Athul K. Acharya
@athul.acharya.cc
Civil-rights lawyer
Executive Director of @pubaccountability.org
https://pubaccountability.org/athul-k-acharya
Executive Director of @pubaccountability.org
https://pubaccountability.org/athul-k-acharya
Pinned
Athul K. Acharya
@athul.acharya.cc
· Mar 6
“Journalism is not a crime ... it’s the only profession that’s explicitly mentioned in the Bill of Rights,” an attorney told the City Council Wednesday. The city will pay $938K to journalists and legal observers targeted and attacked by police while covering the 2020 racial justice protests.
Portland Settles Lawsuit With Journalists, Legal Observers Targeted By Police During Protests
The city of Portland will pay out $938,330 to settle a lawsuit from journalists and legal observers who were attacked and threatened with arrest for covering the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Po...
www.portlandmercury.com
Oh hey, that attorney was me, and the journalists and legal observers were my clients
A Democrat in Marin is a Republican in Denver.
a lot of "moderates" are just people in cities or progressive circles who don't like being part of a low status right, imo
there are real moderates, but they tend to be much weirder than this
there are real moderates, but they tend to be much weirder than this
Self-described “moderates” and mainlining right-wing bullshit and lies. Name a more iconic duo.
November 10, 2025 at 10:39 PM
A Democrat in Marin is a Republican in Denver.
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
DONALD TRUMP: [asleep, drooling on long red tie]
SENATE DEMOCRATS: fine, we give in
SENATE DEMOCRATS: fine, we give in
November 10, 2025 at 2:37 AM
DONALD TRUMP: [asleep, drooling on long red tie]
SENATE DEMOCRATS: fine, we give in
SENATE DEMOCRATS: fine, we give in
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
“We are disheartened to learn that Lord Killdude has broke his promise and has been shoving people in the volcano. If the murdergooner party is as moral as it once was, then they will publicly disavow Lord Killdude’s actions and work with us towards a bipartisan solution to the volcano problem”
November 10, 2025 at 1:35 AM
“We are disheartened to learn that Lord Killdude has broke his promise and has been shoving people in the volcano. If the murdergooner party is as moral as it once was, then they will publicly disavow Lord Killdude’s actions and work with us towards a bipartisan solution to the volcano problem”
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
Every few weeks we gotta make posts like this”call your dem reps to tell them to not vote to allow Lord Killdude to shove people into a volcano” and then the dem reps go “we’ve made an amazing deal where Lord Killdude can have his volcano so long as he promises not to shove people into it”
November 10, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Every few weeks we gotta make posts like this”call your dem reps to tell them to not vote to allow Lord Killdude to shove people into a volcano” and then the dem reps go “we’ve made an amazing deal where Lord Killdude can have his volcano so long as he promises not to shove people into it”
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
Tonight’s dumb napkin cartoon…
November 10, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Tonight’s dumb napkin cartoon…
The most moral army in the world continues to be very very moral
Allow me to summarize:
1. 5 IDF soldiers caught sexually molesting a Palestinian prisoner.
2. IDF files charges.
3. IDF AG faces enormous pressure from government to drop charges. Mob storms base where it happened.
4. IDF AG leaks video documenting the molestation.
5. IDF AG pushed out (continued)
1. 5 IDF soldiers caught sexually molesting a Palestinian prisoner.
2. IDF files charges.
3. IDF AG faces enormous pressure from government to drop charges. Mob storms base where it happened.
4. IDF AG leaks video documenting the molestation.
5. IDF AG pushed out (continued)
IDF's legal chief resigns over suspected involvement in Gaza detainee abuse video leak
In a Statement Friday Morning, Defense Minister Israel Katz Cited the 'Severity of the Suspicions' Against Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi in the Sde Teiman Affair, Saying She Won't Be Reinstated. Sh...
www.haaretz.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:20 AM
The most moral army in the world continues to be very very moral
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
Reminder: the Democrats made their decision on Thursday to cave as a unified caucus.
Dems emerging from 2 hour caucus meeting saying they are unified on next steps on shutdown
“We’re unified on how we’re moving forward,” says Sen. Duckworth. “The key part of it is health care and taking care of our federal workers.”
“What we’re going to say, we’re going to be unified behind it”
“We’re unified on how we’re moving forward,” says Sen. Duckworth. “The key part of it is health care and taking care of our federal workers.”
“What we’re going to say, we’re going to be unified behind it”
November 10, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Reminder: the Democrats made their decision on Thursday to cave as a unified caucus.
There is, honestly, a huge market out there for the first gun manufacturers who figures out how to sell “protect yourself from the guys everyone else is selling guns to”
“in honour of Charlie Kirk we are advertising more stuff that could have killed him”
November 10, 2025 at 7:09 AM
There is, honestly, a huge market out there for the first gun manufacturers who figures out how to sell “protect yourself from the guys everyone else is selling guns to”
This is true & it fully explains tonight. They’re hoping the December vote will (1) happen; (2) be more salient at the next election; (3) be more clean (healthcare: us for, them against). Once you’ve decided you’re okay funding this govt, it’s a rational choice, and they made that decision in March
if they don't fix Obamacare credits and/or fuck it by replacing it with HSAs, next year is going to be uhhhh a healthcare election
I still kinda think it’s going to be D+12 in a year because the orange god king is determined to to be a blansas sized political suicide bomber
November 10, 2025 at 6:47 AM
This is true & it fully explains tonight. They’re hoping the December vote will (1) happen; (2) be more salient at the next election; (3) be more clean (healthcare: us for, them against). Once you’ve decided you’re okay funding this govt, it’s a rational choice, and they made that decision in March
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
I sympathize with furloughed workers, and the snap situation was going to become untenable, but people are also going to die because of the destruction of the ACA
November 10, 2025 at 3:30 AM
I sympathize with furloughed workers, and the snap situation was going to become untenable, but people are also going to die because of the destruction of the ACA
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
To say this was Dems voting, e.g., to fund ICE paychecks isn't unfair or an exaggeration. It's literally true. That they'd already given up on even trying to do anything about that doesn't change it, it's still in there. This is what constitutional accountability for the power of the purse is for.
