Amy Fried
@asfried.bsky.social
Political scientist, kayaker
Emeritus, UMaine
Political Sightlines at https://amyfried.substack.com/
Books on how U.S. conservatives weaponized distrust, New England politics, professionalizing polling, and perceptions of public opinion as a resource
Emeritus, UMaine
Political Sightlines at https://amyfried.substack.com/
Books on how U.S. conservatives weaponized distrust, New England politics, professionalizing polling, and perceptions of public opinion as a resource
Pinned
Amy Fried
@asfried.bsky.social
· Nov 12
Blueskyers, I’m a retired political scientist, still actively writing and doing more real politics, whose core research has been on the history and political uses of public opinion. But I've done research other topics, too! My 1st pub was on abortion politics, the latest on ranked choice voting. 1/5
Reposted by Amy Fried
This is absolutely insane: DHS claims the right to subpoena your emails and to send investigators to your house. In this case, because a retiree sent the mildest possible criticism to a prosecutor. No judges involved.
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:41 PM
This is absolutely insane: DHS claims the right to subpoena your emails and to send investigators to your house. In this case, because a retiree sent the mildest possible criticism to a prosecutor. No judges involved.
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
This is a great example of national Dems having no clue about Maine. Swalwell is a good guy and he and/or his staff likely personally know Wood, Katie Porter’s former CoS and connected fundraiser. But Wood is the weakest option to take on LePage in ME-2, as local folks would know. #mepolitics
Grateful to have Eric Swalwell's endorsement in this campaign. He understands our campaign has what it takes to fight for Maine’s 2nd district — and win this tough race.
#mepolitics
#mepolitics
February 3, 2026 at 12:49 PM
This is a great example of national Dems having no clue about Maine. Swalwell is a good guy and he and/or his staff likely personally know Wood, Katie Porter’s former CoS and connected fundraiser. But Wood is the weakest option to take on LePage in ME-2, as local folks would know. #mepolitics
Mine: Antisemitism and poverty.
Genuinely curious: If your family is American, what brought them here?
Mine: religious nuttery & primogeniture
Mine: religious nuttery & primogeniture
February 3, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Mine: Antisemitism and poverty.
This is so repulsive in so many ways.
I read this, and I almost regret it. What do you even do with the knowledge that Epstein wanted and was trying to engineer societal breakdown via far right populism bc he thought it would benefit his sex trafficking business?
I read thousands of pages of Epstein files this weekend trying to understand what he wanted out of his meeting with 4chan's Christopher Poole. Here's everything we know about Epstein's plans to dismantle the internet and, eventually, democracy.
www.garbageday.email/p/here-s-how...
www.garbageday.email/p/here-s-how...
February 3, 2026 at 12:27 PM
This is so repulsive in so many ways.
Reposted by Amy Fried
This is legitimately the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in the New York Post, which is saying something. This makes their incessant astrological coverage seem studied and informative.
nypost.com/2026/02/03/u...
nypost.com/2026/02/03/u...
!["My team's best judgement is that it's the Neville Singham network that is most active [in Minnesota], partly because that's the most crazy network. But they aren't alone," Scott Walter, president of Capital Research and an expert on dark money outfits, told
The Post.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rogqxhzq6vy54nbuy4n6rwyd/bafkreiayxnv6ztirzmxkpbxpph4jjmxj6vtokrdusqx2h6n4blc4d7in74@jpeg)
February 3, 2026 at 12:05 PM
This is legitimately the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in the New York Post, which is saying something. This makes their incessant astrological coverage seem studied and informative.
nypost.com/2026/02/03/u...
nypost.com/2026/02/03/u...
Reposted by Amy Fried
Yes, the demand here in Minneapolis is not for total war against police, or for revolution. It is that ICE, which is ruining this city, leave immediately, so we can go back to our lives.
That’s the reason for the scale of the opposition and its unanimity. The problem is simple; so is the solution.
That’s the reason for the scale of the opposition and its unanimity. The problem is simple; so is the solution.
I think this post really exemplifies the liberal mindset.
The liberals see the evil actions of the state and want it to stop affecting them and their community.
They want to return to the days of regular police with judicial warrants disappearing these people, not the disappearing apparatus gone.
The liberals see the evil actions of the state and want it to stop affecting them and their community.
They want to return to the days of regular police with judicial warrants disappearing these people, not the disappearing apparatus gone.
This is an extremely clarifying comment: these people think that this is somehow their war and they’re mad that regular folks are fighting it. That’s not what’s happening. Minnesotans are rallying to ensure their neighbors can’t be stolen in secret. It’s not even ideological.
February 3, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Yes, the demand here in Minneapolis is not for total war against police, or for revolution. It is that ICE, which is ruining this city, leave immediately, so we can go back to our lives.
That’s the reason for the scale of the opposition and its unanimity. The problem is simple; so is the solution.
