@mpg167.bsky.social
policy, politics, pets, and puffing up mountains
While the president lobs false claims of voting fraud in a partisan post about Alaska's elex, there are people in the story who know the actual challenges the state's voters face, and I'm glad for their work and voices.
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
The Last Frontier: For voters in remote areas, SAVE America Act would impose massive burdens
“Alaska is — I don't even think it's close — the most difficult place in the United States to conduct elections."
www.democracydocket.com
April 11, 2026 at 7:04 AM
While the president lobs false claims of voting fraud in a partisan post about Alaska's elex, there are people in the story who know the actual challenges the state's voters face, and I'm glad for their work and voices.
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Great piece. The DOC budget continues to raise a lot of eyebrows, but policy choices influence that a lot.
"Rather than encourage policies that put more people behind bars, Alaska politicians should seek alternatives proven to reduce crime and save money." #akleg
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
"Rather than encourage policies that put more people behind bars, Alaska politicians should seek alternatives proven to reduce crime and save money." #akleg
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
Opinion: Being No. 1 in prison isn’t making Alaska safer?
Tough-on-crime policies and rising prison spending have not delivered safer communities or better outcomes.
www.adn.com
April 7, 2026 at 5:55 AM
Great piece. The DOC budget continues to raise a lot of eyebrows, but policy choices influence that a lot.
"Rather than encourage policies that put more people behind bars, Alaska politicians should seek alternatives proven to reduce crime and save money." #akleg
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
"Rather than encourage policies that put more people behind bars, Alaska politicians should seek alternatives proven to reduce crime and save money." #akleg
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
We generate so much data every day, it's frightening to think how it can be abused and how easily the government can collect and buy it. Real restraints on the govt and private entities need to be put in place at all levels.
Kash Patel refused to deny that the FBI is buying up Americans' location data. This is a shocking end run around the 4th amendment and exactly why we need to pass real privacy reforms NOW.
Sen. Wyden: Can you commit to not buying Americans' location data?
Kash Patel: The FBI uses all tools to do our mission
Kash Patel: The FBI uses all tools to do our mission
March 20, 2026 at 6:11 AM
We generate so much data every day, it's frightening to think how it can be abused and how easily the government can collect and buy it. Real restraints on the govt and private entities need to be put in place at all levels.
Such a strong piece. We have to reconsider blocking entire classes of offenses from parole and Alaska's byzantine eligibility criteria, including special medical and geriatric parole, which are almost never used because of those barriers.
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
Opinion: Half a billion dollars later, Alaska still won’t use its cheapest public safety tool
With incarceration costing $202 a day and parole just $13, lawmakers looking to cut corrections spending should expand supervised release instead of shipping inmates Outside.
www.adn.com
March 4, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Such a strong piece. We have to reconsider blocking entire classes of offenses from parole and Alaska's byzantine eligibility criteria, including special medical and geriatric parole, which are almost never used because of those barriers.
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
www.adn.com/opinions/202...
This was a really well done hearing, especially input from experts. People who want to justify sharing the VRL will find ways to explain away data vulnerabilities and risk of disenfranchisement, but both are real even if the intent isn't nefarious. #akleg
alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
Lawmakers question Alaska’s decision to turn over confidential voter data to DOJ
Lawmakers in the predominantly Democratic bipartisan House majority said they were concerned the state didn't push back harder on the DOJ's request.
alaskapublic.org
March 4, 2026 at 5:47 AM
This was a really well done hearing, especially input from experts. People who want to justify sharing the VRL will find ways to explain away data vulnerabilities and risk of disenfranchisement, but both are real even if the intent isn't nefarious. #akleg
alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
alaskapublic.org/news/politic...
I think it's obvious that if the Biden Administration demanded this info, the current state administration would make a show of non-compliance. But privacy matters regardless of who's in office and we need leaders who will make the effort to adhere to principles.
www.adn.com/opinions/edi...
www.adn.com/opinions/edi...
Editorial: Why is the Dunleavy administration sending your personal info to D.C.?
Private information about Alaskans doesn’t belong in a federal dragnet, especially when the error rate is real.
www.adn.com
February 21, 2026 at 10:12 PM
I think it's obvious that if the Biden Administration demanded this info, the current state administration would make a show of non-compliance. But privacy matters regardless of who's in office and we need leaders who will make the effort to adhere to principles.
www.adn.com/opinions/edi...
www.adn.com/opinions/edi...
