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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 1h

Good reading in the context of Governor Mills celebrating the opening of an Amazon delivery center in northern Maine - Amazon's "independent contractor" drivers earn less, have fewer protections, and are more likely to report being unable to meet basic needs.

Raj Nayak @rdnayak.bsky.social · 1h

Fantastic report by the SHIFT Project team + @profsheenalives.bsky.social and @juliesulabor.bsky.social

Amazon Drives Low Wages: The Unraveling of Workplace Protections for Delivery Drivers - The Shift Project

Read the Full Article Amazon has revolutionized shopping and challenged traditional brick-and-mortar retail. But at the heart of this logistics […]

shift.hks.harvard.edu

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 16h

Charles I also tried to abuse his authority to collect an existing tax (ship money) by declaring a fake emergency.

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 17h

So Trump is now going to try to rule like an early modern king - just avoid calling the estates general or parliament or the diet and so rule by fiat.

Maybe someone in the GOP should turn the page in book and see what happened next...oh, oh dear...oh no...oh dear ohnonono....

George Pearkes @peark.es · 20h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 16h

AG isn't a statewide elected race in Maine. It's chosen by the legislature. But she has won statewide elections twice.

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 17h

Even George III knew you couldn’t do this.

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 17h

So Trump is now going to try to rule like an early modern king - just avoid calling the estates general or parliament or the diet and so rule by fiat.

Maybe someone in the GOP should turn the page in book and see what happened next...oh, oh dear...oh no...oh dear ohnonono....

George Pearkes @peark.es · 20h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 1d

Not only is Johnson the Speaker, but he voted for the 2019 law that guarantees back pay for furloughed employees!

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Johnson: "It's true that in previous shutdowns, many or most furloughed employees have been paid for the time they were furloughed, but there is new legal analysis - I don't know the details, I just saw a headline - but there are some legal analysts saying that might not be appropriate or necessary"

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s the appropriations committee website with the quote.

www.appropriations.senate.gov/about/jurisd...

Committee Jurisdiction | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

www.appropriations.senate.gov

James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 1d

“The [Appropriations] Committee, chaired by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis.” - Senate website #mepolitics

www.pressherald.com/2025/10/06/s...

Sen. Susan Collins criticizes Democrats for shutdown, Trump for layoff threats

Maine's Republican senator said Monday that she has asked the Office of Management and Budget not to pursue mass layoffs of federal workers, something the White House has threatened.

www.pressherald.com

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Reposted by James Myall

Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 1d

Another item caught in Trump's tariff war? Library books. via 404 Media

Libraries Can’t Get Their Loaned Books Back Because of Trump’s Tariffs

Libraries have shared their collections internationally for decades. Trump’s tariffs are throwing that system into chaos and can ‘hinder academic progress.’

www.404media.co

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 2d

I get why Yglesias thinks it would be better for Democrats to take moderate positions. I get why elected Dems would like to be able to get group endorsements while compromising on values for the sake of electability. But I don’t see why LCV should be selling themselves out for electability

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 2d

This piece captures a lot of what’s annoying with complaints about “The Groups.” Yglesias seems to start with the assumption that the job of groups is to help Dems win, so they should compromise or build coalitions. But that simply isn’t the job of an advocacy org

www.slowboring.com/p/the-groups...

The groups have learned nothing

We got the League of Conservation Voters’ endorsement questionnaire and it’s bad.

www.slowboring.com

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 2d

I just came back from (the other) Portland. It had karaoke, comedy shows, good food, and caring neighbors dedicated to helping their immigrant friends.

Nothing there justifies Trump’s authoritarian deployment of troops to a US city.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 2d

Trump: Portland is burning to the ground—insurrectionists all over the place. The politicians are afraid for their lives. That’s the only reason they say there’s nothing happening.

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 2d

Good piece from @josephpolitano.bsky.social - giant tech corporations get tariff exemptions to build AI data centers while you pay more for coffee and bananas.

www.apricitas.io/p/the-tariff...

The Tariff Exemption Behind the AI Boom

Data Centers get Tariff-Free Imports. Why Shouldn't we All?

www.apricitas.io

James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 3d

It’s very important to have an armed citizenry to stop tyranny.

Unless you try to stop the government grabbing people off the street. Then they get to shoot you.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 3d

WHOA: DHS says that their officers were “rammed and blocked in” in Chicago and got out of their cars and shot an U.S. citizen who reportedly also had a gun and who had been tracking ICE raids. They are blaming the shooting on her, and say they were already tracking her socials. More details to come.

