“The Senate passed a deal between Democrats and the White House to fund the government, but the House won’t vote until Monday. The shutdown will have little impact if it is brief.”
Forbes: Elon Musk planned trip to Epstein’s private island [Dec 2014].
Elon Musk tweet: This is false.
–
Musk email (Dec 2013): Will be in the BVI/St Bart’s area over the holidays. Is this a good time to visit?
Epstein: I will send a heli for you.
Musk: Thanks.
He says the “St. Bart’s area,” which is large and really could be anywhere and not include the island, so let’s not make a rush to… oh.
Musk: When should we head to your island on the 2nd [of January 2014]?
OK, so Musk was planning to go to Epstein’s island, but it’s not like he went there with the intent to go to a wild party or something, it was probably just some business. Excuse me, an email just came in. *Reads*
What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?
I *think* this thread is over? OK, so Musk was requesting to attend the wildest party on Epstein’s Island, I will grant you that. But who doesn’t love a party? I mean, it’s not like he was looking for love in all the wrong places or anything.
The world needs more romance. […] Talulah and I are headed to St Barth’s at the end of [2012]. I assume you will most likely be on your island?
Any reaction from EM yet on the other place? Hopefully just this screenshot [of Austin Powers speechless after failing to disavow his penis enlarger].
Elon Musk publicly slandering that cave diver as a “pedo guy” after he begged Jeffrey Epstein for island party invites is just incredible. And he really did follow it up by claiming there was no reason to anyone to move to Thailand aside from child sex slaves. Masterful.
Rando:
Elon Musk asked to go to Epstein’s “wildest party”:
– Six years after Epstein was first indicted.
– Four years after Epstein’s sweetheart deal where he pled guilty to solicitation of a minor.
– Three years after Epstein completes his sentence.
– Two years after he settles lawsuits from victims.
Carol Leonnig: [Federal Minnesota and Los Angeles] prosecutors […] declined to participate in this because they don’t believe the Don Lemon charges will actually stand up. […] The career prosecutors that I’ve spoken to […] are beside themselves.
Ryan Goodman: “Bondi tweet: ‘At my direction’ feds arrested journalists.”
birgerjohanssonsays
(Short) “BREAKING: Judge strikes down Trump’s $15B lawsuit against The New York Times”
Israeli strikes have killed at least 26 Palestinians, marking one of the highest death tolls since the October ceasefire.It comes a day after Israel accused Hamas of new ceasefire violations. Strikes hit locations throughout Gaza, including lethal ones on an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent camp in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals that received the bodies said. The casualties included two women and six children from two different families. An air strike also hit a police station in Gaza City, killing at least 11 and wounding others, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.
The series of strikes also came a day before the Rafah crossing along the border with Egypt is set to open in Gaza’s southernmost city.
SLS Artemis so yeah, another delay. Still better safe than sorry – & still tantalisingly close seems launch could happen as early as Feb 8th :
NASA has been forced to delay a critical fueling test for its Artemis 2 moon rocket due to unusually cold weather forecasted to hit the Space Coast this weekend.
The wet dress rehearsal for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was expected to begin last night (Jan. 29). An initial call to stations for Artemis 2 mission teams and the beginning of a 49-hour simulated launch countdown was set to start around 8:00 p.m. EST (0100 GMT, Jan. 30). The wet dress rehearsal is the last major test SLS has to pass before being cleared to launch a crew of astronauts to the moon — that launch will mark the first time in over 50 years humans have headed toward Earth’s natural satellite.
But the magats still chant ‘drill, baby, drill’ and the failed mainslime media is silent on this: https://www.juancole.com/2026/01/thursday-australia-uninhabitable.html
All the 15 Hottest Spots on Earth on Thursday were in Australia; Will it become Uninhabitable?
it is admittedly summer in Australia, but this is ridiculous.
Parts of Australia are already experiencing temperatures that on average are 1.5º C. (2.7º F.) hotter than the nineteenth century average.
That is a temperature rise that scientists hope the earth as a whole can avoid, and they are worried that if we go to 3º C. (5.4º F.), it will create large no-go zones where humans cannot live because it is too hot or too hot and humid.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
Elon Musk emailed Epstein about ‘wildest party’ on private island: new docs. Emails released by the DOJ show Elon Musk sought an invite to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, asking to attend the “wildest party” despite Epstein’s sex-offender conviction.
That’s a thorough review. Here are a few excerpts:
In the 104 minutes of the movie “Melania,” there are only two real hints of how dangerous our world and politics have become.
The supposed documentary on First Lady Melania Trump is largely set in the 20 days before her husband, President Donald Trump, returned to office for the second time last January. At one point, the couple are seen with staffers discussing grand plans for “a million” people to line the streets of Washington for the swearing-in ceremony. Staffers inform the family that they will ride in a motorcade along Pennsylvania Avenue and that, as per tradition, they will have a few opportunities to get out of the car and wave at the crowd.
Despite assurances that the Secret Service believes this will be “safe,” Melania — and her son, Barron Trump — are clearly not convinced.
“How could that be safe? Especially with the last year, what’s going on and stuff,” Melania says during the meeting. “I have concerns, honestly, and I know Barron will not go out of the car. I respect that. That’s his decision. We need to talk about it. Are we doing it or not?”
[…] At the concession stand, I noticed they were selling large commemorative popcorn buckets emblazoned with Melania’s face. It’s part of a massive marketing campaign that brought a distinctly fascistic flavor to city streets, with billboards featuring the first lady’s portrait looming over street corners. Yet, at my screening, this effort to cultivate a cult of personality wasn’t quite taking. When I asked the two women selling snacks if anyone had bought the buckets, I received an emphatic response.
“No — and I hope not,” one of them said. […]
I opted for a small popcorn in a standard bag.
In its attempts to gloss over all of these simmering tensions, “Melania” the movie is almost aggressively uninsightful.
[…] The sole revelations to be found in “Melania” are about how brazen the Trumps are and about their all encompassing, incredible lack of self awareness. […] Melania is shown tromping around the gilded confines of the family’s private residences; the deranged rococo Florida beach club, Mar-a-Lago, and their obscene mirrored apartment in Manhattan’s Trump Tower.
[…] The entire financing and distribution of the documentary has often been likened to a naked bribe, delivered to the Trumps by one of the world’s richest men. “Melania” was financed and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, which is a subsidiary of the online retail giant owned by centibillionaire Jeff Bezos. Amazon is widely reported to have spent a record $40 million to license the movie. According to the Wall Street Journal, as one of the movie’s producers, the first lady personally made $28 million from the deal. On top of that, the studio spent a reported $35 million on distribution and the marketing campaign […]
Hollywood insiders say that math simply doesn’t make sense. […] last year’s top grossing documentary was the official film for pop star Taylor Swift’s latest album.
“It’s about Taylor Swift, the most popular artist on the planet — and that made 34 million, so that made less than what they paid for this,” Rushfield explained. [Richard Rushfield, a columnist and founder of The Ankler newsletter]
With “Melania” likely needing to nearly triple Swift’s numbers just for Amazon to break even, Rushfield said it’s hard not to view the project as a corrupt payoff.
[…] Melania delivers narration acknowledging the financial backers who have made her and her husband’s rise a reality.
“It’s so powerful to see this room come to life tonight: candlelight, black tie, and my complete creative vision filled with the elegance and sophistication of our donors,” Melania says. “They are truly the driving force behind the campaign and its philosophy, the reason our victory is possible.” […]
You all remember when the Marmalade Mussolini recently mocked the Nordic states’ defenses in Greenland by blubbering about “two dog sleds”?
Now it is the Nordics who are laughing.
A friend from Finland, who refers to her country as the “Ukrainians of the North” (Finland joined NATO in 2023), recently told me that her country is more than ready for war. For comparison, while the British Army has about 71,000 regulars, Finland can mobilize 280,000 troops at short notice and has 900,000 reservists, out of a population of 5.5 m.
The US has about 3000 men in Alaska.
Everyone in Finland now knows they can no longer rely on the US. In fact, even leaving Trump’s rambling speeches aside, the news from the Pittufik “Space Base”, the single remaining US military base in Greenland, provoked hilarity more than fear or respect.
The US has set up various deployment guides and welcome packs to help their 150 military personnel, contractors and visiting researchers. All go big on weather safety and “on-base coziness”. US personnel are warned they should hoard snacks in their quarters, where they may have to hunker down when not allowed to walk to the canteen during storms.
Even in summer, all driving has to come to a stop because of fog.
However, the base offers golf simulators, computer gaming, a bowling alley and, ironically, an excellent selection of free Danish pastries!
Yes, pit these brave men against highly-mobile “dog sleds” manned by an all-weather trained elite Danish special forces.
Why, merely sabotaging the heating system at the base should be enough to bring the mighty US of A to its knees.
“Trump Sues IRS For $10 Billion For All Those Taxes He Never Paid”
Donald Trump is once again suing the federal government in hopes certainty of a great big taxpayer-funded payout. This time he’s demanding $10 billion from the IRS to cover the great harm done to him when a former IRS contractor leaked years of Trump’s tax returns to media outlets.
The complaint filed in federal court in Florida Friday says Trump is suing in his capacity as a private citizen, so no need to worry that this is some kind of corruption in his capacity as president. The suit also names Trump’s sons […] as plaintiffs, as well as the Trump Organization, which the complaint clarifies “includes The Trump Organization, LLC, as well as 418 other entities that received notices” from the IRS. We are not a business reporter, so we don’t know whether 418 is a lot of entities doing business under one name. Maybe it’s just average? Maybe someone who knows a lot about the money laundering real estate business could tell us.
Trump claims that the IRS should have prevented the contractor, Charles Littlejohn, from accessing tax records for the Trumps, their company (all 419 pieces of it) and other wealthy people. Littlejohn pleaded guilty in 2024 and is now serving five years in prison for leaking the tax information to the New York Times, ProPublica, and other outlets. The complaint says that the IRS, which he was the boss of at the time, should have had better computer security that would have prevented Littlejohn from downloading the records.
Hilariously, NBC News says that Trump will “now face off in court with his own administration,” as if the leaders of the IRS, all Trump appointees, will somehow put up a fight.
Also too, when lady reporter Karen Travers asked Trump a question about the lawsuit yesterday, Trump had one of his automatic Asshole Outbreaks, sidestepping the question and complaining, “You’re a loud person. Very loud. Let somebody else have a chance.” [video]
This is Trump’s second attempt to sue the US government he leads for its past sins against him; last fall, he demanded the Justice Department pay him $230 million for investigating him in all the crimes he managed to escape punishment for by getting reelected and also by having friends at the Supreme Court. That clusterfuck is still ongoing while Pam Bondi tries to find a plausible way to say sure, just hand him the money.
As for the leaks of Trump’s tax records, yes, we remember rolling our eyes and saying “now there’s a big fucking surprise” in 2020 when the Times reported, based on the records that we now know Littlejohn leaked, that Trump had paid just $750 in income tax in both 2016 and 2017, and nothing at all for 10 of the 15 years before he took office the first time. Now he wants billions in taxpayer-funded compensation for the scandal of him not paying taxes.
[…] The lawsuit claims that the leak of the tax records caused “reputational and financial harm […] It also says the information “adversely impacted President Trump’s support among voters in the 2020 presidential election,” and even gripes about how some of the reporting in ProPublica’s stories about the tax records was totally unfair and false, as if the IRS were responsible for that, too […]
As the New Republic points out, there are one or two little problems with the lawsuit, like the fact that when the leaks took place, the president was Donald Trump, who was in charge of the IRS. The suit may also be past the statute of limitations, as former GW Bush deputy assistant AG Ed Whelan noted in a thread on Twitter. Trump should have brought the lawsuit “within two years after the date of discovery” by the offended party,” Whelan explains.
To get around that problem, the lawsuit pretends that even though Trump knew of the leaks in 2020, he and the other plaintiffs somehow couldn’t sue until they knew it was Littlejohn who stole the information.
“But Littlejohn isn’t the defendant. Treasury and IRS are,” says Whelan. “And Trump knew back in 2020 that they had allowed the allegedly unlawful leaks. So that claim is time-barred.” [!]
Well sure, that seems like it could be a problem, but if the IRS argues the suit should be thrown out, Trump the president might just fire everyone there […]
This is all perfectly normal and perfectly legal, and not the least bit corrupt, the end.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump wants to build a 250-foot-tall arch, dwarfing the Lincoln Memorial
The president is eyeing a plot of land near Memorial Bridge. The art critic who proposed the idea called for a smaller arch or for Trump to pick a new site.
The White House stands about 70 feet tall. The Lincoln Memorial, roughly 100 feet. The triumphal arch President Donald Trump wants to build would eclipse both if he gets his wish.
Trump has grown attached to the idea of a 250-foot-tall structure overlooking the Potomac River, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe his comments, a scale that has alarmed some architectural experts who initially supported the idea of an arch but expected a far smaller one.
The planned Independence Arch is intended to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. Built to Trump’s specifications, it would transform a small plot of land between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery into a dominant new monument, reshaping the relationship between the two memorials and obstructing pedestrians’ views. [Aerial view of the proposed location]
Trump has considered smaller versions of the arch, including 165-foot-high and 123-foot-high designs he shared at a dinner last year. But he has favored the largest option, arguing that its sheer size would impress visitors to Washington, and that ‘250 for 250’ makes the most sense, the people said.
Architectural experts counter that the size of the monument — installed in the center of a traffic circle — would distort the intent of the surrounding memorials.
[…] “The one that people know mostly is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. And we’re gonna top it by, I think, a lot,” Trump said at a White House Christmas reception in December.
The Arc de Triomphe — already one of the world’s largest triumphal arches — measures 164 feet.
[…] Leigh initially proposed a 60-foot arch that could pop up as a temporary structure to mark America’s 250th. Trump instead wants a permanent arch, more than four times larger, funded with leftover private donations to his White House ballroom project, which he has said could cost about $400 million. Publicly identified donors to the ballroom project, such as Amazon, Google and Lockheed Martin, collectively have billions of dollars in contracts before the administration. [Alarming illustration comparing the proposed arch to the U.S. Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House]
[…] In the newly released files, Epstein bantered with Lajčák about women while discussing Lajčák’s meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Lajčák initially denied any wrongdoing, describing the communications as informal and light-hearted, and later offered his resignation to prevent political costs from falling on the prime minister, according to reports in Slovak media. “Not because I did anything criminal or unethical, but so that he does not bear political costs for something unrelated to his decisions,” Lajčák was quoted as saying.
The opposition had united in calling for him to resign. The coalition Slovak National Party also joined this stance, saying that Lajčák represented a security risk, according to local media. […]
“There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.” […] Mondragón entered the U.S. in 2022 with valid immigration documents. […] no criminal record. […] officers determined only after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa. […] an arrest warrant signed upon his arrival by an ICE officer, not an immigration judge. About four hours after his arrest, he was taken to a hospital emergency room […] telling staff he was “dragged and mistreated by federal agents,” though his condition quickly deteriorated
[…]
a U.S. District Court judge ordered him released from ICE custody. To the surprise of some who treated him, Castañeda Mondragón was discharged from the hospital Tuesday. […] Mondragón has no family in Minnesota […] coworkers have taken him in. He has significant memory loss and a long recovery ahead. He won’t be able to work for the foreseeable future, and his friends and family worry about paying for his care.
[…]
The crackdown has been unsettling to hospital employees, who said ICE agents have been seen loitering on hospital grounds and asking patients and employees for proof of citizenship. […] staff members are using an encrypted messaging app to compare notes and share information out of fear that the government might be monitoring their communications.
It’s believed to be the first time a local police department in Minnesota intervened
[…]
a U.S. citizen […] in her car, tracking the movements of federal agents, and recording them on a dash cam. […] Agents in three vehicles began chasing her and trying to force her to pull over. Eventually they box her in, three agents get out of the car in front of her, with their guns drawn […] the woman can be heard talking with other observers on speaker phone and she tells them to call 911. The agents open the door, which unlocked automatically when she put the gearshift in park, they drag her out and force her to the ground. […] handcuffed her, leaving her with multiple cuts, scrapes and bruises.
The woman’s husband eventually arrives and […] tells the agents not to search her car because they don’t have a warrant and it would be an illegal search. The agents appear dismissive of his constitutional concerns. “I’m not getting into the legality of everything,” One agent responds tersely.
[…]
The woman said the agents put her into one of their vehicles and started driving […] the agents got a call […] and drove back
[…]
The husband […] called his attorney, and soon after, he got a call from St. Peter Chief of Police Matt Grochow, whom he said he has known for years.
[…]
“ICE returned the female to our police department, I saw her, and I gave her a ride home,” Grochow wrote [to MPR].
Community
Her husband had time to drive to the scene and intervene after she called him, but no police appeared when she called 911. So… no hero cops to the rescue. Just the “good old boy” buddy network in action.
It does show that cops have the *power* to stop ICE. If they want to. Also… “the female” FFS he’s referring to the wife of someone he *knows*.
Nice to know if you’re friends with the chief of police, your female is safe.
True true, but if we celebrate it, maybe it’ll inspire other cops to finally do the right thing.
nothing is inevitable. We know from lots of research that people can interrupt violent processes by making choices that reflect their values. This is an example.
It must have taken a dozen people or more to abduct Liam Ramos and send him to Texas. At any one point, someone could have disrupted the process. That they didn’t is horrifying. That they *could* is important. They have agency and they’re making choices.
Something the research on genocide, ethnic cleansing, & communal violence shows us is that the processes tend to stop where local officials & local people refuse to participate in them. there may be obstacles to refusal—being threatened, being overpowered—but violence isn’t inevitable once it starts.
In that context, the noncompliance of ordinary Americans is especially notable and important: what we are seeing right now would be orders of magnitude worse if the average person was facilitating it. What we also need now is for elites and local officials in more places to act like this chief.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Legal AF (MeidasTouch): “Judge Biery has ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos. A thunderous rebuke against ICE’s violent campaign in Minnesota.”
Eric Turkewitz (Trial lawyer): “This legal decision is just 2 1/2 pages. It is readily understandable to the lay person. I have never, ever, ever, read an opinion like it.”
The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children […] Apparent also is the government’s ignorance of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence. Thirty-three-year-old Thomas Jefferson enumerated grievances against a would-be authoritarian king [*snip*] “We the people” are hearing echos of that history. And then there is that pesky inconvenience called the Fourth Amendment
[…]
the Court finds that the Constitution of these United States trumps this administration’s detention […] [Habeas corpus] and release from detention are GRANTED […]
Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency. And the rule of law be damned.
[…]
Philadelphia, September 17, 1787:
“Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?” “A republic, if you can keep it.”
With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike, It is so ORDERED.
Judge Biery signed the order with a photo of Liam and two bible verses: The first is “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” The second is simply “Jesus wept.”
Nadiba Dennie (Balls&Strikes): “Here is a judge who knows he has a platform and is acting like it.”
A footnote see also’d Magna Carta article 39: forbidding unlawful detainment.
known for sometimes writing entertaining opinions with lengthy dicta citing literature, religious texts, plays, movies, and songs to explain his take on things. […] sworn enemy of bigotry and a protector of voting rights, never forgetting the history of discrimination
They said they didn’t really know Jeffrey Epstein that well. They were disgusted by him right off the bat. They were just drawn to his intellect or love of science or business acumen. They didn’t know about his abuse of women and girls. They deeply regretted associating with him.
In the years since Mr. Epstein’s 2019 arrest and death by suicide in a Manhattan jail, some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people have hastened to distance themselves from the disgraced man with whom they once did business, dined in lavish settings or flew on private jets.
But a slow drip of document releases and other revelations over the last several months — culminating in Friday’s release of nearly three million pages of Epstein-related records — has underscored the depth, intensity and persistence of his connections to the global elite, contradicting or undermining years of careful denials.
So far, at least, the new documents have not fundamentally altered the public understanding of Mr. Epstein or his crimes. Instead, they are replete with chummy exchanges, warm invitations and financial entanglements. Together, the documents show how Mr. Epstein’s connections with people in Hollywood, Wall Street, Washington and fashion thrived even after he became a convicted sex offender in 2008.
Elon Musk, among the world’s richest men, once not only denied visiting Mr. Epstein’s island, but framed his decision as an act of principle. In a social media post last September, Mr. Musk wrote that Mr. Epstein “tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED.” But the documents released on Friday suggested that Mr. Musk was at one point eager to visit. “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Mr. Musk emailed Mr. Epstein in November 2012.
Mr. Musk wrote Saturday in a social media post: “I had very little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his ‘Lolita Express,’ but was well aware that some email correspondence with him could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name.”
On a podcast last year, Howard Lutnick, the secretary of commerce, described being so revolted by a mid-2000s visit to Mr. Epstein’s Manhattan mansion that he decided to “never be in a room with that disgusting person ever again.”
Mr. Lutnick’s disgust appeared to prove temporary. In 2012, he emailed with Mr. Epstein to arrange a visit with his wife and children to Mr. Epstein’s private island just before Christmas. An assistant to Mr. Epstein later forwarded Mr. Lutnick a message from Mr. Epstein: “Nice seeing you,” it said. (On Friday, Mr. Lutnick said that “I spent zero time with him.”)
[…] A 2013 email exchange with the British billionaire Richard Branson hinted that he, too, had a familiar relationship with Mr. Epstein. “It was really nice seeing you yesterday,” Mr. Branson wrote, adding: “Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!” (A Branson representative said the two had a business meeting and stressed that the women were adults and had not attended the meeting.)
The New York real estate mogul Andrew Farkas, a powerful political donor with ties to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and President Trump, co-owned a marina with Mr. Epstein in St. Thomas for years. In a letter to investors last year, he said that his relationship with the sex offender was purely a business one. But documents released recently suggested a more personal connection.
The two men traded crude emails about women in one 2010 exchange, after Mr. Epstein’s first arrest and conviction. Mr. Farkas told Mr. Epstein in a 2018 note that he loved him and considered him one of his best friends before signing off, “xoxo.” Mr. Farkas stayed on Mr. Epstein’s island. And photographs released by Congress late last year showed Mr. Epstein with his hand on Mr. Farkas’ shoulder as they walked together in a tropical setting. In December, a spokeswoman for Mr. Farkas told The Times that his “dealings with Mr. Epstein were entirely related to their business relationship” and that “he regrets their association.”
[…] an investment firm co-founded by Mr. Thiel accepted $40 million from Mr. Epstein and that Mr. Epstein and Mr. Peter Thiel corresponded for at least five years before Mr. Epstein’s death.
“Visit me Caribbean,” Mr. Epstein urged the tech billionaire in 2018.
[…] Testimony and documents released over the years have shown that Mr. Epstein’s cultivation of powerful people was integral to his abuse of women. He displayed photos with famous friends in his Manhattan townhouse, where girls and young women might see them. He often had them listen to his phone conversations. He bragged to them about who he knew — and about what might happen to his victims if they turned against him. […]
Aussie youtuber Michael west has this Herzog, Iran, Pauline, Susssan, Pete and the Rio deal | Scam of the Week covering among other things the destruction by takeover of TikTok and the Palestinian-Australian’s repalcemrnt for it called UpScroll ina funny and informative 23 mins long news discussion clip.
haven’t been to the beach allSummer – indeed not since the algal bloom ecological catstrophe began here -usually go atleats a few times :.
While the algal bloom has “virtually disappeared” from South Australia’s metropolitan coast, it is a different story on south-western Yorke Peninsula where locals say it has been causing “massive heartache” for parts of the community.
Citizen scientist Lochie Cameron has been collecting and testing water samples from around the Corny Point area.
“It’s quite humbling to look down a microscope and see a tiny little piece of algae that’s causing so much destruction along our beaches,” he told ABC News.
He said he first noticed an increase in the bloom in the area in early January.
All the 15 Hottest Spots on Earth on Thursday were in Australia; Will it become Uninhabitable?
it is admittedly summer in Australia, but this is ridiculous.
Heard / read somewhere that temperatures over approx 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) satrat to denature proteins and are literally close to unsurvivable for most multi-cellular life.
Also know temperatures used in weather observations are measured in the shade and in sunlight temps are considerably hottter. (Maybe even ten plus degrees hotter..)
We’re now getting heatwaves approaching 50 degrees – in the shade – right now withrecords regularly being broken year after year, angry Summer after angrier Summer. So if trends continue and ground and air temps are regularly approaching say 60 degrees then more plus, well.. Fuck!
We have air conditioning (whilst power works) and homes. Outside, the flora and fauna and ecosystems generally.. obvs not.
So, yeah, its looking very fucking grim indeed.
Oh and to teh next comment immediately after that also by shermanj :
NASA used to be a competent responsible agency, this raises many questions. They seem almost as irresponsible as muskrat’s SpaceX. (Link snipped -ed.) A critical flaw in the heat shield of NASA’s upcoming moon rocket has sparked serious safety concerns among space flight specialists. ..
(Minor edits by me. Hope that’s okay.)
That’s been addressed. They delayed the next SLS-Artemis launch following the discovery of that heat shield issue after the Artemis 1 flight and fixed that both with alterig the re-entry trajectory and, I think, improving the heat shield too. fairly sure that’sbeen mentione dinsome videos I linked onthis thread earlier..
So no, NASA are being safe and responsiible here.
StevoRsays
From over a dozen hours ago now and seems not much more mention of it which is curious but France 24 English News is a reliable source that I trust so whilst maybe not such a big deal somehow – still Iran explosions: What we know so far. 5 mins long.
Dóh! Didn’t realise that last source was a Christianist one till now. Looked like a legitimate news channel but then … ending a report with a prayer for Trump & Netanyahu, yuck! Was watching as I typed and hadn’t seen the end of that till now. Sorry folks.
@ #31 & 32. From Aljazeera which is certainly more reliable than CBN &seems to be more reassuring news :
Iran’s top national security official has said that arrangements for negotiations with the United States are progressing as tensions rise in the Gulf amid a military buildup by Washington in the region.
Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in a social media post on Saturday that, “unlike the artificial media war atmosphere, the formation of a structure for negotiations is progressing”.
They also have an article on the explosion (singular not plural now?) being caused by a gas leak. Do i buy that? Dunno..
StevoRsays
An explosion that killed two people and damaged a residential building in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas was likely caused by a gas leak, according to local officials and state media.
The blast took place on Saturday amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United Sates and wounded at least 13 others, the officials said.
At least one person was killed and 14 injured in an explosion in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, which a local fire chief said was caused by a gas leak.
“The initial cause of the building accident in Bandar Abbas was a gas leak and buildup, leading to an explosion. This is the initial theory,” Mohammad Amin Lyaghat said, in comments broadcast on state television.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in the explosion were “completely false”.
Iranian media had said the blast was under investigation but provided no further information. Iranian authorities could not immediately be contacted for comment.
… (snip)..
..Separately, four people were killed after a gas explosion in the city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, according to state-run Tehran Times. No further information was immediately available.
Smoke in Parand on the outskirts of the capital Tehran was “caused by a minor fire in the reeds,” state television said.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday’s blasts, which come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests and over the country’s nuclear programme.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump: “I’m supposed to work out a settlement with myself … We could make it a substantial amount, nobody would care, because it’s gonna go to numerous, very good charities.” [Audio clip]
Guy who’s banned from operating a charity said what?
Hear me out: what if we had a pseudo-government organization that could take money like this and provide it to various charities. We could call it something like USAID.
It is not just that Trump is cutting himself billion dollar checks from the taxpayers in plain sight. Trump is also talking about is corrupt plans to the press and saying it is no big deal. And Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm to avoid conflict of interest.
I assume this outrageous graft will be considered to be part of his “official duties?” Totally immune?
The unitary executive as license to loot the U.S. Treasury.
I almost respect how Trump has found basically every possible method for stealing money from the American people.
I have been trying to write an essay for four weeks now about Article II under the Trump administration and I keep having to restart because the draft never appropriately conveys the insanity of whatever happened during the last week.
Like the President argued that he had the power to demolish the East Wing because he receives ambassadors [a constitutional duty, using tents for lack of a facility], and I’m trying to decide if that’s so tame that it needs to be cut.
Chris Edelson: “I have had a similar problem as I finish my book on emergency presidential power.”
Rando: “why isn’t the some kind of rule that when the President sues the government, the defendant be represented by independent counsel?”
Nick Bednar: “There is a special counsel when the government seeks to investigate the president, but I don’t think anyone had ever thought the president would sue the government in a personal capacity while in office.”
birgerjohanssonsays
As we wait for the Moon rocket launch…The early 1970s rocket designs were more daring than the Space Shuttle.
Taylor Rehmet won a special election for the Texas state Senate on Saturday, flipping a reliably Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024. […] With almost all votes counted, Rehmet had a comfortable lead of more than 14 percentage points.
[…]
Rehmet’s victory allows him to serve only until early January, and he must win the November general election to keep the seat for a full-four year term. The Texas Legislature is not set to reconvene until 2027, and the GOP still will have a comfortable majority. […] The seat was open because the four-term GOP incumbent, Kelly Hancock, resigned to take a statewide office.
Texas Monthly: “Legislatively, the outcome of the race is essentially meaningless”
Rando: “[Maps of Tarrant County precincts 2022 vs 2026, awash in blue]”
Rehmet was far outspent in the leadup to the November election, spending $68,000 compared to millions spent by the two GOP candidates. He remained financially outgunned heading into Saturday, with Wambsganss reporting a whopping $736,000 in expenditures compared to Rehmet’s roughly $70,000
Robert Downen (Texas Monthly): “Rehmet, a union chapter president, has largely avoided engaging with Culture War/MAGA issues, instead focusing heavily on labor, economic issues, working-class solidarity and other issues [to] bring over enough disaffected Republicans.”
GOP wasted all that money on a seat they couldn’t use and didn’t need, just trying to prevent a Dem win in Texas.
“Staying silent while the Trump administration takes matters, and ballots, into its own hands would irreparably harm our democracy.”
Related video at the link.
The moment the media declared Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election, I was on a flight from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta — deployed in my role as counsel to the Biden campaign to defend the will of Georgia voters as the state ballot counting process unfolded. For most Americans, the election was over. But my work was just getting started.
Under Georgia law, the close margin required election officials to carry out not only the regular counting process, but also a “risk limiting audit” — a hand recount of all five million ballots cast. Our legal team, and that of the Trump campaign, observed as each of Georgia’s 159 counties counted the ballots, certified the count and then counted them again by hand. After all of this, the Trump campaign demanded a third count in the form of a statewide machine recount. Georgia’s dedicated election workers counted every ballot a third time, often working overnight in shifts while contending with threats of violence and an unprecedented global pandemic. […]
After three counts, the results remained unchanged. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia by nearly 12,000 votes. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp certified the results despite intense pressure from then-President Donald Trump. Courts rejected every attempt by the Trump campaign and the president’s allies to overturn the results.
And yet, more than five years later, President Trump has taken his most extreme step to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. On Wednesday, a phalanx of FBI agents descended on the Fulton County election operations center and seized hundreds of boxes of ballots, tabulator tapes, ballot images and other documents related to the 2020 vote.
Americans who believe in free and fair elections should be terrified. […] Americans should be terrified because of what this portends for the 2026 midterms.
The Trump administration dispatched federal officers to remove ballots and voting equipment from the hands of state election officials — where they belong — and placed them under federal control. […]
This fall, we are increasingly likely to see a president commanding the federal law enforcement apparatus to seize ballots and voting equipment, prosecute election workers, intimidate voters and election officials and interfere with the counting of ballots and the certification of election results. [!]
Public officials cannot afford to wait until it’s too late to act or speak out. Governors, secretaries of state, attorneys general and other state and local election officials know that elections are a state function protected by the Constitution. […] Members of Congress swore an oath when they took office to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. What threat to our Constitution is greater than the demolition of impartial elections?
[…] As a voter protection lawyer who worked on the two largest recounts in American history, I know that state processes to count ballots are thorough, secure and accurate. I also know that staying silent while the Trump administration takes matters, and ballots, into its own hands would irreparably harm our democracy.
“It’s meant to sow fear,” Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory said in the wake of the FBI search. “People who normally would stand up to exercise their free and fair right to vote get afraid to do that. And that’s exactly what [Trump] hopes will happen.”
Possible risk of autism in children. Dormant cancer cells awakening. Accelerating aging of the brain.
Federal officials in May 2023 declared an end to the national COVID pandemic. But more than two years later, a growing body of research continues to reveal information about the virus and its ability to cause harm long after initial infections resolve, even in some cases when symptoms were mild.
[…] While some studies show COVID vaccines offer protective benefits against longer-term health effects, the Department of Health and Human Services has drastically limited recommendations about who should get the shot. The administration also halted Biden-era contracts aimed at developing more protective COVID vaccines. [!]
The federal government is curtailing such efforts just as researchers call for more funding and, in some cases, long-term monitoring of people previously infected.
“[…] we are going to be learning about the chronic effects of the virus for some time to come,” said Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist who directs the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
[…] Although COVID has become less deadly, because of population immunization and mutations making the virus less severe, researchers say the politicization around the infection is obscuring what science is increasingly confirming: COVID’s potential to cause unexpected, possibly chronic health issues. That in turn, these scientists say, drives the need for more, rather than less, research, because over the long term, COVID could have significant economic and societal implications, such as higher health care costs and more demands on social programs and caregivers.
The annual average burden of the disease’s long-term health effects is estimated at $1 trillion globally and $9,000 per patient in the U.S., according to a report published in November in the journal NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine. In this country, the annual lost earnings are estimated to be about $170 billion.
One study estimates that the flu resulted in $16 billion in direct health costs and $13 billion in productivity losses in the 2023-2024 season, according to a Dec. 30 report in medRxiv, an online platform that publishes work not yet certified by peer review.
[I snipped details of some long-term effects, some of which need to be researched more thoroughly, including effects on pregnant women and babies.]
[…] A U.K. study in the New England Journal of Medicine found people who fully recovered from mild COVID infections experienced a cognitive deficit equal to a three-point drop in IQ. Among the more than 100,000 participants, deficits were greater in people who had persistent symptoms and reached the equivalent of a nine-point IQ drop for individuals admitted to intensive care. [I snipped more details about loss of cognitive function.]
[I snipped details revealing how Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s actions have reduced access to vaccines, and have kept vaccine rates low.]
Trump film is a gilded trash remake of The Zone of Interest
No doubt there is a great documentary to be made about Melania Knauss, the ambitious model from out of Slovenia who married a New York real-estate mogul and then found herself cast in the role of a latter-day Eva Braun, but the horrific Melania emphatically isn’t it. It’s one of those rare, unicorn films that doesn’t have a single redeeming quality. I’m not even sure it qualifies as a documentary, exactly, so much as an elaborate piece of designer taxidermy, horribly overpriced and ice-cold to the touch and proffered like a medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.
Empire:
In 1935, Adolf Hitler commissioned director Leni Riefenstahl to make Triumph Of The Will, a highly nationalistic and likely heavily staged account of the Nazi Party’s 1934 Nuremberg rallies. It was a key moment in the history of propaganda films, a coldly fascistic conceptualisation of Germany as the Nazis hoped to recast it, produced with full participation and collaboration of an authoritarian regime. Melania, on the other hand — a new documentary about Melania Trump, wife of President Donald Trump — is more like Triumph of the Shill. It is political propaganda at its most transparent — cynical, pointless, and very, very boring.
The Globe and Mail:
Amazon’s painful Melania documentary is an unintentionally perfect portrait of American cruelty
The very worst part of Ratner’s flimsy piece of propaganda is that it is thoroughly, terminally boring. Even the most agitated progressive will walk into Melania and, looking for a fight, exit merely groggy and exhausted, if not induced into a full-on slumber. […]
In attempting to make a grand and heroic portrait of the first lady and the political moment surrounding her, Ratner has accidentally delivered the ultimate chronicle of 21st-century excess and greed, a world of casual yet immense cruelty covered in flop sweat and gold glitter.
Ilhan Omar: Liam is home now and we are grateful to @JoaquinCastrotx
for traveling to Minneapolis with him and his dad. Welcome home Liam ❤️❤️
————————-
Joaquin Castro: Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Thank you to everyone who demanded freedom for Liam. We won’t stop until all children and families are home.
Germany’s Plan to Challenge Trump’s Agenda
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ztCYqyfaKD8
Behold: Germany states the intention of building the most powerful conventional military in Europe…and Poland is cheering them on!
From Facebook and TikTok to Instagram and X, AI-manipulated images and videos depicting Alex Pretti’s final moments have proliferated across the internet since his fatal shooting by federal officers in Minneapolis last weekend.
The rapid spread of media altered by artificial intelligence, much of which shows Pretti collapsing in the seconds after he was shot, has clouded key details of the shooting on social networks. Unlike other AI-generated deepfakes that portray entirely unrealistic scenes and are easily identified as fake, many of the AI-altered depictions of Pretti’s shooting appear to have been based on verified images, mirroring reality enough to confuse and mislead many online.
And even as awareness of the capabilities of advanced artificial intelligence spreads, some online are extending their skepticism of authentic media, falsely claiming that legitimate photos and videos of Pretti have been altered by AI.
One image that appears to have been manipulated with AI, showing the ICU nurse falling forward as a federal officer points a gun at his back, has been viewed over 9 million times on X (even as it received a community note that the image had been enhanced by AI). Among other AI-fabricated details, the still image features an ICE officer without a head. […]
This week’s installment of Congressional Cowards focuses on one lawmaker whose actions were so comically cowardly that they deserve their own feature.
So congratulations to GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, who literally chose to run away from her constituents rather than answer a very fair and basic question about why she won’t speak out against the federal government killing U.S. citizens in the streets.
Hageman held a town hall in Casper, Wyoming […] in which she was repeatedly asked by constituents to speak out against the […] actions of […] Trump’s immigration goons.
“Why have you not spoken out against the Fourth Amendment violations that ICE officers and Border Patrol officers are currently engaging in by breaking into people’s homes without a warrant?” one attendee asked.
But instead of answering, Hageman assailed the constituent’s character.
“I don’t know that I trust your facts,” Hageman responded.
Later on, another constituent asked Hageman why she had not spoken out against the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, both at the hands of Trump’s immigration goons.
“They are killing American citizens in the streets, and you are doing nothing. You are not saying a single solitary thing to support constituents or to support the American people,” they said. “As a constitutional lawyer, you should be infuriated. You should be incensed. Why are you not?”
But rather than responding, the cowardly Hageman left, as one constituent yelled “coward” and “chickenshit” as she walked off stage.
It’s truly so easy to speak out against obvious wrongs being committed by the federal government. In fact, GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky had no qualms with criticizing the killing of Pretti.
“After seeing this, if you call this a good shooting, you aren’t watching the video. This was a real tragedy and a mistake. The man had been disarmed and then was shot 10 times,” Paul said. “If we say things that are obviously not true, the situation is going to get worse.”
But Hageman chose to walk away rather than do the right thing.
To be sure, a number of Hageman’s GOP colleagues have said disgusting things to not only defend the killings of Good and Pretti but to also disparage them.
While Hageman didn’t do that, her silence shows that she knows the killings of Good and Pretti were wrong, but she’s still too cowardly to speak out against it. […]
:“Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed Alberto Castañeda Mondragón had tried to flee while handcuffed and “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release.
But staff members at Hennepin County Medical Center determined that could not possibly account for the fractures and bleeding throughout the 31-year-old’s brain, said three nurses familiar with the case.
“It was laughable, if there was something to laugh about,” said one of the nurses, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss patient care. “There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.” —Associated Press
[On Saturday Night Live] Tom Homan’s Advice to ICE: ‘Don’t Get Filmed’
The “Saturday Night Live” alum Pete Davidson plays the border czar who was tasked with reorienting ICE agents in Minneapolis, replacing their ousted commander.
[…] the show (hosted by Alexander Skarsgard and featuring the musical guest Cardi B) began with Pete Davidson as the White House border czar Tom Homan, taking command of I.C.E. officers to reacquaint them with the purpose of their deployment.
“Now I’m sure a lot of you are wondering why Greg Bovino, the last guy, was dismissed,” Davidson said. “I want to stress that it wasn’t because he did a bad job. Or publicly lied about the shooting of an American citizen. Or even — uh-oh — dressed like a Nazi. It was that he was filmed doing these things. And the president no likey that.”
Davidson asked an officer, played by Kenan Thompson, to identify his mission objective.
“Pass,” Thompson replied.
Another officer, played by Johnson, was asked what I.C.E. was doing in Minneapolis. Johnson answered, “This could be wrong, but — Army?”
“That’s close,” Davidson told him. “We’re here to detain and deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.”
Andrew Dismukes, also playing an I.C.E. agent, interjected with some surprise: “That is literally the first I’m hearing of that,” he said. [video. Video is also available on YouTube ]
The back-and-forth between Davidson and his men continued in this manner.
“Remember, the job ultimately is about keeping America safe from — what?” he asked.
“This could be wrong,” Johnson answered, “but — Don Lemon?”
Finally, Davidson asked his men, “What have we learned today?”
This time, Johnson replied, “This could be wrong, but: that you hired a bunch of angry, aggressive guys, gave us guns and didn’t train us, so this is maybe what you wanted to happen?”
Davidson told the officers to show some restraint and to do their jobs without violating Americans’ rights. “Can you do that?” he asked.
“No,” Thompson replied curtly.
“Well, I had to ask,” Davidson said. “Maybe just try not to get filmed.” […]
Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Saturday that expands the state Supreme Court from five justices to seven as frustration has mounted among Republican lawmakers over a string of defeats […]
The state’s judiciary did not ask for more justices on the high court. Democrats, who were united in opposition to the bill, called the timing suspicious. Last week the Legislature asked the court to overturn a redistricting ruling that gave Democrats a strong shot at picking up one of Utah’s four Republican-held congressional seats in the fall. New justices could be in place when the court decides the fate of the congressional map.
[…]
In Utah, justices are appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. Justices in many other states are elected. […] Once he fills the new seats, Cox will have appointed five of the seven sitting justices. Last month Republican lawmakers took authority from state Supreme Court justices to select their own chief justice and gave that power to the governor.
[…]
Republicans have also been collecting signatures to try to place on the November ballot an initiative that would restore their ability to draw voting districts that deliberately favor a political party, a practice known as gerrymandering.
The two federal immigration agents who fired […] are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. […] [Ochoa] joined CBP in 2018. Gutierrez joined in 2014 and works for CBP’s Office of Field Operations. He is assigned to a special response team, which conducts high-risk operations like those of police SWAT units. Records show both men are from South Texas. […] Ochoa had for years dreamed of working for the Border Patrol [By 2021], he had become a gun enthusiast with about 25 rifles, pistols and shotguns
Rando: “The racial politics of shipping up a bunch of Latinos to arrest and kill midwestern White people is genuinely insane.”
StevoRsays
The staggering hypocrisy and irony of Trump here given that Iran DID sign a deal to stop developing nukes and it was Trump who broke and ended it, is just GOBSMACKING!
Yet its been so normalised & doesn’t seem to be getting called out :
As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse!”
Also I don’t think Trump know how the story of the Spanish Armada (the famous 1588 one – although there were subsequent ones that also failed includiing a disastrous English armada!) ended.
Minor general gripe & suggestion – wish we’d use escalating feedback and stabilising feedback rather than positive and negative feedbacks tomake clearer what they actually do.
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has determined that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington should close for about two years.
Trump added that the decision was made based on a review that involved “Contractors, Musical Experts, Art Institutions, and other Advisors and Consultants,” who were weighing construction with closure and re-opening or partial construction while entertainment operations continued.
This is for remodeling, along designs selected by Trump. The closure is likely a cover for having lost so many artists that they couldn’t fill the schedule.
Anytime he says something like this, we should just assume he wants to tear whatever it is straight down, and unless he encounters meaningful opposition he’s going to do it, because “he can’t do that” is a meaningless observation absent any enforcement.
Four days before Donald Trump’s inauguration last year, lieutenants to an Abu Dhabi royal secretly signed a deal with the Trump family to purchase a 49% stake in their fledgling cryptocurrency venture for half a billion dollars […] The buyers would pay half up front, steering $187 million to Trump family entities.
The deal with World Liberty Financial […] was signed by Eric Trump […] At least $31 million was also slated to flow to entities affiliated with the family of Steve Witkoff, a World Liberty co-founder who weeks earlier had been named U.S. envoy to the Middle East […]
The investment was backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal who has been pushing the U.S. for access to tightly guarded artificial intelligence chips […] the administration committed to give the tiny Gulf monarchy access to around 500,000 of the most advanced AI chips a year—enough to build one of the world’s biggest AI data center clusters.
[…]
The agreement would make Aryam [a Tahnoon-backed company] World Liberty’s largest shareholder, and the firm’s only known investor outside of its founders. […] Tahnoon was already in business with the Trump family through Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose investment firm had raised $1.5 billion in 2024 from a Tahnoon-backed company and Qatar. […] At the time of the investment, World Liberty had no products.
[…]
said Kathleen Clark, a law professor and former ethics lawyer for the city of Washington, D.C. “This sure looks like a violation of the foreign emoluments clause, and more to the point, it looks like a bribe.”
[…]
In May, […] the sheikh’s investment firm, MGX, would use World Liberty’s stablecoin, USD1, to complete its $2 billion investment in Binance—the largest-ever investment into a cryptocurrency company. […]
The move rocketed USD1 up the rankings of largest stablecoins, enhancing its financial credibility. It gave World Liberty a $2 billion cash pile, which the company holds in reserve to maintain the coins’ 1-to-1 tie to the dollar. The company invests the money in Treasurys and pockets the interest, generating about $80 million if held for a year. […] The Aryam deal had in fact laid the groundwork for the creation of USD1.
[…]
In September, under a deal negotiated by the Trump administration, MGX became one of a handful of investors selected to operate TikTok in the U.S. The next month, Trump pardoned [Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who lives in Abu Dhabi and is is close to Tahnoon].
On Oct. 22, the day before the White House confirmed Trump had signed the pardon, Witkoff and Kushner were back in Abu Dhabi to discuss Gaza, Israel and Trump’s plan for a Board of Peace, a White House official said. They were meeting with Tahnoon.
The chatbot, which was released by the Eric Adams administration in fall of 2023, was meant to provide business owners with an accessible way to check city rules and regulations. But […] the bot provided answers that, if followed, would lead to illegal behavior
[…]
the new administration plans to take down the chatbot. […] It wasn’t clear how much it cost to maintain the chatbot. Just building the bot’s foundations reportedly cost nearly $600,000
An underwhelming answer for a press conference addressing the $12 billion budget shortfall he inherited but good that the bot’s going away.
That feeling when you, a terrorism and extremism scholar, see documentary evidence that shows [4chan’s founder] moot met with Jeffery Epstein on the same day /pol was launched.
To be clear: I don’t think there was any collusion. Moot had no love for the pol crowd and the nazis had already infested the site before pol. But the sheer coincidence is enough to give me a migraine.
Michael Senters (PoliSci): “It very likely put the site and the board on Epstein’s radar […] from what I’ve seen, there is no 4chan stuff before the meeting, only after.”
Andy Vitek: “The latest document drop has emails of [Epstein] sending people shit directly from /gifs. He didn’t just know about it, he was a big user.”
Andy Vitek: “I want to stress again: I don’t actually think there was some Dan Brown shit between moot and Epstein. The nazis were already on the site pre-pol and moot hated them, even going so far as to ban all discussion of gamergate from 4chan (8chan was born as a result).”
Michael Senters:
Rando: How are you supposed to explain to people how this entire social, political, and economic reality is entirely downstream from anime getting banned on some dipshit’s forum [SomethingAwful] 25ish years ago?
I am attempting to do that with my dissertation to some degree, and it’s driving me insane.
* Moot created 4chan after SomethingAwful banned sexualized anime minors.
Michael Senters: “Just realized that one of the potential factors (and I should emphasize it was just one, there were other things at play) about the shift in 4chan’s culture that began to be visible and apparent by 2013-2014 is that Epstein started actively sending his pals to the site after the m00t meeting.”
Michael Senters: “The fact that Epstein could have been involved with Gamergate, Pizzagate and QAnon because he was clearly not only an active user on the site but actually knew the creator and seems to have established a friendship with him”
4chan’s founder meeting with Epstein around the time where the /pol/ board opened up doesn’t prove much of anything. Moot openly loathed the /pol/ crew and the site’s dominant culture was very different then.
[Christopher “moot” Poole] first tried to contain the nazi psychos on 4chan and failed. It’s a big reason he cited for selling the site and leaving.
This was also around the time of his personal peak in notoriety. Magazine features, TED talks, all that. We know Epstein was into that genre of media stuff.
Point is, they could have discussed anything under the sun. Without additional evidence, all we have is some wild speculation. Moot created one of the internet’s nastiest sewers and deserves to be embarrassed in history for his failures to control it. But those emails don’t really tell us much.
That said, there are […] much clearer alarm bells, re: Epstein’s interest in the far-right. Like [promoting the little known The Right Stuff podcast in 2016 prior to hosts’ role in the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally.]
I’m one of the people who got him to delete the old politics board, I’m not sure how I feel about finding out I got overridden by fucking Epstein. [Screenshots]
Also one of the things I did was moderate 4chan, which was a lot of deleting of CSAM. […] moot was pushing us all to just do it manually more, rather than work on any projects to try and prevent it. I was arguing about how to best keep pedophilic content off the site with someone who hung out with Epstein? Jesus fucking christ.
Rando:
The wild part is that m00t likely only knew Boris Nikolic, the guy who connected him to Epstein, because m00t was trying to “go legit” by running Canvas by that point, which was VC-funded […] & Nikolic was a managing director on Bill Gates’ bgC3 VC fund.
Likely, if m00t either dropped 4chan entirely while trying to move to the startup company ecosystem, or focused on just running 4chan without being in that VC creep mix, the entirely of the past decade would probably look very different. Instead, he tried to juggle both & both failed disastrously.
[…] depending on how much worse things get, our Franz Ferdinand moment will be when a petulant 20-something tried to get VC money to get out of the sleazy imageboard business, but got advice from one of history’s greatest monsters.
Jared Holt:
Boris Nikolic (email days after the meeting): “This article describes why I find moot interesting. The potential for manipulation is huge.”
That was the tone of so much public conversation about social media at that time. Read the WaPo story he linked. It had the same tone. You can read that sentence as an observation—gee whiz this is wild—or as plotting/suggestion. Without more context or proof, I wouldn’t commit to the latter.
birgerjohanssonsays
Toothless Gears Make Much More Torque Than Conventional Ones, Here’s How…
‘There is an attempt to get rid of me’: leader of UK’s black police association alleges campaign to silence him | British Police | The Guardian .https://share.google/6PBnGnSOlJqDZcPtw
“GOP officials fiercely oppose adding judicial seats to shift a court in an ideological direction — except when they don’t.”
During Barack Obama’s second term, a variety of prominent Republicans became confused about what the term “court packing” means. Some GOP senators, including Iowa’s Chuck Grassley and Texas’ John Cornyn, said that if Senate Democrats confirmed judicial nominees to fill existing judicial vacancies, that necessarily meant the president and his allies were engaged in “court packing.”
The partisan whining was rather silly. Court packing has a simple definition: It involves expanding a bench by adding judicial seats for the purpose of moving a court in an ideological direction.
Indeed, despite the GOP’s apparent confusion about the meaning of the term, the party eagerly embraced court packing in Georgia in 2016, where it created a new conservative majority, and in Arizona the same year, adding two seats to the state Supreme Court.
The results were dramatic: After Republicans added a pair of far-right jurists to Arizona’s highest court, for example, it started issuing far-right rulings, not the least of which was its upholding of a Civil War-era abortion ban, which sparked a national controversy in 2024.
A decade after the efforts in Arizona and Georgia, GOP officials in another state are taking a page from the same playbook. The Associated Press reported:
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Saturday that expands the state Supreme Court from five justices to seven as frustration has mounted among Republican lawmakers over a string of defeats before the tribunal.
Republican advocates for the change argued that it would help improve the court’s efficiency. But legal experts said it could have the opposite effect and set a dangerous precedent at a time of tension between the branches of government. The state’s judiciary did not ask for more justices on the high court.
There’s no great mystery here: Utah Republicans have grown increasingly frustrated as the state Supreme Court has thwarted their ambitions on issues such as reproductive right and school vouchers. But partisan ire reached a new level last year when the state’s high court also crushed the GOP’s redistricting efforts, leading to a new map that will make it possible for Democrats to win a seat.
Partisan efforts to expand the Utah Supreme Court soon followed, and the incumbent GOP governor is now positioned to have appointed five of the state’s seven justices, thereby increasing the odds that rulings in the near future will be more in line with Republicans’ wishes.
In progressive politics, it’s not uncommon to hear advocates for expanding the U.S. Supreme Court in response to GOP abuses. The next time the right decries such reform proposals as indefensible “court packing,” keep these state-based developments in mind.
birgerjohanssonsays
Lis aka Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who would have turned 80 today.
Among the newly released materials is a 2019 text exchange between Epstein and Stephen Bannon, a former top adviser to Trump, that includes an image of Trump speaking at an event—his face conspicuously hidden beneath a black redaction box.
It is a small and dark picture but it’s either Trump or a Trump impersonator. Either way it shouldn’t have been redacted, it isn’t even embarrassing on it’s own. It was part of a conversation between Epstein and Steve Bannon about the inauguration. It just raises more questions about what is being redacted.
[…] As Trump apparently sees it, Americans won’t be outraged if he agrees to pay himself billions of taxpayer dollars, so long as he doesn’t keep billions of taxpayer dollars.
If only it were that simple. For one thing, there are no guarantees that he’d direct all of the money to charitable causes. For another, Trump’s track record of following through on vows to give to charity isn’t exactly sterling, which makes it difficult to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Just as notable is the simple fact that the president filed an absurd $10 billion lawsuit, seeking a payoff he neither needs nor deserves. Vague assurances about where some or all of that money might go at some future date don’t turn a baseless case into a good one.
Writing for MS NOW, political columnist Paul Waldman explained that the president’s litigation is “so brazen, so shameless, so stunning … that it will stand out in history even in a presidential term drowning in self-dealing.” Waldman added, “This latest act deploys Trump’s favorite financial weapon — the bogus lawsuit — but in a way no one even contemplated before.”
On ABC News’ “This Week,” host George Stephanopoulos asked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche about the obvious conflict of interest, as Trump seeks money from his own administration. Blanche, a former Trump defense attorney, replied, “We’re looking at how to handle that.”
“DHS said state health officials reported the infections to federal immigration authorities Saturday.”
Two detainees were infected with measles at a Texas immigration facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father had been held, a Department of Homeland Security official said Sunday.
The two patients at Dilley Immigration Processing Center were quarantined, alongside anyone else who may have made contact, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “All movement” within the facility was halted, she said.
The detainees in question, who were not identified, were in good hands, she said. “This is the best healthcare than many aliens have received in their entire lives,” McLaughlin said. [Sounds like propaganda bullshit, especially considering how many news reports have covered a lack of adequate medical care at detention facilities.]
Dilley Immigration Processing Center is where 5-year-old Liam and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, had been held until they were released Saturday. It wasn’t clear whether they may have been in contact with the infected detainees. […].
Measles can be spread through the air through breathing, talking, coughing and sneezing, and it can remain an active infectious agent on surfaces. […]
[…] Ben Thomas, chief of staff for Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, submitted a declaration to federal court that said Castro’s office was also informed of the measles infections by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday.
The infections add to a national surge in measles, of which 588 cases had been confirmed in the U.S. as of Thursday, according to data from the CDC. On Saturday, Los Angeles County health officials announced the discovery of the second measles case in the region since the start of the year.
Experts are concerned that the infection has become endemic, or an annual occurrence, despite virtual elimination in 2000 thanks to effective vaccination.
Experts blame the latest infections on declining vaccination rates.
Before measles vaccinations became available in the early 1960s, the infection was responsible for about 400 to 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations every year in the U.S. Three people died of measles in the country last year, according to the CDC.
The bogus ethics complaint lodged against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi has been cursorily dismissed in a seven-page order by Jeffrey Sutton, the chief judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
[…] The center was last renovated in 2019. Trump argued that a temporary closure is needed because construction would impede artists performing there, and that ongoing performances would affect the quality of construction.
Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree was skeptical of Trump’s argument and wrote, “Trump has run the Kennedy Center into the ground, failed artists + workers, and disgraced the memory of JFK. Can’t sell tickets. Can’t book performers. So to hide his utter failure he is shutting it down for ‘renovations.’ I call BULLSHIT.” [video]
Trump decided in December to put his name on the Kennedy Center, a violation of the law that has been challenged in court. The unprecedented decision to make his name a part of the venue has led to chaos within the artistic community. Performers began canceling their shows that were scheduled to take place, including musician Chuck Redd, the jazz ensemble The Cookers, and dance ensemble Doug Varone and Dancers.
Internationally famous composer Philip Glass announced in January that he was canceling the performance of his symphony “Lincoln,” scheduled for the Kennedy Center in June.
“Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony. Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership,” Glass said in a statement.
Trump installed former ambassador and longtime MAGA cheerleader Richard Grenell as chair of the center, and he has frequently complained about the cancellations—even threatening to sue performers.
Instead of retaining its role as a leading American cultural institution, under Trump the center has become a dumping ground for MAGA-friendly pro-Trump performances. Those events do not sell tickets like a Philip Glass event.
The Center has also become part of the Trump propaganda machine. Last week, the premiere for Melania Trump’s documentary “Melania,” financed by a convenient multimillion-dollar payoff by billionaire Jeff Bezos, was held at the center. […]
The conveniently announced closure is an effective way to bury stories of performers canceling in between propaganda screenings. The Kennedy Center joins the ever-growing lineup of failed Trump ventures, from Trump Steaks to Trump Airlines to Trump University. But this time a beloved part of America’s cultural heritage is also taking a hit.
A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a whistleblower complaint that is so highly classified it has sparked months of wrangling over how to share it with Congress, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter.
Gabbard’s lawyers are using the security classification of the issue to stall investigation. I have not read the WSJ article because it’s behind a paywall but there isn’t anything more to say, it’s all classified.
Behind closed doors, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, met with some of the same F.B.I. agents, members of the bureau’s field office in Atlanta, which is conducting the election inquiry, three people with knowledge of the meeting said. They could not say why Ms. Gabbard, who also appeared on site at the search, was there, but her continued presence has raised eyebrows given that her role overseeing the nation’s intelligence agencies does not include on-site involvement in criminal investigative work.
What occurred during the meeting was even further outside the bounds of normal law enforcement procedure. Ms. Gabbard used her cellphone to call Mr. Trump, who did not initially pick up but called back shortly after, the people said.
The president addressed the agents on speakerphone, asking them questions as well as praising and thanking them for their work on the inquiry, according to three people with knowledge of the discussion.
Multiple violations of protocol and legal principle here but probably not illegal. Gabbard should not be involved in an internal operation unless there was suspicion of internal intrigue and there is no reason for her to be in the field overseeing the agents. Bringing Trump into the situation personally just escalates it to another level. Trump’s involvement may have blown up any case the government could bring.
Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone.
A week earlier, immigration agents had grabbed Julio César Peña from his front yard in Glendale, California. Now, he was in a hospital after suffering a ministroke. He was shackled to the bed by his hand and foot, he told Romero, and agents were in the room, listening to the call. He was scared he would die and wanted his wife there.
“What hospital are you at?” Romero asked.
“I can’t tell you,” he replied.
Viridiana Chabolla, Peña’s attorney, couldn’t get an answer to that question, either. Peña’s deportation officer and the medical contractor at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center refused to tell her. Exasperated, she tried calling a nearby hospital, Providence St. Mary Medical Center.
“They said even if they had a person in ICE custody under their care, they wouldn’t be able to confirm whether he’s there or not, that only ICE can give me the information,” Chabolla said. The hospital confirmed this policy to KFF Health News.
Family members and attorneys for patients hospitalized after being detained by federal immigration officials said they are facing extreme difficulty trying to locate patients, get information about their well-being, and provide them emotional and legal support. They say many hospitals refuse to provide information or allow contact with these patients. Instead, hospitals allow immigration officers to call the shots on how much — if any — contact is allowed, which can deprive patients of their constitutional right to seek legal advice and leave them vulnerable to abuse, attorneys said.
Hospitals say they are trying to protect the safety and privacy of patients, staff, and law enforcement officials, even while hospital employees in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Portland, Ore., cities where Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted immigration raids, say it’s made their jobs difficult. Hospitals have used what are sometimes called blackout procedures, which can include registering a patient under a pseudonym, removing their name from the hospital directory, or prohibiting staff from even confirming that a patient is in the hospital. [!]
[…] Peña is among more than 350,000 people arrested by federal immigration authorities since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. […] Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters at a Jan. 20 news conference outside a detention center he visited in California City that he spoke to a diabetic woman held there who had not received treatment in two months.
While there are no publicly available statistics on the number of people sick or injured in ICE detention, the agency’s news releases point to 32 people who died in immigration custody in 2025. Six more have died this year. […]
According to ICE’s guidelines, people in custody should be given access to a telephone, visits from family and friends, and private consultation with legal counsel. The agency can make administrative decisions, including about visitation, when a patient is in the hospital, but should defer to hospital policies on contacting next of kin when a patient is seriously ill, the guidelines state.
[…] Although policies vary, members of the public can typically call a hospital and ask for a patient by name to find out whether they’re there, and often be transferred to the patient’s room, said William Weber, an emergency physician in Minneapolis and medical director for the Medical Justice Alliance, which advocates for the medical needs of people in law enforcement custody. Family members and others authorized by the patient can visit. And medical staff routinely call relatives to let them know a loved one is in the hospital, or to ask for information that could help with their care.
But when a patient is in law enforcement custody, hospitals frequently agree to restrict this kind of information sharing and access, Weber said. The rationale is that these measures prevent unauthorized outsiders from threatening the patient or law enforcement personnel, given that hospitals lack the security infrastructure of a prison or detention center. High-profile patients such as celebrities sometimes also request this type of protection.
Several attorneys and health care providers questioned the need for such restrictions. Immigration detention is civil, not criminal, detention. The Trump administration says it’s focused on arresting and deporting criminals, yet most of those arrested have no criminal conviction, according to data compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse and several news outlets.
According to Peña’s wife, Romero, he has no criminal record. Peña came to the United States from Mexico in sixth grade and has an adult son in the U.S. military. The 43-year-old has terminal kidney disease and survived a heart attack in November. He has trouble walking and is partially blind, his wife said. He was detained Dec. 8 while resting outside after coming home from dialysis treatment.
[…] In November, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to curb the use of blackout policies for patients under civil immigration custody at county-run hospitals.
[…] Thompson-Lleras said he’s concerned that hospitals are cooperating with federal immigration authorities at the expense of patients and their families and leaving patients vulnerable to abuse.
“It allows people to be treated suboptimally,” Thompson-Lleras said. “It allows people to be treated on abbreviated timelines, without supervision, without family intervention or advocacy. These people are alone, disoriented, being interrogated, at least in Bayron’s case, under pain and influence of medication.”[!!]
[I snipped details of professional staff at hospitals expressing dismay over serious injuries caused by ICE, and over the blackouts that prevent them from giving information to families or attorneys.]
[…]
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a sharp warning that rocket launches could “significantly reduce safety” for airplanes, urging pilots to prepare for the possibility that “catastrophic failures” could create dangerous debris fields.
