Return to the Future Past

COMMENTARY: Crickets: Four fatal shootings by the Memphis Safe Task Force and almost no national news coverage. At the root lie Tennessee politicians who approve of the task force, writes Editor @jhollymc.bsky.social.

Crickets: Four fatal shootings by Memphis Task Force and little coverage from national news • Tennessee Lookout

Four men have been shot and killed in Memphis by agents with the Memphis Safe Task Force. Does anyone outside the city care?

tennesseelookout.com

With November around the corner, folks should expect to see certification back in the news. Look no further than these guides from @brennancenter.org @allvotingislocal.bsky.social @campaignlegal.org & @protectdemocracy.org for all you need to know about it and why attacks on the process won't work.

Brennan Center@brennancenter.org · 2d ago

Ahead of the midterms, voting experts release updated state election certification guides explaining who certifies election results, what the law requires, and the safeguards that help ensure the process works as intended — including in seven battleground states.

He’s frankly an inspired choice for data center spokesperson. I would also recommend AI companies invest in a whole flying squad to complement him which includes: -Martin Shkreli -“Mr Delicious” from the Rax Roast Beef commercials -The hallways from Backrooms.

Jessy Edwards@jessyedwards.bsky.social · 2d ago

A video taken Saturday shows former NYC Mayor Eric Adams in sales pitch mode in Wisconsin Rapids, as he's heckled by residents opposed to the data center he's trying to sell them on. "My name is Eric Adams," he begins, as the boos begin to rain down. "You belong in prison!" one attendee shouts.

In retrospect you have to ask who wrote the email saying: “We want to pitch a data center in Wisconsin Rapids? Get me Eric Adams, pronto!” hellgatenyc.com/eric-adams-i...

Eric Adams Is Selling Data Centers in Wisconsin Now

The former mayor had a wild weekend, and other links to start your day.

hellgatenyc.com

In retrospect you have to ask who wrote the email saying: “We want to pitch a data center in Wisconsin Rapids? Get me Eric Adams, pronto!” hellgatenyc.com/eric-adams-i...

Eric Adams Is Selling Data Centers in Wisconsin Now

The former mayor had a wild weekend, and other links to start your day.

hellgatenyc.com

As many as 33,000 Wisconsinites have lost SNAP benefits in the last year. For reference, the margin in the 2024 presidential election was 29,397 votes. www.wpr.org/news/thousan...

Thousands of Wisconsinites have lost food aid in largest cut in US history

The One Big Beautiful Bill passed last year by President Donald Trump and Republicans is the largest cut to healthcare and food aid in the nation’s history, advocates say. Food pantries are seeing a n...

wpr.org

New from Strength In Numbers: Trump’s immigration agenda and esp deportation operation is unpopular in every swing state — including Maine, where Susan Collins is trying to moderate on ICE www.gelliottmorris.com/p/even-repub...

ah... regional literature

the wealthy (who control the business press) want expansive, stimulative monetary policy when Republicans run government and restrictive, recessionary policy when Democrats run government. So you get articles like this saying inflation is fake when a Republican is in charge.

CNBC@cnbc.com · 5d ago

As Warsh’s Fed faces pressure to act on inflation, these indicators show it’s at its lowest in years

I guess they asked AI to rewrite wicker man

As the debate over taxing the rich in WI re-emerges and we hear about purported “millionaire tax flight”, we should consult the evidence. Millionaire moves are rare and migration within US is a phenomenon of younger people struggling to get by. www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-tax-...

The Millionaire Exodus That Never Came

What really happens to the ultra-rich when states and localities increase taxes?

vitalcitynyc.org

Topline Democratic primary preference, including leaners, in this week’s MU poll: 46% Hong 21% Barnes 11% Crowley 4% Brennan 4% Roys 14% Undecided MOE ±6.6

NEW: A federal judge threw out ICE's claim that state inspection law didn’t apply inside its detention centers. But since it took so long to adjudicate, ICE has now written the same language into contracts for four more facilities. It doesn’t need to hold up. It just needs to take years to resolve.

ICE’s New Detention Center Contracts Declare State Laws ‘Shall Not Apply’

One day after a federal judge ordered an ICE detention center opened to state health inspectors, the agency posted new contract terms that would void state oversight at four facilities.

wired.com

Turned this rant into a blog post. davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/the-data-c...

The data center backlash Is working. That's why the New York Times is so concerned.

I have a

davekarpf.beehiiv.com

Dave Karpf@davekarpf.bsky.social · last wk.

I'm reading the "environmentalists are wrong about data centers" piece from the NYT and ohmygoditssofuckingbad. Apparently, so long as you're punching left, they'll just let you say any goddamn thing you please... www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/o...

the memo from Doran Schrantz shared in this Kuttner piece via this link is an absolute must-read www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

Act Free to Be Free

documentcloud.org

David Dayen@ddayen.bsky.social · last wk.

I don't know how you look at everything Trump's been doing to mess with the election and think anything other than that he's trying to rig it. But whether he will succeed is a different matter, as Bob Kuttner reports. prospect.org/2026/07/28/t...

Something tells me that if you have to put “the reality” in the title of the hearing there may be very little reality on offer.

Joan Alker@joanalker1.bsky.social · last wk.

