Barb
LightNews LightNews
runningfutility.bsky.social
Barb
@runningfutility.bsky.social
76 followers 32 following 87 posts
#Music #Hiking #Cats #Dogs #Books #News #Science #Introvert #ClinicalResearcher
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Barb
chriswarcraft.bsky.social
“Imagine if we had to follow the law”
factpostnews.bsky.social FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 11h
Mike Johnson speaks out against the use of judicial warrants in immigration cases:

"Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant"
February 3, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Barb
muellershewrote.com
WRONG. I-205 administrative warrants are not issued by immigration judges. They’re signed by ICE officers. And EVEN IF THEY WERE issued by an immigration judge - they are executive branch employees, NOT judicial branch. JUDICIAL warrants are needed to enter a home without consent.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h
Q: You're a constitutional lawyer. Can you detail the 4th Amendment protections someone has if ICE approaches their home w/an administrative warrant?

MIKE JOHNSON: When ICE goes to execute a warrant, it's issued by an immigration judge, & that is a sufficient legal authority to go apprehend someone
February 3, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Barb
victorerikray.bsky.social
“You need only know this: Whatever is happening with your data, it is important enough to the most egregiously lawless administration in American history that it be collected and consolidated.” Always read @tressiemcphd.bsky.social (gift link)
Opinion | Democracy Dies by Database
www.nytimes.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
Proponents of the megabill argue that these costs are overstated because they don't take into account economic growth. But all of the independent estimates of the bill's cost--including right-leaning ones--suggest it will cost trillions after accounting for growth.
Here's the alt text for Image 8: Alt Text: Bar chart showing dynamic (growth-adjusted) estimates of the megabill's ten-year cost from five independent sources. Budget Lab at Yale: $4.1 trillion. Penn Wharton Budget Model: $3.6 trillion. Tax Foundation: $3.0 trillion. American Enterprise Institute: $2.9 trillion. Congressional Budget Office: $2.8 trillion (shown in lighter blue). All five analyses find the bill adds trillions to deficits even after accounting for potential economic growth effects. Chart by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
February 3, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
An example of the poor choices in the megabill: they expanded the amount of state and local taxes affluent households can deduct from $10k to $40k.

This came at a cost of $140B--about 75 percent of the cut to SNAP that make low-income families pay more for groceries.
The new law increases the amount of state and local taxes (SALT) that households can deduct, from $10,000 under the 2017 law to $40,000 (including retroactively for tax year 2025).[44] This gives a married couple making $500,000 a $7,200 tax cut on top of the other tax cuts they will receive from the megabill, though the increase phases out for households over $500,000. This is but one example of why the megabill’s cuts to health coverage and food assistance were an unnecessary policy choice. By simply extending the $10,000 SALT cap rather than increasing it, congressional Republicans would have reduced the megabill’s cost by $140 billion, or an amount equal to 75 percent of the cut to SNAP
February 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
So why write a bill that will hurt so many Americans?

The answer is to partially finance tax cuts for the richest Americans including cuts to the estate tax, a deduction for business owners, corporate tax breaks, and more:
Here's the alt text for Image 5: Alt Text: Horizontal bar chart showing annual percent and dollar change in after-tax income in 2027 under the Republican megabill by income group. Households making over $1 million gain $104,580 (5.0% income increase). Top 1% gains $73,850 (4.9%). Top 10% gains $16,570 (4.3%). Top 20% gains $10,300 (3.8%). Fourth 20% gains $2,530 (2.5%). Middle 20% gains $1,150 (1.7%). Second 20% gains $560 (1.4%). Bottom 20% gains just $110 (0.7%). All bars are yellow/gold, with longer bars for higher-income groups illustrating the disparity. Source: JCT and TPC tables with CBPP calculations. Chart by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
February 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
At a time when Americans are feeling squeezed by growing energy costs, the GOP megabill will raise energy costs by cutting investments expanding energy supply.