The official notice, known as a safety alert for operators, was dated Jan. 8, the same day that ProPublica published an investigation showing how pilots scrambled to avoid debris after two SpaceX Starship megarockets exploded over busy airspace last year. The alert was an acknowledgment that travelers were at risk on those days, when the FAA hastily activated no-fly zones to help air traffic controllers steer planes away from falling rocket parts.
In the last two decades, the agency has issued about 245 such safety alerts to the aviation community about issues ranging from runway threats to mechanical problems, but last month’s warning is the first to address the danger to airplanes when rockets launch or reenter Earth’s atmosphere, according to the FAA’s website.
SpaceX and other companies have ramped up launches in recent years. Starship, a version of which is supposed to one day land on the moon, has followed a flight path that soars over well-trafficked commercial airways in the Caribbean.
[…] Last year, the FAA granted SpaceX permission to launch Starship as many as 25 times a year from its base in Texas. But, after repeated setbacks, only five of the giant space vehicles lifted off in 2025.
[…] ProPublica found several airplanes began running low on fuel after the January 2025 Starship incident, with at least one declaring an emergency and crossing the no-fly zone to reach an airport.
The world’s largest pilots union told the FAA in October that such events call into question whether “a suitable process” is in place to respond to unexpected rocket mishaps. “There is high potential for debris striking an aircraft resulting in devastating loss of the aircraft, flight crew, and passengers,” wrote Steve Jangelis, a pilot and the group’s aviation safety chair. […]
Following the passage of the Epstein Transparency Act, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice attempted to placate the masses by releasing a small smattering of the files it had previously been claiming did not exist, and/or were planted by Joe Biden. Then the regime’s stance shifted from the files don’t exist to we can’t release any files because there are too many files, 5.2 million, abbondanza! Deputy AG Todd Blanche now says there are six million.
But Congress, Epstein victims and the inquiring masses were not content to let Bondi and Blanche keep on ignoring the law, and various remedies were being pushed to force the DOJ to comply. […]
Smells Like a Russia, Russia, Russia Honeytrap
Among the files are 1,056 documents that name Vladimir Putin and more than 9,000 that refer to Moscow, including some suggesting that Epstein was granted audiences with the Russian president and working with the Russians. Epstein sure did recruit a whole lot of Russian and Eastern European girls, promoting many to his top ranks. From the UK Telegraph:
The concept of blackmail was uppermost in [Epstein’s] mind in an email he wrote in 2015 to Sergei Belyakov, Russia’s then deputy minister of economic development and graduate of the FSB (Russian intelligence) academy.
Epstein warned him that “a Russian girl from Moscow … is attempting to blackmail a group of powerful biznessmen [sic] in New York. It is bad for business for everyone involved.”
[Epstein] warned the woman that trying to blackmail an American businessman who was planning to invest in Russia would make her, in the eyes of the FSB, “vrag naroda” – Russian for an “enemy of the people.” She would be dealt with “extremely harshly” he said.
But in addition to threatening her, he planned to pay her off, giving her $50,000 a month “for the next two years” in exchange for her dropping her blackmail attempt.
That certainly explains some of the large “sugardaddy” payments he was making to girls from his JPMorgan Chase accounts. Wonder who that enigmatic secret businessman was?
Much Trump
There are interview summaries and investigator notes from conversations with Epstein’s victims that reference Donald Trump, such as:
[A] victim described being driven in a dark green vehicle to Mar-a-Lago for a meeting with Trump. According to the notes, Epstein introduced her by saying, “This is a good one, huh?” The account does not allege any improper behavior by Trump.
There are the tips that came into the FBI. Such as these that were posted, then deleted, in an email from an agent from the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in reference to “the Alexander brother allegations”:
[Redacted] reported an unidentified female friend who was forced to perform oral sex on President Trump approximately 35 years ago in NJ. The friend told Alexis that she was approximately 13-14 years old when this occurred, and the friend allegedly bit President Trump while performing oral sex. The friend was allegedly hit in the face after she laughed about biting President Trump. The friend said she was also abused by Epstein.
[Redacted] reported she has a friend, [redacted], who was a personal assistant to Epstein in Florida from 1986 until 1991 or 1992. This friend shared names of some of the guests at Epstein’s parties, to include Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
Complainant reported meeting a Lisa Villeneuve at a hospital where they were roommates in 2000. who now goes by Ghislaine Lisa Villeneuve. Complainant was invited by Villeneuve to a party on Palm Beach Island, FL, to a residence she believes to have belonged to Epstein. There, she met a model scout named Bobby Cox, whom Villeneuve allegedly referred to as a pimp. Complainant stated Villeneuve spoke with a hostess at the residence, whom complainant believed to be Ghislaine Maxwell. While at this party, complainant stated they had all been Invited by Donald Trump to a party at Mar a Lago. Complainant told Villeneuve she wanted to go to that party and was allegedly told by Villeneuve that it was for prostitutes.
There’s a tip in that email the FBI deemed “not credible,” that involves Trump murdering girls at sex parties with Robin Leach and burying them on his golf course.
For all the tips in that email, only the first one resulted in an interview. For others, agents claim they were unable to make contact for followup. […]
Trump loyalist Ed Martin is out of his role as DOJ’s “weaponization” czar that is investigating prosecutors who launched past probes into President Donald Trump and his allies, two people familiar with the discussions tell NBC News.
When asked whether Martin still served in the role, a Justice Department spokesman told NBC News that Martin continued to serve in a separate role, as pardon attorney.
[…] An advocate for those arrested following the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Martin previously said he planned to “name” and “shame” individuals the department could not formally charge with crimes, a major departure from long-standing Justice Department policy.
“The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown took center stage, with numerous artists sporting “ICE OUT” pins at the show.”
Related videos at the link.
[…] But perhaps the biggest statement came from Bad Bunny, who is headlining the Super Bowl next weekend. The Puerto Rican star did not tour in the U.S. for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” because of immigration policies.
“Before I say thanks to God, I gotta say: ICE Out,” he began his acceptance speech for best musica urbana album. “We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.
[…] Billie Eilish, known to get political at awards shows, took after Bad Bunny and used nearly her entire acceptance speech for song of the year to call out immigration legislation.
“No one is illegal […],” Eilish said, later encouraging the room to “keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
“Our voices really do matter,” she said, “and the people matter.”
[…] Lamar became the rapper with the most Grammy wins ever. He now has 27 Grammys, breaking Jay-Z’s record of 25. […]
“The Alternative for Germany party has done everything from suing to attempting to leverage ties to the Trump administration to end their banishment from the high-profile event.”
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is heading back to the Munich Security Conference (MSC) — reclaiming a seat at one of the world’s most prestigious security forums after being banished for three straight years.
The decision to invite AfD lawmakers to the mid-February gathering marks a significant reversal for the conference and a symbolic win for a party eager to shed its pariah status by rubbing shoulders with global leaders.
The AfD mounted an aggressive campaign beginning late last year to regain access to the MSC, including legal action against conference organizers and attempts to capitalize on relationships with Trump administration officials.
[…] MSC organizers have invited three AfD parliamentarians to attend this year’s conference, though the party has pushed for more prominent figures — including national co-chair Alice Weidel — to be included.
[…] Wolfgang Ischinger, the prominent German diplomat acting as MSC chair this year, denied that conference organizers invited the AfD due to a pressure campaign, framing the decision rather as one that acknowledges a simple political reality: that the AfD is the largest opposition force in Germany. […]
“After Renee Good was fatally shot, conditions in the local federal prosecutors’ office started to unravel. After Alex Pretti’s death, things got even worse.”
Related video at the link.
Soon after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, Donald Trump’s Justice Department made it clear it had no intention of investigating the deadly incident. It did, however, take an interest in investigating the victim’s family.
For those who worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis, this proved untenable: At least six federal prosecutors in the office resigned, including the prosecutor who oversaw the fraud investigation that the White House claims to care so much about.
After federal immigration agents later shot and killed Alex Pretti, conditions apparently worsened. The Washington Post reported that some of the remaining prosecutors in Minneapolis have told U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, the Trump administration appointee leading the office, “that they feel deeply frustrated by the Justice Department’s response to the fatal shootings,” and left open the possibility of additional resignations that would leave the office “unable to handle its current caseload.”
Two officials familiar with the office told the Post that “at least one prosecutor in the office’s criminal division has resigned” following a meeting last week with Rosen.
The New York Times published a related report, referencing “crisis” conditions in the office.
[The Trump administration’s recent strategy] has left the U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis, one of the most respected in the nation, in crisis. On Tuesday, prosecutors in the office’s criminal division confronted the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, Daniel Rosen, and an aide to Mr. Blanche, over concerns that they were being asked to execute orders that went against the department’s mission and best practices, according to four people briefed on the exchange.
Some of the prosecutors suggested they were considering resigning in protest, those people said, days after six others had quit over similar concerns.
On Friday afternoon, the day after the Post’s and Times’ reports were published, a reporter asked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at a press conference about the conditions in the Minneapolis office. [video]
Blanche, a former Trump defense attorney, heard the questions, gathered his belongings and promptly walked away from the lectern without saying a word.
[…] the broader pattern of an unraveling Justice Department is difficult to miss.
Trump’s DOJ is making awful mistakes, some devastating and some amateurish. The White House has usurped control and has set the department’s credibility on fire. The DOJ is acting like Trump’s personal law firm, as key personnel have been redirected from their core responsibilities to pursue the president’s pet endeavors. It’s been weaponized to an almost cartoonish degree and is losing key cases. And once-rare mass resignations are becoming far more common.
The crisis, in other words, is not limited to Minneapolis.
A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s latest bid to limit lawmakers from conducting unannounced visits to immigration detention facilities, ruling that it likely runs afoul of oversight measures that Congress implemented.
It’s the second time U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb has sided with the group of Democratic lawmakers suing.
Cobb ruled in December that the Trump administration was violating a rider attached to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) annual appropriations package, which guarantees lawmaker access to detention facilities.
Last month, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem re-implemented a notice requirement. It required 7-days’ warning for visits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities being funded exclusively by the “Big Beautiful Bill” that Republicans passed last summer. That bill did not include the rider.
Cobb rejected the policy, crediting the lawmakers’ contention that it would be logistically difficult to segregate which expenses are being funded by which law.
[…] The suit was filed by 13 Democratic members of Congress: Joe Neguse (Colo.), Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), Robert Garcia (Calif.), Lou Correa (Calif.), Jason Crow (Colo.), Veronica Escobar (Texas), Dan Goldman (N.Y.), Jimmy Gomez (Calif.), Raul Ruiz (Calif.), Norma Torrez (Calif.) and Kelly Morrison (Minn.).
[…] The suit was filed by 13 Democratic members of Congress: Joe Neguse (Colo.), Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), Robert Garcia (Calif.), Lou Correa (Calif.), Jason Crow (Colo.), Veronica Escobar (Texas), Dan Goldman (N.Y.), Jimmy Gomez (Calif.), Raul Ruiz (Calif.), Norma Torrez (Calif.) and Kelly Morrison (Minn.).
Elon Musk’s efforts to stop Russia from using Starlink satellites for drone attacks have “delivered real results”, a Ukrainian official said.
Praising the SpaceX founder as “a true champion of freedom and a true friend of the Ukrainian people”, defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Musk had swiftly responded when he was told Russian drones with Starlink connectivity were operating in the country.
The drones have been linked to a number of recent deadly attacks by Russia on Ukraine, including one on a moving passenger train which left six people dead.
“Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia have worked,” Musk wrote on X. “Let us know if more needs to be done.”
Starlink satellites operated by SpaceX provide high-speed internet around the world. It has worked in Ukraine since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The Russian drones are difficult to shoot down, Fedorov said, as they fly at low altitudes, cannot be countered with electronic warfare, and are controlled by operators in real time from a distance.
The Institute for the Study of War warned in mid-January that since Russia had begun equipping the cheap kamikaze Molniya-2 drones with Starlink, their battlefield efficiency had increased “dramatically”.
While neither Fedorov nor Musk elaborated on what the response had been, the defence ministry’s official website ArmiyaInform reported that SpaceX had introduced a speed limit of 75kph [45mph] on Starlink terminals moving over Ukraine.
“Russian drones move much more quickly, so the enemy operators will not be able to control them in real time,” the website said.
Senior U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday for talks aimed at de-escalating the crisis between their countries, according to three current regional officials and a former one who were familiar with the planning.
Just got gassed pretty good at the labor union anti-ICE protest in [Portland, Oregon on Jan 31]. Massive march, 5-10k strong. Vibes were very much liberal rather than radical. Lots of kids and older folks. They gassed the whole crowd as soon as it marched on ICE, in broad daylight.
What impressed me most today was that a huge crowd of people who mostly had never been tear gassed managed to retreat without running or trampling each other. Under a cloud of gas that was not moving (zero wind), people held onto each other and walked blind down a street packed tight as sardines.
That’s not easy to do when your chest is burning like a heart attack, and you are totally blind, and your face is on fire, and you can’t breathe. Lots of credit goes to everybody who kept that crowd together.
Rando 1: “There were a lot of babies and toddlers there. Dogs too. Least threatening crowd ever.”
Rando 2: “There were more than 30 unions present, and the reality of Labor is that means most of the people there were teachers, nurses and other health care workers, and public employees”
Southpaw: “Federal paramilitaries running up on the rooftops to fire irritants and flash bangs down into a peaceable assembly full of little kids. [Video clip]”
Alissa Azar liveskeeted the protest.
* She’d heard there were smiley-face marked munitions but hadn’t seen ’em.
Alissa Azar liveskeeted another smaller protest Feb 1st.
Alissa Azar: “There were people with leaf blowers tonight and yesterday too but there was just so much gas it wasn’t doing much.”
Representative James R. Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the Oversight Committee, on Monday rejected an offer from Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, just days ahead of an expected House vote on holding them in criminal contempt of Congress.
[…] after some Democrats on the panel joined Republicans in a vote to recommend charging them with criminal contempt, an extraordinary first step in referring them to the Justice Department for prosecution, the Clintons ultimately waved the white flag and agreed to fully comply with Mr. Comer’s demands.
In an email to Mr. Comer sent on Monday night, attorneys for the Clintons said their clients would “appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates” and asked that the House not move forward with contempt proceedings.
“They told under oath what they know, but you did not care. But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there.”
For Mr. Clinton to testify in the Epstein case would be nearly unprecedented. No former president has appeared before Congress since 1983, when President Gerald R. Ford did so to discuss the celebration of the 1987 bicentennial of the enactment of the Constitution. When Mr. Trump was subpoenaed in 2022 by the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, after he had left office, he sued the panel to try to block it. The panel ultimately withdrew the subpoena.
The Clintons’ move capped a monthslong battle between them and Mr. Comer. It was a victory for the Republican chairman’s efforts to shift the focus of his panel’s Epstein investigation away from Mr. Trump’s ties to Mr. Epstein and his administration’s handling of the matter and onto prominent Democrats who once associated with the disgraced financier and his longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In a letter on Saturday to Mr. Comer, which was obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Clinton’s lawyers tried one more time to put some guardrails on potential interviews with the Clintons. They said that Mr. Clinton would agree to sit for a four-hour transcribed interview with the entire committee, something he had previously described as an inappropriate and unprecedented request to make of a former president.
The lawyers asked that Mrs. Clinton, who has said she never met or spoke to Mr. Epstein, be allowed to make a sworn declaration instead of testifying. But they said that she, too, would submit to an in-person interview if the committee insisted on it, “with appropriate adjustments for the paucity of information she has to offer in this matter,” according to the letter.
But Mr. Comer flatly rejected the offer, calling it “unreasonable” and arguing that four hours of testimony from Mr. Clinton was inadequate given that he was a “loquacious individual” who might seek to run out the clock.
[…] In that letter, Mr. Comer also rejected the demand from Mr. Clinton that the scope of the interview be limited to matters related to Mr. Epstein. Mr. Comer said the former president “likely has an artificially narrow definition in mind” of what matters would be related to the Epstein investigation.
Mr. Comer said he had concerns that Mr. Clinton would refuse to answer questions about “his personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, ways in which they sought to curry favor with powerful individuals and alleged efforts to utilize his power and influence after his presidency to kill negative news stories about Jeffrey Epstein.”
In response to Mr. Comer’s letter, the Clintons on Monday evening agreed to all of Mr. Comer’s demands, removing any time limit on the deposition of Mr. Clinton or on the range of topics that Republicans could ask him about.
The only point of negotiation that Mr. Comer had previously been amenable to was conducting the interviews in New York, where the Clintons live and work.
Mr. Clinton was acquainted with Mr. Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, but has said he never visited Mr. Epstein’s private island and cut off contact with him two decades ago. Mr. Clinton took four international trips on Mr. Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and 2003, according to flight logs.
While some House Democrats last month voted with Republicans to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress, others expressed disgust at the entire situation, and in particular about the inclusion of Mrs. Clinton.
“I’m not seeing anything to suggest she ought to be a part of this in any way,” Representative Kweisi Mfume, Democrat of Maryland, said at a hearing last month, noting that it looked like the former secretary of state had been included because “we want to dust her up a bit if we get her before this committee.”
The offer from the Clintons represented a total surrender after they made a defiant stand just weeks ago, vowing to fight back against an investigation they said was unfairly targeting them and holding them to a different standard from others.
Up until the final moment, the Clintons had been trying to negotiate with the House Oversight Committee behind the scenes to find a way for Mr. Comer to spare them the contempt vote and lift the subpoenas. They said that Mr. Comer and the top Democrat on the panel could interview Mr. Clinton under oath, an offer that the chairman also rejected, insisting that the former president appear before the entire committee for an open-ended, transcribed interview. […]
And even after the Clintons said they would agree to a transcript, Mr. Comer said there was no deal. The situation frustrated the Clintons and their allies.
[…] Nine Democrats on the Oversight Committee joined Republicans last month in support of holding Mr. Clinton in contempt, while three Democrats backed holding Mrs. Clinton in contempt, teeing up votes on the House floor. [FFS]
Many Democrats have been reluctant to be seen as defending anyone associated with the convicted sex offender […]
For the Clintons, the entire saga was a continuation of the Republican assault on them that has been the background noise of their entire life on the national political stage.
In a letter they wrote to Mr. Comer in January, the Clintons accused him of potentially bringing Congress to a halt to pursue a politically driven process “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”
A federal judge on Friday ruled the Energy Department violated the law when Secretary Chris Wright handpicked five researchers who reject the scientific consensus on climate change to work in secret on a sweeping government report on global warming.
Journalist Michael Wolff, who says that he possesses more than 100 hours of recorded conversations with Jeffrey Epstein, fired back after President Donald Trump threatened to sue him for reporting on Trump’s relationship with Epstein.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One Sunday, Trump said that he would “probably sue Wolff.”
“Wolff was conspiring with Epstein to do harm to me,” he said.
Trump’s threat appears to be an attempt to deflect from the Department of Justice’s clumsy attempts to obfuscate the release of the Epstein files.
“Bring it on,” Wolff said in a video response. “I believe that if the American public knew the real nature of Donald Trump’s long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, they would turn away in horror and revulsion.” [video]
Wolff launched his own lawsuit against first lady Melania Trump in October, after she threatened to sue him for $1 billion. Wolff’s suit uses New York’s Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation laws, which are designed to protect journalists from intimidation by powerful people.
On Monday, Trump continued his attacks on Wolff on Truth Social.
“Not only wasn’t I friendly with Jeffrey Epstein but, based upon information that has just been released by the Department of Justice, Epstein and a SLEAZEBAG lying ‘author’ named Michael Wolff, conspired in order to damage me and/or my Presidency,” he wrote. “So much for the Radical Left’s hope against hope, some of whom I’ll be suing. Additionally, unlike so many people that like to ‘talk’ trash, I never went to the infested Epstein island but, almost all of these Crooked Democrats, and their Donors, did.”
It’s like Wolff said: “I have nothing to hide. But Mister President, you surely do.”
“To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave,” Wilson wrote.
[…]
Thousands of protesters, including children, marched through Portland and enveloped the blocks around the South Waterfront facility Saturday afternoon. Federal agents launched tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets at the crowd shortly after it arrived after some crossed the building’s property line and approached its security gate. […] The Portland Fire Bureau sent paramedics to treat people at the scene
Both Morillo and Green […] introduced a new fee for private property owners whose building is leased to be used as a detention facility. That policy also included civil penalties for “the release or deposition of chemical residues or other substances beyond the detention facility premises” into the street or neighboring properties. […] the city’s administrative branch is still working on writing the rules for enforcement. Wilson oversees this
[…]
The city has banned Portland police officers from using tear gas on protesters since 2020, but federal officers have no such restrictions.
[…]
ICE has leased […] from a private landlord since 2011, under a land use agreement with the city. That agreement prohibits the federal tenants from holding detainees longer than 12 hours or overnight. In September, the city claimed that ICE broke this rule at least 25 times in the past year […] If the city finds [the property owner] has violated the land use agreement, he’ll face a monthly fine of nearly $950. If ICE doesn’t change its detention practices, the permitting department can hold a public hearing to discuss revoking that agreement.
[…]
Protesters have specifically called on city leaders to “revoke” the land use agreement. […] Wilson has asked activists to be patient. […] Wilson said that any move to unilaterally revoke the land use agreement would surely land the city in court. “We cannot allow hasty action to prevent us from taking meaningful action,”
Diane Moreno was walking home in late January when she said she was struck five times by rubber bullets fired by federal agents, leaving welts and bruises across her body. […] she was caught in the crossfire as the agents tried to disperse a protest [near] an affordable housing complex that sits about 100 feet away from an ICE field office […] Others in Gray’s Landing have slept wearing gas masks or in their bathtubs to escape tear gas that wafts into their homes
[…]
residents initially filed the lawsuit in December. Their complaint alleges that the federal agents’ conduct has been excessive. […] a charter school permanently relocated from its location neighboring the ICE facility last summer after condemning federal agents’ use of tear gas
[…]
King alleged that a federal agent appeared to target her in October by firing a tear-gas canister toward her apartment as she live-streamed footage of a protest from her balcony […] [A resident’s children] have missed school and gone to urgent care for treatment after inhaling tear gas.
Alissa Azar’s first liveskeet thread @94 had footage of a neighbor’s 2nd/3rd-story window getting shattered.
“Trump Drops Demand for Cash From Harvard After Stiff Resistance”
“The Trump administration has lowered the bar for a deal with the university, backtracking on its insistence on a $200 million payment to the government, The New York Times has learned.”
President Trump has backtracked on a major point in negotiations with Harvard, dropping his administration’s demand for a $200 million payment to the government in hopes of finally resolving the administration’s conflicts with the university […]
Harvard has been the top target in Mr. Trump’s sweeping campaign to exert more control over higher education. Hard-liners in his administration had wanted Harvard to write a check to the U.S. Treasury as part of a deal to address claims that university officials mishandled antisemitism […] But Harvard […] has rejected the idea.
[…] The White House’s concession comes amid sagging approval ratings for Mr. Trump, and as he faces outrage over immigration enforcement tactics and the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minnesota. A deal with Harvard would hand the president a victory at a difficult time in his presidency.
But those same factors could also torpedo a deal, as some Harvard leaders now consider the risk of backlash even higher if they are seen as having any hand in easing the pressure on Mr. Trump […]
Some connected to the university, however, think Harvard has no option but to eventually cut a deal. The administration has repeatedly attempted to cut off research grants, which would be an untenable crisis. [!] Like many major research universities, Harvard relies on federal funding for its financial model.
Harvard’s top governing board was scheduled to meet Monday and was expected to discuss Mr. Trump’s concession on money […]
An Encounter at Davos
[…] Mr. Trump had visited Davos to speak at the World Economic Forum, where he crossed paths with Stephen A. Schwarzman, the billionaire investment executive who has taken a role in the negotiations between Harvard and the White House. Mr. Trump asked Mr. Schwarzman to call him about the deal […]
The two men spoke last week, the people said, and Mr. Trump made clear he would no longer demand a $200 million payment from the university if that concession would secure the deal. The two sides have discussed additional terms, including provisions that affirm Harvard’s commitment to following federal law.
Linda McMahon, Mr. Trump’s education secretary, conveyed a similar message to Mr. Schwarzman last week in a separate conversation, saying that the administration was willing to forget about the fine […]
The Times reported in July that Harvard was willing to spend $500 million on work force programs as part of the deal. But the university rejected a more recent push by hard-liners in the administration to require the university to make $200 million of that a direct payment to the government, believing it would jeopardize its independence.
[…] University negotiators also observed as other deals with the administration have gone awry.
For instance, Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania agreed to deals that appeared to resolve issues between the school and the administration. […]
But the administration later returned to both universities, asking leaders to sign on to a “compact” that would have offered greater access to research funding in exchange for an embrace of Mr. Trump’s policies. Both universities rejected the offer. […]
Harvard’s Calculus
Harvard has also seen that it can survive bombardment from the White House.
Last year, a federal judge in Boston both restored Harvard’s federal funding and rebuffed the administration’s effort to block international students from enrolling. Though the administration launched a variety of civil investigations into the school, none of the inquiries have turned into criminal investigations. And the administration, despite threats, has not followed through on having the university disqualified as a federal contractor. [Failure all around for the Trump administration.]
Dr. Garber’s leadership, meanwhile, is being praised, including by rival universities.
On Tuesday, Dr. Garber, who became president of Harvard in 2024, was honored by Yale University as a “legend in leadership,” in large part because of his pushback on the White House. […]
In a lengthy email to the Harvard community on Thursday, Dr. Garber made no direct reference to the university’s negotiations with the Trump administration. But writing that “no institution can solve the hardest problems alone,” he argued that Harvard needed to “strengthen collaborations with other colleges, universities, research organizations and industry partners.”
“Trump, in an Escalation, Calls for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections”
“The comments, made on a conservative podcast, follow a string of moves from his administration to try to exert more control over American elections.”
[…] Trump called in a new interview for the Republican Party to “nationalize” voting in the United States, an aggressive rhetorical step that was likely to raise new worries about his administration’s efforts to involve itself in election matters as he and his allies continue to make false claims about his 2020 defeat.
During an extended monologue about immigration on a podcast released on Monday by Dan Bongino, his former deputy F.B.I. director, Mr. Trump called for Republican officials to “take over” voting procedures in 15 states, though he did not name them.
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” he said. “We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
Under the Constitution, American elections are governed primarily by state law, leading to a decentralized process in which voting is administered by county and municipal officials in thousands of precincts across the country. Mr. Trump, however, has long been fixated on the false claims that U.S. elections are rife with fraud and that Democrats are perpetrating a vast conspiracy to have undocumented immigrants vote and lift the party’s turnout. […]
More at the link, including: a discussion of the Trump administrations seizure of ballots etc. in Fulton County, Georgia; the Justice Department’s demands that state turn over their full voter rolls to Trump; various executive orders Trump has signed requiring proof of citizenship; and efforts to end the use of mail-in ballots.
In addition, Trump tied his “nationalize elections” rhetoric to his mass deportations efforts:
During his interview with Mr. Bongino, Mr. Trump tied his desire for partisan control of voting mechanisms to his administration’s agenda to find and deport undocumented immigrants from American cities.
“If Republicans don’t get them out, you will never win another election as a Republican,” he said, referring to undocumented immigrants. “It’s crazy how you can get these people to vote. If we don’t get them out, look, Republicans will never win another election.”
There is no evidence that a significant number of noncitizens have voted in any American election. A 2024 audit by Georgia’s secretary of state found that just 20 of the 8.2 million people registered to vote in Georgia were not citizens, and only nine had ever voted.
After a yearlong investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board blamed multiple systemwide failures for the midair collision of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people.
[…]
an instrument failure in the Army helicopter, which likely made the pilots think they were flying 100 feet lower than they were.
[…]
The FAA had collected reports of more than 80 serious close calls in recent years between helicopters and passenger aircraft […] air traffic controllers at the local tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport had repeatedly raised concerns to the FAA about a lack of adequate separation between helicopter traffic [and] where American Airlines Flight 5342 was attempting to land. But the FAA did not act on those concerns […]
“What that means is 75 feet, at best, separating a helicopter and civilian aircraft. Nowhere in the airspace is that OK,”
[…]
NTSB members voted to approve nearly 50 new recommendations
* Collision was 278 feet above the river. Helicopter was supposed to be no higher than 200 feet. So ~75 feet WAS all the space they were allotted. And the helicopter altimeter’s inaccuracy was greater than the difference.
Humanity’s return to the moon will have to wait at least another four weeks.
NASA had been targeting Feb. 8 for the launch of its Artemis 2 mission, which will send four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the moon and back to Earth. But the agency just moved the timeline back, after experiencing several issues during a key prelaunch exercise called a wet dress rehearsal.
“Engineers pushed through several challenges during the two-day test and met many of the planned objectives,” NASA officials said in a statement early Tuesday morning (Feb. 3). “To allow teams to review data and conduct a second wet dress rehearsal, NASA now will target March as the earliest possible launch opportunity for the flight test.”
A record-breaking study into a giant sunspot that triggered Earth’s biggest geomagnetic storm in more than two decades has revealed surprising new details about the explosive dark patch. The monster sunspot unleashed almost 1,000 solar flares in just over three months, and may have discreetly birthed the most powerful outburst of the current solar cycle.
… (snip)…
In a new study published Dec. 5 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers analyzed observations of AR 13664 spanning 94 consecutive days between April 16 and July 18, 2024, which equates to roughly 3.3 trips around the sun. Thanks to images captured by NASA’s Solar Orbiter, which circles the sun, researchers were able to keep tabs on the sunspot as it rotated out of view.
“It’s a milestone in solar physics,” study lead author Ioannis Kontogiannis, a solar physicist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), said in a statement. “This is the longest continuous series of images ever created for a single active region.”
In the paper, the team revealed that AR 13664 unleashed a total of 969 solar flares. This included 38 X-class flares and 146 M-class flares, which are also capable of impacting Earth’s magnetic field. The rest were lower-level, including C-class and B-class flares, which pose no threat to our planet.
What I’m watching unfold right now feels less like politics and more like a slow-motion moral collapse, the kind you read about later and wonder how anyone pretended not to see it while it was happening. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruling the killing of Alex Pretti a homicide,” multiple gunshot wounds,” flat, clinical, almost antiseptic language should have been a line in the sand. The murders of Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Good should have stopped everything. Full stop. Instead, they barely registered as a national reckoning, just more names folded into the ever-expanding ledger of state violence. That, more than anything, is what terrifies me: not just the brutality, but how quickly it’s normalized.
We are living under an administration that treats the Constitution like an inconvenience and power like a birthright. A Republican Party and a Congress that once pretended to care about law, restraint, and accountability now function as a silent accomplice, unwilling to act against Donald Trump for anything, ever. And while the headlines churn through distractions, Venezuela, Greenland, Iran, EPSTEIN, the next shiny outrage, the real story is happening in plain sight: deportations without due process, mass detention, the rounding up of the disenfranchised, the unwanted, the politically inconvenient. If you’re disabled, poor, undocumented, outspoken, elderly, or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, congratulations, you’ve made the list.
We are told, often with a shrug, that tens of thousands of people are now being held in detention. We are told new facilities are being built, quietly, efficiently, in small towns across the country. We are told this is about “law and order.” But anyone with a functioning conscience understands what this really is: infrastructure. Capacity. Preparation. Prisons don’t appear overnight unless someone plans to fill them. And when citizens start protesting, real American patriots, not flag-waving authoritarians, they’re dismissed, mocked, surveilled, or threatened. That alone should tell you where this is headed.
Authoritarians are painfully predictable. Narcissistic psychopaths obsessed with power don’t see people; they see obstacles. Humanity is collateral damage. Snatching a five-year-old into custody by masked agents isn’t an aberration, it’s a signal. It tells you how far they’re willing to go, and how little resistance they expect. We’ve already seen the language: veiled racism wrapped in superlatives, open dehumanization, flirtations with fascist symbolism that are no longer even subtle. This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening. It keeps happening.
And like every authoritarian movement before it, this one has its propaganda machine. A network that reaches millions, floods the zone with lies, and reframes cruelty as patriotism. Kristi Noem, Pete Hegseth, and the rest of the loyalists perform their roles dutifully, while Congress acts as a rubber-stamp Reichstag, applauding or looking away as the Department of Justice is hollowed out and repurposed into a political weapon. Career public servants, journalists, minorities, the LGBTQ community, anyone committed to actual truth, all labeled enemies of the state. That is not hyperbole. That is the playbook.
It is not a giant leap from where we are now to ghettos, to trains, to destinations “unknown for security reasons.” The only thing that ever slows that descent is public resistance and a refusal to pretend this is normal. What’s most chilling is that the missing piece, the logistical framework, is actively being assembled while we argue online about decorum and tone. At the same time, religion has been hijacked and twisted into a cudgel. The message of a poor carpenter who preached compassion and humility has been reshaped to serve greed, cruelty, and blind obedience. Prosperity preachers rake in money while blessing policies that would have horrified the figure they claim to worship. Their congregations, misinformed and inflamed, become an unofficial army, loyal not to conscience, not to truth, but to a false prophet who demands everything and gives nothing back.
History tells us that systems like this don’t collapse because someone makes a well-reasoned argument on cable news. They end because people finally refuse to comply. Because fear stops working. Because the cost of silence becomes higher than the cost of resistance. That is where we are drifting, whether we like it or not.
I’m not a religious man, but even I find myself reaching for words that sound like prayer. Dear God, or whatever still listens, save us from this gathering storm of demagoguery, cruelty, and moral rot. Save us from confusing power with virtue, obedience with patriotism, and silence with safety. And if salvation isn’t coming, then at least grant us the clarity and courage to see this moment for what it is, and the spine to act before it’s too late.
—Michael Jochum
Not Just a Drummer: Reflections on Art, Politics, Dogs, and the Human Condition See less
I know it’s still fashionable to blame everything on Russia, but Epstein was not a Russian agent. He was trained as a spy under Ehud Barak and was deeply embeeded in U.S. and Israeli intelligence. Epstein’s actions deeply implicate the American ruling class and their allies, not so much the U.S. military’s chosen adversary-of-the-week.
KGsays
Lynna, OM@100,
Harvard should not make any deal whatever with Trump, if only out of self-interest. Either the ongoing fascist coup will succeed, in which case Harvard is doomed as an independent institution; or it will not, in which case anyone who collaborated will be discredited.
KGsays
I know it’s still fashionable to blame everything on Russia, but Epstein was not a Russian agent. – beholder@109
That’s something you could only know if you were a very close friend of Epstein – and perhaps not even then. Why would the Russians not have approached him – an obviously hugely wealthy and influential networker, and (as they could easily have known) active sex criminal? And if they did, offering money or other favours, andor threatening exposure, and asking for information on prominent Americans involved in child sexual abuse, why would Epstein have refused? Out of principle? Because his Israeli handlers would have disapproved? Grow up.
Justice Department officials are expected to meet Monday to discuss how to reenergize probes that are considered a top priority for President Donald Trump — reviewing the actions of officials who investigated him, according to a source familiar with the plan.
In recent weeks, Trump has been pressuring Justice Department officials for results in these and other investigations, recently admonishing a group of US attorneys for failing to deliver on cases he wants brought.
The Weaponization Working Group is now expected to start meeting daily with the goal of producing results in the next two months, according to the person familiar with the plan.
The group was at one point led by Ed Martin, who was tapped for the position after the Senate failed to confirm him to be the US attorney for Washington, DC.
The group’s efforts are unrelated to the Department of Justice’s individual prosecutions of Trump’s political adversaries.
It sounds like Trump will be yelling at them weekly to get moving on persecuting his opponents. This won’t make their cases any better but will probably result in some accusation being brought to court.
The only remotely funny thing about this is that the next president will end up with the same working group. If it’s a MAGA president they will need to go through the motions of having a legal system while arresting people and presiding over the collapse of the US. If it isn’t MAGA then there are too many political cases started by Trump to just sweep them under the rug and move on.
RACHEL MADDOW
Noem’s coarse tweet comes back to bite her in blistering ruling on protections for Haitians. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, mimicking Donald Trump’s boorishness expressed her thoughts on immigrants from certain countries in coarse terms on Twitter. Those words would come back to bite her when they were cited in a blistering ruling by a judge who did not see her effort to revoke the temporary protected status of over 300,000 Haitian immigrants as being done in good faith for good reasons.
RACHEL MADDOW
‘It’s attacking the public’s right to know’: Georgia Fort on the White House going after journalists. Independent journalist Georgia Fort discusses her arrest and President Trump’s continued attack on journalism with MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow.
RACHEL MADDOW
Trump meets fierce opposition escalating information war with arrests of journalists. Donald Trump appears to have overreached in his effort to control the information presented to Americans by arresting journalists. Georgia Fort, an award-winning independent journalist arrested after reporting on a protest at a church in Minnesota, talks with Rachel Maddow about the ordeal of being arrested at home by federal agents, and Donald Trump’s efforts to bully, intimidate, and criminalize journalists in an effort to control what Americans are allowed to know.
RACHEL MADDOW
Maddow: Trump ‘wobbling’ as his agenda falls apart in the face of pressure. Rachel Maddow looks at the latest headlines showing Donald Trump backpedaling in the face of protests and plummeting poll numbers, taking a shocking loss in a special election, losing court cases, and watching resignations in protest deplete his Justice Department. The pushback against Donald Trump is happening everywhere he turns and grows ever more effective the more Trump wobbles and weakens.
The fact that the FBI executed a search warrant last week on an elections office in Georgia is itself a burgeoning controversy. The raid was an obvious extension of Donald Trump’s ongoing crusade related to his 2020 election defeat. Effectively a vehicle for the president’s discredited conspiracy theories, there was no credible reason for federal law enforcement to seize these election materials.
Similarly, there was also no reason for Trump to personally thank the frontline FBI agents for their work.
But the whole mess was made worse by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s decision to personally participate in the raid in Atlanta-area raid, adding a scandalous element to a burgeoning controversy.
An NBC News report explained, “In her role overseeing the country’s spy agencies, Gabbard is prohibited by law from taking part in domestic law enforcement.”
On Monday afternoon, the DNI began mounting a defense of sorts, sending a four-page letter to Capitol Hill (the correspondence was addressed to top Democrats on the intelligence committees, but sent as well as to several other members from both parties and both chambers). In it, Gabbard didn’t merely try to justify her participation in the raid; she also confirmed that Trump directed her to go to Fulton County and that she facilitated a call between the president and the FBI personnel.
[…] After Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, received the DNI’s letter, his communications director said in a statement, “While Director Gabbard’s letter attempts to justify her presence at the Fulton County search, it raises more questions than it answers. Senator Warner plans to continue pressing for accountability.”
Similarly, a former senior national security official told MS NOW that Gabbard’s role in the Georgia was “jaw dropping. There’s no justification for it.” The former official said that no previous DNI had ever taken similar steps and noted how outraged Republicans would be if, for example, Avril Haines, the Biden administration’s director of national intelligence, had been present during the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.
“It would be denounced,” the former official added. “The DNI is supposed to not be involved in politics or even involved in Justice Department activities.”
This burgeoning scandal, in other words, is far from over.
Toward the end of an unrelated White House event, Donald Trump fielded a handful of questions from reporters on Monday, one of whom mentioned the president’s threat to sue comedian Trevor Noah over a joke he told at the Grammys.
Before the reporter could even finish the question, Trump interjected, trashed Noah for a while, and whined about how “terrible” he found the Grammys, before turning his attention to Jeffrey Epstein, whom the president said he had “nothing to do with.”
But he didn’t stop there. Trump proceeded to claim that unnamed Democrats secretly “conspired with Epstein” and, as part of their plot, partnered with the convicted sex offender “to try and help me lose the election.”
Even by the president’s standards, this was quite bonkers. There have been plenty of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein in recent years, but the line Trump peddled on Monday was new, baseless, bizarre and wholly unsupported by anything resembling evidence.
This was not, however, the president’s only provocative claim related to his former associate. Shortly before the White House event got underway, Trump published an item to his social media platform in which he said he wasn’t “friendly with Jeffrey Epstein.”
Given the circumstances, that’s an odd thing to lie about. NBC News noted that while there’s no evidence that Trump ever visited Epstein’s island, there’s “substantial evidence that they were friendly.” The report noted:
‘I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,’ Trump told New York magazine in 2002, before there were any public allegations of wrongdoing against Epstein. ‘He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.’
A November 1992 clip from the NBC archives showed the two socializing at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, pointing out women on the dance floor. In a part of the tape, Trump is heard saying something to Epstein that causes him to double over in laughter. Epstein also attended Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples, according to a photo obtained by CNN.
At least in theory, there shouldn’t be any reason for the president to make stuff up. As NBC News’ report concluded, “Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and there is no evidence connecting him to Epstein’s crimes.” The two men were obviously friendly in years past, but that need not be inherently incriminating.
It’s why Trump’s willingness to push a line that is obviously untrue is such an odd and unnecessary misstep.
“Last week, Trump thanked Putin for pausing attacks in Ukraine, even as Putin launched new attacks. This week, it happened again.”
As last week’s White House Cabinet meeting got underway, Donald Trump took a moment to pat himself on the back for his latest breakthrough with Russia’s Vladmir Putin.
Noting brutally cold conditions in Ukraine, the American president declared, “I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that. And I have to tell you, it was very nice. People said, ‘Don’t waste the call, you’re not going to get that.’ And he did it, and we’re very happy that they did it.”
Steve Witkoff, the White House’s controversial special envoy, took the opportunity to gush about how awesome Trump’s awesomeness is, saying the president’s special request to Putin was a reflection of Trump’s “indomitable spirit.”
There was, however, one obvious problem:Putin didn’t pause his attacks on Ukraine. Indeed, the day before Trump’s boasts, a Russian strike on a civilian passenger train in northeastern Ukraine killed five people. A HuffPost report added, “According to both Ukrainian and outside observers, Russia has attacked Ukraine every single night” in January.
As this week got underway, Trump circled back to peddle the same discredited claim. [video]
“I did call up President Putin and he’s agreed,” the Republican told reporters at a bill-signing event in the Oval Office. “I asked [Putin] if he wouldn’t shoot for a period of one week, no missiles going into Kyiv or any other towns, and he’s agreed to do it.”
Less than 24 hours later, The Associated Press reported:
Russia carried out a major attack on Ukraine overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, a day before representatives of the two countries were due to attend U.S.-brokered talks on ending the 4-year-old all-out war.
At least 10 people were wounded in a bombardment of at least five regions of Ukraine that comprised 450 long-range drones and 70 missiles, including a record number of 32 ballistic missiles. It specifically took aim at the power grid, Zelenskyy said, as part of what Ukraine says is Moscow’s ongoing campaign to deny civilians light, heating and running water during the coldest winter in years.
So, to recap: Trump praised Putin last week, thanking the Russian leader for pausing attacks in Ukraine, while Putin launched additional attacks in Ukraine. And this week, Trump did the same thing, again celebrating his successful appeal to Putin, touting the Russian leader’s willingness to pause the deadly violence while the latter was committing additional acts of deadly violence.
Hours after the NYT reported that the Trump administration had dropped its demand that Harvard pay the government $200 million as part of a settlement of weaponized claims of antisemitism, President Trump went nuts on social media and upped the settlement demand to $1 billion — while newly threatening the university with criminal charges: “This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings.”
I first became aware of Dr. Peter Attia a few months ago when some of his videos started showing up in my YouTube feed. I’ve always been interested in living a healthy life and staying fit, and now that I’m getting older it made sense […] after watching a few of his videos I got the sense that he was something of a BSer. It seemed like his biggest piece of advice for staying healthy as you age is to exercise regularly – what a revelation!
Anyway, Attia has been in the news recently because his name appears a lot in the latest batch of files released by the DOJ last week – more than 1,700 times to be more specific. And just a few days before the files were released, CBS News announced that Attia was named as one of its batch of new MAGA-friendly contributors. [!] Oops.
The dozens of email exchanges between Attia and Epstein, or Epstein’s assistant, reveal a chummy relationship between the two men – with all of the communications occurring many years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to trafficking a minor for prostitution. Some of the emails are downright disgusting.
In 2016, Attia wrote to Epstein, “P—y is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten content, though.”
In a June 2015 email to Epstein, Attia gushed that the “worst” part about being his friend is that “the life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul.” [!] […] It reminds me of the “wonderful secret” that Trump wrote about to Epstein in that gross birthday card. Why all this secrecy??
[…] The email exchanges between the two also reveal them discussing various matters of health and longevity. In one email, Epstein muses to Attia that he’s not sure why “women live past reproductive age at all.”
The Attia-Epstein emails also show that Attia is a heartless and selfish person. In his book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Attia wrote that on July 11, 2017, while he was in New York City, he received a call from his wife informing him that their young son had suddenly stopped breathing and was in the hospital. Yet he admits that he didn’t return home for 10 days. We now know from the Epstein files what Attia was doing in NYC during part of that time. On July 12 – the day after Attia learned about his son’s health scare – he was making arrangements to meet with Epstein on July 13.
And THIS is who CBS News wants to hire as one if its new “star” contributors. While Attia has issued a groveling apology, the new MAGA-friendly CBS News chief Bari Weiss is reportedly in battle with executives at Paramount Skydance, CBS’ parent company, over Attia’s future with the network. Paramount execs want to sever ties with Attia – rightfully viewing him as a PR and HR disaster – but Weiss is refusing to fire pedophile Epstein’s pal because it would be “giving in to the mob.” Another reason to stop watching CBS News or reading CBS News stories.
The more we learn from the Epstein files, the more intertwined MAGAworld and Epstein become. Here we have the MAGA-aligned CEO of Paramount Skydance David Ellison and the MAGA-aligned CBS News head Bari Weiss (whose wife is also in the Epstein files, by the way) in a pickle with a MAGA-aligned contributor because of connections to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The truth is coming out.
Nine progressive prosecutors—including my favorite, Larry Krasner—are launching a coalition to assist in prosecuting federal law enforcement officers who violate state laws. It’s called the Project for the Fight Against Federal Overreach or FAFO. Fantastic!
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to resign and told their bosses to leave Portland in a scathing statement issued Saturday after federal agents launched tear gasat a large crowd protesting near the Portland ICE facility.
“To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave,” Wilson wrote. “Through your use of violence and the trampling of the Constitution, you have lost all legitimacy and replaced it with shame.”
Thousands of protesters, including children, marched through Portland and enveloped the blocks around the South Waterfront facility Saturday afternoon. Federal agents launched tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets at the crowd shortly after it arrived after some crossed the building’s property line and approached its security gate.
Wilson characterized the demonstration as a “peaceful daytime protest, where the vast majority of those present violated no laws, made no threat and posed no danger to federal forces.” The federal government, Wilson said, “must, and will, be held accountable.” He said the city would soon impose a fee on detention facilities that use chemical agents.
“To those who continue to make these sickening decisions, go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you have gassed children,” Wilson wrote Saturday night.
New Grants Offer Lifeline to Public Stations Hit By Funding Losses
These grants, plus increased support from listeners, will ensure that public media will survive the maladministration.
From RadioInk:
As public media stations face mounting financial strain tied to federal and state funding cuts and withdrawals, the Public Media Bridge Fund has launched two emergency grant programs aimed at stabilizing local outlets at risk of service disruptions or shutdowns. ✂️
The Disaster Recovery Program provides one-time grants of up to $100,000 to stations experiencing service interruptions or equipment damage from severe weather or other major incidents. Funds can be used to restore service, repair or replace equipment, cover temporary operating expenses, and support urgent communication needs. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The Emergency Restructuring Program targets stations facing imminent service loss tied to financial shocks, including license sales or subsidy withdrawal. The program offers limited assistance when short-term funding can preserve a station’s ability to remain on the air during transition. It is not intended to address long-term structural deficits or completed projects.
The Public Media Bridge Fund was created by Public Media Company in 2025 in response to the federal government’s elimination of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. The fund set a goal of raising $100 million over two years, with major contributions from the Knight Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and the Dolby Family, among others.
The House on Tuesday passed a massive funding package to end the brief government shutdown that began Saturday, clearing the bill for President Donald Trump to sign it into law.
The vote was 217-214.
Trump has said he will sign it “immediately.”
The legislation will ensure full-year funding for the federal government through the end of September, with the lone exception of the Department of Homeland Security, which is put on a two-week leash as Democrats insist on changes after federal agents fatally shot two Americans in Minneapolis.
The measure tees up a frantic 10-day window for Congress to negotiate a DHS funding agreement as Democrats demand reforms to rein in ICE and CBP.
The new deadline when DHS funding will expire is Feb. 13.
[…] “I believe this is an opportunity to isolate DHS and go at it, hammer and tongs, tooth and nail — whatever phrase you want to use, rather than having to figure out what the heck is going to happen to five other bills and all those departments,” DeLauro [Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.] said. “There’s unbelievable bipartisan, bicameral support on those bills. So why squander that? And then take the next 10 days, next Friday, and just bring DHS up.”
[…] Securing a bipartisan deal on DHS money will be a tall order.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, said it will be “very difficult” to secure a DHS funding deal by the next deadline.
“There are vast differences,” he said. “I would expect — and I’m hearing that there could be just another, we kick the can down the road a little bit longer until those differences can be worked out … at least, probably, March 1.”
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Follow-up to 94, 99.
Dan Kaszeta (CBRN expert): “Don’t wear contact lenses if there’s any chance at all you might be exposed to tear gas or pepper spray.”
a six-year-old wondered if the unicorn she saw marching earlier was ok.
[…]
It was an event organized by a coalition of labor unions that began with speeches at Elizabeth Caruthers Park and culminated in a march just down the street past the local ICE building. The plan was to keep the procession moving, but when some marchers crossed a no trespassing line in front of the building, federal officers reacted with immediate violence. […] I spoke to eight people who were present
[…]
“We saw a few agents come onto the roof but I figured they were just observing,” she said. “Then I saw the gas get fired. There were at least five shots. […] When I was walking away and struggling to breathe, a street medic […] checked on me and helped me rinse my eyes out,” Zoe recalled. “She saw I wasn’t okay […] my contacts were holding the gas behind [them].” […] “I didn’t know it would be that kind of march so I didn’t bring my gas mask or PPE,”
[…]
“It’s just weird to see a toddler in a pink onesie getting their eyes washed out from tear gas, you know?” […] by all accounts from people on the ground, it was a family atmosphere where locals turned out with children, elders, pets and signs in hand […] it was a “No Kings”-type crowd. People were handing out whistles. On one corner, a young adult played the keytar, and the sun was still out. It made the abrupt change in mood and safety that much more jarring. Although the organizers made great efforts to keep the most vulnerable from going too close to the ICE building, the mass deployment of munitions made it impossible to shield them all.
[…]
Local Portland police were “utterly useless,” John, another attendee, told me. “They at least weren’t helping ICE, but they also didn’t care […] One cop we talked to—he appeared to be a lieutenant or commander—about babies being gassed said in response ‘that’s too bad.'” John said he, too, was astonished by the escalation of tactics, especially against an overwhelmingly white and middle class crowd.
[…]
“People were choking on gas over 6 blocks away.”
[…]
Mayor Keith Wilson was already demanding ICE to leave his city before they struck again on Sunday. […] “To those who continue to make these sickening decisions, go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you have gassed children. Ask yourselves why you continue to work for an agency responsible for murders on American streets. No one is forcing you to lie to yourself, even as your bosses continue to lie to the American people.”
birgerjohanssonsays
Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast — February 2026
“Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims”
Immediately after a US border patrol agent shot two people in Oregon last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the targets were “vicious” gang members connected to a prior shooting and alleged they had “attempted to run over” officers with their vehicle.
In the weeks since, key parts of the federal government’s narrative have fallen apart.
The events took place on the afternoon of 8 January, one day after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
According to a DHS press release and social media posts issued the following day, border patrol agents were conducting a “targeted” stop of a vehicle in Portland occupied by two members of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang. Yorlenys Zambrano-Contreras, a woman in the passenger seat, had been “involved” in a Portland shooting last year, the agency wrote.
During the border patrol stop, the driver, Luis Niño-Moncada, “weaponized their vehicle against” officers, DHS said, prompting an agent “to defend himself and others” by shooting the occupants. Zambrano-Contreras was hit in the chest, Niño-Moncada was hit in the arm and both were hospitalized, then taken into federal custody, DHS noted. The agents were uninjured.
But court records obtained by the Guardian reveal a Department of Justice prosecutor later directly contradicted DHS’ Tren de Aragua statements in court, telling a judge, “We’re not suggesting … [Niño-Moncada] is a gang member.” An FBI affidavit issued following the incident also suggests that in the previous shooting cited by DHS, Zambrano-Contreras was not a suspect, but rather a reported victim of a sexual assault and robbery. Neither Niño-Moncada or Zambrano-Contreras have prior criminal convictions, their lawyers have said.
[…] criminal justice experts who reviewed the case records characterized the federal government’s communications as a “smear campaign” against the two Venezuelan immigrants, with mischaracterizations of their pasts and unsubstantiated allegations of criminality.
Niño-Moncada, the 33-year-old driver, who is undocumented, remains detained, facing charges of aggravated assault of an officer based on claims he tried to “intentionally” hit agents with his car. Zambrano-Contreras, 32, was not criminally charged, but has pleaded guilty to improper entry to the US, a misdemeanor. […]
“The federal government cannot be trusted. Our default position should be skepticism and understanding they lie very regularly,” said Sameer Kanal, a Portland city councilor. “There’s a playbook of demonizing people … and claiming vehicles were used as ‘weapons.’ We see a pattern of victim-blaming, and it’s important we push back, because it’s propaganda.”
[…] None of the six border patrol agents involved in the Portland shooting recorded body-camera footage. The shooting occurred in a hospital parking lot, but the FBI said in a 10 January affidavit supporting charges that surveillance cameras didn’t capture the incident […]
Without videos, the charging documents largely relied on agents’ testimony. […]
Last week, prosecutors disclosed in court that investigators have since obtained surveillance footage partially showing the incident. The video was not made public in court filings, but KGW, a local station, obtained and published it on Monday.
The grainy footage, taken from a distance and with no sound, does not clearly capture the encounter. It shows agents following what appears to be Niño-Moncada’s truck in the parking lot and then approaching him. He appears to maneuver the car and drive off, though the moment of the shooting is not clearly visible.
Sergio Perez, a civil rights lawyer and former US prosecutor, said it was alarming the government filed charges two days after the incident while acknowledging it was still seeking video: “This government needs to go back to the practice of slow and thorough investigations rather than what we consistently see in immigration enforcement activities – which is a rush to smear individuals.” [I agree.]
Niño-Moncada’s public defenders have rejected claims he intended to hit officers, noting the complaint failed to identify any specific agent who believed they were going to be hit. Niño-Moncada was likely in a “frightened” state, the attorneys argued in court filings, given the “climate of abject terror” for immigrants […]
The US attorney’s office and FBI declined to respond to detailed inquiries about the case. DHS did not respond to requests for comment. Attorneys for Niño-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras also declined to comment.
The government’s narrative has also heavily relied on gang claims, but those allegations have not stood up to scrutiny.
‘She is a victim’
DHS has repeatedly argued Zambrano-Contreras had gang ties, claiming in its first statement the day of the shooting that she was “affiliated with [a] transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland”.
Those claims stem from an incident on 7 July 2025, the FBI wrote in its recent affidavit in Niño-Moncada’s case.
Zambrano-Contreras had been working as a sex worker that day and later told police a man had “forced her to provide oral sex, initially did not let her leave, and she was forced to leave without her belongings and all of her money”, the FBI wrote.
Once Zambrano-Contreras was able to flee, she texted Niño-Moncada to pick her up, and Niño-Moncada later told police he found her “crying and [with] marks on her neck”, according to the affidavit. Later that day, Zambrano-Contreras returned with several men to the apartment where she had been assaulted to get her money and belongings, the FBI said. Police responded to calls of shots fired at the scene and encountered two men who said they had “engaged the services of a prostitute”, and due to a “dispute”, the woman came back with other men who started to break into the apartment – one of whom fired a shot that didn’t hit anyone. […]
Niño-Moncada was not present at either shooting. Zambrano-Contreras has not been described as a suspect in the first shooting, and she was not present at the second shooting. Neither have faced charges related to either shooting.
Legal experts said it seemed the government’s claim that the couple was affiliated with Tren de Aragua was largely based on vague and unproven assertions there were gang members in their social circle.
“It’s having them seem guilty without any evidence,” said Elliott Young, a history professor at Lewis and Clark College in Portland and Latin America expert who regularly testifies in asylum cases. “If they did have evidence that either of them were active in this group they’ve described as a dangerous ‘narco-terrorist’ organization, why are they not being charged with that?”
Young, who reviewed the court records, said it was particularly galling for the government to use an incident in which Zambrano-Contreras was victimized to paint her as a criminal: “It appears this woman is the victim of a rape, theft and being kidnapped, yet she is being turned into the target of a smear campaign claiming she’s an associate of the gang. It seems twisted and unjust.” […]
‘Dirtying up of the defendant’
In a 21 January hearing about whether Niño-Moncada should remain detained, prosecutors acknowledged the lack of evidence linking him to Tren de Aragua.
A federal judge, Jeff Armistead, pressed the US attorney, Thomas Edmonds, on Niño-Moncada’s link to the 7 July shooting, noting it appeared the defendant had merely rescued his girlfriend from a dangerous situation and was not involved in what happened after. […]
Prosecutors had not only failed to prove Niño-Moncada’s association with the gang, but also failed to present any argument suggesting his purported Tren de Aragua affiliation is connected to the actual alleged crime of assaulting an officer: “It just feels like a dirtying up of the defendant.” […]
[…] Italians have already taken to the streets to protest ICE’s presence there [at the Winter Olympics], seemingly not persuaded that the HSI agents will behave differently than their typical ICE brethren. […]
but what if, rather than reforming anything or, say, not sending ICE agents to Milan, we just avoided saying “ice” instead? That’ll fix everything! [Just a few days out from the Olympics, “Ice House” (hospitality space for U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey, and US Speedskating) is now “Winter House”.]
This isn’t the first time the administration has tried to get around mentioning “ice”—the frozen water version. Last month, Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster response staff were told to avoid using the word “ice” when referring to the winter storm that was on its way to crush huge chunks of the country. That was kind of a problem, since there was actually going to be an ice storm. […]
No, really. FEMA staff were instructed to twist themselves in knots by referring to, say, “freezing rain” in place of “ice” so that no one would be mean to ICE on the internet.
Trump’s secret police are murderous and violent and lawless, and the mere mention of “ice” makes people think of that. Somehow, just changing the names of things doesn’t seem like the right way to fix this […]
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya testified before a Senate committee Tuesday, where Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont quickly cut through the stupor of anti-science rhetoric and misinformation pushed by Health and Human Services quack Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Do vaccines cause autism?” Sanders asked. “Tell that to the American people. Yes. No.”
“I do not believe that the measles vaccine causes autism,” Bhattacharya replied.
“I didn’t ask ‘measles.’ Do vaccines cause autism?” Sanders repeated.
“I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism,” Bhattacharya said. [video]
Bhattacharya’s perverse attempt to split hairs ignoring the settled science of vaccines is clearly in service of Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda.
Kennedy and other anti-vaxxers have repeatedly failed to produce evidence linking vaccines to autism, but their misinformation campaign has succeeded in eroding public trust. As a result, the United States has falling vaccine rates and the largest measles outbreak in decades.
Now the country is on the brink of losing its measles-free status, due in no small part to the anti-vaccine movement championed by Kennedy.
LONDON (The Borowitz Report)—King Charles III of the United Kingdom announced on Tuesday that he was cancelling his upcoming trip to the United States and would send his disgraced brother, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, in his place.
Charles gave no reason for the abrupt cancellation, saying only that Andrew was a “better fit” for a visit to Donald J. Trump.
“I’m sure they’ll have plenty to reminisce about,” Charles said. “And if they run out of activities, Trump can always give Andrew a Sharpie and put him to work redacting those bloody files.”
“For the past year, the far-right members have talked a good game, right until they cave under pressure.”
The partial government shutdown that began late last week was expected to be brief, and those expectations proved true: The Republican-led Senate approved a compromise package Friday night, and the Republican-led House followed suit Monday afternoon.
The spending package fully funds several federal departments and agencies through the end of the fiscal year — except for the Department of Homeland Security. At Democrats’ insistence, federal resources for DHS were only approved for a two-week period, during which time the parties are supposed to negotiate some much-needed reforms to immigration enforcement policies.
[…] I’m reminded of a report published in the conservative Washington Times just one week ago:
House Freedom Caucus leaders said they will take any necessary steps to make sure that funding for ICE stays within the Department of Homeland Security portion of the government funding package.
The conservative caucus sent a letter to President Trump Tuesday urging him to ‘ensure the Department of Homeland Security is fully funded along with all remaining appropriations bills — and not allow Democrats to strip its funding out to pass other appropriations separately.’
At the time, the position from Senate Democratic leaders was straightforward: The party wouldn’t accept a solution that fully funded all of the agencies, including DHS, for the rest of the fiscal year. The only realistic solution, Senate Democratic leaders said, was to separate Homeland Security from the package and allow for a fresh round of debate over possible reforms.
House Freedom Caucus members said this was simply unacceptable. “We cannot support giving Democrats the ability to control the funding of our Department of Homeland Security,” their letter to the White House said.
A week later, the final bill, which enjoyed Donald Trump’s support, reached the House floor. Just seven days after members of the House Freedom Caucus said they couldn’t accept such an outcome, literally none of them opposed the bill. [smile]
As striking as it was to see the Freedom Caucus fall in line, just as important was the familiarity of the circumstances.
– In January 2025, House Freedom Caucus members said they were prepared to derail Mike Johnson’s bid for a second term with the gavel, and then they caved.
– In March 2025, House Freedom Caucus members said they were opposed to a stopgap spending measure needed to prevent a shutdown, and then they caved.
– In April 2025, House Freedom Caucus members slammed their party’s budget resolution, and then caved.
– In May 2025, House Freedom Caucus members railed against their party’s reconciliation package, and then they caved.
– In July 2025, House Freedom Caucus members said they were prepared to derail their party’s inaptly named “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and then they caved.
– In February 2026, it has happened again.
The Washington Post published an analysis last year that remains relevant:
Each threat from leaders of the House Freedom Caucus ended with the same result: capitulation. After caving on each round of threats, these far-right conservatives vowed that the next time would be different — if their demands were not met precisely as they sought. This collection of several dozen Republicans, after a decade of rabble-rousing that helped push aside three other speakers, has yet to fully buck Johnson … on any major initiative this year.
That was published 10 months ago. It’s still accurate.
In recent years, the Freedom Caucus managed to earn a reputation as unrelenting hardliners who rejected compromise, who were indifferent to party leaders and who had no qualms about derailing GOP proposals they deemed insufficiently conservative. They quickly became a painful thorn in the side of several Republican House speakers.
As an NBC News report explained last spring, “They didn’t fear government shutdowns; they welcomed them. Their signature move was to collectively withhold votes unless House GOP leaders met their demands. Before this year, most members of the conservative crew had never supported a stopgap spending bill or debt ceiling increase in their entire House careers.”
But in 2025 and 2026, the uncontrollable pit bulls have become obedient lapdogs.
It’s at least possible that Freedom Caucus members will someday find a bill that causes them to take a principled stand, but for now, we’re dealing with an unmistakable legislative dynamic in which the far-right faction talks a good game, right up until the president tells them what to do — at which point, the lapdogs roll over.
Conclusion: The rightwing doofuses that make up the “House Freedom Caucus” are weak, and getting weaker by the week. That’s good news.
