USA places on us will be matched with a reciprocating tariff of the same percentage and duration; this will not be negotiated."

World leaders also need to stop embarrassing public meetings with Trump.

Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 14h

I rather liked my oldest kid's suggestion of packing SCOTUS with two Justices from every state, one from each party. Any case involving a state would require both Justices from the state on the bench.

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Aaron Fritschner @fritschner.bsky.social · 20h

A few minutes ago in the House:

- Speaker Mike Johnson officially cancels votes next week, extending the House recess through a fourth week

- House Republicans block Democrats from passing a bill to pay the troops during the shutdown, ensuring they will miss paychecks next week

House Press Gallery: During today's pro forma session, the Clerk read a message from the Speaker designating Tuesday, October 14 through Sunday, October 19 as a district work period.

Punchbowl's Briana Reilly: House gaveled in and out of its pro forma just now w/o recognizing Rep Elfreth, who was seeking to UC a mil pay bill from Rep Sykes.

Elfreth told reporters after that House Dems stand “ready and willing to take” up standalone legislation to pay troops.

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GHOULLIKEHELLMACHINE @golikehellmachine.com · 19h

“we are telling you right now that we do not intend to honor anything we agree to” is certainly a negotiating position one can take

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

Q: Rescission are something Dems have said is a reason for a lack of trust. What rescissions are you discussing?

JOHNSON: We have more than $37t in debt. We're doing everything we can to get us back to sound fiscal responsibility. What does that include? A rescission package is part of our process

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Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 19h

Farm bankruptcies are back in the news, so it's time to pull this chart out again.

Hey look they kept rising during Trump's first term. Then they went way down under Biden.

Now they're up again? So weird. Thanks Farm Bureau for the graphic

Screenshot from Farm Bureau article on farm bankruptcies. It shows farm bankruptcies climbing steadily 2014-2020, falling by half in 2021, & continuing to fall through 2023.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 20h

I guess one of the last remaining principles of the Republican Party, a nationalist devotion to the US Military, has been replaced with greed as well.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 20h

::: stares in National Security concerns :::

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

In their defense, the federal policy was if you worked for the same company FMLA had to be divided. We both worked (still do) for a large national company and were in different divisions. We created an HR debate because they thought they could cover both at first (or they put on a show for us).

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

Are we sure that POTUS Miller didn't draw the clock for him? Seems like he's doing everything else. Just need to pump in whatever medication to keep him going while someone else runs the show.

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Bulldog @harpua.bsky.social · 1d

Portland City Council member Angelita Morillo humorously criticizes Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, leading to laughter from CNN's Boris Sanchez.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

For those wondering, IVF eats a good amount of leave time in addition to cash. You work around their schedule, not yours, in most cases.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

I hate that we missed the change where, if you both worked for the same company, your FMLA for things like a new child were not split between the partners. Ended up having to work a half day the day my first kid came home because I ran out of time. Don't begrudge my coworkers having the time now.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

Even with good insurance, pre ACA vs post ACA were wildly different. My spouse had to burn vacation time pre ACA to pump at work because there wasn't sufficient time during breaks for it, so she'd lose 10 minutes of leave time per work day. After ACA she had time to pump with no issues.

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James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · Feb 6

Greg Abbott and his billionaire mega-donors know private school vouchers are unpopular in Texas.

So they’ve paid for a poll-tested rebrand to sell their scam.

Here’s how to debunk their “school choice” slogan in 60 seconds…

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

Arre you going to successfully convict them of treason? Not a chance.

Impeachment? Only if you've got a 2/3 super majority.

Expand the court so that it effectively nullifies their votes? Simple majority. If the GOP wants to expand SCOTUS again. Reduces individual SCOTUS power the more you add.

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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 1d

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

Not just Watchmen vibes, but specifically younger, non-rapist Comedian.

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Kaerick @kaerick.bsky.social · 1d

If you enjoyed Red Shirts, try Agent To The Stars, Kaiju Preservation Society, and Starter Villain.

Old Man's War is a very enjoyable series and I need to pick up the latest, but I liked the rest.

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