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Reposted by Ben K.

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 4h

Despite Trump and Hegseth constantly talking about politicizing the US army and staging occupations of US cities, and despite unsustainable bloat of the Pentagon budget, only 19 Democrats voted against the FY 2027 military spending bill.

Baldwin (D-WI)
Booker (D-NJ)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Duckworth (D-IL)
Durbin (D-IL)
Kim (D-NJ)
Markey (D-MA)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Padilla (D-CA)
Paul (R-KY)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schiff (D-CA)
Smith (D-MN)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Warren (D-MA)
Welch (D-VT)
Wyden (D-OR)

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Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 4h

The Administration

- raised taxes on clean energy with one big beautiful bill

- is stopping or making clean energy projects harder to be built

- is raising prices on materials with tariffs

- all while AI is spiking electricity demand

They are stopping supply while demand goes up

It’s a crisis

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 4h

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 4h

Yanks should sign Kyle Tucker IMO

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 4h

Thiessen having a good chuckle about his fired liberal colleagues - some of whom he worked with for 15 years - is a good reminder that token conservatives at mainstream news outlets are/were there to destroy them, not to contribute to them.

Philip Bump @pbump.com · 7h

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 5h

He'll fit right in.

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 5h

Poor guy

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 5h

You could've fooled me, Erica.

www.nytimes.com/by/erica-l-g...

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D Lavoie @djlavoie.bsky.social · 5h

One of the more bizarre stories I've ever read in the NYT. I don't remotely understand what its thesis is.

And it has a world-historic "to be sure..." graf in the 26th paragraph.

NYT headline

Trump Has His Eyes on a Nobel Peace Prize.
Will He Get It?
President Trump has coveted the prize for years. The winner will be unveiled 48 hours after President Trump announced a breakthrough in the Israel-Hamas war.

Ms. Graeger also noted that some of Mr. Trump's foreign policy aims run counter to the prize's criteria - such as peaceful disarmament and international cooperation - given the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear program, its withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and its cuts to international humanitarian aid programs like U.S.A.I.D. She added that Mr. Trump's domestic policy agenda points to an
"infringement of the basic democratic rights."

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 6h

Orion Kerkering

a man is sitting on the floor and saying `` not like this . ''

ALT: a man is sitting on the floor and saying `` not like this . ''

media.tenor.com

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 6h

Complete panic. The catcher's screaming to throw to first, he had plenty of time even after just knocking it down. That dude is toast. I hope he recovers mentally.

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 6h

Did Kerkering forget how many outs there were? What the fuck, man?

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 6h

Enrique

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Reposted by Ben K.

♨ naïve dumbass @atticusgf.bsky.social · 1d

Trump vs. US was the final straw imo. You cannot read that ruling and continue believing they have legitimacy. It is not only against the plain text of the constitution, it is anathema to the national ethos. It is offensively, insultingly un-American and they ceded legitimacy by committing that sin.

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 6h

Not sure I fully understand taking out Roki and Schwarber hit lefties better this year.

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 7h

When prices were going up under Biden there was a constant deluge of news stories about it because the media did not like Biden and wanted him to lose. Under Trump there is not a constant deluge of news stories about coffee prices because they like Trump and want him to win

delrayser @delrayser.bsky.social · 7h

everything is on fire these days, sure, but how is it that 50% of all news stories are not about how I just spent $20 on a bag of store brand coffee at fucking costco

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 7h

And the author works for The Economist. Just...what is going on with that piece

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 7h

Embarrassing lawyering that would get an associate fired from a law firm. This is the "quality" of Trump's DOJ.

Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 7h

The indictment stipulates that it would have been fraudulent for James to enter any side agreement requiring her to rent the property, then implies that the FACT that she rented it suggests she had such a side deal. It’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever seen.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 10h

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

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Reposted by Ben K.

Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 7h

The indictment stipulates that it would have been fraudulent for James to enter any side agreement requiring her to rent the property, then implies that the FACT that she rented it suggests she had such a side deal. It’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever seen.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 10h

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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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 7h

IBBing Ohtani was dumb, walking Betts was bone-headed pitching, but the inning should've been over.

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 7h

Cuomo vs. Mamdani. It's not even close here.

Cuomo says nothing whatsoever. He can't even name names - Tish's or Trump's.

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 7h

Should be a runner on 1st with 2 outs. Instead, it's two on and one out because the ump blew a call. The challenge system can't come soon enough.

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Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 8h

Andrew Cuomo keeps saying he’s the only candidate who can take on Trump once he’s in office.

Yet in his statement about the indictment of Letitia James, the highest-ranking Black elected official in the state, he doesn’t even mention Trump by name….and, more importantly, he doesn’t mention James.

Andrew Cuomo * @andrewcuomo
X.com
In a democracy, the rule of law must be sacred - impartial, objective, and above politics. When the law is weaponized or manipulated to advance political agendas, it erodes public trust and weakens the very foundation of justice. Whether it comes from the right or the left, from prosecutors or politicians, the politicization of law enforcement is dangerous and corrosive.
We must restore faith in fairness, facts, and due process - because once justice becomes partisan, everyone loses.
3:56 PM • 10/9/25 • 41K Views

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 9h

I think it’s pretty easy to see the gap in the logical progression between paragraphs 6 and 7 that will doom the case.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 10h

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

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☕️ Jeremy Diamond @dmnd.me · 10h

"And for our ultraconservative fans, flip over to One America Animal Planet for Puppy Bowl 2026, hosted by Kristi Noem."

Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 11h

Excited to watch the Conservatives Only Super Bowl halftime show starring Lee Greenwood belting out Trump’s favorite songs from Les Mis followed by the My Pillow Guy drunkenly ranting in his car

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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 10h

Here's your lede:

Less than three weeks after Donald Trump ordered his attorney general to hurry up and start charging his enemies, the Justice Department indicted a second one: New York Attorney General Letitia James, the prosecutor who defeated him in court.

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