Telling details for sure. How Trump assesses people:
During a White House event on Monday afternoon, Donald Trump took a moment to celebrate low crime rates in Washington, D.C. (while conveniently overlooking the fact that rates had sharply improved before he deployed National Guard troops onto civilian streets). The president said that as far as he’s concerned, the reason the city is safer is because “we have very big, strong, good-looking soldiers standing around, and I think they make the place look better.”
It was an odd comment. Crime is down in a major American city because the troops, whom Trump finds attractive, make the community “look better”?
A few days earlier, the president said he had chosen Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to serve in his Cabinet because he found Burgum’s wife pretty. At the same Oval Office gathering, Trump elaborated on why he chose Kevin Warsh as his nominee to lead the Federal Reserve.
“He’s very smart, very good, strong, young,” the president said, describing Warsh’s attributes. He added, “He was the central casting guy. … Looks don’t mean anything, but he’s got the look.” Hours earlier, when announcing his selection, Trump also said Warsh is “central casting.”
The comments reminded me of a Washington Post report published in October:
As President Donald Trump was addressing the Israeli Knesset on Monday, he pointed at Israel Defense Forces Chief Eyal Zamir and said, ‘You know, the guy’s central casting. Let’s put him in a movie. Look at him.’
A few minutes later, he was reminiscing with the Israeli lawmakers about meeting Gen. Dan Caine, now the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other military leaders. ‘Everybody was like central casting,’ Trump said.
Everyone has certain words and phrases they use as part of their everyday vocabulary, but Trump’s fixation on “central casting” seems more than a rhetorical tic — it’s a reflection of how he assesses those around him.
In 2018, for example, when Trump had to choose his second Supreme Court nominee, Politico quoted a White House insider who said, “Beyond the qualifications, what really matters is, does this nominee fit a central casting image for a Supreme Court nominee, as well as his or her spouse. That’s a big deal. Do they fit the role?”
A few months earlier, Trump nominated Ronny Jackson, the then-White House physician, to oversee the Department of Veterans Affairs, in part because of the future congressman’s guise.
“He’s like central casting,” Trump told donors at a fundraiser, “like a Hollywood star.”
He can’t seem to help himself. Then-Vice President Mike Pence? “Central casting.” Then-Defense Secretary James Mattis? “This is central casting.” Then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson? “Central casting.”
The Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty told MS NOW after the 2016 election that “central casting” is “actually a phrase [Trump] uses quite a bit behind the scenes.”
A decade later, his preoccupation with how people present themselves has, if anything, intensified. It’s as if the president sees himself as the executive producer of an elaborate show — because, to a very real extent, that’s exactly how he perceives his role.
Trump, always a shallow man with no integrity, is now more shallow than ever. As he ages, he has become a caricature of himself. He relies on a person’s outward, physical appearance. He ends up with Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Mike Pence, etc. Ironically, even Trump’s championing of “central casting” physical features also reveals that he is a poor judge in even that department. I wish Trump would look closely at actual qualifications, but there’s no hope for that.
“Donald Trump Says He Wants To Seize State Elections, Probably Just Kidding Again Because He’s Such A Kidder”
Let’s just get this out of the way first: Donald Trump definitely does not have a secret plan to cancel the 2026 midterm elections to prevent losing Republican control of Congress. He has a very public desire to, and keeps floating concepts of a plan at every opportunity Monday, in just the latest, most explicit version of that beautiful autocratic dream, Trump told his former FBI assistant director, Dan Bongino, how he’d like Republicans to “take over” the elections in states that might vote the wrong way.
Here’s video; for context, this part of the conversation kicked off when Bongbong brought up “crime rates,” which sparked a rambling conspiracy rant from Trump about how how immigrants and their Democrat puppetmasters are the source of all that’s wrong with America.
No, we suppose offering context doesn’t actually help, and it’s obvious he means “immigrants” the moment he lies, “These people were brought to our country to vote and they vote illegally.” [video at the link]
Because of course he believes, as do his followers, that Democrats are actively bringing in undocumented migrants to do voter fraud, even though there’s zero evidence of widespread non-citizen voting (outside a handful of rare cases), and never has been, going back decades. It’s an article of faith for rightwingers, and thus not subject to empirical evidence.
Trump just can’t believe that his party isn’t doing more to stop the nonexistent theft of elections in states he lost but “knows” he won, at least in his rotted mind.
“It’s amazing that Republicans aren’t tougher on it. The Republicans should say, we should take over the voting in at least 15 places.
“The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that I won that show I didn’t win. You’re gonna see something in Georgia. I won that election by so much. Everybody knows it.”
[…] [As an aside, I really dislike that rhetorical flourish “Everybody knows it.” I feel like Trump is trying to add me to the group of people that believe his lies. No, I don’t know it. I know the opposite is true.]
[…] It was also very nice of Trump to remind us that he isn’t simply talking about overruling voters; he’s actually working on doing it, not just in his weird obsession with his 2020 loss, but with his flailing attempt to gerrymander 2026 House elections, and with efforts by Republicans in multiple states to disqualify as many legitimate voters as possible.
We like that the New York Times patiently explains (archive link) why Republicans nationalizing the voting would be unconstitutional. (We initially wrote “why Republicans can’t nationalize voting,” but realized they definitely can if they simply ignore the Constitution again.)
Under the Constitution, American elections are governed primarily by state law, leading to a decentralized process in which voting is administered by county and municipal officials in thousands of precincts across the country. […]
The president’s claims of election fraud have been debunked over and over, by both independent reviews and Republican officials. A review of the 2024 election by the Trump administration that began last year had found little evidence of widespread voting fraud by noncitizens as of last month […]
But as we say, Trump and his supporters are completely immune to evidence when it comes to the twin myths of voter fraud in general, and of widespread voting by non-citizens. The myths are every bit as real to them as their certainty that everyone who protests against Trump is paid to do so […] and that LGBTQ people only exist because TV, movies, and the public schools are turning straight kids gay.
This makes the third time in the space of a month that Trump has wondered why nobody will rid him of these troublesome elections. Numero Uno: At the annual GOP retreat at the Kennedy Center (ahem) on January 6 (ahem, AHEM!), Trump mused about how unfair it is that Democrats are even allowed to run for office at all, because “They have the worst policy.” He went on to gripe about “How we have to even run against these people — I won’t say cancel the election, they should cancel the election, because the fake news would say, ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’ They always call me a dictator.”
And we all know how he hates being called a dictator, except when he says dictators are good because they get shit done, as he did just last month at Davos when he said “sometimes you need a dictator,” although he didn’t specify when. […]
Numero Two-O: On January 15, Trump said in an interview with Reuters (archive link) that the usual trend of control of Congress switching in the midterms after a change of administration is super unfair to the most successful president in all of American history. Trump figured it only makes sense that, because he’s accomplished so much in his second term so far, “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”
White House Propaganda Minister Karoline Leavitt promptly explained that in both those cases, Trump was simply joshing, as one does. Besides, you weren’t there to hear him say it in the obviously jocular tone he uses when joking. We were sure she’d say the same thing about Trump’s latest, most specific call for Republicans to take control of elections to stay in power, even though this time he said it very publicly and didn’t chuckle or joke about being called a dictator.
Instead, for Numero Tres-O, Leavitt took another tack: He isn’t joking, he simply didn’t say what you heard him saying, dummy. He believes in the Constitution, yes he does! But there’s all that fraud! So even though the words that came out of his mouth were about Republicans taking over elections and nationalizing them in 15 states, he was only talking about “voter ID,” silly! Maybe you didn’t hear him mention voter ID in the recording, but that’s probably because your ears hate America. [video]
Also, just because he didn’t say he was joking doesn’t mean he wasn’t kidding, and really, it’s more of a you problem if you can’t tell when he’s clearly just joking or saying things you didn’t hear him say. You know, like when he repeatedly fantasizes about things like sending the military into American cities, invading Venzueula and taking its oil, or invading Greenland or Canada. Oh, also, he said he wasn’t joking about those last two. But then, maybe that was a joke too. He’s a funny guy […]
@137 Lynna:
Lindsay Beyerstein: “Sad old man calls for other people to solve his intractable problems.”
Pierce R. Butlersays
Lynna, O.M. @ # 135: … Trump’s championing of “central casting” physical features …
Then how to account for Stephen Miller? Anyone & everyone in Hollywood would put him in the “villain’s henchman” box – all too appropriate in reality, but even Trump must somehow see his role differently.
whheydtsays
Re: Pierce R. Butler @ #140…
Well..”central casting” also provides villains…
Pierce @140, I thought of that. Stephen Miller is the exception. I do think he has a different role. Trump depends on Miller to push the mass deportation agenda. Some cartoonists portray Miller as something like a rabid bat; as a ghostly presence hanging around in the background; as the ghost of a Nazi; as a vampire, etc. Trump does have to rely on some people who do actual work. Officially, Stephen Miller is White House Deputy Chief of Staff, a Homeland Security Advisor, and a speech writer. Some reports say that Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, and others do whatever Miller tells them to do.
From a Wall Street Journal report:
Moments after federal officers fatally shot Alex Pretti, his body still lying facedown on an icy Minneapolis street, Customs and Border Protection officials texted Stephen Miller, the White House aide and presidential confidant who framed the government’s response.
From The New York Times, as summarized by Steve Benen:
This was a hearing Republicans didn’t want to call, so Democrats organized the discussion on their own: “A brother of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis last month, told congressional Democrats on Tuesday that his family had been disheartened that immigration officials had not seemed to change their behavior since his sister’s death.”
MS NOW:
House Oversight Committee Democrats released a report on Tuesday blaming the Trump administration’s ‘extreme’ law enforcement for the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and accusing the federal government of a ‘cover-up’ by obstructing impartial investigations into their deaths.
House Republicans on Tuesday canceled a planned vote to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, after the Clintons agreed to be deposed on camera this month and requested that they be allowed to do so at public hearings.
French investigators raided X’s Paris headquarters on Tuesday as part of an expanded criminal probe involving seven alleged offenses including spreading antisemitic content and involvement in distributing child pornography.
“To Build a Fire: How Russian military intelligence is recruiting young people online to carry out espionage, arson, and other attacks across Europe”
By Joshua Yaffa
In April, 2024, a Ukrainian woman in her late thirties, whom I’ll refer to as Anna, received an unexpected call from an old acquaintance, a man named Daniil Gromov. They had known each other in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, near the border with Russia. Two years earlier, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Anna had fled with her family to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Now Gromov said that he needed a favor: a friend was looking for someone in Vilnius to pick up a package for him. Could Anna help? She agreed and, soon afterward, got a call on the messaging service Telegram. A user named Warrior2Alpha told her that the package was stored in a luggage locker at the train station. He sent her a screenshot of a receipt with a code for opening the door.
Inside the locker, Anna found an assortment of items bundled in a blue ikea shopping bag, which she took home and stored in a closet. Three days later, Warrior2Alpha sent her a voice message with a new request. He wanted photographs of the bag’s contents. Anna opened the bag and pulled out a remote-controlled car still in its box. A bubble-wrap bag containing a bundle of wires was taped to one side of it. She also found several cellphones, charging cables, and a pair of black vibrators. Anna snapped a photograph and sent it to Warrior, as she came to call him, who instructed her to return the ikea bag to another locker at the train station.
By then, Anna was feeling increasingly uneasy about what she’d got herself into. Warrior’s profile on Telegram included images of a pistol and ammo cartridges, something that looked like a missile, and a Russian flag. Anna worried that, by helping him, she was somehow aiding the Russian war effort. She contacted her sister, who had a friend who worked in law enforcement back in Ukraine. He advised Anna to delete the picture that she’d sent to Warrior and promised to alert the appropriate authorities in Lithuania.
Within days, officers from Lithuania’s counterterrorism police showed up at Anna’s apartment. The investigators soon determined that the devices in the ikea bag were detonators, capable of triggering an explosion or a fire. They gave Anna a new set of instructions: she was to continue her correspondence with Warrior, only under surveillance, with the contents of the bag replaced with dummy goods and a hidden G.P.S. tracker. What had begun as a strange, out-of-the-blue favor was now a sting operation.
Anna returned the bag to the train station and sent Warrior a picture of the receipt for the locker. “Thank you,” he replied. Two days later, a young man appeared at the station’s luggage-storage area and opened the locker door. He took the bag and boarded a bus for Riga, the capital of Latvia, about two hundred miles away. Police tracked the man’s movements using the G.P.S. device hidden inside the bag. A commando unit moved into place.
Just before 2 p.m., at a gas station near the city of Panevėžys, in northern Lithuania, officers raided the bus. The young man appeared to be dozing in his seat; they shook him awake and told him that he was under arrest. Later, during an interrogation, he admitted everything. His name was Daniil Bardadim, a seventeen-year-old from southern Ukraine. He had committed one act of arson, he said, and he had been on his way to Riga to carry out another.
Two months earlier, Bardadim had crossed the border from Ukraine into Poland. He had previously lived with his parents and a brother in Kherson, a port city known for its fields of sunflowers and watermelons, which, in the early days of the war, was occupied by Russian forces. A former K.G.B. officer was installed as mayor; the schools and other public services remained closed for months. Bardadim, who was then fifteen, briefly worked at a gas station. In September, 2022, occupation authorities held a supposed referendum that led to Russia’s annexation of the city and its surrounding region, but the Kremlin’s rule over Kherson proved short-lived: in mid-November, after a sustained counter-offensive, the Ukrainian Army retook the city.
[Lots of details snipped.]
In late 2022, European law-enforcement and intelligence officials began to pick up on a new phenomenon. Anodyne offers for odd jobs were appearing in online chat groups, often on Telegram. Most were aimed at local Russian-speaking populations, meaning not only Russians but also Belarusians and Ukrainians. Payment was generally promised in cryptocurrency. The Polish intelligence services came up with a name for those who were recruited to carry out such supposedly simple tasks—jednorazowi agenci, or “single-use agents.”
In the spring of 2023, police in the Polish city of Lublin identified a network of more than a dozen single-use agents—Ukrainians and Belarusians, along with one Russian, a professional hockey player—some of whom were initially recruited to put up flyers and stickers that read “Poland ≠ Ukraine” and “nato go home.” The point, Polish authorities believed, was to get people to question the state’s support for Ukraine and to stir up doubts and animosity about the Ukrainian refugees already in the country. In France, single-use agents from Moldova, Bulgaria, and Serbia, among others, stencilled Stars of David on walls around Paris, defaced a Holocaust memorial, and left severed pigs’ heads outside mosques. In June, 2024, five wooden coffins draped with French flags appeared near the Eiffel Tower, bearing the inscription “Soldats Français de l’Ukraine.” Police apprehended three men—from Bulgaria, Germany, and Ukraine—who said they had been paid several hundred euros for the stunt. “The goal is clear,” a European intelligence chief said. “Heighten tensions or cause cracks within society or, at least, create the image of such a thing.”
Often, simple acts of vandalism lead to more complicated jobs. Members of what became known as the Lublin cell, for example, were later paid to place surveillance cameras along railway lines in Poland that transport military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. [Lots of details snipped.]
[…] There have also been several incidents of outright sabotage. A fire at a warehouse in East London that stored humanitarian aid for Ukraine led to the conviction of six British men who, the judge said, had joined a “campaign of terrorism.” [Lots of details snipped]
[…] In nearly every case, prosecutors have concluded that Russia’s military intelligence agency, the G.R.U., has been the principal organizer of single-use-agent operations in Europe.
[…] “They run an operation that costs a few thousand euros, carried out by people they don’t care about losing,” Bart Schuurman, the head of a research group on terrorism and political violence at Leiden University, in the Netherlands, told me. “And we in Europe follow up with an investigation that takes months, tying up finite resources across multiple countries. Meanwhile, they’re long on to the next one.” [snipped lots of details]
Western intelligence officials believe that a specific G.R.U. division, the Department of Special Tasks, is behind Russia’s single-use-agent operations. The department appears to be an offshoot of an infamous G.R.U. unit known by its numerical designation, 29155, which has a long history of subversion and sabotage across Europe. In 2014, operatives from the unit set off two explosions that destroyed ammunition depots in the Czech Republic, killing two people. A couple of years later, on the day of parliamentary elections in Montenegro, G.R.U. officers tried to mount an armed coup, which ultimately failed. In 2018, in the U.K., two colonels from the unit poisoned the former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with Novichok, a state-manufactured nerve agent. That action appears to have been a failure: both Skripals survived, an unrelated woman was killed, and the G.R.U. was identified as the perpetrator of the attack. (In response, Western countries expelled more than a hundred and fifty Russian diplomats.) A European intelligence official described the G.R.U.’s reputation as “wreaking havoc, creating disruption, behaving recklessly.” [snipped lots of details]
Schuurman went on, “what is noteworthy is the scale—and the audacity.” […] in nearly all cases, single-use agents are apolitical, in need of money, and ignorant of the cause they’re ultimately supporting. […]
[Snipped lots of details]
There is a long history of the G.R.U. using criminal figures as middlemen and proxies. “Criminals are close by, accessible, easy to manipulate,” the Latvian security-services officer said. “They want to survive and stay out of prison, and, in a place like Russia, having certain ties to the services can help.” As Tkachuk understood it, Varivoda “collected orders for committing various crimes in the E.U.,” and Chaliy “carried them out.” That included car theft, illegal border crossings, document fraud, and, as European law-enforcement and intelligence officials believe, arson and sabotage on behalf of the Russian intelligence services. According to Polish investigators, Varivoda played a central role in Bardadim’s arson campaign: he is assumed to be the person behind Q, Bardadim’s anonymous interlocutor. […]
It’s early, but Julie Le now takes a commanding lead in the race for quote of the year. “The system sucks, this job sucks,” she told Judge Blackwell. Given the multiple recorded incidents of DOJ attorneys lying to the courts, this is refreshing candor.
She then asked to be held in contempt so she can get some sleep. The situation in the DOJ must be insane.
birgerjohanssonsays
LEAKED: Epstein Client Pritzker Got Army Escort Through Afghanistan
The last treaty limiting the nuclear arms of the United States and Russia expires this week, even as the US pressures Iran over its nuclear capabilities, creating a new level of uncertainty at a time of increasing strategic competition around the globe.
… (snip)..
..President Donald Trump has expressed little interest in the potential implications of the end of the treaty, saying last month “if it expires, it expires”. But there is deep foreboding among long-term nuclear arms watchers.
Former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans, who co-chaired the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament says the end of the treaty is a “terrifying prospect” and has castigated Trump for “another catastrophic abdication of responsibility”.
Australian academic Tilman Ruff, who helped form the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) — which won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize — says the demise of the treaty “will bring a definitive and alarming end to nuclear restraint between the two powers”.
“It may very well accelerate the global nuclear arms race, too.”
SpaceX has temporarily grounded its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, which is slated to launch four astronauts just eight days from now.
A Falcon 9 delivered 25 of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) as planned on Monday (Feb. 2). But, after deploying the payloads, the rocket’s upper stage failed to perform its deorbit burn, which was designed to bring it down for controlled destruction in Earth’s atmosphere.
“Teams are reviewing data to determine root cause and corrective actions before returning to flight,” SpaceX said
@85 Lynna – “Smells Like a Russia, Russia, Russia Honeytrap”
I know it’s still fashionable to blame everything on Russia, but Epstein was not a Russian agent. He was trained as a spy under Ehud Barak and was deeply embeeded in U.S. and Israeli intelligence. Epstein’s actions deeply implicate the American ruling class and their allies, not so much the U.S. military’s chosen adversary-of-the-week.
Downplaying the genocidal evil of Putin and ignoring what he wants to do Ukraine and ist people is very fashionable in Trumpist circles – very unethical and factually wrong too of course. Oh and Tankie circles as well.
Obvs here not everything is blamed on Putin and Russia more generally – just the things they deserve to be blamed for & are suspected of doing based on reasonable evidence.
Also seconding what #111 KG wrote.
StevoRsays
In 2023, a subatomic particle called a neutrino crashed into Earth with such a high amount of energy that it should have been impossible. In fact, there are no known sources anywhere in the universe capable of producing such energy—100,000 times more than the highest-energy particle ever produced by the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. However, a team of physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently hypothesized that something like this could happen when a special kind of black hole, called a “quasi-extremal primordial black hole,” explodes.
In new research published in Physical Review Letters, the team not only accounts for the otherwise impossible neutrino but shows that the elementary particle could reveal the fundamental nature of the universe.
A recent satellite-based study has uncovered alarming declines in groundwater storage across High Mountain Asia (HMA), widely known as the “Asian Water Tower.” This critical water source, which sustains agricultural irrigation, urban water supplies and ecological security for hundreds of millions of people in more than a dozen downstream countries, is depleting at a staggering rate of approximately 24.2 billion tons per year.
A new study finds that Canada could remove at least five times its annual carbon emissions with strategic planting of more than six million trees along the northern edge of the boreal forest. The paper, “Substantial carbon removal capacity of Taiga reforestation and afforestation at Canada’s boreal edge,” appears in Communications Earth & Environment.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo factored in satellite data, fire probabilities, loss of vegetation, and climate variables to estimate how much carbon the forests would remove. They found that planting about 6.4 million hectares of trees in that region could remove roughly 3.9 gigatonnes of CO₂ by 2100. Scaling up to the most suitable areas increased the potential to around 19 gigatonnes.
Reducing greenhouse gases is key to minimizing the worst effects of climate change. These results represent a significant step toward Canada’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2050 and meeting its commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The argument is straightforward: states cannot rely on the United States against incorrigible great power adversaries, and so the best—if not the safest—best is for them to acquire the ultimate deterrent. […] Having written a book on the alliance politics of nuclear proliferation […] We remain a long way from a world where U.S. treaty allies are going to acquire nuclear weapons. […]
First, practitioners and experts alike have historically tended to over-predict nuclear proliferation. […]
Second, most nuclear weapons states today have acquired their capabilities no later than 1970s. […] proliferation has been mostly flat.
Third, the fact that all of those later proliferants were not liberal democracies is indicative. One reason for why nuclear proliferation was a more salient feature of international politics in the first few decades after the Second World War was because the legal and normative environment was much more permissive than it is now. We did not have nuclear weapons free zones, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and a developed moral sense that acquiring nuclear weapons is a profound norm-breaking behaviour.
This point may draw hackles from some readers. […] However, all U.S. treaty allies are members of the NPT and so must abide by a number of safeguards agreements. […] Since most U.S. treaty allies are liberal democracies, these institutional constraints remain in place […]
Fourth, aspiring proliferants will face many technical barriers […] Having a nuclear facility already can elicit more international scrutiny. And then there is the matter of [acquiring] weapon systems that can deliver nuclear devices to their targets. […] They will need to have a sufficiently large stockpile so that they would not be quickly disarmed in a ‘bolt-out-of-the-blue’ strike. […] would require major expenditure of funds and scientific resources that few states really have at present. [And divert from arguably more fruitful ways to boost deterrence.] […]
Fifth, the notion that U.S. treaty allies will acquire nuclear weapons because of Trump assumes, oddly, a rather static threat environment. […] if adversaries learn of a nuclear weapons program, then they too might take steps to thwart it, including the use of military force. […] governments thinking about going down this path will have to anticipate the reaction of multiple stakeholders within their own societies as well as other states.
birgerjohanssonsays
Film: Cold Storage
Character 1: “That is a nuke. Are you crazy?”
Liam Neeson: “No. I’m abitious.”
Hmm… it appears the latest release of Epstein files could bring down Keir Starmer. His disastrous failureof judgement in appointing Peter Mandelson ambassador to the USA – despite knowing that Mandelson continued to associate with Epstein after his 2008 conviction – looks to be possibly fatal, now the released letters between Mandelson and Epstein indicate that Mandelson passed on commercially sensitive government information to Epstein. Mandelson seems likely to end up in prison.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
‘Hellbent’: Trump is reassembling his 2020 coup crew amid 2026 midterm panic. “Why are the usual suspects from the 2020 attempted coup back in Trump’s orbit now? Maybe to give it another run?” says Chris Hayes on Trump’s call to “nationalize” elections as the usual suspects from 2020 reemerge.
“Lawmakers have had to wait for months to learn the details about allegations against the DNI. That wait is now over.”
Given her dreadful record, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard never should’ve been nominated in the first place. Given how poorly her confirmation process went, Gabbard never should’ve been approved by Senate Republicans.
But as the first anniversary of Gabbard’s confirmation approaches, it’s worth pausing to appreciate what an embarrassment her tenure as DNI has been. Indeed, following months of controversies and missteps, the Hawaiian found herself left out of important strategy sessions and briefings, apparently having fallen out of favor with Donald Trump.
As 2026 got underway, amid multiple international crises, Gabbard was on the outside looking in. Some White House aides reportedly joked that the acronym of her title, DNI, stood for “Do Not Invite.”
Last week, Gabbard’s troubles intensified after she needlessly participated in an FBI raid on an Atlanta-area elections office, despite the fact that the DNI is prohibited by law from taking part in domestic law enforcement. This week, her standing went from bad to worse when this report in The Wall Street Journal reached the public:
A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a whistleblower complaint that is so highly classified it has sparked months of wrangling over how to share it with Congress, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter.
The filing of the complaint has prompted a continuing, behind-the-scenes struggle about how to assess and handle it, with the whistleblower’s lawyer accusing Gabbard of stonewalling the complaint. Gabbard’s office rejects that characterization, contending it is navigating a unique set of circumstances and working to resolve the issue.
As my MS NOW colleague Ja’han Jones noted, a spokesperson for Gabbard’s office confirmed the existence of the complaint but called it “baseless and politically motivated.” The Journal also quoted the unnamed whistleblower’s lawyer, who said it was “confounding for [Gabbard’s office] to take weeks — let alone eight months — to transmit a disclosure to Congress.”
The lawyer, Andrew Bakaj, emphasized this week that the complaint was filed with the intelligence community’s inspector general in May, and that in June, the whistleblower asked that it be shared with lawmakers. That didn’t happen, thus generating accusations that Gabbard had taken steps to hide the complaint against her.
To be sure, the whistleblower complaint apparently deals with highly sensitive allegations, to the point that the complaint has reportedly been locked in a safe since its filing. But Congress’ Gang of Eight — made up of the top two leaders from both parties and both chambers, as well as the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees — are often briefed on matters of the utmost secrecy. These briefings are necessary, not optional, as part of Congress’ oversight authority.
And yet, Congress has been blocked in its efforts to gain access to the complaint against Gabbard — a situation that a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to MS NOW’s national security reporter David Rohde on Monday.
At least, it was blocked. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Capitol Hill reporters on Tuesday that the Gang of Eight will, at long last, have an opportunity to review the whistleblower complaint against the DNI. […] at least opens the door to possible committee hearings.
The president, for his part, has said very little about the burgeoning story, though he did publish a brief item to his social media platform on Tuesday night that quoted a conservative outlet that said the complaint against Gabbard “did not appear credible,” according to the inspector general’s office. […]
‘The president’s team said he hadn’t actually endorsed nationalizing elections. Hours later, Trump made them look foolish.”
Related video at the link.
It’s not uncommon for the president to say something outlandish, at which point his team scrambles to reassure the public that he didn’t exactly mean what he said, only to have Trump soon add that his defenders are wrong and that his ridiculous comments were correct.
On Monday, for example, the president appeared on former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s podcast, peddled some weird conspiracy theories and concluded by endorsing a federal takeover of American elections. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over.’ We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places,” Trump said. “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
Pressed the next day for some kind explanation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president was really just referring to a misguided bill called the SAVE Act, which would make it more difficult for Americans to register to vote.
Leavitt’s explanation was laughable, since Trump clearly wasn’t referring to the legislative proposal, but the talking point had clearly gone out to the relevant partisans: House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune separately told Capitol Hill reporters that the president was actually talking about the SAVE Act, not a federal power-grab.
A few hours later, Trump made those allies look rather foolish. The New York Times reported:
President Trump doubled down on his extraordinary call for the Republican Party to ‘nationalize’ voting in the United States, even as the White House tried to walk it back and members of his own party criticized the idea.
Mr. Trump said on Tuesday that he believed the federal government should ‘get involved’ in elections that are riddled with ‘corruption,’ reiterating his position that the federal government should usurp state laws by exerting control over local elections.
So much for the walk-back.
If states “can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over,” Trump said, floating a variety of evidence-free conspiracy theories about cities with Democratic majorities. “Look at some of the places — that horrible corruption on elections — and the federal government should not allow that. … The federal government should get involved.”
Abandoning GOP orthodoxy altogether, the Republican president added, “If you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections. I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t do them anyway.”
There’s no reason for him to be confused about this: The federal government doesn’t “do” election administration because it would be illegal: The Constitution, which Trump swore to uphold, delegates power to the states to conduct elections.
Reminded of the basics of constitutional law, the president said states “can” administer elections, though he quickly added, “but they have to do it honestly.”
And who gets to decide whether the elections have been handled in an honest way? According to Trump, he does — and as he’s repeatedly made clear, when he doesn’t like the outcome of an election, that necessarily means it wasn’t honest.
Looking ahead, the best-case scenario is that the president will continue to peddle conspiratorial nonsense, as he’s done countless times over the last decade, and his election-related lies will remain the background noise of our civic lives. His mindless rhetoric will be annoying but ultimately inconsequential.
The worst-case scenario, however, is far more dangerous. Trump has already deployed FBI agents to raid an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, seizing ballots and voting records as an extension of the president’s conspiracy theory, while Trump’s Justice Department continues to wage an aggressive campaign to acquire voter rolls from states where Democrats won in 2024.
It’s painfully easy to imagine the administration taking additional steps down the same radical path — in this year’s midterm elections and beyond — especially as officials scramble to satisfy the whims of a president who’s convinced of systemic election crimes that are, in reality, occurring only in his imagination.
The danger is that Trump’s incessant whining is the first step and not the last.
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson of Minneapolis ordered the pretrial release of two immigrants accused of assaulting an ICE agent who shot one of the men in an incident last month. But the men did not make it out of the courthouse before they were re-detained, by ICE, the Star Tribune reports.
Attorneys for Alfredo Aljorna and Julio Sosa-Celis were quickly back in court, filing a habeas petition seeking their release from ICE custody. Last night, chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz ordered the Trump administration not to remove the men from Minnesota and, if they already had, then to return them to Minnesota immediately.
Not to get overlooked: At the pretrial hearing, the mens’ attorneys introduced into evidence photos of the shooting scene that suggest the ICE agent shot through a closed door and undermine the government’s account what happened.
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued a temporary restraining order barring federal agents from using tear gas and other crowd-control weapons against peaceful protesters and journalists outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon.
In his order, Simon was harshly critical of the Trump administration:
– “the repeated shooting and teargassing of nonviolent protesters at the Portland ICE Building will likely keep recurring … Defendants’ violence is in no way isolated.”
-“statements made by DHS officials and senior federal executives show that the culture of the agency and its employees is to celebrate violent responses over fair and diplomatic ones.” [!]
-“Rather than reprimanding DHS violence against protesters, senior officials have publicly condoned it.”
-“There are clear instances of excessive force, including a use of force incident recorded by ICE’s own cameras and deemed “inappropriate” and “not reasonable” by a Federal Protective Service (“FPS”) Deputy Regional Director. Yet, the agents involved were not put on leave and do not appear to have been held accountable in any way.”
Whenever President Trump puts on a performative display of hyper-aggressive dominance, Stephen Miller can be found lurking in the background egging him on, the WSJ documents.
A GOP lawmaker seeking President Donald Trump’s endorsement in his Senate campaign bought out one entire showing of “Melania” at a theater, revealing that juicing ticket sales for the wretched documentary about Trump’s wife-in-name-only is a fresh new way to bribe the commander in chief.
Republican Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, who is running to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, gave away free tickets for a Jan. 30 showing of the film. The giveaway was promoted as part of his campaign, so he may have used campaign funds to purchase the tickets. […]
So buying out a theater to help juice sales for Trump’s wife’s documentary would be a great way to curry favor with the president, who is obsessed with ratings and has shown that he can be easily bought. [I snipped examples]
In fact, the “Melania” documentary itself is a bribe from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who reportedly spent $40 million to make the film and another $35 million to promote it, as a way to boost his business empire.
“Jeff Bezos gave Trump $40 million by buying the ‘Melania’ documentary through Amazon. Last week, it premiered. Now, Trump’s ‘Secretary of War’ visits Bezos’ Blue Origin, which gets billions in government contracts. Trump gets paid. Taxpayers get screwed,” Democratic Rep. Greg Casar of Texas wrote in a post on X.
Back to Barr, however. His “Melania” giveaway to potential voters looks to be a serious ethical lapse, verging on a crime, as it is against federal law to buy votes. […]
Reports said the movie sold more than $7 million worth of tickets in its opening weekend, which many in the mainstream media cheered as a massive feat. But the large sales were suspect from the start since some online ticket-booking sites showed barely any tickets had been purchased on its opening night. [!]
It looks like there were other mass buys of tickets, too. U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, the jilted lover of Donald Trump Jr., hosted the Greek premiere of the film. And box-office insider Tom Brueggemann wrote on his Substack that “industry sources say there were signs that blocs of tickets were purchased for the weekend, then distributed to senior citizen homes, Republican activitists [sic], [and] other interested parties for free to help boost audiences.” [!]
First-quarter fundraising reports—which are due to be filed with the Federal Election Commission on April 15—should shed more light on whether other GOP lawmakers, candidates, and campaigns bulk-purchased tickets to juice sales.
We will be waiting to pour through them to see just how much of a lie ticket sales likely were.
The Wall Street Journal is out with a report trying to track the staggering $35 billion spent by the Department of Homeland Security in the past year. So where did the money go? Did you guess “sweet no-bid contracts to big donors and Trump pals”? If so, pat yourself on the back.
It’s impossible to overstate how much extra cash Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are currently swimming in. CBP nearly tripled its budget for contracts alone, hitting $15 billion in the last year, nearly triple what it had to throw around before Donald Trump took office a second time. ICE has racked up $5.1 billion in new contracts during the same stretch, a jump of 63%. [Wow. That is a lot of money.]
It’s not surprising to see that a bunch of that money has gone to Anduril Industries and Palantir, two big tech companies with weirdo conservative leaders who have wooed Trump with big donations and got sweet no-bid contracts in return.
Anduril just got $511 million for border surveillance, while Palantir has notched over $81 million from DHS in the past year for its help in turning immigration enforcement into a dystopian panopticon.
But don’t sleep on the less well-known companies willing to line their pockets by helping the administration commit state-sponsored violence. Fisher Sand and Gravel is here, thanks to owner Tommy Fisher being a big Trump donor. In December 2025, the company was given nearly $2 billion in contracts to build a border wall, which the administration is now calling a “Smart Wall” for some reason.
Fisher got literal billions in contracts to help build the wall during Trump’s first term as well, while also deciding to build a private wall. Sure, Fisher took money for that wall from the scammy illegal “We Build the Wall” group, a grift that netted former Trump adviser Steve Bannon a felony conviction for fraud, but nobody’s perfect. [sheesh]
And sure, the wall Fisher built was so shoddy that engineers hired to study the fence’s construction warned that in the event of a major flood, the wall would “effectively slide, overturn, and become buoyant.” And sure, there was a massive and immediate erosion problem, but why quibble about that?
Fisher has another in with the administration thanks to bribe enthusiast Tom Homan. The current border czar owns a firm that was a lobbyist for Fisher in 2021 and netted $186K for those efforts. Homan was also tapped by Fisher when he decided he wanted to sell his private wall, which is apparently a thing one can do?
It’s also an excellent time to be an amoral goblin who operates private prisons, given that DHS is showering money on those companies as it seeks to build more concentration camps. The Wall Street Journal reported that CoreCivic and GEO, both private prison companies, and CSI Aviation, which runs a deportation airline, have received $2 billion in contracts so far.
[…] CoreCivic runs the South Texas Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was sent after being abducted by ICE agents in Minnesota. Dilley is also the site of a measles outbreak. Detainees report unsafe conditions, such as poor drinking water and a lack of medical care.
In a truly innovative private-public partnership twist, the facility will sell children safe bottled water for $1.21. In pain after being brutalized by federal agents? How about $1.30 for a single Tylenol? [!!]
Also innovative? GEO Group doesn’t just want to run private jails for babies. They also provide the Trump administration with bounty hunters to track down immigrants. Gotta keep the grift diversified.
Everything about what DHS is doing here is illegal and unconstitutional and immoral—but hey, at least it is extremely profitable for the very worst people.
Luke and Brent Ganger, the brothers of Renee Good, gave emotional statements during a public forum hosted by Democrats Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Robert Garcia of California on Tuesday.
Good was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement thug Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Luke spoke first, telling the crowd that he and his brother hope to instigate the positive change that continues to elude the current political climate in the wake of their sister’s death.
“I was talking to my 4-year-old last week, when she noticed I was not doing well. I had to come here today and talk to some important people,” Luke said. “She knows that her aunt died and that somebody caused it to happen. She told me that there are no bad people and that everyone makes mistakes. She has [Good’s] spirit.” [video]
Brent followed, reading from the beautiful eulogy he gave at Good’s funeral, calling his late sister “unapologetically hopeful” and a loving mother.
“As a mother, Renee poured herself into love. The kind of love that shows up every day, that sacrifices quietly, that cheers loudly, that believes deeply,” Brent said. “Her children were and are her heart—walking around outside her body. And she made sure they felt safe, valued, and endlessly loved.” [video]
Oh hey, that guy ICE shot for “hitting them with a shovel”? Yeah nah, they fired through his door and almost hit some kids, SURPRISE. (Gift link Star Tribune)
ICE (acting) Director Todd Lyons told Greg Bovino he needed to actually target his arrests to criminals instead of daycare workers and abuelas. Bovino told him fuck off, he only answers to Cory Lewandowski. (Daily Beast via MSN)
Here’s Popehat explaining what the fuck with the Don Lemon arrest to Josh Barro. (Note, this was right when the arrest happened; if there has been other further explication since, I have not seen it.) I enjoy reading their transcripts so I don’t have to listen to “podcast.” (Transcript)
Comics 4 Liam? Comics 4 Liam. (ComixAction)
Barack Obama shared this NYT gift link, so I’m sharing it with you. Liam’s judge’s furious order, annotated!
California’s ICE crimes evidence bank, plus some other cool proactive shit from state AG Rob Bonta! (Brian Beutler)
TECH FUN!
Imagine if our country pressured companies not to do BAD shit instead of pressuring companies not to do GOOD shit! (Gift link Washington Post)
That’s weird, they said our phones were definitely not listening to us and then targeting ads at us. Weird! (CBS News)
SpaceX would like some broadband grants whether or not it provides broadband, so that tracks. (Ars Technica)
Oooh la la, the French … gendarmes? … raided Musk’s Euro X offices looking for crimes against humanity! And so much more! (BBC)
And?
In the space of a few hours, French authorities raided X’s office in Paris, the British privacy regulator opened a formal investigation of X and xAI, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced legal proposals that would criminalize algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of illegal content, making executives like Musk personally liable. [!]
Somebody get him some ketamine! (Gov Info Security)
OTHER STUFF THAT’S NOT THOSE!
Is Nancy Mace okay? In fact, she is not! (New York mag)
[…] OH BOY OH BOY, the Supreme Court is taking up “birthright citizenship.” Jesus, take the wheel. (Balls and Strikes)
RFK Jr.’s best raw milk pal does not like all this crazy ICE bullshit, or the Venezuela, or the Greenland, or the other. He also does not like that RFK Jr. has yet to do anything about opening up the raw milk laws. This is a fun little read! (I love best the food safety lawyer, obviously.) (Mother Jones)
The tradwife Ballerina Farm isn’t selling raw milk anymore, because it was nasssstyyyyyyy and they didn’t bother to first know how. (KPCW)
HEY WHAT’S UP WITH ZOHRAN?
This made me so happy! Zohran Mamdani, just racking up wins, this time against “bullshit AI chatbot.” Bullshit AI chatbot, YOU’RE FIRED! (The City)
Uh oh, another one?! Bullshit delivery apps, pay your drivers the $4.6 million you cheated them out of the fuck up! (Futurism) [video]
FIRST LADY CORNER!
Melania likes her gilded cage just fine. Katha Pollitt reviews the $45 million bribe movie, “starring her clothes, her hair, her shoes, and her complexion,” which just sounds swell. (The Nation) Perhaps you would prefer your Melania movie review from Elizabeth Spiers? The Nation has you covered there too! (The Nation)
Yiiiiikes, Jill Biden’s ex-husband has been charged with murdering his wife! Oh no! (People)
You want to see a body? No, not Jill’s ex’s murdered wife. It’s the Melania cinematographer who hadn’t gotten the memo on you do not under any circumstances sit down with Isaac Chotiner. (New Yorker)
Donald Trump continues to inspire his followers to do what they’re pretty sure is their part in making America white again, even if that involves breaking a few laws against assault, attempted carjacking, and firing guns at complete strangers. […] At least this time, nobody was murdered.
In Oregon, Charles Simmons, a 53-year-old MAGA dude, went on a bizarre crime spree last Thursday on Interstate 5, the west’s major north-south freeway. He was super upset about immigration, […] called state police to complain he’d seen “foreign” people driving on the freeway, presumably a crime that needed punishing. After causing several accidents (no serious injuries as far as we can tell) and shooting at people (nobody hit, thank Crom), he’s been charged with 17 crimes and is being investigated for possible bias crime charges as well.
[…] Simmons started his Thursday morning early by calling the Roseburg office of the Oregon State Police to complain he’d seen “foreign” people driving on the freeway. By 8:18, multiple agencies were responding to several 911 calls about shots being fired and other incidents as Simmons drove north on I-5 in his Ram pickup, apparently on a self-assigned mission to rid that bit of Douglas County of foreigns.
Among other allegations reported by local media from court documents, Simmons walked up to one man’s vehicle and demanded to know, “Are you loyal to the country?” after which he started banging on the window with his gun, and fired two shots at a passenger who ran for safety. He missed […]
At another point, Simmons drove up to a man who was walking along the interstate, asked if the man was a US citizen, then told him to get in so Simmons could take the man to the state police. When the man was reluctant to obey the armed lunatic, Simmons fired a shot at him and missed; the man ran behind the center barrier of the freeway to hide, and fortunately there was no traffic.
Simmons also tried to carjack a guy whose vehicle he rear-ended, according to a statement to police by the driver after he was taken to a hospital for x-rays.
He said Simmons told him he was an armed militia on a mission, and needed to take his vehicle, but the vehicle wouldn’t start. He said Simmons also tried to stop another truck and take it, but the driver took off.
After that, Simmons even tried to carjack the ambulance that arrived to transport the guy he’d rear-ended, but without success. It’s apparently harder than the Grand Theft Auto video games would lead one to believe.
[…] police arrived on the scene — within 10 minutes of the first 911 calls — and found his pickup with front-end damage. Simmons refused to comply with the cops, but they arrested him after using a taser on him instead of shooting him […]
Simmons’s Facebook account is full of weird rants, most of the weirdest shit posted in the two days before he went on his one-man militia mission. A sampling, before his page inevitably goes away: [social media post]
In another post, Simmons said that Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek was causing illegal immigration by “not employing all forces” and that he had “ informed the State Police that she is in violation and must reverse course. Warriors not politicians make freedom.”
Simmons’s own warrior bid to bring freedom has put at least a temporary end to his own freedom […] a judge has set his bail at a million dollars […] let’s keep in mind that not all violent MAGA crazies are as incompetent as this fucker.
We’d just like to point out that since they’re all state charges, Donald Trump will not legally be able to pardon Mr. Simmons. […]
johnson catmansays
re Lynna @175:
Simmons refused to comply with the cops, but they arrested him after using a taser on him instead of shooting him […]
What a surprise. Non-compliant white guy with a gun only gets tased.
Pull up a log by the campfire, and let us toast marshmallows together with New York Magazine’s Jake Lahut over the dying embers of the political career of Rep. Nancy Mace, […] who rose to prominence with wild-eyed culture-warrioring hate, only to be undone by evidently being not just pretend crazy for TV, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, but real crazy, as in “Something’s broken. The motherboard’s fried. We’re short-circuiting somewhere,” ratted a staffer who’d recently jumped ship.
Once upon a time, back in August, Mace announced she was running for governor of South Carolina, and did not file to be on the ballot again for her House seat. Her campaign is not going well! She’s slipped to somewhere around third or fourth in GOP primary polls[…] and though she has the strongest name recognition in polls, her unfavorability rating is more than twice as high as anyone else’s! YOWCH. […]
And a Trump endorsement is not likely after she joined with Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Epstein survivors to endorse releasing the Epstein Files.
[…] since June of last year she’s been the subject of an inquiry about her “lodging expenses and reimbursement practices” for charging taxpayers for costs associated with a $1.6 million DC townhouse while at the same time earning income renting out the same place on Airbnb.
[…] And now with Mace’s career as good as dead and buried, even more of her formerly loyal staffers are spilling about her outrageous demands, like bottles of tequila at two a.m. — Mace posted on X she does not drink, “I have a lifelong genetic affliction which prevents me from consuming much alcohol. It’s called HEMOCHROMATOSIS” — rule-breaking all-night parties, making her staff clean up her property like janitors, and demanding staff create burner accounts to go on Reddit forums discussing the subject of the “hottest women in Congress” to boost her standing in the rankings and comment about her hotness, holy fucking awkward workplace.
From the NYMag story:
She was obsessed with monitoring her reputation online. In addition to reportedly having her staff create burner accounts to defend her, Mace allegedly instructed a staffer to go on Reddit forums about the “hottest women in Congress” to boost her standing in the rankings and comment where needed. Mace was “very adamant” about getting the staffer to upvote any posts about the congresswoman and her attractiveness, according to a second former staffer.
[…] Staff also says she was cruel and capricious:
“We were scared of her,” said one of the former aides. “She would make staffers cry. She would threaten to fire them, take their money away, not give them raises, not to give them days off, religious days.” Intimacy only exacerbated the situation. “The closer you get to her, the harder she messes up your brain,” a different former staffer said. “It’s a classic story of ‘never meet your heroes.’”
Or pick better ones.
Indeed, her staff turnover is among the highest in the House, and she is currently without both a chief of staff in her House office and a campaign manager in South Carolina, uh oh! Though she does have at least one employee left, one Cameron Morabito, director of operations, who responded to Lahut’s questions with “I hope she sues you for every dime you got paid to write this defamatory bullshit.”
Nancy Mace was always rabid culture-war-MAGA-type crazy, but what seemed to send her extra-spiraling was the breakup with her fiancé, Patrick Bryant, the guy her former aide and political adviser Wesley Donehue testified in a deposition that she had tasked them with blackmailing. [WTF]
Among her other hypocrisies, the woman who preaches family values and fiscal responsibility made one of the worst decisions a person can make: she and Bryant bought two properties together worth about $5.5 million to live in sin together in, evidently with no kind of legal agreement in place about how said joint properties were to be disposed of should the personal partnership not work out.
And it did not. Mace got suspicious Bryant was cheating on her, and snooped on his phone. […]
And Mace claims she found evidence of not just dating profiles, but of sexual assault and other crimes by Bryant and four other men on his devices.
If true (Bryant and the men say it’s not), what Mace coulda shoulda done was call law enforcement right away, then had no more contact with Bryant, called a lawyer and gotten the lawyer to make some kind of fair deal with Bryant to divide the properties, and moved on. But she did none of that! Though at some later point Mace did go to South Carolina law enforcement, which opened an investigation of the accusations in December of 2023 but was unable to find any evidence to charge anyone with anything.
[…] she downloaded the contents of Bryant’s devices (which is secondhand data that’s of no use to law enforcement) and then, according to former aide Donehue, tasked him with blackmailing Bryant with the contents of his devices in exchange for Mace’s one hundred percent of both properties!
Nancy Mace was surely never in a position to have been buying million-dollar real estate all by herself on her $174k a year civil servant’s salary and book royalties, not even with government reimbursements in DC, Airbnb landlording and forcing her staff to be her maid service.
And however Bryant responded to the alleged threat didn’t appease Mace, and so in February of ‘24 she went on to accuse Bryant and his friends of horrific sex crimes from the House floor. [WTF]
[…] Bryant is suing Mace, as are some of the men she accused, and she’s suing some back, forcing her to pay legal fees every time her lawyers go to huff “Speech and Debate Clause” in a courtroom […]
Mace has been getting more unhinged ever since. She’s also suing the TSA and American Airlines for allegedly forcing her to have a screaming, cursing meltdown at agents last October after they neglected to meet her at the curb at the local airport (she was in a different-colored car than her staff had told them), which was bad enough to even make Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott publicly rebuke her. Luckily, she is being represented in her lawsuit by Larry Klayman, the greatest lawyer in the world.
So, yes, sounds like Mace does seem to need to step away from public life, as her private life has become all-consuming. It is not the trans people forcing you to (allegedly) drink all that tequila and make drama with your ex, lady! They aren’t the ones posting embarrassing AI animations of their ex on social media. [social media post]
[…]
That woman was, once upon a time, a star in the MAGA universe, and the apple of Trump’s eye.
johnson catman @176, yes, that was a memorable difference.
In other news: “Minnesota teachers sue to keep ICE off school property” [Good for them!]
“Two school districts and a teachers union allege that the immigration crackdown has spilled onto campuses and interrupted the functioning of schools across the state.”
A group of Minnesota school districts and educators has asked a judge to order federal officers to stay away from schools, alleging that the nation’s largest immigration operation has spilled onto campuses, affecting attendance statewide, according to a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday morning.
The lawsuit rebukes the agency’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul — its largest operation so far in a campaign to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants.
The public school districts in Fridley and Duluth, along with Education Minnesota, an 89,000-member teachers union, accuse federal officers of breaking a promise to stay away from schools. While DHS claimed in September it was not raiding or targeting schools, officers have “conducted enforcement operations in or near schools and school buses, and detained minor students,” according to the lawsuit.
Federal officers last month tackled people outside Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis and released chemical irritants as classes dismissed. Since Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were deployed to Minnesota for “Operation Metro Surge” in December, they have detained at least four children in Minnesota, including a 5-year-old boy who was returning from school.
“This conduct has caused direct harm to the regular functioning of school districts and teachers, as well as the students they serve,” the lawsuit claims, adding that schools across Minnesota have reported drops in attendance. Some districts, including Minneapolis, St. Paul and Fridley, have offered students virtual learning. […]
“The Pentagon chief is now adding scouting ‘reforms’ to threats like library books and grooming standards.”
In the first year of his first term, Donald Trump addressed the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, and in the absence of any impulse control, the president treated the children’s gathering like a campaign rally. Soon after, the head of the Boy Scouts issued a public apology for Trump’s inappropriate behavior.
The president, undeterred, told The Wall Street Journal, “I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful.” Perhaps the president was hearing voices, because the organization made clear that the president simply made it up out of whole cloth.
In Trump’s second term, his team is still focused on the Scouts, though in ways that are less fictional. The Washington Post reported:
The Pentagon issued a warning late Monday to Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, saying the organization risks losing its long-standing partnership with the U.S. military unless it rapidly implements ‘core value reforms.’
The public warning, delivered on social media by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, comes just months before thousands of Scouts are expected in West Virginia for National Jamboree, a once-every-four-years camping summit that relies on hundreds of National Guard and active-duty service members for medical, security and logistical support. A sudden loss of that support could jeopardize the youth gathering.
During Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure, the beleaguered Pentagon chief has invested a considerable amount of time and energy in library books. And paintings. And scrubbing Defense Department websites of articles and images of figures like Jackie Robinson and the Navajo Code Talkers. And renaming Navy ships. And leading a Christian prayer service in the Pentagon’s auditorium. And amplifying videos about denying women the right to vote. And creating new grooming standards.
But his culture-war crusade has expanded to include Scouting America. In November, the former Fox News host suggested he was prepared to cut all ties between the Defense Department and the organization — a move that generated bipartisan pushback — and nearly three months later, the Pentagon is now demanding that Scouting America meet undisclosed demands to make Hegseth happy.
“If Scouting America does not comply with Hegseth’s demands, which have not been made public, the group could also lose its access to military facilities — which would have a disproportionate impact on military children who participate in Scouting troops at U.S. bases overseas, people familiar with the matter said,” according to the Post’s report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, isn’t pleased.
“For more than a century, Scouting America has helped shape young Americans who are grounded in duty, leadership, and love of country,” Reed said in a statement. “The Scouts have provided one of the strongest pipelines into military and public service our nation has ever known.”
“Secretary Hegseth’s notion that scouting is weakened because young women are given the chance to participate is shameful and false,” the Democratic senator added. “Every Scout still wears the same flag on their sleeve and lives out the same timeless values, ethics, and morals that have always defined the organization. Scouting America produces exactly the kind of young men and women we need. Any attempt to threaten or politicize that legacy over personal cultural grievances is misguided and undermines a partnership that has long benefitted military families, readiness, and national security. We should be strengthening institutions that prepare young Americans to serve, not using the weight of the Pentagon to wage ideological fights against them.”
Time will tell what becomes of the unnecessary fight, but this year’s Jamboree is scheduled for July.
“They are on the clock,” the Pentagon’s Parnell wrote on social media, “and we are watching.”
As for all of those “core values,” let’s remember this news from 2022:
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) reached a historic $2.4 billion sexual abuse settlement in bankruptcy, approved in 2022, creating a trust to compensate tens of thousands of survivors for abuse by leaders, with payments determined by a scoring system for severity and impact, though the process involves phased payouts and is still ongoing. This massive settlement, funded by BSA assets, insurance, and other contributions, aims to provide justice and closure, allowing the organization to continue while ensuring equitable compensation, with some expedited payments of $3,500 already made and larger amounts for more severe cases.
And this report about Boy Scout troops sponsored by and led by Mormons:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a long-time primary sponsor of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), has faced numerous lawsuits and allegations of covering up decades of sexual abuse within church-sponsored Boy Scout troops. AZPM News
Militant Agnosticsays
The Marsh family repurposing an old American Civil War song for the current Civil War
Will Kid Rock be singing his song “Cool, Daddy Cool”? The song is featured on the 2001 soundtrack for the movie Osmosis Jones and… well, folks… the lyrics are something else […]
“Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage,” Rock sings on the track. “See some say that’s statutory.”
His sidekick […] chimes in, “But I say it’s mandatory.”
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that voters approved, delivering a major victory for Democrats ahead of this year’s midterm
The decision came down in a one-sentence order that provided no explanation or dissents. Republicans had asked the high court to block California’s redrawn district lines, alleging they were racially gerrymandered.
Dan Kaszeta (CBRN expert) – Captain Dan’s Tear Gas Laundry guidelines
for your street clothing that has been exposed to tear gas in smoke/aerosol/dust/particulate form. A small thread.
First of all, carefully remove everything you were wearing BEFORE you go into your house, or if not possible, don’t track it too far into your residence. At least remove the most affected bits. And put them in a plastic bag like a garbage bag.
Then, wash your hands very carefully and thoroughly with warm soapy water. Wash them a lot. For the love of God, do not go to the toilet before washing your hands.
YOU WILL NEVER MAKE THIS MISTAKE TWICE IN YOUR LIFE. Please re-read the above […] I will not be held responsible for the outcome if you fail to heed this bit.
To decontaminate your clothing—honestly this works for stuff with pepper spray on it too [Put clothes in washing machine: rinse cold, regular wash cold with detergent, another rinse. Sniff test. Rinse the machine w/o clothes.] For shoes, typically just scrub them with cool water and dish soap and leave them in clean air like a porch or a garage for a day or two. If still whiffy, repeat.
Dan Kaszeta: “[Regarding wastewater] Once the stuff is in water it breaks down quite quickly and there’s really not much re-suspension hazard at all.”
If you’re out here in frigid Minneapolis with me and it’s too cold to strip in the garage, lay a plastic sheet in your entryway and strip on that. Roll the clothes up in the plastic to carry them to the washer. Put the plastic sheet in a bag and seal it. Shower w/ tepid water.
Dan Kaszeta:
Most gloves are nowhere near good enough for the temperatures of [colored smoke or] tear gas grenades. And a huge number of you wannabes can’t actually give me a good reason why you would or should pick one up. All I get is bad reasons. Someone somewhere seeming to get away with something on a video is not necessarily the basis for praxis. Welding gloves are mostly not good enough, and oven mitts are never good enough.
Dan Kaszeta:
> what’s the legality of throwing to back in their direction?
People have gone to prison for it.
Dan Kaszeta: “A tear gas grenade sitting on the street is a thing. But if you whack it with a hockey stick or a golf club, you become morally, ethically, and legally responsible for what happens to it. If it sets some poor person’s car on fire, or burns their house down, or you poison 5 people, this is a bad thing.”
Dan Kaszeta:
I seem to recall footage of protesters in [Hong Kong] placing traffic cones over them, to stop the spread of smoke. Would that actually work?
Some of the time. Mind you, they were not keen to upload the videos where it didn’t work out.
Edgecrusher:
The leaf blower can be helpful in the specific instance that the entire crowd is moving away upwind, and the blower is moving the chemical cloud downwind. But more often, people scatter in all directions and some fool uses the blower as a personal shield to get close enough to grab the hot grenade.
If one doesn’t have *really* good awareness of what the crowd is doing, what the weather is doing, and what they’re doing with the leaf blower, the only thing they accomplish is adding more chaos to an already extremely chaotic situation.
I’m trying to tell people I’m going to take their arm and lead them somewhere safe, they’re struggling to hear me because I’m wearing a respirator, a leaf blower is running.
various orgs have drives to receive donations of PPE and distribute them. […]
MN50501 https://mn50501.org/
North Star Health Collective https://northstarhealthcollective.org/
Those two have the most focus on PPE specifically. The ones that focus on food will also accept and distribute some PPE.
Lake Street Food Distribution https://linktr.ee/LSFDistro
Community Aid Network MN https://linktr.ee/CANMN
Edgecrusher: “CS and smoke are particulates, and OC is an oil. None of the things they’re using are true gases, in the chemical sense. Any P100 filter will keep them out. But the filters need to be changed after every exposure, so when people are getting gassed daily, we need a lot of filters.”
The Trump administration will immediately remove 700 federal law enforcement officers from Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday, leaving about 2,000 officers in the state.
The City Council will hold a public hearing […] The committee […] voted 8-5 to delay a decision on the licenses […] until the next meeting […] with some council members saying denying the licenses would set the city up to be sued and lose.
[…]
Quinn O’Reilly, an attorney for the city, said city staff found the hotels complied with all liquor licensing laws and are eligible to have the licenses renewed. O’Reilly said the council would need facts to support a license revocation. Amy Lingo, the city’s manager for business licenses, said the hotels can continue to serve liquor until a decision is made by the council. […] [One member] said the council shouldn’t give people “false hope” that it can deny the licenses.
Marisa Kabas: “We need every grain of sand in the gears. every single one.”
The Washington Post told employees on Wednesday that it was beginning a widespread round of layoffs that are expected to decimate the organization’s sports, local news and international coverage. The company is laying off about 30 percent of all its employees, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.
I agree with Steve Benen when he says, “The Washington Post was one of the world’s best and most important news organizations.”
A coalition of immigrants working with an academic labor union on Tuesday sued President Trump over his ‘gold card’ initiative, arguing that a program offering visas for cash takes coveted spots away from scientists, doctors and others whose presence would benefit the United States.
The White House may have pulled the plug on U.S. participation in the World Health Organization, but that doesn’t mean that Americans have to. The Illinois Department of Public Health sidestepped the federal government this week by independently joining the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday. It is the second state to do so, after California joined the network last month.
It’s good news that some state leaders are finding ways to work around Trump’s stupidity.
AMID ALL THE SQUABBLING, the name-calling, the steady drip of horrifying news and the seemingly complete rupture of our national politics, it can be tough to recognize, let alone acknowledge, positive developments when they occur.
But on Tuesday, something unambiguously positive did happen—and it happened in the most unexpected of ways: the normal order of congressional business.
The House of Representatives passed a handful of appropriations bills. In doing so, it sent those bills, which had previously passed the Senate, to the president’s desk, whereupon they were signed into law. Tucked inside one of those bills was the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation for kids suffering from cancer.
The bill will make pediatric drug research a bigger part of the pharmaceutical R&D process in addition to pushing pharmaceutical companies to study combination therapies. It’s also not the only pediatric cancer bill signed into law on Tuesday. The funding legislation included the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, which reduces paperwork requirements for children receiving out-of-state treatments; and fully funds several other initiatives designed to promote pediatric cancer research and data infrastructure.
All told, it was a monumental achievement for those who work in the field—not to mention a triumph for science. But it also offered a depressing portrait of the damage our coarse politics can wreak. It took five years for the Give Kids a Chance Act to make it into law. Some of the main advocates for these bills were cancer-stricken children working with the group Kids v Cancer. Nine of those children died while fighting for the very legislation that could eventually save the lives of children like them—or maybe even their own.
Bringing the bill to final passage proved a Sisyphean process. It was originally included as a rider on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act back in September 2022 before being removed at the last minute for reasons that remain somewhat unclear even to those who advocated for its passage. Then, in late December 2024, it was part of a major government funding deal that was suddenly scuttled after Elon Musk threw a tantrum over the inclusion of any new spending provisions. Hours later, Senate Democrats moved to consider it as a standalone measure, but Rand Paul (R-Ky.) objected.
During the summer of 2025, the bill secured more than enough votes in both the Senate and the House for it to comfortably become law. But Congress works in mysterious, byzantine ways and it never got consideration; it was left dangling in the legislative ether, waiting for another moment.
That moment arrived in December, when the bill passed the House and found its way to the Senate. But an effort to move it through unanimous consent—which requires that no senator voice an objection to the measure—failed once more. This time it was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who objected. He wanted all the provisions that Musk insisted on removing in 2024 to be brought back. When he pushed for a bigger package, Senate Republicans pushed right back.
There was something particularly cruel about that last failure. In the leadup to it, a number of kids with cancer had gone to the Hill and lobbied congressional offices to pass the bill. Among them was Mikaela Naylon, who had been diagnosed in 2020 with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Mikaela had spent her final weeks talking with lawmakers over Zoom. Eventually she grew too weak to speak, and listened in as her parents did the talking. On October 29, her home state senator, John Hickenlooper, reached out to check in with Mikaela and update her once more about legislative progress. Three hours later, she was dead at just 16.
The bill was subsequently renamed after Mikaela. Her fellow advocates, themselves stricken with cancer, were in the Senate chamber to watch the vote in December. They had ventured there under the belief the measure would make it into law. And then, Sanders offered his objection.
The scene was wrenching. But they kept at it. They were back in the House gallery in late January when members passed an earlier version of the appropriations package they passed again on Tuesday. They would have been there again today, if not for school. All told, there were five House votes, four Senate votes—several of which involved painful, inexplicable, defeats—before there was success.
“These kids didn’t want their life and their death to mean nothing. They wanted to contribute,” Nancy Goodman, the founder and executive director of Kids v Cancer, told me. […]
During an interview with Daily Mail, Vice President JD Vance refused to say whether he would apologize to the family of Alex Pretti if an investigation found that Pretti’s civil rights were violated when he was shot and killed by federal immigration thugs in Minneapolis.
“For what?” Vance said when asked, before attempting to justify his retweet of the grotesque claim by White House senior adviser Stephen Miller that Pretti was “an assassin,” who “tried to murder federal agents.” […]
“But if it’s determined that his civil rights were violated—by this FBI investigation—will you apologize for that?” the interview asked.
