John Refior
@johnrefior.bsky.social
Supporter of progressive economic policy. Aspiring small business owner. Volunteer lawyer. Amateur economist. Software developer.
—
#BLM #economics #TIARA
https://johnrefior.com
https://hachyderm.io/@jrefior
https://www.trumpisarussianasset.info
—
#BLM #economics #TIARA
https://johnrefior.com
https://hachyderm.io/@jrefior
https://www.trumpisarussianasset.info
Pinned
The SALT tax deduction is a handout to the rich. It should be eliminated not expanded | Brookings
Rather than seeking to remove the cap on the SALT deduction, policymakers would do better to consider steps towards the removal of the deduction itself.
www.brookings.edu
So, you're in favor of taxing the rich, eh?
Do you really mean it, or is it just something you post on Bluesky?
Because if you really mean it, you should be a zealous advocate for higher property taxes, and a vehement opponent of the SALT deduction.
A short 🧵
Do you really mean it, or is it just something you post on Bluesky?
Because if you really mean it, you should be a zealous advocate for higher property taxes, and a vehement opponent of the SALT deduction.
A short 🧵
Reposted by John Refior
It has long been clear that unalloyed racism lies at the core of Trumpism, and he is becoming increasingly explicit about this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/w...
Trump Administration Says Europe Faces ‘Civilizational Erasure’
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:29 PM
It has long been clear that unalloyed racism lies at the core of Trumpism, and he is becoming increasingly explicit about this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/w...
Reposted by John Refior
Male applicants on the whole tend to do worse on most admissions criteria, as well- lower test scores, lower GPA, less community involvement/volunteer work, etc.
When I worked at Brown, it was an open secret: many more women applied than men, so to keep a rough gender parity in the student body, men got a big boost in admissions.
Trump's attacks on DEI may hurt men in college admissions.
hechingerreport.org/an-unexpecte...
Trump's attacks on DEI may hurt men in college admissions.
hechingerreport.org/an-unexpecte...
Trump’s attacks on DEI may hurt men in college admission
A government order that colleges disclose details about their applicants suggests that advantages by gender may face the same heightened scrutiny as purported racial preferences. That threatens to acc...
hechingerreport.org
December 5, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Male applicants on the whole tend to do worse on most admissions criteria, as well- lower test scores, lower GPA, less community involvement/volunteer work, etc.
Reposted by John Refior
New National Archives data on WIC rollout shows access during pregnancy reduces low birth weight, specifically for Black infants—narrowing the racial gap by 3.6 percent, from Marianne Bitler, Danea Horn, Esra Kose, Maria Rosales-Rueda, and Arian Seifoddini www.nber.org/papers/w34521
December 5, 2025 at 2:04 PM
New National Archives data on WIC rollout shows access during pregnancy reduces low birth weight, specifically for Black infants—narrowing the racial gap by 3.6 percent, from Marianne Bitler, Danea Horn, Esra Kose, Maria Rosales-Rueda, and Arian Seifoddini www.nber.org/papers/w34521
Reposted by John Refior
Reposted by John Refior
European Commission issues €120 million fine to Elon Musk's X under the Digital Services Act. "The breaches include the deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers."
Commission fines X €120 million under the Digital Services Act
Today, the Commission has issued a fine of €120 million to X for breaching its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
ec.europa.eu
December 5, 2025 at 11:27 AM
European Commission issues €120 million fine to Elon Musk's X under the Digital Services Act. "The breaches include the deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers."
Reposted by John Refior
Amazon pays Italy 180 million euros to end tax, labour probe, sources say reut.rs/49UDByM
Amazon pays Italy 180 million euros to end tax, labour probe, sources say
An Italian unit of e-commerce giant Amazon has paid compensation and scrapped a monitoring system for delivery staff, ending a probe into alleged tax fraud and illegal labour practices, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.
reut.rs
December 5, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Amazon pays Italy 180 million euros to end tax, labour probe, sources say reut.rs/49UDByM
Reposted by John Refior
Reposted by John Refior
Dept of No Comment
December 4, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Dept of No Comment
Detroit: "Violent crime has been trending down for years. Homicide numbers have dropped below mid-1960s levels."
Detroit's own crime-fighter RoboCop finally stands guard in Motor City
RoboCop has found a permanent home in Detroit — all 11 feet and 3,500 pounds of him. A statue of the crime-fighting movie character has been welcomed by fans since it began standing guard over Detroit...
apnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Detroit: "Violent crime has been trending down for years. Homicide numbers have dropped below mid-1960s levels."
Reposted by John Refior
Simply amazing that the Supreme Court declared an end to legal race discrimination in the affirmative action case two years ago and now allows overt racism in both immigration arrests and redistricting.