November 10, 2025 at 5:50 AM
To say this was Dems voting, e.g., to fund ICE paychecks isn't unfair or an exaggeration. It's literally true. That they'd already given up on even trying to do anything about that doesn't change it, it's still in there. This is what constitutional accountability for the power of the purse is for.
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
Voting to fund the government means you voted to fund everything the government is doing. That's the whole point. It's not about some narrow this or that on the margins. You own the whole enchilada, you're saying "yes, this overall package for everything the government's doing is acceptable to me."
November 10, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Voting to fund the government means you voted to fund everything the government is doing. That's the whole point. It's not about some narrow this or that on the margins. You own the whole enchilada, you're saying "yes, this overall package for everything the government's doing is acceptable to me."
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
the “axios is fake news trying to stir shit, dems aren’t gonna cave” to “the dem deal is actually good and smart and savvy” pipeline is real and best explained not be rational trains of thought but fear and cognitive dissonance
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 AM
the “axios is fake news trying to stir shit, dems aren’t gonna cave” to “the dem deal is actually good and smart and savvy” pipeline is real and best explained not be rational trains of thought but fear and cognitive dissonance
Is Khanna the most mainstream Dem to have called for Schumer's head? (Not a member of Schumer's caucus, obviously, but still, seems notable.)
Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?
November 10, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Is Khanna the most mainstream Dem to have called for Schumer's head? (Not a member of Schumer's caucus, obviously, but still, seems notable.)
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
literally rotating villain theory
America is in the midst of a Republican-made health care crisis—a crisis so severe, so urgent, and so devastating for American families that I cannot support a continuing resolution that fails to address it.
I am voting NO.
I am voting NO.
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 AM
literally rotating villain theory
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
I know this sounds mean but if you think that this is a coincidence you're more than a bit of a mark. If Kaine had been up next year, it would have been Warner, if Slotkin was retiring, Peters, etc.
The coordinated nature of this—none are facing voters in 2026—means that either Schumer approved it or failed in his job as Senate Majority Leader to stop it.
Dems voting "no" get zero credit until they demand a change in leadership. Schumer out as Leader, Durbin out as Whip.
Dems voting "no" get zero credit until they demand a change in leadership. Schumer out as Leader, Durbin out as Whip.
so currently defectors are:
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
November 10, 2025 at 3:05 AM
I know this sounds mean but if you think that this is a coincidence you're more than a bit of a mark. If Kaine had been up next year, it would have been Warner, if Slotkin was retiring, Peters, etc.
They'll just roll out whoever from the Gang of Ten has the next-farthest reelection date
"Dems cannot successfully cave because John Cornyn got trapped in a broom closet" would be easily the funniest way for tonight to end
Update: They can't find Cornyn.
November 10, 2025 at 3:05 AM
They'll just roll out whoever from the Gang of Ten has the next-farthest reelection date
LOL
You don't have to blame any of this on Democrats. Literally none of this is the Democrats fault.
November 10, 2025 at 2:58 AM
LOL
I am hearing that on his deathbed,,,,
Update: They can't find Cornyn.
November 10, 2025 at 2:58 AM
I am hearing that on his deathbed,,,,
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
yeah this is with leadership’s blessing and you’ll never convince me otherwise. the whip is a yes, the rest of the yes’s are retiring or 4-6 years out from a primary, this is trash.
so currently defectors are:
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
November 10, 2025 at 2:50 AM
yeah this is with leadership’s blessing and you’ll never convince me otherwise. the whip is a yes, the rest of the yes’s are retiring or 4-6 years out from a primary, this is trash.
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
Any Democratic senator, at any moment, could've derailed this by calling for Schumer's replacement and casting their colleagues as MAGA collaborators, thereby shifting the Overton window. But they're all in on it. This was always a team effort.
November 10, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Any Democratic senator, at any moment, could've derailed this by calling for Schumer's replacement and casting their colleagues as MAGA collaborators, thereby shifting the Overton window. But they're all in on it. This was always a team effort.
you're a senator and you're patting yourself on the back for, uh, raising awareness
Durbin said critics of his vote “need to understand how the Senate works”
November 10, 2025 at 2:50 AM
you're a senator and you're patting yourself on the back for, uh, raising awareness
Reposted by Athul K. Acharya
Listening to these pathetic rationalizations from King, Hassan, Shaheen, whoever else they have queued up.
Disappointed that they're not having windup speech by Sen. Neville Chamberlain.
Disappointed that they're not having windup speech by Sen. Neville Chamberlain.
November 10, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Listening to these pathetic rationalizations from King, Hassan, Shaheen, whoever else they have queued up.
Disappointed that they're not having windup speech by Sen. Neville Chamberlain.
Disappointed that they're not having windup speech by Sen. Neville Chamberlain.