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Trump seized congressionally appropriated funds to pay troops, and he plans to do the same to pay ICE. He’s establishing the precedent that “the president can raise and spend money however he wants.” From @ddayen and Ryan Cooper:

Workers in the South are winning higher wages and better working conditions, even without a union. “Workers are taking matters into their own hands.” From Jesse Baum with @capitalandmain:

Andrew Cuomo blamed his poor performance in the NYC mayoral race on bad social media. Zohran Mamdani responded: “We haven’t heard Gov. Cuomo say the word ‘affordability.’ That’s why he lost the primary.” From @WhitneyCWimbish:

Trump’s latest funding threats are backfiring– no university will take his newest offer, and his withholding of infrastructure funds has been a gift to Democrats in the NJ Senate race. From @rkuttnerwrites:

The Damaged Democratic Brand

It’s hard to unionize in the South, but Dollar Store workers are working hard to fight unsafe labor practices. Organizations like Step Up Louisiana help them make the best of bad situations. From Jesse Baum: https://t.co/SBCVB5umvv

Trump refuses to respect the fact that Congress has the power of the purse. “That’s yet another part of the Constitution that Trump is fully flushing down the toilet, and arguably the most important one,” writes Ryan Cooper with @ddayen: https://t.co/LmGgyIgAHe

Federal workers are sick of being used as pawns to destroy the federal agencies that they worked so hard for. Plus, as the shutdown drags on, many are feeling the financial strain of going without pay. From Whitney C. Wimbish and @EmmaRJanssen: https://t.co/KnVaW3WZnz

Trump’s overstepping seems to have persuaded centrist Democrats and university presidents to stand up to him. From @rkuttnerwrites: https://t.co/NVjufBKiNP

Andrew Cuomo tried to fight back against Zohran Mamdani during the New York City mayoral debate on Thursday, but failed to land any punches while Mamdani calmly steered the conversation to his policy proposals. From Whitney C. Wimbish: https://t.co/dTO9b4ecX7

As Kaiser Workers Strike, ‘Not-for-Profit’ Is Sitting on $67 Billion

After First Missed Paycheck, Federal Workers Call for Solidarity

Trump Keeps Overreaching: Will It Backfire?

Republican state legislatures are gearing up for the Supreme Court’s expected decision to greenlight racially discriminatory maps that could shift 19 House seats to Republicans. From @ddayen:

From the White House to college campuses, the GOP has become “a veritable storehouse of white racism.” From @HaroldMeyerson:

More than 1 million federal workers are struggling to get by as the government shutdown drags on. “I’m a college graduate. I have a federal job in the best country in the world…and people are having to give me food.” From Whitney Wimbish and @EmmaRJanssen: https://t.co/yWdIh9xbBw

Trump seized the money Congress earmarked for research to pay troops – it’s “by far the most illegal budgetary action he’s taken as POTUS.” If Trump can spend money however he wants, “the Constitution is null and void.” From @ddayen and Ryan Cooper:

In the South, organizing a union is an uphill battle, especially with a weak NLRB. Dollar Store workers and others have taken a different path – winning higher pay and safer working conditions without a union. From Jesse Baum with @capitalandmain:

“Does today’s MAGA-fied, Trumpified GOP trace its roots to the violent white supremacists of 1877 or the first American slaveholders of 1619?” https://t.co/rTTNmyMFxY

The government shutdown is dragging on for a third week and members of Congress aren’t making much progress to end the stalemate. Federal workers are dipping into their savings and retirement funds to stay afloat. From Whitney C. Wimbish and @EmmaRJanssen https://t.co/HrbilyzYL7