Michael E. Kanell
@michaelkanell.bsky.social
Economics writer, cat guy, I love that dirty water
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
CFPB Staffer Alexis Goldstein Fired for Confronting DOGE Members, Announces Run for Congress https://www.democracynow.org/2026/2/18/alexis_goldstein_cfpb_consumer_protection_doge
CFPB Staffer Alexis Goldstein Fired for Confronting DOGE Members, Announces Run for Congress
The Trump administration has fired Consumer Financial Protection Bureau program manager Alexis Goldstein for documenting a meeting a year ago between the agency and Elon Musk’s Department of Governmen...
www.democracynow.org
February 18, 2026 at 4:14 PM
CFPB Staffer Alexis Goldstein Fired for Confronting DOGE Members, Announces Run for Congress https://www.democracynow.org/2026/2/18/alexis_goldstein_cfpb_consumer_protection_doge
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
As the world comes to grips with the fact that an FBI source told our government that Jared Kushner is controlled by the Russians and Israelis and Team Trump did nothing with that intelligence, CNN shows up with a truly *disgusting* puff piece on Kushner:
Analysis: America’s outsider peace duo faces biggest test in trio of hotspots | CNN Politics
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are running President Donald Trump’s freelance peacekeeping franchise, on which global stability, countless lives and their boss’s best hope of that elusive Nobel Peace...
www.cnn.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:00 PM
As the world comes to grips with the fact that an FBI source told our government that Jared Kushner is controlled by the Russians and Israelis and Team Trump did nothing with that intelligence, CNN shows up with a truly *disgusting* puff piece on Kushner:
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
This answer - from one of the president’s key economic advisors - is disgraceful.
And, fwiw, the number for tariff pass through is closer to 94-96 percent
And, fwiw, the number for tariff pass through is closer to 94-96 percent
Hassett on new study from NY Fed showing 90% of tariff burden is being shouldered by US firms & consumers: "The paper is an embarrassment. It's I think the worst paper I've ever seen in the history of the Fed system. The people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined."
February 18, 2026 at 2:22 PM
This answer - from one of the president’s key economic advisors - is disgraceful.
And, fwiw, the number for tariff pass through is closer to 94-96 percent
And, fwiw, the number for tariff pass through is closer to 94-96 percent
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
February 18, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Truly, though, it is absolutely offensive that Bari Weiss was going to give the Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture.
Who thought that was something any educational institution should do? Who thought BARI WEISS could ever properly memorialize Daniel Pearl.
Who thought that was something any educational institution should do? Who thought BARI WEISS could ever properly memorialize Daniel Pearl.
February 18, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Truly, though, it is absolutely offensive that Bari Weiss was going to give the Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture.
Who thought that was something any educational institution should do? Who thought BARI WEISS could ever properly memorialize Daniel Pearl.
Who thought that was something any educational institution should do? Who thought BARI WEISS could ever properly memorialize Daniel Pearl.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
ICE deports asylum seeker to Africa, where abuser who bought her as ‘wife’ is waiting to kill her, lawyers claim
ICE deports woman to Africa, where ‘husband’ who bought her is waiting to kill her
First in The Independent: A Congolese woman’s life is in ‘grave danger’ after ICE secretly flew her to an unknown African nation, according to an emergency motion filed in federal court
trib.al
February 18, 2026 at 5:00 PM
ICE deports asylum seeker to Africa, where abuser who bought her as ‘wife’ is waiting to kill her, lawyers claim
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
ICE is crushing Minneapolis economy. On the pod, Mayor Jacob Frey tallies up damage:
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
Minneapolis Mayor’s Emotional Message to Trump: You Failed to Break Us
In an interview, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says ICE’s attack came from the top—and shares new details about how badly it damaged his city, while explaining how the people there are emerging utterly...
