Monique Morrissey
@moniquemorrissey.bsky.social
Labor economist at pro-worker Economic Policy Institute. Low tolerance for infighting. Otherwise happy to hear from you on this new-to-me site, especially if you make me laugh. Views my own. Daughter of a French-Canadian immigrant. No random DMs. (she/her)
Pinned
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shuts down USAID and State Dept. seeks to absorb parts of the agency and eliminate the rest
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk and a team of his followers, entered the offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), shuttering much ...
www.epi.org
ICYMI, @epi.org has two new resources for researchers and anyone tracking Trump actions:
data.epi.org
www.epi.org/policywatch/
#EconSky
data.epi.org
www.epi.org/policywatch/
#EconSky
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
A federal judge just blocked the Trump admin from making broad warrantless immigration arrests in DC. The court found DHS was using “arrest first, ask questions later” tactics and misrepresenting the law.
A big win for due process and basic fairness.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
A big win for due process and basic fairness.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Judge limits warrantless immigration arrests in DC
The judge ruled the arrests require probable cause showing a suspect is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.
www.politico.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:25 AM
A federal judge just blocked the Trump admin from making broad warrantless immigration arrests in DC. The court found DHS was using “arrest first, ask questions later” tactics and misrepresenting the law.
A big win for due process and basic fairness.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
A big win for due process and basic fairness.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
1. CNN and CNBC recently announced partnerships with Kalshi, a prediction market that lets you place bets on the news.
Now, every story is a casino game.
Although Kalshi's popularity has exploded, it remains relatively small and vulnerable to political manipulation.
Now, every story is a casino game.
Although Kalshi's popularity has exploded, it remains relatively small and vulnerable to political manipulation.
The casino-fication of news
New partnerships between the prediction market Kalshi and cable TV networks will transform every news event into a betting opportunity.
popular.info
December 8, 2025 at 4:03 PM
1. CNN and CNBC recently announced partnerships with Kalshi, a prediction market that lets you place bets on the news.
Now, every story is a casino game.
Although Kalshi's popularity has exploded, it remains relatively small and vulnerable to political manipulation.
Now, every story is a casino game.
Although Kalshi's popularity has exploded, it remains relatively small and vulnerable to political manipulation.
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Earlier this year @cmcnich.bsky.social and @tcfdotorg.bsky.social's Lauren McFerran wrote about the Trump administration's attack on independent agencies.
These actions will have a sweeping impact and undermine the safety and wellbeing of workers, consumers, and the public.
These actions will have a sweeping impact and undermine the safety and wellbeing of workers, consumers, and the public.
Trump’s assault on independent agencies endangers us all
Summary Independent agencies were carefully designed by Congress to ensure that those charged with safeguarding critically important public interests—like workers’ rights, product safety, or household...
www.epi.org
December 8, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Earlier this year @cmcnich.bsky.social and @tcfdotorg.bsky.social's Lauren McFerran wrote about the Trump administration's attack on independent agencies.
These actions will have a sweeping impact and undermine the safety and wellbeing of workers, consumers, and the public.
These actions will have a sweeping impact and undermine the safety and wellbeing of workers, consumers, and the public.
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Must read from @martinomalley.bsky.social:
"After President Donald Trump unleashed Elon Musk and DOGE on the Social Security Administration, the agency lost more staff in a shorter period of time than ever before in its 90-year history....The agency has been gutted."
"After President Donald Trump unleashed Elon Musk and DOGE on the Social Security Administration, the agency lost more staff in a shorter period of time than ever before in its 90-year history....The agency has been gutted."
Trump broke his promise to protect a lifeline for 71 million Americans
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE initiative devastated Social Security Administration staffing levels, threatening essential services for millions of Americans.
www.foxnews.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Must read from @martinomalley.bsky.social:
"After President Donald Trump unleashed Elon Musk and DOGE on the Social Security Administration, the agency lost more staff in a shorter period of time than ever before in its 90-year history....The agency has been gutted."
