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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 25m

So National Guard troops from Texas get to stay in Illinois, away from their jobs and families, doing nothing?

Maybe they can pick up trash and rake leaves around military facilities, a proportionate response to Trump’s bogus emergency.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 2h

More on the purge at CDC and its likely consequences, by virologist @angierasmussen.bsky.social. Rasmussen points out the illegality of using a temporary government shutdown to fire federal employees permanently. But law does not enforce itself. rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/the-death-...

The Death of Public Health

Another Friday night massacre, but this time it's not just an essential federal public health agency that will die

rasmussenretorts.substack.com

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 3h

Thread. Yesterday’s purge at CDC. The Trump administration frequently announces dramatic policy changes late on Friday afternoons, perhaps hoping they’ll get less attention. Trump, who takes great care about his own health, isn’t that concerned about the rest of us. By @lenasun.bsky.social

Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 6h

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.”
Among those RIFd:
—leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases;
—leadership of global health center
—leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 3h

Thread. Cornell historian @larryglickman.bsky.social dissects the Trump administration’s “compact” with universities. The Trumpers are sure universities are “broken,” by which they mean not friendly enough to Trump. Hence the compact.

Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 1d

Most of this laundry list of "overwhelming evidence" is tendentious. Let's go through them.
1) A big driver of high costs at public universities has been a decrease in state appropriations. Many public schools have been forced to act on a public/private model as a result..../1

The evidence is overwhelming: outrageous costs and prolonged indebtedness for students; poor outcomes, with too many students left unable to find meaningful work after graduating; some talented domestic students and scholars have been crowded out of enrollment and employment opportunities by international students; and a high degree of uniformity of thought among faculty members and administrators, which can result in a hostile environment for students with different ideas.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 5h

Very droll indeed.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 5h

Weekend listen: What’s encouraging about this conversation is how aware @govpritzker.illinois.gov is — of what Trump is trying to do, of what the reaction has been (not just among Democrats in politics), and of the danger before us. Good questions from @gregsargent.bsky.social, too.

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 23h

Timely interview with @govpritzker.illinois.gov on the front line of the Trump administration’s attack on Chicago. Pritzker clearly understands a big difference in Trump’s second term: people around Trump are driving federal policy. W/ @gregsargent.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Trump ICE Raids Take Scarier Turn as Pritzker Issues Bombshell Warning

Podcast Episode · THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent · 10/10/2025 · 26m

podcasts.apple.com

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 17h

Iron fist, my left foot. Trump could rule over the Republican majorities in this Congress with a wet Q-Tip. There is hardly anyone in either body with ambition or intelligence. They are a herd of nobodies.

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Reposted by Joseph Britt

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 17h

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 19h

To be clear, I agree with this. Recent history suggests we are both wrong, however.

The intensity of support for Trump exerts greater influence than the magnitude of opposition to Trump. Once federal troops disperse, opposition to their deployment does as well. Enthusiasm for it will not.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 20h

He’s not agile enough anymore to come up with lies this elaborate on his own.

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 20h

The @wgntv.com producer was said earlier to have been arrested for throwing objects at notoriously fragile Border Patrol agents, or for obstruction (the story seemed to change during the day). bsky.app/profile/jswe...

Jacqueline Sweet @jsweetli.bsky.social · 21h

WGN, this woman’s employer, is now reporting she was not charged with any crimes and was released.

DHS said earlier she was arrested for assault for throwing objects at agents.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 23h

The Epstein Recess gets extended. That doesn’t look sketchy at all.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 23h

Timely interview with @govpritzker.illinois.gov on the front line of the Trump administration’s attack on Chicago. Pritzker clearly understands a big difference in Trump’s second term: people around Trump are driving federal policy. W/ @gregsargent.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Trump ICE Raids Take Scarier Turn as Pritzker Issues Bombshell Warning

Podcast Episode · THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent · 10/10/2025 · 26m

podcasts.apple.com

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Thread. Literally the day after Judge Perry’s ruling, Border Patrol agents attack a local journalist in Chicago. Via @froomkin.bsky.social

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 1d

Outrageous -- and apparently in blatant violation of yesterday's ruling protecting protesters and journalists from this kind of shit. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/10/w...

WGN-TV producer detained during ICE enforcement action in Lincoln Square

A WGN-TV video editor and producer was roughly detained by two Border Patrol agents on Friday morning during a highly visible rush hour enforcement action in Lincoln Square.

www.chicagotribune.com

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

How many pro-Hamas people are there in the metro DC area, not counting foreigners working in embassies? Five?

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Reposted by Joseph Britt

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 2d

As there is no insurrection currently underway in the United States or likely to start in the near future, and since nothing resembling an insurrection has occurred here since January 6, 2021….

Would it not be prudent for Congress to simply repeal the Insurrection Act?

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Reposted by Joseph Britt

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 1d

We're spending $20B to bail out Argentina, but they cut USAID down to the bone, causing deaths around the world. The entire budget of USAID, the whole agency, was $21B last year. Shameful.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 1d

The Trump administration confirmed that the U.S. bailed out Argentina.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had directly bought Argentine pesos in global currency markets in a bid to relieve pressure on the nation’s embattled President Javier Milei, a supporter of President Trump.

The U.S. just bailed out Argentina, Treasury Secretary confirms

The US Treasury has finalized a $20 billion financial rescue of Argentina, including a currency swap arrangement with the country's central bank.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Trump would be the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to have bombed Yemen, Iran, and Venezuelan fishermen in international waters.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Biden also trapped American foreign policy in a time suck, committing senior Cabinet officials to cajoling their Israeli counterparts rather than working on Ukraine, the Western Pacific or other priorities more important to the United States.

Gaza will always be a black mark on the Biden Presidency

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

I can’t speak to future appearances, still less to embarrassment. Biden let the United States be dragged around like a kite on a string for 15 months, trapped in a morass of sentiment for Israel as it existed many years ago, and without any thought for American interests distinct from Israeli ones.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Message discipline, man. Some candidates will never absorb the importance of saying exactly the same thing, over and over, but this one gets it.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

I was afraid of this. It will get worse.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

And putting them on record doing that, as Trump contemplates declaring insurrections when there are none, would be a prudent thing to do.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

The upshot, again per @jonseidel.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/jons...

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 1d

#BREAKING Federal judge in Chicago temporarily blocks the Trump administration from "ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 1d

Perry says the order will say defendants are "temporarily enjoined from ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois."

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Thread. @chicago.suntimes.com reporter @jonseidel.bsky.social is covering the federal court hearing on Illinois’ request to block Trump’s deployment of the Texas National Guard to Chicago. Judge Perry (a Biden appointee, previously a longtime AUSA) is unimpressed by the government’s evidence.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 1d

U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."

"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 1d

#BREAKING A federal judge say she will grant "in part" a request by the state of Illinois for a temporary restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops into the state.

U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.

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