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Mary Beth Williams

@mbwilliams.bsky.social

1.4K followers 890 following 1.6K posts

Made from Maine Wabanakiak, Isles of Shoals fishermen, and Welsh coal miners. Oregon transplant. Constitutional law and state/tribal/fed gov't wonk (JD). North Atlantic historian obsessed with wampum, cod fishing, and dual-host pathogens.

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · May 3

If you believe climate change is an existential threat, then don't support any Democratic member of Congress who advocates for:

1. Generative AI
2. Cryptocurrency mining
3. Indoor cannabis cultivation

unless they can immediately point to a detailed plan to make said activity carbon neutral.

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Reposted by Mary Beth Williams

TrustedReveler @trustedreveler.bsky.social · 4d

LA: we will fight you.

Chicago: we will fight you.

PDX: we will make you endure week after week of of improv theater.

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 10h

Same as the Ninth Circuit did in the Oregon case yesterday.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 10h

#BREAKING The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals PARTIALLY grants the stay sought by the Trump Administration.

The stay is GRANTED as to federalization of the National Guard.

But it is DENIED as to deployment.

So deployment still BLOCKED, but troops "do not need to return to their home states."

Reposted by Mary Beth Williams

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 16h

Trump’s immigration crackdown is risking higher food prices for Americans, according to the Trump admin itself.  DOL warned in an obscure document last week that “near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens” is threatening “stability of domestic food production and prices for US consumers.”

Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices

U.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Mary Beth Williams

M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 1d

Lots of excitement over SB 79—understandably. I would add, every single bill California YIMBY sent to the governor was signed today. www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/10/g...

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Reposted by Mary Beth Williams

Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 1d

Thoughts and prayers to Cosplay Cop Kristi who had to brave the dogs, farmer’s markets, capybaras, and marathon runners of Portland this week.

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Seth Rudy @sethrudy.bsky.social · 1d

Meanwhile in #Portland

Kermit faces off with Hopper in The Muppet Movie

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 1d

He's absolutely inciting his minions to start setting fires in Portland. The rainy season can't come soon enough (fortunately, rain is in the forecast this weekend.)

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "Portland, I mean -- every time I look at that place it's burning down. There are fires all over the place. When a store -- there are very few of them left -- but when a store owner rebuilds a store they build it out of plywood. They don't put up storefronts anymore. They just put wood up."

Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 1d

I was watching the KATU feed around 9pm, and there were at least 4 giant frogs (3 green, one B/W skeleton) and the polar bear had just arrived. But this is awesome. I hope it grows. How ridiculous ICE will look dragging a giant unicorn or giraffe inside.

dr. caitlin m. green @caitlinmoriah.bsky.social · 2d

there are SO many more inflatable costumes tonight. clearly we have settled on a motif

Wide shot of many people in inflatable costumes

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

I have this vision of a street scene of utter mayhem; then the mayor and governor appear and each drag in front of the street those giant Hollywood facades with an empty street scene—just as Noem and Trump walk by, fooled. As soon as they pass, the facades are pulled back, and the mayhem continues.

Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

The Congresswoman from S. Portland/Willamette Valley is absolutely correct.

Willamette Week @wweek.com · 2d

Bynum compares ICE’s conduct to U.S. Marshals hunting down Black Americans under the Fugitive Slave Act.

Bynum Demands End to ICE Raids After U.S. Citizen Allegedly Abducted by Masked Agents

Anthony Effinger

www.wweek.com

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Of course. But we've pased through the looking glass here, and normal civil procedure is actively disregarded if it gets in the way of a GOP appellate judge's audition for SCOTUS.

Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Judge Perry in today's Chicago TRO hearing. Oregon's Judge Immergut held essentially the same last Friday, and today, two Trump-appointed judges on the 9th Circuit said, it doesn't matter if there's no evidence, because Trump could be getting secret information that supports his decisions.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 2d

Perry: "There is no evidence that the president is unable, with the regular forces, to execute the laws of the United States."

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

My spouse and younger son today decided to sneak into our besieged Portland and document how there are clearly real animals in the city. In particular, Tula-Tu! www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQKR...

Oregon Zoo's baby elephant Tula-Tu turns 6 months old

YouTube video by KGW News

www.youtube.com

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Okay fellow Oregonians: Fire up your smartphones, drop into PDX, and document the horrors of...naked bicycle rides, disco unicorns, and the unknown number of ICE lost in the terror maze known as Powell's Books.

