Steve Cicala
@stevecicala.bsky.social
11K followers 640 following 1.1K posts
Associate Professor Tufts University Department of Economics https://www.stevecicala.com http://goingelectric.substack.com
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stevecicala.bsky.social
Welcome to the new arrivals. Here's a starter pack of Energy/Environmental economists to get you going:
bsky.app/starter-pack...
stevecicala.bsky.social
There are worse rules of thumb.
stevecicala.bsky.social
For those keeping track, the government is simultaneously “banning communists” from entering the country and seizing the means of production from private firms. 🙃
scottlincicome.bsky.social
The Trump administration just took yet another equity stake in yet another private company, this time 10% in Alaskan miner Trilogy Metals. Sheesh. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Steve Cicala
kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Sounds like Republicans ought to get all the Republicans who form the Republican majorities in the Republican-led House and the Republican-led Senate together to pass the budget that Republicans wrote with the Republican White House and that Republicans now insist absolutely must be passed.
atrupar.com
Sean Duffy says the safety of the air traffic control system will start being impacted next Sunday if the shutdown continues
stevecicala.bsky.social
If ICE were instead on the receiving end, the reaction would be a fully kitted-out pre-dawn raid of gratuitous violence.

They’re going to laugh at a summons, and nothing will come of it.

Better to bring them in on terms they understand.

www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
Broadview police chief accuses ICE agents of making false 911 calls
Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills said ICE agents are draining the resources of his department and the community by making false 911 calls.
www.cbsnews.com
stevecicala.bsky.social
The "think what Republicans could do without the filibuster" argument was more compelling when it actually restrained their activities. But at this point there are basically no laws for them in the traditional sense.

The filibuster only limits what Democrats will be able to do in the majority.
stevecicala.bsky.social
This should be central to the reporting: Republicans have the votes w/o the filibuster.

They *want* Democratic votes, but are unwilling to give up anything to get them. It's like throwing a tantrum at the dealership because they won't let you just drive off without paying. Not exactly high ground.
joshtpm.bsky.social
This is important. The GOP can open the government literally today with zero Democrats. Just ditch the filibuster. Go ahead. Why won’t they do it?
murshedz.bsky.social
Good to see resolve/resilience from rank and file and House Democrats. Good on @rephuffman.bsky.social daring the republicans to abolish the filibuster ▶️ "[L]et them proceed with GOP votes and let the country see with perfect clarity who owns all the damage and destruction they're fomenting." (1/2)
Reposted by Steve Cicala
volts.wtf
Chris Murphy: "In a different era, maybe just asking for a minor adjustment in health care tax credit policy would be enough. But it’s not a normal time. If you don’t mount a stand right now on behalf of democracy, there won’t be another opportunity."
Chris Murphy’s Extraordinary New Takedown of Trump Should Wake Up Dems
The Democratic senator has taken the lead in drawing attention to Trump’s authoritarianism. In an interview, he offers a stark new warning that should galvanize his fellow Democrats before it’s too la...
newrepublic.com
Reposted by Steve Cicala
elliotblake.bsky.social
I’m glad Murphy is out there saying these things in a clear and succinct way, because Schumer sure as hell isn’t. We’d be better off with Murphy as minority leader, because he seems to really understand the fight.
gregsargent.bsky.social
Everyone should listen to Chris Murphy's extraordinary warning about Trump on our pod. First, he says the logic must be that the more lawless he gets, the stiffer the resistance.

"If I give in and consent to these kinds of tactics then it just normalizes it all." 1/

newrepublic.com/article/2013...
stevecicala.bsky.social
Again?

I thought the LAST WARNING was on Sept 7.

Or March 5th.

It's hard to keep track of his final offers. He's very good at this negotiation thing.
Trump Issues ‘Last Warning’ From U.S. Open Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas terrorists, demands release of hostages: 'HELL TO PAY'
Reposted by Steve Cicala
lollardfish.bsky.social
Trump: we will do project 2025
Harris: he will do project 2025
Public: oh that’s bad
Trump: I’m not gonna do it have never heard of it
Harris: he’s still gonna do it
Media: no one can predict the future 77 pinocchios
parkerbutler.bsky.social
Last year, CNN ran a “fact check” of Kamala HQ that claimed we were lying for saying Trump’s plan is Project 2025.

Now Trump is outright admitting it’s his plan.

Legacy media failed the country.
stevecicala.bsky.social
This is completely backwards: Trump is not justifying the strikes, he's justifying the use of the Alien Exclusion Act for mass deportations.

The fishermen are just collateral damage of a domestic policy gambit to get the CECOT deportations around the supreme court.
stevecicala.bsky.social
The day will come when traffic enforcement is fully automated.

