I know there's a lot going on

But what the US is doing to Cuba is unconscionable

Please, I am begging people: never again repeat the claim that only two people were killed in the occupation of Minnesota.

The war in Iran has everyone talking about the price of oil. But that number only reflects a small fraction of what oil actually costs. While talking heads focus on oil's market price—shaped by supply disruptions, geopolitical risk, and expectations about future availability—millions are bearing the rest of the bill in ways that never show up at the pump: in the smoke and terror of war, in the heat and floods of a destabilized climate, and in the explosions and toxic fallout that come with living near oil infrastructure. Support indy climate journalism The flooding in Hawaii this weekend offers one of the clearest examples. Back-to-back Kona storms unleashed what Governor Josh Green called “the largest flood that we’ve had in Hawaii in 20 years,” submerging roads, destroying homes, and forcing hundreds of rescues across the islands. On the ground, officials described scenes of near-total devastation—families returning to find their homes flooded out, entire communities cut off, and more than 200 people pulled from rising water.

Scientists have been warning for years that excessive fossil fuel burning will cause more catastrophic floods like this. That’s because fossil fuels release greenhouse gases, which warm the atmosphere, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. That makes extreme rainfall more intense. But these impacts never factor into the price of a barrel of oil. They’re pushed onto everyone else—through disaster cleanup, insurance losses, and taxpayer-funded relief. In Hawaii, the damage is already estimated to exceed $1 billion, with state officials asking the federal government to cover up to 90 percent of the recovery costs. Whether that aid comes through or not, the bill is being paid by the public, not the industry whose emissions made disasters like this more likely.

Just an extremely important piece from @emorwee.bsky.social in the Heated newsletter here.

Oil prices have *ALWAYS* been fantastical and absurd, because it never factors in the shocking costs of what happens when you use it

heated.world/p/the-true-p...

Private sector union membership has collapsed — from 16.5% in 1985 to just 5.9% today. That's barely a third of what it was. West Virginia, Indiana, and Michigan were hit hardest. Workers have been losing power for 40 years. More from @hcbrown.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/4rmZKL5

New CEPR data: Union membership in the US fell from 18% to 10% since 1985—nearly cut in half. Every state but VT saw declines.

Trump is accelerating the attack on workers, but this 40-year erosion started long before him. More from @hcbrown.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/4rmZKL5

States of the Unions: The Shifting Geography of US Labor Union membership fell to about 10%, but the decline varies widely by state, with steep private-sector losses and more resilient public-sector unions.

OTD in 2011, Wisconsin passed Act 10, a singularly brutal anti-union law that sent the state’s union membership rate plummeting, even compared to other anti-union states. Check out our interactive maps to see how unions in your state fared over time! cepr.net/publications... @ceprdc.bsky.social

"It seems like the fairest and most straightforward way to shore up Social Security's finances." @hcbrown.bsky.social on lifting the payroll tax cap. The SS trust fund could be depleted by 2032. The fix is right in front of us. #ScrapTheCap https://bit.ly/4rW0SGG

🚨🚨Today, anyone earning $1M/year stops paying into Social Security — for the rest of 2026. That's 300 days of a tax break the rest of us don't get.

There's no good reason the ultra-wealthy shouldn't pay their fair share all year. New from @hcbrown.bsky.social :

US union membership soared to 16-year high in 2025 despite Trump assault Union coverage slightly increased last year even as White House tried to eliminate contracts for thousands of workers

Despite Trump launching what @hcbrown.bsky.social  calls "the most vicious attack on public sector union workers since the Reagan era," union contract coverage reached a 16-year high in 2025 — 16.5M workers strong.

I don’t know that this is true of Russell Vought, which makes him more frightening.

The man in this image is Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, a known white supremacist and supporter of ICE. His department in Frederick Maryland has a 287g agreement with ICE and his deputies actively help with kidnappings. An ICE Camp is being built 30 minutes for Frederick. He’s up for reelection this year.

‘Nobody gives me information’: Jacksonville-area man held in ‘Deportation Depot’ for weeks talks conditions, challenges Macario Pablo-Reyes, 49, has been held for weeks at the Baker County Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, sometimes referred to as the “Deportation Depot.”

Legally here on a work permit. Arrested when he went to renew it. Not fighting his deportation. Yet he's been in detention 29 days. No access to a lawyer. Has been given no information about his case. Family inquiries also ignored. ICE only responded when local news requested comment.