"After President Donald Trump unleashed Elon Musk and DOGE on the Social Security Administration, the agency lost more staff in a shorter period of time than ever before in its 90-year history....The agency has been gutted."
Who wears smug-indulgent face better, Kevin Hassett or Mike Johnson?
SORKIN: Trump said he's going to be part of making the decision about Netflix's transaction with Warner Brothers. Presidents prior have never declared their involvement in these decisions
HASSETT: He's just very interested in making sure there's a lot of analysis so we make the right choice
HASSETT: He's just very interested in making sure there's a lot of analysis so we make the right choice
December 8, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Who wears smug-indulgent face better, Kevin Hassett or Mike Johnson?
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
So love wobbegongs. Everything is good about the wobbegong. Its name. Its flattened Oscar the Grouch face. Its frondy bits. Its lazy life as a hungry rug. And it’s a shark. Outstanding animal 10/10
The Tasselled Wobbegong is a master of disguise that can eat a fish almost as big as itself in one gulp. It's classified as a shark, but when it lays on the sea floor it looks like a harmless rug if you manage to see it. But with powerful jaws and sharp teeth they are no fish to mess with.
December 8, 2025 at 9:49 AM
So love wobbegongs. Everything is good about the wobbegong. Its name. Its flattened Oscar the Grouch face. Its frondy bits. Its lazy life as a hungry rug. And it’s a shark. Outstanding animal 10/10
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Mass deportation is decimating the segment of the health care workforce that cares for our older population, just as the number of Baby Boomers with high-acuity needs grows. wapo.st/4rPxlyX
The business of caring for older Americans is in a deepening crisis
Government funding cuts, caregiver shortages and immigration limits are adding new strains to an industry that’s already hard-pressed to meet demand.
wapo.st
December 7, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Mass deportation is decimating the segment of the health care workforce that cares for our older population, just as the number of Baby Boomers with high-acuity needs grows. wapo.st/4rPxlyX
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows
The figures do not include arrests made by Border Patrol, which has launched aggressive immigration operations in several cities in recent months.
www.nbcnews.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:19 AM
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
This is…interesting. When my daughter was young I made her stop watching My Little Pony because I happened to overhear an episode that seemed a little faschy. (She was not happy.) Maybe it wasn’t just that one episode, or my paranoia, and it really is cutesy right-wing propaganda?
December 5, 2025 at 10:38 PM
This is…interesting. When my daughter was young I made her stop watching My Little Pony because I happened to overhear an episode that seemed a little faschy. (She was not happy.) Maybe it wasn’t just that one episode, or my paranoia, and it really is cutesy right-wing propaganda?
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
"The Donald Trump administration has changed which holidays qualify for free entrance to national parks, removing two holidays celebrating Black people and adding the president’s birthday."
National parks change prioritizes Trump birthday over days honoring Black people
Free entrance days at national parks no longer include MLK Day and Juneteenth.
www.sfgate.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:10 AM
"The Donald Trump administration has changed which holidays qualify for free entrance to national parks, removing two holidays celebrating Black people and adding the president’s birthday."
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
The new National Security Strategy of the U.S. contains some pretty explicit white nationalism:
“We want to support our allies in preserving the freedom and security of
Europe, while restoring Europe’s civilizational self-confidence and Western identity.”
“We want to support our allies in preserving the freedom and security of
Europe, while restoring Europe’s civilizational self-confidence and Western identity.”
December 5, 2025 at 5:02 AM
The new National Security Strategy of the U.S. contains some pretty explicit white nationalism:
“We want to support our allies in preserving the freedom and security of
Europe, while restoring Europe’s civilizational self-confidence and Western identity.”
“We want to support our allies in preserving the freedom and security of
Europe, while restoring Europe’s civilizational self-confidence and Western identity.”
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
This fetid landmark, this historical stain on humanity is primarily due to the stunningly reckless obliteration of America's foreign assistance agency earlier this year.
Led by the richest man on earth. In secret, on a weekend. With zero analysis or discussion of its catastrophic impacts.
Led by the richest man on earth. In secret, on a weekend. With zero analysis or discussion of its catastrophic impacts.
