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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

Bondi was received very differently by Republicans, who praised her throughout the marathon hearing, saying she’s made good on her – and President Donald Trump’s – pledges to rid the Department of Justice of partisan politics, cut crime and help deport immigrants in the country illegally.

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

Pam Bondi battled with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 7, refusing to answer their questions and launching personal attacks against some of them when they accused her of stonewalling.

'Liar,' 'failed lawyer.' Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing.

Bondi accused Democrats of "slander" against President Trump. Sen. Dick Durbin complained about her "refusal to answer the most basic questions."

www.usatoday.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

"Sometimes heroes come with four legs and a wagging tail," the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, which responded to the scene in Destin, posted on its official Facebook account on Monday, Oct. 6.

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

Police body camera footage shows a family's 100-pound dog save the day after it led a sheriff's deputy to their missing, injured, 86-year-old grandmother in Florida.

Video shows loyal dog lead deputy to 86-year-old grandma who was missing and injured

A loyal dog named Eeyore led a deputy to his owner's 86-year-old mother after she fell during a nighttime walk in Destin, Florida.

www.usatoday.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

The federal indictment of former FBI Director #JamesComey could face significant legal challenges – and potential dismissal – due to questions about how the Trump administration appointed the prosecutor who obtained it, constitutional law experts and Democratic lawmakers say.

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

Does James Comey indictment have 'fatal flaw'? Some legal experts say so.

Some legal experts, including former GOP Justice Department officials, say DOJ lacked legal authority to appoint the prosecutor who indicted Comey.

Former FBI director James Comey indicted on two counts

A federal grand jury has charged Comey with giving false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, according to reports.

www.usatoday.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas sent a letter to the nonprofit operator of Wikipedia alleging a pattern of liberal bias in articles on the collaborative encyclopedia.

"I write to request information about ideological bias on the Wikipedia platform and at the Wikimedia Foundation," Cruz wrote to ...

Ted Cruz Targets Wikipedia Over ‘Ideological Bias’

In a letter to the Wikimedia Foundation CEO, Cruz accused the beloved online resource of being too liberal.

www.wired.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

On September 22, the US Food and Drug Administration announced it was approving a new use of a drug called leucovorin calcium tablets as a treatment for cerebral folate deficiency, which the administration also presented as a promising treatment for the symptoms of autism. In the days and hours...

Chaos, Confusion, and Conspiracies: Inside a Facebook Group for RFK Jr.’s Autism ‘Cure’

A Facebook group set up to share information about leucovorin has been spammed by affiliate links and supplement companies trying to shame parents of autistic kids.

www.wired.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

Allan Thygesen, the CEO of Docusign, was not particularly concerned when he saw the news last week that OpenAI had created an internal tool called DocuGPT. He might have preferred that OpenAI choose a different name for its contracting tool. But still, he thought, DocuGPT barely scratched the ...

OpenAI Sneezes, and Software Firms Catch a Cold

OpenAI revealed last week the custom AI tools it uses internally. The news sent some software companies into turmoil.

www.wired.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

CNN asked Miller whether the Trump Administration will abide by a district judge’s order blocking the Guard’s deployment in Oregon. “Well, the Administration filed an appeal this morning with the Ninth Circuit,” Miller began. “I would note the Administration won an identical case in the ...

Stephen Miller ‘Plenary Authority’ Remark Sparks Controversy

The Trump aide sparked suspicion when he stopped speaking after he mentioned the President’s “plenary authority,” though CNN blamed a technical issue.

time.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

Gold futures soared above $4,000 per troy ounce for the first time Tuesday, as many investors seek a safe place to park their money during the continuing U.S. government shutdown.

The going price for New York spot gold had previously closed at $3,960.60 per troy ounce — the standard for ...

Gold futures rise above $4,000 per ounce for the first time

Gold futures have soared above $4,000 per troy ounce for the first time, as many investors seek a “safe haven” to park their money during the continuing U.S. government shutdown.

apnews.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

Tours at the Capitol have come to a standstill. The House is keeping its doors closed, while the Senate repeated its loop Wednesday of failed votes to reopen the government. President Donald Trump is threatening to mass fire federal workers and refuse back pay for the rest.

