6 Nov 2025 -- In a ruling from its shadow docket, an unsigned Supreme Ct decision backs Trump emergency request to force passport for trans people to record their bio-sex, finds it does not constitute differential treatment. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

Sandwich Guy is acquitted of felony assault on CBP guy with a sandwich. If it didn't explode when it hit, you must acquit! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The Heritage Foundation has _finally_ found something too right-wing...maybe. Staffers are revolting after president Kevin Roberts backs Tucker Carlson for his softball interview of neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, head of Groypers which praises white Christian nationalism & Hitler.

6 Nov 2025 -- LA Angel City team distances itself from "racist and transphobic" op-ed by player calling on Natl Women's Soccer to implement "gender standards" incl. testing for ovaries or genes. NWSL has no trans players but does allow them to compete. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

6 Nov 2025 -- Homeland Security (DHS) opens public comment on new rule allowing it to impose mandatory “biological sex” DNA testing on millions of immigrants as part of its mass biometric surveillance program, putting targets on the backs of trans & intersex people. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

Great vid of the head of Miss Universe Thailand trying to berate (and humiliate) Ms. Mexico, and when she talks back he calls security so they call get up en masse and stage a walk-out while he orders them to sit down. You GO girls! www.bbc.com/news/videos/...

6 Nov 2025 -- Lost in the news last night, a small PA town elects state's first transgender mayor. Eria Deuso of Downington (30 miles west of Philly) won 64% to 35% over her Rep. rival. Can the statehouse be far away? @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

From pollster Nate Silver: CA Prop 50, in a non-election year mind you, outperformed home-state favorite VP Kamala Harris's in 2024 by 8% (!) -- that is, by 28% to 20%. People stood in line for hours just to vote on Prop 50 in effect for just 5 addl House seats. www.natesilver.net/p/a-1010-nig...

A 13-year-long supermajority in the Mississippi State Senate has been broken after Tuesday’s special election with Dems flipping 2 seats. Reps still outnumber Dems but must cross the aisle for votes requiring 2/3 majority to to override gov vetoes.

5 Nov 2025 -- Great CNN stat: 50% of VA voters agreed that support for transgender rights has “gone too far” This was the main point of Rep Winsome Earle-Sears's attacks on Spanberger. 22% of these pull the lever for Spanberger anyway. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

CNN stats: +14.5% Spanberger+Sherrill's avg among under-30 males which Trump split with Harris in 2024. Last time VA Dems won gov race by this much: 1961. Last time NJ elected same party to gov 3 times straight: 1965 Spanberger+Sherrill’s avg among who dislike both parties: 79.5% (!!)

Great quote from one of attorneys arguing against Trump tariffs in SCrt to today that cuts to the heart of the matter: "Tariffs are taxes. They take dollars from Americans pockets and deposit them in the US Treasury, our founders gave that taxing power to Congress alone. "

Uh-oh. The first AI-supercharged virus malware is showing up. Still crude, but it will get better. Think twice before clicking on that unexpected personalized email from someone/some company you know. www.axios.com/2025/11/05/g...

BTW I forgot to mention that that transgender jorno that Brianna Wu slimed as "male-brained" was none other than Assigned Media's own famous Aly Gibbs.

5 Nov 2025 -- WSJ editorial board--Democrats Start Their Comeback (un-paywalled): "Trump rolled to victory in 2024 promising to reduce inflation & make middle-class life more affordable [but now] Democrats are turning the tables on affordability..." @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

I'm expecting last night's election results to finally focus Rep minds on ending the govt shutdown. If they thought this was playing well for them, last night's sweep by Dems up and down ballot should disabuse them of any idea that stringing it out and blaming the Dems is a political winner.

Transphobia kills, literally. The stresses of transphobia can cause harm to our physical health. @veraeikon.bsky.social dives into the science in this month's Journal Club. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

Four years ago standard-business-Rep-turned-anti-trans-culture-warrior Glenn Younkin edged out Dem Terry McAuliffe by 2% in VA in part by attacking him on trans issues, helping set at template for other Rep candidates nationally, incl. Trump. Looks like bloom is coming off that rose.

In VA gov race, Dem Abigail Spanberger defeated rabidly anti-trans Rep Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by 15 points (57%-43%) even though WES spent 57% of her advertising dollars (~$30m) on anti-trans ads, including the old "they/them" line.

5 Nov 2025 -- Sometime anti-trans trans pundit Brianna Wu posts public apology to “trans sisters” saying she was “wrong” to cede ground on trans rights, then walks it back and slimes a trans woman jorno as “male-brained.” @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

Why is it I look at Gavin Newsom and see the Dem version of Rep Mitt Romney -- another empty suit with a good profile and great hair who will say whatever is necessary to get elected.

The other elephant in this political room no one is discussing yet is that Trump is a lame-duck president. When the mid-terms end in a year, everyone will start focusing like a laser on the next Presidential election and what those candidates are saying. And his political authority will leak away.

This is the core problem with Trumpism-- despite appearances (House/Senate/WhtHs), Christian nationalism/MAGA is not all that popular. And the man is an idiot when it comes to economics, which is the one thing every voter cares about. Wouldn't be surprised to see 30-35% approval by mid-terms.

From Erin Reed: Loudoun County—from which Trump threated to withhold fed funding for upholding restroom access—rejected anti-trans Rep & elected 2 trans rights Dems.--incl. one who represented trans students in court against outgoing anti-trans Rep Gov Glenn Youngkin.

