Considering the obvious signs of her political ineffectiveness and physical frailties, there are flashing red lights pointing toward retirement rather than another run for office.

A Virginia special election just sent Democrat James Walkinshaw to Congress. The race continues a trend of massive Democratic overperformance in special elections—but there are reasons not to read too far into the trend. From @ggurley.bsky.social:

Most local officials don't even begin to understand the consequences: prospect.org/environment/...

Parsing the permutations of overperformance keeps data geeks and party officials happy, but shouldn’t raise expectations about tsunamis anywhere else.

After an easy victory in Northern Virginia, Rep. James Walkinshaw used his first speech to spotlight the woes faced by his constituents who’ve lost federal jobs. Dems should be happy about another House seat, but it doesn’t mean a midterm win is secure. From @gurleygg.bsky.social trib.al/bez5bwT

Most local officials don't even begin to understand the consequences: prospect.org/environment/...

Data center deluge: Towns are “just so in the dark about how big these facilities are going to be, where they’re going to get their power from, where they’re going to get their water from." prospect.org/environment/...

As data centers guzzle natural resources, their neighbors are often left in the shadows. From @gurleygg.bsky.social, why communities are pushing back: trib.al/C8LQt8Q

What is clear is that in data center land-use decision-making, local community members are often in the dark—and on their own—when it comes to making deals with data-center developers.

Local battles over data centers are going to be fascinating to watch over the next several years. @gurleygg.bsky.social looks at developments in Virginia and Arizona, where resource deprivation bumps up against communities desperate for tax dollars.

Perhaps the only reason why FEMA might actually remain a robust federal agency is the chaos that occurs every time this slimmed-down version struggles to deal with a natural disaster, especially in a red state. @gurleygg.bsky.social reports: prospect.org/environment/...

FEMA’s preoccupation with Trump’s agenda will cost lives— unless disaster forces a course correction. From @gurleygg.bsky.social: trib.al/H1kEaZX

Disaster won’t wait for politics. From @gurleygg.bsky.social, the danger of FEMA’s preoccupation with Trump’s agenda: trib.al/sH1pUjt

Josh Harris can't be happy...

FEMA’s preoccupation with political retribution is costing time—and lives. From @gurleygg.bsky.social, how natural disasters may be the agency’s saving grace: trib.al/wu4lim4

Today's DC announcement is not great news for @wshcommanders.bsky.social

You may have heard about a new Washington Commanders stadium in the context of Trump vowing to pull the plug without a name change. But the stadium deal itself is terrible, committing DC to spend over $1 billion amid a local depression caused by DOGE cuts. Great story from @gurleygg.bsky.social:

On the Prospect’s live show, @ddayen.bsky.social and @gurleygg.bsky.social break down the Commanders stadium deal, in which Washington, DC gives the NFL team $1b in public money for an annual rent of exactly…$1. Not the best negotiating job from Mayor Bowser: trib.al/ypbpXp2

Washington looks like it will get the Commanders back at RFK Stadium. Be careful what you will for....

The DC City Council basically saved Mayor Muriel Bowser from herself: My latest @prospect.org prospect.org/power/2025-0...

My take on the Washington Commanders deal in conversation with @ddayen.bsky.social

"Make it make sense....." prospect.org/power/2025-0...

D.C. wants to bring back the Commanders, but will the stadium deal sack Washingtonians? @gurleygg.bsky.social reports on the controversial plan to bring football back to the capital: https://trib.al/OcsWyLt

Fantasy football comes to Washington—My latest @theprospect prospect.org/power/2025-0...

Up to 31,000 Mainers could lose SNAP benefits thanks to Susan Collins’ party-line loyalty. Yet a viable 2026 challenger yet to emerge. From @gurleygg.bsky.social: https://trib.al/B3bD0co

"That a Democratic gov & members of the legislature would engage in small-d democratic backsliding to unspool a voter-sanctioned program that aims to provide universal preschool for 11,000 children in Multnomah County by 2030 has been a surprising, if not shocking, development in this [blue] state."

With the megabill cuts designed to take effect after the midterms, senators up for reelection like —the Maine Republican—can stress less. prospect.org/politics/202...

