E. Hatt-Swank

Where we are as a country www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/u...

We must do what the country refused to do during Reconstruction: dispossess & banish those who organized & facilitated this vile & lawless regime.

Where we are as a country: in opposition to the establishment of democracy in Venezuela because it could infringe on the extractive contracts the president’s buddies have arranged with the current regime.

it feels like its kinda being ignored but outside a couple outliers the only thing republicans are running on in the midterms is that theyre white and democrats arent

Besides being nakedly racist and bigoted, this is just hilariously wrong on all levels. I mean, Omar Yaghi won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year, and he won the Wolf Prize in 2018. And that's just one example.

Look, I know all the reasons we got here, but we really need to start seriously thinking about what we do in a world where The Markets punish whole countries for voting for decency, compassion, and fairness. We must stop pretending the capitalist machine is an objective, value neutral force.

Elon Musk has spent more money on politics in the last 2 years than George Soros has spent in his entire lifetime.

So far, remarkably high turnout by young Black voters in Georgia. Eye-popping chart.

🤔It's such a weird phenomenon: the white guys that can actually win a Fields medal in math, or a Nobel prize in Chemistry? Know that there are Arabs and Persians and Turkish folk that do the same♥️ It's the most mediocre, untalented, "my daddy handed it to me!🤡" white dudes that say stuff like this.

VICTORY: A federal court just put the chainsaws down at East Potomac Park The plan was to turn a public park into a private tournament course for Trump & wealthy golfers. The trees stay while we fight it out in court @democracydefendersfund.org & partners are on the case 👇- TN

NEW: "Donald Trump was an active participant in Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women during the mid-to-late 1990s," per new House Judiciary Dem report. Report has new allegation that Trump raped a 24-year-old and then promised the victim a visa & NYU admission, demanding she stay quiet.

This is extremely hard hitting for a mainstream Democratic-aligned super PAC.

This war in Iran is raising the cost of everything. There is help available for getting food, paying for heat, or weatherizing your home. Go to MaryPeltola.com/Help for a list of resources available to you. Stay safe, and look out for each other.

As of Sunday, voters in North Carolina between the ages of 18 and 25 are voting at 2.1 times the pace they did in 2022 and Black voters are voting at 1.6 times the pace they did in 2022. #NCPol #NCSen #NCGA thepoliticalspectrum.substack.com/p/theyre-att...

BREAKING: The 9th Circuit rules 2-1 to dismiss DOJ's effort to force California to remove 20,000 purported noncitizens from the voter rolls based on data CA officials view as faulty. Majority: Bennett (Trump) Sanchez (Biden) Minority: Bumatay (Trump) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

NEW: At least 18 voting centers in Alaska Native communities have not opened despite early voting having already started in the state last week. “There is no legal excuse for the failure to open these sites,” one state senator wrote to the Alaska elections chief.

So @lilianasegura.bsky.social and I just co-wrote a piece about the bodycam footage in the Kohan Wiley case. theintercept.com/2026/10/23/k...

We published this story late Friday afternoon amid an avalanche of news so I’m reposting it now because Kohen Wiley’s life mattered more than a box of diapers.

Trump has no legal authority to do this, of course, but that's not the point. Whipping up a bunch of voter suppression vigilantes -- the obvious result -- is the point, however.

www.huffpost.com/entry/an-edg...

Hungary's recent election was less free and more unfair than the upcoming US midterms, and pro-democracy forces still won. Similar point about Serbia's election this weekend. In normal democracy terms, America is in bad shape. But in consolidated authoritarianism terms, we're looking pretty good.

I don't know that there is a definitive line to cross that makes you say, "I live in a police state now" but when masked gunmen can routinely brutalize the public, citizen or immigrant alike, with impunity, you have reached that point.

Health insurance premiums rose 5% this year — and workers took the hit.

