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David Nir

@davidnir.com

10K followers 21 following 1.4K posts

Publisher, @the-downballot.com. davidnir (at) the-downballot (dot) com Our site: https://the-downballot.com

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David Nir @davidnir.com · Aug 13

Something I love about running a tiny independent media outlet that's beholden only to our readers: We get to do awesome public service journalism like this.

Don't get me wrong—this redistricting war is terrible. But we don't have to worry about clicks or shareholders. We just do work that matters.

The Downballot @the-downballot.com · Aug 13

The new redistricting wars triggered by Trump & the GOP have unleashed a torrent of news. To help keep track of it all, we've published a guide to the latest developments in every state—28 in all—and we'll update it every time there’s something new to report.

You'll want to bookmark this one —>

The Downballot’s live guide to redistricting in every state

As states move forward with mid-decade redraws, we're continually updating this tracker

www.the-downballot.com

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Lisa Needham @snipy.bsky.social · 13h

Don’t print lies in the newspaper.

Reuters @reuters.com · 15h

Trump, 79, has "cardiac age" of 65-year-old, doctor says reut.rs/4mZNZbu

Trump, 79, has "cardiac age" of 65-year-old, doctor says

Donald Trump was found to be in "exceptional health" in a medical evaluation, the U.S. president's doctor said in a memo released by the White House on Friday, with his "cardiac age" 14 years younger than in "chronological age."

reut.rs

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Josh Scare @joshscherr.bsky.social · 15h

cry havoc! and let slip the frogs of war

Man in inflatable frog costume at Portland protests

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 14h

What?

David Nir @davidnir.com · 14h

I don’t recall saying “good luck”

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Django Wexler @djangowexler.bsky.social · 21h

My boss: so how's our fourth quarter looking?

Me, the sales manager at the company that makes inflatable frog suits: well, you're never going to believe this, but

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Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 20h

ICE in Portland is coming off like Gargamel getting repeatedly rolled by the Smurfs

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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 17h

If GOP wants to abolish the filibuster over this, awesome. It helps Rs way more than Ds. It’s also a central reason for loss of faith in government over the last 25 yrs. Rs can reopen the govt tonight if they want. If they want to do it to make sure 15 million lose their health care that’s on them.

ringwiss @ringwiss.bsky.social · 20h

“And that’s why we nuked it twice in the past month.”

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 19h

This is amazing, because this is almost a perfect mirror image of what many folks said about the *Democrats* during the last funding fight in March, when Senate Dems didn't have a Plan B after House Republicans managed to pass a spending bill.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 22h

Ruben Gallego told me that "They teach in war all plans go to s*** when we first hit contact." This happened with Mike Johnson's gambit on the gov't shutdown. "I think they didn't realize that we weren't going to fold, and they didn't have a plan B after that."
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Mike Johnson is getting squeezed on all sides amid the government shutdown

The mild-mannered, pious Johnson has so far avoided an internal rebellion in the House amid the shutdown. But, Eric Garcia writes, his luck might be running out

www.independent.co.uk

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 19h

"We have a madman who's unwell in the WH...Trump has to be part of any deal here too. If he's unwell, that's something Dems need to point out to say, 'This is why we can't trust an agreement with these guys'"

Full convo w/ @davidnir.com on Rs losing the shutdown: www.publicnotice.co/p/republican...

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 20h

The one I just linked is dated 2016.

David Nir @davidnir.com · 22h

I think it goes back to 2016, yes?

"the provision for continental United States based Lead-in-Fighter-Training for the F-15QA"

Qatar finally receives US green light for acquisition of 72 F-15QA fig

Qatar finally receives US green light for acquisition of 72 F-15QA fighters   The United States State Department has approved

www.armyrecognition.com

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 1d

It's finally happening. A decade ago, @joshtpm.bsky.social issued a call to "reappropriate the canonical pluralism frog." x.com/joshtpm/stat...

Now frogs are everywhere—for the good guys.