I realized that a lot of the guys who have been found in the Epstein files are probably really struggling because the guy they would have gone to for advice about being discovered in the Epstein files was JEFFREY EPSTEIN

The worst of the worst were bad guests (Paris of Troy, Odysseus’ suitors) or bad hosts (Tantalus, Circe). For all white supremacists like to harp on “Western Culture” they sure do like to flaunt their cruelty by violating taboos that Greek Mythology explicitly states is worse than murder. 3/3

I genuinely have no idea how to convey this to the American people, but I think the biggest impediment to any kind of immigration reform is that people are convinced that "legal" and "illegal" are immutable, intrinsic categories instead of a rapidly-shifting arbitrary constellation of regulations.

Border Patrol agents have no place in the labor movement. AFGE needs to sever ties immediately.

Pam Bondi is going to announce tomorrow that Jerome Powell tried to ram Donald Trump with his car

A friendly reminder that no ICE officer has ever been killed in the line of duty in a hostile incident.

The industries that illegal immigrants often work in — like landscaping and construction — are far more deadly and dangerous work than being an ICE officer.

ICYMI: We've got another (super rare!) successful discharge petition in the House forcing a floor vote THIS WEEK to restore federal workers' union rights.

Tell your member of Congress to pass the bipartisan Protect America's Workforce Act!

I once knew a Federal bank examiner, and one time someone asked him why we had to KEEP inspecting banks over and over. He basically said every new batch of business school grads invents bank fraud from first principles.

Deportations actually _increase_ housing prices because they shrink the construction industry.

The reduction in new houses being built swamps effects from lower demand

SNAP benefits are a ‘lifeline’ — especially for people with disabilities For those with disabilities who rely on the aid, its uncertainty threatens not just nutrition, but independence.

"SNAP benefits are a 'lifeline' -- especially for people with disabilities"

"20.4% of households containing at least one person with a disability rely on SNAP, versus 8.3% of those without" via @hcbrown.bsky.social @ceprdc.bsky.social

19thnews.org/2025/11/snap...

SNAP Cuts Disproportionately Hurt People With Disabilities Government shutdown threatens SNAP benefits, endangering millions—especially disabled Americans who rely on food assistance at over twice the national rate.

NEW: Republicans are weaponizing food during the shutdown. 1 in 4 SNAP recipients has a disability—reflecting deep economic barriers that make it nearly impossible for disabled people to meet basic needs w/o support. Cutting SNAP cuts access to survival.🧵

The fight for better care for disabled folks and the need for better support for care workers, a low paying job, are often interlinked. This will unfortunately be a preventable example.

Thinking about how poor disabled and aging people may be impacted this is a multitude of ways–they may not be able to get food, and their care workers may not either (for those who have them), leading to less good support for disabled folks as starving people don't make the best workers.

Secretary Kennedy Doesn't Care About Long COVID Patients Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to fight Long COVID — instead he cut research, blocked vaccines, and weakened public health protections.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised to lead the fight against #LongCOVID. Instead, he gutted research, prevention, and care. Millions will suffer the consequences. Read the full analysis by @hcbrown.bsky.social:

After months of postponing, OPM opts to fully cancel 2025 FEVS The cancellation comes after OPM indefinitely delayed FEVS earlier this year, due to the Trump administration’s “urgent” changes for federal employees.

The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey isn’t perfect, but it’s vital for tracking federal workplace conditions. Scrapping it now—when we need agency data most—is alarming. I am very worried about our ability to get accurate personnel data for the next 4 years.

federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/20...

Today, the fact that the airstrike that killed an Al Jazeera journalist and his crew whom Israel had smeared as a terrorist in advance hit next to a hospital is just the fourth or fifth most horrific detail, and yet the international response will be… what? More nothing.

In Firing the BLS Chief, Trump Escalates His Administration’s War on Data President Trump’s firing of Commissioner of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer last Friday...

In Firing the BLS Chief, Trump Escalates His Administration’s War on Data talkingpointsmemo.com/news/in-firi...

Additional tips!
- Pay attention to the machine’s clean air delivery rate (CADR) and the size of the space
- Advertised CADRs are typically based on running the machine on its highest-powered setting, not on “auto” or low