Aftermath: The Hormuz Farm Crisis - The American Prospect Fertilizer prices are crushing rural farmers. Also, attacks on Gulf state aluminum smelters leave America exposed.

I was in Nebraska last week, where the Strait of Hormuz crisis is hitting home on family farms that can't afford to fertilize the crops.
That, plus a looming aluminum shortage, in the latest edition of Aftermath, our pop-up newsletter on the consequences of the war.
prospect.org/2026/04/21/a...

California Accuses Amazon of Price Fixing in Legal Filing

Amazon saw lower prices at competitors and urged the brands to pressure those competitors to raise their prices, which they did. In writing. @robbonta.bsky.social has the receipts of this cartel behavior.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/t...

Xavier Becerra Could Lower Drug Prices — So Why Isn’t He? Biden’s health secretary has called on the feds to limit pharma price gouging — but now that he can do so, he’s dragging his feet.

When I think about California's gubernatorial race, theres one thing everyone needs to know about Democrat @xavierbecerra.bsky.social:

As California AG, he demanded the HHS secretary use an existing law to lower medicine prices - and then as HHS secretary he literally refused to do exactly that.

Sean O'Brien is out there and available...

"I have not made a decision yet" on who to endorse, Yee says in a press event. Says she will let supporters know who she will be voting for.

Confirmed that she is dropping out.

Tom Steyer Is Trying Politics - The American Prospect To revive a dead political culture that could lead to a Republican becoming governor in one of the nation’s most Democratic states, the billionaire former investor is talking to voters.

I've written about Steyer.
My general hopes are 1) the Dems don't get locked out & 2) the Newsom machine doesn't retain control. Seems like the best option for that at this point is Steyer.
prospect.org/2026/03/24/t...

Union Now Is America’s New Strike Fund - The American Prospect The new nonprofit will put money directly into the hands of workers so they can fight harder and win bigger.

Union Now Is America’s New Strike Fund
Donate now: UnionNow.org
prospect.org/2026/04/20/u...

Contributor name Recipient State Employer Receipt date Amount SULLIVAN, RICHARD DCCC NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 02/26/2026 $2,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD FOUSHEE FOR CONGRESS NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 02/06/2026 $1,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD SCHOLTEN FOR CONGRESS NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 01/22/2026 $1,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD DCCC NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 01/08/2026 $25,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD CHRIS PAPPAS FOR SENATE NC CLEARY GOTTLIEB STEEN & HAMILTON LLP 12/30/2025 $3,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD MALINOWSKI FOR NEW JERSEY NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 12/30/2025 $500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD GRANITE VALUES PAC NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 12/29/2025 $2,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD BLACK BEAR PAC, INC. NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 11/12/2025 $5,208.65 SULLIVAN, RICHARD MALINOWSKI FOR NEW JERSEY NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 11/12/2025 $1,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD TEAM MORRISEY NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 11/12/2025 $5,208.65 SULLIVAN, RICHARD MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE - FED FUND NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 11/04/2025 $1,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD MILLS FOR MAINE NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 10/14/2025 $3,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD SCHOLTEN FOR CONGRESS NC CAPTIOL COUNCIL 07/30/2025 $1,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD LYLES JR COOPER VICTORY FUND NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 07/27/2025 $7,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD LYLES JR COOPER FOR NORTH CAROLINA NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 07/27/2025 $3,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD LYLES JR COOPER FOR NORTH CAROLINA NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 07/27/2025 $3,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD STEFANY SHAHEEN FOR CONGRESS NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 06/30/2025 $3,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD CHRIS PAPPAS FOR SENATE NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 03/31/2025 $3,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD NEVADANS FOR STEVEN HORSFORD NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 03/26/2025 $1,000.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD DEBORAH ROSS FOR CONGRESS NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 03/09/2025 $2,500.00 SULLIVAN, RICHARD DEBORAH ROSS FOR CONGRESS NC STATE FEDERAL STRATEGIES 02/21/2025 $1,000.00

GEO Group's top D lobbyist Richard Lyles Sullivan has been showering Democrats across the country with Trump concentration-camp cash

Definitely looks like Betty Yee's going to drop out of the CA governor's race, there's a press conference in 90 minutes.
If we had ranked-choice voting Betty would have been a solid choice. Unfortunately she couldn't compete and was fracturing the field.

The Deal That Could Destroy Hollywood - The American Prospect Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros. would be a huge blow to filmmakers and film lovers alike.

