If your grant on substance use or mental health was just canceled, please get in touch! Signal: melodyschreiber.06 Email: [email protected]

Remember, "Midterms" begin with primaries. A few states have those coming up fast. Each state sets its own deadline for voter registration. Check your primary dates & reg deadlines with the links below: www.vote.org/voter-regist...

1/2 Today's featured ICE contractor: Workwear Outfitters, LLC Parent company of many familiar brands. URL in alt-text. (2/2 includes link to their USAspending dot gov overview)

This ought to take you to the US government contracts database pre-selected for ICE in FY2026 (other options available in left side menu). Spend a little time reading the "Award Description" field, too. www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=...

A woman recording an ICE agent tells him "Shame on you." The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?" "Learned what?" she asks Then he knocks her phone out of her hand

A Black man was killed by ICE (off duty) in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. And like Renée Good, he was an American citizen. But most people have not heard about Keith Porter. I need y’all to realize this. Black people experience this lack of visibility all the time when it comes to being victims.

"...guardrails..." 🤣🤣🤣😡

Expect to see a surge of proud ignorance and proplawganda about what you can say about ICE agent Jonathan Ross, identified by local media as the person who shot and killed Renee Good. In particular, expect a repeat of Rittenhouse-era “accusing him of murder is defamation” rhetoric. It’s not. /1

I swear, again, I never used to be one to think "conspiracy": "Reuters could not immediately verify if [6/2025 dragging incident] Ross was the same officer as the one involved in the Minneapolis shooting" www.reuters.com/world/us/off...

Vance today publicly told every ICE Agent that they had permission to shoot and kill any protester they believe might obstruct them in any way. Let that sink in. There will be no cosequences.

"Most of the targets...focus on climate, labor, migration and other issues [they've] categorized as catering to diversity and "woke" initiatives." Non-UN include: - Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation - International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance - Global Counterterrorism Forum

This incident occurred after Homeland Security sent more than 2,000 ICE agents to the Twin Cities in the "largest DHS operation ever."

Plus, there's this. Gross. www.axios.com/2026/01/03/m...

Mm hmm...DJT about running Venezuela: "'And it has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about.'" What's the over/under on: 1. him knowing what judicious means? 2. an interim gov't in 2 weeks? (Sorry about the paywalled link. Check your library, they miss you. 🙂)

Have any of California’s tech companies suspended AI models to conserve power for residents? No, still sucking up massive amounts of power and water to power crappy AI that had infected all our technology like some dystopian STD we can’t get rid of? Cool. Cool cool cool.

I also tried their "Spot the Fake" AI vs real photo game. Humbling, to be sure.

Remember when public libraries were a GOOD thing? C'mon, @mayorofchicago.bsky.social , do better.

"Every modern Special Counsel who investigated a sitting or former president...has publicly testified... Judiciary Republicans’ refusal to allow Smith to testify publicly comes as the DOJ continues to withhold the full Special Counsel report on Trump’s illegal retention of classified documents..."

Uh, thanks? Late, yes? "From the limited information [7/31/25]...it is unclear whether the proposal involves any demolition of the existing East Wing. Statements by the [NPCP] indicate that “demolition and site preparation work” can proceed outside of any approvals process" sah.org/2025/10/16/s...

Boat strikes #8 & #9 this week, now 37 dead, plus: "The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off of #Venezuela, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás #Maduro." #USMilitary #DoD #Hegseth

More good news, bird flu is > "Fall waterfowl migration season has started, resulting in 15 total detections in #NorthDakota, #SouthDakota, #Minnesota and #Wisconsin poultry flocks...affecting 3.75 million total birds in September." #FoodSecurity #vaccines #agriculture www.fb.org/market-intel...

ICYMI: I bet everyone at these dinners got one of these. At least flip through AP's photos. One shows the proposed scale of #IndependenceArch (🙄) relative to the #LincolnMemorial & #ArcdeTriomphe. apnews.com/article/dona...  Trump hosts glitzy dinner for wealthy donors to new White House ballroom

Huh, there's a shadow of an outline of a remnant of a line? "After the texts came to light, several Republican senators said they would not support [Paul Ingrassia's] nomination. They included some of the most conservative and stalwart Trump allies in the Senate." www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

What could go wrong? 🙄 Even if you're not buying from Amazon, or you've cancelled your Prime subscription, it might be very difficult to get Amazon's most profitable service, #AWS , out of your life. 1/3 www.statista.com/chart/18819/...