Using race to help minorities? Bad. Using it to discriminate against them? Very, very good.
Using race to help minorities? Bad. Using it to discriminate against them? Very, very good.
BREAKING: Supreme Court GRANTS Texas request to restore redistricting maps
apparent 6-3 ruling with the liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social
apparent 6-3 ruling with the liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social
December 4, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Simply amazing that the Supreme Court declared an end to legal race discrimination in the affirmative action case two years ago and now allows overt racism in both immigration arrests and redistricting.
Using race to help minorities? Bad. Using it to discriminate against them? Very, very good.
Using race to help minorities? Bad. Using it to discriminate against them? Very, very good.
Reposted by John Refior
You can help Bolts continue to provide crucial coverage of local elections. Here's how:
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- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
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(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
Support Bolts
We are a nonprofit publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change, from the local up, and we need reader support to build our journalism.
boltsmag.org
December 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM
You can help Bolts continue to provide crucial coverage of local elections. Here's how:
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
Reposted by John Refior
The Republican hacks on SCOTUS start with whatever ruling will help their fellow Republican partisans and lazily work backwards from there, barely offering an excuse for their egregious hackery.
John Roberts keeps complaining no one respects them. Yeah, because we’re actually paying attention.
John Roberts keeps complaining no one respects them. Yeah, because we’re actually paying attention.
Trump Thanks Chief Justice Roberts Won'T Forget GIF
ALT: Trump Thanks Chief Justice Roberts Won'T Forget GIF
media.tenor.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:46 PM
The Republican hacks on SCOTUS start with whatever ruling will help their fellow Republican partisans and lazily work backwards from there, barely offering an excuse for their egregious hackery.
John Roberts keeps complaining no one respects them. Yeah, because we’re actually paying attention.
John Roberts keeps complaining no one respects them. Yeah, because we’re actually paying attention.
Reposted by John Refior
BREAKING: Supreme Court GRANTS Texas request to restore redistricting maps
apparent 6-3 ruling with the liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social
apparent 6-3 ruling with the liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social
December 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
BREAKING: Supreme Court GRANTS Texas request to restore redistricting maps
apparent 6-3 ruling with the liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social
apparent 6-3 ruling with the liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social
Reposted by John Refior
The court repeatedly acknowledged the presumption of good faith, but explained that all of the evidence pointing to racial motivations overcame it. The bill's authors compiled a legislative record "replete with racial statistics!"
December 4, 2025 at 11:42 PM
The court repeatedly acknowledged the presumption of good faith, but explained that all of the evidence pointing to racial motivations overcame it. The bill's authors compiled a legislative record "replete with racial statistics!"
Reposted by John Refior
NEW: The Trump Justice Department failed to secure an indictment today against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Grand jury declines to indict N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, less than two weeks after the first case was dismissed
Federal officials failed to secure the new indictment against James, whom Trump has targeted, after a judge said the previous one was secured by an unlawfully appointed prosecutor.
www.nbcnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:45 PM
NEW: The Trump Justice Department failed to secure an indictment today against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Reposted by John Refior
"Speaker Johnson, care to comment on the sun rising in the east this morning?"
"Sorry, I've been in meetings all day and don't know anything about that. I'm a busy man and can't comment on everything going on, especially things I haven't read about."
"Sorry, I've been in meetings all day and don't know anything about that. I'm a busy man and can't comment on everything going on, especially things I haven't read about."
December 4, 2025 at 2:35 PM
"Speaker Johnson, care to comment on the sun rising in the east this morning?"
"Sorry, I've been in meetings all day and don't know anything about that. I'm a busy man and can't comment on everything going on, especially things I haven't read about."
"Sorry, I've been in meetings all day and don't know anything about that. I'm a busy man and can't comment on everything going on, especially things I haven't read about."
Reposted by John Refior
JUST IN: The NY Times lawsuit names names, saying the Pentagon's new press restrictions violate the First Amendment by forcing out journalists who ask adversarial questions and replacing them with avowed MAGA supporters. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
December 4, 2025 at 11:12 AM
JUST IN: The NY Times lawsuit names names, saying the Pentagon's new press restrictions violate the First Amendment by forcing out journalists who ask adversarial questions and replacing them with avowed MAGA supporters. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by John Refior
I’m just a foreign policy wonk, standing in front of the GOP, asking them to read at least one fucking book about the history of US interventions in Latin America. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
December 3, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I’m just a foreign policy wonk, standing in front of the GOP, asking them to read at least one fucking book about the history of US interventions in Latin America. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by John Refior
🚨 CNBC on latest jobs numbers: "A big miss on ADP payrolls. The private payroll company saying private payrolls shed 32,000 workers in Nov. That's the 4th negative number in past 6 months. The estimate was for +40,000, so the street was off ... this may be coming from being hammered by the tariffs"
December 3, 2025 at 1:25 PM
🚨 CNBC on latest jobs numbers: "A big miss on ADP payrolls. The private payroll company saying private payrolls shed 32,000 workers in Nov. That's the 4th negative number in past 6 months. The estimate was for +40,000, so the street was off ... this may be coming from being hammered by the tariffs"
Reposted by John Refior
Hard to overstate how damning it is they've spun their wheels trying to come up with their strongest possible argument and the best they can do, the rationalization for it Hegseth actually put in writing, is "we can kill shipwrecked survivors if they try to call for help."
2/ The Hegseth-approved contingency plan:
The U.S. military could try to kill shipwrecked survivors if "they took what the United States deemed to be a hostile action, like communicating with suspected cartel members."
The U.S. military could try to kill shipwrecked survivors if "they took what the United States deemed to be a hostile action, like communicating with suspected cartel members."
December 4, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Hard to overstate how damning it is they've spun their wheels trying to come up with their strongest possible argument and the best they can do, the rationalization for it Hegseth actually put in writing, is "we can kill shipwrecked survivors if they try to call for help."
What would a Russian asset do if he were elected president?
December 4, 2025 at 2:41 AM
What would a Russian asset do if he were elected president?
Reposted by John Refior
Bond investors recently told Bessent they don't want Hassett because Hassett will be politically controlled by Trump. But this will be a problem with virtually anyone Trump chooses, since willingness to do what Trump says seems to be sole criterion for the job.
Not sure how you square this circle.
Not sure how you square this circle.
Bond investors have told the US Treasury they are concerned about Kevin Hassett’s potential appointment as Federal Reserve chair, worrying he will cut interest rates aggressively to please President Donald Trump.
Bond investors warned US Treasury over picking Kevin Hassett as Fed chair
Some market participants worried candidate for top central bank job will be swayed by Trump on interest rates
www.ft.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Bond investors recently told Bessent they don't want Hassett because Hassett will be politically controlled by Trump. But this will be a problem with virtually anyone Trump chooses, since willingness to do what Trump says seems to be sole criterion for the job.
Not sure how you square this circle.
Not sure how you square this circle.
Reposted by John Refior
South Floridians from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela expecting to become U.S. citizens this week learned instead that their naturalization ceremonies had been canceled after the Trump administration issued a sweeping directive aimed at halting immigration from so-called high-risk countries.
South Florida immigrants on cusp of citizenship told to wait as DHS changes policy
The cancellations, confirmed by multiple immigration attorneys, came after the Trump administration paused immigration from 19 nations and froze all asylum claims.
www.miamiherald.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:33 AM
South Floridians from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela expecting to become U.S. citizens this week learned instead that their naturalization ceremonies had been canceled after the Trump administration issued a sweeping directive aimed at halting immigration from so-called high-risk countries.
What % of the US economy is now just `building data centers`?
"Marvell’s largest segment, data centers, is being driven by the increasing demand for AI and cloud computing... The company’s other 4 segments now represent less than 1/4 of total sales"
"Marvell’s largest segment, data centers, is being driven by the increasing demand for AI and cloud computing... The company’s other 4 segments now represent less than 1/4 of total sales"
December 3, 2025 at 10:09 PM
What % of the US economy is now just `building data centers`?
"Marvell’s largest segment, data centers, is being driven by the increasing demand for AI and cloud computing... The company’s other 4 segments now represent less than 1/4 of total sales"
"Marvell’s largest segment, data centers, is being driven by the increasing demand for AI and cloud computing... The company’s other 4 segments now represent less than 1/4 of total sales"
Reposted by John Refior
Russia has centralized a system of training pilots, ramping up production, and hunting Ukrainian drone operators and the networks that support them. Ukraine says that shift is rapidly eroding Ukraine’s early edge in drone warfare and poses a growing threat to its ability to hold the line.
'Russians really scale'— How Moscow built a drone system that now threatens to end Ukraine’s front-line aerial dominance
Russia has centralized volunteer drone units like Rubikon into a professional system that is eroding Ukraine’s early edge in UAV warfare and threatening its front lines.
kyivindependent.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Russia has centralized a system of training pilots, ramping up production, and hunting Ukrainian drone operators and the networks that support them. Ukraine says that shift is rapidly eroding Ukraine’s early edge in drone warfare and poses a growing threat to its ability to hold the line.