They will look back on this period of lawless death and danger in horror and wonder why there was so much aversion to peaceful, carefree transportation.
thetahat.bsky.social
It is scandalous that speed cameras are currently illegal in Massachusetts. Thankfully, the 2026 budget tries to change this
budget.digital.mass.gov/govbudget/fy...
zaynabmmohamed.bsky.social
I’m proud that my speed camera pilot program is now being implemented.

This will protect Minnesotans by reducing reckless driving and speeding.

These cameras will capture the license plates of speeding drivers and the city will mail a ticket to their home. So, drive carefully!
Reposted by Steve Cicala
aoc.bsky.social
Most of the power authoritarians have is freely given. We should not comply with them in advance.

Trump is far weaker than he looks. So is the GOP. We should draw them out, drain them at every opportunity, and fight for people’s wellbeing at every turn.

We have been sent here to fight for people.
acyn.bsky.social
AOC: I think there's two things that are happening at once: One, there absolutely is an unprecedented abuse of power, destruction of norms, erosion of our government and our democracy in order to prop up an authoritarian style of governance

However, they are weaker than they look…
stevecicala.bsky.social
If it were an MA thesis you'd say, "Very nice data collection, but I'd like you to use *any* of the econometric skills you learned in class. This isn't a geo/pandas degree."
stevecicala.bsky.social
Baseline for comparison is the deepest part of the COVID shutdown, fuel prices have changed dramatically, renewables have entered (or been blocked) non-randomly. Data centers are not randomly located, no sense of what counterfactual growth would have been otherwise...
stevecicala.bsky.social
The baseline for evaluating changes is *April 2020*.

Can you think of anything unusual going on around then that might have ground economic activity to a halt, driving electricity prices down?
stevecicala.bsky.social
My grouchy academic opinion is that prestige features from News should be of *higher* quality than their regular reporting.

I do not understand the drive to put mediocre MA theses on the front page with obvious flaws and outrageously causal claims.

www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
AI Data Centers Are Sending Power Bills Soaring
Wholesale electricity costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data centers. That’s being passed on to customers.
www.bloomberg.com
stevecicala.bsky.social
My grouchy academic opinion is that prestige features from News should be of *higher* quality than their regular reporting.

I do not understand the drive to put mediocre MA theses on the front page with obvious flaws and outrageously causal claims.

www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
AI Data Centers Are Sending Power Bills Soaring
Wholesale electricity costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data centers. That’s being passed on to customers.
www.bloomberg.com
Reposted by Steve Cicala
joerglau.bsky.social
POTUS telling his Generals to prepare for shooting on the opposition should top the news over one of these ritual shutdown dramas, I think
stevecicala.bsky.social
“Now go kill people and break things in US cities.”
atrupar.com
Hegseth: "A few months ago I was at the White House when President Trump announced his liberation day for America's trade policy. It was a landmark day. Well, today is another liberation day. The liberation of America's warriors ... you kill people and break things for a living."
stevecicala.bsky.social
What justified the security risk of bringing the entire military leadership in one room? To receive the following orders:

- Promotions will be based on Jim Crow-era criteria.
- Do not hesitate to kill, there are no rules of engagement.
- You will execute these orders in US cities against Americans.
jamellebouie.net
the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!
Reposted by Steve Cicala
ddayen.bsky.social
Blueprint poll:
1-Voters blame Republicans for the shutdown (which has been true of every shutdown in US history)
2-Voters see the threat of ignoring Congress's power of the purse as EQUAL to loss of health care subsidies, even though health care is the only thing Dems have been messaging
Democrats Have the Window, Republicans Hold the Blame: Voters Poised to Blame Trump and Republicans for Shutdown - Blueprint
That makes the choice for Democratic leadership a strategic one: which narrative feels mission-critical, and which can best cut through in an attention economy where, for a brief moment, Democrats wil...
blueprint-research.com
Reposted by Steve Cicala
andycraig.bsky.social
There's no supremacy clause problem with state bribery laws encompassing payment of bribes to federal officials, and California's statute does, it's not limited to state government bribes. They can and should open a criminal investigation. Not wait for some future DOJ, do a state one right now.
Reposted by Steve Cicala
stano.bsky.social
There are only 41,000 coal miners in the United States. By way of comparison, there are 100,000 **registered** yoga teachers, 361,000 Starbucks baristas and 265,000 faculty and staff members working for the University of California system alone.
atrupar.com
Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Fox: "We're announcing today expanded programs to help the American coal industry. We're helping it because for years it has been under assault. It was out of fashion with the chardonnay set in San Francisco, Boulder, and NYC ... coal just makes the world go round."