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Stephen Copek

@copek

Park Slope, Brooklyn. Philanthropy professional working in economic mobility and poverty reduction. Will mostly post about that, NYC politics, and my fandom of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Chicago White Sox and Bears, and US Soccer. All views my own.

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Latest posts by Stephen Copek @copek

May have taken a little longer than that, but it’s nice to get one right every once in a while.

03.03.2026 03:47 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Maybe the Bears were just trying to distract them for a bit?

03.03.2026 03:43 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

And the NY10 primary goes into full swing. Let’s get Lander to Congress.

03.03.2026 03:06 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

RFK Jr’s damage will take a very long time to unwind when (if?) rational people gain power again.

02.03.2026 02:13 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The other campaign may have the money, but we have the people.

It’s on us to earn every vote. We won’t be out-worked or out-organized. Not this team.

The next step in the fight is getting on the ballot. Can I ask you to join us for a volunteer shift? www.mobilize.us/landerforcongress

27.02.2026 17:17 πŸ‘ 150 πŸ” 26 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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First Jobs Matter More Than We Think They could help us solve society’s biggest problems.

Starting my career in a couple of public/national service roles this very much resonated with me. Can’t imagine my career would have found the path it did without these early experiences.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

20.02.2026 23:51 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I hope it’s not about this, but the below quote is echoing in my mind tonight.

β€œDuring the war, you can't have elections? So let me just see, three and a half years from now, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections? That's good."

Congress needs to do more, full stop.

19.02.2026 03:53 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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You Know What? Maybe the Time Is Right for an AOC Presidential Bid She’s only 36, and there’s a good argument that she should run for Senate and bide her time. But she also could be a formidable White House candidate.

from the perspective of someone who might want to be president, the best time to run for the white house is now, not later. so if AOC is thinking about it β€” if the white house is her ambition β€” then her best bet is to throw her hat in the ring

16.02.2026 14:13 πŸ‘ 10931 πŸ” 1602 πŸ’¬ 467 πŸ“Œ 313
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Why Hospital Policies Matter in States That Ban Abortion Our first-of-its-kind data analysis found that a seismic split emerged in how medical institutions in Texas' two largest metro areas, Houston and Dallas, treated miscarrying patients β€” and in their ou...

The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%.

(Published May 2025)

06.02.2026 04:00 πŸ‘ 1159 πŸ” 611 πŸ’¬ 28 πŸ“Œ 37
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Light at the End of the Tunnel? How should philanthropy capitalize on events in Minneapolis? Backing effective civic pushback is just one piece of the puzzle.

β€œBut as obvious as that may sound, supporting organizing has never been a priority for philanthropy, despite the sector’s endless hand-wringing about democracy. Such work is now, and has always been, chronically underfunded. That needs to change.”

www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/light-a...

06.02.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I appear to be in the minority in that I’m not worried about this Iowa WBB team. Tough stretch after losing a leader who clearly was a bigger piece of the puzzle than I thought.

Still, I think they right the ship next week. Also think this is the last 3 game losing streak we see for a long time.

06.02.2026 04:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to endorse Gov. Kathy Hochul The endorsement, expected this week, gives Hochul a critical inroad with left-leaning voters.

I don’t agree with this this endorsement, but I totally get it.

If Delgado wins will he be adversarial because of this? I doubt it.

Will Mamdani lose his base of support over this? No chance.

Will Hochul return favors if she wins? Maybe, it’s worth a shot.

www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

05.02.2026 03:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

One of the better three point shooters Iowa has ever seen. Hate to see a career end this way. She will deserve every second of the ovation she gets at senior day.

27.01.2026 03:57 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Having lived in Park Slope for the last ~ten years, I have zero doubt that Brad Lander will be out there doing this exact same thing when we elect him to be our Congressman.

We need so many more leaders like him in DC. Community building is part of the job. He shows up every time.

27.01.2026 02:55 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Governor Hochul has made very clear she will keep allowing government agencies to collaborate with ICE.

The only way to make her change course is through a strong primary challenge from the Left.

The power to force Hochul to end collaboration with ICEβ€”and to tax the richβ€”lies with us, via Delgado.

26.01.2026 16:03 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Love seeing the confidence grow for this Iowa WBB team. Keep this up and they’ll will do some damage in March. The next few years are going to be fun as they gain experience.

25.01.2026 20:37 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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It Will Take Years to Fully Grasp Eric Adams’s Corruption New York has turned the page, but more evidence of the ex-mayor’s venality keeps turning up.

The new Speaker says the Council will be looking into possible malfeasance by the Adams admin. β€œWe need to retrospectively take a look back at what happened the last couple years”.

I really hope this happens, we can’t just let people just sail off with no accountability.
nymag.com/intelligence...

25.01.2026 02:28 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Someday corporations and technology companies will pretend they were always against this

19.01.2026 22:51 πŸ‘ 11746 πŸ” 2007 πŸ’¬ 476 πŸ“Œ 133

Quite a season for the Bears, came up just short tonight but I hope this is a sign of things to come in Chicago.

19.01.2026 03:11 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Can confirm

19.01.2026 02:40 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion | Martin Luther King’s Son to the Supreme Court: Preserve Our Democracy. Martin Luther King’s son and Norm Ornstein, a leading scholar of voting rights, discuss a case that could hollow out the Voting Rights Act.

β€œThis is a test of whether we will accept the slow erosion of democracy, or rise up β€” as generations before us did β€” to redeem it,” writes Martin Luther King III.

19.01.2026 00:45 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Honestly didn’t think Iowa’s MBB team would have a shot at the tournament when the year started. Today, I’d be disappointed if they don’t make it.

Great start to the McCollum era, and excited to see what he can build in Iowa City with time.

18.01.2026 00:16 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Unhappiness One reason for the toxicity of American politics may be that our quality of life is slipping behind our peers’.

β€œThe United States does a fine job generating economic growth, but it lags at translating that G.D.P. growth into the things we most care about,” our columnist Nicholas Kristof writes.

15.01.2026 02:11 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

As a life long Bears fan who had just had my first birthday the last time they won the Super Bowl, I’m used to disappointment.

The second half tonight might have been the best I’ve ever felt as a Bears fan. Running over the Saints in the 2006 NFC championship was great, but it wasn’t the Packers.

11.01.2026 04:59 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Well, we have a third straight year without an SEC team in the national championship game.

Meanwhile, the Big Ten will be competing for its third straight title. If successful, it will be with three different teams.

09.01.2026 04:30 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Today in the New York Times:

"One year after the start of congestion pricing, traffic jams are less severe, streets are safer, and commute times are improving for travelers from well beyond Manhattan."

05.01.2026 16:10 πŸ‘ 124 πŸ” 31 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 10

Hardly the Hawkeyes best here tonight, but also one of those games that great teams make sure they find a way close out and win. If they do, we won’t remember how they won this one in March.

06.01.2026 03:22 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It is incredible to me that the Bears and Packers, one of the longest standing rivalries in American sports, will meet in the post season for only the third time ever next weekend.

Can’t wait. Bear Down.

05.01.2026 02:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This is yet another example of the President’s baseless rhetoric putting our people and our democracy at risk.

@governorwalz.mn.gov is a good man and the President’s insinuation is completely ridiculous.

04.01.2026 17:54 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Local advocacy is more important than ever. It's overwhelming to think about how to fix [motions to everything] but I can make it safer for seniors to cross the street, for kids to bike to school, for people to have places to meet in public space... all of which build and strengthen our democracy.

04.01.2026 02:43 πŸ‘ 298 πŸ” 79 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 5