I’d started to wonder whether the Epstein files were a bit of a macguffin, but no no they implicate the President of the United States in a pedophilia ring—and show the entire Republican Party as well as much of the federal government has been baldly covering it up. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

What was Trump doing with a minor for hours at Jeffrey Epstein's house? 🤔

"the trajectory is really really really good if you look at it." 🤔

@chusak.bsky.social shows that expiring Affordable Care Act premium tax credits--which Dems are fighting to extend--mean more to true small business owners than so-called "small business tax relief" included in this summer's Republican megabill, which went almost entirely to the rich

New @americanprogress.bsky.social I find that 4.4 million small business owners and self-employed people face a $1,500 mean tax hike this year. When enhanced marketplace tax credits expire, businesspeople making <$150k, face a larger tax hike than eliminating the passthru deduction

We already have a system where the results of most elections are predetermined because the Supreme Court allows partisan gerrymandering. Eliminating the VRA’s representation requirements allows the full slate of members from each state to be predetermined by a single party.

Truly can’t believe they took this quote www.thebulwark.com/p/the-other-...

Shot/chaser

Policy changes enacted since the start of the year (One Big Bill and tariffs) will hurt Americans' 2027 incomes on average at every income level by about -$1,500 Except the top 1%. They can expect a +$5,000 income bump

shoutout to my colleague @chusak.bsky.social for this analysis

Do they not have free speech rights?

This to me is the defining quality of the rule of law: If an official gives an illegal order, then people do not follow it. The Fed is in a stronger position to uphold this principle than a lot of other institutions.

This action by Lisa Cook is courageous, principled, and deserves broad support.

Lisa Cook is absolutely right to ignore Trump's lawless, illegal attempt to fire her. The Fed must always remain independent.

One thing leftists seem to believe is that Democrats can run against, achieve power, and use power to go to war with the most powerful institutions in society: - police - military - courts - billionaires - corporate power structure - social conservatism You actually need some (2?3?) on your side.

A jobs day to remember! Check out my latest video for the full story on what happened on Friday and what this means for our economy

the voting rights act is, in its entirety, obviously constitutional under the 15th amendment, which gives congress broad and proactive authority to stop racial discrimination in voting. and you know it is obviously constitutional because roberts has had to invent entire new doctrines to gut it.

Healthcare, the one industry still doing major hiring, is in for big federal cuts. First, NIH and NSF cuts this year. Next, ACA subsidy cuts starting next year. Then, Medicaid cuts starting in the coming years. How long do they keep hiring for?

Despite appearances, the OBBBA's "no tax on tips" provision will only benefit a small number of workers, and many of them will suffer more from the law's severe program cuts. Learn more: www.americanprogress.org/article/desp...

New research from me @americanprogress.bsky.social today: How will Trump’s OBBBA affect tipped workers? Most have focused on “no tax on tips”, but tipped workers are esp. vulnerable to the bill’s program cuts. Medicaid & SNAP cuts vastly outweigh the worker tax cuts

Let's put the $3.4 trillion cost of Republican reconciliation law in context. Its tax cuts are so costly that Republicans could have extended all of the expiring tax cuts for families (including millionaires) without cutting SNAP/Medicaid...and it would have cost *less*.

The congressional Republican bill will cause millions of low-income Americans to lose Medicaid coverage in order to fund tax giveaways for the top 1% of households.

After years of debates about inflation and fiscal stimulus, its striking that Republicans are passing a new fiscal stimulus. Even relative to current policy, this bill pours $500 billion into the economy, mostly over the next 3 years

My statement

Today's number (+147K) shows steady job growth in an economy anxious about Trump’s tariffs and weakening consumer spending threatening to slow investment. An inopportune moment for Congress to pass a budget bill that kills jobs, guts basic needs programs, and adds $3.4 trillion in deficits. Why? 🧵

I want to be very clear about what’s happening: Senate Republicans know the parliamentarian will say they can’t use 312 to pretend tax cuts are free (because two have two Byrd rule problems). So they are refusing to meet with her so they can pretend they never ignored her when they do it anyway.

