To Americans, pharmaceutical healthcare is nothing but dollars. Eliminating human need is an attack on US billionaires and their exploitive profits.

The "insulin industry" is particularly disgusting when you realize that when Frederick Banting discovered insulin in 1923, he refused to put his name on the patent because he felt it was unethical for a doctor to profit from a discovery that would save lives, so Banting’s co-inventors, James Collip and Charles Best, sold the insulin patent to the University of Toronto for a mere $1 since they wanted everyone who needed their medication to be able to afford it.

Americans profiteers then went on to patent every method of manufacturing this "free invention" for their own profit.

#healthcare #uspol

The SAVE act is really the SAVE THE GOP act. Don't fall for it.

#NoSAVEAct #ImpeachDonaldTrump #NoRepublicansEverAgain #RepublicansOwnItAll #RepublicanKakistocracy #VoteBlueToSaveEverything #NoFascism #USPol

I was told the stock market would crash, unemployment and inflation would rise, our allies wouldn’t be taking us seriously anymore, the war in Ukraine would still be going, and the ceasefire in Israel would collapse if Kamala Harris became president. Good thing we avoided that.

#uspol #kamalaharris #wallstreet #unemployment #ukraine #trump

Interview: "Detained Without Evidence”: Maryland Father Remains in El Salvador Prison After SCOTUS Ruling"

"Immigrants expelled to El Salvador have been largely denied their legal rights & detained without clear evidence."

They are then incarcerated in Salvadoran mega-prisons that carry out forced disappearances.

~Noah Bullock, Cristosal human rights organization, Central America.

democracynow.org/2025/4/8/supr…

#scotus #trump #uspol #fascism #illegaldeportation .

“Detained Without Evidence”: Maryland Father Remains in El Salvador Prison After SCOTUS Ruling

The Supreme Court has paused a lower court order that instructed the Trump administration to immediately bring back a U.S. legal resident who was “mistakenly” sent to El Salvador, giving the court more time to deliberate on the case.

^{Democracy Now!}

Angry constituent here: "It’s very hard to get people to believe that anyone is trying to end research into finding cures for diseases that affect everyone. The richest people get #cancer & #Alzheimers & #Parkinson’s. . . . & yet it is happening. Quite simply, until elected officials start hearing from angry constituents in town halls who are pissed that their futures & the futures of their loved ones are being lit on fire for no reason, then nothing matters."

talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/n…

#USPol

Notes on Civil Society’s Quasi-War with A Renegade President

This post isn’t quite a post in the way I normally do them, more jotting down some of my brainstorming over the weekend. Universities are a core pillar of civil…

^{Josh Marshall (TPM - Talking Points Memo)}

Read this, weep, refuse to comply, & don't be paralyzed by the evil.

"I understand that we have an immigration problem. I do," Riggs said. "I understand that our country cannot harbor every single person that crosses its borders. I understand that there are really bad people that we have to find." But starting w/a 73-year-old grandfather who has a #heart condition & who is the primary caretaker of his wife w/#dementia is not the solution, she said.

theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/…

#Fascism
#USPol

ICE agents arrest 73-year-old grandfather in Louisiana who has lived in US for 45 years

The Lafayette man was detained outside of a gas station on his way to work, and his family posted a video begging for prayers and help to bring him home.

^{The Advocate}

Sensitive content Click to open/close

My mom wants to watch the Booker speech on her TV, but we can't find a single station showing it.

Lots of commentary. Lots of chyrons. Can't find it. We will not go to Fox, she is very clear about that.

Help a guy's dear old mother?

Edit: Never did find an answer, but since the filibuster is finished, there's no point in seeking additional help. Thanks to everyone that chimed in and/or boosted.

#FediHelp #USPol

When the physicists need burner phones, that’s when you know America’s changed

>>At international academic conferences recently, one sees an interesting trend. Some American participants are travelling with “burner” phones or have minimalist laptops running browsers and not much else. In other words, they are equipped with the same kind of kit that security-conscious people used to bring 15 years ago when travelling to China.<<

#JohnNaughton #TheGuardian #USA #USPol #Research #Oppression #Authoritarianism
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/m…

When the physicists need burner phones, that’s when you know America’s changed

US academics, fearing persecution by their own government, are becoming ideological refugees. Europe, and Britain, must offer them sanctuary

^{John Naughton (The Guardian)}

THIS IS IMPEACHABLE!!!