Hollywood has organized around blocking the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger. Harold Meyerson writes that putting a film treasure up for sale was unwarranted and reveals the eclipse of enterprise capitalism by shareholder capitalism.
prospect.org/2026/04/20/d...

Live Nation Verdict Serves as a Warning - The American Prospect Companies thought they could get away with anything while Donald Trump was in office. But today they have a new problem: state attorneys general, and juries full of ordinary Americans.

@ddayen.bsky.social | The Live Nation-Ticketmaster Antitrust Trial Verdict Serves As A Warning | @prospect.org

prospect.org/2026/04/16/l...

Union Now Is America’s New Strike Fund - The American Prospect The new nonprofit will put money directly into the hands of workers so they can fight harder and win bigger.

Union Now is a new organization that will provide material resources for union organizing in what amounts to a national strike fund, writes @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social. Delta, Starbucks, and Amazon are among the first targets.
prospect.org/2026/04/20/u...

I did not, actually, ran out of time.

The swing from Swalwell to Becerra among insiders, as if they were interchangeable widgets, is deeply illustrative of the Iron Law of Institutions.

Bearstar, etc., would rather prop a new stalking horse up — and risk letting two Republicans into the general — than cede their power over the party.

This was a Health and Human Services Secretary who didn't know what a PBM is.
HHS was easily the most inept and basically useless agency of the Biden years.
"Not actively harmful like RFK" isn't a high bar to clear, and it was barely cleared.

Speech at the Nebraska Works Conference "Why the Economy Doesn't Work for Workers," from April 17

I gave a speech to some union members in Nebraska this week, and in case it's of interest here it is.
daviddayen.substack.com/p/speech-at-...

Gavin Newsom’s allies mulling dark horse governor candidate who’s suddenly seen huge spike in polls Some Newsom allies have been taking a closer look at Xavier Becerra.

To sum up, Bearstar Strategies, which has owned the seat of power in California for nearly two decades, thought Swalwell was an empty suit they could control but they couldn't control his pants, so they found another suit. (Who isn't exactly full either)
nypost.com/2026/04/19/u...

Man Charged in Lego Theft Scheme of Replacing Pieces With Pasta, Police Say

Lego pasta scheme and bear suit insurance scheme in the same week
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...

I mean it's pretty simple.
It's just a measure of corporate profits, which surged to a new level during the pandemic and never subsided. The nation's wealth is being hoarded by capital, to be short and blunt.

Corporate profits are at an all time high. These profits jumped significantly during the pandemic and never subsided.

One chart can't explain everything but this one says quite a lot.

More of a Scalia situation but yes

Not sure I buy the Alito/Thomas news, but LMAO if their massive egos get in the way of the project to extend conservative dominance on the Court. Of course it means nothing unless Democrats take the Senate.

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Emergency Pod: The Live Nation Ticketmaster Verdict State AGs pick up the Fed's slack and win one for the fans.

We did an emergency pod on the Live Nation Ticketmaster verdict, going through the entire history of Live Nation, how the Justice Department tried to sabotage the case, & what it means for Live Nation and other large companies that state AGs stepped up and won.
www.organizedmoney.fm/p/emergency-...

Two in one week, both from state AGs stepping in where the federal government was bought off.

Cookies, deodorant, socks. Iran war puts military packages in limbo Thousands of boxes sent to service members in Middle East are stuck in limbo. The Postal Service has indefinitely suspended delivery amid Iran war.

Trillion dollar military, headed to $1.5 trillion. This is what a meal looks like on a naval ship.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Mike Johnson Has a FISA Fiasco on His Hands - The American Prospect The House Speaker’s surprise five-year extension and bogus warrant provision backfired, but it was enough to get a gaggle of Democrats to break ranks.

Good summary of last night's ultimately failed shenanigans on FISA from @jamesjbaratta.bsky.social. Reform advocates are in the best position they've been maybe ever.

prospect.org/2026/04/17/m...

good, those shadow supporters should be smoked out

Spirit’s Bankruptcy Exit in Flux as Jet Fuel Prices Surge Discussions with creditors include possible liquidation, according to people familiar with the matter.

Whenever we hear about Spirit troubles, corporate shills say it's Lina Khan's fault for blocking the JetBlue merger. But:
1-DOJ Antitrust challenged that merger, not Lina
2-Spirit could've said at trial they'd fail w/o a merger & they didn't
3-The problems are due to high jet fuel, aka Trump's war