That’s the reason for the scale of the opposition and its unanimity. The problem is simple; so is the solution.
Reposted by Amy Fried
I was a White House ethics lawyer.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people.
Trump family businesses made $187 MILLION from this deal, and just months later he gave the UAE some of our most top-secret AI tech.
They are selling our national security to the highest bidder.
Trump family businesses made $187 MILLION from this deal, and just months later he gave the UAE some of our most top-secret AI tech.
They are selling our national security to the highest bidder.
February 2, 2026 at 7:28 AM
I was a White House ethics lawyer.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
Reposted by Amy Fried
Pretty strange to say it, but Rand Paul (of all people) is displaying more basic honesty than Susan Collins.
Collins seems happy to believe any Noem tells her to believe.
#mepolitics
Collins seems happy to believe any Noem tells her to believe.
#mepolitics
Last night, GOP Senator Rand Paul went on national TV to flatly reject DHS's lies about the Pretti execution:
"My advice to [DHS], if they're watching:
If you come into [our hearing] and try to justify that [Pretti] was assaulting a police officer, that cannot be acceptable."
"My advice to [DHS], if they're watching:
If you come into [our hearing] and try to justify that [Pretti] was assaulting a police officer, that cannot be acceptable."
February 3, 2026 at 2:59 AM
Pretty strange to say it, but Rand Paul (of all people) is displaying more basic honesty than Susan Collins.
Collins seems happy to believe any Noem tells her to believe.
#mepolitics
Collins seems happy to believe any Noem tells her to believe.
#mepolitics
Normally you see evidence before making charging decisions!
SCOOP: More federal prosecutors in Minnesota have resigned or are preparing to, in part because the administration has asked them to file charges against protesters without appropriate evidence, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
February 3, 2026 at 2:35 AM
Normally you see evidence before making charging decisions!
Reposted by Amy Fried
This afternoon, federal agents returned to Powderhorn Park. There were 4 ICE vehicles staging at Powderhorn Park Recreation Center lot. This is a clear violation of city and park board policy. 1/
February 2, 2026 at 7:01 PM
This afternoon, federal agents returned to Powderhorn Park. There were 4 ICE vehicles staging at Powderhorn Park Recreation Center lot. This is a clear violation of city and park board policy. 1/
Reposted by Amy Fried
The entire minnesota delegation needs to be at Whipple by lunch.
BREAKING: Judge Jia Cobb issues a TRO blocking DHS Sec Noem's Jan 8 memo purporting to require 7-day notices by members of Congress to perform oversight visits to immigration detention facilities.
The effect is that congressional oversight visits are allowed on request, as is required by Sec. 527.
The effect is that congressional oversight visits are allowed on request, as is required by Sec. 527.
February 2, 2026 at 5:06 PM
The entire minnesota delegation needs to be at Whipple by lunch.
Reposted by Amy Fried
You can tell it's AI because they're not masked
February 2, 2026 at 4:54 PM
You can tell it's AI because they're not masked
Reposted by Amy Fried
Here's How I would think about this: If it's D+8 environment in Nov, Collins has to beat the partisan baseline in the state by 16 points. Doable, but unlikely. Again, that's IF we get a big blue environment
As a political scientist who’s lived in Maine since 1997, gotta say Collins keeps beating the GOP baseline. Hard to know if that will happen this year.
February 2, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Here's How I would think about this: If it's D+8 environment in Nov, Collins has to beat the partisan baseline in the state by 16 points. Doable, but unlikely. Again, that's IF we get a big blue environment
Reposted by Amy Fried
2017: "How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business"
2019: "Donald J. Trump Pays Court-Ordered $2 Million For Illegally Using Trump Foundation Funds "
www.forbes.com/sites/danale...
ag.ny.gov/press-releas...
2019: "Donald J. Trump Pays Court-Ordered $2 Million For Illegally Using Trump Foundation Funds "
www.forbes.com/sites/danale...
ag.ny.gov/press-releas...
Trump on his multiple suits against the federal government: "I'm supposed to work out a settlement with myself ... We could make it a substantial amount, nobody would care, because it's gonna go to numerous, very good charities."
February 1, 2026 at 3:34 AM
2017: "How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business"
2019: "Donald J. Trump Pays Court-Ordered $2 Million For Illegally Using Trump Foundation Funds "
www.forbes.com/sites/danale...
ag.ny.gov/press-releas...
2019: "Donald J. Trump Pays Court-Ordered $2 Million For Illegally Using Trump Foundation Funds "
www.forbes.com/sites/danale...
ag.ny.gov/press-releas...
