Finn Pollard
@heresfinn.bsky.social
Head of Academic Quality. Associate Prof (US History). Pollard's US Politics Thread (Fridays). Arts Reviewer. Lib Dem/Remainer. Views my own not UoL.
Some of these questions may be answered when the US Politics Thread returns for our final edition of 2025 next week. Meanwhile, thanks as ever for reading and have a great weekend! (41/41)
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Some of these questions may be answered when the US Politics Thread returns for our final edition of 2025 next week. Meanwhile, thanks as ever for reading and have a great weekend! (41/41)
And so we made it to the end of another thread. Will the GOP find a way out of the health care impasse? Will the Admin release the video of the double strike? Will Trump manage to persuade the public there isn’t an affordability issue? (40/41)
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
And so we made it to the end of another thread. Will the GOP find a way out of the health care impasse? Will the Admin release the video of the double strike? Will Trump manage to persuade the public there isn’t an affordability issue? (40/41)
Dems also comfortably won the mayoral race in Miami, Florida for the first time in nearly 30yrs by 59% to 41% for the Trump-endorsed GOPer: www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele... (39/41)
Democrat wins Miami mayor's race for the first time in almost 30 years
Democrat Eileen Higgins, a former county commissioner, defeated Republican Emilio González, NBC News projects.
www.nbcnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Dems also comfortably won the mayoral race in Miami, Florida for the first time in nearly 30yrs by 59% to 41% for the Trump-endorsed GOPer: www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele... (39/41)
Finally in there’s always an election somewhere it was another good week for Dems flipping a Georgia State House seat that voted for Trump by 13 points in 2024: www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele... (38/41)
Democrats notch gains in another state-level special election
The apparent victory in Georgia's 121st House District is the latest in a string of Democratic wins in recent elections.
www.nbcnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Finally in there’s always an election somewhere it was another good week for Dems flipping a Georgia State House seat that voted for Trump by 13 points in 2024: www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele... (38/41)
The Admin’s attack on vaccines continued. It was reported as we went to press that the Food & Drug Administration intends to put new safety warnings on Covid vaccines: edition.cnn.com/2025/12/12/h... (37/41)
FDA intends to put its most serious warning on Covid vaccines, sources say | CNN
The US Food and Drug Administration intends to put a “black box” warning on Covid-19 vaccines, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans.
edition.cnn.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The Admin’s attack on vaccines continued. It was reported as we went to press that the Food & Drug Administration intends to put new safety warnings on Covid vaccines: edition.cnn.com/2025/12/12/h... (37/41)
There’s more on Mikovits here (one wonders how Neeson, if he’s such a supporter of vaccines, failed to look into her background before agreeing to take the job): www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05... (36/41)
How a discredited medical researcher became the latest face of pandemic misinformation
Plandemic isn't the first video full of misinformation to go viral during the coronavirus pandemic. So how are videos like it shared so far, so fast?
www.abc.net.au
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
There’s more on Mikovits here (one wonders how Neeson, if he’s such a supporter of vaccines, failed to look into her background before agreeing to take the job): www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05... (36/41)
Meanwhile Liam Neeson has found himself under criticism for narrating a documentary based on a book by Covid conspiracy theorist Mikovits: www.theguardian.com/film/2025/de... (35/41)
Liam Neeson denies anti-vax views after narrating Covid documentary
Taken star lends his voice to a film that questions the legitimacy of vaccines and includes interview with RFK Jr
www.theguardian.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Meanwhile Liam Neeson has found himself under criticism for narrating a documentary based on a book by Covid conspiracy theorist Mikovits: www.theguardian.com/film/2025/de... (35/41)
We’ve chronicled the increasing incidence of measles in the US in threads passim. There’s now an accelerating outbreak in South Carolina where the vaccine rate in the affected counties has fallen below the level needed to prevent outbreaks: www.nbcnews.com/health/healt... (34/41)
South Carolina measles outbreak is 'accelerating,' driving hundreds into quarantine
Some students who remain unvaccinated are now in a second 21-day quarantine since the beginning of the school year.
www.nbcnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
We’ve chronicled the increasing incidence of measles in the US in threads passim. There’s now an accelerating outbreak in South Carolina where the vaccine rate in the affected counties has fallen below the level needed to prevent outbreaks: www.nbcnews.com/health/healt... (34/41)
Lastly in the courts this week ProPublica has a long read on the Admin’s attempts to remove funding from UCLA and the resultant court case (we haven’t got round to this ourselves yet): www.propublica.org/article/ucla... (33/41)
Trump’s DOJ Pressured Lawyers to “Find” Evidence that UCLA Had Illegally Tolerated Antisemitism
An investigation by ProPublica and The Chronicle of Higher Education reveals how the U.S. government ignored due process to gin up its attack on the University of California.