newrepublic.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:43 PM
ICE is crushing Minneapolis economy. On the pod, Mayor Jacob Frey tallies up damage:
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Pardoning drug lords but deporting sick little kids straight from the hospital really sums the whole thing up doesn’t it
So after Trump pardoned Honduras's narco-president, the admin didn't just let him out--they canceled an immigration hold and sent a specialized team to **chauffeur him to the $1k/night Waldorf Astoria.**
“It's "absolutely fucking nuts,” said one official
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“It's "absolutely fucking nuts,” said one official
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
February 18, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Pardoning drug lords but deporting sick little kids straight from the hospital really sums the whole thing up doesn’t it
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
So after Trump pardoned Honduras's narco-president, the admin didn't just let him out--they canceled an immigration hold and sent a specialized team to **chauffeur him to the $1k/night Waldorf Astoria.**
“It's "absolutely fucking nuts,” said one official
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“It's "absolutely fucking nuts,” said one official
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
February 18, 2026 at 1:21 PM
So after Trump pardoned Honduras's narco-president, the admin didn't just let him out--they canceled an immigration hold and sent a specialized team to **chauffeur him to the $1k/night Waldorf Astoria.**
“It's "absolutely fucking nuts,” said one official
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“It's "absolutely fucking nuts,” said one official
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Nearly *half a million more U.S. workers* were represented by a union in 2025 than 2024.
In a time of fear, and uncertainty, working people want greater agency in the workplace and in making policy that shapes their lives.
@hshierholz.bsky.social, @cmcnich.bsky.social & Margaret Poydock's latest
In a time of fear, and uncertainty, working people want greater agency in the workplace and in making policy that shapes their lives.
@hshierholz.bsky.social, @cmcnich.bsky.social & Margaret Poydock's latest
Workers’ resolve drives increase in unionization in 2025
In 2025, 16.5 million workers in the United States were represented by a union—an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in the U.S. in 16 years. These 16.5 million ...
www.epi.org
February 18, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Nearly *half a million more U.S. workers* were represented by a union in 2025 than 2024.
In a time of fear, and uncertainty, working people want greater agency in the workplace and in making policy that shapes their lives.
@hshierholz.bsky.social, @cmcnich.bsky.social & Margaret Poydock's latest
In a time of fear, and uncertainty, working people want greater agency in the workplace and in making policy that shapes their lives.
@hshierholz.bsky.social, @cmcnich.bsky.social & Margaret Poydock's latest
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
im the biggest critic of theocracy youll ever find but you also cant pretend that religious faith isnt a central point in the lives of most americans -- including most people who vote for democrats.
February 18, 2026 at 4:26 PM
im the biggest critic of theocracy youll ever find but you also cant pretend that religious faith isnt a central point in the lives of most americans -- including most people who vote for democrats.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will launch their Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour across the country this spring, kicking off at Minneapolis’ Target Center on March 31. The 20-date run will feature 19 arena shows, and a final night on May 27 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
February 17, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will launch their Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour across the country this spring, kicking off at Minneapolis’ Target Center on March 31. The 20-date run will feature 19 arena shows, and a final night on May 27 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
A system built to eat people never stops eating people.
The concentration camps will not only be for immigrants, documented or otherwise. They already aren't.
They won't only be for brown and Black people.
The targets will keep expanding. It will not end.
The only way it will is if we stop it. Both in and out of the system. There is no other way.
They won't only be for brown and Black people.
The targets will keep expanding. It will not end.
The only way it will is if we stop it. Both in and out of the system. There is no other way.
February 18, 2026 at 12:10 AM
A system built to eat people never stops eating people.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
DHS is holding a 2-month-old BABY at a detention facility in Texas.
Last night, Juan Nicolás was rushed to the hospital after choking on his own vomit & being unable to breathe.
This demands accountability — not a blank check for more cruelty.
Last night, Juan Nicolás was rushed to the hospital after choking on his own vomit & being unable to breathe.
This demands accountability — not a blank check for more cruelty.
I have an update on Juan Nicolás, the 2-month-old baby detained at Dilley, and his mother.
February 18, 2026 at 12:18 AM
DHS is holding a 2-month-old BABY at a detention facility in Texas.
Last night, Juan Nicolás was rushed to the hospital after choking on his own vomit & being unable to breathe.
This demands accountability — not a blank check for more cruelty.
Last night, Juan Nicolás was rushed to the hospital after choking on his own vomit & being unable to breathe.
This demands accountability — not a blank check for more cruelty.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
The interior of Kristi Noem’s new billionaire-class luxury jet is complete with two bidets and a wet bar with a wine chiller. It will be purchased on our dime from the slush fund Congress approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
open.substack.com/pub/newsnotn...
open.substack.com/pub/newsnotn...