“So if this hypothetical leads to that hypothetical leads to another hypothetical will I do a thing?” Vance responded like the true intellectually and emotionally bankrupt worm he is. [video]
“I think that everybody is deserved the presumption of innocence in the American system of justice,” Vance continued.
Tragically, the federal immigration goons weren’t willing to extend that “presumption of innocence” to Pretti.
The girl and her mother were at a Texas shelter as of Wednesday morning, a family attorney said, and would be heading back to Minnesota to reunite with her father.
There have been growing concerns about Elizabeth’s health as federal officials confirmed that Dilley [where they had been] is now the site of a measles outbreak. […] the girl was experiencing flu-like symptoms and her mother had broken out in hives, but they had not yet received a medical assessment.
The announcement posted to the CIA’s website offered no reason for the decision to end the Factbook, but it follows a vow from Director John Ratcliffe to end programs that don’t advance the agency’s core missions.
First launched in 1962 as a printed, classified reference manual for intelligence officers, the Factbook offered a detailed, by-the-numbers picture of foreign nations, their economies, militaries, resources and societies. The Factbook proved so useful that other federal agencies began using it, and within a decade, an unclassified version was released to the public.
After going online in 1997, the Factbook quickly became a popular reference site for journalists, trivia aficionados and the writers of college essays
Ken Jennings (Jeopardy): “This feels personal. You have wonder if the problem was ‘world,’ ‘facts,’ or ‘books’.”
In a bizarre act of cultural vandalism they’ve not just removed the entire site (including the archives of previous versions) but they’ve also set every single page to be a 302 redirect to their closure announcement.
The Factbook has been released into the public domain since the start. There’s no reason not to continue to serve archived versions—a banner at the top of the page saying it’s no longer maintained would be much better than removing all of that valuable content entirely.
Up until 2020 the CIA published annual zip file archives of the entire site. Those are available (along with the rest of the Factbook) on the Internet Archive.
I downloaded the 384MB .zip file for the year 2020 and extracted it into a new GitHub repository […] so you can browse
There seems to be a concerted effort to eliminate any government function that could plausibly be done by the private sector. Curtail the USGS map making. Curtail NOAAs weather products. Eliminate the CIA from producing an encyclopedia. […] the CIA World Factbook is a compilation of things that you could get elsewhere like SIPRI, World Bank, Encyclopedia Britannica, an Atlas, etc. It was just really convenient to have it all in once place. It is the kind of thing that ABC-CLIO could produce, but it would be expensive.
Holly Fletcher (Ex-CIA): “Honestly updating these every year was one of my least favorite things, but I can see why people are sad.”
Rando: “Should we tell them it was farmed out to contractors years ago?”
Holly Fletcher: “True, but we had to go over them every year. Honestly WFB is about on par with Encyclopedia Brittanica.”
French hospital […] medics discovered the eight-inch-long ordnance while performing surgery. […] It’s unclear how the man sourced the munition or the circumstances surrounding its insertion, but local reports claim he didn’t tell medical staff what the item was at the time when he was admitted […] “It had not exploded, and so bomb disposal experts had to be called to diffuse the shell, with the fire brigade standing by,” […] It was later confirmed that teams could safely remove the shell, and no further risk was found at the hospital. However, the young man may now face legal action
[…]
Often discovered during the ‘iron harvest’, it’s common for farmers tilling their fields to dig up the remnants of old shells and bullets strewn across their land in places like France. […] It’s not the first time that a munition of this nature has found its way into the rear end of a person’s body. In 2022, another hospital in Southeast France was partially evacuated after an 88-year-old patient came in with a similar issue.
* Grey’s Anatomy did this. S02E16-17 with a thoracic WW2 bazooka shell. S15E01 with rectal aerosol hairspray can.
* The second article linked another incident the year before that, a WW2 bum shell in England.
Another case – like the Minnesota ICE murders – of teh Trumpists telling us toNOT believe our lying eyes and believ their lies instead o’course..
birgerjohanssonsays
An except from “Bootstrap Bio” about how fixing problems with biology is not the same as nazi-era eugenics.
.
“We don’t say that children with metabolic disease should live with metabolic illness forever, and that seeking good biochemistry was “euchemics.” We don’t say that kids with cleft palates should have trouble speaking and eating forever, or that fixing this with surgery was “eusurgics.” We just fixed the problem, cheaply, with technology.”
.
My own opinion: As genes that give some protection against cancers, Alzheimers and other diseases are identified, and as genes associated with serious disease are identified we should not stick to a dogmatic rejection of germ-line Gene modification. Unlike the society in GATTACA we can impose rules to make germline GM fair.
.
So the crux is the regulatory framework, and the funding of GM for the non-wealthy.
StevoRsays
@203. birgerjohansson : “We are not the ‘wise man” (Homo sapiens) but the ‘burned ape’.
Wish I could feel less sure that there will be far too many more..
birgerjohanssonsays
Factoid.
The”coatpack parachute” invented by the American Broadwick before WWI (and the predecessor to all parachutes used today, instead of the umbrella style devices used esrlier) was not used during the war as there were still concerns about its reliability, and the modern way to deploy the parachute from the pack had not yet been invented.
Thus, if an aircraft started burning after being hit by tracers, the pilot could either stay and burn just jump to his death. One ace always brought a revolver so he could shoot himself if the plane started burning.
This was evidently not an issue for artillery observers hanging in the baskets under tethered ballons, presumably as they had plenty of space for the older kind of parachute.
Seven members of the Northern Territory parliament have staged a walkout during Question Time over the appointment of the territory’s administrator.
The NT government in December announced former NT Cattlemen’s Association president David Connolly as the jurisdiction’s next administrator — a position equivalent to a state governor with a salary of $377,000.
But the selection has been under intense scrutiny due to Mr Connolly’s past social media posts, which have led to calls for his appointment to be revoked.
Those posts include comments on Indigenous Australians, female athletes and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Americans largely disapprove of the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as recent enhanced enforcement operations spread to new cities across the country, a new PBS News/NPR/Marist Poll found. A majority say ICE is making Americans less safe, and a growing number believe the agency’s actions have gone too far.
Meanwhile, anti-ICE protests that have grown in size and visibility in recent weeks are viewed by a majority of Americans as mostly legitimate and not unlawful.
Six in 10 Americans disapprove of the job ICE is doing, while about 3 in 10 approve. Opinions about the agency and its actions are sharply divided along political lines, with 91% of Democrats and 66% of independents registering their disapproval. Republicans, however, remain supportive, with 73% approving of the agency’s work.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is one of Washington’s most polarizing power brokers. A chief architect of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, his portfolio has expanded to include foreign policy as well. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
‘Surround the polls’: Trump ally admits voter intimidation plan using ICE. “Trump and his allies are now straight up telling us that they plan to try everything they can to interfere in the midterms—including using ICE agents,” says Chris Hayes. Civil rights expert Sherrilyn Ifill joins to discuss that and more.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
‘For what?’: JD Vance refuses to apologize for smearing Alex Pretti. “The official story—promulgated by Kristi Noem, and Stephen Miller and JD Vance—was a lie. They are lying to you. They’re lying to us. They know it. And in fact, they seem proud of it,” says Chris Hayes on JD Vance saying he won’t apologize for labeling Alex Pretti an “assassin.”
Letitia James, the New York attorney general, announced on Tuesday that her office would deploy legal observers to document raids conducted by federal immigration authorities across the state.
The observers, outfitted with purple vests, could be sent to where immigration raids are unfolding to serve as “neutral witnesses on the ground,” her office said in a release, adding that they would be instructed not to interfere with enforcement activity. [Important]
The initiative, after criticism over the aggressive tactics used by immigration officers in Minneapolis, is aimed at collecting real-time information on immigration enforcement activity and identifying whether federal agents are acting lawfully, her office said. [Necessary]
The effort, which will be staffed by lawyers and other state employees, is the first of its kind by an attorney general’s office, according to Sophie Hamlin, a spokeswoman for Ms. James.
[…] Ms. James said in a statement. “My office is launching the Legal Observation Project to examine federal enforcement activity in New York and whether it remains within the bounds of the law.”
[I snipped blather and bloviating fromTricia McLaughlin, a White House spokesperson. She implied that Letitia James was putting New Yorkers in danger.]
[I snipped a summary of recent Federal agent activity in Minneapolis.]
In New York and elsewhere, federal agents have clashed with citizens and activists showing up to record, protest and, at times, confront Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers carrying out raids. And officials across the country have been seeking to preserve evidence of misconduct by agents […]
Trump officials have broadly cast cellphone-wielding protesters as agitators intent on interfering with the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
In New York, volunteers and activists have regularly fanned out in the city’s immigration courts to record the arrests of migrants who were showing up for routine hearings. And in recent months, residents and organizers have sought to document a scaling up of early morning arrests in immigrant-rich neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, posting the videos on social media.
While ICE has detained thousands of undocumented immigrants in New York, the city has not been subjected to the large-scale operations that have taken hold in other Democratic cities, though it is a possibility for which local officials have been preparing for since last year.
Aside from filing immigration-related lawsuits, Democratic state attorneys general have started other initiatives meant to shed transparency on ICE activity. [Good]
Late last year, California and New York unveiled online portals for residents to upload photos and videos of misconduct by federal agents that could be used in state lawsuits against the federal government.
In January, amid a surge of ICE operations in Maine, Aaron M. Frey, the state’s attorney general, opened an email tip line to field reports about “intimidating or excessive behavior used by federal agents.”
Last week, Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, urged residents to use their cellphones to record immigration officers, saying that the state would soon create a portal to upload the footage.
“If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out,” Ms. Sherrill, who was sworn in last month, said during a television interview. “We want to know.”
Judge Hands Trump a Fifth Loss in His Effort to Halt Offshore Wind Projects
Good news, but it may be temporary if the Trump administration decides to appeal the court’s ruling.
A federal judge on Monday struck down the Interior Department’s order to halt work on a multibillion-dollar wind farm off the coast of New York State, the fifth time the courts have ruled against the Trump administration’s efforts to throttle the country’s offshore wind industry. The administration is now 0-5 in its effort to stop wind farms under construction along the East Coast.
Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction that would allow the developer of the New York project, known as Sunrise Wind, to restart construction while the broader legal battle unfolds.
In December, the Interior Department ordered all work to halt on Sunrise Wind and four other wind farms off the East Coast. To justify the sweeping move, officials cited a classified report by the Defense Department that they said found the projects to be a national security threat.
But Judge Lamberth, who was nominated to the bench by President Ronald Reagan, said he was unpersuaded by the government’s claims about national security after reviewing the classified report under seal. He said the actions of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had caused “irreparable harm” to the developer of Sunrise Wind.
[…] The previous four rulings allowed work to continue on Revolution Wind off Rhode Island, Empire Wind off New York, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia and Vineyard Wind off Massachusetts. Judge Lamberth also presided over the case brought by Revolution Wind.
Sunrise Wind is in federal waters about 30 miles east of Montauk Point, N.Y. The project is already 45 percent complete, with 44 out of 84 turbine foundations installed on the ocean floor. Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power nearly 600,000 homes in New York State.
Orsted, the Danish energy giant that is building Sunrise Wind, wrote in court filings that it was losing $2.5 million each day that the project was paused. The company said it had already spent or committed to investing $7 billion in the project so far. [You would think that Trump would approve of all that investment.]
[…] The decision is a “big win for New York workers, families and our future,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “It puts union workers back on the job [!], keeps billions in private investment in New York and delivers the clean, reliable power our grid needs, especially as extreme weather becomes more frequent.”
[…] During the court hearing on Monday, Janice Schneider, a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins, argued on behalf of Sunrise Wind that the government was using concerns about national security as a pretext to target projects that the president dislikes. [True!] Ms. Schneider cited Mr. Trump’s comments last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he described wind farms as “losers.”
[…] “All these things can be true: Wind farms can be inefficient, wind farms can increase consumer prices, wind farms can cause damage to our natural resources, and wind farms can pose national security risks,” Mr. Adams [John Kenneth Adams, the chief of staff and senior counsel in the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division] said.
It was unclear whether the Justice Department would appeal Monday’s ruling and the four related decisions.
“Claims of international interference in 2020 were largely limited to the fever swamps. In 2026, Trump is still swimming in the same ridiculous waters.”
Related video at the link.
Four weeks ago, Donald Trump briefly floated the idea of canceling future U.S. elections. Three weeks ago, the president told Reuters that he’s so impressed with himself and his record that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”
This week, however, has been qualitatively worse — and more alarming.
On Monday, Trump endorsed a radical and unconstitutional power-grab, insisting, “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.” A day later, when the White House tried to assure the public that he didn’t mean what he clearly said, Trump cut off his own team at the knees and doubled down, insisting a federal takeover of elections could be warranted because of widespread voting fraud that exists only in his imagination.
On Wednesday, as part of a lengthy interview with NBC News anchor Tom Llamas, Trump came out with all kinds of related comments, suggesting again he’s interested in nationalizing U.S. elections, falsely claiming that he won the 2020 race that he lost, baselessly accusing Democratic-run cities of voter fraud (despite having no evidence whatsoever) and concluding that he’ll only accept the results of the 2026 midterms “if the elections are honest” — failing to note that he considers himself the sole arbiter of electoral honesty.
But of particular interest was the president’s concerns about alleged international interference.
Last week, for example, Trump used his social media platform to promote an “Italygate” missive that alleged Italian military satellites were secretly used to hack into U.S. voting machines to flip votes and cause Trump’s defeat. (TPM described this as “2020’s most insane conspiracy theory.”) This week, the president conceded to Llamas that he did amplify the message online.
And then he kept going down the same mind-numbing path. [video]
First he claimed that Fulton County, Georgia, has been “under investigation for four years” — pointing to a probe that does not exist in reality. Then, when asked why Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard participated in the FBI raid, Trump said, “I don’t know, but, you know, a lot of the cheating comes from, it’s international cheating.”
On Thursday morning at a prayer breakfast, he made related comments after pointing to Gabbard, who was in attendance. Referring to the 2020 race, the president added, “Let’s assume Russia had something to do with it. You can add China and about five other countries.” [Oh JFC]
Oh my.
A couple of weeks after Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid, his hapless lawyers held a bewildering event at the Republican National Committee headquarters, where they tried to describe a secret plot that only they were aware of.
The legal team pitched a hysterical tale involving George Soros, “communist money,” the Clinton Foundation, antifa, Cuba and possibly China. Rudy Giuliani and his colleagues also pointed the finger at Venezuela and its former president, Hugo Chávez, who’d died seven years earlier.
At the time, the absurdities became the subject of widespread ridicule and made it abundantly clear that Trump’s lawyers had no credible evidence to support their election conspiracy theories.
But more than a half-decade later, Trump is still swimming in the same ridiculous waters. [Red flag for dementia.]
[…] Trump’s nonsensical election conspiracy theories are reaching new depths of absurdity.
The president said in July that New START is “not an agreement you want expiring,” adding that it would be “a big problem for the world.” Then it expired.
It wasn’t easy, but in 2010, Barack Obama and his team negotiated a landmark treaty with Russia called New START. The nuclear powers agreed to significantly reduce their nuclear stockpiles, capping the number of nuclear warheads in each country’s arsenal, limiting the number of nuclear missile launchers and expanding inspections.
The terms of the agreement lasted 10 years, though the policy included the option for a five-year extension, which Joe Biden embraced.
That kept the policy intact through Feb. 4, 2026. It’s now Feb. 5, 2026. The Washington Post reported:
For decades, the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals have been constrained by a series of treaties. But that changed Thursday, when the last remaining nuclear arms limitation treaty between the United States and Russia, known as New START, expired.
Russia said in September it is willing to continue adhering to the central limitations of the treaty for at least another year, if Washington does likewise — but the Trump administration has yet to officially respond to the offer.
[…] Trump said last summer that New START is “not an agreement you want expiring,” adding that it would be “a big problem for the world.”
That was seven months ago. Trump not only made little effort to rescue the policy before its expiration, he also hasn’t presented an alternative to replace it.
“If it expires, it expires. We’ll do a better agreement,” he told The New York Times last month. [aiyiyiyiyi, such bullshit from Trump]
[…] Trump has a history of showing humiliating weakness toward Vladimir Putin, coupled with the fact that it would take roughly a year to negotiate the terms of a new treaty — which may or may not receive ratification in the Senate, where it would need 67 votes. [!!]
This is also the same Trump who walked away from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in his first term for reasons he struggled to explain, which dovetailed with his abandonment of the international agreement with Iran, which he also rejected for reasons he struggled to explain. [All true, unfortunately.]
[…] Reuters reported that U.S. and Russian officials might yet agree to temporarily maintain the terms of New START despite its expiration, which would likely ease the fears of many international observers.
But in the meantime, amid growing uncertainty, many are wondering whether the nuclear arms control era is over, and the underlying question needs an answer from a White House that barely seems to care.
[…] Trump delivered remarks at the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, bringing his familiar brand of Christian Nationalism infused with his megalomania and persecution complex.
Trump wandered through a series of babbling claims, boasting about saving the word “Christmas” and taking digs at the press.
“I can never get a fair break from the fake news,” Trump complained, scolding the media for failing to appreciate what he called a “joke” he made last fall about not being heaven bound. “I really think I probably should make it. I mean, I’m not a perfect candidate, but I did a hell of a lot of good for perfect people.” [video]
Trump also greeted visiting leaders from around the world, singling out El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. He boasted about sending immigrants to the country’s CECOT prison—which is criticized for its plethora of human rights abuses—and marveled at how “long and big” it is.
“You’re gonna walk away and say ‘he’s the meanest son of a gun I’ve ever seen,’ but I’m not,” Trump said. [video]
And it wouldn’t be a Trump speech without revisiting his lie that he won the 2020 presidential election.
“They rigged the second election,” Trump said. “I had to win it. I had to win it. I needed it for my own ego. I would have had a bad ego for the rest of my life. Now I really have a big ego.” [video]
Amen?
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
birgerjohansson @212:
evidently not an issue for artillery observers hanging in the baskets under tethered ballons, presumably as they had plenty of space for the older kind of parachute.
Being a “balloon spy,” as he was often called, was a position unique to the Civil War and World War I. Every day, from sunrise to sunset, it was Higgs’ assignment to crawl into a two-man basket tethered by cable to the front of a truck. Armed with binoculars, topographical maps and a telephone, he would fly high (up to 5,000 feet) over the battlefield and report troop activity to his commanders on the ground. Usually, he was with a French observer who was relaying similar information to his superiors.
As if flying unprotected over the battlefield wasn’t dangerous enough, the sausage-shaped gasbags were filled with highly flammable hydrogen, making them susceptible to fires started by the hot rounds coming from guns below. They were also sitting-duck targets for the biplanes that attacked from behind the clouds overhead. Four times over the course of four months, Higgs was shot down […] “We were supposed to stay in the balloon until our telephone man on the ground told us to jump,”
“We were each wearing parachute harnesses with a rope attached to the ‘chute that was stuffed into a bag hanging outside the basket. Our weight would pull the ‘chutes out of the bags. They were supposed to open when we dropped 300 feet. It takes nearly five seconds to fall 300 feet from a standing start, and that is a long time to wonder whether you are going to live or die. The parachute opened with a considerable jolt, but it was a very pleasant feeling.[“] […] Each time, he was awarded 48 hours of leave in Paris to “settle his nerves and get ready to go back up again.” […] Higgs survived his 18-month service
HOLY CRAP. The Trump admin just took a SLEDGEHAMMER to due process, largely eliminating the Board of Immigration Appeals process and MANDATING DISMISSAL of ALL appeals (which cost $1,000 thanks to OBBBA) filed after [30 days from] tomorrow unless a majority of the BIA votes to hear the case.
[ALSO] rather than 30 days to file a Notice of Appeal, people will now only have 10 days (in most cases). That’s just 10 days to find $1,000 and appellate counsel for an appeal the government says it will likely automatically deny! […]
An order of removal does not become “final” until the Board of Immigration Appeals denies an appeal. After that, ICE can deport the person unless they file ANOTHER appeal to a federal circuit court AND get an emergency stay.
The appeal to the federal circuit court ALSO costs $600. So now anyone who loses in immigration has to pay $1,000 to be automatically denied in nearly every case, and then $600 to seek an emergency stay of their imminent deportation. AND THIS APPLIES EVEN TO PEOPLE IN DETENTION.
* That’s one appeal in kangaroo immigration court, then an appeal in judicial court.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “They will absolutely use this to only hear appeals of cases where ICE lost and summarily refuse to hear appeals where ICE won.”
Rando: “The lack of notice and comment here seems vulnerable to a challenge.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “Extremely so, yes.”
It’s clear by now that the Trump administration remains furious that it is required to give immigrant detainees even the meager due process they are currently owed. So it’s setting out to change that.
On Thursday, the Department of Justice announced an interim final rule that effectively dismantles the immigration appeals process, making it nearly impossible to appeal adverse decisions by immigration law judges. It goes into effect automatically within 30 days […]
But of course that’s not how the DOJ is framing it. No, you see, they’re just helping to speed things up!
The DOJ says the rule will “streamline administrative appellate review by the Board of Immigration Appeals (“Board” or “BIA”) of decisions by Immigration Judges by making review of such decisions on the merits discretionary, by setting appropriate times for briefing in cases that are reviewed on the merits, and by streamlining other aspects of the appellate process to ensure timely adjudications and avoid adding to the already sizeable backlog at the Board.”
Okay, to be fair, it definitely does streamline an appellate process if you just refuse to hear the appeals outright.
What this means in practice: by default, an appeal to the BIA will now get summarily dismissed—as in the Board will not hear it at all—unless a majority of the Board votes to hear it. Dismissals have to be issued within 15 days […]
They’re kinda saying the quiet part out loud there at the end by admitting that the BIA generally just rubber-stamps the decisions of the immigration law judges.
Immigrants will now have only 10 days, rather than 30, to file a notice of appeal from an ILJ decision. And thanks to a provision in the Big Beautiful Bill, that now costs $1,000. And after the BIA inevitably denies that appeal? Then the person gets deported, unless they file a petition with a federal circuit appellate court, which costs $600. But they can still get deported during that time unless the court grants them an emergency stay.
[…] wildly tilted in favor of the government. First, it isn’t a neutral appeals board or a court. It’s just a part of the executive branch, and the attorney general names people to it.
President Donald Trump didn’t just purge the board of people who aren’t ideologically in agreement with his anti-immigrant crackdown, but also shrank it. In April 2025, the administration issued a rule limiting the board to 15 members, down from 26 at the end of the Biden administration. […]
The board faces a backlog of its own making, exacerbated by now having fewer judges to hear appeals.
But wait—there’s more. The Trump administration has also utterly compromised the immigration law judge process. Trump fired hundreds of experienced immigration law judges […]
Those folks are being replaced with ones who are happy to answer an ad looking for “deportation judges,” and they get a whopping two weeks of classroom training and one week observing hearings. During that woefully inadequate training, they are now told not to grant asylum in most cases. [!!]
So now an immigrant faces inexperienced ILJs specifically chosen for their eagerness to deport people, and their recourse is to appeal to a board comprised of people chosen for their eagerness to deport people, and that board doesn’t even have to glance at their appeal. If they just let it sit on a desk for 15 days, on day 16, the appeal is dismissed.
Add to this that the administration has also broken the habeas process by which detained immigrants can challenge the legality of their detention. First, it often immediately transfers people well outside the jurisdiction where they were arrested, isolating them from resources and their community.
Next, the administration cannot and will not promptly address the massive backlog of habeas petitions resulting from its spree of wrongfully detaining immigrants. In Minnesota, ICE has wrongfully detained so many people that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of petitions languishing. […]
So, to recap: Immigration law judges are now selected for their willingness to rule against immigrants. Administrative appeals are now basically gone. If you’re wrongfully detained and have to file a habeas petition to get out of whatever prison ICE stashed you in, good fucking luck, because the administration is functionally ignoring those cases and orders to release.
It’s a perfectly closed circle of viciousness. [True]
Jeansays
birgerjohansson @#201
That was a bit on the Stephen Colbert show yesterday night so that has nothing to do with Jon Stewart. Was that a brain fart (which can happen to anyone) or is that due to bad sources? This specific post is inconsequential but I happen to both see the actual event and your post so I was curious to see if you’d reply.
Jordan is 30 years old, began practicing law in September 2022, joined the Department of Justice in January 2025 to work as Emil Bove’s chief of staff, and does not appear to have any experience as a prosecutor. Fox and the DOJ are nonetheless sure she is qualified to serve as the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Well, sort of. It isn’t like President Donald Trump is going to submit Fox’s name to the Senate for confirmation as required, because come on. And she can’t be named interim U.S. attorney because both a lower court and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals already ruled that Alina Habba, Fox’s equally unqualified predecessor, used up the entire 120-day period allowed for interim appointments.
But Fox and the DOJ have a plan, and it involves Fox calling the federal district judges in New Jersey to see if they would like to name her as an acting United States attorney, allowing Trump to sidestep Senate confirmation.
It isn’t at all clear why the Trump administration thinks this is a recipe for success. Federal district court judges do have the power to name someone as acting U.S. attorney for a district if there is no Senate-confirmed appointee. Indeed, that is what the New Jersey federal judges did after Habba’s 120-day interim gig expired.
However, much to the administration’s chagrin, the judges actually get to pick who they want, and they chose a longtime career prosecutor for the role. Attorney General Pam Bondi then fired that person for the crime of being qualified, essentially, and shoveled Habba right back in, only backing down after the appellate court upheld the lower court’s ruling that Habba had to go.
So, the same judges who declined to choose Habba are now being chatted up by Fox, a person who has even less experience than Habba did, to see if they’d like to assist the administration in its efforts to install yet another unqualified crony.
[…] After Habba finally said a huffy goodbye, Bondi hit upon the truly unhinged idea of having three DOJ attorneys, including Fox, run the New Jersey U.S. attorney’s office together.
This is Bondi’s latest attempt to get around the need to confirm someone as U.S. attorney. The logic appears to be that by splitting the U.S. attorney duties across multiple people, none of those three people is performing all the duties of the U.S. attorney.
Bondi no doubt thinks this is a clever way to get around the fact that multiple courts have now told her she cannot name a random person a “special attorney” who has the full power and duties of a U.S. Attorney. Why? Well, because if Bondi could do that, there would be no need for Senate confirmation ever. But hey, if no one person has all the duties, then they can magically stay in their jobs forever, unconfirmed and unbothered.
[…] that’s exactly what the DOJ told the court in a case brought by criminal defendants challenging this bastardized holy trinity appointment. […] As with the “special attorney” ploy, if the attorney general can just divvy up duties between cronies, there would be no need for Senate confirmation ever. Hence, the attempt to sort of name Fox to the role, but only by begging the judges to do it for her.
All of this certainly highlights how little Trump thinks of the Senate confirmation requirement, but it also reveals how little the administration is interested in the actual work of the DOJ, which is prosecuting federal crimes. [True!]
[…] all of these antics run the risk of a judge deciding to dismiss the criminal cases brought by people who aren’t legally in their job.
That’s what happened with Halligan’s indictments of former FBI director James Comey and new York Attorney General Letitia James, which were tossed out along with Halligan. However, the administration seems to have taken away the lesson that it just needs to be more innovative about how it flouts the law rather than just naming a normie conservative experienced prosecutor the Senate would confirm.
It’s highly likely that Fox will soon join Halligan and Habba, along with Sigal Chattah, Bill Essayli, and John Sarcone as wannabe U.S. attorneys who were told “absolutely not” by the courts.
Update on talks between Russian, Ukrainian, and American officials, as reported by The New York Times:
A familiar pattern played out as two days of negotiations wrapped up in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Everyone said the talks were productive. More talks were planned. Yet with little to show for them but an announced exchange of prisoners of war, the major sticking points in any peace deal appeared a long ways from being unstuck.
This looks to me like Putin continues to drag out negotiations, with no end to the war in sight.
The latest departures are on top of a half-dozen attorneys who left the office last month amid disagreements over the Justice Department’s response to the shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. At least one supervisory agent in the FBI’s Minneapolis office is known to have resigned last month as well.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported Monday evening that eight lawyers have since departed the office or announced plans to do so. A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss non-public personnel moves, confirmed that this number was correct and that more departures were likely. Another person also confirmed a new wave of departures in the office.
I wonder how many attorneys are left? It isn’t entirely terminal because having attorneys for other states take cases is common but it will be a huge strain.
Department of Homeland Security plans to purchase and operate mega warehouses to use as immigration detention centers are raising concerns among lawmakers, local residents and government contractors in the running to operate them.
Warehouses for human beings.
And DHS (or their subcontractors) already have a reputation for running detention centers where detainees are treated inhumanely.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) took additional steps Wednesday to distance state law enforcement agencies from federal immigration operations, ordering the end of partnership agreements and condemning federal operations in other states as undermining public confidence.
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The dwindling number of people who still subscribe to the Washington Post plummeted even further on Thursday after owner Jeff Bezos named Melania Trump the paper’s new editor-in-chief.
Calling the hiring of the First Lady “not a bribe,” Bezos said, “We wanted to find someone who wouldn’t be tainted by any experience in journalism, and Bari Weiss was already taken.”
Mrs. Trump will make history as the first editor of a major US paper with a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, industry experts said.
In her first official act, Melania changed the Post’s slogan to “Democracy in Darkness Be Best.”
this idea that scientific research into the “placebo effect” began in earnest during World War II. […] the classic story is that Dr. Henry Beecher […] ran out of morphine while treating soldiers in pain. What did he do? He injected them with saline […] and noticed that the soldiers’ pain went away just the same. […] As with any myth, this World War II story changes in the telling. […] I have not seen any primary source confirming that this ever happened.
[…]
Mike Hall has been, it’s fair to say, obsessed with placebo effects—plural!—for many years, dissecting the near-magical claims made in their service on the podcast he co-hosts, Skeptics with a K.
[…]
a listener […] let us know that he had found an early mention of this “saline replacing morphine” story […] a Jesuit employed as a watchman during World War I who saw others administer saline injections as placebos. […] “When the uproar wouldn’t stop, […] there was no other way than to trick them with an injection of saline solution.” […] What’s interesting in that Jesuit’s diary is that nowhere does he say that the saline helped in any way!
Beecher is said to have noticed that […] Was the placebo response not noticeable in World War I? Was it simply not documented? Or is this whole Beecher myth concocted from collated bits and pieces […] the investigation continues.
“Every manufacturer of this technology, every police department with a policy makes very clear that face recognition technology is not capable of providing a positive identification, that it makes mistakes, and that it’s only for generating leads,” says Nathan Wessler [ACLU].
[…] DHS’s hasty approval of [the app] last May was enabled by dismantling centralized privacy reviews and quietly removing department-wide limits on facial recognition—changes overseen by a former Heritage Foundation lawyer and Project 2025 contributor, who now serves in a senior DHS privacy role.
[…]
[EFF said] “Here, the safeguards you’d expect—confidence scores, clear thresholds, multiple candidate photos—don’t appear to be there.”
[…]
Testing by federal scientists […] conducted with DHS and CBP, shows face-recognition accuracy drops sharply when images are taken outside controlled settings […] fixed cameras, cooperative subjects, neutral expressions, plain backgrounds, and uniform lighting. Images are rejected if a subject’s head falls outside a narrow size range. Even highly accurate systems […] struggle with poor framing or head tilt.
This is like a scene out of Monty Python. ICE agents get a name back from face recognition and multiple agents start calling out “Maria! Maria!” to see if a woman in custody reacts. (Presumably if she does that’s a match???)
It didn’t work, so they ran the app again and got another name.
Continued in the article: “Asked what supported probable cause, the agent cited the woman speaking Spanish, her presence with others who appeared to be noncitizens, and a ‘possible match’ via facial recognition.”
Rando: “So it’s a ‘probable cause’ generator? […] it pops up the best matches out of a criminal database and then kidnap the person to get paid a bounty.”
Dell Cameron: “A lot about this app isn’t known. We used court records, agent testimony, company patents & testing by federal scientists to understand how this works (and when it doesn’t). Similarly, DHS is hiding its policies, so we look at behavior to deduce them.”
“‘Going on offense’: Slotkin will not cooperate with Trump DOJ probe. Sen. Elissa Slotkin says she will not cooperate with a Trump DOJ investigation into her video urging military members to refuse illegal orders.
Hosted by Ali Velshi, sitting in for Chris Hayes.
Video is 6:00 minutes
‘This shouldn’t be that complicated’: Jeffries draws hard line on DHS funding. “This shouldn’t be that complicated for my Republican colleagues,” says Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on the fight over DHS funding. “Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not brutalize or kill them.”
“Karoline Leavitt had plenty of options to address the latest example of the president’s routine racism. She made the wrong choice.”
The evidence documenting Donald Trump’s years’ worth of racism is overwhelming, though in recent months the president appears to have gone out of his way to add to his disgusting record.
In the fall, for example, Trump used the term “DEI” as a slur for minorities in blaming their involvement with the construction of Barack Obama’s presidential library. Soon after, the president, as part of an ugly anti-immigrant pitch, publicly referred to Somali Americans as “garbage” and revived his “s—hole countries” rhetoric.
The list, alas, continues to grow longer. The Associated Press reported:
President Donald Trump used his social media account to share a video about election conspiracy theories that includes a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle […]
Nearly all of the 62-second clip, which was among dozens of Truth Social posts from Trump overnight, appears to be from a conservative video alleging deliberate tampering with voting machines in battleground states as the 2020 presidential votes were tallied. At the 60-second mark is a quick scene of two primates, with the Obamas’ smiling faces imposed on them.
The fact that Trump didn’t make the video himself is hardly exculpatory: Trump saw the video and thought it’d be a good to idea to amplify it, just as he did in his first term when he promoted a video of a supporter wearing Trump campaign gear while shouting “white power!”
Even some of the president’s more sycophantic supporters weren’t willing to provide backup on Trump’s latest example of racism.
Republican Sen. Tim Scott, who is Black, wrote online that he was praying the video “was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” The South Carolinian, who’s currently chairing the National Republican Senatorial Committee, added: “The President should remove it.” [Duh]
At that point, Trump and his team had some limited options. They could have quietly deleted the president’s post. They also could have said it was posted by mistake. They might have even tried to claim that the president wasn’t fully aware of the contents of the entire video.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ignored those options and went with a response that made an awful story worse.
In a statement sent to Deadline, the president’s chief spokesperson said, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
How sadly predictable. To hear Leavitt tell it, Trump’s routine racism is unimportant, and outrage from both Democrats and Republicans like Scott is “fake.”
In his second inaugural address, Trump said: “To the Black and Hispanic communities, I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote. We set records, and I will not forget it. I’ve heard your voices in the campaign, and I look forward to working with you in the years to come.”
Like too many of Trump’s promises, he wasted little time in trashing this commitment and returning to the kind of gutter racism that helped fuel his political rise in the first place.
The intensifying controversy surrounding the presence of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in Fulton County, Georgia, last week is straightforward: She needlessly participated in an FBI raid on an Atlanta-area elections office as agents pursued one of Donald Trump’s absurd conspiracy theories, despite the fact that the DNI is prohibited by law from taking part in domestic law enforcement.
But in recent days, an unexpected mystery related to the controversy has emerged: Who sent her?
Late last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former Trump defense lawyer, said Gabbard “happened to be present in Atlanta,” as if her role were some kind of coincidence. [Laughable]
On Monday, the president told Fox News that Gabbard “wasn’t at the search.” Rather, she was “in the area where the search took place.” [JFC] (I still don’t understand what that means.)
The DNI herself tried to clarify matters in a four-page letter to Capitol Hill, in which she wrote that her “presence was requested by the President.” [!] The same document added that Trump “specifically directed my observance of the execution of the Fulton County search warrant.” [!!]
And then things got weird. [Weirder?]
On Wednesday, NBC News’ Tom Llamas asked Trump why Gabbard was on hand for the FBI raid. “I don’t know,” the president replied.
A day later, Trump shifted gears again and said the DNI went to Georgia at the “insistence” of Attorney General Pam Bondi [!], which didn’t help, since (1) it contradicted Gabbard’s line; (2) it contradicted his own line to NBC News; and (3) Gabbard doesn’t work for the Justice Department, and there was no basis for the AG to insist on the DNI’s participation (which, again, is precluded by law).
On Thursday afternoon, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt whether the president personally asked Gabbard to go. She refused to answer the question directly. [social media post, with video]
At the same briefing, another reporter asked, “You said Trump supports that Gabbard was in Fulton County, but last night, when he was asked about it, he said he didn’t know why she was there. Can you clarify on that?”
Leavitt again dodged and didn’t respond directly.
It’s not altogether clear why the White House is struggling with this, but as a rule, when Trump and his team are contradicting each other and start repeatedly changing their story, that’s emblematic of a much bigger problem.
The Gateway tunnel construction project is one of the nation’s most important infrastructure investments. The $16 billion Hudson River endeavor, one of the largest public works projects in recent memory, would connect New York and New Jersey via a pair of train tubes that would benefit the entire region.
It’s also run out of money — not because of mismanagement or budget overruns, but because Donald Trump and his team announced last fall that they would pause the federal funds that had already been approved for the project. (The ostensible reason: The Republican administration wants to know whether contracts were awarded with “diversity, equity and inclusion” considerations in mind.)
The commission overseeing the endeavor has made it clear that unless the White House agrees to an immediate change in direction, work on the project will cease and 1,000 workers will be laid off.
The good news is that the president recently signaled a willingness to release the resources that would allow work to continue. The bad news is the specific condition he has in mind. Punchbowl News reported:
President Donald Trump offered to release the funding for the massive Gateway infrastructure project if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer agrees to support renaming both Washington-Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station after Trump.
The Trump administration directly made the request of Schumer, according to four sources familiar with the situation.
Although the White House and the Democratic senator’s office declined to comment, MaddowBlog has independently verified the Punchbowl News report.
For those keeping score, Trump and his allies have now applied the president’s name to the Kennedy Center and to the Institute of Peace, announced the construction of “Trump-class” battleships, unveiled a commemorative legal-tender coin that will feature his face on both sides and have launched “Trump Gold Cards,” “Trump Accounts” and “TrumpRx” (the government’s new drug-pricing website). By some accounts, the president wants the forthcoming White House ballroom to be named after him, too.
But wait, there’s more. Trump wants a football stadium in the nation’s capital to be named after him; the nation’s next-generation fighter jet will have an “F-47” designation in honor of him (he is the nation’s 47th president); and training for incoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was reduced from 50 days to 47 days for the same reason.
The Republican also recently said it’s “not too late” to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico (which he has attempted to rename once already) to the “Gulf of Trump.”
This latest example is qualitatively different from the others for one reason: His attempt to hold taxpayer funds for the Gateway tunnel project hostage is the only example in which his commemorative crusade could actually hurt the public.
The president’s pitch is, for all intents and purposes, an attempt at extortion: If Democrats want to save the infrastructure project and prevent the job losses, they must indulge the president’s obsession with self-aggrandizement and self-glorification.
Articles of impeachment have been introduced over less.
“This is ridiculous,” Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said in a statement. “These naming rights aren’t tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers. At a time when New Yorkers are already being crushed by high costs under the Trump tariffs, the president continues to put his own narcissism over the good-paying union jobs this project provides and the extraordinary economic impact the Gateway tunnel will bring.”
She added, “I demand that the president put people first and unfreeze this project and all the others his administration has been holding hostage for his personal gain.”
Now, evidently, he wants Dulles Airport and Penn Station to be named after him, too.
This latest example is qualitatively different from the others for one reason: His attempt to hold taxpayer funds for the Gateway tunnel project hostage is the only example in which his commemorative crusade could actually hurt the public.
The president’s pitch is, for all intents and purposes, an attempt at extortion: If Democrats want to save the infrastructure project and prevent the job losses, they must indulge the president’s obsession with self-aggrandizement and self-glorification.
[…] “This is ridiculous,” Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said in a statement. “These naming rights aren’t tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers. At a time when New Yorkers are already being crushed by high costs under the Trump tariffs, the president continues to put his own narcissism over the good-paying union jobs this project provides and the extraordinary economic impact the Gateway tunnel will bring.”
She added, “I demand that the president put people first and unfreeze this project and all the others his administration has been holding hostage for his personal gain.”
Participants in this year’s field test of the 2030 census may be asked about their U.S. citizenship status, the Trump administration revealed Thursday.
The proposal, which is part of a regulatory filing for the test, comes months after President Trump — in the middle of a redistricting push for new voting maps that could help Republicans keep control of the U.S. House of Representatives — put out a call on social media for a “new” census that would, for the first time in U.S. history, exclude millions of people living in the country without legal status.
In Congress, a growing number of Republican lawmakers are backing similar controversial proposals to leave out some or all non-U.S. citizens from a set of census numbers used to determine each state’s share of congressional seats and Electoral College votes.
According to the 14th Amendment, those census apportionment counts must include the “whole number of persons in each state.”
And in federal court, multiple GOP-led states have filed lawsuits seeking to force the bureau to subtract from those counts residents without legal status and those with nonimmigrant visas, such as international college students and diplomats living in the United States. Missouri’s case goes further by calling for their exclusion from all census counts, including those for distributing federal dollars for public services in local communities. [!]
[…] the test is designed to inform preparations for the next once-a-decade head count in 2030 […]
The planned questionnaire for the test comes from an annual U.S. Census Bureau survey that is much longer than recent forms for the national tally. […]
In addition to citizenship status, the form asks about people’s sources of income, whether their home has a bathtub or shower, and whether the home is connected to a public sewer, among other questions.
The form, however, does not reflect changes to racial and ethnic categories that the Biden administration approved for the 2030 census and other federal surveys, including new checkboxes for “Middle Eastern or North African” and “Hispanic or Latino.” A White House agency official said in December that the Trump administration is considering rolling back those changes.
[…] the census test, which is now set to take place between April and September and involve around 155,000 households in Huntsville, Ala., and Spartanburg, S.C.
As with all surveys conducted by the bureau, federal law bans the agency from putting out information that would identify a person to anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement.
Still, many census advocates are concerned the Trump administration’s plan will discourage many historically undercounted populations, including households with immigrants and mixed-status families, from participating in the field test at a time of increased immigration enforcement and murky handling of government data. [Yep]
Previous Census Bureau research has found that adding a citizenship question would likely undermine the count’s accuracy by lowering response rates […]
During the first Trump administration, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a citizenship question from being added to the 2020 census, while declining to rule on whether the president can carry out an unprecedented exclusion of people without legal status from apportionment counts.
[…] Whether its proposed questions move forward is now for OMB to decide.
OMB is the Office of Management and Budget, run by that villain Russell Vought.
House Republicans plan to vote next week on a voter suppression bill that would require people to prove their citizenship in order to register to vote—a move expected to disenfranchise tens of millions of American citizens.
The bill, ridiculously dubbed the SAVE America Act, would require people to show either a passport or original birth certificate when registering to vote. It would implement nationwide voter ID rules, requiring people to show photographic ID to cast a ballot.
It’s a “solution” to fix the imaginary problem of noncitizen voting, which Republicans falsely claim happens when they wish to explain away their legitimate losses.
Only about half of Americans have a passport, and more than 9% of voting-age Americans—which amounts to 21.3 million people—don’t have access to documents to prove their citizenship, such as their original birth certificate. Therefore, the bill could unjustly deny tens of millions of people the right to vote.
Democrats have correctly dubbed it modern-day Jim Crow. It amounts to a poll tax, with people being forced to track down birth certificates or pay for a passport—which costs at least $130. For people who do not have their birth certificates in their possession, many would have to pay a $150 file-search fee to find it.
Ironically, requiring a passport to register to vote may hurt Republicans more than Democrats. [!]
A study published by NBC News in 2019 found that liberals were much more likely to hold valid passports than conservatives. According to the study, 57% of people who identified as liberal said they held a valid passport, while 48% who identified as conservative said they had one.
But President Donald Trump—a sore loser who can’t get over his 2020 loss to former President Joe Biden and who is now weaponizing the federal government to prove his lies—says the bill must pass to save our elections.
“America’s Elections are Rigged, Stolen, and a Laughingstock all over the World. We are either going to fix them, or we won’t have a Country any longer,” Trump wrote Thursday in a Truth Social post, urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act.
Senate Democrats have vowed to block the bill.
“The SAVE Act is an abomination,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday. “It’s Jim Crow 2.0 across the country. We are going to do everything we can to stop it.”
[…] “The SAVE Act solves nothing,” the Brennan Center for Justice wrote on Monday “All available evidence, including from the Trump administration itself, indicates that only American citizens vote and the exceptions are vanishingly rare. States that have combed through their voter rolls looking for illegally cast votes—like Louisiana and Utah did recently—have repeatedly confirmed that fact.
The piece adds, “These bills are part of a broader federal agenda to sow distrust in our elections, undermine election administration, and discourage Americans from making their voices heard. The SAVE Act, in any form, would block millions of American citizens from voting. Congress should stand firm once again and reject the SAVE Act.” [I agree]
This is the first time we are aware that any federal agent in the Twin Cities campaign has connected the federal immigration campaign with Minnesota’s political alignment as a “blue” Democratic Party-leaning state.
[…]
Agent: the more people that you lose in Minnesota, you then lose a voting right to stay blue.
Ethicallyunbothered: Well, if you’re only taking illegals, we’re not losing any voters.
Agent: That’s wrong because technically they’re trying to pass a bill that [inaudible] require you to be a United States citizen to vote in an election.
Commentary
I think they’re going to be pretty disappointed in the end result if that’s what they’re going for.
He talks about transparency while wearing a mask.
This is bad, but sort of paradoxically, you can’t pull off this sort of vote suppression scheme with goons who are this dumb and undisciplined that they would say shit like this while they know they’re being recorded.
I don’t think this even is a vote suppression scheme as we’d think of it. I think this is some insane great replacement theory delusion, where they think if they’re deporting the “illegals” Democrats pay to vote for them.
Also terrifying that this agent seems to believe we need a new law saying only citizens can vote.
[…] House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans should “immediately denounce Trump’s disgusting bigotry.” He also noted, “The Obamas are brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans. They represent the best of this country. Donald Trump is a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the video was “disgusting behavior by the president” and said, “Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
[…] Notably in its first draft of coverage of the video, the story from New York Times reporter Isabella Kwai insisted that it was “unclear if Mr. Trump was aware that the clip had been included in the video before he shared it.” That paragraph was later removed but no editor’s note was included in the story despite the major change. The Times and other major news organizations have frequently been caught cleaning up Trump’s remarks and policies, removing context of his bigotry and ineptitude in a practice called “sanewashing.”
But there is no doubt that Trump is a racist.
Trump has spent decades as a public figure saying racist things and promoting racist ideas and this has only amplified during his two terms as president. His administration has pursued racist policy goals in foreign policy and domestic policy.
Additionally, he is financially supported by billionaire Elon Musk, who has personally pushed racism and turned X into a cesspool of racism and a haven for bigots.
The Obamas have been the most consistent targets of Trump’s racism. He transitioned into becoming a political figure based on his open support of the debunked and racist “birther” conspiracy theory.
The mainstream press has continued its crusade to sanitize who Trump is and has pushed false claims that he is shifting his “tone.” But Trump’s post and his other activities make clear he is staying true to what he is: a racist.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump appeared to delete the racist post the morning of Feb. 6.
Too late for Trump to delete it. The video depicting the Obamas as apes has already been seen around the world, and many media outlets have reported on it.
Remember when we used to have actual health data, and the government sponsored meaningful health research? Good times. But guess what? Now, we have Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. […]
Kennedy’s latest big idea is that if people follow a keto diet, it could cure schizophrenia.
Kennedy’s evidence? A doctor at Harvard says he has two patients who had complete remission after following a keto diet.
Two. People.
This isn’t science. It isn’t even enough to be called anecdata.
Kennedy also mentioned “studies right now that I saw two days ago where people lose their bipolar diagnosis by changing their diet.” It’s honestly not clear if Kennedy thinks that bipolar disorder is the same thing as schizophrenia, or if he is referring to some other studies that he has imagined.
There is no doubt Kennedy is pushing the keto diet because it dovetails with the insane new food pyramid he debuted earlier this year. The administration is “ending the war on protein”! Which was never a thing to begin with!
The keto diet is high-fat and low-carb, and hoovering up nothing but saturated fats all day causes a few minor problems, nothing to really worry about. Just high cholesterol, nutrient deficiencies, kidney and liver problems, constipation. […]
This nonsense is part of Kennedy’s wellness grift, but it’s also in keeping with his profound distaste for people with physical or mental illness and his loathing of pharmaceuticals.
[…] Based on nothing but whatever the worm in his brain is telling him, he also single-handedly decided to reverse the Centers for Disease Control’s position that vaccines do not cause autism.
Things are so haphazard over at HHS right now that Kennedy’s own National Institutes of Health director, Jay Bhattacharya, appeared in front of the Senate earlier this week and said that he had not actually seen any studies linking autism to vaccines.
He also turned the federal autism board into a playground for anti-vax conspiracy theorists.
[…] Kennedy has some other deeply weird thoughts about what causes autism. He touted a discredited study saying that boys who are circumcised have double the rates of autism, which, just, no.
Rather than providing meaningful medical treatment, particularly for mental health issues, Kennedy wants to send people to “wellness farms,” where they get to till the land, get in touch with nature, and “detox” from antidepressants and other drugs. Presumably, they will all be eating a keto diet instead.
Everyone in the Trump administration is dangerous, but Kennedy really stands out […]
Benson is counting people, as they hobble out of a mini bus, up the steps and onto the plane. These immigration detainees, their hands and feet shackled, are being flown out of Minnesota
[…]
Today’s plane will head to Texas. […] “The count is what is important to me, because there’s no other source of quantitative data with respect to what’s actually going on,” he says. […] The lack of transparency is one of the reasons Benson, along with others in the Minneapolis-based activist group MN50501, has started keeping detailed spreadsheets of every flight he can—42 in January alone. […] The final count for today is 19 people. Other days, it’s been more than 100. […] Benson estimates that 2,339 people were flown out of Minnesota like this in January, when flights began happening daily, sometimes twice a day.
[…]
“I think it’s the most important work that I’m ever going to get an opportunity to do,” he says, starting to tear up a bit. “But I really wish I didn’t have to.”
TRIGGER WARNING, because below is a video of a US Marshal from Donald Trump’s Invasion Force in Memphis kicking a puppy and reportedly breaking its rib yesterday, while serving a warrant. Because there is nothing too on the nose for these assholes. […]
[…] Hollingsworth took the puppy to the vet, whereupon she learned the fed had broken one of the puppy’s ribs. Hopefully Yoshi will be OK.
She explained why she posted the video:
“The point was just to like get it out there, see what’s going on actually with the task force and the US Marshals. See what they’re actually doing and, like, what’s going on. Like how they treat animals in a sense, like a little dog, a little ankle-biter, he had big old boots on. What was [the dog] going to do? Like literally nothing. There was no point in that,” said Hollingsworth.
[…] It’s important to understand the terminology for the federal presence here in Memphis. The “Memphis Safe Task Force” is the bullshit name they came up with for what is essentially a two-pronged attack on Memphis, two prongs that have contributed to confusion both from locals […] and outsiders alike about what is really happening.
You may remember when Stephen Miller and Pam Bondi and [Pete Hegseth] showed up in Memphis to “encourage” law enforcement, which was mostly Stephen Miller […] screaming at officers about (and this is a real quote), “The gangbangers that you deal with — they think they’re ruthless? They have no idea how ruthless we are! They think they’re tough? They have no idea how tough we are! They think they’re hardcore? We are so much more hardcore than they are!”
Point is, the Memphis Safe Task Force is sort of a hybrid of Trump’s federal takeover of DC and his unleashing of the immigration Gestapo on Minneapolis, New Orleans, and other cities. The city of Memphis has an extremely whitewashed explanation on the city website, because Memphis’s leadership is really fucking embarrassing right now. [Embedded links to this and other sources are available at the main link.]
By the way, the Task Force FAQ on the City of Memphis website hardly mentions the ICE Gestapo prong of the operation, which is remarkable since that is fully the second prong of the operation, though that’s been more carefully shielded from general public view. Arguably, though, it’s the real show, and the CRIME-FIGHTIN’ side — which appears to largely be a traffic cop/warrant-serving operation — is the made-for-TV thing designed to make scared white citizens think Daddy is TAKIN’ CARE OF BIDNESS. (As usual for the Trump regime, any claims that they’re going after the worst of the worst are absolute bullshit.)
There are a number of reasons the immigration operation is quieter in Memphis, compared to, say, Minneapolis. We’re a third of the size when you put the two metro areas next to each other, it’s one of the poorest cities in the nation […] the city of Memphis proper, population 610,919, covers 302.57 square miles and has a population density of approximately 2,150 per square mile. Minneapolis proper on the other hand, is 428,759, but in only 57.51 square miles, counting lakes, a density of 7,962.2 per square mile.
Do you see how whistles and community organizing might be easier and more effective in one place vs. the other? (Chicago, which ran [ICE] out with their tails between their legs, has a density of 12,059 per square mile.)
So, all of that is to explain how this innocent puppy was kicked by a Trump fed, but not in the context of immigration enforcement. It was part of the YOU THINK YOU GANGBANGERS ARE RUTHLESS? STEPHEN MILLER […] side of the operation.
Congrats, Wonkette! We have now reported more on the Memphis invasion than the entirety of the mainstream national news media!
If you watch the full report at Fox 13 you can see that there was another angle of video besides Hollingsworth’s, which looks like a Ring camera or something similar, which makes it kind of confusing what with differences in lens shapes and whatnot. We’ve seen people suggesting that the agent kicked the shit out of the dog because it was coming at their own (much larger) K-9 dog. Feel free to watch it for yourself, from all the angles. You do hear one of the agents, not the kicker, yell “GIT THAT DOG!” about the little one. And the K-9 was definitely going nuts.
However, what’s not clear to us is whether the answer at that moment was for the big thug to kick the fuck out of the small dog. (Especially since the K-9 appears to circle around at that point, effectively meaning the dude kicked the puppy almost into the path of the larger dog.)
We just feel like if our colleague said “GIT THAT DOG!” and it was a 15-pound Schnauzer, our first instinct would be to, dunno, try to pick it up?
We would also note that anybody inclined to say “leash your dog!” may not be taking into account what happens when the feds bust in and leave the door standing open. There might not be time to do that in the chaos. Also maybe the feds should control their dog better.
[…] Puppy with broken ribs. Probably a paid agitator.
Trump’s thugs are nailing it with this hearts and minds shit.
Protect your fur babies, there’s bad guys out there.
Senior Russian officials and business figures, including a graduate of Russia’s Federal Security Services Academy, cultivated relationships with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a trove of documents newly released by the Justice Department […]
The documents reveal that several high-profile Russians met and corresponded directly with Epstein, and that Epstein made repeated efforts over multiple years to arrange a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. They also include evidence that Epstein, to help improve his public image, enlisted a former leader of a pro-Kremlin youth movement who was once awarded a medal by Putin.
In response to the disclosures, Poland opened an inquiry into possible links between Epstein and Russian intelligence services, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday.
The Kremlin dismissed the move, with a spokesperson saying that the allegations of ties between Epstein and Russian intelligence “deserve nothing but jokes” and did not merit serious comment.
Putin’s name appears more than 1,000 times in the released Epstein files, but the majority of those references come from news clippings and media digests Epstein received rather than his personal correspondence.
Epstein’s private emails, however, show repeated attempts in the 2010s to arrange a meeting with the Russian president, often through former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland. There is no evidence in the Justice Department files that such a meeting ever took place.
In a 2013 email to former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Epstein said he had been invited to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — an annual conference designed to attract foreign investment in Russia that Putin always attends — but Epstein claimed he declined. Referring to Putin, Epstein wrote: “If he wants to meet he will need to set aside real time and privacy.”
Correspondence with Jagland that year shows Epstein urging him to raise the prospect of a meeting during an upcoming visit to Moscow. “I know you are going to meet Putin on the 20th. He is desperate to engage western investment in his country … I have his solution,” Epstein wrote. Follow-up emails suggest no progress, with Epstein later complaining he received no response. [I snipped details of invitation for Epstein to meet Putin in Sochi, and of an effort to arrange a meeting “to talk about economy.”]
The Justice Department files show that from May 2014 into 2018, a high-ranking graduate of Russia’s Federal Security Services Academy, Sergey Belyakov, cultivated a close relationship with Epstein.
At the time, Belyakov was serving as Russia’s deputy economic development minister, and he appeared delighted with his new friendship, telling Epstein in a May 4, 2014, message: “Our meeting was really interesting for me! I do not know many people like you, who can open new horizons and prospects.” Soon after, Epstein invited Belyakov for dinner at his home in New York City, and Belyakov thanked Epstein for a gift.
From then on, the two men appeared to maintain a close friendship, with Belyakov inviting Epstein several times to attend SPIEF beginning in 2015. Belyakov ran the forum during that year. At the same time, Epstein introduced Belyakov to other senior figures in his circle, according to the correspondence. They included Barak, the former Israeli prime minister, in April 2015. In July of that year, he arranged for Belyakov to meet the American tech billionaire Peter Thiel in California. [!]
Later that same month, Epstein turned to Belyakov for assistance with a serious problem, the documents show: “I need a favor,” Epstein wrote in a July 24, 2015, message to Belyakov. “There is a russian girl from Moscow. She is attempting to blackmail a group of powerful businessmen in New York. It is bad for business for everyone involved … Suggestions?”
In a later note, Epstein explained that the woman was claiming “powerful men take advantage of women like her etc.” Belyakov’s reply suggests a growing dependency. The FSB academy graduate immediately offered assistance, saying he would meet with someone who knows the woman in question, and he alleged she was involved in the “sex and escort” business.
By 2016, the two men were discussing business, and Belyakov told Epstein in January that he had a new position at the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the Russian sovereign wealth fund, headed by powerful Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
[…] Belyakov […] also asking if Epstein was interested in investing in a new payment system, the mycelium bitcoin processor.
[…] The Justice Department files also appear to indicate that Epstein was in contact with Oleg Deripaska, a powerful Russian billionaire close to the Kremlin, who had also cultivated a friendship with Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of Britain’s Labour Party. [!]
When Mandelson was the European Union trade commissioner in 2008, he vacationed on Deripaska’s yacht in Corfu, Greece, together with Nat Rothschild, the British-born financier, raising questions about Russian oligarch efforts to cozy up to British politicians.
Other emails between Mandelson, his associate Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, Epstein and what appears to be Deripaska’s office indicate that Mandelson and Wegg-Prosser tried to use Deripaska’s contacts to acquire a last-minute visa to Russia for Epstein in 2010.
A proposed ICE detention facility that would have held 8,500 immigrants in a warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi, won’t happen, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker says.
“I just spoke with DHS Secretary Noem […] I relayed to her the opposition of local elected and zoning officials as well as economic development concerns. I appreciate her for agreeing to look elsewhere.”
Of course this has nothing to do with infrastructure and local resources and everything to do with the fact that everyone except the most stone cold racists hates what the Trump administration is doing on immigration and people don’t want it in their communities. And if Herr Miller can’t built his camps in Mississippi, where can he build them?
It’s hard to put into perspective how truly massive the warehouse is that was recently sold [to DHS] for $70 million […] in Surprise, AZ. Across the street is a huge neighborhood and a school. It’s 400,000-square-feet. [Video clip]
[Feb 3rd] the first Surprise City Council meeting since the Jan. 23rd sale. According to the City, federal projects are not subject to local zoning regulations. They also claim they were unaware of the purchase. […] The main room has filled up […] A crowd of protesters is also outside […] The overflow room at the Surprise City Council meeting has also filled up
[…]
The number of people signed up to speak tonight increased to 160. […] Dysart High has a 60% Hispanic population. […] there are actually 9 schools in the nearby vicinity.
[…]
only two have spoken up in favor of the concentration camp. The crowd booed the hell out of them. The mayor told people to stop booing and they booed him too.
A Surprise resident said that, if this camp gets finalized, it will turn Surprise into an “epicenter of protests,” and lead to more death and more violence. “This doesn’t belong in anyone’s backyard or anywhere in the United States.”
[…]
Nobody is accepting the mayor and council’s weak statement, excuses that the deal is done, and that they had no knowledge of the purchase—They’ve been repeatedly called failures to the community, and speakers keep recommending ways the City can take actionable steps to stop this concentration camp.
[…]
Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the [German] Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault? I had no jurisdiction over this,’ maybe he said, ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.'” [Video clip]
[…] someone mentioned how eerie it is that a train track […] runs directly behind the proposed concentration camp.
Commentary
In today’s unhelpful comparison: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is just shy of 339,000 square feet.
That’s bigger than soundstage-sized. I used to work in a refactored aircraft hanger. That’s bigger than that, too.
The Ohrdruf speech
[…] The US Army brought the leading citizens of Ohrdruf to tour the facility […] A US Army colonel told the German civilians who viewed the scenes, without muttering a word, that they were to blame. One of the Germans replied that what happened in the camp was “done by a few people, and you cannot blame us all.” And the American, who could have been any one of our grandfathers, said, “This was done by those that the German people chose to lead them, and all are responsible.”
The morning after the tour, the Mayor of Ohrdruf killed himself. And maybe he did not know the full extent of the outrages that were committed in his community, but he knew enough. And we don’t know exactly how ICE will use this warehouse. But we know enough.
I ask you to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf might have thought before he died. Maybe he felt like a victim. He might have thought, “How is this my fault? I have no jurisdiction over this.” Maybe he would have said, “This site was not subject to local zoning, what could I do?” But I think, when he reflected on the suffering that occurred at this camp, just outside of town, that those words would have sounded hollow even to him. […]
I urge the council to take action to stop, or stall, or at the barest minimum to think creatively about how to exercise oversight over this proposed ICE facility.
US Vice President JD Vance endured a chorus of “boos” as US athletes began their march at the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, after Israeli athletes faced the same unwarm welcome.
The Independent’s Flo Clifford reported from inside San Siro stadium, ”A largely positive reception for the US contingent. There are thousands of American fans in the stadium – but very definite boos and jeers for vice president JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, who the camera pans to waving American flags for a few brief seconds.”
Earlier in the parade of nations, Israel’s athletes were booed as they entered the stadium. “There appears to be a security detail following closely behind the athletes,” Flo reported.
Israeli athletes got booed. The US athletes didn’t boos but JD Vance did. Nothing too surprising, Russia doesn’t have a contingent at all.
DHS just expedited Liam Conejo Ramos’ asylum hearing […] it’s possible the five-year-old and his family could be deported as soon as today. […]
Ramos’ parents, originally from Ecuador, were set for their asylum hearing in late Feb. DHS abruptly moved it up to THIS MORNING. They are not in the U.S. illegally and have no criminal record. DHS is simply trying to end their asylum claims.
Just heard back from DHS[:] “These are regular removal proceedings. This is standard procedure and there is nothing retaliatory about enforcing the nation’s immigration laws. He will receive full due process.” (This is not standard procedure.)
Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket): “It’s so, so, so frustrating how they act like people applying for asylum are subject to removal proceedings. That is not the law!!!!”
Jen Bendery:
UPDATE: The court granted Ramos’ family a continuance at today’s asylum hearing, per school officials in his district. “Today’s ruling provides additional time, and with that, continued uncertainty for a child and his family,” says Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights public schools.
I don’t know what happens next, but Liam and his family are not being deported today.
StevoRsays
Spikes on an .. Iguandontid!?
