Chad Stolper
@chadstolper.bsky.social
Ginger. SWE at Google. Past life: CS Prof and Infovis Researcher. Opinions my own and all that.
Austin, TX
Austin, TX
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Your reminder that the Purcell "principle" is "it is always too close to the next election for a ruling that would benefit Democrats, and it is never too close to the next election for a ruling that would benefit Republicans"
A question we got from a reader:
“How can they say it’s ’too close to the election’ to make changes in Texas when the new maps themselves were just drawn!? Isn’t that ‘too close to the election’ too?”
We answered! Check it out here: boltsmag.org/mid-decade-r...
“How can they say it’s ’too close to the election’ to make changes in Texas when the new maps themselves were just drawn!? Isn’t that ‘too close to the election’ too?”
We answered! Check it out here: boltsmag.org/mid-decade-r...
The Escalating Race to Redistrict: Your Questions Answered - Bolts
How are the new maps changing the midterms? Why are courts not doing more? Would proportional representation help? We’ve got answers about mid-decade redistricting.
boltsmag.org
December 20, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Your reminder that the Purcell "principle" is "it is always too close to the next election for a ruling that would benefit Democrats, and it is never too close to the next election for a ruling that would benefit Republicans"
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Woman comes to US at age 6. Graduates nursing school. Work permit. No criminal record. Snatched and imprisoned by ICE for 6 months now. About to be forced back to Honduras. A life destroyed and one less nurse. Merry Christmas.
www.nola.com/news/educati...
www.nola.com/news/educati...
December 20, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Woman comes to US at age 6. Graduates nursing school. Work permit. No criminal record. Snatched and imprisoned by ICE for 6 months now. About to be forced back to Honduras. A life destroyed and one less nurse. Merry Christmas.
www.nola.com/news/educati...
www.nola.com/news/educati...
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Ken Paxton has launched a snitch line to gather reports of supposed violations of Texas' transphobic bathroom policing law. Please do not abuse this snitch line. Please do not fill it with faff and nonsense. Please do not attach huge, unwieldy and irrelevant documentation to any reports.
Texas Women’s Privacy Act Complaint Form (SB 8) | Office of the Attorney General
The Texas Women’s Privacy Act requires a political subdivision or state agency, including public schools, open enrollment charter schools, and state institutions of higher education, to designate each...
www.texasattorneygeneral.gov
December 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Ken Paxton has launched a snitch line to gather reports of supposed violations of Texas' transphobic bathroom policing law. Please do not abuse this snitch line. Please do not fill it with faff and nonsense. Please do not attach huge, unwieldy and irrelevant documentation to any reports.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
this is a good reminder of how things that are shitty but have been accepted as normal and inevitable can actually turn out to be abnormal and evitable with some science, time, education and political will
December 19, 2025 at 8:44 PM
this is a good reminder of how things that are shitty but have been accepted as normal and inevitable can actually turn out to be abnormal and evitable with some science, time, education and political will
Reposted by Chad Stolper
rfk will not rest until your kid is dead wapo.st/4s2l2zn
U.S. plans to stop recommending most childhood vaccines, defer to doctors
The plan, which is not finalized, suggests children get fewer shots and shifts to a model telling parents to consult doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
wapo.st
December 20, 2025 at 12:25 AM
rfk will not rest until your kid is dead wapo.st/4s2l2zn
Reposted by Chad Stolper
HUGE NEWS from the new Epstein files:
Records show that Maria Farmer, who worked for Epstein, filed a "child pornography" report to the FBI in 1996.
The FBI has never before acknowledged that complaint. The case went nowhere, and mass abuse followed.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
Records show that Maria Farmer, who worked for Epstein, filed a "child pornography" report to the FBI in 1996.
The FBI has never before acknowledged that complaint. The case went nowhere, and mass abuse followed.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
Epstein Files Include 1996 Child Porn Complaint That F.B.I. Ignored
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
HUGE NEWS from the new Epstein files:
Records show that Maria Farmer, who worked for Epstein, filed a "child pornography" report to the FBI in 1996.
The FBI has never before acknowledged that complaint. The case went nowhere, and mass abuse followed.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
Records show that Maria Farmer, who worked for Epstein, filed a "child pornography" report to the FBI in 1996.
The FBI has never before acknowledged that complaint. The case went nowhere, and mass abuse followed.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
Reposted by Chad Stolper
so it’s just a factually accurate statement that the u.s. government and department of justice are engaged in an ongoing coverup of the epstein files, protecting pedophiles and denying victims justice
December 20, 2025 at 12:37 AM
so it’s just a factually accurate statement that the u.s. government and department of justice are engaged in an ongoing coverup of the epstein files, protecting pedophiles and denying victims justice
Reposted by Chad Stolper
This is so fucking insane.
