4 big takeaways from key federal election commission’s  annual meetings Democracy Docket was among the few outlets covering the gatherings.

ICYMI: Election officials are worried about a pending SCOTUS decision on mail-in ballots and were stunned that the Trump administration has been blocking appointments to a key committee that sets standards for voting machines.

We covered these updates on the ground.

This is what caused Trump’s meltdown tonight.

Virginia Redistricting Referendum 2026: Live Election Results (Gift Article) Get live results and maps from the 2026 Virginia redistricting referendum.

🙌🏼🙌🏼Virginia Redistricting Referendum Results www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

People who love war are sociopaths.

Crow: "Friday night, Trump filmed this tough video where he talked about the cost of war & how hard it's gonna be & how we're gonna lose troops, then he literally went behind the curtain & hosted a million dollar a plate dinner & dance party at Mar-a-Lago. That tells you everything you need to know"

Image of an urban arterial jammed with cars and trucks congestion, with the text saying our dependency doesn’t equal to freedom. Mobility freedom comes from mobility choices. Message via the Urban Truth Collective.

1946: Freedom is being able to drive anywhere.

2026: Freedom is not having to drive everywhere.

(above text suggested to us by @harrisongibbons.bsky.social)

Vehicle fuel economy and vehicle miles traveled: An empirical investigation of Jevon’s Paradox There has been, in recent decades, a concerted effort to promote energy efficiency as a means to reduce energy consumption. The general thesis is that…

STUDY: Despite conventional wisdom that increases in car fuel efficiency results in decreased gasoline consumption, Jevons’ Paradox holds. For every 1 mile/gallon of increased fuel efficiency there’s an associated 1.2 mile increase in vehicle miles travelled.

The better the car, the more we drive.

US moving pregnant immigrant girls to Texas to avoid providing abortions, critics say Ex-official calls transfer of unaccompanied girls as young as 13, many pregnant due to rape, a human rights violation

“White added that ‘making the decision for these girls whether they will give birth to their rapist’s baby’ is ‘an extraordinary human rights problem.’

‘Everyone attempts to write their politics on the bodies of these children,’ he said.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Yesterday, @tanzister.bsky.social hosted a discussion on child tax credits, with multiple legislators & @rikidscount.bsky.social participating. The session was led by Cynthia Osborne, Professor of Early Childhood Education & Policy at Vanderbilt University & ED of Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center.

I am not aware of any effort to reintroduce that proposal, though there are other pieces of legislation to get at the disparity. Maybe call the Hospital Association of RI, they will know more.

Two more days until limited weekend service returns to Route 69 (URI Kingston to Galilee via Peace Dale & Wakefield) 🚌🌊

New schedule: www.ripta.com/sites/defaul...

@tanzister.bsky.social
@alanadimario.bsky.social
@bridgetvalverde.bsky.social

RI’s delegation — including @weayonnoh.bsky.social — concluded its participation in the State Policy Academy by @pn3policy.bsky.social, advancing family-supporting tax policies like #EITC & #CTC.

@risenate.bsky.social, Sens. DiPalma & Vargas, @tanzister.bsky.social, @rikidscount.bsky.social, RICCF

@jenniferboylanri.bsky.social hosted a State House visit and mock legislative session for members of @momsdemand.bsky.social - RI. @tanzister.bsky.social also participated.

ISO-NE developing framework to assume the role of regional asset condition reviewer - ISO Newswire The ISO will undertake this novel role at the request of stakeholders seeking increased oversight of transmission equipment replacements.

ISO-NE is developing a framework that will establish it as the independent reviewer of certain transmission equipment replacements in New England. 🔌💡

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qzHX4h

Monthly wholesale electricity prices and demand in New England, September 2025  - ISO Newswire Wholesale prices were up in both the day-ahead and the real-time markets in September.

Every month, ISO Newswire breaks down the multiple factors affecting wholesale electricity prices, from fuel costs to electricity demand to the resource mix and estimated emissions.