"15 places" is such a specific number, I really wonder where that comes from.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump wants to ‘nationalize the voting,’ seeking to grab states’ power
Trump, who continues to falsely claim that he won the 2020 election, has baselessly alleged widespread fraud.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:18 AM
"15 places" is such a specific number, I really wonder where that comes from.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
A long, but fascinating history of prisoner organizing, how organizing can benefit the whole working class, and attitudes toward the prison system in general. My pervasive thought reading it is: brutal systems of detention don't have to be a societal given
www.gq.com/story/walpol...
www.gq.com/story/walpol...
It Was the Most Violent Prison in America. Then the Guards Went on Strike
What happens when a group of incarcerated men are left to self govern? In Walpole State Prison in 1973, “peace reigned”—until the guards were sent back in.
www.gq.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:22 AM
A long, but fascinating history of prisoner organizing, how organizing can benefit the whole working class, and attitudes toward the prison system in general. My pervasive thought reading it is: brutal systems of detention don't have to be a societal given
www.gq.com/story/walpol...
www.gq.com/story/walpol...
This moment should solidify Congress' resolve to not just hold up funding for the rest of this fiscal year. It should call them to reconsider the existence of DHS, including ICE and CBP, whose abuses have gone on for years, largely out of public view. It's horrifically public now.
Chuck Schumer says Senate Dems won't support DHS funding. This thing is really moving now.
January 25, 2026 at 7:14 AM
This moment should solidify Congress' resolve to not just hold up funding for the rest of this fiscal year. It should call them to reconsider the existence of DHS, including ICE and CBP, whose abuses have gone on for years, largely out of public view. It's horrifically public now.
People disappointed in this - as I am - should absolutely keep urging their MoCs to reject funding, and building the call to action. The next fiscal year appropriations cycle is underway, and by the time these packages get rolled out, changes are difficult.
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
House approves DHS funding, other final spending bills amid ICE uproar
Only seven Democrats joined most Republicans in approving the Homeland Security bill ahead of a Jan. 30 shutdown deadline.
www.politico.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:41 AM
People disappointed in this - as I am - should absolutely keep urging their MoCs to reject funding, and building the call to action. The next fiscal year appropriations cycle is underway, and by the time these packages get rolled out, changes are difficult.
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 20, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Yeah, I'll decline to come sign for the package, thanks
January 19, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Yeah, I'll decline to come sign for the package, thanks
Genuinely curious if there was this much tsk-tsk hand wringing when Reagan called to abolish the Dept of Education, and to see an analysis of whether or not taking a definitive and simple position set back conservative goals or rather created space to move in that direction
Third Way telling Democrats they need to drop the “abolish ICE” slogan if they have hope of winning back the majority in Congress
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru... by @natashakorecki.bsky.social
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru... by @natashakorecki.bsky.social
Democrats warned to steer clear of the 'abolish ICE' slogan
Democrats need to drop the “abolish ICE” political slogan if they have hope of winning back the majority in Congress, a center-left think tank is warning.
www.nbcnews.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:23 AM
Genuinely curious if there was this much tsk-tsk hand wringing when Reagan called to abolish the Dept of Education, and to see an analysis of whether or not taking a definitive and simple position set back conservative goals or rather created space to move in that direction
Absolutely dumb sidestep that Democrats will probably go for. ICE is already voluntarily videotaping themselves using expensive kit or phones. The only thing this would achieve is giving everyone more footage to argue over. Total waste of taxpayer funds.
www.politico.com/live-updates...
www.politico.com/live-updates...
House GOP offer to Dems: Explicit funding for ICE body cameras following Minneapolis shooting
Rep. Mark Amodei, the House Republican negotiating the DHS funding bill, said the agency needs more law enforcement equipment under President Donald Trump.
www.politico.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:12 AM
Absolutely dumb sidestep that Democrats will probably go for. ICE is already voluntarily videotaping themselves using expensive kit or phones. The only thing this would achieve is giving everyone more footage to argue over. Total waste of taxpayer funds.
www.politico.com/live-updates...
www.politico.com/live-updates...
Currently can't imagine something more American and more needed than mouthing off to the president directly
Amazing, a Ford worker called Trump a “pedophile protector” during his visit to an assembly plant in Michigan today.
In return, Trump, who has failed to release the Epstein files, yelled, “fuck you” and flipped off the worker.
In return, Trump, who has failed to release the Epstein files, yelled, “fuck you” and flipped off the worker.
January 14, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Currently can't imagine something more American and more needed than mouthing off to the president directly
Comments like this - and the idea that people just obey federal officers - should probably underscore the flimsiness of the 'constitutional sheriff' premise/movement
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons dared Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal to follow through on her threat to arrest immigration agents who come to her city and “commit a crime.”