Spocko @spocko.bsky.social · 2d

Great idea! To counter Trump's lies about the cities he's sending in the National Guard. @jimmykimmel.com asked for videos of your war-torn community & post it with
#ShowMeYourHellhole

The reality is troops are being called in to stop inflatable characters dancing to YMCA! @emptywheel.bsky.social

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

This is insane: Circumcision rates peaked in the US in the 1960s at 83% (Mayo Clinic,) and have fallen to 60% in 2022 (Johns Hopkins.) They can't even argue correlation => causation since there's no freaking correlation; in fact, just the opposite.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 2d

RFK JR: There are many other confirmations -- there are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they are given Tylenol

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Oh geez. Don't let her see the dancing unicorn!

John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 2d

ME: Now Mom, just remember, there's a lot of disinformation and AI in your social feed and your friends' Facebook.
MOM: I know! My friend sent me this crazy post where someone used AI to make an image of a giant frog fighting Army troops!
ME: ... okay, no, that one's ... goddamit, Portland.

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

I don't think she was prepared to address Nelson's hypothetical that Trump was making his decisions based on information only Trump was privvy to. How do you counter that?

Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Oregon's counsel did a good job pointing—respectfully—how ridiculous Nelson's comment was, but I suspect he'll take it as an affront. He's clearly auditioning for SCOTUS.

Garrett Epps @garrettepps.bsky.social · 2d

Nelson seems to think that sending in the military is justified because the city of Portland issued a zoning violation to the ICE facility for boarding up its windows.

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Reposted by Mary Beth Williams

Kate Riga @kateriga.bsky.social · 2d

Full-on SCOTUS audition today by Nelson: do you admit that it was "ill advised" by the city of Portland to order the boards be taken off the ICE building?

His whole thesis is: we don't know what Trump is seeing behind the scenes, so how could we possibly question his judgment in sending in troops?

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Kate Riga @kateriga.bsky.social · 2d

Two Trump judges (Nelson, Bade) on 9th circuit panel really trying to outperform each other in their eagerness to give Trump the ability to deploy the Guard to unwilling states based on events that occurred months earlier. Lotttt of beating up on Oregon's Judge Immergut, who blocked deployments

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Judge Ryan Nelson is a nightmare on the Ninth Circuit.

Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

This one went over big in my family. 😆

Medusa’s Łink (Allegedly Unplugged) @medusaswink.bsky.social · Jul 11

Me: i’m Autistic

Them: Oh you take things literally

Me: No that’s kleptomania

Reposted by Mary Beth Williams

Julie DiCaro @juliedicaro.bsky.social · 2d

Here are all the states that signed on to the amicus brief in support of Trump and DOD in the IL case. Assuming these are the same that also signed onto the Oregon case.

jenjenagain.bsky.social @jenjenagain.bsky.social · 2d

Signatories to the Amicus brief supporting Trump in Illinois v Trump as filed by the AG of Iowa include AGs of Montana, Alabama, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri,Nebraska South Dakota, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, West Virginia

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Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Free Mamie!

Reposted by Mary Beth Williams

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 3d

Two big GOP activists from Oregon were in DC last month for meetings with Trump admin officials. On their podcast they talk about a plan they discussed to nullify the results of Oregon's 2026 federal elections. Pass federal voter ID law, then refuse to seat OR delegation because OR didn't comply.

Ep. 18: September to Remember
October 6 • S1 E18 • 44 min
Also, we proposed a idea how to do a end run on vote by mail. Concept is based on what Trump proposed. When you vote, you check everyone's citizenship as well as voter ID.
In a vote by mail state, you might be able to check citizenship during voter registration. You can send copies of your passport and your birth certificate in.
How in the world are you going to check our voters?
Voter ID, right? Vote by mail. So that creates a problem for Oregon.
But if federal government new requirement is to check both, and if Oregon can comply with the requirements, what would happen to our election result? I'm talking about the entire federal delegation.
For federal elections, we're talking about only federal elections.
COMMON SENSE
Vascluar

Ep. 18: September to Remember
October 6 • S1 E18 • 44 min
So entire federal delegation, congressmen and senators could be challenged, could be unseated because you didn't follow federal requirements to elect them. So I said the trade-off is worth it. You know why?
Democrats control two Senate seats out of six congressional seats. We only control one. They control five.
You talk about trade-off, right?
COMMON SENSE
Sanctuany

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