Something that has been missing from the Trump administration’s review of the Epstein case: considering the survivors. This week, they speak out, and we should all be listening. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...
Professor Emerit at UC Davis. Researches in the history & philosophy of biology and environmental ethics. https://www.RLM.net/ New open-access book w/ U Chicago Press: _The Land Is Our Community: Aldo Leopold's Environmental Ethic for the New Millennium_
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Something that has been missing from the Trump administration’s review of the Epstein case: considering the survivors. This week, they speak out, and we should all be listening. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...
I’m so glad it is indeed “trumped” and not a reference to that other guy.
It’s “Team by team reporters, baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped, Look at that low playing, fine, then
We've got more for you on Labor Day. More than 82 percent of civilian federal workers have had their right to collectively bargain stripped in the largest act of union busting in US history. Unions are a voice from below, and their autonomy poses a threat to autocrats, Harold Meyerson writes:
This Labor Day, the Trump administration will advance plans to eliminate federal minimum wage protections for millions of child care and home care providers.
NEW: This morning, DOJ's Drew Ensign confirmed that the last of 76 children the Trump administration tried to put on planes & send to Guatemala in the middle of the holiday weekend are back in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the result of a well-timed lawsuit & fast-moving judge.
Fifty-one of the 85 Federalist papers were written by a guy born in Nevis.
The Internet has it wrong, then. Still. After all these years.
It’s ‘Left of west and coming in a hurry with the Furies breathing down your neck
JUST IN: Judge who blocked the transfer of about 600 Guatemalan minors from US to Guatemala Sunday is keeping a very tight leash on the government. Echoes of Alien Enemies Act litigation simply deafening here. Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
Americans can no longer rely on fossil fuel-fired power plants that are vulnerable to temperature-induced power outages, are increasingly more expensive, and further contribute to the damaging effects of climate change.
CNN vs Democracy Docket. Why does CNN simply repeat Trump's lies without noting he has ZERO authority to do this?👀 Support pro-democracy independent media. Subscribe to Democracy Docket today. hubs.ly/Q03jcjqP0
BREAKING: Judge Sooknanan says the children are being removed right now so has advanced today’s hearing to 12:30pm. www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
BREAKING: A federal judge has *blocked* the Trump administration from abruptly deporting 600 unaccompanied Guatemalan children — perhaps within a matter of hours — granting an emergency restraining order after advocates called the plan illegal + dangerous. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Trump spent part of his Saturday night posting that he wants to sign new executive orders aimed at voter ID and mail-in ballots. That would be unconstitutional. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
They're releasing the Epstein files?
Trump is again threatening Chicago with a takeover on social media. We will again say those who trade liberty for the illusion of temporary safety deserve neither. We are not, and will not become, a military state. Remember freedom is something they can never take away, no matter what they tell you!
Please consider completing a short & anonymous survey regarding my @ucanr.edu weather & climate communication activities! I’m collecting basic demographic information to help ensure that we’re reaching a broad and representative audience of Californians.
Good one.
Same.
That's great — thank you very much.
I've been watching Bernie closely during these past months. While he will call out the latest atrocity, he always puts his positive platform front and center: health care for all, fighting money in politics, wealth inequality, etc. He stands for something & everyone knows it.
Just don't fall on me.
Same!!!
Awesome.
This wins the Internet today.
🌱🐋 🌎 📗 #philsci I'm feeling humbled & grateful beyond words to read such a thoughtful & complimentary review of my book, _The Land Is Our Community: Aldo Leopold's Environmental Ethic for the New Millennium_ from someone whose work I deeply respect, Dr. Soazig Le Bihan. It's a dream review for me:
TRUMP IS AMERICA’S BIGGEST LOSER.
Sure!
Fantastic!! And thank you for sharing my post! I should also mention that it's #OpenAccess — links for free download or purchase of print copy are here: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
... wonderful praise from someone who understands what I was trying to say and do in the book, with beautiful summaries of each chapter. And I know how much work it is to review books, which makes me extra appreciative. Thank you, thank you, thank you, @soaziglebihan.bsky.social !
🌱🐋 🌎 📗 #philsci I'm feeling humbled & grateful beyond words to read such a thoughtful & complimentary review of my book, _The Land Is Our Community: Aldo Leopold's Environmental Ethic for the New Millennium_ from someone whose work I deeply respect, Dr. Soazig Le Bihan. It's a dream review for me:
Do you dream of electric sheep? 😁
This quote from the Trump admin about its pocket rescissions couldn’t be more brazen. Pocket rescissions are an illegal way to ignore the will of Congress — which they feel comfortable saying out loud directly to the press.
Is there anything more petty, vindictive, and just plain unAmerican than weaponizing personal safety as a partisan privilege against political opponents? How is having a president with the emotional maturity of a toddler good for our country?
