R. Bell
@robtbell.bsky.social
Former editor of political and general news at a metro daily. Yes this is a pseudonym. Views expressed are my own. Pleased if they match yours; unbothered if they don't. The America Fairy won't save us.
Pinned
R. Bell
@robtbell.bsky.social
· Jan 25
The Trumpists' seemingly crazy actions have one common goal: Weaken the USA as a nation and a global power.
Divide its people, wreck its economy, its health and safety, its relationships with other countries.
Who benefits? Russia, China, autocrats and oligarchs.
That's who Trump+GOP work for.
Divide its people, wreck its economy, its health and safety, its relationships with other countries.
Who benefits? Russia, China, autocrats and oligarchs.
That's who Trump+GOP work for.
Reposted by R. Bell
The #IndivisibleCentralNJ #VisibilityBrigade says #RegisterToVote before Oct 13! Need help? CALL 1-877-NJVOTER. (Edison, #NJ) #NJVoter #Vote #MidtermElection #Election #ICNJ #Indivisible #VB #RushhourResistance @maddow.bsky.social @indivisible.org @njindivisible.bsky.social
October 1, 2026 at 12:23 PM
The #IndivisibleCentralNJ #VisibilityBrigade says #RegisterToVote before Oct 13! Need help? CALL 1-877-NJVOTER. (Edison, #NJ) #NJVoter #Vote #MidtermElection #Election #ICNJ #Indivisible #VB #RushhourResistance @maddow.bsky.social @indivisible.org @njindivisible.bsky.social
Reposted by R. Bell
ICE arrests have surged in NJ since spring, after agents began fanning out under orders to detain 2,000 immigrants nationwide a day.
A Mayor’s Wife Is Injured as ICE Chases Another Driver, Officials Say (Gift Article)
A driver fled after being stopped by federal immigration agents, who then pursued the individual on a New Jersey highway, the police officials said.
www.nytimes.com
September 2, 2026 at 9:42 PM
ICE arrests have surged in NJ since spring, after agents began fanning out under orders to detain 2,000 immigrants nationwide a day.
Reposted by R. Bell
Your ever-regular reminder that Republicans in Congress fully support what Hegseth and the president are doing to the American military.
It’s disgraceful and disqualifying
It’s disgraceful and disqualifying
“Hegseth, more than ever, now owns every aspect of the Pentagon’s dysfunction.” www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Hegseth’s Pentagon Lurches Off the Rails
The resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is the latest sign of severe dysfunction in the Defense Department.
www.theatlantic.com
September 1, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Your ever-regular reminder that Republicans in Congress fully support what Hegseth and the president are doing to the American military.
It’s disgraceful and disqualifying
It’s disgraceful and disqualifying
Reposted by R. Bell
*Rising deficits are largely the result of Republican tax cuts and economic policies, while Trump’s tariffs, war, deportations, and corruption pose a greater threat to economic stability*
Aug 20, 2026
By @deanbaker13.bsky.social
#EconomicSecurity #Poverty #UnitedStates
cepr.net/publications...
Aug 20, 2026
By @deanbaker13.bsky.social
#EconomicSecurity #Poverty #UnitedStates
cepr.net/publications...
$40 Trillion Debt, Oh My!
Federal deficits have risen far more under Republican presidents, while Trump’s policies threaten growth and confidence in the US economy.
cepr.net
August 20, 2026 at 11:37 PM
*Rising deficits are largely the result of Republican tax cuts and economic policies, while Trump’s tariffs, war, deportations, and corruption pose a greater threat to economic stability*
Aug 20, 2026
By @deanbaker13.bsky.social
#EconomicSecurity #Poverty #UnitedStates
cepr.net/publications...
Aug 20, 2026
By @deanbaker13.bsky.social
#EconomicSecurity #Poverty #UnitedStates
cepr.net/publications...
Reposted by R. Bell
The Commander in Chief is making decisions that will make our country less safe. This reckless war in Iran is bringing our munitions levels to dangerous lows. Our adversaries are watching.
August 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM
The Commander in Chief is making decisions that will make our country less safe. This reckless war in Iran is bringing our munitions levels to dangerous lows. Our adversaries are watching.
Reposted by R. Bell
August 14, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by R. Bell
New Column: The answer to the question my headline poses is a little more complicated than most people are allowing. newrepublic.com/post/214367/... via @newrepublic.com
Why Don’t Leftie Candidates Do Better Among Working-Class Voters?
It isn’t that non-college voters are more “moderate.” It’s something else entirely, and it will probably take about a decade to fix, if it’s fixable at all.
newrepublic.com
August 14, 2026 at 3:21 PM
New Column: The answer to the question my headline poses is a little more complicated than most people are allowing. newrepublic.com/post/214367/... via @newrepublic.com
Reposted by R. Bell
Very excited to share what we built at
@economicsecurityproject.org: the Affordability Dashboard.
There's a bunch of scattered data I'm always pulling, stuff useful for politicos, reporters, and activists on affordability, so we put it in one place. /1 economicsecurityproject.org/resource/aff...