www.propublica.org
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Lastly in the courts this week ProPublica has a long read on the Admin’s attempts to remove funding from UCLA and the resultant court case (we haven’t got round to this ourselves yet): www.propublica.org/article/ucla... (33/41)
Abrego Garcia has to check in with ICE today but the judge has also ordered that he cannot be re-detained at that check in: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... (32/41)
Kilmar Abrego Garcia will remain free from ICE custody following judge's order
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to continue holding Abrego.
www.nbcnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Abrego Garcia has to check in with ICE today but the judge has also ordered that he cannot be re-detained at that check in: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... (32/41)
Also in court this week, and linking back to our earlier discussion of ICE raids, Abrego Garcia was released from ICE custody with the judge raising serious questions about Justice’s & ICE’s conduct of the case: www.lawdork.com/p/abrego-gar... (31/41)
The Trump administration's authoritarian house of cards is starting to fall down
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is "[o]n his way home." Another grand jury rejected DOJ's effort to indict Letitia James. And, Indiana Republicans said no to Trump's redistricting pressure.
www.lawdork.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Also in court this week, and linking back to our earlier discussion of ICE raids, Abrego Garcia was released from ICE custody with the judge raising serious questions about Justice’s & ICE’s conduct of the case: www.lawdork.com/p/abrego-gar... (31/41)
While we’re in the courts, the Justice Dept failed for a second time to get a grand jury to indict NY AG James (one of Trump’s retribution cases): www.pbs.org/newshour/pol... (30/41)
Justice Department fails twice to re-indict New York Attorney General James, AP source says
A grand jury declined for a second time in a week to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday in another major blow to the Justice Department’s efforts to prosecute the president’...
www.pbs.org
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
While we’re in the courts, the Justice Dept failed for a second time to get a grand jury to indict NY AG James (one of Trump’s retribution cases): www.pbs.org/newshour/pol... (30/41)
Also at FEMA, a federal court in MA ruled that disaster mitigation funding wch Trump Admin had cancelled must be reinstated: apnews.com/article/fema... (29/41)
Federal judge orders FEMA to restore billions in canceled disaster mitigation funding
A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to restore billions in canceled FEMA disaster mitigation funding.
apnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Also at FEMA, a federal court in MA ruled that disaster mitigation funding wch Trump Admin had cancelled must be reinstated: apnews.com/article/fema... (29/41)
While we’re at FEMA a conspiracy theorist with no experience in disaster response has been appointed to head FEMA’s Office of Response & Recovery: www.thehandbasket.co/p/conspiracy... (28/41)
Conspiracy theorist election denier given FEMA’s second-most important role
Gregg Phillips will lead the Office of Response and Recovery, “the heart of what FEMA does.”
www.thehandbasket.co
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
While we’re at FEMA a conspiracy theorist with no experience in disaster response has been appointed to head FEMA’s Office of Response & Recovery: www.thehandbasket.co/p/conspiracy... (28/41)
The cancelled meeting was supposed to receive the final report on the Admin’s plans for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) but the White House & Homeland Security don’t seem to be in agreement on the report: edition.cnn.com/2025/12/11/p... (27/41)
White House officials abruptly postpone final meeting of Trump-created FEMA task force | CNN Politics
White House officials abruptly postponed the final meeting of a Trump-created task force charged with shaping the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, roughly two hours before it was set...
edition.cnn.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The cancelled meeting was supposed to receive the final report on the Admin’s plans for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) but the White House & Homeland Security don’t seem to be in agreement on the report: edition.cnn.com/2025/12/11/p... (27/41)
She then got out of the hearing early allegedly to go to another meeting which it them turned out was cancelled: thehill.com/policy/natio... (26/41)
thehill.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
She then got out of the hearing early allegedly to go to another meeting which it them turned out was cancelled: thehill.com/policy/natio... (26/41)
Homeland Security Sec Noem was confronted by a series of military veterans at a congressional hearing this week who have either been deported or whose relatives have been deported (moments after she’d unwisely claimed no veterans had been deported): abcnews.go.com/Politics/dhs... (25/41)
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem confronted about veteran in contentious hearing over deportations
During a congressional hearing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defending herself from Democrats who sharply questioned the Trump administration's hardline immigration actions.
