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Karl DEFEND DEMOCRACY Bunday 🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇦 🇹🇼

@45xiatai.bsky.social

5.9K followers 6.2K following 2.7K posts

Protesting paid by lives & sacred honor of founders, former appellate judicial clerk. ⚖️ #OneMinnesota 代詞：tā Reposting means let's discuss. I love to hear the diverse perspectives of other Bluesky users. Please let me know what I can do better.

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Karl DEFEND DEMOCRACY Bunday 🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 @45xiatai.bsky.social · Nov 27

Self-intro 🧵:

A campaign volunteer for a progressive legislative candidate invited me to Bluesky (joined 5 July 2023 user 264,507). Our candidate won.

My main goal in microblogging networks is to promote democratic values and protect rule of law and civil rights for all.

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Image of the Uncle Sam wants you poster from World War I with caption, "I want a president who obeys the Constitution."

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 9h

Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s nominee to lead the office investigating Jack Smith, has recently been investigated for harassing a colleague, Politico reports.

“Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him..”

=
POLITICO
By DANIEL LIPPMAN
10/09/2025 08:22 PM EDT
f
In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn't have a hotel room.
Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.

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Melissa Ryan @melissaryan.bsky.social · 9h

After Pritzker and Newsom threatened to leave the NGA, the Republican Chair breaks with Trump. Pressure works. Keep it up!

Alex Wayne @aawayne.bsky.social · 17h

“Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

The Republican chair of the National Governors Association breaks with Trump.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

www.nytimes.com

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 9h

Adventures in framing:

Headline presenting this as a real-world question. Rather than as another sign of deepening vortex of narcissistic delusion and detachment from reality.

Headline: Trump Has His Eyes on Nobel Prize. Will He Get It?

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Karl DEFEND DEMOCRACY Bunday 🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 @45xiatai.bsky.social · 7h

Could be a sign of dementia caused by infestation of brain worms.

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Matt Ford @mford.bsky.social · 11h

“Baby in her placenta” is pretty bad for a HHS secretary but it’s arguably worse for a guy with six kids. It’s impossible to not learn this stuff as a dad if you’re even remotely paying attention just once.

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Karl DEFEND DEMOCRACY Bunday 🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 @45xiatai.bsky.social · 7h

We are not afraid. #NoKingsMinnetonka will go on no matter bluster is spewed by Trump.

www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...

No Kings Minnetonka-Southwest Metro · No Kings

**In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.** Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “No kings” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Bo...

www.mobilize.us

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Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 10h

There is nothing an authoritarian fears more than peaceful, organized people power. That’s why the White House is now turning its sights on us. 🧵

www.reuters.com

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Jose Pagliery @josepagliery.bsky.social · 9h

Oh come on. On an official document?

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Karl DEFEND DEMOCRACY Bunday 🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 @45xiatai.bsky.social · 7h

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpND...

THREAT LEVEL ORANGE

YouTube video by Earth to Eve - Topic

www.youtube.com

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 9h

No money flowing to USAID and hardly any to PEPFAR despite their duly enacted funding; well north of twenty billion dollars being deployed for other weird hair autocrats. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

The U.S. just bailed out Argentina, treasury secretary confirms

The U.S. Treasury has finalized a financial rescue of Argentina, including a currency swap arrangement with the country’s central bank.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Ira 'Bluebeard Homer' Goldman @kdbyproxy.bsky.social · 10h

This sure seems like a big deal: A Trumpster has bought Dominion Voting.

www.axios.com/2025/10/09/d...

Scoop: Dominion Voting sold to company run by ex-GOP election official

Dominion is one of the biggest election equipment providers and was used by 27 states during the 2024 election.

www.axios.com

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Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · 10h

The Orange Man is in fact very bad.

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 13h

AG JAMES: “.. This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.”

@newyorkstateag.bsky.social

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 13h

Earlier today, DOJ basically told the judge in the Kilmar Abrego case they were going to blow off the vindictive prosecution claim.

His attorneys responded, fine, then the criminal case must be dismissed.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Ultimately, as the defense explained in its Status Report, to the extent the government
maintains its position that it will not produce the relevant discovery, under a claim of privilege or
otherwise, the government cannot rebut Mr. Abrego’s demonstrated, prima facie case of
vindictiveness, making dismissal of this case the only proper remedy. (Dkt. 146 at 3-4).

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 12h

This is good, from Hakeem Jeffries. More of this please, in every conceivable forum:

"Sycophants who aid and abet the President’s vengeful schemes will not be able to hide from the serious legal consequences of their behavior. They will be held accountable."

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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 17h

The "somebody showed me a TikTok" era of American government is going pretty much exactly how you'd expect.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18h

RFK Jr: "Somebody showed me a TikTok video of a pregnant woman at 8 months pregnant -- she's an associate professor at the Columbia Medical School -- and she is saying 'F Trump' and gobbling Tylenol with her baby in her placenta. The level of Trump Derangement Syndrome is now a pathology."

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Karl DEFEND DEMOCRACY Bunday 🇺🇸 🗽 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 @45xiatai.bsky.social · 13h

That's weird on RFK Jr's part.

I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win.

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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 16h

Shapiro: I filed that amicus brief last night to make it very clear that the Pennsylvania National Guard is under my command.

The way the President has chosen to deploy the Guard in other states—and, in at least one case, deploy the Guard from one state into another—is extremely dangerous.

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 16h

Jack Posobiec spread antisenitic hate on Twitter for years, including tagging Jews with triple parentheses.

JD Vance wrote the forward to Posobiec’s book, Unhuman.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18h

JD Vance describes Chuck Schumer as "one of the most famous Palestinians in the world"

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Jacob Shamsian @jayshams.bsky.social · 16h

I've been wondering why Dominion Voting Systems suddenly reached settlements with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and One America News.

Turns out, it's been purchased by a Republican-owned election tech firm that insisted on it, per Axios.

www.axios.com/2025/10/09/d...

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Alyssa Katz @alykatzz.bsky.social · 14h

Your timely reminder that Donald Trump tried to claim NYC residence to take a $49,000 tax break on his Manhattan condo while he and Melania lived in the White House, only to get it yanked after my colleague and I caught the misrepresentation.

EXCLUSIVE: City nixes property tax break for Trump’s NYC apartment

New York City has nixed a $48,000 tax break President Trump was set to receive on his Trump Tower condo following inquiries from the Daily News about whether he is still eligible for the savings. O…

www.nydailynews.com

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New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 13h

This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.

I am not fearful — I am fearless.

We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights..

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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 13h

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 · 13h

#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.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 13h

Perry: "I'm going to issue an oral ruling."

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 13h

1. truly outrageous
2. ofc lindsey halligan is the only attorney willing to put their name on the indictment
3. Acting US Attorneys love to leave the 'acting' out of their titles

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 13h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 20h

20 paragraphs down in the NBC News story that broke the information that the administration is considering invoking the Insurrection Act is the report that Stephen Miller is driving the issue.

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