Meredith O'Brien
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meredithobrien.bsky.social
Meredith O'Brien
@meredithobrien.bsky.social
310 followers 280 following 940 posts
Boston area writer on news, politics, Red Sox & LiverpoolFC. Novel LOUIE ON THE ROCKS & Multiple Sclerosis anthology UNCOMFORTABLY NUMB 2 are on sale now. mereditheobrien.com
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The Trump administration: Making Americans poorer and sicker
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
Nancy Pelosi suggested on Wednesday that local police could arrest federal agents if they break California law while conducting immigration raids that are expected this week in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pelosi Says Police May Arrest Federal Agents Who Violate California Law
The San Francisco district attorney said in an interview that she came up with the strategy after seeing federal agents repeatedly roughing up people in Los Angeles and Chicago.
nyti.ms
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
JUST IN: The ENTIRE East Wing of the White House has officially been DEMOLISHED, per AP.
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
WATCH: “All of this is going to have to be investigated,” says Jeffries on Trump gutting the entire White House East Wing to build a ballroom. “That's our warning to all of these people participating in this scheming to manipulate taxpayer dollars and, of course, to destroy the people's house.”
‘Destroying the people’s house’: Jeffries blasts Trump’s White House demolition
YouTube video by MSNBC
www.youtube.com
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
He lost the 2020 election. He knew it. He lied about it. And now he’s demanding your money because knowingly lying didn’t make him President.
Trump: "It's awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself. But I was damaged very greatly and any money I would get I would give to charity."
If no one will stop him and no one will hold him accountable after the fact then I guess anything's possible. He could make a Mar-a-lago North if he wants.
I'm not looking for parental figures. I'm lamenting the fact that all of the guardrails that have been used for centuries to rein in executives -- like Republican members of Congress telling Nixon to resign or else they'd remove him from office, for example -- have fallen.
Not true. There are checks and balances built into the system. Congress. Judiciary. Inspectors general. Congress has given a green light to the administration to unconstitutionally usurp legislative powers. SCOTUS gave the president immunity. The inspector generals have been fired.
Why is no one stopping this? Why is every supposed stopgap organization that was intended to serve as a bulwark against the nakedly illegal actions of a power-mad executive just issuing sternly-worded press releases? Is America really this weak?
I think people need to seriously start talking about a national strike a la Europe. Too many irreparable things are happening too quickly. #nokings #nationalstrike
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
Graduate seminar did a deep dive on Thomas Paine’s Common Sense yesterday. At the line, “in America the law is king,” they (14 students from 6 countries) burst out laughing. I've been doing this for 35 years and this is the first time that was a laugh line.
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
You go @jeffmerkley.bsky.social!

The senator has been speaking on the floor since 6:24 last night denouncing Trump's authoritarian attacks on democracy

Let's be loud--the American people are listening. Trump is down to historically Low 37% approval in recent polls

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymDt...
Merkley STILL Holding the Senate Floor to Protest Trump’s Threats to Democracy
YouTube video by Senator Jeff Merkley
www.youtube.com
I think he honestly believes that he’s a king and is erecting a castle to his liking at the White House because he’s not planning to leave.
He lied when he said he wouldn’t “touch” the East Wing. Obtained no permits, no approvals. He literally thinks he is a king. And until he’s stopped he’ll continue to take a wrecking ball to the whole nation.
It is and has always been about him. He doesn’t care a whit about the people.
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
In which the Pentagon continues to clamp down on communication of all kinds while falsely claiming increased transparency.

breakingdefense.com/2025/10/pent...
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
Trump is head of the DOJ and demanding we pay him $230 million because, though guilty, he forced DOJ to drop the case, and now he is AGAIN a pathetic, whiney VICTIM. L

Every Republican needs to speak up or be asked about this by media. The grifter is grifting.
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
It's not "budgetary Twister," it's willfully violating Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution.

Just because President Trump chooses to ignore Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 does not mean that the NYT should pretend Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 does not exist.
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
Enough is enough. Adelita Grijalva was elected on September 23. The people of Arizona have a right to be represented in Congress.
 
During today’s pro forma session, when the House is called to order I will seek unanimous consent to insist upon the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva.
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs

- Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75%
- Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60%
- Social Sciences by 50–70%
- History by 60%
- Biology by 75%
- The German department will lose all PhD seats
- Sociology from six PhD students to zero
Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for th...
www.thecrimson.com
Reposted by Meredith O'Brien
Raskin: "Speaker Johnson described the exercise of 1st Amendment rights across the country by 6 or 7 millions Americans as part of No Kings as a 'Hate America Rally.' The Hate America Rally happened on January 6 ... there were more than 140 police officers who were wounded."