Susan Collins provided the deciding vote to advance a budget bill that will kick 10,000 Mainers off SNAP and 34,000 off Medicaid. She withheld an amendment that would have saved Maine's public radio stations. Will she pay a price at the ballot box? @gurleygg.bsky.social investigates.

Despite overwhelming voter support, state legislators are trying to kill an early education program poised to benefit thousands of Oregon children. @gurleygg.bsky.social reports: https://trib.al/5qo1D7N

Oregon Senate Democrats "vampire voting," direct-democracy backsliding flex fails end of lege session, but fails to deter attempts to drive a stake in tax supporting a Multnomah County preschool program—a levy approved by 64 percent of voters. My latest at @prospect.org: prospect.org/education/20...

Republicans have increasingly ignored, nullified, or reversed ballot measures passed by voters. Why are lawmakers in Oregon—including the governor—trying to do the same thing with universal pre-K in Portland? Maybe because of its small tax on the wealthy. @gurleygg.bsky.social reports:

Thousands of kids in Oregon’s Multnomah County will benefit from a fledgling early education program this fall. Despite voter support, state legislators are trying to kill it. From @gurleygg.bsky.social: https://trib.al/dLs6qIh

At the end of the OR Legislature’s 2025 session, some Democratic state senators tried to engage in some direct democracy backsliding by gutting a voter-approved preschool program. From @gurleygg.bsky.social: https://trib.al/jOKkKeS

Philadelphia may be one testing ground for what happens when federal public transportation funds dry up, and essential rides start disappearing. From @gurleygg.bsky.social‬: https://trib.al/y6SXUbK

The future of transit funding crises is here: Can the PA Legislature come up with a workable medium-term plan to save Philadelphia public transit from being totally gutted? prospect.org/infrastructu...

Philly is about to slash nearly half its transit service. What happens in Pennsylvania could shape the future of mass transit nationwide. From @gurleygg.bsky.social‬: https://trib.al/hIaJq39

They came together to trade tales of economic woe and climb out of the political muck to try to chart a way forward. My latest @prospect.org: prospect.org/world/2025-0...

There was a kind of Shadow G-7 held with Northeastern governors and Canadian premiers, trying to figure out what to do with the hash that U.S. leadership has served up. @gurleygg.bsky.social reports: prospect.org/world/2025-0...

While the West’s global power brokers met at the G7 summit, regional leaders gathered in Boston to discuss how Trump administration policies are damaging economies relationships along the northern border. From @gurleygg.bsky.social‬:

i just find this so bizarre. searching through texts and doing the reading for myself is how i actually think through ideas! trying to put together a sentence is how i figure out what i actually want to say!

Good discussion @emmarjanssen.bsky.social @prospect.org Yes to fare integration, but frequency is higher priority for supermajority of riders. No magic bullet for frequency; investment needed (all benefit-collective equity, economy & environmental benefits). prospect.org/infrastructu...

I've seen no stories about this elsewhere, but on the D-Day anniversary last Friday, tens of thousands of veterans protested the creeping privatization of their health care system. Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early reported on the DC rally and satellite actions in over 250 cities:

Virginia goes to the polls next week in a primary election, where the top of the ticket is largely uncontested. @gurleygg.bsky.social looks at the governor's race and the rest of the ballot. prospect.org/politics/202...

Congress is poised to kill clean energy production tax credits in Trump's megabill. But the biggest state for clean energy in the nation is Texas, which couldn't get a rollback through its own state legislature. @gurleygg.bsky.social reports: prospect.org/environment/...

Texas conservatives were set to halt its deployment of green energy, which is rapidly becoming central to the state economy. Remarkably, it did not work - this time. From @gurleygg.bsky.social: prospect.org/environment/...

Missouri voters voted to set up a paid sick leave system through ballot initiative in 2024. Republicans in the state legislature, leveraging some legal chicanery, just voted to abolish it. prospect.org/politics/202...

Missouri voters ushered in paid sick leave for eligible in last November. Business leaders started working to tear it down in December and state lawmakers finished the job last week. My latest @prospect.org: prospect.org/politics/202...

The private weather sector has been deeply embedded in the National Weather Service for decades and plenty of their products are powered by @nws.noaa.gov. Plus they don't have the scientific assets that the feds have/had government has. prospect.org/environment/...