Federal government shutdown grinds into a week two as tempers flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight. No negotiations, at least publicly, are underway, but quiet talks are emerging.

apnews.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

The FAA reported staffing issues at airports in Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia, and at its air traffic control centers in Atlanta, Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The agency temporarily slowed takeoffs of planes headed to the first three cities.

Staffing shortages cause more US flight delays as government shutdown reaches seventh day

Staffing shortages led to more flight delays at airports across the U.S. as the federal government shutdown stretched into a seventh day.

apnews.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

As the Trump administration cracks down on both environmental policies and progressive activism, the Sunrise Movement, the youth-led climate justice organization that popularized calls for a Green New Deal, is widening its mission to fight authoritarianism.

Sunrise Movement's new focus: fighting authoritarianism

The youth-led climate group will organize against Trump’s power grab.

www.motherjones.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

On January 22, Josh Josa, who is deaf, was put on administrative leave from his job at the United States Agency for International Development. Josa worked in USAID’s office of DEIA, or Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, helping in part to make sure that the work supported by the ...

The human costs of Trump's war on government

For many disabled workers, federal jobs were decent, human, and accommodating: everything the president hates.

www.motherjones.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

Eswatini, the landlocked nation formerly known as Swaziland, is Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy. It is the kind of place where King Mswati III—who took the throne as an 18-year-old four decades ago—can warn in a speech, as he did in 2023, that nobody should “complain if mercenaries kill”..

ICE is sending people to a prison in Africa’s only absolute monarchy

Inside the “legal black hole” in Eswatini, where Trump is sending detainees.

www.motherjones.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

Independent journalism is one of the last real defenses left against authoritarianism.

Please join us as a monthly donor or give what you can just one time.

We can’t do it without you.

I just donated to The American Prospect

My donation supports independent, fact-checked, professional journalism, which is now more valuable than ever before.

secure.actblue.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

The private equity takeover of MN Power’s parent company, ALLETE, will now move forward after all five members of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) agreed to approve the $6.2 billion deal on Friday morning.

In an interview with the Prospect, Alissa Jean Schafer...

BlackRock Just Bought a Minnesota Utility

On Friday, state regulators voted unanimously in favor of allowing private equity to take a Duluth-based utility holding company private. The Prospect takes you inside the room where it all went down.

prospect.org

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

The Department of Labor’s new rule cutting farmworker wages bluntly states that souped-up immigration enforcement has devastated the agricultural workforce and created a significant “risk of supply shock-induced food shortages,” according to a document filed in the Federal Register last week.

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

prospect.org

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

In March, #Trump made good on his campaign promise to begin shuttering the Department of Education (DOE) and “return[ing] authority over education to the states.” Key to his pledge was ensuring that any programs using Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks lose their federal funding.

Competing for Crumbs

While adding funding for historically Black colleges and universities, Trump’s Education Department is simultaneously cutting funding to colleges that primarily serve minorities.

prospect.org

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

#Myanmar’s military carried out a paraglider strike on a village that killed at least 24 people including children, and wounded more than 50 others, according to a member of a resistance group, villagers and media reports.

The Monday night attack was carried out by a motorized paraglider, and ...

Myanmar's military strikes village in glider raid, killing at least 24 people including children

Myanmar’s military carried out a paraglider strike on a village that killed at least 24 people including children, and wounded more than 50 others, according to a member of a resistance group, village...

apnews.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

White House officials have held increasingly serious discussions in recent days about #Trump’s invoking the #InsurrectionAct, a rarely used 19th century law that gives the president the power to deploy active-duty troops inside the United States for law enforcement purposes, 5 people with ...

Trump administration officials seriously discussing invoking Insurrection Act, sources say

A decision isn't expected to be imminent, one source said, but debate within the administration has shifted recently to more deeply exploring how and when the act might be invoked.

www.nbcnews.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

WS-R #RonJohnson MAGA-Meter FUN Facts:

Johnson Scores:
- Turning Point #Kirk: 100%
- ACLU: 75%
- #Project2025: 83%
- #CPAC Score: 100%
- Congressional Score: 90%
- Net worth est between $54-78 million
- OBBB: no tax cuts for himself: no health insurance for you
- No Epstein
- 2020 election denier

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

Another PR stunt.

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Reposted by Desert Flower

Krassensteins @krassenstein.bsky.social · 9h

BREAKING: Massive protests taking place right now in Chicago against Trump this evening.

Keep it up!

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