January 11, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Comments like this - and the idea that people just obey federal officers - should probably underscore the flimsiness of the 'constitutional sheriff' premise/movement
Reposted
NEW in Bolts: In a small Alaska town, American Samoans face prosecution for voting in the only country they’ve ever known.
Read our new collaboration with High Country News:
Read our new collaboration with High Country News:
Americans by Name, Punished for Believing It
In a small Alaska town, American Samoans face prosecution for voting in the only country they’ve ever known. They live in a limbo, created by colonial expansion, that now confuses even public officials—and has made them a new target for policing voter fraud.
boltsmag.org
January 8, 2026 at 6:05 PM
NEW in Bolts: In a small Alaska town, American Samoans face prosecution for voting in the only country they’ve ever known.
Read our new collaboration with High Country News:
Read our new collaboration with High Country News:
We have to starve them of funding and get rid of the 100-mile enforcement zone. This is an occupying force policing American streets.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Minneapolis schools cancel classes after Border Patrol clash disrupts dismissal at Roosevelt
Minneapolis schools closed for the week citing safety concerns after an encounter involving armed Border Patrol agents near Roosevelt High School.
www.mprnews.org
January 8, 2026 at 5:20 PM
We have to starve them of funding and get rid of the 100-mile enforcement zone. This is an occupying force policing American streets.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
"just comply" from the same folks who just yesterday couldn't have been bothered to condemn a hoard of people seeking out cops to assault with weapons
January 8, 2026 at 6:18 AM
"just comply" from the same folks who just yesterday couldn't have been bothered to condemn a hoard of people seeking out cops to assault with weapons
“It feels like these data center companies have just put a big target on our backs,” said Kyle Schmidt, leader of the newly formed Protect Sand Springs Alliance.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
The data center rebellion is here, and it’s reshaping the political landscape
As the buildout of AI infrastructure alarms communities, it is fast emerging as a potent electoral issue across the political divide.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:40 PM
“It feels like these data center companies have just put a big target on our backs,” said Kyle Schmidt, leader of the newly formed Protect Sand Springs Alliance.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
I'm sorry, is "the state" here Alaska? Feels like this needs a broader treatment/state attention than a letter to an advice column.
Workplace advice: You have a right to work in an office where extremist ideology isn’t OK’d by coworkers or supervisors.
I just started working for the state. My coworkers sound like Nazi sympathizers.
Workplace advice: You have a right to work in an office where extremist ideology isn’t OK’d by coworkers or supervisors.
www.adn.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:09 PM
I'm sorry, is "the state" here Alaska? Feels like this needs a broader treatment/state attention than a letter to an advice column.
Every Jacob Wohl needs a Jack Burkman, I suppose.
Wohl was a cartoon and we'll see what happens with Shirley, but 'sting' style videos are clearly a powerful political tool with real consequences (the Planned Parenthood videos circa 2015 stick out prominently).
Wohl was a cartoon and we'll see what happens with Shirley, but 'sting' style videos are clearly a powerful political tool with real consequences (the Planned Parenthood videos circa 2015 stick out prominently).
"David," it turns out, is actually a political operative with connections to the Minnesota state House. interc.pt/3YjWOD4
January 5, 2026 at 5:31 AM
Every Jacob Wohl needs a Jack Burkman, I suppose.
Wohl was a cartoon and we'll see what happens with Shirley, but 'sting' style videos are clearly a powerful political tool with real consequences (the Planned Parenthood videos circa 2015 stick out prominently).
Wohl was a cartoon and we'll see what happens with Shirley, but 'sting' style videos are clearly a powerful political tool with real consequences (the Planned Parenthood videos circa 2015 stick out prominently).
Senator Murkowski's note of caution here seems right on. Even without ideological strings and risking clawbacks if the president's ire is drawn, getting $ out the door fairly, in the last year of an administration, and for projects that will actually improve health in rural AK...no small feat.
Alaska will receive a chart-topping $272 million in the first year of the newly formed federal Rural Health Transformation Program, established in part to make up for massive cuts to Medicaid spending. www.adn.com/politics/202...
Alaska awarded $272M for ‘rural health transformation,’ topping the nation
The funding is meant to bolster Alaska’s health care system with Medicaid cuts on the horizon.
www.adn.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Senator Murkowski's note of caution here seems right on. Even without ideological strings and risking clawbacks if the president's ire is drawn, getting $ out the door fairly, in the last year of an administration, and for projects that will actually improve health in rural AK...no small feat.