@economicsecurityproject.org: the Affordability Dashboard.
There's a bunch of scattered data I'm always pulling, stuff useful for politicos, reporters, and activists on affordability, so we put it in one place. /1 economicsecurityproject.org/resource/aff...
Affordability Dashboard
Childcare. Healthcare. Groceries. Gas. Every essential costs more since the pandemic.
economicsecurityproject.org
August 13, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Very excited to share what we built at
@economicsecurityproject.org: the Affordability Dashboard.
There's a bunch of scattered data I'm always pulling, stuff useful for politicos, reporters, and activists on affordability, so we put it in one place. /1 economicsecurityproject.org/resource/aff...
@economicsecurityproject.org: the Affordability Dashboard.
There's a bunch of scattered data I'm always pulling, stuff useful for politicos, reporters, and activists on affordability, so we put it in one place. /1 economicsecurityproject.org/resource/aff...
Reposted by R. Bell
Exclusive: ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks apnews.com/article/ice-...
AP Exclusive: ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks that are intended to gain compliance from combative individuals.
apnews.com
August 12, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Exclusive: ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks apnews.com/article/ice-...
Absolute lunatics are running our country. And our enemies, foreign and domestic, are watching the USA self-destruct.
Trump: "At one year, you should have 5 separate visits for vaccines rather than getting them all in the same day. I've seen proof of where they have a vaccination thing that looks like the size of a bottle of soda and pour it into a little child's body."
August 11, 2026 at 4:36 AM
Absolute lunatics are running our country. And our enemies, foreign and domestic, are watching the USA self-destruct.
Reposted by R. Bell
What Trump naively believed would be a quick defeat of Iran has left the United States weaker than before and the president with no control over a crisis he created.
Read more:
Read more:
Trump Is Losing Control of the Widening Conflict
His lack of planning has left the administration with dwindling influence over the direction of the Iran war.
www.contrariannews.org
August 10, 2026 at 3:08 PM
What Trump naively believed would be a quick defeat of Iran has left the United States weaker than before and the president with no control over a crisis he created.
Read more:
Read more:
Reposted by R. Bell
You can read @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social and my piece on the record number of dropped investigations by the DOJ here:
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump’s Justice Department Dropped 23,000 Criminal Investigations in Shift to Immigration
Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the DOJ abandoned a record number of cases — including hundreds of investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime and drugs — in just the first six months of Presi...
www.propublica.org
August 10, 2026 at 1:58 PM
You can read @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social and my piece on the record number of dropped investigations by the DOJ here:
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by R. Bell
The three deaths occurred in December, July and August, authorities said.
N.J. House Democrats demand transparency from ICE on Delaney Hall deaths
The three deaths occurred in December, July and August, authorities said.
www.nj.com
August 6, 2026 at 11:45 PM
The three deaths occurred in December, July and August, authorities said.
Reposted by R. Bell
GOP senators have lost the plot.
August 4, 2026 at 11:53 PM
GOP senators have lost the plot.
Reposted by R. Bell
Reposted by R. Bell
AHRQ terminates dozens of patient care research grants: Report www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/pati...
AHRQ terminates dozens of patient care research grants: Report
AHRQ terminates dozens patient care research grants, ending funding for projects despite congressional appropriations, affecting key health priorities.
www.beckershospitalreview.com
July 28, 2026 at 1:43 AM
AHRQ terminates dozens of patient care research grants: Report www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/pati...
Reposted by R. Bell
For decades, the federal government has funneled big-ticket grants to local communities to help them expand public transit. But since President Trump took office, the Federal Transit Administration has not signed a single new agreement.
Congress Budgeted Billions for Big Transit Projects. Trump Isn’t Spending It.
“It’s hard to look at the last year and see anything other than a deliberate slowdown of these grants.”
nyti.ms
July 27, 2026 at 4:30 PM
For decades, the federal government has funneled big-ticket grants to local communities to help them expand public transit. But since President Trump took office, the Federal Transit Administration has not signed a single new agreement.
Reposted by R. Bell
@hcrichardson.bsky.social
Tariffs are Trump’s favorite plaything. He loves to beat up on other countries. But his tariffs will hurt Americans by pushing up prices & they’ll anger dozens of countries. Plus, Trump’s new tariffs are based on absurd false premises.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Tariffs are Trump’s favorite plaything. He loves to beat up on other countries. But his tariffs will hurt Americans by pushing up prices & they’ll anger dozens of countries. Plus, Trump’s new tariffs are based on absurd false premises.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Tariffs are Trump’s favorite plaything – and his justifications are absurd | Steven Greenhouse
The president is using forced labor as a pretext to slap tariffs on countries around the world
www.theguardian.com
July 27, 2026 at 2:36 PM
@hcrichardson.bsky.social
Tariffs are Trump’s favorite plaything. He loves to beat up on other countries. But his tariffs will hurt Americans by pushing up prices & they’ll anger dozens of countries. Plus, Trump’s new tariffs are based on absurd false premises.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Tariffs are Trump’s favorite plaything. He loves to beat up on other countries. But his tariffs will hurt Americans by pushing up prices & they’ll anger dozens of countries. Plus, Trump’s new tariffs are based on absurd false premises.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by R. Bell
🤔 DID YOU KNOW? Texas made the same clerical error as New Jersey with noncitizens — but the two instances are being treated very differently.