Tricia McLaughlin • @TriciaOhio
X.com
This morning, during routine patrolling in Broadview, in the same area of Chicago that law enforcement were assaulted yesterday, our brave law enforcement officers were rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars.
Agents were unable to move their vehicles and exited the car. One of the drivers who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon. Law enforcement was forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed US citizen who drove herself to the hospital to get care for wounds.
The armed woman was named in a @CBP intelligence bulletin last week for doxing agents and posting online 'Hey to all my gang let's fuck those mother fuckers up, don't let them take anyone.'

Thankfully, no law enforcement officers were seriously injured in this attack.
Pritzker's Chicago Police Department is leaving the shooting scene and refuses to assist us in securing the area. There is a growing crowd and we are deploying special operations to control the scene.
This is an evolving situation and we will give more information as soon as it becomes available.
1:19 PM • 10/4/25 • 52K Views

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 3d

ICE says they targeted him because he had a 12 year old arrest for traffic issues including driving without a license. Presumably he wasn’t deported at the time because it’s not a high priority. But they had a record of his name and status.

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Reposted by James Myall

Amy Fried @asfried.bsky.social · 5d

Political science research clearly shows that Question 1 would make voting harder. Why would we want to do that? (gift link) #mepolitics www.pressherald.com?p=7506109&uu...

Research shows Question 1 would harm Maine voters | Opinion

There's a lot more to the Nov. 4 referendum question than simply presenting identification to vote.

www.pressherald.com

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

Relatedly, there is at least one proposal, from Rep @looknerfurther.bsky.social, for a bill to unmask law enforcement officers. It will need support from legislative leadership to get a hearing and vote next year.

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

Plus $2 billion is a tiny portion of the overall Medicaid and ACA cuts Republicans pushed through

James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

My initial impression is that this chart is conflating non citizen with “illegal alien” a lot. Apart from the emergency Medicaid (which is only a change to whether state or federal taxpayer pay for it anyway), the other provisions are about immigrants with a documented status.

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

To extend the analogy, if you’re one of the relatively well-off diners in the non-smoking section you can mitigate the worst effects of the smoke. But if you’re the server earning less than minimum wage you bear the brunt of it.

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

Full NBC article is worth reading

www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

Bodycam videos show ICE agents’ initial reactions to fatal Chicago shooting

Video from local police who first responded to the scene provides crucial context, since the immigration agents weren't wearing body cameras.

www.nbcnews.com

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

So much to mourn here. ICE shot and killed a single father just after he has dropped his two kids off at daycare. Their justification for stopping him was traffic violations form 12 years ago. Their justification for shooting him was that he was driving away.

A completely needless tragedy.

David Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 6d

ICE lied about the person it shot, claiming he was a "criminal," but NBC finds that he had no criminal history whatsoever. Not even traffic tickets in 12 years! It also lied about the extent of the injuries to its agents....

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

More detail from me later but Gov Mills made the right call here. It would be fiscally irresponsible and an overreach of executive authority to adopt $400m a year in tax breaks without legislative review, esp since many of the provisions are useless gimmicks

www.pressherald.com/2025/10/03/m...

Maine won’t adopt Trump’s tax breaks on tips, overtime until lawmakers weigh in

Gov. Janet Mills has directed the state tax assessor not to align Maine's tax code with provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill unless directed by lawmakers, saying it will cost the state more than $...

www.pressherald.com

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 4d

Anyone without insurance is entitled to emergency medical care. The Trump Administration really wants some people to die because they don’t have the right papers.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Leavitt: "When an illegal alien goes to the emergency room, who's paying for it? The American taxpayer."

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 5d

The unemployment figure is from an attempt by the Social Security Administration to retroactively calculate unemployment rates for the states. (See table 5)

www.ssa.gov/history/repo...

www.ssa.gov

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James Myall @jamesxmyall.bsky.social · 5d

The unemployment rate in Maine in 1932 might have been as high as 32%. Hoover won 55% of the vote.

elias isquith @eliasisquith.blog · 5d

worth remembering that hoover's administration was defined by 4 years of economic chaos, suffering, dislocation, and fear. People genuinely believed the country itself was on the verge of irreversible collapse. He still got 40% of the vote.

wikipedia screen grab showing hoover won 39.6% of the popular vote in the 1932 presidential election

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