Just in: Florida's supreme court today has UPHELD a recent state law that enables juries to sentence someone to death nonunanimously.
Bolts reported on FL's law a few years ago, amid huge concern that nonunanimous convictions have a high error rate, & are likelier to sideline Black jurors.
Bolts reported on FL's law a few years ago, amid huge concern that nonunanimous convictions have a high error rate, & are likelier to sideline Black jurors.
Exonerees Sound the Alarm on New Florida Law Allowing Death Sentences by Split Juries - Bolts
Herman Lindsey braced himself for news that he would be sentenced to death as he sat inside a courtroom in Broward County, Florida in 2006. A jury had convicted Lindsey... Read More
boltsmag.org
December 19, 2025 at 12:59 AM
This is so fucking insane.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Really appreciate the justified anger in this piece by @ryanlcooper.com.
The GOP's narrative about trans people "is and always has been a lie. What these people actually have is a seething, obsessive hatred of trans people. They want them either back in the closet or dead."
The GOP's narrative about trans people "is and always has been a lie. What these people actually have is a seething, obsessive hatred of trans people. They want them either back in the closet or dead."
The Transphobic Mask Is Off - The American Prospect
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene drew up a bill making it a federal felony to provide pediatric transition care of any kind. The ultimate goal is a ban on all trans health care and the end of civil rights ...
prospect.org
December 19, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Really appreciate the justified anger in this piece by @ryanlcooper.com.
The GOP's narrative about trans people "is and always has been a lie. What these people actually have is a seething, obsessive hatred of trans people. They want them either back in the closet or dead."
The GOP's narrative about trans people "is and always has been a lie. What these people actually have is a seething, obsessive hatred of trans people. They want them either back in the closet or dead."
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Somehow, racism is getting even more legal
How the Trump Administration Is Quietly Resegregating the American Workforce
The Justice Department’s rollback of disparate impact is just one new policy that makes it harder for people of color to challenge illegal discrimination.
ballsandstrikes.org
December 19, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Somehow, racism is getting even more legal
Reposted by Chad Stolper
This is your reminder to gas your boys up when they’re on a heater denouncing fascism during a man on the street style interview after having a dozen beers
December 19, 2025 at 12:53 PM
This is your reminder to gas your boys up when they’re on a heater denouncing fascism during a man on the street style interview after having a dozen beers
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Under international law, a country may reject an ambassador. I would hope South Africa would send a message that, "Nah, keep your guy home and stop trying to clown us."
Trump’s Pick For Ambassador To South Africa Actively Opposed Fight To End Apartheid talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-...
Trump’s Pick For Ambassador To South Africa Actively Opposed Fight To End Apartheid
As Black activists in South Africa fought against their country’s racist apartheid...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Under international law, a country may reject an ambassador. I would hope South Africa would send a message that, "Nah, keep your guy home and stop trying to clown us."
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Last year, one-term Rep. Anthony D’Esposito lost after adding his mistress to his official payroll.
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
Republicans confirm scandal-plagued former congressman to serve as an inspector general
Anthony D’Esposito will be expected to investigate ethical lapses, despite his own alleged ethical lapses.
www.ms.now
December 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Last year, one-term Rep. Anthony D’Esposito lost after adding his mistress to his official payroll.
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
Reposted by Chad Stolper
The Kennedy Center name is established by federal statute, and therefore may be repealed only by federal statute. www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/...
December 18, 2025 at 6:24 PM
The Kennedy Center name is established by federal statute, and therefore may be repealed only by federal statute. www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/...
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Total victory on this issue; members of Congress will again have the right to conduct surprise inspections of ICE detention centers.
NEW: Judge blocks Trump administration's attempt to limit lawmakers' access to immigration jails. Advance notice no longer required & detention facilities at field offices are open to Congress. w/ @kyledcheney.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Judge lifts Trump administration limits on lawmaker visits to ICE jails
A federal judge ruled that ICE cannot enforce newly adopted policies that require lawmakers to provide seven days notice before visiting detention facilities.
www.politico.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Total victory on this issue; members of Congress will again have the right to conduct surprise inspections of ICE detention centers.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
“they” is a person here and should face whatever law we can bring to bear, civil or criminal.
“They’re denying that any of her birth certificates, which are from Laurel, Maryland, her records of immunization, medical records — they’re denying the authenticity of them. It is something I’ve never encountered.” www.huffpost.com/entry/us-cit...
