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Reposted by Blanche K

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

Again, it is a full-blown federal felony crime for anyone in the White House or Executive Office of the President to order tax investigations into anyone.

And it's not just a crime to DO it, it's even a federal crime for an employee not to REPORT such an order to the Treasury Inspector General.

26 U.S. Code § 7217 - Prohibition on executive branch influence over taxpayer audits and other investigations
U.S. Code
Notes
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(a)Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for any applicable person to request, directly or indirectly, any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service to conduct or terminate an audit or other investigation of any particular taxpayer with respect to the tax liability of such taxpayer.

(b)Reporting requirement
Any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service receiving any request prohibited by subsection (a) shall report the receipt of such request to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

(c)Exceptions
Subsection (a) shall not apply to any written request made—
(1)to an applicable person by or on behalf of the taxpayer and forwarded by such applicable person to the Internal Revenue Service;
(2)by an applicable person for disclosure of return or return information under section 6103 if such request is made in accordance with the requirements of such section; or
(3)by the Secretary of the Treasury as a consequence of the implementation of a change in tax policy.
(d)Penalty
Any person who willfully violates subsection (a) or fails to report under subsection (b) shall be punished upon conviction by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution.

(e)Applicable person
For purposes of this section, the term “applicable person” means—
(1)the President, the Vice President, any employee of the executive office of the President, and any employee of the executive office of the Vice President; and
(2)any individual (other than the Attorney General of the United States) serving in a position specified in section 5312 of title 5, United States Code.

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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 6h

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 · 12h

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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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 8h

4 months apart

Official ICE government account
June 6, 2025:
"To call us 'Nazis' - to compare us to one of the worst groups in history - is disgusting and just outright wrong.
"What the men and women of ICE are doing in Massachusetts and all over this country is making communities safer."
—ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons

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EatsCake @theranot.bsky.social · 4h

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Chad Loder @chadloder.bsky.social · 5h

A Border Patrol agent in tactical gear wearing a skull mask and sunglasses covering his face

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David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 3h

It's going up to $40 billion.

USAID's budget last year was $28 billion.

Joe Walsh @walshfreedom.bsky.social · 5h

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 8h

The Supreme Court’s majority right wing indicated in oral arguments that they think racism is over on the same day that the vice president defended the “I love Hitler” guy, and that the NYT reported that the current administration plans to accept only white, English-speaking refugees.

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 9h

ICE agents kidnapped a US citizen in Chicago because she didn’t “look” American to them. She even had her US passport on her. 🤬

ICE Detains Citizen After Saying She Doesn’t “Look Like” Her Last Name

She even had her U.S. passport on her.

newrepublic.com

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 15h

RFK Jr. greenlighted Vought further gutting the CDC, which no longer has any scientists or public health specialists in leadership.
RIFs were so chaotic (firing disease detectives during an Ebola breakout) than many were reversed.

Shutdown shitshow. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-shutdo...

Lets break this down a bit. Because of the way RIFs work, entire units were cut. Once the administration found that people they knew and liked, including people who had decades of experience in managing what to do when shit hits the fan, were being fired, they restored the entire unit. This speaks to the arbitrary nature of the RIFs. Someone who does not know the core tasks of the agency, or the science behind what they do, decided “hey, we don’t really need this.” Then they realize that they do. This is echoes the firing of nuclear weapon security staff that happened a few months ago. These are careless people, but sometimes they cuts are so obviously dangerous that they have to walk things back.

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Leah Millis @leahmillis.bsky.social · 1d

Incredible photo from @chicago.suntimes.com ‘s Anthony Vazquez. Pointing what looks to be a teargas launcher at someone’s head at nearly point blank range is incredibly dangerous. This is why I prefer a ballistic helmet in the field.

Feds ram SUV in chase down residential street in Chicago, then tear-gas crowd

The crash happened late Tuesday morning near 105th Street and Avenue N on Chicago's East Side, resulting in dozens of residents showing up to protest the federal immigration agents.

chicago.suntimes.com

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 12h

Kids? The participants in the racist chat were in their 20s and 30s and included elected state legislators and senior staff to statewide elected officials.

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kate wagner @katewagner.wehwalt.net · 14h

wrote briefly about architecture and the situation at u Chicago www.thenation.com/article/cult...

Why Did UChicago Destroy the Humanities?

The answer is simple: to spend untold sums on useless buildings by starchitects.

www.thenation.com

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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 12h

A FB live just ended in Carpentersville, where neighbors filmed more feds putting people in a van. This was in front of Village Hall adjacent to a Walmart. Elgin area RR has issued an ongoing alert: www.facebook.com/share/p/1CCm...

Sceeengrab showing men in olive and camo and white van

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 18h

New, from me: I break down all that is happening with the shutdown.
Shutdowns are bad. But only Trump and Russ Vought are brave enough to ask: what if shutdowns aren’t painful enough? How can we use this as an opportunity to target our political enemies? 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-shutdo...

The Shutdown Shitshow

As Trump uses the shutdown to settle scores, the public bears the cost

donmoynihan.substack.com

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Blanche K @blanchekolaczek.bsky.social · 15h

They want so much to rule over us completely. They won’t.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16h

Bessent: "No kings equals no paychecks"

Reposted by Blanche K

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 16h

Fascinating. Politico notes that when notified of the texts, many state-level Republicans fired or condemned these cretins. Now Vance emerges to excuse the racism, and calls the reaction to it "pearl clutching."

He seems determined to purge the party of its last enclaves of decency.

‘College Group Chat’: JD Vance Dismisses ‘Pearl Clutching’ Over Young Republicans Leak to Attack Jay Jones

Liberals hit back at Vance's blunt dismissal of racist, antisemitic and misogynistic messages leaked from a Young Republicans group chat.

www.mediaite.com

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 16h

Congrats again, everyone

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Leor Galil @imleor.bsky.social · 16h

“It was half past midnight and eight women had just left the Cook County jail. They hadn’t eaten in hours. They didn’t have their phones, keys, or anything else they had on them when they were arrested; a few didn’t even have sure ways to get home. One, a recent transplant to the city with no close contacts, broke down in tears at the prospect of a night on the streets.”

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United Farm Workers @ufw.bsky.social · 16h

Erika works 8 hours a day harvesting raspberries on CAs Central Coast. She shares, "I must be very careful to only harvest the ripe fruit. This careful selection means that only the best quality berries are packed and shipped to the supermarkets for you to eat." #WeFeedYou

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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 1d

I will cut adrift—I will sit on pavements and drink coffee—I will dream; I will take my mind out of its iron cage and let it swim—this fine October.

- Virginia Woolf
#Womensart

Monochrome photograph featuring a white woman sitting sideways on a patterned armchair dressed in a dark jacket and skirt and with her hand raised to her face

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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 2d

Thinking about how much of their violence has been normalized already, how scenes that caused shockwaves 6 weeks ago are now part of the rhythm of daily life. Watched a TikTok from a daughter who has to do her parents' laundry & get their groceries because they're in hiding. This is just it now

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Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 1d

Hey look, Israel broke the cease-fire, twice, in two different ways, within 24 hours - again.

Mondoweiss @mondoweiss.net · 1d

NEW: Israel informed the UN it will permit only 300 aid trucks into Gaza daily, not the 600 mandated by the ceasefire it just signed.

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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 1d

MIKE JOHNSON: I've not seen them cross the line yet.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, that is a tear gas canister being fired toward the retreating couple holding the baby

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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 1d

This is real. Chicago today.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, that is a tear gas canister being fired toward the retreating couple holding the baby

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