#frogstogetherstrong

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Don Sheldon @donsheldon.bsky.social · 1d

Most animals die when they freeze. The water in their tissues turns to ICE and their cells rupture. But do you know what happens to frogs? They just thaw out in the spring and keep hopping. ICE cannot harm frogs.

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 1d

Some background on the "Qatari Emiri Air Force facility" planned in the western U.S. --> sofrep.com/news/qatari-...

Qatari Fighter Jets Over Idaho?

Folks in Idaho will be seeing F-15Q fighters with Qatari air force markings and no, they are not lost.

sofrep.com

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 1d

Get yours before Trump's new China tariffs go into effect!

FROGS TOGETHER STRONG

Daniel Donner @donnermaps.bsky.social · 1d

Update: Now at 300+ purchased

FROGS TOGETHER STRONG

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Liz Dye @lizdye.bsky.social · 1d

They make up lies about paid agitators doing violence, and attach them to the name of a prominent Jewish person. This is antisemitism, and it infects every part of the GOP.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 1d

Some background on the "Qatari Emiri Air Force facility" planned in the western U.S. --> sofrep.com/news/qatari-...

Qatari Fighter Jets Over Idaho?

Folks in Idaho will be seeing F-15Q fighters with Qatari air force markings and no, they are not lost.

sofrep.com

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

JB Pritzker has also been emphatically placing Trump's mental decline squarely on the agenda. On our pod, he adds a new element: People around Trump are using his decline to manipulate him, so they're less likely to intervene. More Dems should say this. 1/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 1d

Polls disagree whether Rep. Wesley Hunt’s recent entry into the GOP’s Senate primary helps or hurts Sen. John Cornyn. Hunt, though, is doing what he can to make sure "establishment hack" Cornyn loses, even if Hunt isn't the Republican who gets to beat him.

Morning Digest: Will a newcomer's bid help or hurt Texas' struggling GOP senator?

A poll argues John Cornyn is suddenly in better shape. Other data disagrees.

www.the-downballot.com

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 1d

At long last, Pepe is being reclaimed

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Daniel Donner @donnermaps.bsky.social · 1d

Last night it said 100+ bought in the past month. Tonight, 200+. The legion grows.

screenshot of amazon page that says Inflatable Frog Costume for Adults - Blow up Halloween Costume. 200 plus bought in past month

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 1d

FROGS TOGETHER STRONG

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 1d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Quinn Yeargain @yeargain.bsky.social · 1d

these people are sick. they hate our country, they hate our freedoms, and they’re trying to destroy both. it’s repulsive. even more repulsive is that no one in the Republican Party will take a stand against this or anything else. we need a third reconstruction.

Politico @politico.com · 1d

REAKING: New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump foe, is indicted by Trump’s DOJ.

She has been charged with one count of bank fraud by the same U.S. attorney who brought charges against James Comey.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump foe, is indicted by Trump’s DOJ

She has been charged with one count of bank fraud by the same U.S. attorney who brought charges against James Comey.

www.politico.com

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 1d

Excellent piece by Joseph Ax at @reuters.com taking stock of special elections and making use of The Downballot's unique data on these races. www.reuters.com/world/us/dem...

In 42 state legislative and U.S. congressional races across 18 states in 2025, Democrats have improved their margins by an average of more than 15% over the gap between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris in the same districts last year, according to data collected by the political website The Downballot. The Democratic nominee has outdistanced Harris in all but six of those contests, including in deeply conservative areas.

The results suggest Democrats are on track to win back a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s midterms, according to electoral analysts, who say there is a documented correlation between special election results and midterms.

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David Nir @davidnir.com · 1d

I'd thought I'd seen every imaginable way to dismiss the importance of special elections, but this is a new one on me www.reuters.com/world/us/dem...

Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the Republican Party’s congressional campaign arm, questioned the notion that low-turnout special elections signified future Democratic wins.

"If Democrats had a real message, beyond higher taxes, chaos, and fighting harder for illegal immigrants than for American families, they wouldn't need to spend money on special elections to pretend a blue wave is coming," he said.

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