For First Time in Decades, Child Deaths Will Rise This Year
Almost a quarter of a million more children around the world are projected to die in 2025 than in 2024.
www.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:18 PM
This fetid landmark, this historical stain on humanity is primarily due to the stunningly reckless obliteration of America's foreign assistance agency earlier this year.
Led by the richest man on earth. In secret, on a weekend. With zero analysis or discussion of its catastrophic impacts.
Led by the richest man on earth. In secret, on a weekend. With zero analysis or discussion of its catastrophic impacts.
Almost every day from my window, I see a family of crows harass a small (Cooper’s?) hawk. This afternoon the hawk ended by circling upward lazily on a thermal of rising air, as if to tell the crows “you’re not getting under my feathers.” I’m not taking sides, but it’s beautiful to watch.
December 4, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Almost every day from my window, I see a family of crows harass a small (Cooper’s?) hawk. This afternoon the hawk ended by circling upward lazily on a thermal of rising air, as if to tell the crows “you’re not getting under my feathers.” I’m not taking sides, but it’s beautiful to watch.
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Many people are saying www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...
Opinion | We Have a Way to Pay for Free Buses. It Means Free Street Parking Is Over.
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Many people are saying www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Raccoon gets drunk at a Virginia liquor store and passes out in bathroom
Raccoon gets drunk at Ashland ABC store and passes out in bathroom
Talk about a trashed panda.
www.axios.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Raccoon gets drunk at a Virginia liquor store and passes out in bathroom
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Excellent piece from the always-excellent @josephpolitano.bsky.social on why no one should be citing Current Population Data on immigration levels, and why it's a problem that we don't have better data on this crucial question. #EconSky
www.apricitas.io/p/america-is...
www.apricitas.io/p/america-is...
America is Flying Blind on Immigration
Nobody Knows How Many Immigrant Workers Have Left the US Amidst Trump's Mass Deportations. That's Incredibly Bad.
www.apricitas.io
December 2, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Excellent piece from the always-excellent @josephpolitano.bsky.social on why no one should be citing Current Population Data on immigration levels, and why it's a problem that we don't have better data on this crucial question. #EconSky
www.apricitas.io/p/america-is...
www.apricitas.io/p/america-is...
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
This letter to @thetimes.com mourning Tom Stoppard's passing is a stunner.
What the sciences owe to the humanities cannot be quantified, predicted, or planned.
www.thetimes.com/comment/lett... HT @paulnightingale.bsky.social @harrywallop.co.uk
What the sciences owe to the humanities cannot be quantified, predicted, or planned.
www.thetimes.com/comment/lett... HT @paulnightingale.bsky.social @harrywallop.co.uk
December 2, 2025 at 2:08 PM
This letter to @thetimes.com mourning Tom Stoppard's passing is a stunner.
What the sciences owe to the humanities cannot be quantified, predicted, or planned.
www.thetimes.com/comment/lett... HT @paulnightingale.bsky.social @harrywallop.co.uk
What the sciences owe to the humanities cannot be quantified, predicted, or planned.
www.thetimes.com/comment/lett... HT @paulnightingale.bsky.social @harrywallop.co.uk
Got this book for my niece's birthday & it's a hit w/ the whole family. Drawings are gorgeous & while an interest in natural history helps, you don't have to be a fan of bugs to appreciate. Like last year's "Our Moon: A Human History," it focuses on how they affect us.
www.amazon.com/Insectopolis...
www.amazon.com/Insectopolis...
Insectopolis: A Natural History
Buy Insectopolis: A Natural History on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders
www.amazon.com
November 30, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Got this book for my niece's birthday & it's a hit w/ the whole family. Drawings are gorgeous & while an interest in natural history helps, you don't have to be a fan of bugs to appreciate. Like last year's "Our Moon: A Human History," it focuses on how they affect us.
www.amazon.com/Insectopolis...
www.amazon.com/Insectopolis...
The new oven in our rental apartment died but my hero husband roasted the turkey and vegan turk’y and potatoes in the courtyard grill dressed for the chill like the former upstate NY football bro he was before finding the union religion. Here’s lookin’ at you, Mike, and this equally chill cormorant.
