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☝️SoSayU @sosayu.bsky.social · 5m

“Because if the only answer is—

Democrats have to be perfect. They must only put forward flawless candidates. They can hold no unpopular ideas. They shall communicate effectively. They may never preside over a war or a recession.

—well, then we’re fucked.”

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 18m

At the end of the day, Republican voters themselves are going to have to reject this stuff. There is no guarantee that what has to happen will happen. www.thebulwark.com/p/all-the-pr...

All the Pretty Little Nazis

The shape of things to come.

www.thebulwark.com

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17m

😕🇺🇸

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☝️SoSayU @sosayu.bsky.social · 8m

Trump is tearing this country apart limb by limb and his voters are about to lose both arms and legs. I can only hope that makes their eyes and ears stronger.

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Jake Tapper, long-suffering Philly sports fan @jaketapper.bsky.social · 17m

Struggling soybean farmer: "This is a man-made crisis caused by Donald Trump"
Watch the full video here: tinyurl.com/cc5h54wn

Struggling soybean farmer: ‘This is a man-made crisis caused by Donald Trump’ | CNN Business

CNN’s Whitney Wild reports on The Lead

tinyurl.com

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Joe Sudbay @joesudbay.bsky.social · 16m

Another Republican war for oil

Last one worked out so well

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 4h

Trump confirms that he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela

Move by US marks sharp escalation in efforts to pressure Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s regime Donald Trump confirmed reports on Wednesday that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in US efforts to pressure President Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The New York Times first reported the classified directive, citing US officials familiar with the decision. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

I think there are five levels of potential badness here. Once you've decided to violate the ADA, you're only bound by self-imposed limitations. But depending on what the White House is self-imposing, this can range from "BAD" to "The Republic has fallen, pack it in."

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

So just how bad is this? I got a text from an appropriator friend saying "The Republic has fallen. Pack it in."

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

And the craziest part is this was needless. Congress would've passed a military pay bill with near unanimous support! Congressional Ds have been begging Rs to bring a bill to pay the military to the floor! But Johnson refuses to gavel in because he doesn't want an Epstein vote.

Johnson wearing a jacket that's photoshopped to say "this has nothing to do with epstein"

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

That is profoundly illegal. You may not spend money on a purpose without funding. The constitution expressly forbids it, as does the ADA.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

The White House told approps they would not be transferring the money. Not now, not ever. They said, explicitly, that they'd use RDTE money on milpers.

Direct deposits went out yesterday. No transfers happened. They spent RDTE money, which can only be used on RDTE, on milpers.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

But here's the problem: if you tried to transfer that money into the military personnel accounts (milpers), it would immediately transform into money whose period of availability ended on September 30, 2025 - and thus not be usable anymore, despite the money existing.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

In the case of DOD, there's a limit of $8 billion. And, importantly, when you move money from one account to another account, that money has follow the allowable uses and the period of availability of that new account. So now let's dig into the specifics.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

When money is appropriated, it's also authorized to be used only for certain activities. So if you give $50 million to the Department of Transportation to build bridges, it couldn't use that money to build airports instead.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

Military pay is appropriated one year at a time, with a one-year period of availability. The fiscal year ended on September 30th, and we did not pass new appropriations bills (the government is shut down), so there's no money available to pay the troops (or to do lots of things).

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

Most money has what's called a period of availability. You can go about obligating it only during that period. While it's illegal to not use it all (that's the illegal impoundments Trump has been doing all year), after that period of availability ends, you can't use it anymore.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

Under the Constitution and under the ADA, it is illegal to spend money without funding for that purpose. The president may not spend money to do something unless there's actually money to carry it out and that action is expressly allowed.

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S9-C7-1/ALDE_00001095/

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

The mechanism through which Trump is paying the troops is the most blatant large Antideficiency Act (ADA) violation in US history. It's also clearly willful. No one has been charged under the ADA before, but violations carry a two-year jail term. The statute of limitations is five years.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.

It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.

Long thread.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/10/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-8/

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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 1h

This is also helpful.

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.

It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.

Long thread.

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☝️SoSayU @sosayu.bsky.social · 1h

The insanity of the whitewashing & gaslighting by the media on top of the whitewashing & gaslighting of this administration and the GOP & the gaslighting from SCOTUS may just send us all over the edge.

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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 1h

What's your rewrite? "President Trump on Wednesday issued a document claiming he could grant himself powers not granted to him to snatch up federal funds the Constitution grants Congress jurisdiction over, in a move sure to meet with legal challenges."

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2h

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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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 1h

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 · 7h

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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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 1h

Can't emphasize enough how truly disgusting it is for any political commentator to call an African-American member of Congress someone's "slave".

Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 6h

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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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 1h

Republicans: something something price controls

Charlie Sykes @sykescharlie.bsky.social · 1h

Socialism .

www.cnbc.com/2025/10/15/t...

Trump administration will set price floors across range of industries to combat China, Bessent says

China has driven foreign competitors out of business over the past two decades by using its market dominance to slash prices, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

www.cnbc.com

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