Trump Administration Says Maryland Woman's Birth Certificate Is Fake In Dystopian Move
Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales was arrested on Sunday. ICE won’t release her despite extensive documentation of her citizenship, her attorneys told HuffPost.
www.huffpost.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:06 PM
“they” is a person here and should face whatever law we can bring to bear, civil or criminal.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
A damning indictment of Ken Martin and Democratic Party leadership. Yes, the autopsy will piss people off (especially those who led the Biden and the Harris campaigns). That's the point. Their failures were catastrophic for the country. Dems also need to show voters they get it and are reforming.
NEWS: The DNC is killing off its 2024 autopsy.
DNC Chairman Ken Martin has decided not to publish a public report, believing that a backward-looking document would be counterproductive as the party has started winning.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...
DNC Chairman Ken Martin has decided not to publish a public report, believing that a backward-looking document would be counterproductive as the party has started winning.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...
The D.N.C. Is Killing Its Autopsy of What Went Wrong in 2024
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:29 AM
A damning indictment of Ken Martin and Democratic Party leadership. Yes, the autopsy will piss people off (especially those who led the Biden and the Harris campaigns). That's the point. Their failures were catastrophic for the country. Dems also need to show voters they get it and are reforming.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
the federal government is trying to regulate what kind of underwear I can buy and wear
love the party of small government
love the party of small government
December 19, 2025 at 1:53 AM
the federal government is trying to regulate what kind of underwear I can buy and wear
love the party of small government
love the party of small government
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Utter madness
19 Dec 2025 @rikiwilchins.bsky.social -- The HHS is also going after 12 companies who manufacture binders for trans kids, alleging they are engaging in illegal marketing practices. Admin. is also seeking to de-classified gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law.
Trump administration unveils actions aimed at eliminating gender-affirming care for minors
Proposal would prohibit Medicaid funds from being used to cover puberty blockers, hormone treatments or surgical procedures
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Utter madness
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Some Dems have told themselves only ~1% of the population is trans so they can dip their toe in the anti-trans filth and come out clean.
I don't have any trans family members—but it still makes me irate. I see it as a huge red flag, a sign you are unprincipled and untrustworthy. And I'm not alone.
I don't have any trans family members—but it still makes me irate. I see it as a huge red flag, a sign you are unprincipled and untrustworthy. And I'm not alone.
We are parents of a trans kid and our family takes this very, very personally. If you intentionally make life harder for our beloved daughter, it’s EXTREMELY hard to think of you as an ally, to say the least. @amyklobuchar.com - you still send us requests for money, while hurting our kid. Disgusted.
Here are the 28 Dem Senators who voted to advance the first federal ban on trans athletes & a federal definition of sex that would make trans & intersex people non-existent: Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), Chris Coons (DE), ->
December 16, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Some Dems have told themselves only ~1% of the population is trans so they can dip their toe in the anti-trans filth and come out clean.
I don't have any trans family members—but it still makes me irate. I see it as a huge red flag, a sign you are unprincipled and untrustworthy. And I'm not alone.
I don't have any trans family members—but it still makes me irate. I see it as a huge red flag, a sign you are unprincipled and untrustworthy. And I'm not alone.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
This is more speaking truth to power than a number of extremely large institutions with millions of dollars worth of legal protection could muster.
The Vanity Fair photographer from the Susie Wiles story.
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
December 17, 2025 at 8:44 PM
This is more speaking truth to power than a number of extremely large institutions with millions of dollars worth of legal protection could muster.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
Christopher Anderson did not miss his chance to blow.
The Vanity Fair photographer from the Susie Wiles story.
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
December 17, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Christopher Anderson did not miss his chance to blow.
Reposted by Chad Stolper
has always been the issue with "war for oil" -- you can get the oil!
these wars have always been, and will continue to be so much stupider than that
these wars have always been, and will continue to be so much stupider than that
Isn’t it usually easier to just buy something from a country that wants to sell it to you?
December 17, 2025 at 9:58 PM
has always been the issue with "war for oil" -- you can get the oil!
these wars have always been, and will continue to be so much stupider than that
these wars have always been, and will continue to be so much stupider than that
Reposted by Chad Stolper
I'm told that HHS has just terminated all funding agreements with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Here's a letter HHS sent canceling one of the grants, relating to work on birth defects. Canceled because the project "emphasizes equity, diversity, and inclusion as key foundational components"
Here's a letter HHS sent canceling one of the grants, relating to work on birth defects. Canceled because the project "emphasizes equity, diversity, and inclusion as key foundational components"
December 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I'm told that HHS has just terminated all funding agreements with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Here's a letter HHS sent canceling one of the grants, relating to work on birth defects. Canceled because the project "emphasizes equity, diversity, and inclusion as key foundational components"
Here's a letter HHS sent canceling one of the grants, relating to work on birth defects. Canceled because the project "emphasizes equity, diversity, and inclusion as key foundational components"