In KFF's pre- #ACA study, insurance providers denied coverage: - 8% of the time: a young woman w/Hay Fever - 43% of the time: a 7-year breast cancer survivor (others req'd surcharges, or _permanently_ excluded cancer coverage) - 100% of the time: applicant with HIV www.kff.org/affordable-c...

ICYMI: "On February 19, the Observer reported that James “Jim” Joseph Rodden—an #ICE assistant chief counsel representing the agency in immigration court in Dallas—operates a white supremacist X account named #GlomarResponder, based on an overwhelming number of biographical details..."

Yes, lots of flags. At past protests, my large flag waved upside down (indicating distress). This time, I wanted to be very clear about our love of country, so I righted it. #nokings "Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

This is a red alarm fire. Please listen to Marc Elias. After the primaries are over, all Democrats must vote for Democrats. I don't want to hear any of the "I stayed home because the Democrat didn't check all my boxes" crap. And every Dem must vote. Every last one of us.

So many people i talk to mention that their out-of-state friends or family have heard little to nothing about what’s going on in Chicago. Some viral stories like the South Shore apartments raid or Rev. Black getting shot break through but the persistent Fed violence in the streets in lost.

Not #LinkedIn, too? Sigh. "It’s typical for a company in Acquisition Logistics’ position to receive 5% to 7% of the total contract—as much as nearly $90 million in this case... Wagner, 77, lists himself as a majority owner of the company on LinkedIn." www.fa-mag.com/news/five-pe...

"The dangers to our democracy are apparent – faith in our public institutions is undermined, principles of fairness and individual rights are cast aside, and dissent is stifled and suppressed."

“This is an example of the Trump administration trying to conflate protest with terrorism and public scholarship in a university with extremism,” [Bray] said. “Ultimately, it’s manufactured outrage to create a boogeyman term to demonize protests.” apnews.com/article/anti...

During this #DIW2025, we’re celebrating the critical role libraries play in addressing their community’s unique needs. From accessing telehealth services, help applying for jobs, connecting veterans with benefits and tech lending programs - libraries power community-driven digital futures for all.

GOP "want to remove consumer protections from all the private insurance plans that aren’t in the ACA marketplace...an underappreciated aspect...requiring all insurance companies to actually cover health care and not discriminate. They plan to open up the market to sell junk insurance plans..." 1/2

THIS ⬇️ Now, how do we fix that? Seriously, I'm asking.

Hello #BookSky Are you still figuring out what you're doing for #BannedBooksWeek We'll help! Here's a framework for you: 1 Event or 1 Organization or 1 Person Here's what we mean...

U. of Texas System BOR chairman, Kevin Eltife, "a former Republican lawmaker...was among the few to respond positively to the [compact]...which asks universities to make significant changes to admissions and hiring...and suppress criticism of conservatives." www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Mine was dropped. I'm now having to find a plan that covers what I need, that my PCP takes, that I can afford.....that will even cover my county. It sucks

This will get worse. I keep telling people the truth if they want to believe someone with almost 40 years in insurance: Taking $ from Medicaid and expecting no effect on other insurance is like draining one Great Lake and being surprised when the others drain too.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson: "Private establishments can partner with us to make it clear that private property is private property and ICE cannot enter establishments without a valid warrant ... If Congress will not check this administration, then Chicago will."

Bottom line: America isn’t a training ground. Our general and flag officers know this, but just in case one or two finds this: Don’t turn our troops into cops. Don’t turn our cities into battlefields. That’s a path we won't come back from. And that'll be on your shoulders instead of those stars!

"there is now proof that laughtivism is...a positive component of successful nonviolent activism. When you insert an element of play, you melt fear and you unmask authority’s weaknesses. ("What the Heck Just Happened?" @hcrichardson.bsky.social @jbf1755.bsky.social ) www.jstor.org/stable/10.75...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has halted the release of hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency preparedness grants, requiring states to prove their population counts before they can access the money. www.cnn.com/2025/10/02/p...

I don’t see any reason to believe that they won’t keep going bigger, harder, more violent until they finally cross some line. I guess that line wasn’t shooting & killing an immigrant in the street. Idk what it will be. I just know each week, they keep escalating.

"have some patience next time you encounter children interacting with the world in ways that are perhaps not super convenient...remember that it’s all part of how children construct their knowledge. Those seemingly chaotic kids are on their way to more obviously logical behavior soon."

What did the Inflation Reduction act ever do for us? "[Since Q2] 2022 through the first half of [2024], actual business and consumer investment [in clean energy] totaled $493 billion, a 71% increase from the two-year period preceding the legislation." www.cleaninvestmentmonitor.org/reports/tall...