AXIOS: “(Trump’s) tariff policy will cost midsize businesses $82.3 billion, according to a new report from the JPMorganChase Institute…” www.axios.com/sponsored/mi...
TN Democrat focused on state & local politics
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AXIOS: “(Trump’s) tariff policy will cost midsize businesses $82.3 billion, according to a new report from the JPMorganChase Institute…” www.axios.com/sponsored/mi...
Don't count out Tennessee @aftynbehn.bsky.social is running in a special election
I continue my WaPo subscription for Carolyn Hax; once she leaves, so do I.
I immediately thought of you when I read this article; fascinating(and I’m not a huge football fan) info on how Belichick got hired. 🏈
How it started How it’s going @SenJoniErnst edition
NOW: Our volunteers have joined Minnesota lawmakers and faith leaders to honor the victims of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church School and to call for action, including a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
“How many more Americans must die before lawmakers ban these weapons of war?” - John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety We’ve had a federal assault weapons ban before, it’s past time for Congress to do it again: Text BAN to 644-33.
“We now have a tool that can do that for you. And all professors will save massive amounts of time and energy by using ChatGPT to grade all those papers. Isn’t that great? I mean, what an educational revolution.”
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/how...
Apologies to the author of the article this quote is from; I meant to add link to the article but just now see that the link isn’t there & I don’t recall on which platform I read it🤨
We don’t have to live or die this way. @momsdemand.bsky.social
People in this country should be able to do their jobs without the threat of being gunned down. We hold them in our hearts—today and every day—as we continue our work to end gun violence.
“The characterization of AI as “stochastic parrots” reminds us these systems do not “know” or “understand” the world in any meaningful way; instead, they generate probabilistically patterned outputs based on massive datasets shaped by sociotechnical conditions marked by deep systemic inequities.”
“The FBI is searching the Maryland home of John Bolton, who served as national security adviser but later became critical of the president…” Going after his critics. apnews.com/article/trum...
Our default assumption has to be that the FBI raid of John Bolton’s house is an act of retribution. If they find classified documents and charge him with a felony, it does remind that Trump should have been convicted for the same.
@tnsenatedems.bsky.social reminding us what the TNGOP thinks about public education
What @GavinNewsom and Texas Dems are modeling is you can stand up to the bully and live to tell the tale. Like the Tennessee Three before them. A valuable lesson to teach to light the way for others no matter the outcome.
Action Required: Enable two-factor authentication for your Jiffy Lube App! www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sis...
"The stadium will be a community space enjoyed by all who can afford a $175 ticket and a steady supply of $37 Dasanis."
JUST IN: In a new article, NPR reports on how MeidasTouch is one of the few pro-democracy video podcasts topping YouTube’s rankings, calling the network the "pacesetter of the pack.”
David Rose, a 33-year-old DeKalb County police officer, was killed on Aug. 8 while responding to a shooting on Emory University’s Atlanta campus.
Despite the will of the vast majority of Americans, House Republicans are pushing a federal Concealed Carry Mandate (CCM) that would gut state gun laws and allow people with dangerous histories from one state to carry loaded, hidden guns in public in states that wouldn’t otherwise let them.
*distRicting
What do you think of Michigan’s disticting plan: redistricting.lls.edu/state/michig...
🗳️Check out how Michigan draws districts: redistricting.lls.edu/state/michig...
A reminder💪
I'm attending Organize Tennessee's event, “Democracy Summit” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/organizetn/e...
TN is one of the last few states to still tax groceries….but tge TNGOP is A-OK w/that as well as handing massive tax breaks to corporations😤
@brotherjones.bsky.social TN State Rep Justin Jones reminds gets it. #LocalElectionsCount #PeopleNotCorporations
Hey, TNsseans-if you live in Congressional Dt 7, vote for @aftynbehn.bsky.social ! 🇺🇸
Happy 60th birthday, Medicaid and Medicare! You've saved so many lives, and we'll continue to fight so that you're still around when our kids grow up. If you want someone who cares deeply about these programs in Congress, consider donating $60 today! secure.actblue.com/d...
@tomtomorrow.bsky.social 🇺🇸
TN, let’s get @aftynbehn.bsky.social elected to Congress🇺🇸
If you live in TN Congressional Dt 7, vote for @aftynbehn.bsky.social 💪🇺🇸
Dems in the primary include (alpha order) @aftynbehn.bsky.social, @dixie4tn.bsky.social and @votebo.com. Let’s get after it y’all!!! #TN07
Was it because I posted the “same” picture of the endless black void every day on r/solotravel?
irony has been dead a while but I’m still appalled that the DHS had the temerity to suggest that it’s fine they caged more than 250 people with no criminal records because those people were probably secretly “human rights abusers” www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Columbia mayor weighs run as Democrat in 5th Congressional District, the latest to consider a challenge to U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles tennesseelookout.com/2025/07/22/c...