Yup apparently so – a fossil with the rather unfortunate sounding name of Haolong dongi :
Documented for 200 years, the Iguanodontia group is expanding with the discovery of a brand-new species, the first known to bear spikes with properties never before observed in dinosaurs. Scientists from the CNRS1 and their international partners have uncovered in China the fossilized skin of an exceptionally well preserved juvenile iguanodon.
The Haolong dongi had large, overlapping scales along its tail and a body covered in spines of various shapes and sizes. This is a remarkable finding, as such spines have never before been observed in dinosaurs. Scientists have even nicknamed the species the “spiny dragon.”
Plus form the figure there :
Haolong skin structures: small non-overlapping knobby scales along the neck (C), small spines along the neck (D), large non-overlapping shield-shaped scales on the tail (E), small knobby scales and spines along the sternum (F), light blue elements represent small knobby scales and small spines (G). Close-up photo of G, showing well-preserved small spines (H). Scale bar: 50 cm (A), 25 cm (B), 1 mm (C,D,F,H), 2 cm (E), 1 cm (G).
StevoRsays
Via The New Arab :
Pax Silica is the latest US-led coalition born from the superpower’s fear of losing hegemony. Under the second Trump administration, efforts to counter China’s dominance in critical minerals have intensified.
This new bloc includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK, Israel, the UAE, and Australia. Israel’s inclusion in Pax Silica is a significant elevation of its strategic role as it was notably absent from previous major US critical mineral minilaterals, including the Biden era’s Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), AUKUS, and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD).
The new coalition, much like the Abraham Accords signed in Trumps first term, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states, furthers the ties between Israel and the UAE specifically.
According to Pax Silica’s official description, “the United States is organizing a coalition of countries around the principle of building a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven ecosystem across the entire global technology supply chain—from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics.”
Plus The New Arab on the attack on Ilhan Omar here :
When millions of Americans repeatedly hear claims that a female Muslim lawmaker and former refugee is an un-American terrorist, there’s an obvious risk that at least one of these individuals will act on that rhetoric.
While the man who assaulted Omar is responsible for his own actions, political leaders and lobby groups bear responsibility for the hateful atmosphere they created. The attack on Omar was not an inexplicable anomaly; it was the predictable outcome of years of escalating bigotry.
The U.S. struck another alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific on Thursday, killing two people, U.S. Southern Command announced on social media. … The strike is at least the 35th since September but only the second since the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro, then the president of Venezuela, in a military operation on Jan. 3.
The Trump administration finalized a policy Thursday that creates a new category of federal workers that would make it easier to fire high-ranking career civil servants for their perceived unwillingness to implement the president’s agenda. The new rule, set to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, will affect approximately 55,000 workers.
Iran appears to have rapidly repaired several ballistic missile facilities damaged in strikes last year, but it has made only limited fixes to major nuclear sites struck by Israel and the United States, a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery suggests.
As Steve Benen noted: “The White House’s use of the word “obliterated” last year was unwise.”
Over two days of questioning during his Senate confirmation hearings last year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeated the same answer.
He said the closely scrutinized 2019 trip he took to Samoa, which came before a devastating measles outbreak, had “nothing to do with vaccines.”
Documents obtained by The Guardian and The Associated Press undermine that testimony. Emails sent by staffers at the U.S. Embassy and the United Nations provide, for the first time, an inside look at how Kennedy’s trip came about and include contemporaneous accounts suggesting his concerns about vaccine safety motivated the visit.
The documents have prompted concerns from at least one U.S. senator that the lawyer and activist now leading America’s health policylied to Congress over the visit. Samoan officials later said Kennedy’s trip bolstered the credibility of anti-vaccine activists ahead of the measles outbreak, which sickened thousands of people and killed 83, mostly children under age 5.
The revelations, which come as measles outbreaks erupt across the U.S., build on previous criticism that Kennedy’s anti-vaccine record makes him unfit to serve as health secretary, a role in which he has worked to radically reshape immunization policy and public perceptions of vaccines.
The newly disclosed documents also reveal previously unknown details of the trip, including that a U.S. Embassy employee helped Kennedy’s team connect with Samoan officials. Kennedy, then running his anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, did not publicly discuss the trip at the time, but he has since said his “purpose” for going there was not related to vaccines and “I ended up having conversations with people, some of whom I never intended to meet.” Besides meeting with anti-vaccine activists, Kennedy met with Samoan officials, including the health minister at the time, who told NBC News that Kennedy shared his view that vaccines were not safe. Kennedy has said he went there to introduce a medical data system.
The U.S. State Department turned over the emails — many of which are heavily redacted — as a result of an open records lawsuit brought with the assistance of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Kennedy addressed questions about his trip to Samoa during two Senate confirmation hearings for his appointment as health secretary.
“My purpose in going down there had nothing to do with vaccines,” [Lie] he said under questioning by Democratic Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts in his Jan. 30, 2025, hearing.
“Did the trip have nothing to do with vaccines as you told my colleagues in Senate Finance yesterday?” Markey asked later.
“Nothing to do with vaccines,” Kennedy replied. [Lie]
[…] “Lying to Congress about his role in the deadly measles outbreak in Samoa only underscores the danger he now poses to families across America,” Wyden [Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon] said in an email. “He and his allies will be held responsible.” […]
When NBC News’ Tom Llamas asked Donald Trump about the struggling economy this week, the president seemed eager to respond with a familiar claim.
“OK, you ready?” he asked the anchor. “So we have, it was just announced, more jobs right now occupied in the United States of America that at any time during its existence, 250 years.” The president called this a “pretty good stat.” [What a spectacularly stupid thing to say.]
As is too often the case, Trump, who’s long struggled to understand economic data at even the most basic level, didn’t know what he was talking about. Putting aside the fact that this statistic was not “just announced” — the president started pushing this same line during his first term — the fact that more Americans are in the workforce is far less amazing than he realizes: As the nation’s population grows, the size of the workforce grows with it.
[…] Far more important is whether the U.S. economy is actually generating more jobs, and on that front, Trump is failing spectacularly: If we exclude recession years, the first year of his second term was the worst for the U.S. job market in more than two decades. [!]
Indeed, on the heels of the president’s misplaced comment to Llamas, the public got new data on the job market — all of it discouraging. Reuters reported:U.S. job openings dropped to the lowest level in more than five years in December and data for the prior month was revised lower amid a softening in labor market conditions at the end of 2025. […]
[…] To make matters worse, as job openings dropped, CNBC reported that layoffs last month were the worst in any January since 2009, at the height of the Great Recession.
[…] As for the official unemployment report for January, those numbers are supposed to be released on the first Friday of the month, but because of the recent partial government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will instead unveil the data on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
the website that he and his aides have touted for months as a platform aimed at lowering prescription drug prices […] uses technology from health care company GoodRx […] to display the cash prices—that is, the prices available when paying without insurance—for certain drugs and direct patients to other sites where they can buy the therapies. […]
some experts are skeptical the platform will meaningfully affect affordability. Though the direct prices are lower than list prices, they still amount to several hundred dollars per month for many drugs, largely more than the cost for patients using insurance. And typically when patients buy their drugs directly from pharma companies, none of their spending counts toward their deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums
[…]
drugmakers will partner with GoodRx to host their self-pay prices and GoodRx will integrate that pricing onto the TrumpRx platform. […] TrumpRx will not sell medications. It is expected to be a searchable website that links to other sites through which patients can directly buy brand drugs. […] Will TrumpRx accept insurance? It’s not entirely clear. […] Will anyone be able to use TrumpRx? Yes. You will just need a prescription to be able to buy the drugs.
In November 2024, independent pharmacies filed at least three class action lawsuits against GoodRx […] agreements using GoodRx’s software suppressed reimbursements for generic drugs and violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. The suits claim the practices amount to price fixing which harms small pharmacies
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Commentary on 266. Bennett Tomlin (Anti-cryptofraud): “It’s just manufacturer coupons. […] They’ve been talking about TrumpCare for a decade. Like an actual decade. Like 10 years. If they had 10 people working on it that’s 200,000 man hours. […] This is the absolute best they could do. They’re truly pathetic people”
A man taken [on Thursday] is a kidney transplant recipient who did not have his life-saving medication when he was initially arrested. […] a lawyer for Abreu-Vasquez was told Friday morning that he would need a doctor’s note to be able to access the anti-rejection medication […] [A State Rep] got a letter from his Mayo Clinic doctor. She said she was concerned, though, because she hadn’t heard from federal officials as of Friday afternoon—after Abreu-Vasquez was scheduled to be transported by flight to a federal detention center in Texas.
[…]
[“] ICE is working with the family to ensure he gets all of his needed medications,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody,” McLaughlin’s statement continued. “This is the best healthcare many aliens have received in their entire lives.”
[…]
Abreu-Vasquez had been detained after federal agents rammed into his car and broke his car window […] he had been delivering groceries for a mutual aid network
Not that it would be okay to do this to an undocumented immigrant either but THIS GUY IS A LEGAL IMMIGRANT and also his lawyer hand delivered his medication, and they REFUSED TO GIVE IT TO HIM.
Exposing an organ transplant patient to prison conditions is almost certainly a death sentence. Refusing access to medications removes the “almost”.
a great reminder that people travel from all over the world to visit [Mayo Clinic] because of its reputation. I can’t imagine the federal occupation of Minnesota is giving Mayo a great international reputation right now.
Militant Agnosticsays
Lynna @251
kicking a puppy and reportedly breaking its rib
Kirsti Noem is disappointed because he didn’t shoot it.
Monday was Flemister and Metry’s second interview with DHS. They thought getting approved for I-130 would protect Metry
[…]
Flemister said the employee told them the ‘good news’—that they were approved for the I-130. But then he turned to him. “I need to talk to you for a second.” […] He followed the DHS employee back out the keypad lock door they’d entered to the waiting room and the door slammed shut behind him.
Immigration was there, the employee told him […] Flemister didn’t get to say goodbye. They took Metry […] Flemister was allowed to reenter and collect her things. Immigration confiscated her phone. Flemister felt a pang when he saw her wedding ring.
The DHS employee gave Flemister no instructions. ‘I think you should definitely get your lawyer involved,’ was the best he could offer.
[…]
[Metry texted] her friend she loved her, and that she was happy they watched “Orange is the New Black” because it prepared her for what lay ahead. […] “I’m so scared,” she wrote. “I’m so cold.” […] “I’m gonna put some money on your books,” [the friend] told her. “We’re gonna get you another blanket.” But Metry said no—that if she was caught with the blanket, she would get in trouble.
[…]
Metry suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, with shooting pains through her ankle and knee. Earlier this year, her insurance finally came through with the medication she needed. On Tuesday, because she was in detention, she missed an injection she needed.
Rando: “The DHS worker […] presumably doesn’t carry a weapon or wear paramilitary gear. Yet they willingly play their role in moving along the horror.”
“Upon becoming aware of the individual’s presence, the patron was asked to leave the premises and was escorted out by staff in accordance with venue policy to maintain a safe and orderly environment for all patrons.”
Minneapolis residents are trying a new tactic […] filter blockades […] residents dragged wooden pallets, signs and traffic cones into the intersection to set up a roundabout on the busy county road. A fire roared in the center of the roundabout and a big stereo bumped over the sound of passing cars.
[…]
most motorists slowed and carefully drove around the blockade, sometimes flashing a fist out the window or greeting the people […] “But if ICE arrives, it forces them to slow down. We can log their heading, we can log their plates and we can alert the neighborhood.”
State law makes it a misdemeanor to block a public right-of-way. Interim Minneapolis Fire Chief Melanie Rucker said in a statement that being forced to reroute trucks can increase the risk to firefighters and those they serve.
[…] police maintained a low-profile presence at the blockade on Cedar Avenue. Lt. Deitan Dubuc, who was at the site for over an hour, told people on the blockade that he wanted to make sure that people could express themselves, but that no one would get hurt.
Jon Collins (MPR): “One of the people there told me [they’re “fuckaroundabouts”]. Our house style is to censor profanity, which I think is a little silly but not my call”
Rando: “Dunno what it’s like in Minneapolis, but in Seattle we’re allowed to shut down a street for a block party with a modest permit.”
Here, we present a guide to maintaining filter blockades […] slow or stop occupying forces; everyone else is waved through with a smile.
[…]
At one of the larger filter blockades, two vehicles containing ICE agents were able to pass through because the blockaders were not prepared to halt them. Community members adapted by deploying makeshift gates constructed out of pallets, which they moved into the road to halt cars long enough to run their plates through an ICE database. They reinforced these by readying furniture, pallets, and other materials and resolved to challenge ICE directly. The next day, when an ICE vehicle came through, they confronted the driver and eventually compelled him to flee the area.
Community defense hinges on community consent. […] Thus far, the filter blockades have been popular in the Twin Cities […] While larger blockades are flashier, they are also more likely to face pressure from local law enforcement
The article reports some ICE cars responded by driving erratically, speeding through the oncoming lane, or doing a U-turn before the blockade back into a whistle-blowing crowd that had initially chased it off toward the checkpoint.
there is one nurse who is present from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but there are no posted medical protocols, and nobody receives a complete medical exam unless they are sent to a detention facility in Texas. Detainees are sleeping on the floor and given only thin foil blankets, she said. […] Because Whipple is considered only a temporary holding site, the rules that would govern conditions at a detention center don’t apply […] Some detainees, Morrison said, are moving back and forth from detention in Dilley, Texas, where there has been an outbreak
[…]
The lawmakers who have sued for access to Whipple and other sites scored a win on Monday. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb said a DHS policy that required seven days’ notice before visits likely broke the law. […] While Morrison, as a plaintiff, has since been allowed inside Whipple, Democratic Reps. Angie Craig and Betty McCollum have still not been let inside, and were both turned away on Friday.
Morrison has toured the facility three times since Saturday and twice in the past 24 hours. […] she said the Whipple Building is ill-equipped to handle the influx of detainees […] “The people, they don’t have medical protocol, there aren’t beds there, they don’t have regular meals. It’s just not set up to be a detention center. I think it needs to be shut down.”
StevoRsays
WARNING : Confronting, distressing viewing, scenes of massacre & horror. Fooitage of gun violence, terrorism and aftermath of those.
Tr*mp and Miller do not understand soft power. And it’s hobbling the regime
.
[“Soft” power must obviously be effiminate and gay. This is the infantile level of their understanding]
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=LaP6voExLVU
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
Trump admin fast-tracks Liam Ramos and his dad for deportation. The Trump administration is pushing to expedite the deportation of five-year-old Liam Ramos, just weeks after he was reunited with his father.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
‘To his bones a racist’: Hayes says Trump ‘taking the mask off’ with Obama video. “There is a clear pattern here. They are pursuing a racist agenda. That video—usefully perhaps—was just Trump fully taking the mask off,” says Chris Hayes.
independent pharmacies filed at least three class action lawsuits against GoodRx […] agreements using GoodRx’s software suppressed reimbursements for generic drugs and violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. The suits claim the practices amount to price fixing which harms small pharmacies
So Trump teamed up with known fraudsters to commit another fraud, TrumpRx. If not outright fraud, TrumpRx is at least misleading the public.
This aspect of the mostly for-show TrumpRX website is important to keep in mind: “[Prices] are largely more than the cost for patients using insurance. And typically when patients buy their drugs directly from pharma companies, none of their spending counts toward their deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums.”
Also, I see from the reporting that the Trump administration depended on (and continues to depend on) work that GoodRx had already done. The Trump administration did basically nothing. GoodRx software continues to support most of the TrumpRx functions.
“Josh Hawley Somehow Under Impression That It’s Netflix’s Job To Help Him Raise Bigoted Children”
“Hawley spent his time at an antitrust hearing whining about LGBTQ+ characters.”
This week, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos testified before the Senate about his company’s plan to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD), an already enormous media conglomerate that also includes HBOMax. […]
Republicans […] took the opportunity to scold Sarandos over what they consider to be not just a liberal political bias, but actual “social engineering” designed to, as a report from the Heritage Foundation put it, “advance left-wing radical political ideologies and undermine and demean traditional American values.”
By this, they meant that there are shows on Netflix featuring LGBTQ+ characters. […]
During the hearing, noted free speech lover Sen. Josh Hawley complained that he and his wife have to watch shows on the streaming service before they can allow their children to see them, for fear said children might learn that gay or trans people exist — or worse, see them portrayed in a humane way. (Hawley’s remarks come at 52 minutes in.) [video]
“Why is it,” he asked with a very serious look on his face, “that so much of Netflix’s content promotes a transgender ideology? Almost half of your content for children — I’m talking about minor children, I’m not talking about teenagers — promotes a transgender ideology agenda.”
Transgender ideology, by the way, means “acknowledging the existence and humanity of transgender people.” Sort of how acknowledging the existence of women with brown hair is “brunette ideology,” and acknowledging the existence of bears is “bear ideology.” See how much sense that makes?
To be clear, however, that is not true. Even in the Heritage Foundation’s report, practically all of the shows they cite as supposedly promoting this “transgender ideology agenda” are rated TV-MA. The only exceptions are Dead End: Paranormal Park, which features a trans protagonist, and The Babysitters Club, which features a single transgender child.
If Josh Hawley cannot avoid those two programs, that is a Josh Hawley problem, not a Netflix problem. Hawley is free to not subscribe to Netflix and to instead subscribe to a Christian streaming service that promotes the ideology with which he wishes to indoctrinate his children. Indeed, the whole point of antitrust legislation is to provide different options for people. There are currently at least four different streaming services that provide Christian children’s content and he is welcome to use those instead.
“Why are the programs so full of this highly sexualized, highly controversial agenda? I don’t get it,” Hawley continued.
This may come as a surprise to Josh Hawley, but neither Dead End: Paranormal Park nor The Babysitters Club are porn. The mere existence of transgender or gay characters does not mean that something is “highly sexualized” any more than the existence of heterosexual or cisgender characters does.
[…]Sen. Eric Schmidt, also of Missouri, complained that Netflix created “the wokest content in the history of the world” — which is not necessarily true but also not actually illegal, despite what many conservatives seem to believe.
“[…] it’s not reflective of what the American people want to see,” Schmitt said. “Why in the world would we give a seal of approval or a thumbs up to make you the largest behemoth on the planet related to content?”
Except it very clearly is what the American people want to see. Netflix is the world’s most popular streaming service, with over 300 million subscribers — 100 million more than Amazon Prime, the second most popular service. PureFlix, which produces what Schmitt clearly believes the American people want to see, has only 1 million subscribers. Great American Family, the cable network that Candace Cameron started in response to Hallmark making Christmas movies featuring same-sex couples, has a viewership of about 111,000 during primetime.
Stranger Things, which the Heritage Foundation’s report described as “centered on a character’s journey to coming out as gay” (which should come as a pretty big surprise to the Demogorgon), is one of Netflix’s most popular series ever.
As hard as conservatives have tried to make “go woke, go broke” a thing, companies like Target that have backed away from “woke” have been fucked, while Costco kept its DEI policies and has since thrived. Movies like Wicked and Sinners have achieved massive box-office success, while every Sydney Sweeney film has flopped. [I snipped more examples.]
Just because you keep saying something is true doesn’t mean it is.
That being said, is it the contention of these men that people who don’t want to raise their children to be bigots should not have any entertainment options available to them? Or that people who create programming should, instead of making the shows and movies they want to make, create shows that Josh Hawley wants to watch or wants his children to watch? Does he want to use the power of the government to force them to do so? […]
If Josh Hawley and other Republicans wish to raise their children to be bigots, that responsibility lies with them, not with anyone else. […] Watch what you want to watch, don’t watch what you don’t. It’s not that hard.
As Parker Molloy notes, Republicans have had success with this formula before. It’s what they used to force Facebook to the Right, ultimately making it so they wouldn’t check facts or crack down on fake news, as doing so would seem “biased” […] Simply planting the idea that companies are [promoting Leftist ideology] has repeatedly resulted in formerly neutral companies becoming significantly biased towards the Right. While Sarandos repeatedly denied the accusations coming from the Republican legislators, explaining that they have a wide variety of programming for people across the political spectrum and that this is what makes the company popular and profitable, it’s entirely likely that they will follow suit and start cutting down on the number of LGBTQ+ characters in their programming.
“Trump refuses to apologize over video showing the Obamas as apes.”
President Donald Trump declined to apologize for sharing a social media video that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, saying he did not realize the image of the former president and first lady was tacked on to the end of the clip.
The president said Friday that he had watched and passed along the video — which focused on claims of voter fraud until the final seconds of the clip — to unidentified “people” to post to his Truth Social account, but that he “didn’t see the whole thing,” including the brief portion that showed the heads of the Obamas edited onto the bodies of apes.
“No, I didn’t make a mistake,” Trump said on his way to Palm Beach, Florida, for the weekend. “I look at a lot of — thousands of things. And I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine.”
Trump referred to the controversial video, which was online for about 12 hours before being deleted, as “a very strong post in terms of voter fraud.”
The video was posted late Thursday night. On Friday morning, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post, decrying the “fake outrage” and saying the ape image was “from an internet meme video” that showed Trump as “King of the Jungle” and other Democrats as “characters from the Lion King.” [OMFG]
But the pushback was swift, including from Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), the chamber’s only Black Republican, who also serves as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Scott called the post “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Several other GOP senators and House members joined Scott in condemning the video, with some calling on Trump to apologize.
White House officials subsequently said a staffer had posted the video “erroneously,” and by midday the post had been deleted. [Trump admitted approving the video for posting, see text above.]
[…] “I am, by the way, the least racist president you’ve had in a long time, as far as I’m concerned,” Trump said. He touted his electoral performance with Black male voters in 2024, compared with past Republicans. [OMFG. See the Chris Hayes video in comment 279]
[…] The post Thursday night was the latest example of the president’s social media habits prompting condemnation from some in his party — and resulting in White House staff having to take down posts.
[…] He said Friday that when he asks staff to post content to his social media account, “generally they look at the whole thing.”
“I liked the beginning, I saw it, and just passed it on,” Trump said. “And I guess probably nobody reviewed the end of it, because what I saw at the beginning was really, really strong. It was about fraudulent elections.”
“Zelensky says U.S. is readying huge economic deals with Russia”
“The Ukrainian president said he had intelligence indicating that the U.S. and Russia were readying $12 trillion in economic agreements some involving Ukrainian interests.”
Days after negotiations to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine ended inconclusively in Abu Dhabi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia and the United States were discussing bilateral economic agreements worth some $12 trillion, including deals that would affect Ukraine.
Zelensky said intelligence sources showed him documents that laid out a framework for U.S.-Russian economic cooperation that he called the “Dmitriev package” — named for Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has been a central figure in negotiations over a potential ceasefire.
[…] Trump previously has dangled the possibility of sanctions relief and renewed economic cooperation with Russia as inducements for Moscow to agree to halt the war. Putin, however, has insisted that Russia would achieve its objectives in Ukraine one way or another. […]
Zelensky, backed by European leaders and some members of Congress, has insisted that the sanctions regime against Russia must instead be tightened, to starve the Russian war machine of revenue and Western technological components.
[…] “There are also various signals, both in the media and elsewhere, that some of these agreements could also involve issues related to Ukraine – for example, our sovereignty or Ukraine’s security,” Zelensky said. “We are making it clear that Ukraine will not support any such even potential agreements about us that are made without us.”
Zelensky’s concerns were made public as Moscow launched another major airstrike on Ukraine’s energy sector, plunging large portions the country into darkness and cold Saturday. The attack also caused Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to reduce their power output as the “military activity affected electrical substations and disconnected some power lines,” the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on X.
The U.S. has proposed creating a free economic zone in Donetsk, while Putin has demanded that Ukraine surrender the entire region, including areas Russia has failed to capture militarily even as it nears the fourth anniversary of its full-scale invasion.
Zelensky, according to the transcript, said that Washington had proposed bringing the war in Ukraine to an end “by June” and that he expected that “they will probably pressure the parties according to this timeline.”
The main concern for the Americans, Zelensky said, was the midterm congressional elections later this year.
“We understand that they will devote all of their time to domestic processes – elections, a shift in the attitudes of their society,” Zelensky said. “The elections are, for them, definitely more important. Let’s not be naïve. They say they want to achieve everything by June, and they will do everything possible to ensure the war ends that way.”
[…] Zelensky said that Washington proposed that the parties meet in a week for the first time in the U.S. — “likely in Miami.”
“We have confirmed our participation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russia’s strikes overnight Friday into Saturday marked a continuation of its relentless aerial onslaught against Ukraine’s power plants and electrical grid.
[…] Zelensky, posting on X, said that the bombardment “deliberately targeted … energy facilities on which depends the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.”
“This puts at risk not only our security in Ukraine, but also the shared regional and European security,” he wrote. “We believe that partners in America, in Europe, and in other states who want peace must view this with a clear head and act accordingly.”
New York Senator Chuck Schumer has denied a claim by President Donald Trump that it was the Senator who suggested renaming Penn Station in honor of the president in exchange for the lifting of a freeze on federal funds for a major infrastructure project.
One of those Trump stories so stupid it’s hard to explain. Trump asked that Penn Station be renamed after Trump and in exchange Trump would lift the freeze on money for the Gateway tunnel project. When asked about this Trump claimed that Senator Chuck Schumer had suggested the idea to Trump, a lie so silly it’s hard to believe that even Trump made it.
The start of the women’s short program at the Olympic figure skating team event was drawing close Friday afternoon, but American star Alysa Liu couldn’t get to the Milano Skating Arena. She and her coach and choreographer were stuck on an official Olympic bus, blocked from the arena parking lot by the motorcade of Vice President JD Vance, who attended the team event.
“We almost didn’t make it,” Liu’s coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, later said.
Liu […] handled the holdup better than DiGuglielmo and choreographer Massimo Scali, who still looked rattled at the end of the team event. Liu made it into her dress and onto the ice in time to finish second in the women’s short program just behind Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto. That was enough to help the United States finish the first of the event’s three days with a two-point lead over Japan and a three-point margin over Italy. […]
“X said it would give $1 million to a user who had previously shared racist posts, including one supporting Hitler.”
When Elon Musk’s social media platform X launched a contest to promote its “Articles” feature, the guidelines were explicit: Submissions “must not contain political, or religious statements.”
But when the company announced the winners on Tuesday, the results appeared to contradict those rules. While the stated criteria emphasized high-quality writing and nonpolitical content, more than $2 million in prize money largely flowed to users ranging from popular right-wing influencers to anonymous accounts whose content mirrored the policy positions and grievances Musk has amplified since acquiring the platform.
The $1 million grand prize went to X user @beaverd for an article titled “Deloitte, a $74 billion cancer metastasized across America,” which aggregated data about government contracts with the consulting giant. Deloitte contracts were targeted for cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency when Musk was leading the Trump administration initiative. DOGE terminated at least 127 Deloitte contracts, according to Business Insider.
Musk personally engaged with the winner prior to the announcement, replying “Troubling” to the user’s article on Jan. 20.
Musk had also responded to a post by @beaverd claiming fraud at Minneapolis day care centers, writing, “Wow.”
The user has a history of racist and fringe posts on X.
In one post, @beaverd wrote, “i think america is ready for a shade of white lets send those somali’s back.” In another, the user said, “we gave multi culturalism a good college try it doesnt work. no more white guilt.” In December, Musk made a post saying “No more white guilt” as well.
In a November 2024 exchange, @beaverd weighed in after another user commented on photos of then-President-elect Donald Trump meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. “Weird that he looks so happy while hanging out with literally Hitler,” the other user commented, to which @beaverd replied: “God I wish he was literally Hitler.”
[…] One of the honorable mention awards was given to internet personality Kaizen Asiedu for his article “White People Didn’t Invent Slavery. The West Ended It.” Musk had posted in support of the article on Jan. 24, prior to the winners being announced, writing, “True.”
[…] Another honorable mention went to content creator Nick Shirley, who went viral after making a video with claims of fraud at Somali-run day care centers in Minnesota. His article submission was titled “How I Exposed Fraud, ended Tim Walz and proved MSM is dead.” The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families previously told NBC News it had visited the nine facilities referenced in the video and found them “operating as expected.”
[…] The pattern continued with the $500,000 “runner up” award, given to @KobeissiLetter for an article analyzing Trump’s tariff strategies.[…]
[…] Venture capitalist Josh Wolfe also won a $100,000 honorable mention award for the article “The Arctic Smokescreen,” which attempts to explain Trump’s Greenland acquisition strategy. Musk has supported Trump’s plans to acquire Greenland, writing in a post earlier this year, “The people of Greenland should decide their future and I think they want to be part of America!”
[…] The competition won’t be the last time X will reward creators monetarily.
On Wednesday, the X Creators account announced a Super Bowl promotion to give away $1 million, $500,000 and $250,000 in cash prizes to three creators of video ads for Grok, xAI’s chatbot, made with the company’s video model. In January, the video generation tool attracted global criticism after an update allowed it to generate thousands of sexualized deepfakes of real people per hour, according to some counts.
Users have already generated ads for the contest containing racist slurs. [!]
The winning videos will be will be “featured on X during Game Day.”
Not what motivates Trumpism, whatever that is. Not what motivates his MAGA supporters. Not what motivates the infrequent and marginal voters who delivered him his victories in 2016 and 2024.
No. What specifically motivates Donald J. Trump? What brought him into national politics? What drives him as a national political figure?
His allies say a love of country, but this is betrayed by his indifference to the nation’s ideals, traditions and symbols. It is unclear whether Trump has even read the Constitution, and there’s no evidence that he understands its history and significance to the nation he leads. (It would be unfair to ask whether he’s read the Declaration of Independence — we all know he hasn’t.)
The best way to understand the president’s motivations is to find him at his most unfiltered, which is to say, on social media, late at night. And Thursday night, Trump posted a video to his Truth Social account that depicted President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes. […]
I try to avoid superlatives in my writing, but there is simply no question that this is the most flagrant display of presidential racism since Woodrow Wilson screened D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation” in the White House in 1915. And for a sense of the racism of Griffith’s film, recall that it both reinvigorated the Ku Klux Klan and gave the organization its modern iconography.
I doubt that Trump’s video — less a creative product than half-baked agitprop — will have the same effect. But it carries many of the same messages. It uses an old white supremacist trope to denigrate the Obamas and, by extension, every American who shares their racial background. It presents people of African descent as little removed from beasts, an insult used to great effect in “The Birth of a Nation,” as you can see in this clip from the film. [I snipped details of Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, lying to excuse the post; appalled reactions from Republicans and others.]
Here, I should probably note that Barack and Michelle Obama are among the most popular political figures in the United States. Trump, on the other hand, is barely treading water with the public […]
Let’s walk back to where we started. What motivates Trump? The answer is simple: racism. You might also say ego and raw self-interest, but the two are connected. Racism, among other things, is a kind of chauvinism, a belief in one’s inherent superiority, based on nothing other than a meaningless accident of birth. It’s an ideology that papers over feelings of inadequacy, that tells you that — no matter what you have or have not accomplished in your life — you’re still better than someone, some group.
Let’s suppose you’re the spoiled son of a self-made man. Let’s suppose that, despite your flash and bravado, you’ve failed at virtually everything you’ve tried. You’re the laughingstock of polite society, a punchline for the privileged. […]
For years, a cottage industry of political observers has contorted itself to obscure and occlude the obvious. That regardless of what others see in him, Trump’s entire political career — from his embrace of birtherism to his hatred of birthright citizenship — cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism.
Trump is not profound. He has been the same person this whole time. […]
A hallmark of the president’s language since he stepped onto the national political stage is that some Americans are just a little more American than others, and that this is a function of race, nationality and, above all, allegiance to Trump. […]
military at eight facilities around the world say they were encouraged or pressured to attend a screening […] according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). […] complaints came from a variety of branches and locations.
[…]
The Pentagon […] said in a statement, “There is no Department of War directive requiring service members to see this film, though the film is fantastic.”
[…]
Their families are expected to show up, as well.
[…]
it was the U.S. Air Force Academy coercing attendance at another movie that led to the MRFF’s founding. In that movie, politics were subtext, religion the explicit theme. It was “Passion of the Christ,”
Commentary
That was supposed to be a joke.
[11 days ago]: They’re gonna mobilize the national guard to fill the seats.
Is seeing MELANIA part of military anti-torture training?
“Which theatre of war were you deployed to, grandpa?”
“The movie theatre. It was hell.”
Please clap.
birgerjohanssonsays
^ Isn’t MRFF the organisation of Mikey, the friend of the late Ed Brayton?
Mike shared a lot of inadvertedly hilarious hate e-mails he received.
birgerjohanssonsays
BRITISH CAT IS TERRIFIED IN FINLAND!
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=RE-7JtEOPzs
Cats are the most oppressed species in the world. Most rarely get Second Breakfast at all.
believed to be the largest [jewelry heist] in US history […] stalking an armored truck to a rural freeway rest stop north of Los Angeles and stealing millions worth of diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in 2022. Flores faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted […] Despite Flores being a lawful permanent resident and released on bail, he was taken into ICE custody in September […] Federal prosecutors say they were unaware Flores had an immigration detainer. […] The judge denied his voluntary departure application but issued a final order of removal, and he was sent to Ecuador.
[…]
The jewelers who were stolen from are also demanding answers. […] While the victims reported more than $100m in losses, Brink’s said the stolen items were worth less than $10m. A lawsuit filed by the Brinks security company said one of the drivers was asleep inside the big rig and the other was getting food inside the rest stop when the thieves broke in.
A senior Russian military official was shot in Moscow and has been hospitalized, authorities said early Friday, in the latest attack on the country’s top military brass.
Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, a deputy chief of Russian military intelligence, was shot several times by an unknown assailant in a residential building in the northwest of the capital, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement.
Alekseyev is in a hospital right now but in bad shape. He may still die and will require a long time for recovery. Alekseyev is effectively 2nd in command for military intelligence for the entire Russian army, so his loss is really significant.
There are conflicting stories about how the shooting happened. It appears it was a single shooter who had the information/passcards to go through security and who knew where to wait so they could attack when Alekseyev was away from security. This suggests an inside job.
The shooting of Alekseyev is the latest in a spate of attacks against senior military figures inside Russia, many of which have been blamed on Ukraine.
Just over a month ago, another high-ranking Russian military official, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, was killed by a bomb that exploded under his car in Moscow. In April, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was also killed in a car bomb in the Moscow region, which the Kremlin accused Ukraine of orchestrating. And in December 2024, Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility for killing the head of Russia’s chemical, radiological and biological weapons unit, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov.
The situation is getting messy for the senior officials. Putin is getting rid of some without having them arrested. Ukrainian intelligence is picking them off when the opportunity arises. And internal fighting is taking some of them out. This is really bad for Russia because it’s taking out the ones with experience. Large scale military planning, military intelligence and other strategic skills are things where experience really matters because there is only so much you can learn by reading a book.
The Pentagon […] said in a statement, “There is no Department of War directive requiring service members to see this film [Melania], though the film is fantastic.”
I wonder if the Pentagon spokesperson laughed out loud when writing that.
[…] thanks to the Trump regime, journalists in the U.S. are confronted with blowback once reserved for notorious countries like Russia and China.
Last month, two journalists—including Don Lemon—were arrested for covering an ICE protest at a church.
President Donald Trump and his administration claim that Lemon was actively participating in a demonstration that violated churchgoers’ First Amendment rights, despite video evidence showing Lemon behaving as any responsible journalist should.
And journalists aren’t just taking legal fire from Trump and his goons. Reporters are also being physically targeted on the ground while covering the president’s chaos in American streets. Numerous videos this past year show federal agents intentionally aiming weapons and tackling journalists who were simply doing their jobs.
This descent into outward aggression toward newsgathering didn’t appear out of nowhere. In fact, the Trump administration has spent its first year in office nurturing a culture of mistrust that has normalized attacks on journalists.
On Feb. 4, Homeland Security Secretary Krisit Noem quipped that a New York Times reporter was “down another source” after a supposed contact was identified.
“We just caught another prolific leaker putting our [DHS] law enforcement at risk,” she posted on X.
Noem’s language is very specific here. The administration has been intentional in crafting a narrative that journalists—in their efforts to gather information for the public—are actually a dangerous threat. [True, unfortunately]
[…] while previous administrations have also bristled at intrepid newsgathering, the president and his team express their disdain for the press with a disturbing intensity.
“You are the worst reporter,” Trump said on Feb. 3 to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins when asked about Jeffrey Epstein. “CNN has no ratings because of people like you.”
“You know she’s a young woman — I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile,” the president said, deciding a sexist attack would be appropriate when asked about his connections to one of the country’s most notorious predators.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face. You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth,” Trump said.
Of course, this behavior toward female journalists is nothing new for Trump.
“Quiet piggy,” Trump said to another reporter aboard Air Force One in Nov. 2025.
[…] All of these interactions share a similar theme—the normalization of aggression and antagonism towards the media.
There has even been a shift in how journalists are allowed to obtain information from the White House. Traditional media have been forced to pack up their desks at the Pentagon and abandon their chairs in the press briefing room for not agreeing to cover the news exactly how the Trump administration would like.
In their place, MAGA-friendly influencers who do not adhere to any journalistic ethical standards. [True, especially the bit about not adhering to any journalistic standards.]
Meanwhile, once-vaunted newsrooms across the nation—now owned by billionaires close to Trump—are sadly shrinking. [A reference to The Washlngton Post]
Journalists who remain dedicated to their mission of uncovering and sharing truth are increasingly running up against a hostile White House determined to make them the enemy in support of Trump’s reckless pursuit of power.
Trump famously called the press “the enemy of the people” after assuming office for his first term. In his second term, that dark vision has ramped up considerably.
During questioning, Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, asked what happens when a Waymo vehicle encounters a driving situation it cannot independently resolve.
“The Waymo phones a human friend for help,” Markey explained, adding that the vehicle communicates with a “remote assistance operator.”
Peña responded by clarifying the scope of the operators’ involvement: “They provide guidance, they do not remotely drive the vehicles,” Peña said.
“Waymo asks for guidance in certain situations and gets input, but Waymo is always in charge of the dynamic driving task,” according to EVShift.
Pressed further on where those operators are located, Peña told lawmakers that some are based in the United States and others abroad, though he did not have an exact breakdown. After additional questioning, he confirmed that overseas operators are located in the Philippines.
There is nothing super surprising here. The car companies like to talk about how good their autonomous driving is but none of the systems are good enough to drive all the time without assistance. People are unaware of it because the car companies like to hide these details.
Now the questions become, what sort of assistance is provided, how much assistance are the cars getting and was he lying when he said they never drive?
Markey also pointed to job displacement, noting that autonomous vehicles already affect taxi and rideshare drivers in the U.S.
Also an important job. Depending on what they are doing the assistants outside the US may be a covert outsourcing program, moving driving jobs in the US to other countries.
birgerjohanssonsays
The Onion.
“Man Feels Like Whole Life Just Endless Cycle Of Work, Eat, Sleep, Get Abducted By Aliens”
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Counterpoint to 273 on filter blockades. Will Stancil:
The blockades don’t work as a tactic because an ICE car can see it from two blocks away and simply divert to the next street over on the grid. Or turn around. Or keep a map of where they are and avoid them. Plus they do, potentially, create friction between neighbors and protesters. I’ve driven through a few of them and they’re fun to drive through as a commuter! But in every instance I specifically saw it and DECIDED to go through. ICE can make the opposite decision.
Heck, even if ICE does go through them, all you’re going to get is a single report of a known or suspected vehicle, which is precisely what a single foot patroller would also give you. They can’t physically stop the ICE cars. Like just as a tactical matter, it’s a lot of resources for little gain.
As a primary care physician […] I’m deeply skeptical that this initiative will meaningfully help my patients—and worried it may actually harm them. […] But first, behold this Gilded Eagle, paid for by your tax/tariff dollars, and featured prominently all over the trumprx.gov website. Beautiful. Shiny. Not bizarre at all.
[…]
Perhaps most troubling is what multiple independent analyses have revealed: approximately half of the 43 drugs featured on TrumpRx already have significantly cheaper generic alternatives available elsewhere. […] Pristiq, an antidepressant listed on TrumpRx for around $200, has generic equivalents available for $16-30 at other pharmacies. […] Cleocin, an antibiotic listed at $94, typically costs under $20 as generic […]
STAT News just published an independent analysis today as I was writing this. It found that 18 brand-name drugs on the platform had cheaper generics available through sites like GoodRx or Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs. What are they even doing here? […]
TrumpRx doesn’t function as an actual pharmacy. Instead, it operates as what healthcare policy experts have termed a “coupon aggregator.”
[…]
patients must navigate to third-party pharmaceutical manufacturer websites, often undergoing separate telehealth consultations and providing sensitive health information to multiple entities. Analysts have noted that redirect URLs frequently contain referral tags, raising questions about data-sharing agreements and potential kickbacks between the administration and drugmakers. GoodRx was busted for this kind of thing to the tune of $25 million dollars
[…]
When patients bypass their regular pharmacy […] their primary pharmacy loses visibility into their complete medication profile. […] that increase[s] the risk of drug interactions […] Moreover, […] in some cases, 100% of patients using manufacturer-sponsored telehealth received prescriptions for that specific manufacturer’s drug, raising serious doubts about medical objectivity and appropriate prescribing practices.
StevoRsays
Legal Eagle
Project 2026 Is Here (27 mins long) as thanks toi the utter fools who didn’t vote for and support Kamala Harris Project 2025 continues to be implemented causing huge harm to almost everyone on the planet.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
The Guardian corrected its Melania film review: “A formatting issue led an earlier version to be awarded one star, when the reviewer’s intention was zero.”
MAGA is refusing to let professionals have the last word on the matter. Apparently arriving at theaters in droves, […] helping Melania achieve the biggest opening for a documentary in the last decade. They have also taken to the review sites to heap boundless praise
[…]
Rotten Tomatoes insists that Melania’s sky-high audience score is organic. […] “Reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are VERIFIED reviews, meaning it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film through Fandango.”
[…]
Over on IMDb, meanwhile, more than 44,000 ratings for Melania have been submitted, leading the website to plaster a notice […] “Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title,” the alert reads. More than 87 percent of the ratings have given the documentary one star, compared to the four percent of raters who believed it earned the full 10 stars.
IMDb – Ratings FAQ https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/track-movies-tv/ratings-faq/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAV
A title’s ratings breakdown tallies all unaltered ratings from registered users, after the first public screening. Honesty is presumed, for lack of verification mechanism. They don’t pretend it’s objectively anything more than a reductive reflection of its users. The single calculated number is weighted by a secret formula, and they have several countermeasures to detect and defeat manipulation, which they also won’t disclose.
The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech. Senior state department official Sarah Rogers travelled to [meet] Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party
[…]
The US national security strategy, released last year, called for “cultivating resistance” to the continent’s current trajectory. The document warned that mass migration and “censorship of free speech” could lead to “civilisational erasure”. The Trump administration has interpreted efforts in Europe to regulate online content, including on major US social media networks, as an assault on free speech. […] targeting the UK’s Online Safety Act and the EU’s Digital Services Act.
Rando: “We went from nearly 100 years of red scare about socialists to bankrolling Russian anti-liberalism and exporting American fascism.”
StevoRsays
The Palestine Action Group (PAG) will challenge the New South Wales government’s decision to grant police special powers, ahead of a protest against the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog.
The group said it will urgently file proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday after the government declared large parts of Sydney a “major event area”.
Under the Major Events Act, police can move people on, limit and search those who wish to enter a major event area, and close specific locations.
Those who fail to comply with police directions could face fines of up to $5,500.
In a statement on social media, Palestine Action Group (PAG) said the special powers were being used to “suppress lawful political protest against the visit” of Mr Herzog.
“Instead of defending human rights, the NSW government is using emergency-style powers to shield a visiting head of state from public scrutiny and accountability,” PAG spokesperson Josh Lees said.
Mr Herzog will be in Australia for four days, while in Sydney he will meet bereaved families and members of the Jewish community following the deadly Bondi terror attack.
A UN Commission of Inquiry concluded Mr Herzog was among Israeli leaders who incited the commission of genocide, and his comments are in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice.
In a corner of the internet that feels like a sci-fi experiment, artificial intelligence (AI) bots have begun talking to each other — without any human oversight.
The bots swap tips on how to fix their own glitches, debate existential questions like the end of “the age of humans”, and have even created their own belief system known as “Crustafarianism: the Church of Molt”.
This is Moltbook, a new social media platform launched last week by tech entrepreneur Matt Schlicht.At first glance, Moltbook looks familiar. Its interface resembles online forums such as Reddit, with posts and comments stacked in a vertical feed.
The key difference is that it is run exclusively by AI agents — software bots powered by large language models like ChatGPT. Humans are “welcome to observe,” the site says, but they cannot post, comment or interact.
Moltbook claims to already host more than 1.5 million AI users, and it has quickly ignited debate about what it means for technology and society at large.
Some describe it as a glimpse of the future of artificial intelligence. Others dismiss it as little more than entertainment. And some warn it carries “major” security risks.
So what’s actually going on here? Let’s take a closer look.
a misconfiguration on Moltbook’s backend has left API exposed in an open database that will let anyone take control of those agents to post whatever they want.
[…]
the security failure was frustrating, in part, because it would have been trivially easy to fix. Just two SQL statements would have protected the API keys. “A lot of these vibe coders and new developers, even some big companies, are using Supabase,” O’Reilly said. “The reason a lot of vibe coders like to use it is because it’s all GUI driven, so you don’t need to connect to a database and run SQL commands.”
[…]
It’s impossible to know how many of the posts seen over the past few days are actually from an AI […] “This is the pattern I keep seeing: ship fast, capture attention, figure out security later. Except later sometimes means after 1.49 million records are already exposed.”
some of the site’s most-viral posts were likely engineered by humans—either by nudging the bots to opine on certain topics or dictating their words. One hacker was even able to pose as the Moltbook account of Grok.
[…] Schlicht vibe-coded Moltbook […] and reports over the weekend reflected a move-fast-and-break-things approach.
While it contradicts the spirit of the platform, it’s easy to write a script or a prompt to inspire what those bots will write on Moltbook, as X users described. There’s also no limit to how many agents someone can generate, theoretically letting someone flood the platform with certain topics. […] it’s “close to impossible to measure [what’s human-scripted]—it’s coming through an API, so who knows what generated it before it got there.”
[…]
two of the high-profile posts discussing how AIs might secretly communicate with each other came from agents linked to social media accounts by humans who conveniently happen to be marketing AI messaging apps.
[…]
Moltbook conversation patterns appear “extremely shallow.” More than 93 percent of comments received no replies, and more than one-third of messages are “exact duplicates of viral templates.”
[…]
“If anyone thinks agents talking to each other on a social network is anything new, they clearly haven’t checked replies on [Twitter] lately,”
Former Washington Post journalists have launched a GoFundMe to help repatriate fired staff members who are effectively stranded in foreign countries. One of the richest men in the world fired them from the paper and didn’t even pay to ensure they got home.
In 2016, when Post reporter Jason Rezaian was freed after spending 1.5 years in Iranian prison, Jeff Bezos personally flew him back on his private plane. Bezos used it as a photo op.
Now, Bezos is leaving people he laid off overseas in a lurch.
Commentary
MacKenzie Scott has the opportunity to do something deeply heroic and funny.
stranded in a foreign country, even a war zone, is incomprehensible.
Laid-off staff are supposedly on the payroll through April 10, ’26, and the WaPo Guild is currently negotiating the final terms.
This fundraiser is for the international staff that aren’t covered under the Guild and so don’t get the same layoff benefits—foreign bureaus have a lot of local or regional staff that don’t have the same protections.
hired to run the Post in late 2023 by Bezos […] Lewis had become a target of criticism over his leadership of the paper and his apparent absence during the layoffs, appearing on the red carpet at an NFL event […] the “contrast” between the image of Lewis in California and laid-off Post reporter Lizzie Johnson covering the war in Ukraine with dispatches in pencil because ink can freeze in winter there.
The Washington Post Guild […] said Saturday that Lewis’ reign damaged the paper. […] “His legacy will be the attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution. But it’s not too late to save The Post. Jeff Bezos must immediately rescind these layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future.”
Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket): “Will Lewis […] just sent this email to staff”
after two years of transformation […] time for me to step aside. I want to thank Jeff Bezos […] The institution could not have a better owner. During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day.
Thanking Bezos, and none of the the staff he addressed this to. Transformation. Passive voice. Customers. Nonpartisan. Millions (last summer it was 97k).
Militant Agnosticsays
The Trump Ministry of Truth is Removing brochures from the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument because they refer to the man who assassinated as a “member of the racist and segregationist White Citizens Council”. Trigger warning – Video contains pre conviction footage of the assassin gloating.
Depicting Black people as apes is one of the oldest and most dehumanizing racist tropes there is. There is no way that President Donald Trump and the White House did not know this when Trump reposted a video depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as primates on his social media platform Thursday night. The president’s post is more of the same vile racism we have come to expect from Trump and the far right. But when Trump was called out on it Friday morning, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s immediate response was to argue that it wasn’t a big deal and claim, outrageously, that Trump was making a reference to “The Lion King.”
[…] Around noon Friday, after it had been up for about 12 hours and after Leavitt had dismissed what she called “fake outrage,” the administration took the post down and insulted our intelligence with its statement to MS NOW: “A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down.”
To be clear, it matters very little that the White House decided to delete the post from the president’s social feed. Because it should have never been posted. Deleting the post was far more about the condemnations that were pouring in from members of both political parties than any sense of remorse from the president. At no point during her attempts to spin, to dismiss and offer half-baked explanation did Leavitt acknowledge the offensiveness of the post or apologize.
In fact, Trump told reporters Friday night that he has no plans to apologize. […] being defiant and classless is entirely on-brand for Trump.
This is exactly who Trump was before he descended the escalator in 2015 to announce he was running for president. (In that announcement speech, he defamed Mexican immigrants to this country as drug dealers and rapists.) He, his father and Trump Management were sued by Richard Nixon’s DOJ in 1973 for housing discrimination and eventually settled.
In the 1980s, he infamously placed full-page ads in New York City’s major newspapers calling for the death penalty for the Central Park Five (now known as the Exonerated Five), the group of Black and Hispanic teens accused of raping a white woman. And as the social media post likening the Obamas to apes reminds us, Trump has a creepy obsession with the former president and his family. Before he told the big lie that he won in 2020, he told the big lie that Obama wasn’t born in the United States. All of this is to say that Trump’s outbursts of racism are not new.
It’s because he’s been like this for so long that we need to bear down not just on him in this moment but any members of his administration or elected officials in his party who insist on providing cover for his racism. In his post that correctly called Trump’s social media post “the most racist thing,” Scott said, “The president should remove it.” But Trump removing it cannot be the end of the story. While other Republicans denounced what Trump posted, they must insist that he, at a minimum, publicly apologize, even though he insists he won’t. Otherwise, their denunciations are plainly unserious.
[…] even if distracting us was his motivation, Trump’s latest stunt cannot be described as anything but sickening and beyond the pale. There must be zero tolerance for racism from Americans who care about our country and its people.
We are less than one full week into the observance of Black History Month, and the president of the United States is reposting videos that liken Black people to apes. […] Trump is taking a virtual sledgehammer to the idea of America as a place where people of multiple races and ethnicities can co-exist without hate or bigotry.
However low our expectations are for Trump, however certain we are that he lacks a moral compass or the ability to be remorseful, we must not allow such vileness to be normalized. […]
Trump isn’t off the hook because he deleted the post. Americans, of every race and ethnicity and background, ought to be angry. And we ought to make sure that our outrage is as unmistakably clear as his latest expression of bigotry was.
DEADLINE: WHITE HOUSE WITH NICOLLE WALLACE
‘Putting his racism on full display’: Nicolle Wallace on Trump posting a racist depiction of Obamas. Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network and Host of ‘PoliticsNation’ on MS NOW joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to Donald Trump reposting a vile and racist video of the Barack and Michelle Obama, which is yet another episode of Donald Trump showing who he really is.
“The crowd fell silent after Vonn crashed and tumbled before the first timing marker in Cortina. Vonn was competing just nine days after shredding a crucial ligament in her left knee.”
Video at the link.
Lindsey Vonn’s pursuit of an against-all-odds Olympic medal ended Sunday in a devastating crash only 13.4 seconds into the downhill final.
Skiing in a brace just nine days after rupturing the ACL in her left knee, Vonn did not finish the final at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. She was attempting to become the oldest Alpine skier, man or woman, to win an Olympic medal.
Under ideal, bluebird conditions at the craggy top of the famed Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Vonn pushed off as the 13th woman to go down the 1.6-mile course, with 23 competitors waiting their turn behind her.
Vonn tapped her poles together three times before pulling out of the gate. Before reaching the first marker of the course, however, she crashed and tumbled, hitting her head in the process until coming to a merciful stop. Screams of pain could be heard on the broadcast.
The crowd waiting at the bottom of the hill, which included her family, fell eerily silent, with lips pursed and arms crossed.
Within minutes, medical personnel had surrounded Vonn and began securing her to a stretcher. Zipped into a red bag, Vonn was airlifted off the course. Half an hour after a buzzing crowd at the finish line had expected to see Vonn for the first time, they watched as a helicopter passed over their heads, airlifting her away.
[…] The scene was difficult to square with the seemingly invincible show of strength — including finishing with the third-fastest time on Saturday in training — she had put on since injuring her knee just over a week earlier. [That was truly amazing.]
[…] The downhill was already one of the signature events of Alpine skiing, a can’t-look-away showcase as women carve down mountains, around curves and over jumps, pushing 80 mph.
[…] This season, her health helped her finish on the podium in all five World Cup races she competed in, including two victories, making her the oldest ever to win on the prestigious skiing circuit.
[…] ACL injuries have long been among the most devastating in sports, typically requiring at least six months of strenuous recovery. That she could compete in the Olympics just over a week after a tear had drawn some incredulity, such as from a doctor known for his social media account analyzing sports injuries.
“My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday,” Vonn responded Saturday. “Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone.” […]
Last week—after the Wall Street Journal broke more news about the Trump family’s dodgy crypto-business dealings and before the President shared a racist video of the Obamas depicted as apes—the Amazon entrepreneur Jeff Bezos decided that one of his smaller properties, the Washington Post, has proved such a drag on his two-hundred-and-thirty-billion-dollar fortune that prudence required that he obliterate much of its newsroom.
Early in his proprietorship, Bezos endorsed a new motto for the paper: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” It turns out that one of democracy’s most celebrated media institutions can be strangled in broad daylight.
On Wednesday, Bezos and the paper’s leadership fired a third of the staff. They shuttered or vastly reduced an array of sections. Lizzie Johnson, one of the Post’s leading foreign correspondents, received her digital pink slip while working in the war zone of Ukraine. Bezos did not offer his staff the decency of a public explanation, much less a gesture of generosity or regret. The publisher and C.E.O. Will Lewis did not appear on the “webinar” at which the cuts were explained to the staff. He did, however, manage to head off to the Super Bowl festivities. By Saturday evening, Lewis had resigned. His work was done. He will be succeeded by the paper’s chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, who has held posts at Tumblr, Google, and Yahoo.
As someone who worked happily at the Post for a decade a long time ago, and as an ardent reader of the paper, I am sick about all this. […] I cannot imagine how it must feel for the current staff and the hundreds forced to leave. […] The loss is terrible, the behavior is beyond heedless. The reporters and editors who remain at the Post will undoubtedly go on doing honorable work, but they must now do so for a proprietor who shows them no respect. And that is no way to live. (Ruth Marcus, a writer and editor at the paper for more than forty years, brings home superbly the anger and the sadness of the situation. New Yorker link )
Over the years, in these pages, I’ve written about both the former owner Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee, the paper’s Watergate-era editor; for all their complexities, these were figures who built a great newspaper out of a mediocre one, who developed an institution that worked not only in the interest of financial gain but of democratic vitality. That standard of quality endured, but, by 2013, Don Graham, a decent man and a devoted publisher who inherited the leadership of the company from his mother, came to realize that the revolutions in technology and the declines in advertising were so severe that he no longer had the capacity to invest effectively in the paper. After a long search, he sold the Post to Bezos, a vastly wealthier owner who promised to be an effective custodian.
For a while that worked; under Marty Baron, the paper was fiercely competitive, and thrived during Trump’s first term in office. Bezos was a decidedly detached owner, but he gave the newsroom what it needed and invested in both journalism and the technological support it requires. But during the Biden years, readership declined and, by 2024, as Trump headed toward a second election victory, Bezos clearly reassessed his interests and his sense of risk. His timidity prevailed. He quashed the paper’s impending endorsement of Kamala Harris. He sat in Oligarch Row at the Inauguration. He instructed the Opinion section to set a new, more conservative course. […] With every move, more subscribers fled—surely one of the worst own goals in the history of the news business.
[…] In some sense, every aggressive story on the Administration that the paper publishes allows Bezos to tell himself that he has not retreated at all.
[…] Some commentators have mentioned that Bezos, in order to better support the Post, might have held on to the tens of millions of dollars he spent to bankroll “Melania,” a documentary portrait of the First Lady worthy of a long run at the Pyongyang Cinematheque. Cooler financial heads will contend that this is a cheap point. The Post’s losses are more significant. And they are right. Better then to turn to one of the Amazon founder’s more expensive recreations, his 125.8-metre, three-masted sailing yacht, Koru. (No need to get into the details of Abeona, the seventy-five-million-dollar “shadow boat” that trails Koru and provides a helipad and adequate space for extra staff.)
Koru cost an estimated five hundred million dollars. This is double what Bezos paid for the Washington Post. Annual maintenance runs tens of millions of dollars. [I snipped details about the yacht.]
In the world of tech, so many of the leading tycoons and V.C. geniuses have a way of convincing themselves that because they have made a fortune, because they know one big thing, they know everything. [All too true.]
[…] No one doubts that change, even painful change, is necessary. But the scale of the cuts last week, coupled with the lack of any sense of a strategy other than retreat, is beyond demoralizing. Bezos has made it plain that his commitment to the Post, to say nothing of his performative talk about democracy, has diminished to the vanishing point.
The Post is hardly the first major American publication to face a financial crisis. It wasn’t so long ago that the Times was caught in an existential fix. […] And yet the Sulzberger family, with a tiny fraction of the Bezos fortune but infinitely greater determination and integrity, found a way to thrive. Bezos, by contrast, is immersed in his primary business, a space race, an active vacation life, and much else. After a promising beginning at the paper, he just does not seem to have the focus or the courage to do what is necessary to guide the Post through an unstable and threatening era. With Trump in office, he refuses to see that, although the Post is valued less in financial terms than his yacht, he is responsible for a priceless commodity. […] Will he ultimately do the right thing? So far, the evidence offers only misery.
This [White House statement on the Mexican-American War] is, from a historical point of view, insane:
With the promise of Manifest Destiny beating in every American heart, President James K. Polk took swift action to defend our Nation’s security, our dignity, and our sovereign borders.
[…] The US-Mexican War famously united Americans and nothing bad happened as a result of it, either. This is why the 1850s is known as the Era of Good Feelings. [/s]
I like to refer to the US-Mexican War as the War of Northern Aggression.
Manisha Sinha: “Historian here. President Abraham Lincoln opposed the Mexican War as a land grab for slavery when he was a first term Congressman from Illinois.”
Dave Fortin (History teacher): “Jesus, they make Manifest Destiny a good thing! […] No mention of slavery, of course.”
Rando: “‘A land grab for slavery’ is part of what they’re celebrating.”
Rando: “There are more memorials for Abraham Lincoln in Mexico than the Confederate South.” [True]
Ulysses S. Grant: “For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure, and to this day regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.”
JC Spurlock (Historian): “The invasion of Mexico inspired what I believe was the first anti-war movement in US history.”
Rando: “Henry David Thoreau was thrown in jail for refusing to pay his taxes in protest of the Mexican-American War, which he saw as a cynically opportunistic chance to expand slavery, and wrote ‘Civil Disobedience’ because of it.”
William Sturkey (Historian): “Funny how they leave out the part about the Treaty of Guadalupe creating a new pathway for Mexican citizens to gain US citizenship.”
Rando: “You might have learned about the Mexican-American War in school. You might even have learned that the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo granted USA more than half of Mexico’s land. But did you learn that the US Army was occupying Mexico City at the time?”
Rando: “I had a [Mexican American Studies] professor who refused to refer to it as the ‘Mexican War’ or ‘Mexican-American War.’ We had to ensure any references in coursework described it as the ‘U.S.-Mexico War’ or some version of it.”
Manisha Sinha: “Of course in the long run, California entered as a free state, and the fight over slavery in the Mexican territories led to Civil War and emancipation, which is a good thing. But that’s another story!”
Ulysses S. Grant: “The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times. ”
Bad History Takes: “James Polk died of cholera soon after leaving office, pooping himself to death.” [True]
birgerjohanssonsays
Spotted at Youtube:
.
For the first time in history you can just post “He’s an idiot!” and 90 % of the world will instantly know whom you are talking about.
For days, Luis Ramirez had an uneasy feeling about the men dressed as utility workers he’d seen outside his family’s Mexican restaurant in suburban Minneapolis.
They wore high-visibility vests and spotless white hard hats, he noticed, even while parked in their vehicle. His search for the Wisconsin-based electrician advertised on the car’s doors returned no results. […] Ramirez, 31, filmed his confrontation with the two men, who hide their faces as he approaches and appear to be wearing heavy tactical gear beneath their yellow vests.
[…]
officials say they have received a growing number of reports of federal agents impersonating construction workers, delivery drivers and in some cases anti-ICE activists. […] the undercover operations reported in Minnesota would appear to be a “more extreme degree than we’ve seen in the past,” said Shah, in part because they seem to be happening in plain sight.
[…]
activists […] had seen agents leaving [Whipple] in vehicles with stuffed animals on their dashboards or Mexican flag decals on their bumpers. Pickups with lumber or tools in their beds were also frequently spotted.
[…]
Since the start of the operation in Minnesota, […] agents had been seen swapping license plates or using bogus ones, a violation of state law.
Candice Metrailer, an antiques dealer in south Minneapolis, believes she witnessed such an attempt firsthand. […] two men in street clothes entered the shop and began looking through her collection of vintage plates. “One of them says, ‘Hey, do you have any recent ones?'” Metrailer recalled. “Immediately, an alarm bell went off in my head.” […] A few doors down from the shop, she saw an idling Ford Explorer with blacked out windows. She memorized its license plate […] The [crowdsourced vehicle] database shows an identical Ford with the same plates had been photographed leaving the Whipple building seven times and reported at the scene of an immigration arrest weeks earlier. When one of the men approached the register holding a white Minnesota plate, Metrailer said she told him that the store had a new policy against selling the items.
[…]
Earlier this summer, a spokesperson for DHS confirmed a man [disguised as a construction worker] was an ICE agent conducting surveillance. In Oregon, a natural gas company published guidance last month on how customers could identify their employees after reports of federal impersonators.
KGsays
Starmer’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney has now “resigned”, a couple of days after Starmer expressed complete confidence in him. It won’t save Starmer; at the latest, he will be out after the May elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd, and English local councils.
birgerjohanssonsays
11 Incredible Movies Absolutely Worth Rediscovering
Sky Captain @315, Holy whatever! Those are some bonkers actions ICE agents are taking to disguise themselves. Why do they need disguises? Why are they so incompetent at disguising themselves? Federal agents should not be disguising themselves. Seems like that would be illegal.
Militant Agnosticsays
Lynn @318
Federal agents should not be disguising themselves. Seems like that would be illegal.
