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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 6h

The DOJ confirmed the investigation to CNN, saying it will be supervised by DHILLON whose official X account reposted Sortor’s message and advised Portland: “Buckle up.”

She posted a signed letter addressed to Portland’s city attorney and police chief Friday on X, saying her office is concerned.

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 6h

HARMEET DHILLON serves as Asst. AG for Civil Rights at the DOJ. She agreed to investigate Sortor's arrest.

- Anti-Trans, LGBTQ+, Woke, DEI
- 2020 election denier
- Member of Federalist Society

She was investigated for her role in the burning of Judge Diane Goodstein's house on Oct 5, 2025.

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 16h

America First Policy Institute #AFPI is #right-wing organization mirroring #Project2025 & #HeritageFoundation goals & objectives.

Founded by DOE Sec #LindaMcMahon and #BrookRollins

Shaping decisions on:

- Economy
- Religious Freedom
- Education
- Immigration policy
- Climate
- Elections
- Crime

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 16h

Voting equipment company #DominionVotingSystems, a target of false conspiracy theories from #Trump and his supporters since the 2020 election, has been bought by a firm run by a former GOP elections official.

The newly formed company, #LibertyVote, also vowed to follow the EO Trump signed spring..

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 17h

When news broke last month that #H1-B visa holders in the US would be subjected to a new hefty fee of $100,000, chaos and confusion ensued for a lot of tech workers and their employers. It’s the latest in a string of restrictive visa measures imposed by the Trump administration that has been...

How China Is Hoping to Attract Tech Talent

In this episode of "Uncanny Valley," we uncover how America's new $100,000 H-1B golden visa has thrown tech workers and their employers into chaos.

www.wired.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 17h

Trump’s first term, the revolving door in his cabinet was spinning fast enough to churn butter.

This time around, there have been no major departures or any substantial chatter around replacements so far. “I don’t think anyone is at imminent risk” of losing their job, a former Trump...

Trumpworld's Least Favorite Cabinet Secretaries

“Worst, Bondi,” they begin. “2.) Bondi. 3.) Bondi. 4.) Bondi. 5.) HegsethRFKTulsiNoem.”

www.wired.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 17h

It hasn’t been a good year for federal aviation safety workers.

January saw the worst US commercial airline disaster in decades, quickly followed by sudden layoffs, staffing shortfalls, major technology glitches at one of the nation’s busiest airports, and short timelines to rebuild the systems ...

The Shutdown Is Pushing Air Safety Workers to the Limit

Federal employees say that flying is still safe despite the strain on air traffic controllers. But expect even more airport delays ahead.

www.wired.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 17h

#Authoritarian governments worldwide are increasingly using financial repression to disable their challengers. By surveilling and freezing bank accounts, they can stop democratic opposition in its tracks. At the same time, human-rights groups from #Nigeria to #Russia to #HongKong are ...

#Bitcoin

Why Bitcoin Is Freedom Money | Journal of Democracy

Today, governments can see who buys what, who pays whom, and who donates to which cause. But they cannot easily trace or confiscate Bitcoin. The digital currency offers a lifeline to democratic…

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 17h

This essay evaluates the real-world outcomes of ##democracy amid growing global democratic disillusionment. Drawing on extensive comparative research, the author argues that democracies generally foster longer lives, more education, greater peace, and sustained economic growth, though not always...

What Democracy Does . . . And Does Not Do | Journal of Democracy

People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier…

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 18h

When news broke in late January 2025 that the #Chinese startup #DeepSeek had released a new frontier #AI model, it rattled world markets. The open-source model can perform on par with AI giants like #ChatGPT, but at a fraction of the cost and computing power.

#SiliconValley

Why DeepSeek Is So Dangerous | Journal of Democracy

The Chinese Communist Party’s newest AI advance is making repression smarter, cheaper, and more deadly. Even worse, they aim to export it to the world.

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 18h

#AI is transforming societies around the globe, ushering in new possibilities for innovation and advocacy. But it has also become a battleground between autocrats and activists.

#Authoritarian regimes, armed with vast resources and cutting-edge AI tools, have gained a significant ...

#surveilling

How Autocrats Weaponize AI — And How to Fight Back | Journal of Democracy

Artificial Intelligence has become autocrats’ newest tool for surveilling, targeting, and crushing dissent. But this supercharged technology doesn’t need to favor tyrants. Activists must learn how to…

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 1d

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 1d

In response to Trump’s threat to “jail” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson simply for being opposed to having troops on their streets, Pritzker rightly responded by telling reporters Trump is a “coward,” and saying, “Come and get me.” But he also gave an interview to the...