Read about September's results here: https://bit.ly/3Xg25L9

Disgraceful. Can you imagine being a child of his or married to him? His abusive, bullying, degrading tactics have been honed over a lifetime. And no one stood up to him then- or now.

Holidays are coming up, a perfect time to remind your MAGA family members that Epstein is only part of the story, Trump has been importing foreign sex traffickers and giving them special protection.

Then ask, "so did Trump bring the Tate brothers here as a replacement for Epstein's services?"

New MRI, please.

Unless and until some kind of compelling legal and moral argument is presented as to why this is a legitimate use of deadly force, this is just…mass murder.

How To Protect Your Immigrant Neighbors From ICE Raids Answering common FAQs on countering ICE raids, and providing 7 meaningful ways to better protect our immigrant and undocumented neighbors

Corporate media has completely ignored that since January, the number of 287g agreements between ICE & local police has gone up nearly 4X. We need to repeal these.

I'm a human rights lawyer. I wrote this piece on how to protect ourselves from ICE fascists.
www.qasimrashid.com/p/how-to-pro...

This 🧵.

The Trump regime routinely lies, to aid its efforts to deepen authoritarian control.

As @qasimrashid.com advises:
"Stop relying on corporate media to keep you informed. They are serving Trump.

Look to independent journalists, on the ground activists, & human rights lawyers"

She Was Denied an Abortion After Roe Fell. This Is a Year in Her Family’s Life. Tennessee law prohibits women from having abortions in nearly all circumstances. But once the babies are here, the state provides little help. We followed one family as they struggled to make it.

Due to Tennessee’s abortion ban, Mayron Hollis was forced to continue a pregnancy that threatened her life. An emergency delivery left her without a uterus and her baby with medical issues.

This was their first year in a post-Roe state (pub. Feb. 2024):

Chicago priest Fr. Larry Dowling describes procession to ICE facility: “No one had the courage to speak directly to us. No one from Homeland Security could stand in the presence of the Monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. No wonder. Evil is repelled, recoils in the presence of Christ.”

Representative Teresa Tanzi on RIPTA cuts YouTube video by Steve Ahlquist

I believe Rep. @tanzister.bsky.social speaking up to critique RIDOT Director Alviti is more than merited at this point, and represents just the tip of the iceberg of how disgusted Rhode Islanders are with him. I hope more elected Democrats will speak up. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQka...

Thank you to @tanzister.bsky.social for being vocal about the blatant conflict of interest having the DOT director serve as the head of the RIPTA board. I need all our state elected officials to be as concerned about this as she is

Representative Teresa Tanzi on RIPTA cuts and RIDOT Director Alviti "Chair Alviti clearly had his marching orders, and he followed through," said Representative Tanzi. "He was not going to let anyone sway anybody’s vote. It was appalling."

In Feb 2023, some of us RI transit riders opposed the renomination of Peter Alviti as RIDOT Director. We were not successful.
Rep @tanzister.bsky.social has proposed that Mr. Alviti should be removed from the position of RIPTA Board Chair. I concur.

Reported here
open.substack.com/pub/steveahl...

EPI appreciates @rihouseofreps.bsky.social, @tanzister.bsky.social, @joeshekarchi.bsky.social, @rebeccakislak.bsky.social & Rep. Tina Spears for joining our conference this morning. And we appreciate the Speaker's ringing speech on confronting & solving big problems in the budget making process!

Easy to see why the AP history & civics students of East Prov. HS revered @greggamore.bsky.social/ @risecstate.bsky.social, because he showed his chops at our conf. this morning. His takeaway? Democracy is strong when we nurture it, but fragile when we take it for granted.

@tanzister.bsky.social

Speaker @joeshekarchi.bsky.social, Rep. Mia Ackerman, and @tanzister.bsky.social attended this morning's @acscan.bsky.social Rhode Island Research Breakfast.

ACS CAN highlighted cancer research, discussed existing gaps in screening/care & debated policy solutions to help cancer patients in RI.