November 28, 2025 at 2:30 AM
The new oven in our rental apartment died but my hero husband roasted the turkey and vegan turk’y and potatoes in the courtyard grill dressed for the chill like the former upstate NY football bro he was before finding the union religion. Here’s lookin’ at you, Mike, and this equally chill cormorant.
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Trump’s new H-2A wage rule will radically cut the wages of all farmworkers - and that appears to be the administration's explicit intention: New estimates from @benzipperer.org & me at @epi.org show farmworkers stand to lose $4.4 to $5.4 billion annually under DOL’s updated Adverse Effect Wage Rate
Trump’s new H-2A wage rule will radically cut the wages of all farmworkers: New estimates show farmworkers stand to lose $4.4 to $5.4 billion annually under DOL’s updated Adverse Effect Wage Rate
The Trump administration will cut the pay of all farmworkers by reducing the minimum wages paid to workers filling seasonal agricultural jobs in the H-2A visa program. By lowering wage rates implement...
www.epi.org
November 26, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Trump’s new H-2A wage rule will radically cut the wages of all farmworkers - and that appears to be the administration's explicit intention: New estimates from @benzipperer.org & me at @epi.org show farmworkers stand to lose $4.4 to $5.4 billion annually under DOL’s updated Adverse Effect Wage Rate
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
Social Security has announced yet another reorganization. The devil will be in the details.
But the fact remains: Even after the reshuffling is complete, SSA will have thousands fewer and less experienced staff because of the deep cuts the Trump Admin made this year.
www.cbpp.org/research/soc...
But the fact remains: Even after the reshuffling is complete, SSA will have thousands fewer and less experienced staff because of the deep cuts the Trump Admin made this year.
www.cbpp.org/research/soc...
Reassignment Won’t Fix the Largest-Ever Social Security Staffing Cut
The Social Security Administration will have fewer and less experienced staff on the front lines serving the public with significantly less support, leading to worse outcomes for people who rely on So...
www.cbpp.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Social Security has announced yet another reorganization. The devil will be in the details.
But the fact remains: Even after the reshuffling is complete, SSA will have thousands fewer and less experienced staff because of the deep cuts the Trump Admin made this year.
www.cbpp.org/research/soc...
But the fact remains: Even after the reshuffling is complete, SSA will have thousands fewer and less experienced staff because of the deep cuts the Trump Admin made this year.
www.cbpp.org/research/soc...
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
A rising tide should lift all boats (not just the yachts).
→ When the economy expands, everybody should reap the rewards.
Since the late 70s, policy choices have led to the bigger boats getting lifted while the rest of us feel like we're sinking.
🛟 read more below:
www.epi.org/productivity...
→ When the economy expands, everybody should reap the rewards.
Since the late 70s, policy choices have led to the bigger boats getting lifted while the rest of us feel like we're sinking.
🛟 read more below:
www.epi.org/productivity...
The Productivity–Pay Gap
The huge gap between rising incomes at the top and stagnating pay for the rest of us shows that workers are no longer benefiting from their rising productivity. Before 1979, worker pay and productivit...
www.epi.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
A rising tide should lift all boats (not just the yachts).
→ When the economy expands, everybody should reap the rewards.
Since the late 70s, policy choices have led to the bigger boats getting lifted while the rest of us feel like we're sinking.
🛟 read more below:
www.epi.org/productivity...
→ When the economy expands, everybody should reap the rewards.
Since the late 70s, policy choices have led to the bigger boats getting lifted while the rest of us feel like we're sinking.
🛟 read more below:
www.epi.org/productivity...
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
It's weird to not only have lived through an information revolution but also now living through its undoing, all within less than a generation.
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
It's weird to not only have lived through an information revolution but also now living through its undoing, all within less than a generation.
Reposted by Monique Morrissey
My money's on the turkey that runs a crypto exchange.
November 25, 2025 at 1:33 PM
My money's on the turkey that runs a crypto exchange.