President Bystander: Trump appears out of the loop in his own White House
msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/m…

#BystanderTrump #EndTrump #EndMusk #DonaldKrasnov #RepublicansOwnThis #GOPKakistocracy #GOPWeirdos #NoRepublicansEverAgain #USPol

President Bystander: Trump appears out of the loop in his own White House

Confronted with key questions about life-or-death issues, Donald Trump looks like a bystander, offering the public a lot of shrugged shoulders and blank stares.

^{Steve Benen (MSNBC)}

Thank you, Bishops! He's a threat to the entire world.

More leaders: STAND UP!!!!

'The President is a dangerous threat': Lutheran bishops take a stand
alternet.org/lutheran-christia…

#EndTrump #EndMusk #DonaldKrasnov #RepublicansOwnThis #GOPKakistocracy #GOPWeirdos #NoRepublicansEverAgain #USPol

'The President is a dangerous threat': Lutheran bishops take a stand

Who gets to decide what is Christian? What does religious liberty look like today? With so much unsettling and destabilizing news coming from the new administration in Washington, DC, it’s hard to keep up with and keep track of everything.

^{Wisconsin Examiner (Alternet.org)}

Didn't we miss news about tariffs?!? This will be pretty awful for Canada

"President Trump says he will place a 25 percent tariff on all cars that are not built in the United States."

#cdnpoli #uspol

SOCIAL SECURITY IS BREAKING DOWN!!!

Washington Post: “The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts because the servers were overloaded.

1/2

#SocialSecurity #DOGE #SSI #USPol

And so, here we are #canada #cdnpoli

A version of this @ #globeandmail

“What’s the probability of this kind of scenario? Ten per cent, 5 per cent, or 1 per cent? No one can say for sure. But it’s certainly not zero. And given the existential cost to Canada, we’d be stupid not to take it seriously. In game-theory terms, we need to pursue a strategy of “minimax regret” – to minimize, as best we can, the possibility of worst-case outcomes.”

cascadeinstitute.org/prepare-f…

#ElbowsUp #trump #usa #uspol

The Department of Education being closed is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

Most #maga supporters want it as #trump and #doge convinced them schools were federally funded, and they were going to overhaul and fix it.

They're too uneducated to know that it's already funded by states, and The Department of Education exists to fill gaps in resources, especially for #disabled and disadvantaged children.

Which red states need THE MOST.

scoopzapp.com/n/0zov4KM2?ctype…

#scoopz #signalboost #uspol

#TrumpEdOrder States ALREADY Fund their Own Schools. The Department of Education is for Disadvantaged Children & Funding Gaps in Poorer Areas!

^{scoopzapp.com}

There are a lot of Canadians who don’t want to visit the US just now. But if you have to, I would strongly advise going by air, because US CBP is in the airport in Canada. So they can still arbitrarily refuse entry because you voted Liberal or your name is Nadia or whatever, but they can’t throw you into detention without recourse, which they definitely can at the highway crossings, and seem to be doing more of.

#USpol

"I deal with every country, indirectly or directly. One of the nastiest countries to deal with is Canada," Trump said.

He continued: "Canada was meant to be the 51st state because we subsidize Canada by $200 billion a year."

Do not tell Canadians that he's "just kidding". Or that the threats are not real.

#cdnpoli #uspol

Family members of Venezuelan migrants who suspect their loved ones were sent to El Salvador as part of a rapid US #deportation operation over the weekend are struggling to get more info as a legal battle plays out.

Advocates have launched a WhatsApp helpline for people searching for family members, while #immigration attorneys have tried to locate their clients after they went dark.

#law #Constitution #DueProcess #CivilRights #USpol #Trump #AbuseOfPower #AlienEnemiesAct
reuters.com/world/americas/rel…

The public comment period for the transphobic bullshit on US passports ends TOMORROW! (Monday)

federalregister.gov/documents/…

#trans #transphobia #USPol

A friend of mine, Amy Paris, has decided to speak out after being fired from DHHS, where she oversaw the safety of organ donations across the US. As a high-performer and one of the highest-ranking trans people in the US government, it’s hard not to see this as politically-motivated.