Reposted by Amy Fried
February 2, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Reposted by Amy Fried
"Among the hires at CBS News announced by Weiss is a doctor who claims he reduced his biological age by 20 years with cold plunges; that cod liver oil treats autism; and that Alzheimer’s and dementia can be reversed with supplements he sells on his online store."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Bari Weiss’s new CBS hires include ‘germ theory denialist’ doctor
Dr Mark Hyman, who claimed he reduced his biological age by 20 years, brought on as a contributor
www.theguardian.com
February 1, 2026 at 7:58 PM
"Among the hires at CBS News announced by Weiss is a doctor who claims he reduced his biological age by 20 years with cold plunges; that cod liver oil treats autism; and that Alzheimer’s and dementia can be reversed with supplements he sells on his online store."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Amy Fried
Here's a woman reporting to the FBI that Trump's men asked her to go to a party at Epstein's house in Manhattan and that she got death threats when she didn't go. 👀⚖️♀️ www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
February 1, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Here's a woman reporting to the FBI that Trump's men asked her to go to a party at Epstein's house in Manhattan and that she got death threats when she didn't go. 👀⚖️♀️ www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
Reposted by Amy Fried
This single payment is ~66x the total amount of “Biden family” revenues that the GOP and right-wing media spent years frothing over.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/ano...
February 1, 2026 at 3:22 PM
This single payment is ~66x the total amount of “Biden family” revenues that the GOP and right-wing media spent years frothing over.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/ano...
Reposted by Amy Fried
“She vividly remembers the terror of waking up in the middle of the night in her home country to police banging on her door, threatening to kill her…The same problem we had there is the same problem we have now.”
Important read #mepolitics
mainemorningstar.com/2026/01/30/a...
Important read #mepolitics
mainemorningstar.com/2026/01/30/a...
After fleeing danger, asylum seekers are getting caught in Trump’s dragnet • Maine Morning Star
She vividly remembers the terror of waking up in the middle of the night in her home country to police banging on her door, threatening to kill her if she didn’t tell them where her husband was. For a...
mainemorningstar.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:55 AM
“She vividly remembers the terror of waking up in the middle of the night in her home country to police banging on her door, threatening to kill her…The same problem we had there is the same problem we have now.”
Important read #mepolitics
mainemorningstar.com/2026/01/30/a...
Important read #mepolitics
mainemorningstar.com/2026/01/30/a...
Reposted by Amy Fried
This is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. www.jta.org/2026/01/30/u...
'Reminds me of Anne Frank': Jewish seniors are offering to hide their Haitian caregivers as Trump's TPS end looms - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The end of Temporary Protected Status has Holocaust survivors offering to hide Haitian staffers, according to the CEO of a senior-living center in Florida.
www.jta.org
February 1, 2026 at 2:47 PM
This is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. www.jta.org/2026/01/30/u...
Reposted by Amy Fried
ICE says 4 people of 200+ detained in Maine had criminal records: 2 assault, 1 DUI, & 1 woman with a summons for child endangerment because her 4-yr-old wandered off for several hours to play with neighborhood kids.
www.pressherald.com/2026/01/31/a...
www.pressherald.com/2026/01/31/a...
A closer look at the Maine names on Homeland Security’s ‘worst of the worst’ list
Federal officials have publicized a database of arrests as part of the justification for recent enhanced enforcement efforts, but the list cites decades-old charges and arrests made by local police mo...
www.pressherald.com
February 1, 2026 at 1:09 PM
ICE says 4 people of 200+ detained in Maine had criminal records: 2 assault, 1 DUI, & 1 woman with a summons for child endangerment because her 4-yr-old wandered off for several hours to play with neighborhood kids.
www.pressherald.com/2026/01/31/a...
www.pressherald.com/2026/01/31/a...
We are winning.
Looking like Rehmet will win SD9, a +17 Trump district, by 15 points. The district hasn't elected a Democrat since 1991. Wow.
Hard to overstate how big a deal a Rehmet win would be. Tarrant County is the epicenter of Christian nationalism in Texas, an incubator for far-right policies, and nexus of billionaire Tim Dunn's network, which is riding hard for Wambsganss. Rehmet almost entirely funded by donations of $100 or less
February 1, 2026 at 12:27 PM
We are winning.
Reposted by Amy Fried
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
February 1, 2026 at 5:05 AM
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
And people said his Gestapo garb meant nothing.
New:Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol field leader, made disparaging remarks in reference to the U.S. attorney in Minnesota, an Orthodox Jew, people with knowledge of the phone call said.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/u...
Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:16 PM
And people said his Gestapo garb meant nothing.
Reposted by Amy Fried
ImPortland, Maine, thousands came out today to protest ICE. #maine #portlandmaine #portlandme #mepolitics #ice #iceout
This was the biggest protest in Portland that I’ve witnessed.
This was the biggest protest in Portland that I’ve witnessed.
January 30, 2026 at 10:52 PM
ImPortland, Maine, thousands came out today to protest ICE. #maine #portlandmaine #portlandme #mepolitics #ice #iceout
This was the biggest protest in Portland that I’ve witnessed.
This was the biggest protest in Portland that I’ve witnessed.