Let Them Fly First Class: Kristi Noem’s DHS Luxury Jet Scandal
Inside Noem's flying palace. Plus: Pentagon demands obedient, deadly AI. The race to deploy untested nuclear reactors. Lawmakers move to rein in presidential pardons. And remembering Robert Duvall.
open.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:41 AM
The interior of Kristi Noem’s new billionaire-class luxury jet is complete with two bidets and a wet bar with a wine chiller. It will be purchased on our dime from the slush fund Congress approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
open.substack.com/pub/newsnotn...
open.substack.com/pub/newsnotn...
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Remember when JD Vance was interested in how "our wealthiest and most powerful people were connected to a guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring? And then that guy died mysteriously in a jail? And now we just don't talk about it?"
x.com/JDVance/stat...
x.com/JDVance/stat...
February 18, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Remember when JD Vance was interested in how "our wealthiest and most powerful people were connected to a guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring? And then that guy died mysteriously in a jail? And now we just don't talk about it?"
x.com/JDVance/stat...
x.com/JDVance/stat...
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
I know this makes me an extremist but I think our baby concentration camps should be abolished.
‘His life is in danger,’ U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said about newborn Juan Nicolás. The child fell ill after spending almost a month — or half his life — in a San Antonio-area family detention facility.
Two-month-old baby 'choking on his own vomit' while detained in Dilley
'His life is in danger,' U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said about newborn Juan Nicolás. The child fell ill after spending almost a month — or half his life — in a San Antonio-area family detention facility...
www.sacurrent.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:11 AM
I know this makes me an extremist but I think our baby concentration camps should be abolished.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
I understand MAGAs have no interest in how laws work until they affect them, but the rest of us do: we need to know if ICE engaged in a pursuit, and if so whether this man was wanted for a status offense or serious crime.
If the former, ICE caused this.
If the former, ICE caused this.
Teacher Killed in Crash After Man Fled in Car From ICE, Police Say
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:00 AM
I understand MAGAs have no interest in how laws work until they affect them, but the rest of us do: we need to know if ICE engaged in a pursuit, and if so whether this man was wanted for a status offense or serious crime.
If the former, ICE caused this.
If the former, ICE caused this.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
"One of the best takeaways those of us on the left or the center can hold is that tariffs, the annihilation of the safety net, aggressive tax cuts, and all of their other fiscal policies are not about enrichment as an end unto itself: they’re about impoverishment as a means to reinforce hierarchy."
The Pain Is the Plan
MAGA is actively seeking to immiserate the country in order to cement their power over the rest of us.
www.liberalcurrents.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:01 AM
"One of the best takeaways those of us on the left or the center can hold is that tariffs, the annihilation of the safety net, aggressive tax cuts, and all of their other fiscal policies are not about enrichment as an end unto itself: they’re about impoverishment as a means to reinforce hierarchy."
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
I think it’s time for Democratic leaders to start saying “if you’re a pilot or ground crew involved in a deportation that was stayed by a judge, you’ll be held criminally liable for human trafficking.” Everyone involved in these flights should have that fear in the back of their minds.
Overnight, this probable ICE flight landed in Benin and is now returning to Senegal, likely for a crew layover.
February 16, 2026 at 10:57 AM
I think it’s time for Democratic leaders to start saying “if you’re a pilot or ground crew involved in a deportation that was stayed by a judge, you’ll be held criminally liable for human trafficking.” Everyone involved in these flights should have that fear in the back of their minds.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
February 16, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
The New York Times is attempting to politically assassinate AOC. They are already firing warning shots at a possible presidential campaign.
February 17, 2026 at 12:30 PM
The New York Times is attempting to politically assassinate AOC. They are already firing warning shots at a possible presidential campaign.
Reposted by Michael E. Kanell
This is going to correctly be discussed as a censorship story. But, and this is important: this is also yet another example of the Trump regime attempting to impose a state religion, by regulating what can and cannot be said about the state religion.
February 17, 2026 at 12:38 PM
This is going to correctly be discussed as a censorship story. But, and this is important: this is also yet another example of the Trump regime attempting to impose a state religion, by regulating what can and cannot be said about the state religion.