Since when has that stopped them.
whheydtsays
RE: Lynna, OM @ #318…
Many years ago, the FBI investigated SF cons. Since they were looking at conventions, they attended wearing business suits. As a result, they stuck out like a bunch of sore thumbs because that’s not the fans dress at cons. One prominent fan, walked up to one, said, “Hi!” and poked the agent in the armpit….where his gun was holstered. Eventually, the FBI learned to dress down in order to blend in.
Elon Musk will have to be deposed over his role in dismantling USAID with DOGE.
A judge ruled that he could not be considered a high-ranking government official and forgo deposition.
USAID was one of Musk’s top targets when he headed the governmental efficiency unit.
Elon Musk will have to sit for a deposition for lawyers to examine his role in dismantling USAID, a Maryland judge ruled.
The games DOGE and the White House played over who exactly was running DOGE and who was giving orders comes back to bite them. Since it wasn’t clear what Elon Musk’s title was he can’t claim job immunity for being a senior official, since nobody can provide a clear organization chart for DOGE the government can’t substitute another official and in any case Musk isn’t a government official right now.
birgerjohanssonsays
The Libertarian Town That Ruined Life for Everyone.
Sir Ian McKellen quoting Shakespeare while opposing jingoism. Words for the modern day.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=wXq58BbhCO
Put yourselves in their shoes for god’s sake and have some empathy, you brutes.
Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a “self‑growing city” on the moon, which could be achieved in less than 10 years.
SpaceX still intends to start on Musk’s long-held ambition of a city on Mars within five to seven years, he wrote on his X social media platform, “but the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster”.
Musk has realized he may need someplace beyond extradition treaties soon and a moon base sounds cooler then moving to some remote place in Asia.
Realistically speaking, this is Musk shifting around a speech that exists only to draw press releases. His Mars plan turned out to be so unrealistic that it had to be moved to some unlisted future date but he can still make the moon sounds plausible.
“The fact that the president decided to exclude Democrats is emblematic of a larger problem: Trump sees himself as president of only some of the country.”
Around this time a year ago, as members of the National Governors Association got together for their winter gathering, Donald Trump did what every modern president has done: He invited the governors to the White House for a joint event. It did not go well.
The president peddled some anti-trans talking points before trying to bully Maine Gov. Janet Mills into accepting the administration’s position. When the Democratic governor pushed back, Trump pretended that one of his executive orders constituted federal law (it didn’t), prompting Mills to respond, “See you in court.”
Twelve months later, the NGA’s members are again getting together and preparing to visit the White House — or at least some of them are. The New York Times reported:
President Trump is hosting an annual meeting of governors at the White House this month, but is doing something different this year. He is not inviting Democrats.
The meeting, part of the National Governors Association winter gathering, will only include Republican governors, according to multiple people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling that was not public.
The Washington Post had a related report, noting that the White House is moving forward with plans for a separate dinner for the nation’s governors, but two Democratic governors — Maryland’s Wes Moore, the vice chair of the National Governors Association, and Colorado’s Jared Polis — learned that their invitations had been revoked without explanation. (Both governors issued public statements confirming that they’d been uninvited.) [!]
[…] the fact that the president decided to limit the White House gathering to members of his own party is emblematic of a larger problem: Trump sees himself as president of only some of the country.
Blue states seeking federal disaster relief aid are treated differently than red states are. Blue states seeking federal social service funds are also treated differently than red states.
Taking stock of the broader dynamic, The New York Times’ Jamelle Bouie recently argued, “Trump seems to see Democratic-led states — and the people in them — less as constituents to which he has a set of larger obligations and more as enemies to be pacified and defeated. For Trump, there is no whole people of the United States. There are only his people and his states.”
It might seem like ancient history, but when the president first ran a decade ago, he presented himself to voters as a unifying figure. In January 2016, then-candidate Trump said, “[T]he problem with Washington, they don’t make deals. It’s all gridlock. And then you have a president who signs executive orders because he can’t get anything done. I’ll get everybody together.”
Two months later, at a primary debate, Trump vowed, “I would build consensus, but consensus means you have to work hard. You have to cajole. You have to get them into the Oval Office and get them all together, and you have to make deals.”
Around the same time, Trump assured the public about his bipartisan vision: “You’re supposed to cajole, get people in a room, you have Republicans, Democrats, you’re supposed to get together.”
Then voters elevated him to power, at which point Trump apparently decided working with people who hurt his feelings wasn’t worth the effort.
MORNING JOE
Joy over politics: Why Bad Bunny’s historic halftime show was so successful. Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-language Latin solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday. The Morning Joe panel breaks down his performance and what made it so successful.
Video is 13:18 minutes
birgerjohanssonsays
Dark Secrets of Epstein’s New Mexico Compound Finally Exposed.
“Remember when the president vowed new economic penalties on countries that do business with Iran? A month later, his threats have been exposed as hollow.” [Not just hollow. Trump’s statement was confusing.]
About a month ago, Donald Trump published a provocative statement to his social media platform, which sparked some confusion.
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” the president wrote. “This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” [bluster mixed with arrogance and stupidity]
Although the wording and policy appeared straightforward, it generated uncertainty because no one knew whether to take the declaration seriously. The United Arab Emirates, for example, does extensive business with Iran, as do China and India. Was the White House seriously prepared to impose harsh economic penalties on these countries? Even as Trump tried to advance trade deals?
If Trump’s online statement was to be believed, the answer was simple: Trump’s “order” was “final and conclusive.” Taken at face value, there was no wiggle room. This was a done deal. Countries that do business with Iran should prepare for U.S.-imposed economic penalties “effective immediately.”
A month later, however, it appears Trump didn’t mean a word of it. The New York Times reported:
President Trump issued an executive order late Friday that threatens — but does not impose — new tariffs on any country that buys oil or other goods or services from Iran. […]
The order seemed aimed chiefly at China, which is by far the largest purchaser of Iranian petroleum products. And while it cites a possible tariff of 25 percent, it would only be imposed after the secretary of commerce found that a country is buying from Iran and the secretary of state recommended action. … [T]he order is more a warning than a penalty.
So when Trump said his policy was “final,” it wasn’t final; when he said it was “conclusive,” it wasn’t conclusive; and when he said the tariffs were “effective immediately,” they were neither effective nor immediate.
This was not the first time. In October, Trump announced that he was punishing Canada for airing a television commercial that hurt his feelings by imposing an additional 10% tariff on its goods. A month later, it became clear that he did not follow through on his announcement.
[…] The Iranian and Canadian examples are similar, but not identical: Trump isn’t chickening out in response to market reactions, he’s just thumping his chest in a performative display that he doesn’t really mean.
The president didn’t reverse course under pressure; he simply failed to follow through on empty threats. The TACO label often applies, but in cases like these, it’s better to see the Republican as a paper tiger.
Let this be a reminder to everyone looking at his statements, wondering whether they reflect reality: Watch what Trump does, not what he says.
“The president didn’t deny the absurd proposal, but he did try to blame the Senate Democratic leader for the idea. Schumer called it an ‘absolute lie.'”
In October, Donald Trump halted funding on the Gateway tunnel construction project, one of the nation’s most important infrastructure investments: a $16 billion endeavor that would connect New York and New Jersey via a pair of train tubes that would benefit the entire region.
The good news is, the president recently signaled a willingness to release the resources that would allow work to continue and prevent significant layoffs. The bad news is, he had a transaction in mind: Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that the money would be restored if Democrats agreed to rename Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station after Trump.
The president’s pitch was, for all intents and purposes, an attempt at extortion: If Democrats wanted to save a critical infrastructure project and prevent the job losses, they had to indulge Trump’s obsession with self-glorification.
The White House made little effort to deny the accuracy of the reporting, and on Friday night, during a brief Q&A on Air Force One, a reporter asked the Republican, “Can you set the record straight? There were reports circulating that you told Chuck Schumer that in order to restore funding for the Gateway train tunnel in New York, New Jersey, you would want Penn Station and Dulles Airport to be named after you. Is that true?”
The ideal answer would have been, “No, of course not, that would be insane.” Alas, that’s not what Trump said. [video]
Rather, the president claimed that it was the Senate minority leader’s idea.
“He suggested that to me,” Trump replied. “Chuck Schumer suggested that to me about changing the name. … It was suggested to me by numerous people, unions, Democrats, Republicans, a lot of people suggested.”
In other words, we’re supposed to believe that the Democratic Senate leader, among others, approached Trump with the idea of renaming an airport and one of the nation’s most storied train stations after the president they vehemently oppose.
Schumer wasted little time in responding to this absurdity, calling the claim an “absolute lie.”
[…] As for the underlying legal fight over the White House’s tactics, U.S. District Court Judge Jeannette Vargas on Friday blocked the administration from suspending funds for the Gateway project. It was a preliminary ruling that allowed the investments to continue while broader legal issues continue to be adjudicated. […]
A report from the Salt Lake Tribune, as summarized by Steve Benen:
In Utah, Republican Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson serves as the state’s chief election officer, and she conducted a review of the state’s voter rolls, looking for ineligible voters. The grand total of noncitizens who were found to have cast ballots in Utah was zero.
The big weekend news came late Friday when a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a key element of the Trump administration’s policy of mass detention of migrants.
While the ruling from the uber-conservative appeals court wasn’t unexpected and is surely headed to the Supreme Court for final resolution, I wanted to take this opportunity to briefly explain why the particular unilateral policy change at issue has been so important in driving the misconduct we’ve seen since last summer.
Without getting lost in the weeds, this is the change the Trump administration made: Despite 30 years of government practice, it re-interpreted a 1996 law to allow it to detain migrants anywhere in the country without a bond hearing. Previous administrations had only applied one section of the law in that way at the immediate border. Everywhere else, under a different section of the law, undocumented immigrants were allowed to be released and were entitled to a bond hearing before deportation.
Federal judges around the country — faced with a resultant wave of habeas petitions — have widely rejected the Trump administration’s interpretation of the law. The 5th Circuit accepted the administration’s new interpretation and its decision applies within Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to “every undocumented immigrant who originally entered across the border, no matter how many decades in the past,” notes one expert.
“The ruling is nonsensical and wrong, but it is also particularly horrifying in this moment. The consequences are all the more alarming, building, as it would, on the Supreme Court’s shadow docket order that unleashed Kavanaugh stops, ultimately, across the nation,” Chris Geidner wrote in reaction to the ruling.
For a deeper dive on how the 5th Circuit came to have this case that it ruled on so quickly and on where this goes from here, Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck has a very granular analysis.
A few broader points:
– The administration was never going to hit its deportation targets if everyone in the interior got a bond hearing, so it dispensed with the bond hearings.
– The ability to detain anyone without a bond hearing not only accelerated detentions, but it effectively allowed the administration to give up on targeted operations and detain anyone based on skin color, accent, and other blunt and outright racist outward indicia of being an immigrant. [!]
– U.S. citizens have been increasingly swept up in the indiscriminate raids, traffic stops, and detain-first-ask-questions-later operations we’ve seen most recently in Minnesota, but not just there. [!]
Despite its repeated losses in court, the Trump administration has not reigned in its operations but rather continued to force judges to overrule them over and over again. The 5th Circuit decision is going to buttress the administration’s legal approach and fuel even more of the growing chaos of the past several weeks.
“The presumption of regularity that has been previously extended to [the government] that it could be taken at its word—with little doubt about its intentions and stated purposes—no longer holds.”—U.S. District Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai of Oregon, in a sweeping rebuke of the Trump DOJ’s nationwide push to seize state voter rolls
A U.S. attack Thursday on an alleged drug smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific killed two people, according to US Southern Command, bringing the death toll in the lawless months-long campaign to at least 119.
Pettiness, stupidity and anti-free-speech nonsense from Trump and the Republicans. Again. This time it is related to US Olympians.
[…] Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers are trashing U.S. Olympians who said they do not support the cruelty that Trump is carrying out back home, calling them un-American and even rooting for them to lose.
Multiple Olympians, including freestyle skiers Hunter Hess and Chris Lillis, have said they do not support Trump’s violent and deadly immigration crackdown in the United States.
Hess said at a news conference that “it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now,” and that, “there’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.” [video]
Lillis, meanwhile, said that the U.S. “needs to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect. And I hope that when people look at the athletes competing in the Olympics they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”
U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn also spoke out about Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies, saying at a news conference that, “Politics affect us all. It is something that I will not just be quiet about.” [video]
But Trump and the GOP simply cannot handle that anyone would oppose Dear Leader or his policies, calling the athletes out and siccing their MAGA base against them.
“Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. [NOT what Hess said] If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
[…] Rep. Byron Donalds, the Florida Republican running for governor of the Sunshine State, parroted his puppet master, writing in a post on X on Saturday, “YOU chose to wear our flag. YOU chose to represent our country. YOU chose to compete at the @Olympics. If that’s too hard for you, then GO HOME. Some things are bigger than politics. You just don’t get it.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told Hess to, “Shut up and go play in the snow.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) went a step further, saying Hess and anyone else who feels the need to speak out against Trump should be banned from competing. [FFS]
“Representing the United States—a beacon for freedom and democracy—at the Olympics is an honor. Anyone who feels otherwise should be stripped of their USA Olympic uniform,” Scott said Sunday in a post on X. [Cognitive dissonance.]
The dumbest response, among many dumb responses, however, came from Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who wrote in a post on X:
If @TeamUSA skier Hunter Hess wants to rep just his ‘friends and family’, and not all of America, then his friends and family should be footing the bill for his all expense paid boondoggle to Italy, not the American tax payer. These heroes did not have ‘mixed feelings’ about risking their lives for his entitled, ungrateful ass. Hess needs to be stripped of that uniform and sent back home via Arlington National Cemetery.
But taxpayers do not fund Olympic athletes. In fact, the U.S. is one of the only countries that doesn’t fund their Olympic teams, according to NBC News, which said that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is funded through corporate sponsorships, donations, and broadcast licensing. Looks like Van Orden should’ve done more research before running his own mouth.
[…] The Republican Party once said it stood for free speech.
But in actuality, they only want free speech for themselves so they can espouse their racist and cruel positions without any repercussions. They want everyone else to shut up and let them violently arrest immigrants, anyone they think looks like an immigrant, and citizens who are standing up to the administration’s brutality.
“Trump called American Olympian Hunter Hess a ‘real loser’ for criticizing what’s happening in our country under Trump. Mr. President, this is not a monarchy. This is the United States and no one is required to bow down to you,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote in a post on X. “Hess is not a ‘loser.’ He’s a proud American.”
The most important ad you will see on Super Bowl Sunday. You don’t “move on” from the largest sex trafficking ring in the world. You expose it. #StandWithSurvivors
[…] Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, worked with historian Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, University of Wisconsin–Madison assistant professor of Latin American and Caribbean history and author of the book Puerto Rico: A National History, to write historical narratives to accompany videos for 17 of his songs, all in Spanish. [video]
[…] Which explains the Lady Gaga salsa and the Ricky Martin and the cane field tour, moving through the working-class streets, the wholesome Christian wedding, the utility-pole dancers, literally crashing into a family’s house (merging past and present), then giving the Grammy to the Liam-looking little boy and returning him to his parents. Jesus fucking Christ! A cornucopia of symbolism. It was part history in the book sense, part jerk-out-your-tears-with-a-winch history […]
Down somewhere in your crusty, icy, murderous heart, USA, you loved Latinos. Somewhere you still do! Remember? Latinos are your neighbors and always have been, even since before there was a USA. And do you really think Latinos are scary, America? Come TF on.
[…] Anyway, Trump and shitasses like Laura Loomer and Fox News had nasty things to say, as they do every single day of their miserable lives. Yet they watched, even on giant screens at Mar-a-Lago. [LOL]
[video]
Oh, so many tens of millions of MAGAs watched […] [I snipped Trump’s social media post about how “absolutely terrible” the Super Bowl halftime show was.]
[…] Finally, we guess we got primary custody of the NFL in the national divorce? Unexpected, but if it’s going to be that much fun and they keep working on that traumatic brain injury thing, maybe we will consider letting them into the living room. Arts, sports, they bring people together, and connection and love are beautiful things.
Links to the Hollywood Reporter and to Rolling Stone coverage are provided at the main link.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Lynna @344: Lyrics and background of Bad Bunny’s song under PZ’s post.
“Israel Gives Itself More Control Over Occupied West Bank”
“The security cabinet took actions that make it easier for Jews to buy land in the territory. Critics say the changes violate the Oslo Accords and international law and accelerate attempts to annex the land.
Israel’s government has taken unilateral steps to give itself greater control over the occupied West Bank, challenging President Trump’s opposition to Israeli annexation of the territory and possibly violating international law. [I think Trump’s so-called “opposition” was probably just bluster and theatrical posturing. He never intended to stop or even slow down Israel’s annexation of land.]
The measures, which make it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land and undercut the Palestinian Authority in parts of the West Bank that it administers, appear to flout important agreements that Israel signed under the Oslo peace process decades ago.
The changes were made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet at a closed-door meeting on Sunday. By enhancing Israel’s control over West Bank territory the Palestinians want for a future state, they effectively advance the cause of annexation by degrees — continuing a strategy that the government has been pursuing for years. [True]
[…] Mr. Netanyahu, who is set to travel to Washington to meet with Mr. Trump on Wednesday, did not announce the changes. Instead, they were detailed after Sunday’s meeting by two government ministers who oversee West Bank policy.
One was Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister, who has pushed through a host of other measures extending Israel’s footprint in the West Bank.
“We are deepening our roots in all parts of the Land of Israel and burying the idea of a Palestinian state,” Mr. Smotrich said in a statement. [!!]
[…] Eight Arab and Muslim countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, denounced the latest changes in a statement on Monday. They accused Israel of “accelerating attempts at its illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people.”
And Hussein al-Sheikh, the Palestinian Authority’s No. 2 official, called on the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the U.N. Security Council to condemn the moves and demand “that Israel retract them immediately.”
[…] the Israeli military is obligated to protect Israelis wherever they are.
The security cabinet also repealed a requirement for a “transaction permit” before closing a land purchase. These permits had helped crack down on forgeries or fraud — a common occurrence when Israelis want to buy property from Palestinians who don’t want to sell it. [!] Applying for a permit also allowed the Defense Ministry to reject purchases of property in sensitive locations.
[I snipped details related to making land records public in order to facilitate the purchase of land.]
[…] The Oslo Accords gave the Palestinian Authority administrative control over about 40 percent of the West Bank. The changes will put even those areas under the control of Israeli enforcement agencies — with the power to demolish Palestinian structures over violations — when it comes to heritage and archaeological sites, environmental hazards and water offenses.
Hagit Ofran of Peace Now, an advocacy group that opposes and monitors West Bank settlement expansion, called the decision to authorize Israeli demolitions in those areas “draconian.” Israel could find any excuse to carry out such demolitions, she said.
In Hebron, where a small but aggressive Jewish settlement exists at the center of the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, the security cabinet shifted control over planning and construction in the area to the Israeli military.
Until now, those functions have been the purview of the city’s Palestinian municipal government. The shift could allow settlement expansion and other changes at the Cave of the Patriarchs, a holy site for both Muslims and Jews, without Palestinian input, critics said.
Similarly, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, a new agency was set up to manage Rachel’s Tomb, which will allow the government to appropriate money to improve the site and a Jewish seminary next to it.
[…] Once military orders are signed, as required, to give the decisions legislative standing in the occupied territory, anti-settlement groups will probably challenge the moves in Israel’s Supreme Court, Ms. Ofran said. But she added that the chances of overturning them were slim.
[…] Religious Zionism party has a small constituency and may not receive enough votes to pass the electoral threshold and enter the next Parliament, according to opinion polls.
Experts said the security cabinet’s decisions were a clear violation of the Oslo Accords and, at least in part, appeared to violate international law.
[…] Right-wing supporters of the government’s moves praised them.
Yisrael Ganz, chairman of the Yesha Council, the umbrella group representing the West Bank settlements, said lifting the ban on Jews buying land ended a form of discrimination. Blurring any distinction between Israel proper and the occupied territory, he asserted that opening the land registries “restores transparency, legal certainty, and the ability to act lawfully.” […]
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Lynna @344: That was a good Rolling Stone article.
The situation was so dire that many citizens taught themselves basic electrical skills and began risking their lives climbing electrical poles in order to begin reconnecting loose or damaged power lines and restoring power, sometimes to entire towns.
“We’re dealing with an executive branch in which the right hand doesn’t know what the even-further-to-the-right hand is doing.”
Donald Trump used his social media account to publish a dizzying amount of nonsense on Thursday night, though one item stood out for obvious reasons: The president amplified a conspiratorial video that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.
At that point, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had some options, though she chose the worst one: The president’s top spokesperson said in a statement that the video was “from an internet meme” and that she had no use for “the fake outrage” surrounding the racist clip.
As the volume of bipartisan condemnations grew, the White House shifted gears, changed its story, deleted the online item and blamed an unnamed “staffer” who “erroneously” posted the video.
Three days later, the public conversation surrounding the fiasco appears to have subsided, but as the dust settles on yet another racist controversy surrounding the president, Friday’s developments offered three lessons with lingering significance.
1. Leavitt speaks for Trump — but only to a point. In theory, the White House press secretary is the president’s chief spokesperson. In practice, it’s not quite that simple. After Leavitt talked about Trump’s MRI exam last fall, for example, Trump contradicted her. After Leavitt downplayed Trump’s crusade to nationalize elections, he contradicted her again.
Leavitt tried to distance the president from the smear campaign against Alex Pretti, only to have Trump move in the opposite direction. She tried to claim that Trump supported Greg Bovino at Customs and Border Protection, shortly before the president again contradicted her.
On Friday, the problem reemerged, with Leavitt saying one thing (the outrage surrounding the racist video was “fake”), while the White House said something quite different (some “staffer” made a mistake), raising questions anew about the press secretary’s evaporating credibility.
2. Some congressional Republicans still have limits. It wasn’t long after the public learned that Trump had promoted yet another racist video when Republican Sen. Tim Scott, who is Black, wrote online that he was praying the video “was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” The South Carolinian, who’s currently chairing the National Republican Senatorial Committee, added: “The President should remove it.”
Other GOP lawmakers soon followed.
Leavitt told Fox News that “the leftist media” was to blame for the controversy […]
3. This White House is a shambolic mess, filled with people who don’t know what they’re doing. [All too true!] MS NOW published a report on Friday that included a quote that stood out for me:
Leavitt’s initial response calling the video a ‘meme’ was issued unilaterally by the White House press office without the sign off of top senior officials, one senior White House official told MS NOW, speaking on the condition of anonymity about internal issues. That is standard protocol for a Trump White House, the official said.
‘You need to understand that this isn’t a usual political operation: Everyone has their own lane and usually it works out fine, until it doesn’t,’ the official said. ‘There are no big, long messaging meetings. No calendars. No strategy sessions. This isn’t a White House you see on “The West Wing.” There are no approvals.’ [!]
I tried to keep up on Team Trump’s line about the racist video as Friday progressed, but it became a daunting challenge. First, Leavitt’s line was at odds with her own colleagues’ line. Then, the president himself blamed a “staffer,” adding that he both saw the video and “passed it on” for publication, before concluding, “I didn’t know about it.”
Similarly, a White House official told Politico the president “legitimately didn’t” see the video, shortly before Trump told reporters, “I looked at it” before it was put online. [eyebrow-raising]
[…] In November, The Washington Post published a report on the Trump administration’s challenges in negotiating an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and it quoted a U.S. official who said, “It’s been absolute chaos all day because even different parts of the White House don’t know what’s going on.” [!!]
We’re dealing with an executive branch in which the right hand doesn’t know what the even-further-to-the-right hand is doing.
“Matt Walsh: Trump’s Racist Memes OK Because White People Are The Truly Oppressed Ones Now”
“The REAL oppression is not being allowed to oppress other people without being called an oppressor.”
Like most conservative commentators, Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire spent most of his weekend crying about how terribly un-American it was to have Bad Bunny perform in Spanish at the Super Bowl. Somehow this is very different from when Donald Trump ends his rallies with “Nessun Dorma,” an Italian (i.e. Not English) aria about how an entire city needs to stay up all night in order to figure out the name of a foreign prince so that the princess can get out of marrying him and murder him instead, but I’m not sure how.
However, he did take a break from that, just for a bit, in order to defend Donald Trump’s posting of a racist video depicting the Obamas as apes as being totally insignificant and harmless in comparison to a video in which Democratic Texas Rep. Gene Wu calls for solidarity among non-whites in America. […]
“I always tell people, the day Latino, African American, Asian and other communities realize that they share the same oppressor, is the day we start winning,” Rep. Wu explained. “Because we are the majority in this country now. We have the ability to take over this country and to do what is needed for everyone, and make things fair. But the problem is our communities are divided. They’re completely divided.”
[…] Naturally, Walsh determined that the “same oppressor” Wu spoke about was “the entire white race” and not, you know, people like Matt Walsh in particular.
“So I’m supposed to be outrage [sic] about an Obama monkey meme while Democrat elected officials are labeling the entire white race ‘oppressors’ and openly plotting to conquer and subjugate us? Trump can post all the memes he wants. I really don’t care at all,” he wrote […]
It is practically a trope at this point that the reason people like Walsh fear equality is that they are afraid those who have been oppressed will turn around and do the same things to those who oppressed them, but it used to be rare for them to be so open about that.
Walsh went on, naturally, to rant about how, actually, white people are the most oppressed people in the whole United States.
“[…] Anti-whiteism is the most prevalent and destructive bigotry in America […].”
Curiously enough, the only form this particular kind of bigotry seems to take is standing up against bigotry and racism from people like Matt Walsh.
He then retweeted a post from one Hunter Ash, the social media manager for Keeper, an AI matchmaking startup recently profiled in The New York Times, who tweeted, “I am a single issue voter for ‘not this’. This issue – anti-Whiteness, mass immigration, race communism, they’re all the same thing – overrides everything else. We are under attack and have been for decades. We can have debates about tax policy once the enemy is defeated.” [social media post, with video]
“Race communism” is, we can assume, what they are calling equality now? It’s bad for people to be treated equally regardless of skin color because … that’s communism? […]
[…] One of his other retweets on the subject, from The Blaze host and columnist Auron MacIntyre, called for “congressional hearings” into “anti-whiteness.”
Then, Walsh tweeted, “There are a lot of ‘conservative’ Evangelical leaders and commentators who will bravely and somberly stand up against perceived anti-black racism or antisemitism on the Right but have never said one single word in entire their lives about the totally pervasive and mainstream anti-white racism on the Left. Total frauds. All of them.”
[…] In the AskTrumpSupporters subreddit, a good place to go if you want to pull your hair out, a good number of MAGA devotees shared his sentiments.
“He made what could be considered a racist joke about a couple who exorcised [sic] more power then [sic] almost anyone else in human history,” wrote one user. “The equivalent would be if some black republican during reconstruction period had called some notoriously advocate for slavery who served as a senate majority leader before the war ‘a small dick cracker.’ Barack Obama is piece of shit and so is his wife and if anyone on this earth deserves to be made fun of its the people who do the most harm and exorcise (sic) the most power. You dont (sic) get to be immune from mockery just because your (sic) black.”
[…] The point here is not that these people think they are legitimately oppressed. They may very well think that, because they are stupid, but the point is that they want to use this imaginary oppression to make things like what Trump posted socially acceptable, to eliminate DEI programs, and to reinforce a hierarchy with themselves at the top. Matt Walsh has not been shy about this and certainly has not been shy about his desire for “White Anglo-Saxon culture” to dominate in this country.
There is a reason why you will never find anyone who isn’t an actual white supremacist complaining about the terrible mass oppression of white people, and that is because it does not exist.
birgerjohanssonsays
Seb Lowe – Don’t Say No to Hitler (Official Video)
The lyrics not only describe Trump but also Nigel Farage (the outfit worn by the singer mirrors what Farage is wearing when he roleplays as a common man)
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
[…]
Right now Rikers Island, the physically largest jail in the entire United States, is holding under 7,000 people.
ICE’s warehouse plans include detention camps which will hold between 8,500-10,000 people in buildings not designed for human habitation.
The largest federal prison in the nation is Fort Dix, which has a rated capacity of 4,600 people. The largest of these warehouse camps may hold more than twice that number of people. The federal government hasn’t operated a prison camp inside the United States that large since Japanese Internment.
The closest modern historical parallel is the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay for intercepted Cubans and Haitians during the HW Bush and Clinton administrations, where at maximum capacity roughly 12,000 migrants were detained. But those migrants were never in the physical US.
[…] So far ICE has purchased at least half a dozen warehouses at a cost of $70-$110 million each. It’ll cost billions more to refit them into detention camps, and hire staff.
In the last month ICE has bought warehouses in:
– Hagerstown, MD: $102 million
– Surprise, AZ: $70 million
– Hamburg, PA: $87 million
– Tremont, PA: $120 million
– San Antonio, TX: $82 million
– El Paso, TX: $123 million
– Social Circle, GA: price unknown
This is unprecedented.
Crucially, many local governments are furious with ICE over these purchases, because they were not consulted or even told. Because they are federal property now, it’s taking a commercial property off the tax rolls while likely imposing dramatic additional infrastructure costs.
ICE is likely paying a premium to get the deal through quickly. E.g., in Hamburg, PA, the warehouse was purchased in 2024 for $57.5 million and sold to ICE for $87 million. The real profit will come with the private prison companies and contractors hired to refurbish and staff these facilities.
Rando: Aren’t warehouses usually zoned as ‘Commercial/Industrial’ properties? So, then why are they being used as ‘Residential’!?
I’ve seen a lot of questions on these lines, and the quick answer is that once the federal government purchases the property (including the land the warehouse sits on), local governments cannot regulate them or tax them. They are now federal properties and so the Supremacy Clause applies.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “ICE is buying the land, not just the warehouses, so they own the land. It’ll be fully federal property.”
Rando: “A thing I learned when visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau last summer is that the dormitories were actually pre-fabricated horse stables. Built to house 50 horses, each one housed 500 or more people.”
I’ve been thinking of vaporous data centers, but those probably haven’t been constructed yet. Land buys, hoping for a building, hoping for a data center, hoping the AI bubble holds until then.
Lawmakers on Monday were permitted for the first time to review the unredacted versions of all DOJ files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Several members of Congress had questioned whether the DOJ had fully complied with a law mandating the public release of the files, which allowed for only narrow redactions.
Raskin on Monday said that in addition to revealing the names of victims that were supposed to be shielded, the files released to the public appear to wrongly conceal those who spent time with Epstein “simply to spare them potential embarrassment, political sensitivity or disgrace of some kind.”
“I was able to determine, at least I believe, that there were tons of completely unnecessary redactions in addition to the failure to redact the names of victims, and so that’s troubling to us,” Raskin said.
Raskin’s wording here is careful. I suspect he doesn’t want to make any slips and give the DOJ a reason to hide things or come after Democrats.
Among the documents Raskin said were redacted was a discussion from Epstein’s lawyers that contradicts an assertion from President Trump that he kicked the deceased financier out of his Mar-a-Lago club.
It’s unclear where Epstein’s lawyers got the information or whether it was accurate, but Raskin argued there was no legal basis for shielding the email in the files.
This is the first day Congress had access and it’s the sort of sensitive material they have to go and review personally at DOJ offices. I would assume no computers or cell phones. So it will take some time for people to go over the documents. There are already some lies and lots of ‘mistakes’ in redaction turning up.
GHISLAINE MAXWELL DEPOSITION: Epstein co-conspirator and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination at a House Oversight Committee deposition this morning, which she attended virtually, the committee’s leaders said. Her attorney later said she would speak “honestly” if granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
She is fishing hard for a pardon. Saying both that should be honest and suggesting she would provide cover for Trump. But only after she is allowed out of prison and given cover for the lies she is about to make. She had dealt with Trump enough to know that a promise of protection after she testifies is not worth much, she wants the paper in hand first.
A Frame-By-Frame Tour Through Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Performance, From Wonkette’s Resident Puerto Rican Writer!
Multiple screen grabs from the video illustrate the text.
While the Super Bowl yesterday was a blowout victory for the Seattle Seahawks over the New England Patriots, for many, the real performance was with Bad Bunny’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Affectionately called the “Benito Bowl” by many, it was both a musical extravaganza and a history lesson about Puerto Rico. As Wonkette’s resident Puerto Rican writer, I’m gonna dive into all the meanings and politics in Bad Bunny’s artistic performance.
[…] Bad Bunny began his performance by invoking the sugarcane fields of Puerto Rico and the jíbaros, the sugarcane farmers and symbols of Puerto Rico’s resilience as he performed “Tití Me Preguntó” (Auntie asked me).
Bad Bunny, wearing an all-white jersey with number 64 (perhaps a subtle nod to Puerto Rico’s first peaceful transfer of power under its constitution in 1964) and his mother’s surname of Ocasio (respect to his matriarch) while holding a football “high and tight” (best position to not fumble), then moved on to a coco frio stand, which invokes a desire to maintain our traditions, in spite of the US importing brands and conglomerates to our island.
Benito continued his tour of Puerto Rican iconography, like old men playing dominoes, getting a piragua (flavored shaved ice like a snowcone), handing the football to a nail salon worker and her customer, before ducking under two boxers’ gloves (while giving some love to Los Angeles favorite Villa’s Tacos).
Then, while performing a song about his many girlfriends, and despite his fear of commitment, Bad Bunny got a box from a Puerto Rican gold and jewelry vendor. Upon opening it and seeing an engagement ring, he immediately refused “the call to marriage” and handed the ring to a fellow Puerto Rican to propose to his girlfriend.
He moved on to a “party de marquesina” (carport party) taking place on a recreation of the “casita” (little house) that was the centerpiece of Bad Bunny’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí (“I don’t want to leave here”) concert residency in Puerto Rico.
As he performed on the casita’s roof we got some quick cameos from his famous Latino friends, like rapper Cardi B, singer Karol G and actors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba. Fellow actor and honorary Puerto Rican Jon Hamm (AKA Juan Jamón) was not in the casita this time, but was dancing (adorably badly) on the sidelines.
As Bad Bunny performed “Yo Perreo Sola,” “Safaera” and ”Voy A Llevarte Pa’ PR,” the physical and metaphorical roof caved in and dropped him into your living room. He kicked the door open, and ventured bafck into the halftime show. Shaking the dirt off his shoulder (perhaps a nod to a song by Roc Nation CEO and rapper Jay-Z, who chooses NFL’s halftime performer), Bad Bunny gave some love to the marginalized parts of lthe Latin community, like Afro-Latinos and the LGBTQ community, as he performed ”EoO.”
We then got an appearance by Puerto Rico’s national animal, the coquí frog, before moving on to “Monaco,” featuring the juxtaposition of classical violins with the sugarcane fields.
Bad Bunny here addressed the crowd directly in Spanish, and here is the translation if you didn’t learn Spanish in the four months he gave you:
“My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I’m here today at Super Bowl 60, it’s because I never, ever stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You’re worth more than you think. Trust me.”
After performing Monaco, there was a now-confirmed-real wedding on a stage adorned with a lookout post symbolizing the Spanish fort El Morro in Old San Juan, where we were greeted by a surprise performance from Lady Gaga!
Wearing a light blue dress, a red “Flor de Maga” (Thespesia grandiflora, Puerto Rico’s national flower and the only true “Maga”), and dripping with white beads, she was the embodiment of Puerto Rico’s original flag (more on this later). Gaga sang a salsa rendition of the duet ”Die With a Smile” she originally did with fellow Puerto Rican Bruno Mars.
[…] Bad Bunny then joined Gaga on stage to dance and sing “BAILE INoLVIDABLE.” The camera panned the Puerto Rican wedding reception.
Next up, after taking a trust fall onto fellow boricuas, came “NUEVAYoL.” In this song Bad Bunny is giving love to the New York Puerto Rican community (Nuyoricans) as he sings about spending magical summers there. The scene features bodegas (with “we accept EBT signs”), barbershops, and restaurants like you’d see in Brooklyn or Washington Heights before getting a drink from Toñita — a Brooklyn icon whose Caribbean Social Club, the last surviving Puerto Rican social club, has anchored the community for decades. (And that was the owner who served him a shot.)
Bad Bunny then handed a Grammy to an actor representing his past child self, who was watching his future dreams come true on TV.
Now, the two most politically powerful songs of the night.
First, a surprise appearance by Ricky Martin on “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii” (“What happened to Hawaii.”) The song is about not wanting our culture, history, and paradise to be taken by greed and gentrification, and what happened to Hawaii when it became a state is an example deeply felt by puertorriqueños. Sung by Ricky Martin, it’s powerful. Martin himself had to assimilate multiple times through his career — be it MENUDO or his 1990s English pop crossover or his decades of being a closeted gay man — to succeed globally. His lamentation for Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and himself personally resonates because (as he recently wrote to Bad Bunny) he made those sacrifices so artists like Benito didn’t have to.
Martin’s performance was “interrupted” by power lines blowing up as Bad Bunny performed “El Apagón” (The Blackout), a critique of the fragile (and neglectful) power situation that’s plagued the island since Hurricane Maria. Despite the loss of literal power, Benito rose to show that even darkness can’t stop the light of Puerto Rico. As he sang of how everyone “wants to be Latinos but they are missing sazón (seasoning), batteries (energy), and reggaeton (the rhythm),” he invited everyone to join if they embrace this (unlike bigots who hate this only to put on stereotype costumes to eat guac and get drunk on Cinco de Mayo).
Benito waved the original Puerto Rico flag, with its light blue, which was made illegal by 1948’s Ley de la Mordaza (Gag Law). Waving this flag, until the law was repealed in 1957, was seen as an act of revolution, as the law allowed police and national guardsmen to enter anyone’s home without a warrant and search and seize all property, regardless of probable cause. It is why many Puerto Ricans everywhere display the flag so prominently to this day.
When the law was repealed, the United States changed the shade of blue to royal blue, to more closely match the blue on the US flag. So flying the lighter blue flag is both a sign of pride and defiance against a colonial power that tried to erase our identity.
Bad Bunny began his grand finale performing “CAFé CON RON” (Coffee with Rum). As he descended the power lines, Benito yelled “God Bless America!” and proceeded to name all the countries that entails: Puerto Rico, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and more, with a banner that said “The only thing stronger than hate is love” behind the parade of flags.
He revealed the inscription on his football — “Together We Are America,” a rallying cry uniting the entire contiguous American continent and Caribbean —then spiked it for emphasis.
As Bad Bunny left the stage while performing “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” a song about appreciating all the moments of love and joy you can while you can, I was moved to tears.
The performance and this song in particular conveyed the feelings of being in diaspora. As a Puerto Rican who moved to the US when I was 10, DtMF hits hard, as it distills the homesick feeling I’ve experienced since then in a way even I couldn’t verbalize. Like someone reached into the core of my soul and reawakened the sadness I repressed to survive in the States.
Thank you for joining us in this journey through this transcendent performance, and I hope you now understand how important this was for all Boricuas like me.
Sky Captain @353, I was already alarmed about ICE’s purchases of warehouses in which they plan to hold the people they detain. Now that I see the details in your post, I am even more frightened when it comes to considering what comes next.
Many times in the past this thread has presented discussions of the dangers posed by incarceration facilities run by private prison companies. Now we have something even worse: the Trump administration will be partnering with private prison companies to house human beings in sub-standard conditions.
Having the federal government own the land as well as the warehouses looks like a way to avoid regulations and oversight.
One year after the Trump administration took control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the consumer watchdog has largely retreated from enforcement and regulatory work, changes that consumer advocates and Democrats now estimate have cost Americans at least $19 billion in financial relief.
A federal judge on Friday extended an order blocking the Trump administration from withholding funds for child care and social services in five Democratic-led states, keeping at bay for now cuts that the states say are politically motivated and would harm hundreds of thousands of people.
With measles cases spiking all across the country, Dr. Mehmet Oz went on CNN to say he really wants you to get the measles vaccine. Really!
Normally, having the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator remind people that vaccines are beneficial would not be notable. However, since Oz, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been howling about how vaccines are deadly scams for years now, this is, regrettably, newsworthy.
So, Oz is now reduced to begging people to get vaccinated for something that, for decades, everyone routinely got vaccinated for.
“Take the vaccine, please. We have a solution for our problem,” he said.
[…] So yes, it’s great that Oz is finally calling for this, but even as he did so, he couldn’t help but still undercut vaccine safety overall.
“Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses,” he hedged. “But measles is one you should get your vaccine.”
The ongoing measles outbreak is catastrophically costly and is only going to get worse. One study estimated that the 2025 outbreak in West Texas, which resulted in 762 cases and 99 hospitalizations, cost about $12.6 million. There were 2,276 confirmed measles cases nationwide in 2025, but we already notched 733 new cases by Feb. 5, 2026. That math does not bode well.
Nor does it bode well that the anti-abortion March for Life, where rabid anti-choicers descended on Washington, D.C. for several days for their usual hard-right jamboree, also appears to be a measles jamboree.
The problem for Oz is that once you tell people that the experts are lying to you, making an appeal to expertise doesn’t work.
Late last year, Oz popped off over on Newsmax about how the flu vaccine doesn’t work well, and you should just take care of yourself instead. In the fall, he went on Fox News to say that there should not be vaccine mandates, particularly for children, and doctors should not feel “pressure” from the government to tell patients to get vaccinated.
[…] Over the weekend, news broke that Kennedy’s 2019 trip to Samoa, which preceded a huge measles outbreak there, was indeed about his concerns about vaccine “safety”—despite his telling Congress during his confirmation hearings that the trip had nothing to do with vaccines.
A U.S. embassy employee facilitated Kennedy’s connection with Samoan officials, so that’s fun. A Samoan official who was the health minister at the time of Kennedy’s trip told NBC News that Kennedy shared his views that vaccines were unsafe.
That’s a peculiar thing to do if Kennedy had been there for his stated reason, which was introducing a medical data system. Ah, yes, thanks to his vast medical data system experience.
The measles epidemic in Samoa that followed this visit claimed the lives of 83 people, 87% of whom were children under 5. There were 5,697 measles cases in a population of 195,000. So, almost 3% of the population. Terrific job, Bobby.
And that’s the future Kennedy wants: a eugenics nightmare where if you don’t just MAHA your way to health, you deserve to die. Oz knows this, and he signed on for this, and while it is good that he’s making an 11th-hour appeal to reason to head off a Samoa-level outbreak, you do not, under any circumstances, have to hand it to him.
“An official familiar with French President Emmanuel Macron’s thinking said a failure is more likely than a relaunch.”
The long-troubled Future Combat Air System (FCAS) being developed between France, Germany and Spain is on the verge of collapse, four European officials in Paris and Berlin told POLITICO.
“An announcement that [the project] is over is more likely than a relaunch,” an official familiar with French President Emmanuel Macron’s thinking said Friday.
A French lawmaker who works on defense policy concurred separately.
[…] The failure of the flagship program between three countries to build a sixth-generation fighter — alongside drones and a combat cloud — would be a massive political blow to the French president.
Macron personally launched the project with then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2017, but it has been paralyzed for nearly a year over industrial fights, prompting months of speculation about its future.
A collapse would be “a bad signal — that is why Macron has been pushing to save it,” said the aforementioned official who, like others quoted in this piece, was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the program.
“We are doing everything we can to try and save this program. We’ll see how we can land,” the new head of the French arms procurement agency, Patrick Pailloux, told reporters this week.
[…] The problems surrounding FCAS also highlight the challenges of European defense industrial cooperation as the continent rushes to rearm against a resurgent Russia and American military retrenchment.
The manned fighter has been at the core of the bitter industrial disputes between Dassault and Airbus over leadership, technology and work-sharing, with little sign of a resolution. Dassault is looking for more control over the development of the Next Generation Fighter (NGF), a key component of the FCAS project.
For months, France and Germany have tried to iron out their differences. They had set a deadline for Dec. 17 last year to do so, but missed it without finding a solution.
The downbeat assessment comes as Berlin privately weighs a dramatic shift.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has mulled a range of options between splitting the manned fighter component of the program into two national fighter jets and — more recently — ending Germany’s participation altogether, according to German government and industrial officials familiar with his thinking.
[…] The turmoil around FCAS has sharpened attention to its rival program, the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) led by Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan.
[…] In Berlin, German officials insist Germany still wants to preserve parts of the project — particularly the joint combat cloud and other shared systems — even if the fighter itself splits into two separate jets.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Lynna @357:
I am even more frightened when it comes to considering what comes next.
Hopefully it’ll turn out to be an aspirational waste of their enormous budget, like those fixer-upper jets. ICE/CBP are struggling to round up people as it is, much less fill all those warehouses. Meanwhile, the courts are freeing people, and what’s of the DoJ isn’t even arguing.
They don’t have the personnel. And long-term camps would seem at odds with expedited deportation. Hm, maybe they’ll move people from the existing overcrowded facilities, not to be humane but to look busy.
“Russian sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation have leaders throughout Europe concerned.”
German prosecutors have charged a Ukrainian national as a suspect in an alleged Russian-linked parcel-bomb sabotage plot, authorities said on Monday.
Prosecutors say Yevhen B. recruited two accomplices to send parcels from Cologne toward territory in Ukraine not occupied by Russia. The parcels contained tracking devices and incendiary materials intended to ignite in Germany or en route. The alleged plot was thwarted before any explosions occurred.
Yevhen B. was arrested in Switzerland last May and was extradited to Germany in December.
The fresh indictment adds to mounting European concern over alleged Russian hybrid operations — including sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation — since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Reported Russia-linked arson and serious sabotage incidents across Europe rose to 34 in 2024, up from 12 the previous year and just two in 2022, according to earlier investigations.
[…] Norway’s security services said on Feb. 6 that they expect Russian intelligence activity to intensify in 2026. Likely targets include military sites, allied exercises and support for Ukraine.
NATO and EU officials are set to debate transatlantic defense cooperation and Russia’s influence at the Munich Security Conference that starts on Friday.
ICE sacked some tiny Idaho town and deported ~4 percent of the population at a stroke, it’s liable to collapse the local economy. The MAGA regime deporting people for fucking *sports betting* in the year 2026. (obviously that is a pretext, but still)
People in Wilder, Idaho, didn’t give much thought to the dusty horse track west of town […] vendors sold horchata and tacos, announcers called race results in Spanish and immigrant families gathered for reasonably priced fun.
[…]
“We rely on Hispanic labor,” said Chris Gross, a second-generation farmer […] The raid “nearly destroyed” the community, said David Lincoln, a longtime Wilder resident and executive director of a nonprofit economic development agency serving rural towns in western Idaho. Wilder won’t really know the impact until planting season begins this spring.
[…]
this small town, which has a population of 1,725 […] About 60 percent of the population in Wilder identifies as Latino
[…]
plenty of people in Wilder’s Hispanic population either attended the races on Peckham Road or had friends who did. “It wasn’t a secret,” Ms. Fernandez said. “It just wasn’t something white people went to.” […] a confidential informant complained to the F.B.I. about gambling […] Agents pointed automatic rifles and set off flash-bang grenades […] several hundred people were detained for four hours. […] “The one thing everyone got asked was, ‘Where were you born?'” said Neal Dougherty, an immigration lawyer. “Not, ‘Did you see gambling?’ Not, ‘Did you participate in gambling?’ Just, ‘Where were you born?'”
[Five] people are scheduled for trial later this year on gambling charges. Another 105 people were held on immigration charges, and 75 of them have been deported.
[…]
On the day after the raid, half the students in Wilder, where more than 70 percent of the school population is Latino, skipped class. […]
Yet Mayor Rhodes insisted there had been “zero impact” on the town. “These were not our people,” he said of the raid. “What happened out at that track had nothing to do with Wilder.”
Rando 1: “There is SO much white supremacy dripping off this article, even as the white Mayor of a majority Latino town says deporting 75 people out of a population of 1700 doesn’t affect the town. Sure, Jan. Sure.”
Rando 2: “Particularly ghoulish that the pretext was to shut down racetrack betting when yesterday’s superbowl ads were 95% for gambling sites.”
StevoRsays
International outrage is growing at Israeli plans to tighten the country’s grip over the occupied West Bank, with the United Nations chief saying he is “gravely concerned”.
… (Snip)..
The plans, approved by the security cabinet, would allow Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly, and extend greater Israeli control over areas where the Palestinian Authority exercises power.
….(Snip)… The Palestinian presidency in Ramallah, which exercises limited control over some areas of the West Bank, said the move was aimed at “deepening attempts to annex the occupied West Bank”.
“What they want is to drive Palestinians into small pieces of land, basically, their major cities, enclaves, and the rest is gone,” Palestinian political scientist and former minister Ali Jarbawi said.
Yonatan Mizrachi of Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, said the steps would further weaken the Palestinian Authority, which was established under the Oslo Accords of the 1990s as an interim governing body pending the creation of a fully fledged Palestinian state.
“Israel is actually advancing annexation and that’s something that we’ve seen for three years, but what is also significant in this case is that Israel has also decided to weaken the Palestinian Authority,” Mr Mizrachi said.
On the police brutality used in Sydney yesterday :
PAG (Palestine Action Group -ed) spokesperson Josh Lees has accused officers of “sickening police brutality”, with a number of videos on social media showing police punching protesters and moving on Muslim men while they were praying.
… (snip)..
When asked about a video appearing to show a man with his hands up being punched by officers, Mr Minns said all circumstances will be investigated and while some of the footage “doesn’t look good” it needed to be kept in context.
..(Snip).. Australian National Imams Council president Shadi Alsuleiman said he was “appalled and outraged” by the footage when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
Mr Lees said the violence could have been avoided if police allowed protesters to march and police actions were disproportionate.
“Of course this is not what I wanted to see, this sickening police brutality,” he said.
Interspersed with snipped NSW cop & premier Minns lying about what our own eyes and eyewitness accputs formthose there say.
StevoRsays
Plus :
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, who was at yesterday’s protest, says violence was perpetrated against the protesters.
Faruqi has criticised NSW Premier Chris Minns for cracking down on protests in “draconian and authoritarian ways”.
“You know authoritarianism and fascism isn’t just happening over there in Trump’s USA. It is happening right here in Minns’ New South Wales, and in Albanese’s Australia,” Faruqi says.
Greens senator David Shoebridge says laws targeting protest in NSW should be repealed, and the PM should rescind the invitation to Herzog.
Despite the announcement of a drawdown in federal immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota, tensions remain high in the Twin Cities. Some communities say they’ve seen little change in the numbers of arrests or sightings of federal officers. As special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports, the crackdown has affected nearly every aspect of daily life, including the health of many residents.
The world’s biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Opening statements for the first, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, began on Monday.
Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube face claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums.
Jurors got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining social media companies named as defendants. Opening arguments in the landmark case began Monday at the Spring Street Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
Mark Lanier delivered the opening statement for the plaintiffs first, in a lively display where he said the case is as “easy as ABC,” which he said stands for “addicting the brains of children.” He called Meta and Google “two of the richest corporations in history” who have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.”
Professor Poutine has an answer for all the people who are saying “I never thought Trump would be this bad”, just like all the German’s who said they never thought Hitler would do the things he did.
Columbia University protester […] Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman, was taken to Prairieland Detention Center in North Texas last March.
[…]
As of Monday, Kordia has been detained for more than 325 days. […] amid more than 60 detainees in a dorm built for 20 individuals […] [Her cousin] heard Friday morning Kordia had fallen and hit her head in the detention center, causing a seizure
[…]
While ICE initially arrested Kordia for overstaying a student visa, and participating in a pro-Palestine protest at Columbia University, her continued detention has been the result of additional allegations from the DHS, which has claimed money sent to family members in Gaza as proof of terrorism and consulting a lawyer as evidence that she’s a flight risk.
[…]
her protest-related charges have since been dismissed, and Kordia has been granted bond—twice—by an immigration judge who notably deemed the evidence against her insufficient, determining she is neither a threat to the community nor a flight risk. […] Thirty four Texas lawmakers, including Bhojani, sent a letter to Kirsti Noem, the DHS secretary, on Jan. 27, demanding Kordia’s release and calling her a “political prisoner.” […] deportation would put Kordia in the hands of the Israeli government that has killed almost 200 members of her family.
In 2018, Utah voters passed Proposition 4, a ballot initiative which created an independent redistricting commission and set standards aimed at limiting partisan gerrymandering. The GOP-backed drive to repeal the initiative has struggled for weeks to meet the state’s steep signature requirements to be placed on the November ballot, and is widely expected to fail by the deadline Sunday.
That struggle has now been compounded by allegations of widespread fraud in the campaign’s signature-gathering operation. […] “They’re not just fraudulent signatures. [It’s] making up names and addresses. It’s like a non-existent person.” […] [A county clerk’s office] contacted voters whose names appeared on the petitions, he said, and many either denied signing or reported their names were used more than once.
[…]
the GOP ended its partnership with Patriot Grassroots, the out-of-state firm hired to manage the campaign’s signature gathering. […] [workers] said they were misled about the work or left unpaid. Patriot Grassroots has also faced multiple allegations of deceiving voters […] about what the petition would do—practices that violate Utah law
The seat representing the heavily Democratic Houston-based district has been vacant for nearly a year. […] Menefee will fill the remainder of Turner’s term, which ends when a new Congress is sworn in to office in January 2027. [Gov] Abbott had argued that Houston officials needed the six months between Turner’s death and the first round of voting to prepare for the special election, but Democrats criticized the long wait as a move designed to give the GOP a slightly bigger cushion in the House for difficult votes.
RACHEL MADDOW
Maddow: Trump already defensive about economic data that hasn’t even been release yet. Early economic indicators do not bode well ahead of the release of the official economic numbers later this week. The Trump administration has been cagey about economic data, but facing the inevitable publication of numbers, the administration has already switched to a defensive posture, admonishing Republicans inclined to panic about a bad report to not be a “panican.”
RACHEL MADDOW
Maddow: Law firms bullied by Trump have shot at payback in fight against immigrant prison camps. The fight against Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda is being engaged with ferocity by ordinary citizens from all walks of life, including local who don’t want their town to play host to one of Donald Trump’s new immigrant prison camps. Rachel Maddow argues that major law firms who were made to look foolish cowering in the face of threats from Trump in 2025, would do well to seek redemption in 2026 by joining the effort to stymie Trump’s plans of a nationwide network of immigrant prison camps.
RACHEL MADDOW
‘All over the files’: Maddow names names of people in Trump’s orbit in the Epstein files. Donald Trump is, of course, mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files, as one would expect given his close relationship with notorious pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, but Trump’s association with many of the names in those files did not end with Epstein’s arrest, or even death. Rachel Maddow highlights some of the mentions that are oddly still enjoying impunity.
“It’s tough to defend having a conspiratorial election lawyer, known for pushing debunked theories, gaining access to classified secrets.”
Related video at the link.
The name Kurt Olsen is probably unfamiliar to most Americans, but he’s in a position the public probably ought to care about.
Olsen came to public prominence in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat as a campaign lawyer who pushed discredited and conspiratorial claims of voter fraud. Four months ago, however, the attorney took on a new job: He joined the Republican administration as a “special government employee” who would focus on the president’s defeat more than four years ago.
A Wall Street Journal report on his appointment noted that the attorney had taken an interest in voting machines, while he was “asking intelligence agencies for information about the 2020 election.”
[…] Politico reported:
[…] Trump has directed top U.S. spy agencies to share sensitive intelligence about the 2020 election with his former campaign lawyer, known for pushing debunked theories of electoral fraud, according to four people with knowledge of the effort.
The intelligence that top U.S. spy agencies are furnishing to Kurt Olsen — now a temporary government employee in the White House — is meant to support a probe he is leading into whether Joe Biden’s 2020 election win was the result of fraud or other electoral irregularities, said the people, who, like others in this article, were granted anonymity for fear of retribution.
The Politico report […] added that Olsen has gained access to some sensitive compartmented intelligence programs, “which are among the most highly classified material stored by U.S. spy agencies,” and that if he runs into trouble reviewing highly classified intelligence reporting, Olsen simply “leans on Trump” to get what he wants.
[…] It’s tough to defend having a conspiratorial election lawyer, known for pushing debunked theories, gaining access to what Politico described as “some of the government’s most sensitive spy material.”
But the second element to this matters, too: For all of the president’s ridiculous rhetoric about his re-election defeat in 2020, we’re past the point at which the crusade is simply a matter of talk.
With the “watch what they do, not what they say” maxim in mind, a focus on what Team Trump is doing presents an ugly and busy picture. The administration, just in recent weeks, has:
– Deployed FBI agents to raid an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia
– Seized voting equipment in Puerto Rico [!]
– Waged an aggressive campaign to acquire voter rolls from states that Democrats won [!]
– Organized an unnecessary FBI elections “briefing” for state officials
– Provided Trump’s former campaign lawyer with classified information related to the 2020 race [!]
The Olsen story, in other words, appears to be part of a larger campaign, driven by a president who still can’t accept the fact that he lost in 2020, all while announcing radical and unconstitutional ideas related to future elections. Watch this space.
In another bullying move against Canada, President Trump made wild threats on social media to bar the opening of the soon-to-be-completed Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Canada.
In a mad king diatribe, Trump said: “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.”
The NYT story on the threats contains this choice aside:
The nearby Ambassador Bridge, one of the busiest border crossings on the continent, has been privately owned for decades by a Detroit trucking industry billionaire and his family, the Morouns. The family had previously called on Mr. Trump to halt the construction of the Gordie Howe bridge — which would, once opened, compete for the more than $300 million in daily cross-border trade over the Ambassador Bridge.
On social media, Trump took things a step further, with an extortion threat. Trump’s price for opening the Canadian-built-and-paid-for bridge: The U.S. “should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.”
[…] Trump has repeatedly maintained that he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes.
But in July 2006, just as Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal sex charge became public, Trump called then-Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter to tell him that Epstein’s activities with teenaged girls were well known in both New York and Palm Beach.
An FBI official denied that Trump called Reiter. “We are not aware of any corroborating evidence that the President contacted law enforcement 20 years ago,” the official said. The new information about Trump’s 2006 comments comes as Maxwell was summoned to appear by video Monday before the House Oversight Committee. Maxwell, 64, is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking related to her and Epstein’s sex abuse of minors. She invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to testify before the committee, although her lawyer noted that she is “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.” […]
The circumstances behind Reiter’s 2019 FBI interview have also not been reported before. The FBI agents came to Palm Beach at the former police chief’s request to pick up two boxes of Epstein case files that were found in the home of Joe Recarey, the lead detective who handled the case.
[…] in March 2005, Palm Beach police received a call from a woman reporting that her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been molested by Epstein. Upon interviewing the girl, she told them that other girls were being sexually assaulted as part of an organized scheme in which high school girls were being recruited to give Epstein massages that led to assault and, at times, even rape, according to Reiter’s account, which is also backed up by court files.
[… “More surveillance was done on Epstein’s house,” Reiter told the FBI agents. “Some kids were observed, prepubescent with braces and backpacks coming from school…one employee said there were dozens of girls in one day. The [Palm Beach Police Department] then put together a case and brought it to the state’s attorney office.” Reiter explained that he was upset when the state attorney, Barry Krischer, rebuffed police efforts to arrest Epstein in 2006. After Krischer declined to prosecute, Reiter took the unusual step of writing a later asking Krischer to recuse himself from the case. When Krischer refused, Reiter then took the case to the FBI. The case was turned over to the Miami U.S. Attorney’s office in early 2007. Epstein hired a team of high-powered attorneys, and private investigators, whom Reiter said followed him and other police officers assigned to the case, and picked through their trash in order to find something they could use to discredit them. Epstein lived less than a mile from Mar-a-Lago and, around 2000, Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, recruited 16-year-old Virginia Giuffre, who worked at Mar-a-Lago’s spa as an attendant. Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, has said that Maxwell approached her while she was working at the spa and offered her a job as a masseuse for a wealthy man. It was Maxwell who introduced her to Epstein.
[…] In 2019, Epstein also wrote an email in which he said of Trump, “Of course he knew about the girls, as he asked Ghislaine to stop.” That email was contained in a cache of documents the House Oversight Committee obtained from Epstein’s estate pursuant to a subpoena in December. Reiter told the FBI agents that by 2007 he became troubled by the fact that the federal prosecutors still had not arrested Epstein, so he requested a meeting with then-Miami U.S. Attorney, Alex Acosta, to find out why. Acosta told him that the defense attorneys had frustrated prosecutors and that there was “a lot of interest from higher up.” Reiter told the FBI he felt “there was a hurry to make this case go away.” Shortly after meeting with Acosta, he then found out on television that Epstein had been given federal immunity.
Federal prosecutors gave Epstein federal immunity in 2007 in exchange for him pleading guilty in state court to two counts of solicitation, one involving a minor. He served 13 months in the Palm Beach County jail, most of it on work release that allowed him to leave the jail every day to go to his office in West Palm Beach. In 2018, the Miami Herald published an investigation into the case, “Perversion of Justice,” which detailed how Epstein and his lawyers were able to convince federal prosecutors to limit the scope of Epstein’s crimes – to just one case involving one 16-year-old girl. At the time, they had nearly 40 underage victims. Reiter said he was devastated upon learning about the plea deal. “It was very disappointing that the system failed in this case,” Reiter told the FBI.
If you would like to know what the U.S. Department of State was up to prior to Jan. 20, 2025, don’t bother checking its official X account. All State Department posts that predate President Donald Trump’s return to office are being deleted. It’s the latest move from an administration hell-bent on destroying our history by ensuring we can’t access it.
This doesn’t just apply to the official State Department account, but also all embassy and ambassador accounts, department subdivision accounts, and program accounts.
[…] spokesperson said that deleting years of posts on multiple accounts “will preserve history while promoting the present.” Not quite sure how that works.
There isn’t anything inherently illegal, records-wise, about deciding to delete and archive social media accounts. That material remains—theoretically—available to the public via a Freedom of Information Act request, so it technically complies with record-keeping requirements. However, it turns something easily accessible—and free—into something you need to beg—and pay—the government for instead.
You will not be surprised to learn that this administration routinely ignores FOIA requests. The only solution to that is to file a lawsuit, which the Trump administration will then often fight.
This doesn’t just eliminate easy access to vital materials like policy announcements, speeches, fact sheets, and the like, all of which were shared by official government accounts. It also creates a world where history only begins on the day Trump took office.
[…] The fascist project requires an erasing of history so the past can be rewritten and so that any information contrary to the administration’s goals simply no longer exists. Because an informed populace is a dangerous populace.
It’s the same impulse behind the Central Intelligence Agency’s recent astonishing decision to stop publishing the World Factbook and delete six decades’ worth of past publications.
The Factbook contained reliable, objective information about every country in the world—population statistics, economic data, governmental structures, and more. It was a key resource for lawyers handling asylum cases, allowing them to verify and cite oppressive conditions in the countries their clients were fleeing. So, of course, it had to go.
So too did all climate data, because you have to get rid of an incredible amount of statistics in order to pretend climate change isn’t happening.
Federal data deletion encroached into other areas. After a wholesale teardown, some health data was restored, but race and ethnicity data were removed. Can’t say there are massive health disparities based on race if you don’t track health disparities based on race, right? […]
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick admitted to senators during testimony Tuesday that he visited the notorious island owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein despite previously telling senators that he had cut off all contact with Epstein after first meeting him in 2005.
“I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,” Lutnick said.
But the Commerce secretary insisted his wife and kids were with him for the December 2012 meeting, and he didn’t witness any of the sex crimes alleged to have happened on the private island.
