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Reposted by Toni Bradfield

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 11m

BREAKING via WSJ

The Trump administration is planning sweeping changes in criminal division at the IRS.

Full Story: on.wsj.com/3LbVFtK

The Trump administration is preparing sweeping changes at the Internal Revenue Service that would allow the agency to pursue criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups more easily, according to people familiar with the matter.
A senior IRS official involved in the effort has drawn up a list of potential targets that includes major Democratic donors, some of the people said.
The undertaking aims to install allies of President Trump at the IRS criminal-investigative division, or IRS-CI, to exert firmer control over the unit and weaken the involvement of IRS lawyers in criminal investigations, officials said. The proposed changes could open the door to politically motivated probes and are being driven by Gary Shapley, an adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 9m

Whatever you think about CFPB, it was created by Congress (as part of the Dodd-Frank Act) and can only be abolished by Congress, not by the President acting as a dictator.

Reuters @reuters.com · 6h

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers reut.rs/4qjMIyT

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers

White House budget director Russell Vought said he wants to close the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and expects to do so within the next two to three months.

reut.rs

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Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 9m

2021, MSFT claimed a Teams app could read emotional affect & I's like "holy shit this will fuck over so many Black & autistic & otherwise neurodivergent & women & non-binary ppl & ppl w/ chronic pain & … like Everybody at any of those intersections."

This PainChek thing is that, but a doctors' tool

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 11h

Facial expressions common to all humans! 🙃

PainChek is one of these behavioral models, and it acts like a camera‑based thermometer, but for pain: A care worker opens the app and holds a phone 30 centimeters from a person’s face. For three seconds, a neural network looks for nine particular microscopic movements—upper‑lip raise, brow pinch, cheek tension, and so on—that research has linked most strongly to pain. Then the screen flashes a score of 0 to 42. “There’s a catalogue of ‘action‑unit codes’—facial expressions common to all humans. Nine of those are associated with pain,” explains Kreshnik Hoti, a senior research scientist with PainChek and a co-inventor of the device. This system is built directly on the foundation of FACS. After the scan, the app walks the user through a yes‑or‑no checklist of other signs, like groaning, “guarding,” and sleep disruption, and stores the result on a cloud dashboard that can show trends.

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 33m

Medicare has stopped paying physicians due to the shut down. Standing right on the third rail www.statnews.com/2025/10/15/c...

Medicare payments to doctors paused as government shutdown drags on

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is pausing Medicare payments to doctors, as negotiations tied to the government shutdown drag on.

www.statnews.com

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1h

the extent to which media elites treat liberal americans as if they do not count in the body politic is a real problem

Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 3h

I read the piece. You shouldn't. He dismisses the "No Kings" protests as liberals in blue cities. He invokes Rosa Parks, as if rural white people in the 60s loved everything that the movement then was doing. "We need a movement but not this one" is a core centrist tact these days.

Ezra Levin ❌👑 @ezralevin.bsky.social · 3h

Is this a joke. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

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Rod Green @thetheredundant.bsky.social · 37m

I remember a few months ago on CNN when asked about his party’s response to McIver’s arrest, Jeffries said that the Dems response would be “ in a time, place and manner of our choosing..it will be continuous and meet the moment.”

🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 1h

Remember, brown 13-year-olds are hardened menaces to society, but 30-something Republican Hitler afficionados in positions of power are just li’l guys.

Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 1h

These. Were. Men. In. Their. 30s.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

No one in the GOP Hitler chat was a "kid"

We checked. Sorry, JD Vance.

www.motherjones.com

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Toni Bradfield @tonibradfield.bsky.social · 33m

🎯

Congress’s Power of the Purse was already hanging on by a thread thanks to SCOTUS. If this stands, Congress is superfluous to any budget process

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Toni Bradfield @tonibradfield.bsky.social · 36m

According to this phrasing and framing, there is no power the executive can’t seize by signing a memo!

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 49m

President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.

Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money

The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.

nyti.ms

Toni Bradfield @tonibradfield.bsky.social · 38m

Pret-ty sure this is not legal

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 49m

President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.

Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money

The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.

nyti.ms

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6h

Old enough to remember when kids being anti-semitic was the basis for a federal government assault on higher education

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Matthew Stiegler @matthewstiegler.bsky.social · 3h

Every time you see Mike Davis do Mike Davis things, think about Gorsuch reportedly helping land Davis a job at DOJ, then choosing him as a clerk when he was on the 10th Circuit, then choosing him as a clerk when he was on the Supreme Court.

Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 4h

Hakeem Jeffries posted pictures of two Rep. Members posing with “Young Republicans” who were part of a racist text thread (as reported by Politico).

In response, Mike Davis (well-connected in Trump World & on the Hill) called Jeffries a “house slave” for George Soros - proving Jeffries’ point.

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Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 1d

deeply sick of all the goddamn nazis

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Frankie Huang 黄碧赤 @ourobororoboruo.bsky.social · 2h

I have no words

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 4h

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams

The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...

www.thewrap.com

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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 2h

This is what leaders of Young Republicans are cultivating: racism, antisemitism, rape jokes, and other filth. The vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans called rape “epic.” trib.al/jeaCAaJ

Leaked Young Republicans Chat Filled With Slurs and Praise for Hitler

A Telegram chat with Young Republicans leaders across the country was as disturbing as it gets.

trib.al

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Sarama Burwani @ hey there's a spider on your back @saramaburwani.bsky.social · 3h

nazi doxxing ring got suspended then personally reinstated by elon, who is now apparently hanging a product lead (who happens to be jewish) out to dry

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Hunter Walker @hunterw.bsky.social · 1d

This story ends with some of the first concrete indications right wing extremists are responding to DHS' ICE recruitment drive. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/in-the-...

In the New Trump Era, the Proud Boys Are ‘Not Apologizing Anymore’

To hear him tell it, Gavin McInnes’ recent return to the site...

talkingpointsmemo.com

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 2h

this ballroom is the best evidence that trump doesn’t intend to leave

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 3h

Exclusive: More than three dozen organizations and individuals are expected to attend a dinner with Trump on Wednesday after opening their checkbooks to support a $250 million White House ballroom.

Trump Invites Ballroom Donors to Glitzy White House Dinner

The dinner is set to include representatives from Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google, Amazon and Palantir Technologies.

on.wsj.com

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Greg Greene (he/him/his) @greene.haus · 5h

Hanging a 'whites only' sign on the Statue of Liberty, for all intents and purposes. SMDH.

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Shana V. White (she/her) @shanavwhite.blacksky.app · 2h

Everything being dismantled and destroyed is very jarring.

I don't think this country will recover and we are only 10 months in.

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 3h

Palestine’s most popular leader, Marwan Barghouti, was beaten unconscious and has his ribs broken by Israeli prison guards and his family fears for his life, his son has said, citing evidence given by former Palestinian detainees released this week as part of the ceasefire deal.

Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti assaulted by Israeli prison guards, son says

Family fears for 66-year-old’s life after assault while he was being transferred between prisons

www.theguardian.com

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Toni Bradfield @tonibradfield.bsky.social · 3h

I have so much love and admiration for this young woman!

Marianne Dhenin @mariannedhe.bsky.social · 5h

Important reporting from Swedish press on the torture endured by Swedes in the Sumud Flotilla, their courage and commitment to Palestinian liberation, and the failures of the Swedish government to render aid or even acknowledge the abuse.

Greta Thunberg: “They kicked me every time the flag touched my face”

– Greta Thunberg on her days in Israeli captivity Beating, kicking, and threats of being gassed in cages. Greta Thunberg and several others from the flotilla ar

www.aftonbladet.se

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Marianne Dhenin @mariannedhe.bsky.social · 5h

Important reporting from Swedish press on the torture endured by Swedes in the Sumud Flotilla, their courage and commitment to Palestinian liberation, and the failures of the Swedish government to render aid or even acknowledge the abuse.

Greta Thunberg: “They kicked me every time the flag touched my face”

– Greta Thunberg on her days in Israeli captivity Beating, kicking, and threats of being gassed in cages. Greta Thunberg and several others from the flotilla ar

www.aftonbladet.se

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Kashana @kashana.blacksky.app · 4h

Labor Day was a month ago, weird that NBC is wearing all white

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 4h

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams

The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...

www.thewrap.com

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Toni Bradfield @tonibradfield.bsky.social · 3h

Was unaware that there are many *progressive* senators!

HuffPost @huffpost.com · 4h

Many leading progressive senators are sitting on the sidelines despite their leaders backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who jumped into the race this week.

Democrats Divided Over Who To Back In Maine Senate Race

Many leading progressive senators are sitting on the sidelines despite their leaders backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who jumped into the race this week.

www.huffpost.com