Associate Professor of Law at University of San Francisco. Writes about electric utilities, prisons, 17th c. England, AI, feminism, etc. Part of the inner ORBit at www.oaklandreviewofbooks.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzlzs7iyts2yI hope as the Dems draw up their aggressive Congressional agenda they remember the millions who are projected to die due to the criminal DOGE dismantling of US AID and spend a decent chunk of political capital figuring out how to build USAID back and prosecute (its/the) killers.05 Nov 2026 23:34 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzlzs7iyts2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzllyjm6lk2cLook, I'm happy Newsom has made it impossible for California to kill anyone currently on death row but he also killed Prop 40 and people are gonna die when MediCal gets cut so, uh, temper your praise and for the love of all that is holy do not vote for him in the 2028 primary.05 Nov 2026 19:27 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzllyjm6lk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzliwv3ew22fAlmost as if LLMs were not an economically efficient consumer product with wide demand so much as a political project/investment scheme by a small group of people with a near-religious anti-humanism. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Nov 2026 18:33 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzliwv3ew22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzlfzm2d3k27You know what would make my life better, Chuck? Not having to organize ICE patrols at my kids' school and get terrified texts from my friends in Chicago and Minneapolis. Deliverism for the Dems is stripping ICE agents of funding and arrest authority on Day 1. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Nov 2026 17:40 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzlfzm2d3k27https://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzjsrcctrs2pNYTimes is going to do its best to facilitate it. (Not a hit on Bouie, I want him as widely read as possible) [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Nov 2026 02:23 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzjsrcctrs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzjnspdw5s2hA thread (and maybe future essay? commission me!) about California and this election: This is a map of results for Prop 187, which 59% of Californians voted for in 1994 (blue is yes). It would have required every law enforcement officer in the state to do immigration enforcement w/ all arrestees...05 Nov 2026 00:54 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzjnspdw5s2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzjmgcc7xc2iI spent election day in this district not because it was a likely flip but as a nonpartisan observer at places where tribal members vote to ensure they could, and now that my hat and sticker are off I can celebrate not just an uneventful day with lovely pollworkers but fully blue Nevada. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Nov 2026 00:29 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzjmgcc7xc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzj7hbv7ac25Moderately despairing over CA proposition results. RTM passed, which means people are willing to raise effective prices for public infrastructure, and Prop 3 says they're willing to tax high incomes, but 40 failing and 42 passing suggests either the voting public is dominated by a (home)ownership04 Nov 2026 20:37 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzj7hbv7ac25https://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzhs75nhz22g [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Nov 2026 07:08 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhs75nhz22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzhr37vm622dThird Reconstruction, bay-bee [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Nov 2026 06:47 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhr37vm622dhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzhpqibxnc2dMuch like 2008, when the US elected Obama and California banned gay marriage, I am once again confronted with the fact that California's blue veneer obscures its actually quite shitty politics, in this case a fundamental misunderstanding that living in a society requires, you know, paying taxes.04 Nov 2026 06:24 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhpqibxnc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzhoqx7ugs2eOK here's tonight's game: what win tonight is the most personally gratifying to you? Doesn't have to be the most significant, just the one that you feel, in your bones, strongest schadenfreude or greatest joy about. For me, surprisingly, it's Abbott losing, or flipping WI-3, my in-laws' district.04 Nov 2026 06:06 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhoqx7ugs2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzhnl4lqts2zLots to celebrate tonight, but this one is a niche gift to the climate energy heads (also the non-racists). [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Nov 2026 05:45 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhnl4lqts2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzhduu53n22mIs he the guy that disappeared for several months? [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Nov 2026 02:51 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhduu53n22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzgqgku4g22qNon-election post: my cousin, a museum educator who is 120-episodes in to my daughter's favorite podcast (she listens to it every night & during chores) has written his third children's book but needs funding to publish! You can support his Kickstarter here (and listen to The Past and the Curious!) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heartallybooks/tails-a-book-about-the-most-interesting-animals-in-history03 Nov 2026 21:03 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzgqgku4g22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mzby37ztec2pHaven't returned your CA ballot yet? Here's how to vote on all the propositions (plus Oakland): https://www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/voting-guide-2026/01 Nov 2026 23:37 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzby37ztec2phttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3mz7rekxigs2gValkyries ♥️🎉01 Nov 2026 02:31 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3mz7rekxigs2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3myzrnzdkgk23Incumbent generators that control the PJM stakeholder process like capacity shortages and PJM economists are ideologically committed to profit incentives as the only means of securing adequacy but not equally committed to antitrust measures. Municipalize PJM! [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Oct 2026 17:21 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3myzrnzdkgk23https://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3myuzzdiwzk2oOk did not expect this one to go viral, I was using "AOC DOJ" as an abbreviation for "DOJ run by appointee of left Dem president," yes I know AOC is not a lawyer and the DOJ is independent (but I do actually think she should run for president) [contains quote post or other embedded content]27 Oct 2026 20:07 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3myuzzdiwzk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3myuruq4pok2cLot of folks (self included) expressing despair that despite aggressive prosecuting fascists ("doing everything right") Brazil was still going to get Bolsonaro-ed and the fact this guy gtfo-ed as quickly as he did should be a big signal for the AOC DOJ to go *hard* in 2029. [contains quote post or other embedded content]27 Oct 2026 17:41 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3myuruq4pok2chttps://bsky.app/profile/meganwachspress.bsky.social/post/3myqfkf4wjs22Now looking like Lula may prevail after all... [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Oct 2026 23:50 +0000at://did:plc:v7snzinjqh4e4faevo424ess/app.bsky.feed.post/3myqfkf4wjs22