this is the quintessential example of what Bruce Schneier and I call a "common knowledge attack" on democracy. It isn't just that the fake comments can masquerade as real ones. It's that flooding the zone makes public commenting _as a whole_ unreliable and readily dismissed, even from real people.
"I don’t back down when I get bullied. I fight harder. Everyone I see out here is like, What do you think—we’re gonna quit? We live here."
www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...
It’s taken all hands: Nearly 30,000 “constitutional observers,” plus tens of thousands on the streets to film agents, deliver groceries, and accompany neighbors to school or church.
They've shown the world how to fight back—without resorting to the violence being used against them. trib.al/IwlSS56
In 2022, I met up with a friend working in the administration. I wanted to treat him to brunch.
But he and I have similar interests and someday I might want something from his department.
So he wouldn't let me pay for his $13 plate of eggs and bacon. That's how the ethics rules worked.
graph tracking democratic backsliding is occuring more quickly in the US than elsewhere.
New from me: It is not just that the US is experiencing democratic backsliding. Authoritarianism has emerged more quickly than in other benchmark countries.
This graph from John Burn-Murdoch sums it up. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/autocracy-...
Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, who studies democracy backsliding, on Don Lemon's arrest:
“This is a new dimension. In democracies, journalists don't get arrested. In authoritarian regimes, journalists get arrested."
More in @status.news: www.status.news/p/don-lemon-...
Over 300,000 Americans demanded that Sen. Crapo investigate DOGE's theft of our data.
He is feeling the pressure — but we need a full Congressional investigation, not just a letter.
US court allows ICE to arrest and pepper-spray peaceful protestors in Minnesota
Appeals Court Stays Restrictions on Federal Tactics in Minnesota The Eighth Circuit granted the Trump administration’s request to block, at least for now, a lower court’s injunction limiting how federal agents interact with protesters in the state.
One court decision, two different headlines.
Guardian on the left, NY Times on the right. Which one more directly conveys information and the stakes to the reader?
A lot of government, especially at the federal level, is stopping bad things from happening. It is hard to explain its value when the bad thing does not happen. Take it away, and broader societal risks increase, but the effects may take a while to emerge, and will be contested by those cutting govt.
Minnesotans are standing up against this federal lawlessness. Please stand with us.
Call your U.S. elected officials and tell them to stop DHS's lawlessness & disruption.
They are here now but they could head toward your family next.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
BREAKING:
We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing
People have had seizures. They passed out.
“I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen
Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
NEW paper on SSI youth transitioning to adulthood:
More than 4 in 10 low-income disabled children receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits lose eligibility when they turn 18, even though many continue to have work-limiting health conditions. 🧵
www.cbpp.org/research/soc...
Grim new analysis from KFF: The administration's move to re-adopt the public charge rule could have a chilling effect that leads to several million people dropping Medicaid coverage — including tens of thousands of citizen children
www.kff.org/medicaid/pot...
Big new U.S. job quality survey just dropped.
From Gallup, my @upjohninstitute.bsky.social colleagues Sue Houseman & @truesdale.bsky.social & others.
Data will be public & longitudinal.
finance.yahoo.com/news/landmar...
Less than half of U.S. workers hold a quality job with predictable schedules, safety & respect, a voice at work, and room for advancement. The Upjohn Institute partnered on a new survey revealing critical gaps in job quality and why they matter.
Read more:
#Jobs #Workforce #econsky #JobQuality
New from me: Russ Vought is using federal employees as hostages in federal shutdown negotiations, threatening mass firings if Dems do not accept Trump's terms.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court just allowed Vought to impose a de facto impoundment of foreign aid.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/shutdown-h...
🧵 Big changes may be coming to disability benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is preparing a rule that could reshape how eligibility is determined for SSDI and SSI. Here’s what you need to know—and why it matters. www.urban.org/research/pub...
NABE Stands with the Bureau of Labor Statistics A high-quality, independent statistical system is one of the key reasons the United States is such a great place to do business. Trusted data fuels confident investment, sound policymaking, and strong markets. NABE members rely on BLS data every day to inform strategy and decisions at their companies, and we trust the accuracy and independence of that work. It’s a critical moment for BLS: 🔹 Operating with reduced budgets and lower headcount 🔹 Modernizing in the face of declining survey response rates 🔹 Releasing its annual benchmark revisions 🔹 Preparing for a leadership change Through all this, BLS professionals remain committed to getting the numbers right, and NABE stands firmly with them. We urge policymakers, business leaders, and everyone who relies on evidence-based decisions to defend and protect the integrity of the U.S. statistical system and ensure it remains the global gold standard. 📄 Read NABE’s full statement of support below:
Thanks to the National Association of Business Economists for this important statement.
#NumbersDay #StandWithBLS #EconSky
www.linkedin.com/posts/nation...
A quick bit of journalism reveals that at least three members of Trump's cabinet claimed more than one property as their primary residence, and I'm starting to wonder whether Trump's attacks on Lisa Cook reflect a sincere concern about mortgage fraud.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Critical reading for #JobsDay.
The lies' laughable implausibility is a feature, not a bug.
They're not trying to convince discerning, skeptical, fact-based people. They're trying to give supporters a fantasy that validates their feelings and creates a sort of loyalty test, while flaunting the absurdity in everyone else's faces.
Please comment: Some source material to draw from here: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
Update:
Appeals court overturns 90-years-settled law to make American employees' legal rights to speak up & act together to improve their jobs subject to presidential veto.
Huge victory handed to Musk, Bezos, & other bosses. Big loss for labor. SCOTUS likely upholds
prospect.org/justice/2025...
They specifically uploaded the 'NUMIDENT' file. This record includes your name, social security number, your birth date, your birth place, your parents' names and social security numbers, gender, and immigration status. The security threat is profound.
What to make of POTUS's attempt to fire the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)?
Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...
If you had a sense that kicking people off of Medicaid would be bad for their health, that is only scratching the surface of how bad Trump's policies will be for public health in America.
@jbarofsky.bsky.social & @pamherd.bsky.social do a deep dive. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/how-trumps...
@truesdale.bsky.social and I were happy to have @washingtonpost.com highlight our thoughts on Medicaid work requirements. There is even more cause for concern now the bill has become law. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
If you've written a dissertation about work, employment, unemployment, social insurance, or labor markets, you've already done the work -- now submit to the Upjohn Institute Dissertation Award! Open to all disciplines.
#EconSky #Sociology #PoliSky #PolicySky
I see a lot of room for optimism here.
Not even the majority of Republicans are in favor of this bill. Opposition to the bill rises the more people learn about it. Tax cuts for people making above $200k have scant support, same with money for immigrant detention centers.
wapo.st/4efAykY
This searchable map of No Kings marches to join on Saturday is impressively crowded:
www.nokings.org#map