'Something stuck in his head': Zeroing in on Trump's mental decline

In response to Donald Trump’s threat to “jail” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson simply for being opposed to having troops on their streets, Pritzker rightly responded by tel...

www.alternet.org

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 1d

NYT reports U.S. Attorney #LindseyHalligan may have left out important information in her indictment against New York AG Letitia James that might have derailed some charges.

“In the indictment, … Halligan accuses Ms. James of having misrepresented the purpose of the house when she purchased ...

'A huge problem': DOJ may have withheld evidence suggesting Letitia James’ innocence

The New York Times reports U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan may have left out important information in her indictment against New York AG Letitia James that might have derailed some charges.“In the indi...

www.alternet.org

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

bsky.app/profile/crys...

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 9h

#Bessent announced a $20 billion package to rescue the Argentinian economy. The risky taxpayer-financed deal, which involves trading US dollars for Argentine pesos, has LITTLE UPSIDE FOR ORDINARY AMERICANS. Argentina is not a significant US trading partner, and its economy, long in turmoil..

Trump’s Argentina bailout enriches one well-connected US billionaire

A $20 billion US rescue package is a gift for a hedge fund manager with ties to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

www.motherjones.com

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

The Trump Administration’s “rescue” of Argentina is being spun as some kind of smart, geopolitical strategy. In reality, though, it’s a $20 billion dollar sleight of hand that rewards hedge-fund insiders (Bessent's buddy), props up a Trump foreign ally on the on the brink of political collapse...

Don't Cry for Me Argentina: The $20 Billion Gift to Wall Street and Buenos Aires—Paid for by American Farmers

No crying, just chuckling by Argentina as it laughs all the way to the bank, courtesy of Convicted Felon Donald Trump

open.substack.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

Paul Wright leans over a 17th-century granite barrier & points at a faint watermark depicting Salem Harbor’s daily rise & fall.

“On a normal day, high tides reach just 4 feet from the top of the seawall,” he says. “When there’s a big storm or king tide, that’s when it gets close to spilling over.”

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

Climate Change Comes for the House of the Seven Gables - Inside Climate News

SALEM, Mass.—Paul Wright leans over a 17th-century granite barrier and points at a faint watermark depicting Salem Harbor’s daily rise and fall. “On a normal day, high tides reach just four feet from...

insideclimatenews.org

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

OAK ISLAND, N.C.—Emily Donovan stood before 100 people in the pews at Ocean View United Methodist Church in a small seaside town in Brunswick County, North Carolina. It was May, the start of beach season. She had invited a scientist to speak about the astronomical levels of PFAS, “forever chemicals”

A Short-Lived Win in a Never-Ending Fight Over Forever Chemicals - Inside Climate News

For seven years N.C. activists overcame political and scientific hurdles to convince the EPA to enact PFAS regulations in drinking water. Now they’re confronting a Trump administration intent on quash...

insideclimatenews.org

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 7h

OCT 3

NICK SORTOR, 27, of Washington, DC, a #conservative influencer, was arrested on suspicion of 2nd degree disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, along with two people from Oregon, the Portland Police Bureau.

The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has since then dropped the charges him.

Arrest of conservative influencer Nick Sortor outside Portland ICE building now under federal investigation | CNN

A conservative influencer who this week posted videos of clashes outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, has been released without bond after he was arrested late...

www.cnn.com

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 1d

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Diaper Diplomacy Unofficial Mirror @diaperdiplomacy-m.bsky.social · 4d

“She’s a low IQ individual.” — Trump vents Dem grievances to PM Mark Carney 🇨🇦

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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

The endgame for #Trump, #Vance, #Noem, and #Bondi is coming into clearer focus, and it’s nearly a one-for-one, step-by-step implementation of Nazi jurist/philosopher CARL SCHMITT'S ideas that created and sustained the early Third Reich.

Vance has even gone so far as to directly quote Schmitt.

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 8h

#BennyJohnson

- CPAC 2025 speaker
- RNC 2024 speaker
- Covid is a WOKE virus
- 2020 election denier
- Paid by Russia to spread lies
- Believes in the racist “great replacement” conspiracy theory
- Big Balls should receive medal of honor

In 2025, Benny Johnson’s net worth is, at about $14.6m

Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 9h

#Bessent announced a $20 billion package to rescue the Argentinian economy. The risky taxpayer-financed deal, which involves trading US dollars for Argentine pesos, has LITTLE UPSIDE FOR ORDINARY AMERICANS. Argentina is not a significant US trading partner, and its economy, long in turmoil..

Trump’s Argentina bailout enriches one well-connected US billionaire

A $20 billion US rescue package is a gift for a hedge fund manager with ties to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

www.motherjones.com