Senate Republicans are calling to cut Medicaid and CHIP by over $1 trillion, growing to an 18% cut by 2034. This would be at least four times the size of the largest Medicaid cut in history.

Republicans just lost 10% of the affirmative savings they wanted to get in reconciliation. Truly in awe of the Bernie Sanders HELP staff and the Jeff Merkley Budget staff.

Some personal news

amtrak’s marketing team gets it

NYT found the “big beautiful bill” would be the largest transfer from the poor to the rich in a single law since at least 1990. In fact, it would be the largest transfer *ever.* Reagan’s low-income cuts were MUCH smaller - and his tax cuts were done separately. And before him, nothing comes close.

Folks, CBO estimate of the distributional effect of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is out: www.cbo.gov/system/files... It's grotesque

New figures from CBO about how Americans at different income levels are affected by the GOP's Big Beautiful Bill. Topline finding: Richest decile gets about 2% richer. Poorest decile gets about 4% poorer. www.cbo.gov/publication/...

New from CRFB, we estimate how mortgage costs will increase in 2034 as a result of the OBBBA. The bill's deficits ⬆️ mortgage costs, meeting or exceed the tax cut for many families: -Avg mortgage payment +$1,450 -vs pp tax cut of $1,550 By 2055, costs skyrocket

New from CRFB, we estimate how mortgage costs will increase in 2034 as a result of the OBBBA. The bill's deficits ⬆️ mortgage costs, meeting or exceed the tax cut for many families: -Avg mortgage payment +$1,450 -vs pp tax cut of $1,550 By 2055, costs skyrocket

On top of everything else, Cuomo is yet another politician who doesn't live in New York City. On top of all of his flaws, why are these groups just glossing over the reality that the guy is squatting his daughter's apartment just so he can run for mayor? He doesn't know anything about city life.

The Presidency, May 2025.

pants-on-fire statement about the bill's effect on the deficit, but she is right that according to some analysts this bill will reduce economic growth! www.crfb.org/blogs/perman...

Brutal account of what it’s like to teach at the University of Florida right now in the NYT—extraordinary climate of fear. People afraid to say intersectional and talk about lynchings. Fake students trying to entrap Muslim faculty or just making things up altogether. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/o...

Brilliant to eliminate Energy Star, a program that costs $32m but delivered $40b in annual savings. None other than the US chamber of commerce tried to save it as a model of business/government partnership. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/c...

Trump is facing pretty normal political and public opinion backlash to his wilder moves, with the important exception of a business community that remains reluctant to criticize even decisions that are straightforwardly bad for their companies. www.slowboring.com/p/the-most-d...

Mayor Bowser is asking the DC Council for $856 million in public funds to subsidize a new Commanders stadium. We think the real price paid by taxpayers will be more like…$6 billion.

A political masterclass by the Democrats: They chose as the face of their opposition to Trump a dying septuagenarian instead of the member drawing 20K+ anti-Trump protest crowds across the country, who is now off the committee and unlikely to make a comeback. www.politico.com/live-updates...

But actually this. There is no reason states need a "state Senate". They're the same thing as the state House, just with larger boundaries! Completely duplicative for no reason at all

So much of the lawlessness we are seeing now is occurring because the officials involved a) know they can be pardoned by b) a President with SCOTUS-granted immunity. They might prattle on about accountability, but they are bound to him for protection as they break the law.

The NYC council voting for this downgrade was just such an own goal.

I think saying "in America, everyone is innocent until proven guilty" works better for low-info normies than saying "due process" does

So glad that comedy is legal again

It certainly looks like Elon Musk’s henchmen stole all the data from the agency which protects workers rights, tried to cover it up, and then threatened to kill the guy who blew the whistle on it.