People exploding this false messaging that I voted for a bill + funding that I quite literally voted NO on. The threat environment this morning is scary. Doesn’t help anyone. Drag me for the position if you disagree but don’t lie. It’s out of control. Saying I voted for this funding is false.
Looking at you TNGOP. Why it’s time for Jerri Green for governor in 2026. @tndp.bsky.social 🧡🇺🇸
The Hamilton County school board again denied the application for a new charter school, citing concerns about its academic plan and a lack of confidence in the school opening successfully.
WATCH: “REP. HARSHBARGER LIED TO MY FACE.” At an empty chair🪑town hall in JONESBOROUGH the woman repharshbarger told she wouldn’t vote to cut Obamacare/Medicaid tells @votegloriaj.bsky.social she did, now her monthly payments will skyrocket as millions lose coverage
@tnsenatedems.bsky.social
Listen to Jess Piper’s excellent advice, y’all:
“Now hiring up to four horsemen to serve as harbingers of the Final Judgement. Must be comfortable with conquest, pestilence, war, and famine. Start date flexible.”
Americans will move on and forget about this. Canadians won't. As long as the American electorate sees fit to elect belligerent and fascistic natalists like Trump, they will never appreciate the value of Canadian friendship, or the need to mend fences.
Coming Soon: Community Town Hall – July 29 Join the TN Black Caucus of State Legislators and our own Black Caucus at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center for an important conversation about our community and what’s ahead.
WATCH: “It divides & separates us.” TN Republicans just did the bidding of Sons of Confederate Veterans to keep WILLIAMSON COUNTY from removing the Confederate Flag from their seal (after years of lawsuits), so locals ask the commission re-start the process. (email below👇🏽)
-Chris Wright donates $200,000 to Trump -Trump makes him Energy Secretary -Dept of Energy issues flawed *report* on Blackouts if we move off fossil fuels -Trump uses it to keep dirty plants open -More disasters kill people/kids as Big Oil gets rich🔥🌎 www.canarymedia.com/articles/fos...
“ But abundance liberals aren’t fighting against regulation per se. They’re fighting against a specific set of regulations that rich people exploit to rig the housing market against people of more modest means. Their aim is to eliminate these specific tools, not to deregulate in general.”
🏠 Research shows that low housing supply, not drug use or poverty, is the strongest predictor of regional homelessness. 🏠 People who claim to be progressives but resist efforts to solve the housing problem are hurting their own stated values—and risking their descent into political irrelevance.
WATCH: “We can do better. We need more women and mothers in office making our laws… I plan to run for governor.” MEMPHIS councilwoman jerri green just announced a run for Governor in 2026, saying she plans to bring a bench of moms up and down the ballot with her.
Just announced: Democratic candidate for TN governor Jerri Green💯💪
TNsseans, why we need @aftynbehn.bsky.social in Congress: “Feed Kids, Fix Roads, Fund Hospitals” 🇺🇸 www.aftynforcongress.com
Here’s Politico picking up on @gavinnewsom.bsky.social’s comments to us about the possibility of banning masks on Trump’s ICE raiders at the state level in California — as @brotherjones.bsky.social is trying to do here in Tennessee: www.politico.com/newsletters/... The Clip:
“There are pockets of resistance around every one of us too. There are allies in our communities. People are fighting back in every space across the country. You are not alone. Find your folks. Link arms. Onward.
Player faith in technology shaken by storm around AI line-calling at Wimbledon
@kenmartin.bsky.social The DNC keeps spending big on national ads & slogans while ignoring basics, like clear messaging, a strong local ground game & leaders who actually show up. Voters are tired of hearing “democracy is on the ballot” w/ no follow-thru. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Fascism is theft using violence and fear to loot a country and to loot other countries We’re in a time of sorting as the empire crumbles and climate change looms as a paradigm shifting disaster. We’re being sorted into those who live and those who die. jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/its-a-robb...
do better @theatlantic.com we’re not just “losing” it like we lose our wallets
@momsdemand.bsky.social Remember
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York’s junior senator, went on a bizarre rant about Mamdani’s “past positions” on “global jihad” on a local radio program. She apologized to Mamdani on Monday after a vociferous backlash.
Young voters, a group that Democrats have long taken for granted but migrated toward Trump in 2024, were the bedrock of Mamdani’s victory.
Haplessly veering between not “getting distracted” by Trump’s lawless actions and signaling their moderation in the face of Trumpian antics as their base marches in the streets, Democrats are missing the core political reality of our time.
Medicaid does the following: -Provides 1 in 2 kids health insurance -Keeps the majority of rehab and skilled nursing facilities open nationwide -Until today, had a rule in place to ensure minimum nurse staffing for patient safety This is the program the party of “MAHA” wants to gut.