Estimates from @jessejenkins.bsky.social, Jamil Farbes and Ben Haley suggest that this will eventually raise HH energy bills 13%.
In addition to its massive cuts in Medicaid and SNAP, another key way the megabill offsets part of the cost of its tax cuts is by cutting tax credits and other investments designed to promote clean energy by roughly $500 billion through 2034. Those cuts — including more than $280 billion in clean energy tax credits, $170 billion for efforts to adopt less-polluting vehicles, and over $13 billion in funding for climate-related programs enacted in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — will have negative impacts on households and the broader economy. First, the cuts will raise energy costs for households and businesses at a time when energy demand is projected to grow, especially in the face of growing artificial intelligence-related energy demands. By terminating clean energy tax credits prematurely, the megabill will reduce the supply of solar and wind energy, resulting in higher electricity prices. The new law’s funding cuts for energy efficiency and clean energy programs will also increase electricity prices, while its cuts to electric vehicle funding and termination of vehicle regulations will result in higher demand for gasoline, increasing its price. One estimate projects that households will face a 7.5 percent increase in household energy bills by 2030, or $165 per year, rising to a 13 percent increase, or $280 per year, in 2035
February 3, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
Part of the megabill receiving less attention is changes to student loan repayment for low-income borrowers (esp. folks who didn't finish degrees). For first time someone w/ earnings below poverty line will have to make payments, helping offset tax cuts tilted to the wealthy.
The megabill also restructures student loan repayment plans in a manner that will spike millions of borrowers’ monthly payments, resulting in $270 billion in savings that help finance its tax cuts. In particular, it consolidates all income-based repayment plans for new borrowers — plans that help borrowers with lower incomes relative to their debt levels keep their payments manageable — into a single Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) that requires far higher monthly payments than other income-based repayment plans.[39] Most concerningly, the RAP abandons the “income protection” approach featured in all other income-based repayment plans, which shields a certain amount of a borrower’s income from being considered in calculating their payments. All previous income-based repayment plans only calculated the payments based on the borrower’s income above at least 100 percent of the federal poverty level (about $16,000 for an individual); the SAVE plan introduced by the Biden Administration based payments on income exceeding 225 percent of the federal poverty level. Under the RAP, in contrast, even the lowest-income new borrowers will have to make payments. Abandoning income protection directly undermines the point of income-based repayment, where the monthly payments must actually be affordable. The result of the new RAP formula is higher monthly payments across the board. For example, a single earner making $32,000 annually, who would have faced no monthly payment under the SAVE Plan, will owe $80 a month ($960 a year) under the RAP formula.
February 3, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
The megabill also makes a 20%+ cut to SNAP by 2034 by forcing states to should the cost of SNAP for the first time, trapping families in red tape through work requirements, and more.
Infographic titled "Four Ways the Harmful Republican Megabill Takes Away Food Assistance" with four orange icons and explanations: (1) Dollar arrow icon: Slashes federal SNAP funding, forcing unaffordable costs on states and risking some states ending SNAP entirely. (2) Documents icon: Expands work requirements affecting families with children 14+, adults 55-64, and veterans. (3) Prohibition symbol icon: Ends food assistance for many people with lawful immigration status based on humanitarian need. (4) Shopping cart icon: Cuts benefits by preventing SNAP from keeping pace with food costs and increasing paperwork. Result box states: Cuts SNAP by about 20% through 2034, with about 4 million people including 1 million children losing food assistance. Chart by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
February 3, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
Looking at the megabill's cuts to health care--which help finance its tax cuts--roughly 15 million people will lose health insurance because of its direct cuts or failure to extend the enhancements to the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits.
Stacked horizontal bar chart showing roughly 15 million people will lose health coverage under the Republican health agenda. Blue segment shows 7.5 million losing coverage due to Medicaid cuts in the megabill, plus 0.4 million from Medicare cuts and policy interactions. Orange segments show about 3 million losing coverage from ACA marketplace cuts in the megabill and final rule, plus 4.2 million from failing to extend premium tax credit enhancements. A dashed box indicates 10 million losses are directly attributable to the megabill. Source: CBO estimates of uninsurance in 2034. Chart by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
February 3, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
Another view is taking seriously the Trump Admin's claim that regressive, economically destructive, and legally questionable tariffs offset the megabill's deficits.

When we include those in the distribution, the bottom 70% is worse off from the bill according to
@budgetlab.bsky.social:
Bar chart showing average annual change in household resources by income decile from 2026 to 2034, combining effects of the Republican megabill and Trump tariffs. Seven red bars show losses for the bottom 70%: lowest decile loses 5.6% ($2,160), followed by losses of 2.1%, 1.4%, 0.8%, 0.6%, 0.3%, and 0.1%. Three yellow bars show gains for the top 30%: 0.1%, 0.4%, and 1.9% ($9,670) for the highest earners. Includes changes to SNAP, Medicaid, student loans, and taxes plus tariffs announced through November 2025. Source: Yale Budget Lab. Chart by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
February 3, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
A @budgetmodel.bsky.social analysis of the megabill's combination of tax cuts, cuts to programs, and higher deficits will make the bottom 80 percent of kids born today worse off in the long run.
Bar chart showing lifetime cost of the Republican megabill by income quintile for those born in 2025, including effects of higher federal debt. Four red bars show losses: Bottom 20% loses $17,200, second quintile loses $9,600, middle quintile loses $9,800, fourth quintile loses $4,300. One yellow bar shows the top 20% gains $2,600. Title states "Only households with the highest incomes will gain" and "Households with the lowest incomes lose the most." Source: Penn-Wharton Budget Model, July 8, 2025. Chart by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
February 3, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Barb
brendanvduke.bsky.social
New 25-page @centeronbudget.bsky.social paper from me summarizing the distributional, fiscal, and economic effects of One Big Beautiful Bill's tax cuts and cuts to health care, food assistance, student loans, and climate investments. 🧵