All I know is that it was great fun, and really, that’s the main thing, isn’t it?
"Marc Elias’s Democracy Docket has quietly become a pro-democracy media force, expanding its newsroom to 20 staffers as it surpasses 50,000 paid subscribers." Story here: www.status.news/p/democracy-...
This is unsurprising but it’s important to hear it from ICE agents themselves.
This is the way
Grand juries in Los Angeles are also not playing along with the feds. This is incredible.
I applaud workers at the CDC for standing up against Sec. Kennedy’s dangerous anti-vaccine crusade. We are witnessing a full-blown war on public health from the Trump Administration. History will not look kindly on those who stayed silent in the face of this assault on science.
I didn’t until I saw the show that they did last year and then again this year. I mean, once it was pointed out to me who he was, and I looked him up, then I realized I had seen him in other stuff, but I certainly didn’t go to the shows because of him. I went for R.E.M.
The UC Union Coalition Demands: No concessions No capitulation No cuts Yes to jobs Yes to educating future leaders Yes to healthcare autonomy Yes to lifesaving research Yes to protecting an engine of economic mobility
We fight back!
Coalition of UC unions condemns Trump’s attacks on the UC and the California economy. @ucaft.bsky.social @afscme3299.bsky.social @uaw4811.bsky.social @aaup.org #HigherEd #AcademicFreedom #UnniversityofCalifornia #HoldTheLine #Trump #HandsOffHigherEd #StandUpUC
My fury at the treatment of this young woman… I am channeling it into an iron clad resolve to defeat these monsters and hold them all accountable.
I've said this a thousand times over the past eight months. To give just one example: When media gave Trump his headlines that he was "overtaking" D.C.—as opposed to "using D.C.'s status to exert additional control over aspects of D.C."—they made this whole Chicago project of Trump's easier.
The Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA) and a coalition of UC unions condemn the Trump administration’s attacks on the UC system and urge the UC administration not to capitulate to Trump’s demands. Defend higher education for the nation & CA! cucfa.org/2025/08/coal...
“President Milliken and the Regents should exhaust all legal remedies, refuse all concessions, and resist illegal acts by the Trump administration.” Sign and share now! actionnetwork.org/letters/hold... @ucaft.bsky.social @uc-faculty.bsky.social @uaw4811.bsky.social
Since taking office, the Trump administration has undermined public safety and law enforcement accountability by supporting the dangerous practice of obscuring the identity of ICE and other federal officers.
He is wrong on the facts. 1. The data is clear, VBM benefits Democrats electorally and it remains true. Rejected mail ballots skew Democratic as well. 2. Strict photo ID laws also disadvantage Democrats, particularly young voters and those in urban areas. Again, this is data not opinion.
Here’s the only rule that matters now: You do not let bullies win. They are rigging the map in other states to silence your vote. Prop 50 is how we fight back. It’s not complicated. It’s self-defense. End of story. Vote YES. #yeson50
stopelectionrigging.com
The rules have changed — and so must we. Vote YES on Prop 50. @gavinnewsom.bsky.social
i find this image so fascinating. it is both a literal example of authoritarianism but also a second-hand reproduction of the aesthetics of other authoritarian states. it's like a simulacra of authoritarianism whose purpose is to attempt to make the simulacra real.
If I were the democratic leadership, or their donors, I would be setting up shadow everything. Shadow congress. Shadow CDC. The overwhelming message being: here is where you come for facts. Here is what science really says. Here is what polling really says. Why aren’t they doing this?
This kind of thing is why I, a tax lawyer, ended up presenting my research at a philosophy of biology conference this summer
Interested in questions about the use and misuse of race in science? Come to our symposium at #EPSA25, this Thursday 9:00 (A2). @epsaphilsci.bsky.social #philsky #philsci #HPbio #STS hugera.org/blog/
I think this is generally right, but I do understand why — given the apparent Friday deadline — some resignations today from among those who were going to be fired by the end of the week helped make this a bigger, institution-wide story and not just some manufactured Monarez story by the admin.
Monarez is playing her weak hand perfectly, and should be a model for institutional resistance for the next four years: 1. Make them fire you 2. Don’t go along to get along 3. Don’t apologize, have confidence in your own integrity and the importance of your role 4. Always escalate the conflict
BREAKING: In a major win for voting rights, an Arizona Court tosses a GOP lawsuit that tried to make voting by mail even harder. With nearly 90% of Arizonans voting by mail — this ruling protects voters from mass ballot rejections based on minor signature mismatches.
It’s outrageous that Sec. Kennedy is trying to fire the CDC Director — after only a few weeks on the job — for her commitment to public health & vaccines. The Sen. HELP Committee must hold a hearing with Kennedy & the CDC Director as soon as possible. Vaccines save lives. Period.
