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Celeste Pewter

@celestepewter.bsky.social

20K followers 1.2K following 5.2K posts

Former Dem staffer. UCI, King's College London, Johns Hopkins. | INFINITE SKY (Bloomsbury 2026) + more | Many bylines. | AAJA/SCBWI | Rep: Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency (children's) Uwe Stender (adult nonfiction)

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · Nov 10

Quick note for all of the new followers -

Hi! I'm a former Dem staffer, who now works for a think tank. I'm also an author, with two announced projects + a few in the works. Expect a lot of here's-what-you-can-do posts from me.

You can also find me on Insta: www.instagram.com/celestepewter/

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 5h

So mad about all of this, Brandon! It feels like... a weird, historical retread.

Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 5h

I really hope it's not either. Thank you for what you're doing.

Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 5h

We are all so incredibly tired. The cuts keep coming, the damage to our teams keeps compounding, yet we somehow keep the missions going. Ashley, Abby and I were all on shift together on MSL today. I hope it wasn’t for the last time.

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 5h

Because it's not just that they're doing important *science*.

It's also that they're people who believe in endless possibility, and what it means to help expand the reaches of humanity... for all of us.

Just. All of this sucks.

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 5h

I'm seeing a lot of JPL love in my mentions - and rightly so.

Good Night Oppy gives you such a beautiful sense of the people who work there, and what they do:

(Yes, you should watch it)

Losing any fraction of this is such a tremendous loss, and another thing for this admin to answer for.

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 5h

I hate liking your post (but wanted you to know I saw it!)... and yeah, I fear this - especially since Elon/SpaceX dominates so many government contracts already.

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Audry T. ~ she/her @audryt.bsky.social · 7h

There is no benefit to gutting NASA & JPL budgets for America; IMO it's part of the current regime's cutting everything to the bone so they can make off with all our tax money. (That's my personal POV.)

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Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Audry T. ~ she/her @audryt.bsky.social · 7h

They started gutting NASA in January and that's interconnected with JPL. At this point, they are letting go of many their best people, instrumental in Voyager, Galileo, Mars rovers, you name it. People who are idolized in their field.

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 7h

I do! It's middle grade, so I don't write about some of the more specific details, but the research has been fascinating (and tragic).

Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Audry T. ~ she/her @audryt.bsky.social · 7h

I have friends waiting to see if they're being fired. I am really fucking miserable on their behalf today.

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Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Fi has full sized candy bars @yes-that-fi.bsky.social · 7h

My undergrad and master’s program professor was a JPL guy. Smartest person I’ve ever met.
He could reduce code to the minimum out of necessity, and worked on launches.

The SV guys are going to fail, and spectacularly. They lack any curiosity.

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 7h

I literally just turned in a round of edits to my editor at Bloomsbury for my book about the founding of JPL and the Suicide Squad, and this is painful to see.

JPL has been responsible for some of our most incredible achievements in science, and this is going to set us back.

CNBC @cnbc.com · 16h

NASA unit JPL to lay off about 550 workers, citing restructure

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a research and development lab funded by NASA — the federal space agency — and managed by the Caltech.

cnb.cx

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Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Dr. Fred J. Calef III @mapperwocky.bsky.social · 14h

“Restructuring” because the Whitehouse and their allies choose destruction of all the good parts of the United States federal government because it won’t make them a personal profit. Also, they hate science, people who do good things for everyone instead of for them only, and actual reality.

CNBC @cnbc.com · 16h

NASA unit JPL to lay off about 550 workers, citing restructure

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a research and development lab funded by NASA — the federal space agency — and managed by the Caltech.

cnb.cx

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Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 2d

The mass layoffs of federal workers on Friday night swept up the top two leaders of the federal measles response team, even as the nation grapples with the most cases recorded since 2000, when measles was declared eliminated in the United States.

Trump Administration Will Rehire Scores of Experts Fired in Error

www.nytimes.com

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 2d

😟 RIP, Diane Keaton.

Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning ‘Annie Hall’ Star, Dies at 79

Diane Keaton, who starred in "Annie Hall," has died. She was 79.

variety.com

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 2d

Right? It’s not uncontrollable. I’m legit 🙃 that so many people have defended her.

Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 3d

You would not fire these people—including the staff of the hugely, HUGELY important 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'—if you cared at all about public health, if you wanted people to live.

And you would not let your thuggish henchmen fire people like this if you were a responsible president.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 3d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 3d

@mikechenwriter.bsky.social

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 3d

Betty Yee and Tony Thurmond are fine, and it's possible Padilla might get in the race. It's still early.

Reposted by Celeste Pewter

Gabriel @b1uecruz.bsky.social · 3d

4 years ago, I figured Fiona Ma was my candidate. That she stepped aside and is supporting Yee got me to give Yee a second look, and I like what I see so far.

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C.N.R. Shiotsuki/塩月奈緒 @engetsunao.bsky.social · 3d

Some candidates to consider (I'm glad to get names and I am familiar with both these candidates from prior elections) and these are people who we should know about as Californians:

Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 3d

This.

Remember: just because they don't have national name recognition, doesn't mean they're not qualified. Both Betty Yee and Tony Thurmond have worked w/in CA state government, and know the ropes. They're good.

KP's never worked in Sacramento or w/ the Legislature in-depth.

Katie 🌉 @ktpersists.bsky.social · 3d

this is a good thread! Betty Yee was just endorsed by the Progressive Democrats, I hope she starts to get more attention in this race and that we don’t end up with a villaraigosa or caruso as gov

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Reposted by Celeste Pewter

C.N.R. Shiotsuki/塩月奈緒 @engetsunao.bsky.social · 3d

Fellow Californians, this is an important thread to read.

I get that name value means a lot to people but this behavior by KP is a serious problem. I didn’t know about this and I am glad to get this info.

I am more than willing to find another, better candidate.

That's why we have primaries.

Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 3d

Okay, I really don’t want to keep talking about this, since frankly - I hate KP. She’s an example of toxic management, and I saw what she did to my friends.

But I’m really disturbed by the number of women, specifically white women on Threads and on here, justifying her cursing at staff.

Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 4d

Going to be honest: Threads going to bat for Katie Porter is one of the most 🫠 things I've seen today...

And really speaks to my ongoing belief we shouldn't stan politicians. At all.

Fellow Dems, hold politicians accountable for their work, not for who you THINK they are only on camera.

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 3d

He's been itching to do this:

apnews.com/article/trum...

Trump uses government shutdown to dole out firings and political punishment

President Donald Trump is using the government shutdown to reshape the federal workforce and target detractors.

apnews.com

Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 3d

Reduction in force - www.opm.gov/policy-data-...

Reductions in Force (RIF)

Welcome to opm.gov

www.opm.gov

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Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · 3d

Russ Vought really sees himself as a super villain who strokes fluffy white cat while giving orders, doesn't he?

A screenshot of Russ Vought's Twitter account, where he tweets at 9:27 AM PT: The RIFs have begun.

He is talking about the government shutdown.

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