The book "Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress" by Maya L. Kornberg on a tabletop in front of a bookshelf.
In "Stuck," Dr. Maya Kornberg chronicles the efforts of congressional reformers over the last fifty years and documents the mounting forces that have kept their reforms from creating meaningful change.
https://tr.ee/PxeWLU
This says so much about what has happened to American politics in the 15+ years since the Citizens United decision. Worse than many imagined at the time. Billionaires Are Swaying Elections in All Corners of America www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...
NYT reports pardons going to the wealthy and politically connected who can pay $$ for insider lobbyists.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/u...
As @amostoh.bsky.social and I explain, the Pentagon's dispute with Anthropic should not distract from the broader crisis at hand: Congress's failure to regulate some of the riskiest uses of AI - namely, amplifying surveillance and automating the use of lethal force.
NEW: Clemency for Tina Peters would be unprecedented, based on my analysis of Gov Polis' 25 commutations. Peters hasn't shown remorse, taken accountability, or sought to restore harm. No Polis commutation was for a harsh sentence alone and Peters' would be the shortest by 30+ yrs
This is what happens when you effectively have no ethical rules at the top of government — virtually limitless opportunities for insider profiteering.
The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to decide when the nation goes to war. President Trump’s strikes on Iran are flatly unconstitutional. There’s been no deliberation, no vote, no clear justification. This is a flagrant abuse of executive power.
Guardrails don’t undermine military AI. In fact, they're needed to improve the tech’s safety and reliability, says @amostoh.bsky.social defensescoop.com/2026/02/27/p...
“Any attempt by this administration to seize or ban mail-in ballots or voting machines during an election would” violate federal laws prohibiting interference with elections, says @lizagoitein.bsky.social.
Today @washingtonpost.com reported activists are urging Trump to declare an emergency based on claims of Chinese interference in the 2020 election and use emergency powers to dramatically alter election rules. Trump has no power to run elections, even in an emergency. 🧵
Certain requests to election officials for access to voting machines and materials can be legitimate for transparency reasons, but others go far beyond what is legally authorized. We sort it out: bit.ly/4aciVCc
This affidavit was much weaker than I suspected. No allegations of intent. No allegations of election theft. No allegations of foreign interference. No allegations that the statute of limitations doesn't apply.
At worst, it alleges human error, during a pandemic, that didn't affect the outcome.
In Fulton County, there had been a mystery as to what the evidence that the magistrate used to find probable cause would it look like. Now there’s a new mystery: how in the world did the magistrate approve this bunch of recycled and discredited allegations to find probable cause?
Election officials are "resolute in ensuring that their voters will be able to vote freely, and that there will be a fair election in 2026” amid the administration’s campaign to undermine elections, @larrynorden.bsky.social tells npr.org.
On WAMU 885 / @npr.org : "If You Can Keep It: Donald Trump and #ElectionIntegrity" produced by Lauren Hamilton with guests @sethbluestein.bsky.social , @larrynorden.bsky.social, @nytnickc.bsky.social & @jessicahuseman.bsky.social:
the1a.org/segments/if-...
This tactic has real consequences on the people who work in elections. Election officials working in jurisdictions that are majority-minority disproportionately report being threatened, harassed and abused. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
It's no accident that in reiterating his calls to "nationalize" elections, the president focused on Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta. A core tactic of the president and others seeking to undermine elections has been to target cities with lots of voters of color.
"Trump lamented that he failed to activate the National Guard to seize voting machines in 2020. The Fulton raid should set alarm bells ringing about Trump’s willingness to abuse the power of his office to undermine free and fair elections in 2026 and 2028."
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
As it happens, last week NASS, the bipartisan organization for Secretaries of State (the chief election official in most states) reaffirmed that "the conduct of elections is primarily the responsibility of state and local election officials." The Constitution is clear. www.nass.org/node/2695
Yesterday, AG Pam Bondi sent a remarkable & telling letter to MN Governor Tim Walz in response to his plea that the administration stand down its mobilization of ICE in the wake of the violent killing of Alex Pretti. Bondi’s letter underscores clear abuses of power. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The lesson of the Powell statement and yesterday to me is get your side of the story out via video first, it matters so much in shaping public opinion.
Our government has entered a new and dangerous era of corruption, leading to a collapse in public trust. Our latest report outlines nine solutions to combat corruption, including a path to restoring campaign finance limits. bit.ly/4r62EnZ
For those worried about the use of AI to support rumors or outright falsehoods to justify efforts to undermine this fall’s elections, this is an ominous sign.
This week marks the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, which ushered in a new era of political corruption. The Brennan Center has released a new paper outlining nine concrete solutions for reform: bit.ly/4jUFb6I
Worth it?
The president can’t do much to stop states from enacting and enforcing AI safety laws — and courts and state governments should know this. bit.ly/3Y0drDI
Tech investors signal that they plan to spend big in the 2026 midterms in both congressional and state legislative races.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
This is really well done and worth a read: www.authoritarian-stack.info