New Senate Budget Ctte Chair, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), has announced that his 1st hearing will be about Medicaid. Title: "Medicaid The Reality" Tuesday, August 4th at 10am No more info yet. www.budget.senate.gov/hearings/med...

If you have been getting propaganda emails from other parts of the govt (e.g. VA, CMS from Dr. Oz) please post screenshots in the replies. There has been a lot about how government social media accounts have gone MAGA, but the government emailing you feels different. CC @philiprocco.bsky.social

Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · last wk.

New from @philiprocco.bsky.social at Can We Still Govern: Chances are that you or a family member got an email from the Social Security Administration about how Trump is fixing the program. Using govt resources for partisan propaganda should be a scandal. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-federa...

My thoughts on the crisis of confidence in higher education, and the foolish belief that embracing technology is the solution to that crisis. tompepinsky.com/2026/07/27/t...

Tom Pepinsky@tompepinsky.com · 2w ago

Americans have more confidence in higher education than in big tech companies, and the gap is growing rather than shrinking. The higher ed-doomsday pundits need to get on board with the real vibe shift in public trust that is happening right now.

Fitch is now warning that an AI Market Correction is emerging as a major credit risk, with “the the medium- and long-term potential of [AI] being highly uncertain” www.fitchratings.com/research/ban...

In most other presidential administrations, a staffer who even proposed such naked politicization of Social Security would be fired before it even became a news story (via @philiprocco.bsky.social) open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...

New from @philiprocco.bsky.social at Can We Still Govern: Chances are that you or a family member got an email from the Social Security Administration about how Trump is fixing the program. Using govt resources for partisan propaganda should be a scandal. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-federa...

The Federal Government is Emailing You Campaign Literature – Can Anyone Stop It?

Is it legal for Social Security to send you partisan propaganda? In theory, no…

donmoynihan.substack.com

If you have a Social Security account, you've been getting florid emails. Great guest post by @philiprocco.bsky.social on @donmoyn.bsky.social 's Can We Still Govern? about gov propaganda and the difficulty in checking it.

The Federal Government is Emailing You Campaign Literature – Can Anyone Stop It?

Is it legal for Social Security to send you partisan propaganda? In theory, no…

donmoynihan.substack.com

I wrote about the weird propaganda emails you've been getting from Social Security for the great @donmoyn.bsky.social's substack. The gist: while there are theoretically levers to stop this kind of thing, they are far weaker than you can imagine. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-federa...

The Federal Government is Emailing You Campaign Literature – Can Anyone Stop It?

Is it legal for Social Security to send you partisan propaganda? In theory, no…

donmoynihan.substack.com

DHS plans to pay Thomson Reuters $125 million for data on millions of people, from Social Security numbers to geolocation, so ICE can monitor them continuously. Reporting by @404mediaco. www.404media.co/ice-to-pay-t...

This is the kind of fiscal federalism the OMB is trying to institutionalize throughout the whole of government: instead of “statutes” or “the Spending Clause”, it’s just a giant button that says “cancel funding because Dem”. www.crisesnotes.com/russell-voug...

Russell Vought is Using the Plumbing of Fiscal Federalism to Create a New Patronage System

EDITORS NOTE: I (Nathan) have struggled whether to rush to comment on this proposed OMB rule. Being a recent Fiscal Year 2026 OMB memo, and knowing that the OMB will continue to create new forms of bu...

crisesnotes.com

tony romm@tonyromm.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...

These proposed changes are clearly being kicked off in anticipation of Russell Vought's sweeping proposals to make all government grants subject to capricious direct political control and review. @philiprocco.bsky.social wrote about it last week for us www.crisesnotes.com/russell-voug...

Russell Vought is Using the Plumbing of Fiscal Federalism to Create a New Patronage System

EDITORS NOTE: I (Nathan) have struggled whether to rush to comment on this proposed OMB rule. Being a recent Fiscal Year 2026 OMB memo, and knowing that the OMB will continue to create new forms of bu...

crisesnotes.com

A great time to read the latest issue of the journal that I edit, which features a brilliant theoretical take on “Federalism by Extortion”: academic.oup.com/publius/arti...

Federalism by Extortion

Abstract. A distinctive feature of the second Trump administration has been its use of extortion tactics to force compliance with its political agenda. In

academic.oup.com

Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 2w ago

#ELB: “Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him” https://electionlawblog.org/?p=157593

Huge story here from @juanhanes.bsky.social and @nathantankus.bsky.social on a sweeping plan at HUD that would jeopardize federal housing assistance. www.crisesnotes.com/breaking-hud...

BREAKING: HUD is Planning on Hobbling Federal Financial Assistance for Housing by Burying it in Paperwork.

This is a free piece of Notes on the Crises. Please take out a paid subscription so that breaking news coverage like this can be kept free. Or leave a tip. Have non-public information about the Trump...

crisesnotes.com

Really important story here. The civil rights community is recognizing that the world after Callais has changed, "fair districting" is a chimera, & proportional representation is the only path for the House to look like America. Paul Starr writes about this shift, & a way to pass it that's feasible.

Proportional Representation Gets a New Look - The American Prospect

Supreme Court decisions and unrestrained partisan gerrymandering are focusing attention on a fundamental election reform. But one version is more feasible than the others.

prospect.org