5 Nov 2025 -- In stunning rebuke to Trump and to Reps still running on anti-trans social panic, Dems nearly ran the table last night, winning up & down ballot in VA & NJ, the NYC Mayoral race, in CA on redistricting measure, & keeping PA Supreme Court majority. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

As Winston Churchill never said about last night's sweep of Dems up and down ballots against Reps running on fanning anti-trans social panic: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

Actually kinda glad to see so many folx jumping to McBride's defense. The interweb in general and Bluesky specifically have not been kind to her and I think some of that criticism has been overly harsh.

Getting a lot of pushback on McBride quote. I would only add for those who think her silence on trans rights works, I would add that AOC, Andy Beshear, Baldwin, Mamdani, Buttigieg, etc have managed to be openly proudly pro-trans w/o letting it sideline them or define them. (Yes they're not trans...)

People keep going on about "Trump's a fascist" which I think misses the point, which to me is that the white Christian nationalist Republican BASE is fascist-- which to me is a much bigger problem for democracy and which no mainstream outlet writes about.

All Trump's bleating about tariffs undermined in a single chart illustrating just how quickly sanctioned govt's can adapt, even to enormous shortfalls like $38b. (NYT) Basically they just sold more to the EU, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.

4 Nov 2025 -- Anti-trans journalist Ben Ryan (no we won't link) is reporting today that--following Erin Reed's post on Washington State U. credentialing SPLC designated hate group SEGM to provide Continuing Medical Education credits to doctors--the course was suspended. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

4 Nov 2025 -- If you're a TikTok user looking for its transgender emoji you won't find it. The emoji has suddenly gone missing without no explanation. Prbly has nothing at all to do with Trump's control over its pending sale. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

So of course Cheney is all over the front pages. The Bush+Cheney regime was the beginning of this Christian right power grab. Interesting how far it got away from anything they pbly ever imagined and how completely irrelevant both have become. Also that Reagan guy.

Interestingly, among all the issues the Guardian poll asked about -- economy, inflation govt shutdown, immigration-- these pollster never ask about trans issues altho it's one of 2 key issues many Reps are still campaigning on. It's a huge oversight/mis-match.

As we head into the first election cycle of this Trump presidency, Guardian has his approval rating hitting a new low of just 37% with 68% of those surveyed saying things are not going well in the US. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

4 Nov 2025 -- Advocate does a deep-dive interview with trans Rep Sarah McBride (D-DE). @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

Such a reveling quote from Sarah McBride's Advocate interview: “If I let them make me the issue, then the actual issues — health care, housing, jobs — get lost.” I wonder: How is transgender rights NOT an "actual issue"????

From Erin Reed: The poll arrives when “centrist” groups are urging Dems to distance from trans rights...One Dem strategist said Reps are “falling into the fundamental mistake of trying to refight the last war and not realizing that the battlefield has changed…”

From Erin Reed: VA was ground zero for GOP’s modern anti-transgender playbook when Glenn Youngkin won the 2021 governor’s race on a platform steeped in anti-trans rhetoric, setting off a nationwide wave of copycat campaigns.

3 Nov 2025 -- AtlasIntel poll finds voters prefer Dems approach to trans rights over Reps. Voters preferred Abigail Spanberger in VA (53%) and Mikie Sherrill in NJ (52%) when it came to trans issues. Both comfortably lead Rep opponents in gubernatorial races. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

So sad: 60 Min interview edits out Trump his reply to question about Binance pardon. CBS: "So not concerned about the appearance of corruption with this?". Trump's stammering reply: "I can't say, because — I can't say — I'm not concerned. I don't — I'd rather not have you ask the question."

I was really pleased with how the main photo from the Fenway Health protest on Saturday came out. Ideally, I'd just be a writer and not do images or videos, but in this day and age you kinda have to be willing to do a little of everything. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

3 Nov 2025 -- ABC/Ipsos/WashPo poll shows 2/3 of voters think US "pretty seriously off on the wrong track" inc.77% of Inds. This is a _decrease_ from run-up to Nov 2024 elections of 75% (!) Fully 59% disapprove of Trump with jut 41% approve: a -18% gap. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

WashPo is begging the question, assuming that anti-trans attacks worked for Trump when a lot of good polling says it didn't appear to have much effect. But this gets out there and solidifies the myth. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

Nov 2025 -- UK Liberal Dem's LGBT+ and Young Liberals caucuses outraged over new party rules allotting seats in party elections by biological sex under new Supreme Ct ruling. At least 5 trans candidates affected. Even the women's group Lib Dem Women expressed concern. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

2 Nov 2025 -- Trump DOE releases rule denying student loan forgiveness to those working at LGBTQ+ groups, stating intent is to penalized organizations which support "...performing prohibited medical procedures that attempt to transition children...” @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

A cluster of different polls have Trump deeply underwater -- like landslide territory unpopular for the coming midterms: [From the Silver Bulletin]

Nov 2025 -- Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Bill Maher that demons might be aliens who fell from heaven, and she was was Rothchild's-- who she accused of being part of space laser conspiracy--were Jewish. The gift that keep giving. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

ICE has been hyper-militarized with agents geared up like they're raiding ISIS bomb houses in Afghanistan--bulletproof vest, ballistic helmet, gas mask, kneepad, ammo clips, etc. for what are CIVILIAN operations in CIVILIAN areas that bust unarmed students, husbands, & housewives. Sickening.

1 Nov 2025 --Fed District Judge Jamal Whitehead rules wide-ranging DOJ subpoena served on QueerDoc, a telemed pediatric care provider, cannot be enforced bec. not part of legitimate investigation. This was one of 20 served last June. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social