abcnews.go.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Homeland Security Sec Noem was confronted by a series of military veterans at a congressional hearing this week who have either been deported or whose relatives have been deported (moments after she’d unwisely claimed no veterans had been deported): abcnews.go.com/Politics/dhs... (25/41)
Talking Points Memo is publishing a new series on the impacts of ICE in New York City: talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/life... (24/41)
Life Inside the Undocumented Underground
During President Donald Trump’s second term, dramatic raids staged by the Immigration...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Talking Points Memo is publishing a new series on the impacts of ICE in New York City: talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/life... (24/41)
The evidence continues to stack up that the Administration’s claims to be mostly arresting those with criminal records is simply not true: stateline.org/2025/12/12/a... (23/41)
An ever-larger share of ICE’s arrested immigrants have no criminal record • Stateline
Immigration arrests under the Trump administration continued to increase through mid-October, reaching rates of more than 30,000 a month. But, rather than the convicted criminals the administration ha...
stateline.org
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The evidence continues to stack up that the Administration’s claims to be mostly arresting those with criminal records is simply not true: stateline.org/2025/12/12/a... (23/41)
There doesn’t seem to have been any further escalation of ICE raids, or new cities targeted, this week. But what is now the normal level of raids continues. Several reports this week from Minneapolis: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... (22/41)
ICE operation shows the difficulty of immigration arrests amid pushback in frigid Minnesota
NBC News was granted exclusive access to accompany Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as they tried to arrest targets in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
www.nbcnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
There doesn’t seem to have been any further escalation of ICE raids, or new cities targeted, this week. But what is now the normal level of raids continues. Several reports this week from Minneapolis: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... (22/41)
Then we came across this rather amusing op-ed from a Trump supporter in Texas trying to claim that the problem isn’t with Trump’s policies but with how he’s presenting them: eu.usatoday.com/story/opinio... (21/41)
I voted for Trump, but his affordability tour is an insult | Opinion
It's political sabotage for President Donald Trump to ignore affordability. He knew it was Americans' primary concern, and he vowed to fix it.
eu.usatoday.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Then we came across this rather amusing op-ed from a Trump supporter in Texas trying to claim that the problem isn’t with Trump’s policies but with how he’s presenting them: eu.usatoday.com/story/opinio... (21/41)
It’s notable that Reuters managed to find a couple of people identified as GOP strategists to go on the record with concerns about Trump’s speech: www.reuters.com/world/us/13-... (20/41)
The 13-letter word tripping up Trump - and risking Republicans' hold on Congress
Trump’s repeated mockery of the word “affordability” is worrying Republican strategists.
www.reuters.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
It’s notable that Reuters managed to find a couple of people identified as GOP strategists to go on the record with concerns about Trump’s speech: www.reuters.com/world/us/13-... (20/41)
Meanwhile the data continues to show that affordability is an issue: www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-s... (19/41)
Trump says U.S. prices are "coming down tremendously." Here's what the data shows.
President Trump says he's winning the war against inflation. But a look at prices around the U.S. shows why many Americans still feel financially squeezed.
www.cbsnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Meanwhile the data continues to show that affordability is an issue: www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-s... (19/41)
Turning to other stories this wk. When Trump wasn’t attacking media over stories about his health he was continuing to insist that everything is rosy for Americans in terms of the cost of living (or at least that’s what his speech in PA was supposed to be about): apnews.com/article/trum... (18/41)
Trump's speech on combating inflation turns to grievances about immigrants from 'filthy' countries
At a nighttime event in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump tried to emphasize his focus on combating inflation, although the issue couldn't quite command his full attention.
apnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Turning to other stories this wk. When Trump wasn’t attacking media over stories about his health he was continuing to insist that everything is rosy for Americans in terms of the cost of living (or at least that’s what his speech in PA was supposed to be about): apnews.com/article/trum... (18/41)
Mother Jones has an important piece up about an investigation into Geressy (a senior Hegseth advisor) and attempts by what appear to be allies of the Admin to pressure the journalist into dropping the story: www.motherjones.com/politics/202... (17/41)
I asked the Pentagon about Pete Hegseth's mentor. Then the threats started.
Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal.
www.motherjones.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Mother Jones has an important piece up about an investigation into Geressy (a senior Hegseth advisor) and attempts by what appear to be allies of the Admin to pressure the journalist into dropping the story: www.motherjones.com/politics/202... (17/41)