EAJ
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rosemaryandrock.bsky.social
EAJ
@rosemaryandrock.bsky.social
Writer, quasi-lawyer, ex-professor. Fan of history, law, politics, literature, food, and pets.
Reposted by EAJ
More broadly, this is a depressing death knell to the idea — already on life support — that U.S. foreign policy cares *at all* about democracy and human rights, in Latin America or elsewhere.

Now we love dictatorships, just so long as they're willing to give us a cut of the proceeds.
January 3, 2026 at 11:39 PM
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You don't have to listen to these professional liars who are barely trying. 9 months ago they were saying they were powerless to return a man they illegally sent to an El Salvador gulag because it would violate that country's national sovereignty
Vance pushes back and says this was not illegal, arguing "Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas."
January 3, 2026 at 3:19 PM
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Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.

First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.

1/
January 3, 2026 at 2:37 PM
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Saw Bluesky described as where elder millennials go to retire from the internet, and immediately felt the peace that passes all understanding wash over me. None of have to struggle any longer. We completed our time.
December 29, 2025 at 2:30 AM
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Speech has never been freer! Not performing for the president is now illegal.
December 27, 2025 at 8:28 PM
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via The New Yorker, Ellis Rosen cartoon
December 23, 2025 at 5:31 AM
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If the President says to do it, it's not illegal.
LEAVITT: “They’re encouraging service members not to follow lawful orders!”

REPORTER: They’re talking about illegal orders.

LEAVITT: “Every order the president gives is lawful.”
1/2
November 21, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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"…the Confederacy was not a legitimate government, that it was a criminal conspiracy writ large. And that’s relevant to how we think about what’s going on now and the inevitable aftermath of it that is coming."

w/ @aaronrosspowell.com @shikhadalmia.bsky.social re: Reconstruction @theunpopulist.net
America Will Need a Reconstruction Project After Trump: A Conversation with Shikha Dalmia and Andy Craig
Liberals will have to rebuild the institutions of governance and accountability that Trump is destroying and The UnPopulist plans to lead the way
www.theunpopulist.net
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
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Small study assigned older adults to control, 1x/week sprint interval training (SIT), or 2x/week SIT. After 8 weeks, found “significant improvements in blood glucose control, physical function and aerobic capacity in both training groups compared to control…”
media-site.carolbike.com/documents/Im...
November 20, 2025 at 7:08 PM
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This is why this surrender isn't just about this narrow issue but is rather the whole constitutional ballgame:

Democrats are affirmatively signaling they do not want political power at the same time Trump is transitioning the political system into an autocratic one wherein they're denied it forever
Not that he didn’t already know, but now Trump knows for sure he can roll the Dems every time and there’s no need to negotiate for anything
November 10, 2025 at 3:10 AM
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This, from Tim Kaine is HILARIOUS:
November 10, 2025 at 12:23 AM
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Caving on a deal that doesn’t fix health care is, and always has been, a giant betrayal of the American people.

Hold the line. Save health care. I’m a NO on anything that doesn’t extend ACA subsidies.
November 9, 2025 at 10:06 PM
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So, listen, call Schumer’s office no matter where you live, no matter if you’re registered to vote. Leave a voicemail that says if Senate Dems cave without an ACA premiums fix, you will never vote for or donate to another Senate Democrat as long as he is Leader
Call them:

Schumer (NY)
202 224-6542

Booker (NJ)
202 224-3224

King (ME)
202 224-5344

Hassan (NH)
202 224-3324

Durbin (IL)
202 224-2152

Ossoff (GA)
202 224-3521

Shaheen (NH)
202 224-2841

Gillibrand (NY)
202 224-4451

Masto (NV)
202 224-3542

Warner (VA)
202 224-2023

Fetterman (PA)
No Point
November 9, 2025 at 11:05 PM
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Politico says the cavers have won. CR in exchange for fake vote on ACA subsidies in December. Politico at least says other Dems will give them cover. We’ll see. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Senate reaches deal on ending the shutdown
Democrats are coalescing around a bipartisan agreement to fund the government.
www.politico.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:16 AM
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It seems like this idea would simultaneously destroy the ACA while also giving people huge checks from the Trump administration?
"A development that appeared to break the logjam: Republicans proposed that healthcare funding be provided directly to households rather than used to pay for a 1-year extension of ACA subsidies. That involves sending federal money into FSAs instead of insurance companies" www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Republicans Pitch Alternative to ACA Extension to End Government Shutdown
A proposal by GOP senators to send money directly to consumers’ health accounts rather than to insurance companies showed signs of breaking a stalemate on negotiations.
www.wsj.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:00 PM
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Dems backed Trump into a corner where he’s advocating for starving Americans and hemorrhaging support. If they vote to let him off the hook in exchange for nothing it’s a cataclysmic failure. I know people are in pain but insulating Republicans from political consequences is not the answer.
November 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
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What an amazing essay from the former chair of Africana Studies at Bowdoin. I'll share a few sections in the reply but seriously, read the whole thing. It's all insightful and beautifully written.

lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:11 PM
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congress is a russian nesting doll of counter-majoritarian structures. seems to me that there's no need for a supermajority rule on top of that!
November 8, 2025 at 10:27 PM
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To put this in scale, Elon Musk's salary from Tesla alone could fund the SNAP program for the entire country into 2034.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
Tesla shareholders approve $878 billion pay plan for Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
reut.rs
November 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
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Getting new details on this now:

As the arrest unfolded, teachers pleaded with the agents telling them the teacher had a work permit. The agents went into multiple rooms looking for teachers while children were present. One teacher hid with a child in her care while the agents stormed the facility.
November 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
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Defense says that the officer's testimony was "very questionable" because he said the sandwich both exploded in spray of mustard and onions and also landed in its wrapper on the ground.
November 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM
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To new Bluesky peeps: I'm currently working on another book, on the organisms nearest my heart. It's fundamentally about fish as engineers—both of ecosystems & human affairs—and how we revitalize their roles in our waterscapes & lives. If this aligns with your interests & expertise, cast me a line!
November 15, 2024 at 3:20 PM
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Our military is trained to defeat enemies, not to police American citizens. Experts will discuss the legality of Trump's domestic military deployments. Join us for a virtual event on Mon., Nov. 10, at 3pm EST. RSVP: bit.ly/4hJjSnB
Troops in American Cities
Experts discuss the legality of domestic military deployments.
www.brennancenter.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:39 PM