“Have you heard the Department of Justice condemn Texas?” Marc Elias asks.
If you’re sick of the hypocrisy, join our fight: https://demdock.com/3T3Owjg
“Have you heard the Department of Justice condemn Texas?” Marc Elias asks.
If you’re sick of the hypocrisy, join our fight: https://demdock.com/3T3Owjg
July 25, 2026 at 2:30 AM
🤔 DID YOU KNOW? Texas made the same clerical error as New Jersey with noncitizens — but the two instances are being treated very differently.
“Have you heard the Department of Justice condemn Texas?” Marc Elias asks.
If you’re sick of the hypocrisy, join our fight: https://demdock.com/3T3Owjg
“Have you heard the Department of Justice condemn Texas?” Marc Elias asks.
If you’re sick of the hypocrisy, join our fight: https://demdock.com/3T3Owjg
Reposted by R. Bell
I've interviewed almost every battleground Senate/House candidate of the cycle. They are a courageous and inspiring crew doing everything they can to take power back from MAGA. Come meet them here 👇, support them, and let's do this people! 5/
www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/our-2026-w...
www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/our-2026-w...
Our Winning The House Campaigns - The Original Twelve And Now The Second Wave Too
7/21/26 - For many months now we’ve been supporting twelve intrepid candidates working to flip Republican held House seats blue in 2026, and reclaim the US House for us this year.
www.hopiumchronicles.com
July 21, 2026 at 10:35 PM
I've interviewed almost every battleground Senate/House candidate of the cycle. They are a courageous and inspiring crew doing everything they can to take power back from MAGA. Come meet them here 👇, support them, and let's do this people! 5/
www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/our-2026-w...
www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/our-2026-w...
Reposted by R. Bell
🧵 Do Americans know what they’re getting with Trump’s crusade to require proof of citizenship to vote? It’s not as simple as showing a photo ID.
Here’s what you need to know👇
Here’s what you need to know👇
July 23, 2026 at 11:00 PM
🧵 Do Americans know what they’re getting with Trump’s crusade to require proof of citizenship to vote? It’s not as simple as showing a photo ID.
Here’s what you need to know👇
Here’s what you need to know👇
Reposted by R. Bell
“Members of Congress concerned about preserving the constitutional Separation of Powers should warn Vought and agency officials to reverse these lawless actions or else face consequences.”
Our own Cerin Lindgrensavage & Georgetown's David A. Super on preserving Congress's power in the Trump era.
Our own Cerin Lindgrensavage & Georgetown's David A. Super on preserving Congress's power in the Trump era.
Congress rejected some of Trump’s proposed budget cuts. OMB is making them anyway.
President Trump and the Office of Management and Budget are accused of violating the separation of powers by attempting to unilaterally withhold funds that Congress specifically appropriated.
thehill.com
July 24, 2026 at 12:00 AM
“Members of Congress concerned about preserving the constitutional Separation of Powers should warn Vought and agency officials to reverse these lawless actions or else face consequences.”
Our own Cerin Lindgrensavage & Georgetown's David A. Super on preserving Congress's power in the Trump era.
Our own Cerin Lindgrensavage & Georgetown's David A. Super on preserving Congress's power in the Trump era.
Reposted by R. Bell
We deserve answers as to why Tom Kean Jr. voted again to spend our tax dollars on another forever war with no clear objectives or exit strategy.
That's why I'm challenging him to six debates this fall.
That's why I'm challenging him to six debates this fall.
July 24, 2026 at 12:13 AM
We deserve answers as to why Tom Kean Jr. voted again to spend our tax dollars on another forever war with no clear objectives or exit strategy.
That's why I'm challenging him to six debates this fall.
That's why I'm challenging him to six debates this fall.
Reposted by R. Bell
After losing nearly 20% of its hospitals since 1992, the state can't afford further erosion of care for its most vulnerable residents.
N.J. lost 29 hospitals in three decades. Now Medicaid cuts could claim more | Opinion
After losing nearly 20% of its hospitals since 1992, the state can't afford further erosion of care for its most vulnerable residents.
www.nj.com
July 19, 2026 at 6:30 PM
After losing nearly 20% of its hospitals since 1992, the state can't afford further erosion of care for its most vulnerable residents.
Reposted by R. Bell
There's nothing more populist and middle America than -- checks notes -- getting one's son to a golf lesson on a military helicopter. www.ms.now/news/veeps-s...
Vance’s security detail ‘fed up’ with hastily arranged personal and family travel requests
Secret Service sources said the Vance family asks included getting their young son to a golf lesson on a military helicopter.
www.ms.now
July 15, 2026 at 9:21 PM
There's nothing more populist and middle America than -- checks notes -- getting one's son to a golf lesson on a military helicopter. www.ms.now/news/veeps-s...