We’re going to go on a rant for a minute, and yes we’re bringing some history with us. Back in 1755, Benjamin Franklin wrote words that still echo today: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
So, his team is going full fascist so they can take advantage of him while he still exists? Put in place the fascist regime that might otherwise be difficult to put in place if he were dead? Is that it? (of course, he is fully on board with full fascism. I don’t mean to imply otherwise.)
He bloviates. He says whatever crap comes to his mind at the moment that he think will fly. That can totally change the next time. It doesn’t matter if it’s true (rare), false, completely nonsensical, whatever. He’s a bullshitter. He blusters.
If you are at the CDC and have any updates that need to get out — including any other resignations, firings, or information about who is running what — let me know. My Signal is: crg.32 (use a nonwork phone)
NBC reports — as of now — four senior CDC officials are out, in addition to the director. CDC director pushed out, flood of top resignations follow www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
*at
I saw you present a UC Davis a year or so ago (?) and so that gives me pretty good confidence that you actually exist. And a great presentation it was, too!
The crime in D.C. is so bad that the city needs the National Guard to take up gardening duties. I’d call this pretty solid proof that Trump manufactured this entire “emergency.”
We’re spending over $1 MILLION a day to deploy the National Guard in D.C. Trump says this is for Fighting homelessness & crime. But guess what... just a QUARTER of that million would house D.C.'s ENTIRE unhoused population. Think about it.
Trump threatens & investigates his political opponents — Democrats & Republicans. He says, in violation of the Constitution, that he has “the right to do anything [he] wants.” Is there one Republican who has the guts to stand up to this rapid movement toward authoritarianism?
Set your calendars, but be prepared for a big Trump diversion. Ignore him, listen to them.
🙌🏼
NEW: Only those who are authorized and accountable to their voters should have access to voting systems, even if the request for access comes directly from the White House. Right now, state and local officials are the ones pushing back as these bounds continue to be tested, Pamela Smith writes.
This will be tough, but the fight is in her and she has my full support to do all she can.
Not that we needed proof that this is all just political prosecution of Trump’s enemies, but…
Right?
Yes. I think this is the exact (and biggest) problem right now.
Iowa tonight is exactly why Republicans are redrawing their maps.
BREAKING: We are suing the DOJ after their refusal to release critical Trump-Epstein files. Trump’s refusal to release the files he promised to make public is a direct blow to the trust Americans place in their gov't’s ability to be accountable We are demanding transparency & justice. Read HERE:
The new tax components of the "big beautiful bill" are not a boon for the middle class. Exclusively from the new taxes, the median person gets around $400. The poorest Americans are actually made worse off - and that's before you account for the Medicaid and SNAP cuts.
@mikiesherrill.bsky.social signals NJ will fight back in Trump's map fight: "What I think Trump is looking to do is create an unwinnable map... We're going to have to use the power we have to fight back against that. And that includes all of the tools we have to ensure we're standing up strongly."
The Republican budget means huge cuts to Medicaid, rural hospital closures, and higher out-of-pocket costs for families across the nation. Together, these failures will force millions of Americans to go without health insurance. All to pay for big billionaire tax breaks.
22 million Americans are facing major price hikes for their health care, thanks to Donald Trump and his Big Ugly Bill. 🧵
I’ve lived here for 33 years, and it’s a flat-out lie that half the restaurants have closed because of safety. But restaurants will close because you have troops with guns and federal agents harassing people, making people afraid to go out.” Agree 💯!
Celebrity chef and D.C. icon José Andrés pushed back on Trump’s propaganda in a post on X, writing: “I understand why you are confused… all your time in D.C. you haven’t eaten ONCE outside the White House or your own hotel.
Texas Voters are seeking to block the state's new congressional map before the 2026 midterms, arguing it constitutes a racial gerrymander. Voters offered evidence that a Republican state representative said the redraw was based on race, not partisanship. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Trump’s immigration raids are destroying our agricultural workforce — inflating costs, creating worker shortages, and destroying communities. On California Farmworker Day, we honor the hardworking men and women who power our economy. We will not stop defending your rights.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other top Democrats are warning President Donald Trump to stay out of the cities they run.
Yes. This was a point @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov made in our discussion last week: www.lawdork.com/p/law-dork-t... It’s also, in a way, a double-self-defeat, since this divide is likely only going to expand as a consequence of the SCOTUS conservatives getting rid of “universal injunctions” in June.
Gonna see those Epstein files any second now, right?
The only truth he spoke during the whole press conference yesterday.
The Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook will sue the Trump administration over its bid to fire her over unconfirmed allegations of mortgage fraud, her attorney has said.
We got an interview with Maine's populist Senate candidate, veteran and oyster fisherman Graham Platner, who is part of a growing group of "fighters from the working class" who are bellwethers for the ongoing debate over the Democratic coalition’s future. Austin Ahlman reported this one: