ICYMI: Councilor Breadon carried the torch for election integrity this week. The Council overwhelmingly supported her with a 7-2 vote. This type of courage will be needed when these tactics are used by Trump/MAGA in 2028. The distortion of facts this past week was a prelude.

The Fort Pointer@fortpointer.bsky.social · 2d ago

MUST-WATCH VIDEO: Clr. Breadon upbraids Clr. Flynn (and by extension Sen. Collins) for their hasty escalation of a minor mistake by a poll worker into a self-serving narrative implying that Collins was targeted. Flynn/Collins have failed to inform constituents of known findings revealed here.

The @bostonglobe.com has it wrong. #mapoli Senator Will Brownsberger is not a smart policy wonk: he’s living proof that in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. He’s an enabler of bad transportation policies & ineffectual on key issues like rail electrification & connectivity.

Reporter Mike Lynch shares a story about meeting Seth Moulton at Logan while in a wheelchair: I said." hi SETH, how are you?! He stared into my eyes and never said a word but gave me a look that I interpreted it as how dare you address me? I was embarrassed. I was humiliated and I was a tad angry.”

The best thing I've read recently regarding the Surface Transportation Act reauthorization, from @bethosborne.bsky.social bethosbornesga.substack.com/p/same-ball-...

Same Ball. Same Lucy. Same Result.

Congress is negotiating a new “bipartisan” bill and praising small "wins," as though the administration hasn’t already shown us exactly what happens next.

bethosbornesga.substack.com

“The rapid development of artificial intelligence risks creating new forms of technological dependence, with poorer nations increasingly reliant on wealthier ones. We must remain vigilant in this regard, lest innovation become another vehicle for ideological or economic colonialism.” - Pope Leo

Pope to Catholic Legislators: “Sadly, we are presented with a subtle form of domination when algorithms decide who is seen, who remains invisible, when digital platforms shape public discourse without accountability, and when the dignity of workers is subordinated to the optimization of systems.”

If you live in #mapoli's Second Middlesex District, I heartily recommend that you consider voting for Burhan Azeem @burhanazeem.bsky.social for State Senate. Burhan is the most talented & impactful young leader I've met in a very long time: smart, creative & knows how to get things done.

Receipts bsky.app/profile/fort...

The Fort Pointer@fortpointer.bsky.social · last mo.

The most deplorable thing about Senator Collins’ comments in today’s Herald isn’t his failure to mention the shift to remote work as the #1 cause of double digit residential tax increases. It’s his willingness — much like Councilor Flynn, to trash reputations of stellar City employees. Shameful.

“Buy America” as currently constructed is not helping America. If we want to rebuild US transit equipment manufacturing of high quality products at scale it will take levels of private & public sector investment that is not currently on offer.

@elayamakan.bsky.social · 2w ago

www.railwaypro.com/wp/californi... The ‘Buy America’ requirement is also being removed. The CHSRA explains the change as a result of the withdrawal of the federal grant intended for the purchase of the trains

Cassidy is unimpressive. No one can see into the future but we can certainly anticipate it. We can use our best judgment & take many factors into account. Understanding how dangerous RFKJr would be to public health & wellbeing was clearly written in his public record & family member testimony.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w ago

CNBC: Do you regret voting for RFK Jr? BILL CASSIDY: If you want to tell me that somebody didn't tell me the truth, and I should've seen in the future they were not gonna tell the truth, you can say, 'Bill you should've seen into the future'

NEW AD: 14 years ago today, Ken Paxton stole someone's $1,000 pen. Today, Ken Paxton’s pen victim is endorsing James Talarico.

The coolest technology in a heatwave? Trees. Every tree planted today helps create a cooler, greener and healthier London tomorrow. We've already planted more than 640,000 trees since 2016, and we're continuing to grow and protect our urban forest to help London adapt to hotter summers.

Don't get me wrong, I lift every morning. But being a man is not really about how you show up in the gym. It's how you show up for your family. It's about how you show up for your community.

Trump ruse uses reporters as decoys after he switches planes in response to Iranian threats. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Contradicting public statements, Trump took secret flight from Turkey amid Iranian threat

The White House said the president was aboard Air Force One as he left a NATO summit. Instead, his departure included an elaborate ruse that concealed his travel.

washingtonpost.com

No idea who is behind New England Ledger (not me, FTR), but appreciate their pieces re. Councilor Flynn below and re. Mass Daily News. I’d encourage a disclosure as to who they are, if possible, as an example for others. Welcome to Bluesky, @newenglandledger.bsky.social.

New England Ledger@newenglandledger.bsky.social · 3w ago

A lawn sign. A resignation demand. 45,000 residents facing uncertainty. New England Ledger examined the week Ed Flynn chose outrage over urgency. The receipts tell the story. Read more at: newenglandledger.com/five-alarm-f... #bospoli #mapoli #accountability #haitianamerican #tps #TheLedgerFiles

In addition to today's piece about Councilor Flynn's disturbing actions last week, New England Ledger — a media source that I first learned of just yesterday — has published an audit of Mass Daily News, with conclusions draw from actual data. www.newenglandledger.com/mass-daily-n...

RIGGED: How Mass Daily "News" Spreads Right-Wing Propaganda and Crowns False Heroes

A New England Ledger audit of 1,333 stories found a clear pattern. Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy get to be the heroes. Progressive women and leaders of color get attacked. Black and Latino communities are ...

newenglandledger.com

On CNN, El-Sayed is asked about this Trump post. He says it represents "two different visions of America:" "Two people who don't like each other but are joined in the interest of making billions of dollars off of you. Or, two people who genuinely love each other, enjoying some panacakes together."

Ed Flynn is that great practitioner of cronyism, crooning for the folks who are determined to hold back progress in #mapoli. It’s a shame because I once thought Ed was a cut above the political norm in his hometown neighborhood.

The Fort Pointer@fortpointer.bsky.social · 3w ago

It was a given that the provably dishonest story last week around Cohn’s tweet would be further twisted to benefit Nick Collins. How much deeper down the barrel will they go to reach the bottom? No veterans should associate themselves with this behavior.

Our cat understands English and some French. I’m fluent in Cat. It works.

Twonks@twonks.bsky.social · 3w ago

Meow

Answering the question posed below, no he does not. Nick’s an accomplished #mapoli airbag.

The Fort Pointer@fortpointer.bsky.social · 3w ago

Senator Collins spent his entire interview on MAMLEO radio this morning bashing Mayor Wu, repeatedly referring to her "campaign of misdirection," blaming the Boston assessor's office for tax increases. No mention of remote work. Curious: Does Collins have ONE noteworthy achievement to talk about?

An extraordinary painting with an extraordinary backstory

rebel288@rebel288.bsky.social · 3w ago

Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth 1948 (for context).

Wherever you sit in this big tent of ours, remember just how much we agree on - with each other, and with a strong majority of voters.

NBER@nber.org · 3w ago

Expanding H-1B visas boosted US worker incomes and productivity, especially in non-STEM jobs, with gains flowing downstream via supply chains, from Ran Abramitzky, Leah Platt Boustan, Ahmet Gulek, and Jens Hainmueller www.nber.org/papers/w35560

🎯

Swampscott paid $7M in 2022 for a waterfront Hawthorne By The Sea site to stop proposed housing. Today, the property is off the tax rolls, taxpayers are absorbing rising carrying costs & The Select Board voted to exclude housing from consideration for future use. swampscotttides.org/news/select-...

Select Board Votes to Oppose Housing in Hawthorne RFP, 3-2 - Swampscott Tides

The Select Board voted 3-2 Tuesday to oppose residential development at the Hawthorne property, a move that could exclude housing from the site’s long-term request for proposals (RFP). “The value...

swampscotttides.org

Le Corbusier’s social housing was meant to be the dream. In a summer of extreme heat, it is a nightmare | Anna Richards www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Le Corbusier’s social housing was meant to be the dream. In a summer of extreme heat, it is a nightmare | Anna Richards

When temperatures get to 40C inside, and French building regulations won’t even allow shutters, these tenants’ listed homes are simply unlivable, says Anna Richards, a journalist based in Lyon

theguardian.com

The moment Collins announced she was a no on Blanche, you KNEW they had the votes.

It doesn’t matter whether Susan Collins votes “no” on Blanche. Her presence in the Senate enables GOP/MAGA rule & has a massive, irreversible negative impact on the judiciary.

Ridership on the Bay Area's Caltrain also continues rising in the wake of the route's electrification, with passenger counts up 10% compared to this time last year! Caltrain has taken more than 14M passengers over the last twelve months, the highest since 2019

The Supreme Court already decided this issue: Birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the Constitution. Any executive order that tries to attack birthright citizenship will meet the same fate as President Trump's last one.

Trump orders limits on birthright citizenship, targets ‘birth tourism’

President Trump signed two new executive orders Thursday targeting birthright citizenship, aiming to bypass a recent Supreme Court ruling.

thehill.com