Yesterday, Brazil and Serbia secured major wins for democracy. In 8 days, it’s our turn. #NoKings ❌👑

NEW: Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old LA grandfather, was dragged out of his home by DHS agents and paraded in front of cameras for Trump's "voter fraud" crackdown. The DOJ used footage of his arrest for a promotional video. Omar is a green card holder in the US for 50+ yrs W @samrlevine.bsky.social

zeteo.com/p/inside-dem...

The US is not about to have a free and fair election. The state has put its thumb on the scale to favor the ruling party in multiple ways. It's a mostly free, somewhat unfair election. But still one where the ruling party can be overwhelmed by numbers. Hence the term "competitive authoritarianism."

If you’re just catching up, an appeals court heard arguments on Sunday in the Trump administration’s case against California. It did not go (and should not have gone) well for DOJ. That and more at Law Dork:

ICYMI yesterday: A threat assessment before the midterms. MAGA wants us to believe that Trump can simply declare “martial law” and wipe away the system - but it’s just not true. The Right’s Fascistic Fever Dreams Are a Sign of Weakness

In one day, two politicians - Bolsonaro in Brazil and Vucic in Serbia - with ties to Trump have lost surprise elections thanks to high turnout. The rise of the international far-right is not inevitable.

the DOJ is basically acting as if the president’s delusions are true

NEWS --> Dems are planning novel ways to wield power of the purse against Trump's corrupt prosecutions of critics like Ilhan Omar if they win House. Reps Pramila Jayapal and Jamie Raskin tell me a range of aggressive tactics will be deployed. Details in my new piece: newrepublic.com/article/2171...

Hail Seitan! “Seitan, a wheat-based meat replacement, includes 15 – 20 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving, a number that is comparable to most animal proteins.” #meatlessmonday 🚫 #carnivorediet ✅ #vegan ✅ #plantbased

Protest works. Organization is decisive. Draw your own conclusions. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

I’m not a political journalist, so was gladly surprised at the community I found here last night. To Americans anxious about the upcoming elections, a key thing we learned in Brazil that might help you: DO NOT engage with the far-right online. Don’t share rage bait. Amplify your people. Ignore them.

Donald Trump’s administration has floated a stunning political lifeline for an ousted far-right leader.

Why haven’t I done a very deep dive into recent American foreign policy moves? For the same reason I don’t like slasher films. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/american-f...

pretty clear evidence that republicans in the US losing any election going forward are going to always beg for a coup if they lose. lots of people will have to go to jail

lol reminder that betting markets are extremely accurate measures of conventional wisdom

So readers: We've offered today a small overview of thousands of documents NYT collected as part of reporting for this story--just a tiny fraction shared here What is clear? Documentation matters. Transparency matters Accountability matters. Thanks for reading www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

NEW: In a newly drawn congressional district including Memphis, Black voters may get a representative who spent years stripping away local control. by @wendicthomas.bsky.social @mlk50.com

NEW: Ingram, Texas, was just rebuilding from a devastating flood when its tiny police department enrolled in ICE’s 287(g) deportation program. Within a year, cops would hand over the equivalent of 10% of the town. with @nytimes.com

Watch this with Trump at his side, remember the dissents in the birthright citizenship case — www.lawdork.com/p/six-opinio... — and understand there are no limits, no places they wouldn’t go.

As I've said, this is either an impeachable offense that Democrats act on or it's a new precedent.

Brazil is… wow. Nationally, regionally, hemispherically, globally important election result. A choice against democratic backsliding. May it be a significant point in an international trend.

Using the Presidency to manufacture himself billions in tax breaks through golf courses. Scam artist doesn’t even begin to describe this President. www.forbes.com/sites/danale...

Trump is bragging about $21 trillion in foreign investment but also concerned about trade deficits. I don't get it. https://newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/how-to-spot-a-fake-trillion

Trump admin arrests Colorado priest. Incarcerates him for over a year. Judge orders him released without charges. They release him without the wheelchair he needs -- other prisoners have to bodily carry him out. He's now being tested for latent TB: www.newsfromthestates.com/article/colo...