www.cbpp.org/research/fed...
Republican Megabill Trades Essential Support to Low-Income People for Skewed Tax Cuts
The sprawling megabill passed by the Republican-controlled Congress and signed by President Trump in July 2025 will redistribute trillions of dollars upward over the next decade, making it harder for ...
www.cbpp.org
February 3, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Barb
drericding.bsky.social
⛓️CONCENTRATION CAMPS & INCINERATORS—D.H.S. is setting up a huge network of camps. They are converting the U.S. as a region for ‘expeditionary military deployment’ & no-bid no-public-comment contracts to build a “ghost network” of 10,000-person concentration camps. Jesus. Thread 🧵
February 3, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by Barb
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
BREAKING: Judge Ana Reyes, in DC, issues a stay of DHS Sec. Noem’s decision to end Haiti’s temporary protected status (TPS) designation, a decision that was to go into effect on Tuesday and could have ended legal status for up to 350,000 people overnight. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FRITZ EMMANUEL LESLY MIOT, et al., Plaintiffs, Case No. 25-cv-02471 (ACR) V. DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants. MEMORANDUM OPINION On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: "America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions." More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington's vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take.? eSec Noem I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies. Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom-not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE. 6:52 PM - Dec 1, 2025 - 13.2M Views ' Letter from George Washington to Joshua Holmes (December 2, 1783). 2 Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl.) 1110 n.91. But see supra n.l. So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) "damn" countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti's TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, "killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies." They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer's disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) 1 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. 1 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. | 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. 9| 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. 9|5. They claim that Secretary Noem's decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary's decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things— in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.
February 3, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Barb
davidcorn.bsky.social
This is important to pay attention to. Trump's saying the quiet part of the plan out loud. With the midterms increasingly looking like a bloodbath for the GOP, he's calling on the Republicans to take over the election. This is what an attempt to end democracy looks like. Read @ariberman.bsky.social
Trump goes public with plan to "take over" elections
After the FBI seized 700 boxes of ballots in Georgia, the president calls on Republicans to assert control over voting "in at least 15 places.”
www.motherjones.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Barb
ddayen.bsky.social
ICYMI this great piece from over the weekend by Moe Tkacik on how Stephen Miller is running the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department, the FBI, the remnants of the Department of Education, most of the Pentagon, and whatever's left of DOGE.
prospect.org/2026/01/31/t...
Impeach President Miller - The American Prospect
The mastermind of the Trump regime’s descent into gangsterism is arguably more dangerous than the Orange One himself.
prospect.org
February 2, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Barb
lizneeley.bsky.social
And now we have measles outbreaks in ICE detention facilities in Arizona (tucson.com/news/local/b...) and Texas where they're shipping children from Minnesota, like Liam Conejo Ramos. (www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...)
February 2, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by Barb
davidcorn.bsky.social
Trump is turning the FBI into his own private investigative force. This is highly unusual and improper.
bradheath.bsky.social Brad Heath @bradheath.bsky.social · 1d
One more way in which the FBI's search of an Atlanta election office was surpassingly unusual: President Trump spoke to the agents who conducted the search during a phone call afterward.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Barb
ianbassin.bsky.social
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.
vanhollen.senate.gov Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 2d
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.
February 2, 2026 at 7:28 AM
runningfutility.bsky.social
👏👏👏
February 2, 2026 at 4:19 AM
Reposted by Barb
piyushmittal.bsky.social
Children raped and killed. American citizens shot in the street. Immigrants illegally shackled, tortured, killed. Journalists arrested.
While a $300 million ballroom is constructed and a trash documentary released.
January 31, 2026 at 3:48 AM
Reposted by Barb
esqueer.net
The nazis redistributed the stolen property of deported Jews to the German population. It was called Aryanization.

This is no different.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryaniz...
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d
straight up Gestapo shit
DHS: Want affordable housing? Help report illegal aliens in your area. Call 866-DHS-2-ICE. If you are an illegal alien, you can take control of your departure using DHS.GOV/CBPHOME.
January 31, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Reposted by Barb
joncooper-us.bsky.social
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche admits that the DOJ excluded all images showing “death, physical abuse, or injury” from yesterday’s Epstein files release.

WHAT ELSE ARE THEY HIDING???
January 31, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Barb
donmoyn.bsky.social
New from me: It is not just that the US is experiencing democratic backsliding. Authoritarianism has emerged more quickly than in other benchmark countries.

This graph from John Burn-Murdoch sums it up. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/autocracy-...
graph tracking democratic backsliding is occuring more quickly in the US than elsewhere.
January 31, 2026 at 3:12 PM