19thnews.org/2025/02/amy-paris…

#USPol #transgender #trans #19thNews

6,000 probationary USDA employees hired back.

Guantanamo detainees brought back stateside

Weldon's CDC nomination yanked.

Tesla stock in the toilet.

Pushback works. Court battles work. Protests work.

We can't save everything, but the things we can save are worth saving.

Keep going.

#uspol

I had to learn a lot about parliamentary government when studying for Canadian citizenship so I have all the passion of the recently-converted but I think we're all getting a lesson on which is the superior* approach right now.

*Not perfect, of course. And I'm still holding my breath for the Canadian election.

#USpol #government #canpoli

The public comment period is currently open for a proposal to remove NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) regulations. Please share this with your networks and add your thoughts: federalregister.gov/documents/…

#EPA
#PublicComment
#NEPA
#CLIMATEchange
#USPol
#Trump

Trump and MAGA Republicans are attempting to dismantle the Department of Education to enrich themselves, at the expense of our students, families, and communities.
100K plus MoveOn members have signed. Will you text BLOCK to 668366 to add your name to the protest petition, too?

#SaveEducation #Petition #USPol

I was literally joking about the Netherlands offering to make New York into New Amsterdam again last week.

My wish has come true!

Well done @EUCommission 👏

#USpol #NLpol #EUpol #funny #YesPlease

I haven't fact checked that, so I'm assuming it's bullshit (and that our own tariffs will stay on as Trudeau said he didn't care about half measures)

"Trump’s tariffs will still apply to about 50% of Mexican imports and more than 60% Canadian goods.

The president’s exemptions apply only to goods that are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the deal negotiated during Trump’s first term that governs trade in North America.

White House official told CNBC that only about 50% of Mexican imports and 38% of Canadian imports are USMCA compliant."

#cdnpoli
#uspol

Tariffs still not lifted for Canada, contrary to Mexico.

Because everyone knows that we export more fentanyl and immigrants from the North, of course!

(Definitely not about annexation)

#cdnpoli #uspol

#Trump claimed that his #trade policy will be “great” for the American #farmer because they won’t have to compete w/foreign producers.

Actual #farmers point out that the #US #agriculture industry produces far more corn, soybeans, pork, chicken, cattle etc. than Americans could possibly consume. Farmers say they need foreign markets, but other countries impose #tariffs on their goods in #retaliation for Trump’s tariffs. That cuts them off from the foreign customers they need.

#USpol #idiocracy

#Trump trashes the federal work force for not being at work in person since the pandemic, & says those who “resist this change will be removed from office immediately.”

The days of being ruled by “unelected bureaucrats” are over, Trump says.

#Democrats scoff & point up at the gallery where #Musk is sitting.

#USpol #FactCheck #TrumpLies

#Trump falsely stated that #DOGE has found “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud.” DOGE has claimed to have cut $9 billion thus far.

Trump is talking about firing federal workers & “reclaiming power from bureaucrats.” His efforts to expand presidential power by firing workers and removing independent agency leaders have been largely blocked so far in federal courts.

#FactCheck #TrumpLies #Musk #USpol

Side bar: Rep #AlGreen’s official twitter account has spent the last few days tweeting about people who committed acts of defiance: #NatTurner. #HarrietTubman. The #Democrat from #Texas’s pinned post is of the late congressman #JohnLewis.

#GoodTrouble

#JointSession #Trump #USpol

Brilliant! #Democrats have paddles like Olympic Judges to #FactCheck #TrumpLies!

Signs read: “False”, “Save Medicaid”, “Musk Steals”, “Protect Medicaid”, “Protect Veterans” & more.

#Ttump #JointSession #USpol

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus [#CBC], including Illinois Rep #LaurenUnderwood, plan to wear black to the speech to "capture the party's somber mood," according to her & to reports from Axios.

Other members are planning to wear blue & yellow to show solidarity with #Ukraine, just days after #Trump ordered a pause on military #aid to the country.

#USpol #geopolitics