The Real Meaning of Mamdani’s Stunning Victory www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/o...
thismodernworld.com/SPARKYSLIST/...
☀️🗳️TN Dems & Progressives-check your registration or register to vote so you’ll be ready to Vote Blue in 2026: sos.tn.gov/govotetn
Also can we stop pretending Republicans actually care about the debt? Because they don’t.
🚨TNsseans, also please recruit Dem candidates for your state house rep & state senators. 🚨The TNGOP majority has passed way too many harmful laws. 🚨2026 is the next election year for ALL state house & odd-numbered state senate dts.
“Maybe this mayoral race will be an opportunity to redefine what ‘socialist’ means, transforming it from a Republican slur to a commitment to expanding the common good and pursuing policies that actually serve the needs of working people.” open.substack.com/pub/america/...
I wanted to use some lines from a Lou Reed song (Great American Whale) as an epigraph in one of my books and we couldn't do it without paying a large fee (several hundred at least, I don't remember exactly)
NEW VIDEO: Our right to vote is under attack. Elie Mystal and I discuss threats to free and fair elections and the history of restrictive voting laws that got us here today. youtu.be/QsgS2S0LOHs
Politicians, policymakers and the public increasingly realize that falling fertility rates are a serious problem. What if parenting was treated as a public service worth paying for? Experts argue it would be worth it.
Excited to launch this initiative today… revitalizing a New Deal program to invest in the next generation of Tennessee leaders!!! LEARN MORE: open.substack.com/pub/aftynbeh...
Given the gravity of this moment, Dem leaders should be holding news conferences, addressing mass protests, even bringing Congress to a standstill with all-night filibusters in order to prevent an unauthorized, unjustified war. Dems are not rallying the public against the possibility of another.
Since Democrats are in the minority in both chambers, they can’t force a vote on authorizing war. But Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries could help lead a full-throated public campaign in support of one. They haven’t done that.
Trump Might Take the U.S. to War. Where Are Schumer and Jeffries? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/o...
Not abiding by the US Constitution.
This week in This Modern World @tomtomorrow.bsky.social
Wonder why TNGOP is so afraid of letting all eligible TNsseans register to vote? 🇺🇸🗳️
Tactical teams mobilized to a rural stretch of Minnesota on Sunday after officers found what they believe is a vehicle belonging to the man suspected of assassinating a Democratic state lawmaker and trying to kill a second. Follow live updates.
BOYLE: “When you worked for Soros you railed against deficits/debt, what happened?” BESSENT: “It’s… smart spending.” BOYLE: “Tax cuts for billionaires while throwing 16 million people off their health care?” BESSENT: *tries to lie about numbers* *gets dunked on repeatedly*
substack.com/@jesspiper/n...
Apologies to Eric Carle (but I think he would have liked this)😉🐛 @thenewyorker.bsky.social
Wow. What a sign that criminal case against Abrego Garcia may be politically cooked up. "Schrader’s resignation was prompted by concerns that the case was being pursued for political reasons" Schrader spent 15 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville and was chief of the criminal division
When I say that gerrymandered statehouses are no longer about public service….but instead are about converting public power and public assets into private gain…this is EXACTLY what I mean.
Trump's bloated budget bill will cancel health coverage and food assistance for TN families, which also reduces the number of paying customers for hospitals & grocery stores. Handouts for billionaires. Harsh capitalism for the working class. tennesseelookout.com/2025/06/04/b...
CBPP: “Trump’s budget sharply reduces the fruit & vegetable component of WIC’s food benefits for expecting parents and young children… takes away $1.3 BILLION in fruit & vegetable benefits from 5.2 MILLION participants…” (104,000 in Tennessee) www.cbpp.org/blog/trump-b...
TNGOP lawmakers blocked the “Pot for Potholes Act” – Democratic legislation to legalize cannabis & invest the tax proceeds in highways & transportation infrastructure. TN has a $38.5 billion backlog of transportation projects. Thanks for reminding us @tnsenatedems.bsky.social
Thanks to our TN State Senate Caucus for keeping us focused on the crucial issues! Check w/ your county party org or TNDP to ask about candidates for 2026!
Ask yourself: Who is this “you” that wants chemotherapy so, so badly? There is no self. There is no plan. There are only prior authorizations. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
Karoline Leavitt said the Trump regime is pushing for the trades while defunding Harvard. Now, they’re defunding Job Corps. They aren’t advocating for trades people. They want uneducated folks with no skills to work for any wage and any condition www.dol.gov/newsroom/rel...
Rosenwald and Washington built more than 5,000 schools for Black Americans in the early 1900s. Hamilton County TN was home to eight of those schools.