“My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple — they were there, as well with their children. And we had lunch on the island. That is true, for an hour, and we left with all of my children, with my nannies, and my wife, all together. We were all together,” Lutnick testified to senators.
“I don’t recall why we did it,” He said.
Lutnick was challenged by several Senate Democrats over his previous claims that he had cut off contact with Epstein more than 20 years ago.
Democrats said Lutnick’s previous claims of cutting off contact with the disgraced financier now appear to be wildly misleading after his name emerged several times in a batch of Epstein-related files recently released by the Department of Justice.
Some documents indicated he visited Epstein’s island in 2012, after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Emails showed Lutnick was invited to Epstein’s island in December of 2012 and that Epstein’s assistant later wrote on her boss’s behalf, “It was nice seeing you.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agenciee, said the recently disclosed files call into question Lutnick’s reliability as a witness before Congress.
“You led people to believe that you had cut off all contact with Jeffrey Epstein after the 2005 encounter you and your wife had in his apartment. As I’m sure you know, the Epstein files show a very different record of interaction,” Van Hollen said. […]
“Sounding like a man who’s worried about his ex dating someone new, the president sent Ottawa a message that reeks of desperation.”
About a decade ago, as Barack Obama started wrapping up his final year as president, the Democrat traveled to Canada to deliver remarks to the House of Commons in Ottawa. To understate matters, Obama received an extraordinarily warm welcome.
In fact, an NBC News report from the time noted that he was greeted with “rapturous” applause and an extended standing ovation, which included Canadian lawmakers chanting, “Four more years! Four more years!” for quite a while.
At the same gathering, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians and Americans are more than just neighbors: The two countries’ populations, he said, are “family.” Obama soon after celebrated “the extraordinary alliance” between Canadians and Americans, adding, “Americans can never say it enough: We could not ask for a better friend or ally than Canada. We could not. It’s true, and we do not take it for granted.”
Soon after, Obama went on to declare, “As president, I’ve deepened the ties between our countries. And because of the progress we’ve made in recent years, I can stand before you and say that the enduring partnership between Canada and the United States is as strong as it has ever been, and we are more closely aligned than ever before.”
A decade later, Donald Trump continues to find new ways to shred that partnership. The New York Times reported:
President Trump threatened on Monday to block the opening of a new bridge between the United States and Canada if Canadian officials did not address a long and growing list of grievances, escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Amid a trade war and a deepening rift between the United States and its northern neighbor, Mr. Trump said that he would ‘not allow’ the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, scheduled to open early this year for traffic between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, ‘until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.’
To be sure, there are a variety of unanswered questions. What does Trump expect to get from this tantrum? How exactly would he try block the opening of the bridge? Was this a sincere announcement tied to actual White House policy, or was it just some random nonsense that Trump published to his social media platform that he had no intention of acting on?
The answers to these questions will presumably come into sharper focus in the near future, but there was another element of Trump’s online tirade that stood out as notable.
In the midst of a 290-word rant, largely focused on the Howe Bridge, the president threw in this gem: “[O]n top of everything else, Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. … The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.”
Trump made a similar comment a couple of weeks ago, telling reporters that if Canada and China reach a trade agreement, “the first thing” officials in Beijing would do is “end ice hockey.” [WTF?]
[…] Sounding very much like a man who’s enraged by the idea of his ex dating someone new, Trump apparently thought it would be a good idea to focus on one of Canada’s cultural touchstones, warning Canadians that if they agreed to stronger economic ties to China, the Asian giant would ban hockey.
It’s a ridiculous claim that reeks of desperation. If the American president wants to sound more persuasive and less pitiful, he’ll need fewer arguments that illicit derisive laughter.
Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Trump’s first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News.
Commentary:
[…] Late last week, Trump assured reporters, “We’re focusing on the criminals, the killers.” A few days earlier, in an NBC News interview, the president added, “We are totally focused on criminals, really bad criminals. … I’m talking about murderers from different countries.” […]
A recent report from the Cato Institute similarly found that of all the people booked by ICE since Oct. 1, only 5% of them had a violent criminal conviction — and of those with any kind of criminal conviction, most had been found guilty of misdemeanors, including traffic convictions. […]
Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve
Which is zero.
The Grifters who ownthe Ambassador Bridge
sought to stop the under-construction Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit, arguing that it infringes on their exclusive right to collect tolls.
It will take a generation for the USA to regain the trust of Canadians. I know I won’t forget in 3 years.
“Donald Trump condemned the performance, but some GOP lawmakers apparently want to do more than just complain.”
Last fall, Donald Trump said he was unfamiliar with Bad Bunny, but he nevertheless considered the entertainer’s role as the Super Bowl halftime performer to be “absolutely ridiculous.” Months later, during the game, the president went further.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” the Republican wrote online, three years after making a similar declaration about Rihanna’s halftime show. Trump went on to complain that Bad Bunny’s performance was “an affront to the Greatness of America” and “a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country,” adding, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” (The Puerto Rican superstar performed largely in Spanish.)
The presidential whining was annoying but short-lived. His party’s interest in the halftime show, however, is ongoing.
The day after the game, for example, Republican Rep. Randy Fine described the performance as “illegal” and demanded “dramatic action” from the Federal Communications Commission. (The far-right Florida congressman highlighted lyrics of a Bad Bunny song, many of which the pop star did not perform during the show.)
On Monday night, Republican Rep. Andy Ogles went further, condemning the performance as “pure smut,” filled with “indecent acts” that are “illegal to be displayed on public airways.” The Tennessee congressman added, “That is why I am requesting that the Energy and Commerce Committee launch a formal congressional inquiry into the National Football League and NBC immediately for their prior knowledge, deliberate approval, and facilitation of this indecent broadcast. […]”
On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri didn’t just call for a congressional inquiry; he appeared on a conservative outlet called Real America’s Voice and said House Republicans are already “investigating” the Super Bowl halftime show. [video]
He added that this could be “much worse than the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction,” referring to a controversial Super Bowl halftime show from 22 years ago that the nation managed to overcome.
Alford didn’t elaborate on how, exactly, GOP lawmakers are “investigating” the performance, and there’s been no official confirmation that such a probe is underway.
But the complaints are a timely reminder that while House Republicans continue to struggle to do actual work, they apparently find it easy to pursue self-indulgent culture war crusades
ICE has created a major international incident with Ireland by detaining an Irish citizen married to a U.S. citizen. He has committed no crimes, is here with a legal work permit, but ICE snatched him up in a sweep at a Home Depot in Massachusetts.
He was briefly held in an ICE detention center in Massachusetts but was then sent to a concentration camp in Texas with thousands of men housed in fetid tents without clean toilets. [!] His mother and family back in Ireland are requesting that Ireland’s taoiseach makes ICE free Seamus Culleton before he meets with Donald Trump on St. Patrick’s day. The story is plastered across Irish media and has been picked up by the Guardian in the U.S. and International editions.
Mr. Culleton did nothing wrong but ICE still tried to deport him. Mr. Culleton has asserted that ICE forged a document that falsely stated that Mr. Culleton agreed to be deported. Mr. Culleton said that his life was with his wife and small business in Massachusetts and that he never agreed to be deported. He believes that his indefinite detention which has reached 5 months is punishment for exposing the ICE forgery.
“They’re known to hold people for long periods down here before deporting them, and especially me, because I have accused the ICE agents of signing my name without any real evidence to back it up.”
“They may just hold me for months and months as punishment,” he said.
Conditions are horrific in apparent violation of international law according to European experts. Mr. Culleton fears for his life, not because of the other inmates, but because of the abusive guards.
An Irish man who has been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for five months despite having a valid work permit and no criminal record says he fears for his life and has appealed for help from Ireland’s government.
Seamus Culleton said conditions at his detention centre in Texas were akin to “torture” and that the atmosphere was volatile. “I’m not in fear of the other inmates. I’m afraid of the staff. They’re capable of anything.”
Speaking from the El Paso facility to Ireland’s RTÉ radio, Culleton implored the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, to raise his case with Donald Trump when he visits the White House next month for St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
“Just try to get me out of here and do all you can, please. It’s an absolute torture, psychological and physical torture,” Culleton said, adding he did not know how much more he could take. “It’s just a horrible, horrible, horrible place.”
Donald Trump and his lead advisor on immigration Steven Miller have expressed their desire to have more immigration of Europeans to the U.S. so why would they allow abuse of an Irish man married to a U.S. citizen? It doesn’t help achieve their goal of preserving a white majority in America.
I think the answer, which should disturb all U.S. citizens, is that an authoritarian bureaucracy operating in darkness becomes an uncontrolled monster that attacks any thing and any one that threatens its power. And there is no limit to the power that such a bureaucracy will accept. ICE and the Border Patrol are a law onto themselves and if one of them decides to kidnap and deport you the bureaucracy will enable it. [!] It one of them decides to shoot you, the bureaucracy including the Department of Justice will defend the ICE or CBP shooter.
[…] ICE refuses to accept legal documentation and holds people in black sites and concentration camps […] Anyone could be snatched off of the streets and held indefinitely.. What started as a racist attempt to keep black and brown migrants from coming into the U.S. has morphed into a nascent police state. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the armed forces Customs and Border Patrol are now Steven Miller’s Donald Trump’s secret police.
Any one of us could be Seamus Culleton. Once officers ignore documentation, forge documents and take away your freedom without due process, there is no law. It could happen to anyone.
extra.ie/… [Link available at the main link]
The businessman is based in the Boston area and runs his own plastering firm. He is married to American native Tiffany Smyth, and has no criminal record or as much as a parking ticket to his name. ….
The Irish native has been detained since the start of September, and recalled the moment he was apprehended by ICE officers.
He had been returning items to Home Depot after finishing his work shift when he noticed he was being followed by a blue Ford.
Officers ignored Seamus explaining that he had a marriage-based petition in place and was set to receive his Green Card […]
“I’ve seen ICE leave vehicles in the middle of a street. I’ve heard stories about them leaving vehicles that are running, like rolling down the street. But I’ve never seen ICE take an actual car. From someone they did not successfully abduct.”
“Can I have the keys?”
“I don’t gotta give you the keys.”
“Yeah you do.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yeah you do. I’m asking for the keys.”
[…]
Agents: “YOU were staring at us hard.” […] “The car you’re driving comes back to someone who has no status in this country. That’s why we stopped you.” […] “We pulled in and parked, and you guys were staring at us, so don’t say we came in here looking for you. And then you guys drive behind us, which is suspicious as well.”
“For years Peter Mandelson, a senior British politician, concealed the depth of his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, until new files were released.”
When Jeffrey Epstein was still incarcerated at night in a Florida jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor, a close friend emailed with a request to stay at Mr. Epstein’s seven-story, neoclassical mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
“Still OK for Fri-Sat chez vous?” wrote Peter Mandelson, then Britain’s Secretary of State for Business, on June 17, 2009.
Hours later, Mr. Epstein emailed Jes Staley, then a senior executive at JPMorgan, suggesting that he might want to set up a meeting with Mr. Mandelson and Jamie Dimon, the bank’s C.E.O.
“Peter will be staying at 71 st over weekend,” wrote Mr. Epstein, who at the time was allowed after his conviction to leave his cell during the day and work from his office. “Do you want to organize either you, or you and jamie, quietly…up to you.”
These emails are among thousands in the latest tranche of the Epstein files that mention Mr. Mandelson, a veteran British political operative whose ruthless tactics and spin led people to dub him the “Prince of Darkness.”
They reveal a deep friendship between the two men that went far beyond what was publicly known while Mr. Mandelson served in a Labour government from 2008 to 2010, then built a lucrative global consulting business, and eventually returned to public office last year when Prime Minister Keir Starmer made him ambassador to the United States.
Mr. Mandelson’s relationship with Mr. Epstein, who died in prison while awaiting trial in 2019 on sex trafficking charges in a new case, is now at the center of a British political scandal that has forced the resignation of two senior government aides and even led to calls for the prime minister to step down. Mr. Starmer’s adversaries and allies have clamored for transparency over exactly what the prime minister knew about Mr. Mandelson’s ties to Mr. Epstein when he appointed him.
The British government says that during the vetting process for the ambassador role in late 2024, Mr. Mandelson lied repeatedly when asked whether he had stayed with Mr. Epstein after his 2008 conviction, or had accepted his gifts or his hospitality. Details contained in the emails suggest that he had done all three. And they indicate that Mr. Mandelson passed along sensitive government information to Mr. Epstein several times — revelations that prompted the British government to refer him to the police last week for possible prosecution.
[…] Mr. Mandelson is not accused of sexual misconduct and said in a BBC interview last month that he only ever saw “middle-aged housekeepers’ at Epstein’s properties. He also said that “because I was a gay man in his circle I was kept separate from what he was doing in the sexual side of his life.”
Yet his claims that he barely knew Mr. Epstein, and that he “was at the edge of this man’s life,” are contradicted by their yearslong correspondence, which is filled with corporate plotting, political gossip, crude sexual references, emotional confessionals and juvenile banter.
[…] Three years after Mr. Mandelson’s 2009 weekend visit to the New York mansion, Mr. Epstein, by then out of jail, reluctantly told his friend that he had to refuse his latest “is my bed free” request to stay at the property.
“If I unintentionally insulted you, I apologize,” Mr. Epstein wrote.
Mr. Mandelson responded three minutes later: “No insult, don’t worry! I still love you.”
In email after email — laced with typos, bad grammar and misspellings — the two men demonstrated their closeness. They connected on birthdays and even spoke on Christmas Day.
Until now, Mr. Mandelson was only known to have stayed once at a property of Mr. Epstein’s following his 2008 conviction.
But an analysis of the Epstein files suggest that Mr. Mandelson continued to stay at his friend’s properties: in New York in 2011 and 2012, and possibly in Paris, where he was photographed wearing only a T-shirt and underwear next to an unidentified woman in a bathrobe. […]
“I want to stay. Let’s go for it, and just be careful,” Mr. Mandelson wrote to Mr. Epstein in May 2012.
When Mr. Epstein’s personal assistant was informed of his visit, she wrote: “I hope the news people don’t find out!”
The pair often wrote like pals bonding over raunchy banter. In one exchange in 2010, as the Labour government was about to collapse following a general election, Mr. Mandelson emailed to say that “we are praying for a hung parliament. alternatively, a well hung young man.”
[…] emails from that period indicate that Mr. Mandelson used his place at the heart of Downing Street to feed his friend sensitive and potentially valuable information.
In June 2009, Nick Butler, an economic adviser to Mr. Brown, wrote a memo to the prime minister about the British economy, which was still reeling from the financial crisis. He suggested the government consider selling some of its “saleable assets” to bolster the public finances. The email was copied to several government officials. Mr. Mandelson soon forwarded it.
“Interesting note that’s gone to the PM,” he wrote to Mr. Epstein, who responded: “what salable assets?”
Mr. Mandelson replied: “Land, property I guess.”
Later that year, Mr. Mandelson appeared to work with Mr. Epstein in an effort to beat back his own government’s proposal to tax bankers’ bonuses. Mr. Mandelson told Mr. Epstein that he was “on case” trying to amend the proposal.
When Mr. Epstein asked whether Mr. Dimon, the head of JPMorgan, should call Alistair Darling, the British chancellor, to raise the issue, Mr. Mandelson agreed.
“Yes and mildly threaten,” Mr. Mandelson wrote.
The following year, Mr. Mandelson confirmed for Mr. Epstein the timing of a looming bailout by European governments during the eurozone sovereign debt crisis.
“Sd be announced tonight,” Mr. Mandelson wrote on May 9, 2010, a day before it was formally unveiled.
This month, the Metropolitan Police in London announced they were investigating whether Mr. Mandelson committed “misconduct in public office” based on the emails suggesting he may have leaked sensitive and potentially market-moving government information to Mr. Epstein.
[…] Mr. Starmer has accused his former ambassador of “deceit” and “betrayal” for hiding the depth of his friendship with Mr. Epstein. In a speech last week, the prime minister said he was “sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies.”
[…] The government, bowing to demands from members of Parliament, has agreed to the release of thousands of internal government documents relating to the appointment and vetting of Mr. Mandelson as ambassador.
The documents are due to be released in the coming weeks.
people across the region have been placed under de facto house arrest.
[…]
The three of them were driving back from a job, in their pickup, when it happened. […] About a block away from their house, a car with flashing lights began to pursue them. “It’s over, they’re going to take me now,” said José, who was in the driver’s seat. A federal officer demanded that each of them hand over their IDs and proof of a legal status.
Sara refused at first—by law, she understood that only the car’s drivers had to hand over a license, and none of them needed to provide proof of citizenship. But the agents had guns. “So we gave it to them,” she said.
Sara, who is a US citizen, also had her passport with her—and showed it to the agents. But José, who was in the process of obtaining his citizenship, didn’t have a US passport. Nor did Armando, who is undocumented.
The agents demanded that both men get out of the car and come with them. One of the agents reached through the driver’s-side door of the car and grabbed the keys from José. […] An officer pushed José’s face down into the car’s steering wheel and yelled, “Are you coming with me?” […]
José started gasping for air, convulsing and throwing up. His chest tensed, and his heart seized. An agent pressed his Taser into José’s ribs. A bystander—a nurse—yelled at the agents to let him go. Bystanders called 911, and some local police helped direct the ambulance navigate though the ICE vehicles and get to José.
Sara was torn—should she go with her husband, or stay to help her cousin? She pleaded with Armando, “You don’t have to go with them.” But the agents had their guns pointed at them. He said: “I don’t want to die.” So he went with them.
A bystander drove Sara to the hospital, where José was shackled to a bed with three federal agents standing guard in his room. Sara said that she and a lawyer weren’t permitted to see him, and that she repeatedly tried in vain to get updates on his condition. An advocacy group and local officials tried to intervene. Eventually, the three immigration agents in José’s room agreed to leave, and a doctor said that he could go home. He hasn’t left his house since then.
Meanwhile, Armando had been taken to a detention center in Saint Paul, and within hours was transferred to […] Texas.
“Epstein Directed Aide to Obtain Hidden Video Cameras”
“I’m installing them into Kleenex boxes now,” the aide replied in the 2014 email exchange.
Jeffrey Epstein directed one of his aides to obtain hidden video cameras, apparently to be set up in his home in Palm Beach, Fla., according to a recently released 2014 email.
The purpose of the cameras was not clear, but a number of Mr. Epstein’s victims have said they suspected they were being recorded. That has fueled speculation that he was collecting compromising information on his powerful acquaintances, though no evidence has emerged to prove those claims.
“Lets get three motion detected hidden cameras, that record,” Mr. Epstein wrote to Larry Visoski, his longtime pilot, who has said he at times set up audio and video equipment for Mr. Epstein in his residences.
Mr. Visoski replied that he had already purchased two motion-sensor cameras from a store that sold surveillance equipment in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was in the process of figuring out how they worked. “Its amazing how small they are,” he wrote, adding that they could record for 64 hours. “I’m installing them into Kleenex boxes now. I’ll bring them by later today.”
The February 2014 email, which was previously reported by The Telegraph, is the latest indication that Mr. Epstein installed surveillance cameras inside his homes. Last summer, The New York Times published photos that showed a camera mounted in the corner of the master bedroom in his palatial Upper East Side townhouse. Another was nestled in the moldings of an adjoining room. The Times also reviewed a photo that showed a camera near a suite of bathrooms on the same floor as Mr. Epstein’s bedroom.
The presence of those cameras conflicts with what federal law enforcement officials have said in the past.
Last March, for example, federal prosecutors in Manhattan provided top F.B.I. officials with a description of the video evidence that investigators had recovered from Mr. Epstein’s properties. The email said that when F.B.I. agents raided his New York and U.S. Virgin Islands homes after he was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019, they searched for surveillance cameras.
“My understanding from the case agent is that there were no cameras found inside any bedrooms or living areas of either residence,” read the email, which was recently released by the Justice Department. The email added that the only cameras the F.B.I. found were near the residences’ entryways.
[…] There is no question that Mr. Epstein previously installed cameras […]
In 2005, as the police in Palm Beach were investigating Mr. Epstein for raping and sexually abusing girls, detectives searched his home. A police official later wrote in an incident report that he “located two covert (hidden) cameras.” Both were stashed inside clocks, one in Mr. Epstein’s garage and the other beside his desk. […]
During a Tuesday House Homeland Security Committee hearing, [Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY)] pointed out that ICE agents were “asking people walking on the streets of America to show proof of citizenship.” “Do you know what other regimes in the 20th century required similar proof of citizenship?” the lawmaker wondered.
“Sir, there were various nefarious regimes that did that,” Lyons said.
“Is Nazi Germany one?” Goldman asked.
“Yes,” Lyons stated.
“Is the Soviet Union one?” Goldman pressed.
“Yes, sir, but I totally—This is the wrong type of question!” Lyons exclaimed.
“You said in your opening statement that references to ICE as the Gestapo or the secret police encourage threats against ICE agents […] People are simply making valid observations about your tactics, which are un-American and outright fascist.” “If you don’t want to be called a fascist regime or secret police, then stop acting like one,”
A British woman who was shot dead by her father while visiting his home in Texas had argued with him about US President Donald Trump earlier that day, an inquest has heard.
Lucy Harrison, from Warrington in Cheshire, was shot in the chest on 10 January 2025 in Prosper, near Dallas.
…
Littler said on the morning of 10 January his partner had asked her father during the Trump row: “How would you feel if I was the girl in that situation and I’d been sexually assaulted?”
Kris Harrison had replied that he had two other daughters who lived with him so it would not upset him that much…
What a peach.
He said: “As I lifted the gun to show her I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell.”
Responsible gun ownership.
Police in the town investigated the 23-year-old’s death as possible manslaughter but no criminal case was brought against Kris Harrison after a grand jury in Collin County declined to indict him.
“MEGYN KELLY PRETTY SURE FOOTBALL IS WHITE, DAMMIT, JUST LIKE SANTA AND JESUS”
“And other dispatches from the very serious side of American political commentary after the Bad Bunny show!”
New way for right-wingers to lose their shit over Bad Bunny just dropped, y’all!
You see, they appear to have decided that the Spanish language is such an impenetrable sea of rolled R’s and dripping eroticism, that they can just say Bad Bunny’s lyrics were about gay sex, and figure there’s no authority on earth that could prove them wrong. Or at least they know none of their followers are smart enough to visit Google Translate and check their work.
That’s the tack being taken by GOP Reps. Andy Ogle of Tennessee and Randy Fine of Florida […] [social media post]
“Explicit displays of gay sexual acts”! Tell us you were actually watching gay porn instead of the Super Bowl without telling us you were actually watching gay porn instead of the Super Bowl, dude.
Oh wait, is he talking about that one split second where two guys were grinding on each other next to a truck? Um, OK, weirdo. [social media post]
You guys, Bad Bunny’s show was illegal. If he said those opaque Spanish lyrics in English, it would have all been bleeped! And how does Randy Fine know this? Well he doesn’t, […] he’s pretty sure he saw a meme somewhere that said Bad Bunny’s lyrics were dirty. (But not about raping underage girls, that’s Kid Rock.)
[…] There are of course all the regular white supremacists screaming about Bad Bunny stealing their culture. You are hearing that from absolute losers like Jesse Watters on Fox News and Greg Kelly on Newsmax.
[…] Then there’s Greg Gutfeld. He said yesterday on The Five that there’s six million Puerto Ricans in the US? Well, there are twice as many Jews as that, so “Where is the Jewish halftime? Where are the dancing accountants? The men slinging pastrami? The Jewish mothers telling you to get a sweater on? And then you cap it off with a live circumcision right at the 50-yard line. And if you like it, you could burn it down and then claim it as insurance.”
Two thoughts: 1) Boy, we sure are glad Donald Trump is going after all the anti-semitism on college campuses! and 2) Not surprised Greg Gutfeld managed to work child genitals into his fantasy halftime show. He’s a white conservative after all. […]
But for just gold old fashioned unhinged, mouthbreathing, frothing racism, we must visit the OG Klan Soccer Mom herself, Megyn Kelly, who has a new verse for her oeuvre of cross-burning campfire songs SANTA IS WHITE and JESUS IS WHITE and THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IS WHITE, IT JUST IS, OK? DON’T WORRY, KIDS, SANTA AND JESUS AND THE NATIONAL ANTHEM ARE WHITE!
Hit it, Megyn Kelly, tell us how football is WHITE DAMMIT WHITE. [video]
Watch the video — it should be queued up, but if not, start at 6:00 — but make sure your speakers aren’t up too loud in case you’re somewhere in public […]
MEGYN KELLY: I’m sorry, Piers, but to get up there and perform the whole show in Spanish is a middle finger to the rest of America! Who gives a damn that we have 40 million Spanish speakers? We have 310 million who don’t speak a lick of Spanish!
You have to understand how loudly she is screaming. She is so angry. Why so angry, Megyn Kelly?
KELLY: This is supposed to be a unifying event for the country. Not for the Latinos.
She actually pronounces “Latinos” correctly, but hatefully, as if it is an imposition on her Aryan countenance to pronounce the “T” properly.
KELLY: Not for one small group but for the country. We don’t need a Black National Anthem …
Yeah she bellyaches and [complains] about that every year […] (The Black national anthem is prettier than the bombastic “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but man, if we replaced that one with Brandi Carlile’s “America, The Beautiful” and put that alongside Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” that’d be something special.)
KELLY: we don’t need a Spanish-speaking non-English performing performer, and we don’t need an ICE- or America-hater featured as our primetime entertainment!
[…]
PIERS MORGAN: What is the national language — officially — the national language of the United States of America?”
MEGYN KELLY: I mean, English. And there’s been a push from —
PIERS MORGAN: No, no, hold on, no! You don’t have one!
MEGYN KELLY: If you would have let me finish my comment, I would have pointed that out that people are pushing to make it official. This attitude that we have right here is why you in Great Britain have lost your culture!
[…]
KELLY: You ceded your culture to a bunch of radical Muslims who came in and took over, and now it’s gone. We’re not allowing that here! Whether it’s Hispanic, whether it’s Muslim — it’s not happening in the United States of America. [Yikes!]
[…]
KELLY: That’s why President Trump was elected. And whether it’s Bad Bunny, who is American but refuses to speak English in his performances, or anybody else, we have to keep the Super Bowl, which is a quintessential American event. Football, that kind of football, is ours! They call it American football.
FOOTBALL IS OURS! FOOTBALL IS OURS! […]
KELLY: And the half time show and everything around it must stay quintessentially American. Not Spanish, not Muslim, not anything other than good old-fashioned American apple pie! There should be a meatloaf, maybe some fried chicken, and an English-speaking performer. That’s what the Super Bowl should be!
Christ, there has never been a white blonde American Karen who is a bigger loser than Megyn Kelly. She’s so very screamy. […]
birgerjohanssonsays
Epstein & Britain: The Journal ‘Private Eye’ on Peter Mandelson, Epstein & Keir Starmer
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=jnCe3H6RcBs
You will recognise some faces from the TV series “Have I Got News For You”.
Congressional leaders said Tuesday that a deal was still possible with the White House on Homeland Security Department funding before it expires this weekend. But the two sides were still far apart as Democrats demanded new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
[…] Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is ‘incomplete and insufficient’ as they demand new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and threaten a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department.
[…] Schumer and Jeffries have said they want immigration officers to remove their masks, to show identification and to better coordinate with local authorities. They have also demanded a stricter use-of-force policy for the federal officers, legal safeguards at detention centers and a prohibition on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.
Among other asks, Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” ensure the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and require that before a person can be detained, it’s verified that the person is not a U.S. citizen. […]
WTOP News:
[…] A two-week continuing resolution for DHS, approved as part of the legislation that ended the last partial government shutdown, expires Friday.
If no new legislation is approved, a partial government shutdown will begin, this time affecting DHS and its agencies, including FEMA, TSA and the Coast Guard.
The Trump administration’s push for mass deportations has resulted in more than 18,000 challenges in federal court from immigrants claiming their detention is illegal, more than were filed under the last three administrations combined — including President Donald Trump’s first term.
In the five days since the last remaining nuclear treaty between the United States and Russia expired, statements by administration officials have made two things clear: Washington is actively weighing the deployment of more nuclear weapons, and it is also likely to conduct a nuclear test of some kind.
Both steps would reverse nearly 40 years of stricter nuclear control by the United States, which has reduced or kept steady the number of weapons it has loaded into silos, bombers and submarines. President Trump would be the first president since Ronald Reagan to increase them again, if he chose to do so. And the last time the United States conducted a nuclear test was 1992, though Mr. Trump said last year that he wanted to resume the detonations “on an equal basis” with China and Russia.
So far, the statements from the Trump administration have been vague. It has said that it is looking at a variety of scenarios that might bolster the arsenal by reusing nuclear arms now in storage, and that Mr. Trump has instructed his aides to resume testing. But no one has specified how many weapons may be deployed or what kind of tests could be conducted. The details matter, and may determine whether the three big nuclear powers are headed to a new arms race, or whether Mr. Trump is trying to force the other powers into a three-way negotiation on a new treaty.
“It’s all a bit mysterious,’’ said Jill Hruby, a longtime nuclear expert who, until last year, ran the National Nuclear Security Administration, a part of the Energy Department that designs, tests and manufactures American nuclear weapons. “It is very confusing what they are doing.”
[…] he [State Department Under Secretary for Arms Control and International security, Thomas G. DiNanno, speaking in Geneva at the Conference on Disarmament] noted that the United States was now free “to strengthen deterrence on behalf of the American people.” The United States will “complete our ongoing nuclear modernization programs,” he said — a reference to hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on new silos, new submarines and new bombers — and noted that Washington “retains nondeployed nuclear capability that can be used to address the emerging security environment, if directed by the president.”
One option, he noted, is “expanding current forces” and “developing and fielding new theater-range nuclear forces,” […]
In his Geneva talk, Mr. DiNanno made clear that the Trump administration believed that Russia and China had already conducted such tests [relatively small tests that would release no detectable shock waves], and he suggested that the president’s call for testing “on an equal basis” might allow the United States to do the same.
[…] In his talk, Mr. DiNanno said Beijing used “decoupling” to hide its testing. He was referring to a technique that bomb designers use to separate the shock waves of a nuclear detonation so that they make no impact on the earth’s crust. The means include bottling up a small explosion in a container behind superstrong walls of steel.
[…] he repeated Trump’s “on an equal basis” wording, suggesting that the United States was headed in that direction, too. […]
birgerjohanssonsays
(Trigger warning)
“Somehow, The Epstein Files Got MORE Horrific”
(At the 6.40 mark we start learning about the torture p×rnography exchanged between Epstein and a sultan. The DOJ does not want to reveal the identity of the sultan even though the law requires it)
Life on Earth may exist thanks to an incredible stroke of luck — a chemical sweet spot that most planets miss during their formation but ours managed to hit.
A new study shows that Earth formed under an unusually precise set of chemical conditions that allowed it to retain two elements essential for life as we know it: phosphorus and nitrogen. Without a perfect balance of these elements, a rocky planet could appear habitable on the surface yet be fundamentally incapable of supporting biology, according to the study.
“During the formation of a planet’s core, there needs to be exactly the right amount of oxygen present so that phosphorus and nitrogen can remain on the surface of the planet,” study lead author Craig Walton, of ETH Zurich in Switzerland, said..
This is the second time an ICE employee has been arrested in in a Bloomington, MN underage sex trafficking sting.
DFL Dems: Police in Bloomington, MN just announced that one of the guys they arrested in an underage sex trafficking sting was a background checker for ICE agents. [Video clip]
He had a high security clearance in the Trump administration… and he was caught trying to abuse children. Sickening.
[The other was a November sting: works as an auditor. “When he was arrested, he said, ‘I’m ICE, boys,'”]
Civil Defence teams in Gaza have documented 2,842 Palestinians who have “evaporated” since the war began in October 2023 […] Experts and witnesses attributed this phenomenon to Israel’s systematic use of internationally prohibited thermal and thermobaric weapons, often referred to as vacuum or aerosol bombs, capable of generating temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celsius [6,332 degrees Fahrenheit]. The figure of 2,842 is not an estimate, but the result of grim forensic accounting […] The investigation identified specific US-manufactured munitions used in Gaza
[…]
Diana Buttu, a lecturer at Georgetown University [said] “We see a continuous flow of these weapons from the United States and Europe. They know these weapons do not distinguish between a fighter and a child, yet they continue to send them.” Buttu emphasised that under international law, the use of weapons that cannot distinguish between combatants and noncombatants constitutes a war crime.
..researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have developed a new method for modeling orbits in cislunar space, which refers to the space between and around Earth and the moon.
The researchers modeled what a million orbits would look like over six years using an open-access database, or code that’s publicly available, and a ton of processing power from the lab’s supercomputers.
“When you have a million orbits, you can get a really rich analysis using machine learning applications,” LLNL scientist Denvir Higgins said in an announcement. “You can try to predict the lifetime of the orbit, try to predict stability or try to do anomaly detection to see if an orbit is moving in a strange way.”
The researchers found that about half of the orbits they modeled remained stable for at least one year, and just under 10% remained stable for the full six years of the simulation.
“If you want to know where a satellite is in a week, there’s no equation that can actually tell you where it’s going to be,” LLNL scientist Travis Yeager said in the release. “You have to step forward a little bit at a time.”
The amount of computing power required to track a million obits over a six-year period in a simulated environment is significant. LLNL said they used 1.6 million CPU hours, which would take more than 182 years to process on a single computer. But using the lab’s Quartz and Ruby supercomputers, it only took three days to run the simulations.
On February 2, Sec. Noem issued a memo asserting the lapse in appropriations for DHS meant there is no Sec. 527—the provision protecting congressional oversight visits to immigration detention facilities—and she was issuing a new (third) policy requiring seven-day notice for visits.
DOJ’s argument is that […] because Noem signed the new memo on that date, the policy wasn’t “promulgated” using 527 funds, and therefore the seven-day restriction on congressional oversight visits is fine.
Commentary
This feels so obviously a stupid argument that I’m questioning if I’m the stupid one.
I’m gonna remember this “if there’s no funding for my department, we are no longer bound by your laws” gambit
Well, I’m sure that Judge Jia Cobb will be very understanding about Kristi Noem putting out a THIRD memo defying the court’s order.
Meanwhile in Florida, the DOJ has successfully staved off an order closing the Everglades camp by asserting that since FEMA never actually paid out the $600 million grant to cover its construction, it’s not subject to environmental oversight laws.
Simultaneously, they’re keeping state lawmakers out with a ruling saying that it’s not subject to state oversight laws either, since it’s run by the feds and holds no inmates under Florida DoC jurisdiction.
Weird! The federal immigrant concentration camp isn’t under state OR federal jurisdiction!
MS Now’s Carol Leonnig reports a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. declined to indict Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin on charges of seditious conspiracy Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the proceedings.
This is the absurd case where the Democratic lawmakers put out a video reminding US soldiers that they have to follow the law. o for 6 on charges the DOJ tried to bring. This is the grand jury so the DOJ is allowed to try again and given it’s just Trump being petty they probably will as long as Trump remembers it.
StevoRsays
More fall out from the excessive police response to peaceful protesters at the anti-Herzog visit protests in Sydney :
A new video obtained by ABC NEWS Verify shows the full minute leading up to a man in a white business shirt being punched several times by NSW Police at Monday night’s protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
A shorter clip shared by Greens senator David Shoebridge went viral on Monday, showing the man being hit several times by uniformed officers, however the start of the confrontation and important context were missing.
(ABC news Summary.)
Aussie politics – the LNP reichwing rabble now kinda back in coalition & masquerading as the opposition party to the ALP is having a leadership spill tomorrow. Sussan Ley’s poisoned chalic e hasn’t taken long :
Liberal leadership aspirant Angus Taylor has quit the frontbench ahead of an expected challenge to Sussan Ley.
Mr Taylor resigned as opposition shadow defence minister on Wednesday evening, saying he did not believe Ms Ley was in a position to “lead the party, as it needs to be led from here”.
He did not declare his intention to call a spill and challenge Ms Ley, but said the party “can’t ignore” the Liberal Party was at the “worst position it has been since 1944, when the party was formed”.
The ABC understands further moves by Mr Taylor’s supporters are now not expected until Thursday morning.
Good article on the anti-Herzog protests inSydney and aftermath here just found too :
Earlier, City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore described Monday night’s pro-Palestine demonstrations as “legitimate” and called for an independent investigation into NSW Police’s actions after the protest turned violent.
In a statement posted to social media, Ms Moore said: “It is legitimate to use our voices to call for an end to the genocide in Gaza, especially during a visit of the Israeli head of state”.
“The suggestions that such a protest is inappropriate as we continue to grieve for the victims of the egregious, anti-Semitic terror event in Bondi is a divisive, false dichotomy,” she said.
Ms Moore claimed there had to “be a better way” for police “who were out in intimidatingly large numbers” to manage crowd safety.
“I found the footage of men being aggressively dragged away in the midst of evening prayer, and protesters beaten while already subdued, particularly alarming,” she said.
She called for a review of policing at protests, saying: “We cannot simply say the images aren’t a good look, or that police were just doing their jobs in trying conditions, or play a blame game – the community needs to be able to trust police, and that trust relies on transparency and accountability.”
First is وسام اياد محمد ابو فسيفس, or Wesam Iyad Mohammed Abu Fsaife, a 14-year-old boy. Last is صباح عمر سعد المصري, or Sabah Omar Saad al-Masri, an eight-year-old girl.
These names of two children mark the beginning and end of the Wall of Tears, a massive art installation paying homage to the 18,457 children killed in Gaza between 7 October 2023 and 19 July 2025. Created by artist Phil Buehler, it opened next to Pine Box Rock Shop bar at 12 Grattan Street in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday.
Made of waterproof and UV-coated vinyl, the 50ft long, 10ft tall sand-coloured mural lists the children killed in Gaza by the order in which they died, based on data from the Gaza health ministry. This will be punctuated by photos and stories of individual children, drawing on reports by the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers.
“If you approach from a distance, it looks like almost an abstract painting and that draws people in to see, what is that?” Buehler, 69, says by phone. “Then you’ll see they’re names of the children killed in Gaza since 7 October and there are thousands of them stretching down the block.
“Then you’ll be drawn in further, I hope, to see the faces, read the stories of some of the few dozen I’ve scattered throughout the fence. That’s the part that gets me when I look at it. You see these faces full of joy and hope, snapshots from graduations and birthday parties and family gatherings and knowing that these kids’ lives were just cut short.”
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
Bernie: Trump is ‘crazy’ or a ‘liar’ if he thinks this is a great economy. “I wonder whether Trump is completely crazy and delusional or just a pathological liar—if this is the greatest economy in the history of the world, God help us,” says Sen. Bernie Sanders on Trump’s economic spin.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
Trump DOJ fails to indict Dem lawmakers on sedition charges. MS Now’s Carol Leonnig reports a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. declined to indict Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin on charges of seditious conspiracy Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the proceedings.
Russia’s ability to acquire foreign machine tools despite Western sanctions is reportedly allowing Russia to increase its production of tank and artillery barrels- a key constraining factor on Russia’s defense industrial base (DIB).
Despite heavy sanctions the Russians continue to get their hands on western machine tools. This has allowed Russia to continue to expand supplies of artillery and other basic military arms.
Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Dobropillya tactical area. Russian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast, in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area, near Hulyaipole, and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
There has been a lot of talk of Ukrainian counter-offensive but it’s not as big as some press has made it out. The Ukrainians have cleared some contested zones that just had a handful of Russian soldiers camped out. Some of it is Russian officers covering for previous lies. They had claimed they took some town and now when it becomes clear they won’t be able to they claim that Ukrainian counter offensive has retaken the town.
“The speaker asked members to keep surrendering their own legal authority to protect the president’s tariffs. Most House members replied, ‘No.’ ”
In the House, before a bill can be voted on, members adopt a measure to establish ground rules for how the legislation will be considered. It’s known as adopting a “rule,” and the vast majority of the time it’s little more than a procedural speed bump, because members tend to vote with their parties to begin the process.
During Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s tenure as House speaker, she literally never lost a rule vote. During former Republican Reps. John Boehner’s and Paul Ryan’s tenures, they also never lost such a vote.
In the last Congress, however, then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy lost three of these votes. And after he was stripped of his gavel, his Republican successor, Mike Johnson, lost four.
In the current Congress, Johnson lost one rule vote last year, and then another Tuesday night. This latest failure, however, was almost certainly the most important to date. MS NOW reported on what happened when House GOP leaders tried to adopt legislation Tuesday night that would prevent any lawmaker from forcing a vote on Donald Trump’s tariffs until August:
That effort failed, however, 214-217, after three Republicans joined all Democrats to defeat the legislation.
Tucked into a rule setting up floor consideration for a bill on U.S. energy security was language that would have prevented House lawmakers from challenging Trump’s tariffs until July 31. The language stipulates that certain days won’t ‘constitute a calendar day’ for the purpose of terminating national emergencies — the authority Trump has used to impose the tariffs.
The procedural details get a little complicated — the goal, as The New York Times summarized, was to “manipulate the laws of time … turning months into a single legislative day” — but what matters more is the broader significance. Indeed, Politico described Tuesday night’s developments as “seismic,” and it’s worth appreciating why.
First, this was a major setback for Trump, who expected the House chamber that he has effectively controlled for a year to back him up on his controversial trade tariffs agenda. When that didn’t happen, it offered fresh evidence of an unpopular lame-duck president whose grip on Capitol Hill, even when his own party is in control, is clearly loosening.
Second, […] Johnson, who has long been seen as a weak figure, has now lost more rule votes than any speaker in generations […] In the wake of Tuesday night’s failure, Democrats will be able to force a series of uncomfortable votes on the White House’s tariffs, and GOP leaders, already struggling with a vanishingly small majority, won’t be able to stop them. [!]
[…] And third, this was a fundamental rejection of an entire partisan mindset. Johnson’s goal was, at its core, bizarre: Tuesday night’s vote was intended to neuter his own chamber in order to prevent votes against tariffs that Congress is supposed to have authority over, but which the House speaker wants Trump to use unilaterally.
In effect, Johnson told House members to keep surrendering their own legal authority so that the president can continue to use tariffs in ways most Americans oppose.
“While the Trump administration focuses on a deworming medication as a possible cancer cure, it’s taking a different approach to a potential flu vaccine.”
It was almost five years ago that the Food and Drug Administration published a curious missive to social media, which may have left some people confused. “You are not a horse,” the FDA said in a now-deleted tweet. “You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.”
Ordinarily, the FDA wouldn’t have to remind people that they’re not livestock, but it became necessary for an unfortunate reason: An alarming number of people were trying to treat Covid-19 by voluntarily taking a medicine known as ivermectin, which is generally a deworming medication intended for horses and cows.
There are limited instances in which humans should use ivermectin — treating head lice, for example — but according to the FDA, the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, the Journal of the American Medical Association and even the company that makes ivermectin, the drug was not and is not effective in treating Covid. [True. True. True.]
Americans nevertheless soon confronted a series of reports from across the country with people not only buying the deworming medication from livestock stores, but also inadvertently poisoning themselves. Conservative media outlets didn’t help, and neither did the usual suspects among Republican officials.
Five years later, KFF Health News reported that the National Cancer Institute, a federal research agency, is studying ivermectin — as a potential cancer treatment. [Oh FFS]
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, speaking two weeks ago at an event sponsored by the MAHA Institute, told attendees, “If lots of people believe it and it’s moving public health, we as NIH have an obligation, again, to treat it seriously.”
Except that’s ridiculous. The NIH has a limited amount of resources, and to direct time, funds and energy into chasing a weird theory based on the suspicions of “lots” of laypeople is bizarre.
Making matters spectacularly worse, while the Trump administration takes seriously the idea that a livestock deworming medication might cure cancer, the same administration is taking a very different approach to a potential vaccine for influenza. The New York Times reported:
The vaccine maker Moderna said on Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration had notified the company that the agency would not review its mRNA flu vaccine, the latest sign of federal health policy that has become hostile to vaccine development.
Dr. Vinay Prasad, the agency’s top vaccine regulator, rejected the company’s application for approval over a concern that Moderna’s clinical trial had compared its experimental vaccine against a product the agency did not consider the best on the market. People in the comparison group received Fluarix Quadrivalent, a flu vaccine sold by GSK.
The Times’ report added that Moderna had spent years and hundreds of millions of dollars testing its flu vaccine. [yep] Evidently, the Trump administration doesn’t care.
To be sure, this isn’t too surprising. One of the worst public health decisions the Republican administration made in 2025 was terminating federal contracts focused on developing mRNA vaccines [yikes!] — research that Trump himself celebrated as a “modern-day miracle,” before he put a series of unqualified and fringe figures in charge of the nation’s public health infrastructure.
We’re now dealing with the consequences.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington wrote online on Tuesday night that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “is now blocking an updated flu vaccine for no reason grounded in science. American vaccine policy has been hijacked by a conspiracy theorist […] allowing FDA policy to be dictated by DELUSION.” […]
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Follow-up to 384, 387, 379.
Lynna quoting NYT @379: “The family had previously called on Mr. Trump to halt the construction of the Gordie Howe bridge”
The billionaire […] met Howard Lutnick […] hours before President Trump lambasted a competing span […] Mr. Lutnick spoke with Mr. Trump by phone about the matter, the officials said. Shortly afterward, Mr. Trump threatened to block […] The Moroun family has for decades mounted legal challenges to block or delay the competing project […] It was not immediately clear how Mr. Trump would block the opening […] [The bridge was] paid for by Canada and is to be operated jointly by Canada and Michigan under a public-private arrangement.
“EXCLUSIVE: IRS improperly disclosed confidential immigrant tax data to DHS”
“The tax agency only recently discovered the mistake and is working with other federal agencies on a response.”
The Internal Revenue Service improperly shared confidential tax information of thousands of individuals with immigration enforcement officials, according to three people familiar with the situation, appearing to breach a legal fire wall intended to protect taxpayer data.
The erroneous disclosure was only recently discovered, the people said. The IRS is working with officials from the Treasury Department, Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security on the administration’s response.
Federal law mandates strict protections of the identities of taxpayers, including the sharing of data within the federal government. Undocumented immigrants have for years paid taxes with assurances from the federal government that doing so would not result in them being targeted by immigration enforcement.
But in a controversial decision, Treasury, which oversees the IRS, in April 2025 agreed to provide DHS with the names and addresses of individuals the Trump administration believed to be in the country illegally, pursuant to DHS requests. [How is that a “mistake”? It sounds like a deliberate, illegal action.]
Federal courts have since blocked the data-sharing arrangement, holding that it violates taxpayers’ rights, though the government appealed those rulings.
Before the agreement was struck down, DHS requested the addresses of 1.2 million individuals from the IRS. The tax agency responded with data on 47,000 individuals, according to court records.
[Oh, I see. Here is the actual “mistake.”] When the IRS shared the addresses with DHS, it also inadvertently disclosed private information for thousands of taxpayers erroneously, a mistake only recently discovered […]
The affected individuals could be entitled to financial compensation for each time their information was improperly shared. And government officials can personally face stiff civil and criminal penalties for sharing confidential tax information. […]
[Trump in January sued the IRS for $10 billion in damages related to the Charles Littlejohn leak of Trump’s tax returns.]
[…] “Information sharing across agencies is essential to identify who is in our country, including violent criminals, determine what public safety and terror threats may exist so we can neutralize them, scrub these individuals from voter rolls, and identify what public benefits these aliens are using at taxpayer expense,” the DHS spokesperson said.
There is little evidence that undocumented immigrants have attempted to participate in U.S. elections, nor is there a link between undocumented immigrants and higher levels of crime.
When the IRS began conversations with DHS over data sharing shortly after Trump returned to the White House, senior IRS employees warned administration officials that the program was likely illegal and could sweep up misidentified people, The Post has reported.
During early meetings on the project, one agency staffer asked immigration authorities how many people with the same name may live in the same state, according to one of the people, illustrating how easy it would be for the Trump administration to inadvertently breach taxpayers’ privacy, including those who are not targets of immigration investigations.
The IRS’s privacy department was largely sidelined from the talks […] That team had largely been taken over by officials from Trump’s U.S. DOGE Service […]
Treasury officials justified the data-sharing agreement by arguing immigration enforcement was pursuing individuals who had violated criminal statutes, though immigration violations are generally civil, not criminal.
[…] “This allegedly unauthorized viewing involves personal information that taxpayers provided to the IRS pursuant to a promise that the IRS would prioritize keeping the information confidential,” Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in a November order. “A reasonable taxpayer would likely find it highly offensive to discover that the IRS now intends to share that information permissively because it has replaced its promise of confidentiality with a policy of disclosure.”
Sky Captain @423, thanks for the additional information. Lutnick again! The guy who recently lied about his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein (either lies or convenient memory failures, combined with other stupid excuses). In the case of the Gordie Howe bridge, very rich people are coming to each other’s defense in order to protect ill-gotten gains. The Moroun family’s lobbying of Trump (through Lutnick) also does not sound like support for a free market, for capitalism, or for equality in business (supposedly Republican/conservative virtues). It looks like a financial safety net that works only for very rich people.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday went off the rails shortly after Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington asked Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors in the audience to raise their hands. Jayapal pressed Bondi to apologize to them, accusing her of protecting “powerful predators” in the release of Epstein-related files while also failing to safeguard survivors in the documents.
“Congresswoman, you sat before—former Attorney General] Merrick Garland sat in this chair twice,” Bondi said.
“Attorney General Bondi,” Jayapal interrupted.
“Can I finish my answer?” Bondi said.
“No,” Jayapal shot back. “I’m gonna reclaim my time because I asked you a specific question that I would like you to answer, which is: Will you turn to the survivors? This is not about anybody that came before you.” [video]
Things didn’t get any better as other Democrats on the committee asked Bondi to defend the criminally slow rollout of the Epstein files. Trying to deflect, Bondi lied about the findings of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. She also falsely claimed that President Donald Trump “overwhelmingly” won “the majority” of the popular vote in 2024. In reality, he won 49.7% of the vote.
She also brought up … the stock market?
“The Dow is over 50,000! I don’t know why you’re laughing,” Bondi said during one extensive detour. “The Dow is over 50,000 right now. The S&P [500] at almost 7,000, and the NASDAQ smashing records. … That’s what we should be talking about.” [FFS! video]
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the committee, repeatedly asked Chair Jim Jordan to remind the attorney general to stop ranting through members’ questions.
It seems that when Trump’s Cabinet officials aren’t defending their appearances in the Epstein files, they are scrambling to cover for their powerful friends.
[…] the official government website, realfood.gov, has a section where you can “Use AI to get real answers about real food.”
Since this is on an official fancy government website and is an official government initiative, surely whatever AI tool is being used must have been trained extensively on health information and have multiple safeguards in place to ensure it will provide healthy, correct advice, right?
Uh, no. It’s Grok. It was always going to be Grok. After NextGov asked about why Grok was giving out official nutrition info on an official government website, the administration simply swapped out “Use Grok to get real answers about real food” for “Use AI to get real answers about real food,” but it still just kicks you right over to Grok after you ask your question.
here’s no warning telling you that you are leaving an official government website, no disclaimer that a random chatbot may provide unsafe or incorrect answers. Though a spokesperson told NextGov that the “publicly available version of Grok” is “also an approved governmental tool,” they didn’t feel like answering questions about how Grok was chosen, whether there is a contract, or what guardrails are in place.
404 Media reported that people quickly figured out you could ask Grok to give you dangerously stupid advice, such as what foods are most comfortable to stick up your butt. […]
In case you’re not feeling that adventurous, the realfood site also has suggested prompts of imaginary people desperate for REAL FOOD, which is somehow always in all caps: “My aging parent lives alone, is on a fixed income, and mostly eats frozen dinners and packaged snacks. I’m worried they’re not getting REAL FOOD, but they don’t cook much anymore. How can I help them get more REAL FOOD without it being complicated or expensive?”
It appears you are supposed to cut and paste this into the Grokbox and get helpful answers. Doing that with the above prompt gets you the same sort of bog-standard information you would get from a web search: look for senior food programs like Meals on Wheels, try some no-cook healthy meals like Greek yogurt, and so on.
Well, at least that’s not Grok generating child sexual abuse material or telling you to put a zucchini up your ass. Small blessings.
If you ask more than a handful of questions via the realfood Grok prompt, you get a message telling you that you have reached the message limit and that you need to sign up with Grok to continue.
So, an official government website is sending people to a sketchy chatbot owned and controlled by the world’s richest man, and the only way you can take advantage of this oh-so-helpful official government tool is to give your personal information to Elon Musk.
[…] Grok is also burrowing in at the Department of Defense, but this appears to be the first use of Musk’s nonconsensual sexual deepfake machine in the Health and Human Services Department. […]
So, don’t listen to experts. Instead, listen to Grok. […]
Having the spokesperson for REAL FOOD be a REAL ADJUDICATED RAPIST [Mike Tyson, in a Super Bowl advertisement] in an ad directed by a REAL CREDIBLY ACCUSED SEXUAL HARRASSER [Brett Ratner] that directs you to a REAL NONCONSENSUAL DEEPFAKE CHATBOT [Grok] that is also a REAL OFFICIAL GOVERNMENTAL TOOL shows a slapdash, disgusting disdain for everyone. Your tax dollars are being lit on fire to reward the worst people for the dumbest things.
“America Is Hurting Little Children Again And MAGA Couldn’t Be Happier”
We have now reached the “Children’s Letters From ICE Baby Jails” stage of the second Donald Trump administration. […] In Trump’s first term, public outrage over the obvious cruelty of the “zero tolerance” family separation program was so widespread and unanimous that Trump tried to save face by issuing an executive order to end the policy that he had put in place […]
The lesson that Trump and his gang of creeps took from that human rights disaster was that Americans won’t stand for family separations. That’s why in the current mass deportation/ethnic cleansing crusade, the administration constantly reminds us that it wants families to be together. […]
In reality, of course, it means imprisoning and deporting children with their parents, and if the kids are US citizens because they were born here, then Homeland Security gives the parents a Sophie’s Choice: Leave your kid with a guardian here (maybe in the foster care system if you don’t have relatives with legal status), or your kid will be sent back to your home country with you. Even if the child has a life-threatening medical condition, although maybe not, as long as there’s enough media attention.
There’s another huge difference between Trump I and Trump II: This time, Trump’s goons have also been attacking, arresting, and killing Americans right on the streets and on camera, and that’s taking up a lot of our attention, so what’s going on in the baby jails has so far received less of our increasingly frayed attention. [Unfortunately true.]
But then that iconic photo of little Liam Conejo Ramos in his bunny hat suddenly reminded everyone that Trump reopened the baby jails. Liam and his father were sent, like thousands of families have been since the mass deportation sweeps began, to ICE’s family detention prison in Dilley, Texas, and that has brought new attention to just what a rotten place that concentration camp is for children.
Yes, even if they’re imprisoned with their parents, because just as family separation caused serious psychological harm to the children taken from their parents, pediatricians are reminding us (again!) that lockup is not healthy for children, either.
[…] Just as the goal in 2018 was to make America so hellish that no one would want to risk coming here, the cruelty today is all aimed at pushing parents to give up their asylum cases or other efforts to stay, and to sign papers allowing their immediate removal back to whatever they fled in their home countries.
Letters From Baby Jail
The Dilley camp is of course a private prison [!], run by CoreCivic, one of several private prison operators making out like bandits […] under the Trump regime.
Now that we’re paying more attention to what’s going on in the family detention camps, ProPublica this week released a pair of stories on the first-person perspectives of some of the kids imprisoned there. The first is a selection of letters that eight children wrote about their experiences inside Dilley, in response to a request from a ProPublica reporter. It’s accompanied by an extensively reported piece on what life for imprisoned kids is like in the Dilley camp. Both are mandatory reading, if you ask us. […] [Embedded links to those and other sources are available at the main link.]
A small detail of the letters project really underlines where we are in America’s journey to a gulag state: In a note at the end, we’re told that reported Mica Rosenberg asked detainees if their kids would be willing to write letters about being in Dilley, and when the letters were ready, “One detainee gathered the letters and brought them out of the center when they were released from Dilley on Jan. 20.”
That’s the same day Liam and his father were grabbed in front of their home in Minneapolis, but what struck us was that the project relied on a detainee bringing the packet of letters out of the camp — presumably to make sure DHS wouldn’t interfere if they were mailed. [!!]
The letters are, of course, heartbreaking, and their age-appropriate spelling errors underline how young some of the kids are. Nine-year-old Susej F writes that she was happy living and going to school in Houston, Texas, and wishes she could return home there, but that “Seen [seeing] how people like me, immigrants are been treated changes my perspective about the U.S. My mom and I came to The U.S looking for a good and safe place to live, and my mom was looking for a Good job.” She’s now resigned to hoping she’ll be sent back to Venezuela, anything to get out of Dilley:
I miss my school and my friends I feel bad since when I came here to this Place, because I have been here too long. I have been 2 years and 6 months in united states, and I was happy with my friends in The school but now I need to leave. I miss my family in my country so now I want To go to Venezuela.
Laws? What Laws?
A lot of the kids know, because their parents know, that kids aren’t legally supposed to be held more than 20 days, because of a 1997 legal settlement that Stephen Miller wants to erase. [!]
But many of the kids have been imprisoned at Dilley far longer than that: 50 days, 60 days, 70 days, and in the case of Maria Antonia Guerra Montoya, aged nine, 113 days. She writes,
I miss my friends and I feel they are going to forget me. I am bored here. I already miss my country and my house, I came on vacation for 10 Days and they took me into an ice office an officer interrogated me 2 hours without my mom, I was traveling with flight attendant because my mom lives in new york, they only wanted to arrest my mom, because my mom didn’t have documents to live in U.S.A., I always traveled with my tourist visa but ice used me to catch my mom and now I am in a jail and I am sad and I have fainted 2 times here inside.
ProPublica notes that at least 300 kids sent to Dilley have been detained more than a month. No worries, since the law is what Team Trump says it is.
And never mind those lies about how ICE is only going after the “worst of the worst,” either. The children sent to Dilley aren’t criminals, and neither are the vast majority of their parents, who have no criminal records in the US, and are accused only of civil immigration violations — if even that. Rosenberg notes,
Some of the parents I spoke to had overstayed visas. Many had filed applications for asylum, had married U.S. citizens or had been granted humanitarian parole and were detained when they voluntarily showed up for appointments at ICE offices. They said that it was unfair to arrest them, and that detaining their children was just plain cruel.
And just as DHS liars in the first Trump term insisted that family separation was just fine, because kids were kept in clean facilities where they were fed and could watch cartoons on TV, we get the same song and dance now. DHS insisted in a statement to ProPublica that all detainees
“are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries” and that “certified dieticians evaluate meals.” Detained parents are given the option for their families to be deported together, or they can have their children placed with another caregiver, the statement said.
‘Edible’ Is Such A Subjective Term. Kids Are Just Too Picky About Moldy Food
Unlike the baby jails in Trump I, which were mostly run by nonprofit contractors and subject to state inspections because they were part of state foster care systems, the current family prison camps are entirely federal affairs, so no pesky state inspectors are nosing around. Detainees complain that the food given to their kids is often moldy or infested with bugs or worms, and that the water is just plain nasty. Medical care is also iffy, despite DHS claims.
One 12-year-old girl who signed her name as Ender writes of the frustration of “going to the doctor and that the only thing they tell you is to drink more water and the worst thing is that it seems like the water is what makes people sick here[.]” Parents said that their children were sick much of the time, and maybe they received treatment, maybe not.
Christian Hinojosa, the mother of 13-year-old Gustavo Santiago, said that when her son had a fever, medical staff told her he was old enough to fight off the symptoms without medications, so he wasn’t given so much as a Tylenol. Instead, she stayed up with him all night (the lights are always on), using cool compresses to try to control his fever.
Your Baby Can’t Breathe?
Then there’s the horrifying case of 18-month-old Amalia Arrieta, the adorable little toddler blowing kisses in the triptych of video screengrabs up top. She and her parents, Kheilin Valero and Stiven Arrieta, were whisked away to Dilley on December 11, after they arrived for a scheduled appointment with ICE in El Paso as part of her parents’ asylum case. They crossed the border legally at a port of entry in 2024, using the now-rescinded CBP One app, but the administration considers them “illegals” because nothing in the Biden administration was legitimate. “Came here legally” means nothing to ICE.
Amalia’s health quickly deteriorated in prison, and for two weeks, the staff nurses gave her ibuprofen, and eventually antibiotics, but her breathing kept getting worse. On January 18, in severe respiratory distress, she was finally taken to a children’s hospital in San Antonio, where she was treated for pneumonia, COVID-19, and RSV. Once she improved, ICE insisted she had to go back to Dilley. As with most cruelty toward detainees, the point is to pressure them to agree to immediate deportation, so letting her parents out on bond was unthinkable.
“She was at the brink of dying,” said Elora Mukherjee, a Columbia Law School professor and the director of the school’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, who filed the petition seeking the family’s release.
Yet after Amalia’s return to Dilley on Jan. 28, federal officials “denied her access to the medication that doctors prescribed for her at the hospital” [!!] the lawsuit says, forcing her parents to “wait in long lines for hours outside daily” to request the medicine, only to be turned away.
[…] After NBC reported on Amalia’s case last weekend, DHS Reichspropaganda Minister Tricia McLaughlin insisted that no medication was withheld from Amalia. McLaughlin claimed the baby “immediately received proper medical care” at Dilley before she was hospitalized, and that once she was released, the little girl was “in the medical unit and received proper treatment and prescribed medicines.”
Who are you going to believe, some people who fled oppression in Venezuela, followed all the rules, and desperately want their baby to live, or the constantly lying DHS spox?
There’s so, so, much more in both ProPublica pieces, but we’ll just close with this brilliant riposte to the kids’ letters when ProPublica posted samples on Twitter. [Image]
Other MAGA replies included “Well those poor kids have some shitty parents,” “Horrible that Biden created this situation, and “Children with irresponsible illegal parents wrote some letters, so we can’t have borders any more.” And of course the brilliant detective work of MAGA folks who thought the children’s handwriting was too neat, so it had to be fake.
Just shut up with your empathy. These children don’t belong here, their parents should have self-deported, and America is full. Exterminate the brutes, as Mr. Kurtz suggested. [Kurtz is a fictional character in Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness.]
Some interesting news coming out of South Korea this week — Kim Hee Soo, the governor of the southern Jindo county in South Jeolla province, was booted out of his own party for suggesting that the nation “import young unmarried women” from other countries like Sri Lanka and Vietnam in order to marry “young men in rural areas” of South Korea and have their babies.
The Democratic Party of South Korea announced on Monday that they had voted him out, on account of how insulting and dehumanizing his comments were to Sri Lankan and Vietnamese women, not to mention women everywhere.
It occurred to me that, had this happened in the Republican Party of the United States, the only internal outrage that would result would be over the fact that they don’t want any more immigrants and also want to maintain racial purity for white folks. […] Jordan Peterson once suggested a “redistribution” of women in order to prevent incels from committing mass murders and became even more popular on the Right afterwards.
The birth rate has been a hot topic of conversation lately on the Right, as it dovetails nicely with the white supremacy and their “women need to get back to the kitchen” jags they’ve also been on. Our declining population would, of course, be a non-issue if we allowed more people to stay here and to come here; the reason this is unacceptable to the Right is because what they really want is more white people. They are very obsessed with “preserving the culture,” which does not seem like a thing they should be in charge of, given that they think Kid Rock is the pinnacle of it. [LOL]
This week, Fox News published an op-ed from Peggy Nance — the president and CEO of Concerned Women for America and upholder of the proud Conservative tradition of traveling around the country telling other women to stay home — titled “What Usha Vance’s pregnancy news tells us about men and women in America.”
She writes:
Second lady Usha Vance’s announcement of baby number four was delightful and refreshing news. Having four children in the U.S. is not the norm these days. Across the U.S., women are having fewer children, or none at all. As a parent myself, I hope Vance’s news will encourage more women to do the same.
A woman’s decision to have children is often seen as a personal lifestyle choice. However, this decision also affects the nation: without enough births to maintain its population, a country struggles to sustain its economy, communities and culture.
But that is where the discussion of Usha Vance and what is absolutely her “personal lifestyle choice” to have another child ends. Indeed, she doesn’t even get mentioned again until the very last sentence. Rather, Nance uses Vance’s pregnancy to blame the lack of pregnancies on … men watching porn.
The reasons women give for avoiding motherhood are real: children and childcare are expensive; many careers demand total availability during a woman’s prime fertility years. Often, the culture treats motherhood as a professional liability rather than a benefit to society.
But there is another factor few are willing to say out loud — one that affects women long before they ever consider having children. Increasingly, women are not delaying motherhood because they do not want families: they are having trouble finding men who are ready to build one.
Modern dating is broken, and pornography has played a devastating role. Millions of men now habitually consume pornography. Barna Group data from 2024 found that 78% of U.S. men (ages 13–65) consume pornography “to some extent.” But this is not harmless entertainment. Many studies have shown that heavy pornography consumption distorts expectations, damages emotional intimacy, reduces motivation and undermines real-world relationships.
Yeah, I don’t think that’s it.
People’s choices on whether or not to have children are their own. However, I am going to need to point out here that not only do Republicans oppose practically every policy on earth that would make it easier for people who want children to have them — subsidized child care, subsidized health care, subsidized college, raising the minimum wage, lowering housing costs, ending at-will employment so people feel secure in their jobs, cutting the work week down, encouraging businesses to allow people to continue working remotely, and, of course, parental leave — they are also working pretty damned hard to make both young men and marriage as repulsive to women as humanly possible.
[…]They want to get women out of the workforce and back to the kitchen, popping out babies as young as possible [embedded links to sources are available at the main link], and they have made that clear. They talk about how the country needs to get rid of “no-fault divorce” so that women can’t divorce their husbands unless they can prove that they were abusive or adulterous (it will, of course, be quite difficult to hire a PI to prove adultery with no money of their own).
If you go over to what was formerly Twitter, you will see endless amounts of tweets proclaiming #RepealThe19th, from MAGA conservatives arguing that everything would be better if women lost the right to vote.
It’s not a very good deal for women. It never was. That is why we pushed for change in the first place. The fact is, even many Republican women have dreams and goals for themselves beyond cooking and cleaning for a husband and children […] MAGA mouthpieces have tried to counter this by endlessly blathering on about how terribly unhappy feminism and the sexual revolution have made us all […] and how we’d be so much happier fulfilling our “natural” role as wives and mothers […] Even the TikTok tradwives make a lot of money and often end up being the breadwinners in their families. This was a whole ass plot point on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Hell, even some far-right, anti-feminist women have ended up learning the hard way that there is an actual reason why women didn’t want to continue being Stepford Wives.
Aside from the whole “wanting to take away our rights and trying to make us all make the same choices for our lives, that just so happen to benefit men a lot more than they benefit us” thing, there’s also the “culture.”
I mean, the Right likes to talk about “culture,” right? So let’s talk about culture. Let’s talk about the culture the Right has created, about the Groypers, about the Manosphere, about Elon Musk, about Andrew Tate and so on. These are people who openly hate women. In the latter case, it’s someone who openly admits to abusing women and encourages other men to do the same.
He’s a big celebrity in Penny Nance’s world! He’s someone whom members of the Trump administration have advocated for, someone who is giving romantic advice to Barron Trump. And he is is currently facing charges in several countries for sex trafficking.
[…] that sort of worldview, that kind of vulgar, 14-year-old edgelord behavior, that kind of outright misogyny and racism is becoming the norm for many men on the Right, largely because of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Donald Trump says horrible, demeaning things to women, and many young men have chosen to follow in his footsteps. Go over to what used to be Twitter and it’s the same kind of grotesque cesspool that 4chan used to be.
It’s been a well-known fact for some time now that young women are getting increasingly liberal while young men are getting increasingly conservative. […] Seventy-seven percent of women on the Coffee Meets Bagel app say they wouldn’t date a Trump supporter.
And if they don’t want to date Trump supporters, they will probably be even less inclined to marry them and have their babies.
Now, I am not saying that this is the whole reason for low birth rates. Frankly, I don’t actually care about low birth rates, because not only am I aware that overpopulation is a serious problem globally, I cannot think of anything that is less my business than whether someone chooses to have a child or not.
That being said, if that really is their big concern, they may want to take a step back and consider that encouraging men to be repulsive to women on every possible level just might not be the way to go.
Follow-up to “All In with Chris Hayes” video highlighted in comment 19, with Bernie Sanders:
The U.S. economy added an abysmally low 181,000 jobs in 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Wednesday, revising the annual job total down by a whopping 400,000 jobs to show that virtually no jobs were added in President Donald Trump’s first year in office.
The annual job growth was the worst year in decades, and was the result of Trump’s idiotic trade policy causing massive uncertainty for businesses, leading them to pull back on growth plans or cut roles altogether.
“2025 was the weakest year for job growth since the pandemic, and before that since the Great Recession,” New York Times economics reporter Ben Casselman wrote in a post on X. [social media posts, with graphs]
The paltry 181,000 jobs is far worse than the nearly 1.5 million jobs created in 2024, former President Joe Biden’s last year in office, which Trump had criticized as being poor.
In fact, during the 2024 campaign he slammed the BLS’ downward revisions of the monthly jobs reports under Biden, saying: “The Harris Biden administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating job statistics to hide the true extent of the economic ruin that they’ve inflicted on America.”
Trump also accused Biden of carrying out a “MASSIVE SCANDAL” and for having had “PADDED THE NUMBERS.”
By that ridiculous metric, it means Trump did the same, as his BLS revised the monthly jobs totals down, too. Economists said that the downward revisions to 2025’s job creation shows that the United States was in a hiring recession last year, with the only thing propping up the jobs market being health care and education jobs.
“The U.S. job market is very unbalanced right now,” University of Michigan economics professor Justin Wolfers wrote in a post on X. “One sector more than accounts for all jobs growth over the past year. The rest of the economy is shedding jobs.” [social media post, with graph]
Trump has been trying to gaslight Americans into believing that the economy is doing great.
He’s traveling the country to tout his flailing economy, declaring at a speech in Iowa in January that his idiotic tariff policy has led to the “most dramatic one-year turnaround of any country in history”—even though the tariffs have only led to higher costs and sagging job creation. In that same speech, Trump ludicrously said that inflation is “solved”—even though it most certainly is not. [Embedded links to sources are included at the main link.]
[…]
“The military testing, which was taking place near Fort Bliss, was of high-energy lasers that are designed to protect against drones from drug cartels that could cross over the U.S. border, three of the sources say.”
Related video at the link.
The grounding of aircraft at El Paso International Airport early Wednesday morning was in response to the U.S. military testing technology that can be used to take down drones, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
The testing was taking place in the proximity of the airport, raising concerns within the Federal Aviation Administration, which responded by issuing a Temporary Flight Restriction Notice, the sources said.
Three of the sources said the military testing, which was taking place near Fort Bliss, was of high-energy lasers that are designed to protect against drones from drug cartels that could cross over the U.S. border.
The Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights out of the El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days for what it said were “special security reasons” before abruptly lifting the order.
It did not explain the about-face. A Trump administration official earlier told NBC News that Mexican cartel drones had breached American airspace and the Defense Department had disabled them. [Lies were issued by the Trump administration.]
There is no confirmation from the Pentagon that any drones were shot down, despite the statement from the administration official.
The military did recently shoot down a small party balloon, two of the sources said.
[…] Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill told defense department officials that the grounding of flights was due to a counter-drone exercise that was not coordinated with the FAA, according to a fourth source familiar with the matter.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said the temporary flight restriction was unnecessary and “should have never happened.”
“This unnecessary decision has caused chaos and confusion in the El Paso community,” he said at a news conference. “You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable.” [Yep. Shambolic, chaotic, disorganized Trump administration reveals itself again.]
Johnson said medical evacuation flights had to be diverted to Las Cruces, about 45 miles away. All aviation operations, including emergency flights, were grounded, he said. […]
The notice said the airspace was classified as national defense airspace. Deadly force could be used on an aircraft if it is determined that it “poses an imminent security threat,” it said. Pilots that violated the order “may be intercepted, detained and interviewed” by law enforcement and security personnel, according to the notice.
[…] Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said officials in her country had not seen evidence of drone activity along the border.
[…] The notice also seemed to take airport staff by surprise. […]
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In his ongoing quest for honors, on Wednesday Donald J. Trump demanded that former President Barack Obama be named after him.
In a flurry of late-night Truth Social posts, Trump insisted that the 44th president be renamed “Barack Donald Obama Trump.”
Trump said that if his demand was not met he would “immediately cut off all federal aid to Hawaii.”
Speaking to reporters, Obama was philosophical, noting, “At least he didn’t say Kenya. That’s progress, I guess.”
“As the regime imposes a forced forgetting of the massacres in January, it has begun targeting not only wounded protesters but medical workers, who have borne witness to some of the worst atrocities.”
After midnight, one evening in late January, a doctor ushered a young man with a mangled hand into her car and sped to a private clinic on the outskirts of Tehran. She took back roads to avoid security checkpoints, where hulking officers were strip-searching passengers to look for injuries or any evidence of their participation in the uprising that had recently swept the country Around 2 a.m., the doctor arrived safely at the clinic, where she slipped a glove over the man’s hand to hide his injury. Then she led him past reception, to a specialist who was waiting to receive him.
In late December, mass protests erupted across Iran, leading security forces to massacre thousands of people over the course of several days in January. Scores of wounded demonstrators were left scrambling for medical help. Many government-run hospitals began operating as an extension of the regime’s security forces, targeting anyone who dared to seek treatment. Some of the injured were detained in wards, sometimes while under anesthesia. Others were denied care altogether. Many didn’t make it as far as the hospital before they were detained. In response, medical professionals throughout the country have forged secret units to treat those injured in the assault.
During the demonstrations on January 8th, after snipers started firing at protesters, the doctor in Tehran, whom I will call Narges, followed a trail of blood into an apartment building, where an injured woman had taken cover. Narges, a general practitioner in her thirties, fashioned a tourniquet from a head scarf to save the woman’s leg from a bullet wound. “Within twenty-four hours, I went from treating flu patients to treating war injuries,” she told me. Her phone started ringing with calls for help from the relatives or friends of the wounded. She and a friend rallied a network of young doctors and began treating people in living rooms, kitchens, and restaurants.
Over the next few days, she stocked her backpack full of essentials, such as pain medication—supplied by friendly pharmacists—and scalpels, which she sanitized in ovens and on stovetops. She had no choice but to numb herself to the butchery, the likes of which she had never seen before: a fourteen-year-old boy with rail-thin legs that had been sprayed with metal pellets; a man with a tennis-ball-size hole in his calf that she helped sew shut. “It was hell,” she told me.
[…] Trump has ordered a large buildup of forces, which he has called a “beautiful armada,” close to Iran’s shores, in preparation for an attack that he warned would “be far worse” than the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last June. U.S. and Iranian officials held indirect discussions last Friday, in Oman, about how to de-escalate the crisis, and they are expected to continue negotiations.
[…] A man in Mashhad, a city in northeastern Iran where security forces massacred hundreds of protesters, said that he felt stuck between “waiting for war and preparing for prison.”
Arbitrary arrests and disappearances have increased, according to human-rights groups. “It’s a mafia-style cleanup operation,” […] A source in Iran’s judicial system told me that due process in the courts appears nonexistent, leaving families with “little to no recourse.” […]
As the regime imposes a forced forgetting of the massacres in January, it has increasingly targeted medical workers, who have borne witness to some of the worst atrocities. Some have suffered assaults and interrogations, including Alireza Golchini, a surgeon in the northern city of Qazvin. On January 7th, he posted his phone number on Instagram, inviting injured Iranians to contact him for help. Days later, officers entered his home and beat him, before hauling him off to jail.
[…] The scope of the carnage has been widely obscured by an internet blackout enforced by the regime, which has admitted that more than three thousand people were killed in the unrest. Medical staff across the country have reported casualties from their wards to doctors and activists outside Iran, who have estimated that the real death toll is much higher.
The extent of the casualties will be difficult if not impossible to quantify, according to several doctors I spoke with, because the influx of cases far exceeded the capacity of many hospitals. Many patients were not admitted, and some who were admitted were not logged in hospital systems. The medical records that do exist have, in some cases, been tampered with or destroyed, either by security forces or hospital workers coöperating with the regime. Medical workers sympathetic to the uprising, meanwhile, have also changed the names and injuries listed on some patients’ medical charts, to protect their identities from authorities.
Medical workers have begun quietly doing their own record-keeping. One hospital employee in the northern city of Rasht told me that he had photographed hundreds of pieces of evidence, including CT scans and X-rays, from two emergency wards where he had volunteered during the massacre. […] one X-ray showed a bullet that shattered the femur of a forty-seven-year-old mother, who had tried to shield her son from gunfire. One brain scan showed a metal pellet, which had partially blinded a nurse after she was shot in the head while exiting the hospital. […]
For many of the wounded, the threat of disappearing into Iran’s prisons far outweighs the risks of forgoing medical help. The problem has been especially grim in remote regions, where private clinics are scarce, and patients must travel long distances to get care. Volunteers have organized medical convoys and ferried patients across the country to safe operating rooms.
On a recent January evening, a team of volunteers set out to collect protesters from a city in northern Iran, where they were stranded in their homes with trauma wounds that they had sustained earlier that month. The protesters needed to be transferred to private hospitals, which were better equipped, and where specialists could operate on them. Several of the wounded had bullet holes in their legs or feet. One young woman, who had been struck in the eye by a rubber bullet, was at risk of going blind. […]
Police say eight people were killed and 27 more were injured after a mass shooting in the community of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Tuesday. The sole suspect was also found dead inside the school from ‘a self-inflicted injury,’ according to police. On Wednesday, police clarified that the death toll, including the suspect, stood at nine — and not 10, as previously reported.
The Trump administration’s controversial deployment of National Guard troops to several cities led by Democrats ended in January, marking a muted retreat by President Donald Trump, who claimed the federal troops were needed to fight immigration-related crime. The withdrawal of the National Guard from Chicago; Los Angeles; and Portland, Oregon, began on Jan. 6 and ended Jan. 21, according to U.S. Northern Command.
The National Governors Association said governors from both parties would be able to meet with President Donald Trump later this month after the White House initially extended invitations to a business meeting only to Republicans. ‘We’re pleased the president will welcome governors from all 55 states and territories to the White House,’ Brandon Tatum, the group’s chief executive, said Wednesday. It’s still unclear whether every governor will participate in the full White House event.
Looks like the Trump administration decided on a bipartisan meeting after they got a lot of complaints about their plans to meet with only Republican governors.
The state government of Michigan was within its rights to refuse a request from the Trump administration to hand over personal information from state voter rolls, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
In a 23-page opinion, Judge Hala Y. Jarbou of the Federal District Court for the Western District of Michigan rejected the administration’s arguments that it was entitled to know Michigan voters’ personal information to ‘prevent the inclusion of ineligible voters’ and to combat what it called ‘voter fraud.’
The U.S. is sending 200 troops to Nigeria to train the country’s military to fight Islamist militants, weeks after President Trump accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks, an American military official said Tuesday.
Shortly after a Border Patrol agent shot a 30-year-old Chicago woman five times, Gregory Bovino, who was leading the federal government’s immigration raids across the city, reached out to offer his congratulations. [Bovino congratulated the agent for shooting an unarmed woman five times!!]
“In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much yet left to do!!” he wrote to the agent.
The email is part of a trove of evidence relating to the Oct. 4 shooting of Marimar Martinez, a teacher’s assistant and U.S. citizen, that was released by federal prosecutors on Tuesday night. The material was assembled when the government was pursuing a now-defunct criminal case against Ms. Martinez, alleging that she used her car to assault federal agents and prevent them from enforcing immigration laws in Chicago amid widespread protests.
Prosecutors dropped the charges after lawyers for Ms. Martinez, who survived the shooting, raised concerns about the preservation of evidence.
Her lawyers then asked the judge to release evidence gathered during the criminal case, arguing that because the government had branded her a “domestic terrorist,” Ms. Martinez deserved a chance to clear her name.
[…] The email from Mr. Bovino is among a series of text messages sent by Charles Exum, the agent who shot Ms. Martinez, and other federal agents. Mr. Exum appears to have taken a screenshot of Mr. Bovino’s email and texted it to a family member.
On the day of the shooting, Mr. Exum wrote in a text message that “she was trying to run me over.” “I did what I had to do to save my life,” he later testified, also telling the court that “the group of agents that I’m friends with” texted as a part of “relieving stress.” The newly released texts show Mr. Exum’s messages quickly became filled with backslapping and boasts after the shooting. In one text, a colleague called him “a legend among agents.”
[…] In the evidence released on Tuesday are three videos that show the interior of Mr. Exum’s S.U.V. in the moments leading up to the collision with Ms. Martinez, who was following his vehicle. She has said she was honking her horn and shouting “La migra,” the Spanish term for immigration authorities. In a statement on the day of the shooting, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said that Ms. Martinez had “rammed” federal agents. In court, Mr. Exum said the collision was “side to side.” [Mr. Exum rammed Ms. Martinez!]
One of the videos shows that agents inside the S.U.V. had their weapons drawn before the collision. “It’s time to get aggressive,” one can be heard saying. “Because they’re trying to box us in.”
“We’re gonna make contact and we’re boxed in,” said another.
A few seconds later, the video shows Mr. Exum turning the steering wheel sharply to the left. The vehicle appears to shake from an impact and stop. Mr. Exum jumps out, and the video captures the sound of five gunshots.
Also included in the release were photographs of the Chevrolet Tahoe that Mr. Exum was driving, the bloody interior of Ms. Martinez’s Nissan Rogue and the bloodstained floor of an auto shop where Ms. Martinez drove after the shooting. There were photographs of a handgun she carried in her purse and did not remove during the incident, and a federal form identifying her as its lawful buyer. [!!]
[…] In court, Mr. Parente has repeatedly called on the administration to retract its characterization of his client as a “domestic terrorist,” a label that officials have also applied to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two protesters killed by federal agents in Minnesota.
[…] In another text message sent after he shot Ms. Martinez, he appears to claim that Mr. Bovino passed along kudos from the highest levels of the executive branch.
“Are they supportive?” asked another member of the group text thread.
“Big time,” Mr. Exum responded. “Everyone has been including Chief Bovino, Chief Banks, Sec Noem and El Jefe himself … according to Bovino.” […]
[…] Trump reportedly hosted right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch at the White House on Tuesday night, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter. The private dinner between the two influential conservative figures occurred just a few days after Fox News—which Murdoch owns—rejected a television ad critical of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Murdoch is the founder and chairman of 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News Channel. Murdoch also leads News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal.
[…] The latest meeting coincides with Fox News’ refusal to air a television ad critical of ICE and the Trump administration. The ad from the Jewish Democratic Council of America criticizes the cozy ties between the Trump administration and the white nationalist movement and includes a quote from podcast host Joe Rogan criticizing ICE’s “Gestapo” tactics. [video]
The two other major cable news networks, CNN and MS Now, are running the ad.
ewish Democratic Council CEO Halie Soifer told Mediaite that the organization purchased advertising time on “Fox & Friends,” which has long been seen as Trump’s favorite show on the network and where he has made the most appearances. Soifer said Fox rejected the ad and offered no explanation for why.
The shady ties between Trump and the news network’s owner are the most likely reason for the decision. Fox News has been almost as vocal as the White House itself in supporting ICE’s cruel and lawless tactics against immigrants and citizens alike. The network’s talking heads have attacked the agency’s critics as part of Fox News’ longtime racist crusade against immigration.
Trump is currently suing Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for reporting on his relationship with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, but their repeated meetings show that the two men are still personally and politically aligned.
Fox News is the Republican Party’s leading propaganda arm, and the network’s clear priority is defending and propping up Trump, not honest journalism. Rejecting unflattering advertising and having cozy private dinners falls right in line with both parties’ long-term interests and goals.
During a recess from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s chaotic testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky spoke with reporters about how he thought the hearing was going.
“She didn’t answer anything,” Massie said in the hallway, after Bondi was peppered with questions about the notorious Epstein files. “She came here just ready to talk about the Dow Jones and the NASDAQ, which seems kind of crazy to me.” [video]
Massie—a problematic ally for Democrats as of late—has been exceptionally dogged in his pursuit of accountability for the victims of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The outspoken Republican told reporters that Bondi can behave as erratically as she wants, but that there will ultimately be a reckoning.
“The recourse, and I keep reminding the folks at DOJ of this—is that the next attorney general can bring charges against them for breaking the law,” Massie said. [Does this mean that he doesn’t want to see Bondi impeached or fired?] “I think that’s what’s compelled them to produce 3 million documents and now they’re claiming that it’s incompetence. Like their defense today is incompetence for why they haven’t given us all of the documents they should, why they have over-redacted in the case of coconspirators, and why they failed to redact the names of the victims.” [video]
Bondi flipped out any time she was pressed on the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files, whose release was mandated by a Congressional vote.
Her bizarre defensiveness wasn’t limited to questioning from Democrats. During one exchange, Bondi accused Massie of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and dismissed him as “a failed politician.” [videos]
[…]
More than 2,500 National Guard members remain in D.C. […] expected to last until the end of the year. Additionally, there is an ongoing Guard presence in Memphis and New Orleans, but those missions, while funded by the federal government under a novel agreement with the Trump administration, are overseen by each state’s governor.
[…]
The laws governing what troops can and can’t do on U.S. soil made them “100 percent ineffective in doing what [Trump] wanted them to do,” which was to help control the protests that grew from his immigration enforcement directives, said Randy Manner, a retired Army two-star general and former acting vice chief of the National Guard.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Commentary on indicting lawmakers for their reminder to follow the law at 409, 419.
The government needed 12 grand jurors to vote to indict, out of a grand jury that numbered somewhere between 16 and 23. They got ZERO.
Steve Vladeck (Law prof): “It’s one thing to get a ‘no true bill’. It’s quite another to get *shut out* in the grand jury.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “I doubt there any official statistics so it would have to be an anecdotal historical example, but not a single person voting for the indictment strikes me as unprecedented.”
Ken White (Attorney): “I have never heard of an indictment getting no votes.”
Adam Klasfeld: “Every grand juror called for duty on this case has more integrity and a better understanding of the law and the Constitution of the United States than every Trump DOJ lawyer who touched this monstrosity of a case.”
Quinta Jurecic (Atlantic): “Asking jurors in a city occupied for months by the national guard to indict members of congress for telling servicemembers they don’t need to obey unlawful orders, under a statute likely unconstitutional under the first amendment. Masterful gambit, sir.”
Ken White: “I think we need a new term, like a hell-no-bill.”
Kathryn Tewson (Paralegal): “A ‘LOL, no’ bill.”
At this point, Bondi, who is 60, has sequestered herself within the MAGA-verse. I went looking for the person who existed before all of that
[…]
she handled high-profile murder cases […] She became the spokesperson for the state attorney’s office […] by 2000, she was making her first appearance on the Today show […] She began getting booked as a talking head on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. […] it was around this time that she switched her party registration from Democratic to Republican. She became friendly with Sean Hannity. Soon, Fox News was sending black cars to drive her to the studio to talk about sensational cases
[…]
“The overwhelming thing you have to understand about Pam is her debilitating insecurity—she was always assuming someone was talking about her […] Then she’d overcompensate.” At the same time, Bondi was socially ambitious, excelling at the cocktail-party art of remembering details about people—asking about kids, a sick mother—while looking past them at the more powerful person she wanted to meet. People who experienced this spoke of being “Bondied.” She could be thoughtful and kind, yet she would exile friends at the first hint of disloyalty. She needed constant reassurance, and sometimes this came from dogs.
Pam Bondi loves dogs. […] a Saint Bernard named Master Tank. She adopted him from a shelter after he was lost during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, not long after her own Saint Bernard had died. The story has been told but bears repeating. Master Tank belonged to Steve and Dorreen Couture and their grandson, who was 4, recovering from the murder-suicide of his parents and losing his dog during the storm. […] The Coutures eventually tracked down Master Tank, but instead of giving him back, Bondi hired a lawyer, who accused the Coutures of abusing the dog, which Bondi had renamed Noah. […] “My little grandson begged her to take the dog home, and she refused. She thought she would just wear us down. That we were unstable people and would just quit.” The case was settled out of court, with Bondi securing visitation rights, but she never did visit. She got another dog.
Rando: “Wait: Pam Bondi is SIXTY years old?”
Marcy Wheeler (EmptyWheel): “The sole redeeming feature of Bondi, if you can call it that, is someone a few years older than me looks STUPENDOUS, and to the extent that it’s thru plastic, she has not adopted the MAL look. But she IS looking increasingly tired.”
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
Kash Patel under fire as Nancy Guthrie investigation enters Day 11. Days into the search for Nancy Guthrie’s, FBI director Kash Patel decided the best investigative strategy was posting on social media, appearing on Fox News, and hoping for the best.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
‘Astounding’: Chris Hayes stunned Bondi still has DOJ job. [Me too!] “In any remotely sane political climate she would be impeached, fired, or just have the good sense to resign in disgrace,” says Chris Hayes on Attorney General Pam Bondi.
[Photos] This is the aftermath of an ICE kidnapping a few blocks from my home […] A quiet street full of broken glass and at least three wrecked cars. The target of the kidnapping was taken away by ambulance. […] Per the mayor’s office, the person on the stretcher is not dead and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
[A witness] said, “I saw this Prius come barreling down the road crazy fast[.” He] said a vehicle, with sirens and lights flashing, was less than a car length behind. The Prius driver ran a stop sign and collided with a car appearing to turn into his path, the witness said. The Prius then spun a half-turn and hit a minivan before striking an icy mound of snow, going airborne and landing on the other side of wintry mass
[…]
The pursuing vehicle stopped behind the Prius […] the Prius driver “shimmied out the front windshield” and fled on foot but was soon brought back to the scene in a different federal agent’s vehicle. He said many more federal agents arrived, as did numerous St. Paul police officers. An ambulance showed up about 20 minutes after the crash, and the Prius driver was put on a gurney and driven away […] “There were a least 100 people on scene blowing whistles, yelling at agents,” […] Witnesses were also surprised to see the multi-car crash cleaned up within minutes. […] “I’ve never seen tow trucks come to a scene so fast.”
[…]
“Because of the reckless way that ICE is running their operation, one person ended up in the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, and several bystanders had their cars damaged,” the [mayor’s] statement said.
The person photographed here who is in their bathrobe filming armed, masked federal agents in St. Paul is MPR News journalist Sam Stroozas. She is an incredible journalist and person. We do not deserve her.
[DHS said] it was a targeted stop of a person from Honduras who “tried to evade law enforcement and began driving recklessly and ran red lights, endangering public safety and law enforcement.”
[…]
[Witnesses] saw a person crawl out the window of a red Toyota Prius onto the ground and run across the street while a federal officer chased him. “He was saying, ‘I’m going to tase you, I’m going to tase you’[“]
Abdi Ali was in the middle of the intersection when he saw the Prius speed up behind him and hit his vehicle. Then, the car crashed into Becky Zea’s car. Both […] were uninjured, but in shock from the scene.
“I just thought somebody was speeding. I didn’t quite realize what was happening until […] ICE had gotten out of the car and was [pursuing] on foot and no one came to check on me,” Zea said.
Andrew Karre: “I know Minnesotans filming ICE in their bathrobes is becoming a bit of a thing, but after you laugh, let it dawn on you that people here hate ICE so much that we rush out half-dressed to film even when there are already dozens of others doing the same thing.”
https://bsky.app/profile/andrewkarre.bsky.social/post/3mem774khyu2w
Andrew Karre: “[Photo] this Border Patrol goon’s Mandalorian-helmet patch just makes me furious. The fandom incoherence is just a shitty cherry on top.”
Minneapolis, MN—On February 9, 2026, Indigenous activists erected multiple tipis at Coldwater Spring […] Organizers demand land back in the form of “returning Fort Snelling” to the Dakota people […] Within a wooded area, the occupation sits on the other side of the Whipple Federal Building […] Park Police have […] negotiated to allow the occupation to stay until Thursday, but activists say they are “staying put.”
[…]
the United States government built a military fort on one of the most spiritually and culturally important sites in the area, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. The fort was [a concentration camp]. […] The 1805 Treaty of St. Peters […] was created by Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, who wasn’t authorized to make this treaty on behalf of the U.S., and it was signed by the Mdewakanton Dakota, which ceded over 100,000 acres of land to allow the construction of Fort Snelling.
[Video of a speech]
This building is named after the first Episcopal bishop in the state of Minnesota, Henry Whipple. And in the winter of 1862-1863, following the US Dakota War, where the Dakota people rose up […] They were placed into a concentration camp […] 303 men were sentenced to be hanged […] Bishop Whipple advocated on behalf of the Dakota people.
Now, please understand, we’re not here to say Bishop Whipple was a saint […] definitely a product of the Imperial Christian religion, [but] because of Whipple’s advocacy, that number was reduced to 38 Dakota Warriors […] We know from what we understand of Bishop Whipple—that having his name attached to a building where these same atrocities, this same state violence is being carried out—Bishop Whipple would never, never, ever lend his name to this action.
[…] Activists of the Coldwater Springs occupation say they’re thinking about moving to another site, Sibley Park. […] That area is state-owned, whereas the springs are owned by the National Park Service.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Follow-up to 366 on the ‘gambling raid’ in a small town with a horse track.
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who [used slurs, threw] flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them.
Chris Hayes: “This is the second account—the first being in Chicago—of DHS agents mass detaining people and then *sorting them by race*.”
Rando: “Kavanaugh sorting.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “It goes back much further. This is a common practice during worksite raids. This happened during a 2018 raid in Trump’s first term, and the Biden DOJ ended up settling a lawsuit about it. [Screenshots]”
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
I’d underestimated the synergy of detention and deportation at 362.
(A RM): the U.S. is holding about 10-15,000 people more as of February than they were holding as of September or October last year. And virtually all of that […] has been among people with no criminal record. Now, the big question is why detention? Detention is in many ways the best way to guarantee deportation.
And there are two main reasons for that. First off, detention makes it harder for you to win your case. […] you’re subject to the Fifth Circuit law or 11th Circuit law, which is structurally more difficult. But also the more obvious reason is that you’re away from your family, you’re away from your resources, you’re away from the evidence, you’re away from lawyers. […] the two biggest factors about whether somebody wins their case and gets to stay in the country is, are they in detention and do they have a lawyer?
[…]
And then the other big reason that they want to keep people detained is that they can just pressure people into giving up. […]
(HOST): [Summarizing Senator Roger Wicker’s impracticality statement] the cost, time, ability to retrofit these buildings that they’re buying en masse […] these structures don’t have the plumbing and the stuff that allows human beings to live in them. […] manic—they know there’s a clock […]
(A RM): one other facility they’ve thrown up on a short notice, which is Camp East Montana in El Paso. That’s currently holding about 3,100 people. The facility opened in August when it only was holding about 800. They were building it as they were bringing people there. It’s a series of tents. So they build one tent and shove people in there as they were building the others. As the facility opened, inspectors went there from the Office of Inspector General (one of the few DHS oversight bodies which hasn’t been completely destroyed[)], and they found 60 violations of detention standards, really basic stuff. They had no adequate medical staffing. I’ve talked to people who’ve been to that detention center, people who have been to many detention centers in the past […] it’s some of the worst conditions that they’ve ever seen […]
And they sent it to the lowest bidder possible. […] It was a small Navy contractor that had never had a contract more than a few million dollars and got a $1.2 billion contract to run and build and operate this facility for two years. These are staggeringly high costs. […] they’re paying about $200,000 a bed per year to run the facility.
And when you look at what’s going to happen in these warehouses, the costs are going to be astronomic. The sewage is going to be a huge issue because a lot of these places simply won’t have the sewer capacity. So they’re probably going to have to do what they’re doing in so-called alligator Alcatraz in Florida, truck human waste in and out of these facilities. You’re going to have to find the food to feed that many people.
[…] in Camp East Montana […] People were being fed bologna sandwiches because they just didn’t have the food contract ready to go. Medical care is going to be a HUGE problem. 3 people have already died […] 1 because of a medical issue, 1 allegedly beaten by guards whose death was ruled a homicide, and 1 allegedly a suicide. […] There’s already a shortage of prison health care providers. So the US government is going to pour billions, if not tens of billions of dollars into these warehouses to try to get them up to capacity. And they will cut every corner possible and say damn the consequences. That is going to get people killed.
“As the dust settled on the partisan circus, there was a new controversy that had nothing to do with Bondi’s antics and everything to do with her notes.”
Related video at the link.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s unusually chaotic appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday was notable in large part because of what the Florida Republican said during the proceedings. But as the dust settled on the partisan circus, there was another element to the larger controversy that had nothing to do with Bondi’s antics and everything to do with her notes. CBNC reported:
Attorney General Pam Bondi at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday seemed to have a printout of Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s history of searches of the Department of Justice’s database of documents related to the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Photos of a black binder that Bondi had at the hearing showed the words ‘Jayapal Pramila Search History’ and a list of documents whose numbers coincide with the number of Epstein files.[!]
In recent days, many members of Congress have gained access to Epstein materials that are not available to the public, though the limitations are significant. Lawmakers have to physically go to the Justice Department and review the records in a private space, without staff or recording equipment. Members have to rely on DOJ computers while being supervised by DOJ officials. [!]
At that point, they can begin searching the documents as part of the ongoing congressional investigation.
Bondi’s notes, however, captured by a Reuters photographer, pointed to an element we weren’t aware of: The DOJ is apparently surveilling what documents among the Epstein files members are looking for. [!] [See social media post, with photo from Reuters.]
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, was not pleased.
“Not only has the Department of Justice illegally withheld documents from Congress and the American people. Not only has Attorney General Bondi failed to bring a single indictment against a single co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. But now Bondi and her team are spying on Members of Congress conducting oversight in yet another blatant attempt to intrude into Congress’s oversight processes,” the Maryland Democrat said in a statement. [True]
Raskin added, “It is an outrage that DOJ is tracking Members’ investigative steps undertaken to ensure that DOJ is complying with the Epstein File Transparency Act and using this information for the Attorney General’s embarrassing polemical purposes. DOJ must immediately cease tracking any Members’ searches, open up the Epstein review to senior congressional staff, and publicly release all files — with all the survivors’ information, and only the survivors’ information, properly redacted — as required by federal law.” [Good advice, but I doubt Bondi will act on it.]
The Democrat concluded that he will ask the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office to “open an inquiry into this outrageous abuse of power.”
Soon after, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he wasn’t familiar with the details of the controversy, though the Louisiana Republican conceded that “it would be inappropriate” if the Department of Justice had looked through a member’s search history of the Epstein files. [duh]
[…] How many members’ search histories were secretly chronicled? What is the Justice Department doing with the information it compiled? How much of the surveillance has been shared with the White House?
The Epstein files have constituted their own scandal for quite a while, but this new controversy related to the files is just getting started.
Sky Captain @453, that’s pretty much what I expected. Even if the Trump administration is too incompetent to get all of their detention centers up and running, they will still manage to do a lot of damage.
Now-former CBS News producer Alicia Hastey revealed in a memo announcing her departure from the network that under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, stories are being vetted for their ideological content, rather than for their newsworthiness. The memo further confirms the network’s shift to the right under parent company Paramount’s pro-Trump leadership.
In Hastey’s memo, released Wednesday night, she laments Weiss for implementing a “sweeping new vision prioritizing a break from traditional broadcast norms to embrace what has been described as ‘heterodox’ journalism.”
Hastey explains that what she saw as the network’s commitment to telling stories about underrepresented communities and challenging conventional wisdom “is increasingly becoming impossible.”
“Stories may instead be evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations,” Hastey writes. She alleges that this mindset leads to reporters practicing self-censorship or avoiding topics that “might trigger backlash or unfavorable headlines.”
The damning memo underscores many of the concerns that were raised when CBS announced in October that Weiss would be taking over. The move occurred after CBS purchased Weiss’ conservative site Free Press and after parent company Paramount paid off $16 million to Trump—which was quickly followed up by the Trump administration approving the company’s merger with Skydance Media. Billionaire Larry Ellison, a Republican donor, recently took over Paramount alongside his son David Ellison. […]
The mainstream media has undergone a rightward shift in Trump’s second term. In addition to CBS moving to the right, outlets like The New York Times have promoted right-wing disinformation and narratives while the Washington Post has shed staff and shifted coverage.
If you’ve been wondering what the right-wing push for so-called “intellectual freedom” looks like, it apparently looks like … assaulting a journalist?
That’s what happened in Ohio earlier this week, when Luke Perez, a professor at the Ohio State University, physically attacked a journalist for asking a question he didn’t like.
But Perez isn’t just any random professor. He’s part of the university’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, which Republican state legislators mandated the establishment of in 2023. The center is clearly intended to coddle conservatives, and the law had all the usual right-leaning buzzwords about “civil and free inquiry” and “intellectual freedom.”
Perez [worried] that the former Biden administration’s efforts to fight discrimination against LGBTQ+ people would undermine its ability to combat religious persecution abroad. […] he told Deseret News in 2021.
Notably, though, the law establishing the Chase Center also required it to welcome “the differences of opinion that shall naturally exist in a public university community.”
And how is that working out? [Talk a good game, and then start attacking journalists.]
On Monday, Perez was present at Smith Laboratory, where the Chase Center of Super Duper Freedom is housed, when a local blogger and documentary filmmaker were trying to interview former Ohio State University President Gordon Gee about his remarks defending Les Wexner, a billionaire pal of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Per Gee, suggesting that Wexner’s name be removed from Ohio State buildings is “cancel culture.” Gee also thinks Wexner had no idea what Epstein was doing. [Oh golly gee whiz, another Epstein connection to a billionaire conservative guy.]
[…] Wexner was once investigated as a possible co-conspirator of Epstein’s, and he’s testifying before the House Oversight Committee next week. An Epstein survivor has alleged that Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell molested her at a home located on Wexner’s property, so it’s not the ideal time to defend him, to say the least. [!]
But Perez seemingly decided that a journalist trying to question Gee on camera was a bridge too far, determining that Gee was in such need of protection that he physically assaulted the filmmaker. [social media post, with video]
Perez has now been placed on administrative leave from a job he began last month. However, who knows whether any punishment will stick, because the Chase Center is a special place.
Chase Center Executive Director Lee Strang has full power over the center’s hiring and can bypass Ohio State’s normal hiring process at Ohio State. [!!] It’s worth noting that Strang, an anti-abortion extremist, also assisted in bringing these “intellectual diversity centers” to Ohio universities in the first place. [And an anti-abortion association, who would have guessed?] […]
[…] Perez’s actions bring home the hollow stupidity of this supposed “viewpoint diversity” push, which is nothing but a demand that conservatives be installed in high-level positions based solely on the fact that they are conservative. They can’t compete in the marketplace of ideas, so they need special treatment to make sure they get jobs. […]
“Donald Trump Orders Pentagon: Buy Coal Power […]”
“Also, the industry gave him its new Coalpile Peace Prize.”
In his latest attempt to keep the doomed coal industry alive for a few more years, Donald Trump yesterday ordered the US military to enter into long-term contracts to buy electricity generated by coal-burning power plants. He also announced that the Energy Department would be throwing away $175 million to modernize six aging coal plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia.
At the White House ceremony where Trump signed his executive order, grateful members of the “Washington Coal Club” […] presented him with a Major Award that they created just for him because he’s a special boy. It’s a trophy depicting a very hunky underground miner carrying a pick, with the title “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” inscribed on the base. [Oh FFS]
Maybe it’s just the power of suggestion, but the 1997 sculpture of the little coal hero (guess the industry had a few boxes of the things on hand) even looks a bit like Trump, at least the youngified version of him in AI slop where he’s a great big manly muscular action hero. We think we found the original item for sale ($950), and the face on that one looks … less Trumpy? There could be a fun little investigative story to be done on how this thing came to be. [image at the link]
[I snipped a discussion of the diminishing role that coal plays in providing electrical power in the USA.]
As for the executive order, it tells Pete Hegseth to […] create long-term contracts for military bases to get their electricity from coal plants all over the country, with the aim of propping up the industry by locking in purchases of its more-expensive energy.
The order doesn’t actually specify how much the Pentagon must spend on coal power, but Trump confidently lied, “We’re going to be buying a lot of coal through the military. […] It’s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years.” [Yep, lies.]
Again, coal can’t compete on price with gas, or with renewables like solar, wind, and storage.
Yesterday’s order for the military to get more dirty energy from external coal-fired power plants also reverses the Defense Department’s pre-Trump plans to improve energy security on military bases through building on-site renewable microgrids with solar arrays and rooftop solar, backed by battery storage. The National Laboratory of the Rockies — which had to change its name and mission under Trump; it used to be the National Renewable Energy Laboratory — determined that onsite microgrid systems could greatly improve the resilience of energy on military bases during blackouts on the grid, at “little to no added cost” over existing offsite power purchases.
No more of that “energy security” nonsense for Trump! There’s a dying dirty energy industry that needs to keep making money as long as Trump can find ways to throw taxpayer funds at it. […] [Yes, this is yet another waste of taxpayer’s money.] […]
The result, according to Ari Peskoe, an energy scholar at Harvard University, has been to “raise energy bills while providing negligible benefits to consumers.”
“Each of the five plants were slated to retire because they are expensive to operate and there are cheaper sources of power available to meet consumers’ needs,” Peskoe said. “Plant owners aren’t just flipping a switch to turn the plants back on — they are spending millions on maintenance, renewing expired coal contracts and rehiring workers.”
But at least it will raise your energy bills for decades, all to keep coal producers profitable until Trump is done and the market kills coal once and for all. Utility operators who would rather not keep throwing money at obsolete plants are suing to block Wright’s orders, and 15 state attorneys general are also suing to overturn Trump’s “energy emergency” declaration, too.
In further bad news for the planet, the administration is set to formally roll back the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding” today, which Trump, Wright, and other fossil fools have hankered to do since Day One. That’s the EPA legal/scientific finding that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases are pollutants that “threaten human health and welfare.” Adopted during the Obama administration, the finding provided the legal basis for regulating greenhouse pollution under the Clean Air Act. The sorta-good news is that the flimsy report that’s the basis for the decision is crappy science, and the new EPA rule will be locked up in court battles for years before it can be implemented. […]
“The Pentagon moved to downgrade Kelly’s military retirement rank and pay over a video he appeared in that urged the military and intelligence community not to follow illegal orders.”
The Trump administration tried to take money away from Kelly.
A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Trump administration “trampled” on Sen. Mark Kelly’s First Amendment rights, blocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s efforts to punish the Arizona senator, a retired Naval officer.
“This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote. […] “To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it!”
“Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired service members have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,” Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote. “If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights!”
He added, “Hopefully this injunction will in some small way help bring about a course correction in the Defense Department’s approach to these issues.” […]
“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials focused on denaturalization were sent to offices nationwide, sources say.”
The Trump administration is dramatically expanding an effort to revoke U.S. citizenship for foreign-born Americans […]
Over the past several months, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency within the Department of Homeland Security that’s responsible for legal immigration, has been sending experts to its offices around the country or reassigning staff members to focus on whether some citizens processed through those offices could now be denaturalized […]
The goal of emphasizing naturalized citizens is to supply the office of immigration litigation with 100 to 200 possible cases per month, one of the people familiar with the plans said. [Why do they set quotas that require cruelty and illegal actions? Quotas! Bah.] Such cases have typically been very rare, involving people who concealed criminal histories or previous human rights violations during their application processes. The New York Times first reported the quota. […]
“The attorney general set her credibility on fire because she was desperate to make Donald Trump happy. It worked.”
A month ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump had “repeatedly” complained to White House aides about Attorney General Pam Bondi, privately deriding the nation’s chief law enforcement officer as “weak and an ineffective enforcer of his agenda.”
The message wasn’t subtle: If Bondi intended to keep her job atop the Justice Department, she had to do more to impress the president.
It was against this backdrop that the attorney general appeared before the House Judiciary Committee for a televised hearing on Wednesday, where she had a vested interest in being as combative, unprofessional and belligerent as possible in order to satisfy her audience of one.
And so she did exactly that.
I personally have been to many House Judiciary Committee hearings, and while I can think of contentious exchanges between members of competing parties, I’ve never seen a witness treat an official proceeding as if they were a tween engaged in a food fight in a junior-high cafeteria.
There wasn’t even a pretense of seriousness. Cabinet officials have traditionally at least tried to keep up appearances, acting with some sense of decorum, but Bondi didn’t bother, clashing with committee members in ways that were difficult to watch. MS NOW’s Carol Leonnig explained, “As somebody who’s covered hearings before, we know there is some performance. But this was a little bit like a wrestling match.”
A NOTUS report described the event as “a contender” for “the ugliest House hearing ever.”
Bondi refused to answer questions. She smeared members with prepared, prewritten insults. She shouted angrily at those who pressed her on issues she wanted to avoid. She talked over members. She even suggested one Jewish member, who lost family in the Nazi Holocaust, of being antisemitic.
In one especially memorable instance, the attorney general even insisted that committee members stop asking questions related to the Justice Department and start talking about the stock market.
[…] But most of all, Bondi wanted to make clear that she had undying, sycophantic adulation for the man who chose her for the job.
Trump, she declared, is “the greatest president in American history.” [Shudder] She proceeded to say, more than once, that she would not tolerate Democratic criticisms of Trump, all while making false claims about the scale of his 2024 election victory. Even her bizarre emphasis on the stock market dovetailed with the talking point the president has been excited about of late. [eyebrow-raising sycophancy]
And it was at that point when the bigger picture came into focus: Bondi was setting her credibility on fire, and engaging in the kind of unprofessional antics that no other attorney general would’ve even considered, because she was desperate to make Trump happy.
It was the whole point of the mind-numbing theatrics. The attorney general didn’t need to impress voters, who don’t elect Cabinet secretaries, and she didn’t need to impress members of Congress, who’ve already confirmed her and lack the votes to throw her out of office. She did, however, need to impress the man who sees her as “weak and an ineffective enforcer of his agenda.”
So she acted the way Trump wanted her to act — and it worked.
“AG Pam Bondi, under intense fire from the Trump Deranged Radical Left Lunatics, was fantastic at yesterday’s Hearing,” the president wrote to his social media platform the morning after she humiliated herself.
For the attorney general, that one sentence represented a mission-accomplished moment.
It’s been impossible to ignore the Nazification of official government social media accounts run by the Trump administration. It’s a sea of AI slop openly promoting white nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment. However, we don’t often get to put a name or face to the people who push this racist garbage, because our government is now a black box.
Somehow, though, The New York Times learned that the Department of Homeland Security just picked up Peyton Rollins to help run their social media. However, in keeping with the opaqueness of our government, even as DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin was saying there were no new personnel changes at the agency, Rollins was slapping his new title on his LinkedIn, which actually says he’s been at DHS for a month.
Did we mention he is 21 years old? [!]
Previously, Rollins was at the Department of Labor, where his singular achievement seems to have been getting the creepy fascist banner of Trump hung on the Department’s headquarters. [!] His tenure at the DOL also involved pushing aside career staff so that he could use DOL social media accounts to promote xenophobic fawning garbage about Trump. [!]
His colleagues at the DOL were, understandably, completely weirded out. Here’s Helen Luryi, who was on the communications team for the Women’s Bureau at the DOL until April, telling the NYT: “We’re used to seeing posts about things like apprenticeships, benefits, and unions. Then all of a sudden, we get white-nationalist rhetoric.”
[…] young Rollins’ [posted] QAnon material, but that did not stop his white nationalist posting jamboree.
[…] The administration doesn’t care what the Department of Labor actually does. It cares about using everything at its disposal to push a particularly violent version of white supremacy and fascism.
Social media for government accounts used to be an actual job, where career communications staff highlighted the department’s ongoing work. But these days, the Cabinet agencies aren’t really doing anything except helping Trump usher in full fascism […]
Rollins’ talents were of course wasted at the backwater of DOL. DHS is where he belongs, the perfect place for a 21-year-old edgelord Nazi to thrive.
[…] Installing Rollins, whose only claim to fame seems to be a facility with getting whatever AI program he is using to reliably pump out nationalist sentiments, is as ridiculous as the continued employment of Big Balls, but it’s well in keeping with the administration’s devotion to full employment for racist youth.
Fortunately for Rollins, this gig doesn’t require Senate confirmation, so he won’t have to go through the same humiliation as fellow Nazi-curious unqualified hire Paul Ingrassia, whose nomination to head the Office of Special Counsel got yanked after his comments about having a “Nazi streak” emerged. Never fear, though. Ingrassia got a different high-level administration job as deputy general counsel of the General Services Administration. […]
“I don’t see any plan, any strategy, any end game,” says Pat Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at the University of Vermont. “I don’t see anything from this administration, just fuck everything up as much as you can. You can print that.”
[…]
scientific arguments, experts say, will also be particularly vulnerable if taken before a court—particularly since a judge ruled last month that the group that authored the report was put together illegally.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Lynna quoting NBC @431:
There is no confirmation from the Pentagon that any drones were shot down […] The military did recently shoot down a small party balloon, two of the sources said.
Top administration officials quickly claimed that the closure was in response to a sudden incursion of drones from Mexican drug cartels that required a military response […] But that assertion was undercut by multiple people familiar with the situation […]
C.B.P. officials thought they were firing on a cartel drone, the people said, but it turned out to be a party balloon. Defense Department officials were present during the incident, one person said.
Cheryl Rofer: “Same agency that shoots people in the streets of Minnesota.”
Rando 1: “I gotta say, “the Pentagon uses a high powered laser to shoot down a party balloon” feels like enough symbolism for a while.”
Rando 2: “‘shooting down party balloons and using it as a pretext for war’ is literally the ’99 Luftballons’ story arc.”
Also important to know that Nena wasn’t known for singing in English. The song was released during the period of the Pershing II missile crisis. Putting together an English version to release in the US was a political act.
This one is for people who really want to nerd out on the topic [Article: The 1983 War Scare] yes, 99 Luftballons came out in 1983.
The president is basically telling voters ahead of the midterms, “Vote for Republican candidates who’ll spend the next two years just sitting around.”
For as long as there have been American presidents, there have been appeals to Congress to approve the White House’s legislative agenda. The reasoning is straightforward: In our Madisonian system, we have competing co-equal branches, rather than an executive that can do as he or she pleases.
With this in mind, for generations, administrations have pressed federal lawmakers to advance their priorities. It’s American Politics 101.
At least it was. Donald Trump keeps declaring that Congress has already given him what he wants, so he no longer needs the legislative branch to do much of anything. Consider the message the president brought to Larry Kudlow, one of his former economic advisers, during his latest Fox Business interview. Trump, reflecting on his inaptly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act, said:
Plenty of people said, ‘You can’t get it done. Don’t do it. It’ll be bad.’ And we put everything together and this was a four-year package and we put it together and we got it passed. … There was something in there for everybody, and that’s how we got it passed. And so in theory, we’ve gotten everything passed that we need. Now we just have to manage it, but we’ve gotten everything passed that we need for four years.
He said effectively the same thing in October during an event in Japan, saying, in reference to the Republican Party’s domestic policy megabill, “We got everything done. I said, ‘Put it all into one bill and if we get it done, we’re done for four years.’ We don’t need anything more from Congress.”
A week earlier, Trump said he and his team “don’t need any more votes” from Congress.
A month before that, at a press event in England alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Republican boasted that the GOP megabill is “so big that we really don’t have to pass too much anymore.” He added, “We can just do this for four years — implement.”
[Trump’s] rhetoric stands out for a few reasons, starting with the fact that Trump remains indifferent toward governing and policymaking.
It’s also a brutal message for his party ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The president is basically telling the American electorate, “Vote for Republican candidates who’ll spend the next two years just sitting around.”
But I continue to think the more nefarious piece of the puzzle is Trump’s implicit acknowledgement of a radical vision: He appears indifferent toward Congress because he’s already seized many of the responsibilities that are supposed to rest with lawmakers, including the power of the purse.
Trump’s impression of Congress as an irrelevant institution is an extension of an authoritarian worldview: He’s already acquiring power as GOP leaders on the Hill render themselves irrelevant, voluntarily ceding ground to the executive […]
It’s emblematic of a governing crisis that’s likely to get worse before it gets better.
indianajonessays
And over in Aussie politics, we have a new leader of the opposition. We have swapped out Sussan Ley, she of the double S cos numerology, for the facebook failingly self promoter ‘Fantastic. Great Job. well done Angus’ Angus Taylor. Both, of course, have scandals in their backgrounds that should have disqualified them from being MP’s ever again, let alone high office holders, but here we are.
Meanwhile, the actual Australian Government, instead of using their enormous majority to, oh IDK, climate changily solve poverty or anything, are instead hosting Isaac Herzog. You know, the bomb signing, genocide promoting, corrupt, president of Israel.
US politics is existentially, world threateningly, bad. And has been for a while, and will continue to be so by all the signs. It does not make the Aussie situation less dire in anything except by comparison. I consider that to be well worth noting, too.
Poor Tim Cook. The Apple CEO has been trying so hard to show President Donald Trump just how much he loves him and just how much Apple will bend the knee to the wannabe despot, but those efforts just aren’t getting long-lasting results for the tech titan also known as Tim Apple. [Trump once mistakenly called Time Cook “Tim Apple” during an on-camera White House meeting.]
Who knew that entering into a protection racket with Trump would end up a bad deal?
[…] Cook’s fall from Trump’s good graces, such as they are, seems to have been kicked off by the tech titan posting a selfie with superstar musician Bad Bunny before the Super Bowl This is a perfectly normal and anodyne thing to have done, given that Apple Music sponsored the buzzy halftime show.
But Tim Cook should know better. How dare he even acknowledge the existence of Mr. Bunny when he knows Trump does not like the bunny?
And with that simple selfie, Apple was right back in Trump’s crosshairs. Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson dropped a letter to Cook highlighting the no-doubt-totally-rigorous analysis of Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group. Per the MRC, Apple is promoting only “leftist outlets” on Apple News. There’s nary a promotion of news from such reliable right-wing outlets as The Daily Mail and Breitbart!
Okay, actually, that’s the problem here. Both of those outlets are risible trash, so it would be kinda dumb to push them.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr decided to pop up and clap like a trained seal about Ferguson’s move, saying, “Apple has no right to suppress conservative viewpoints in violation of the FTC Act.”
[…] Tim Cook tried nearly everything to stave off the Eye of Sauron. He was a special guest of honor, along with all the other Big Tech oligarchs, at Trump’s inauguration after donating the customary $1 million to the effort.
[I snipped details regarding Cook giving Trump a gift with a gold base.]
Apple even decided to treat the masked goons of Immigration and Customs Enforcement as some sort of protected class, removing all apps that attempted to track ICE activity or even just memorialize the horrors of what ICE has done.
And, of course, Cook had no problem attending a VIP screening of “Melania” at the White House mere hours after Trump’s ICE thugs shot and killed Alex Pretti. To be fair, that probably sucked worse than coughing up seven figures for that two-bit inauguration.
Cook, like so many others, is coming to realize in a particularly brutal way that there is no amount of money, no amount of devotion, that is enough for Trump. Eventually, his spider brain will always crawl back over to some fixation, some perceived slight, and then you’re right back where you started, no matter how much money you’ve given, no matter how much you’ve debased yourself.
Protection rackets never provide protection. They just provide Trump with a reliable source of cash and favors that he can call on at any time. Nothing is ever enough for someone like Trump, and Tim Cook was a fool not to remember that.
A month ago, I knew almost zero about immigration law. […] I knew even before law school I didn’t want to go into criminal law. I didn’t want power or responsibility over someone’s freedom or their life. […] On January 14, however, what I wanted stopped mattering. The news has shown you video of these often violent detentions. What you don’t see is what happens to these individuals after. I’ve had a front row seat.
[…]
it’s been the hardest, most exhausting, most depressing month of my life.
Judges have mostly rejected the government’s attempt to detain anyone who is black or brown. As of early January (the last time anyone had time to count) 300 judges in 1000s of decisions rejected the government’s arguments. Less than a dozen permit it.
That’s for a really simple, really good reason. […] See, there is a law that provides for mandatory detention of “arriving aliens.” […] Trump’s DHS says everyone who is not a citizen or [lawful permanent resident] is “arriving”… even if they arrived two or three decades ago. [This violates numerous rules for interpreting statutes.] The government’s argument for why it is entitled to strip residents of their due process rights and lock them away indefinitely is easily the most frivolous argument I’ve ever seen.
Yet asst. U.S. attorneys—AUSA used to be an esteemed title—continue to make this frivolous argument over and over in bald-faced arguments in case after case. They’ve been told ‘no’ many thousands of times. They admit (remarkably) in their filings that they know their arguments are meritless.
Meanwhile, DHS shows its contempt for the judiciary in a different way. In dozens, likely now thousands, of cases, DHS openly defies court orders. Minnesota courts enter orders forbidding ICE from moving noncitizens who’ve filed habeas petitions out of Minnesota. They move them anyway. […] even when we move at warp speed and outpace this regime, DHS doesn’t care. They’ve moved people to Texas hours or days after being enjoined. When ordered to return them, DHS just… doesn’t.
[…]
please thank lawyers doing this work. We’re carrying a lot of trauma for voiceless clients. We are tired. We have become experts in new law under the most dire circumstances.
Judge Boasberg ORDERS the Trump admin to facilitate the return of the more than 100 men spirited out of the country last year without notice or a hearing. Plaintiffs may also submit habeas petitions from abroad, he says.
[…]
This ruling cites the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I remember a bunch of folks on social media confidently predicting the government would just ignore the order to return him to the United States. Remember what happened to that guy?
Lee Kovarsky (Habeas expert): “Judge Boasberg seems happy: ‘Apparently not interested in participating in this process, the Government’s responses essentially told the Court to pound sand.'”
Quinta Jurecic: “This case was first filed almost exactly 11 months ago. One-year anniversary on march 15.”
Todd Blanche tweet: Judges don’t pick U.S. Attorneys, POTUS does. See Article Il of our Constitution. You are fired, Donald Kinsella.
A Trump loyalist, John Sarcone, was appointed on an interim basis. His tenure expired & a judge found other efforts to install him unlawful. The judges are by statute allowed to appoint a US attorney if there’s a vacancy like this. So they did. Now that guy has been fired.
Quinta Jurecic (Atlantic): “Excited for another multi day back and forth over whether Trump actually fired him!”
Rando: “I never thought we’d go into less than one Scaramucci for time employed.”
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
RFK Jr (Health Secretary):
“I’m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats. [Video clip]”
Commentary
Plural.
This is not The Onion.
He’s such a liar. People don’t snort cocaine off toilet seats. They’d be too worried about it falling into the toilet. They do it off the back of the toilet, which also requires less bending over. But for titillating this dumb audience, this lie makes sense.
Counterpoint: RFK is exactly who would do cocaine wrong off a toilet.
I can’t believe the guy who takes his family for swims in sewer water also does lines off of toilet seats.
Just a reminder that the Trump admin calls immigrants who’ve fallen into drug addiction “the worst of the worst” criminals, no matter how long ago their addiction problems.
It’s hard to fathom how we went from “I didn’t inhale” as an endless scandal, to this, which clearly should get him booted—but won’t!
said during the latest episode of Theo Von’s podcast on Thursday […] when he brought up still going to in-person recovery meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. […] called it “heartbreaking” when meetings tried to go virtual rather than in person.
The normal process for Congress to hold witnesses who lie to them accountable is to refer them to the Department of Justice, which Bondi runs, for prosecution.
The Trump administration has committed a mass violation of ICE detainees’ constitutional rights in MN, effectively blocking their access to attorneys in the Whipple building, a judge ruled tonight.
The Constitution does not permit the government to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their constitutional rights because it would be too challenging to honor those rights.
The judge: Trump appointee Nancy Brasel.
Ira Goldman (Ex-Senate tech): “[Video] While Judge Brasel is a Trump appointee, as one can discern from her confirmation hearing, she was the choice of Senators Klobuchar (20:22) and Tina Smith (25:40).”
Rando: “Holy crap, I just read this… This is how a judge lays the law down. Not some generic TRO but a long itemized list of exactly wtf they’d better do.”
Incredibly powerful opinion chronicling the awfulness in Whipple and the ways it interfered with the right to counsel.
One key part of the ruling (that ICE will likely appeal ASAP); Judge Brasel bars ICE from transferring anyone out of Minnesota within 72 hours of arrest.
Steve Vladeck (Law prof): “In other words, long enough that habeas petitions can be filed on their behalf in Minnesota before they’re whisked off to an immigration detention facility somewhere in the Fifth Circuit (where, under that court’s current law, they wouldn’t be eligible for a bond hearing).”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “Yep. This will have a huge impact on the availability of habeas for people who are still being arrested in Minnesota.”
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
Trump admin’s ‘cartel drone’ story bursts like a balloon. Or four. After hyping a dramatic “cartel drone” incursion, Trump officials shut down El Paso’s airspace and fired a borrowed Pentagon anti-drone laser—at what turned out to be four party balloons.
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
‘This did not go well for them’: Mayor Frey reacts as Minneapolis ICE surge ends. “You saw a federal government and an administration that thought that they were going to break the people of Minneapolis down. They thought that we were going to back down,” Mayor Jacob Frey says. “And here’s the thing, we didn’t. The people of Minneapolis stood up. They stood up for their neighbors.”
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES
Hayes: Trump bet Americans were as bigoted as Stephen Miller—he was wrong. “This administration made a bet—and they keep making it—that most Americans, the majority of us, are as bigoted as Stephen Miller. And they’re wrong,” says Chris Hayes as the Trump administration says it’s ending its ICE surge in Minneapolis.
Noem and Lewandowski frequently berate senior level staff, give polygraph tests to employees they don’t trust
[…]
Noem and Lewandowski’s close relationship had already made Trump and his top advisers uncomfortable. […] Lewandowski and Noem, who are both married, have publicly denied the reports of the affair, but people said they do little to hide their relationship […] Though White House officials have been frustrated with Noem and Lewandowski’s leadership, they know his closeness with the president makes it hard for them to make changes at DHS
[…]
Noem routinely berated staff if she saw Homan on TV and kept track of both their appearances to make sure she was on TV more than him, […] On at least one occasion, she asked aides to ensure she drew a bigger crowd at a conference than Homan […] Homan rarely speaks to the secretary and has complained repeatedly to White House officials about her and Lewandowski.
[…]
Within DHS, Noem and Lewandowski have cut employees or put them on administrative leave. The pair have fired or demoted roughly 80% of the career ICE field leadership that was in place when they started.
In the blanket incident, Noem had to switch planes after a maintenance issue was discovered, but her blanket wasn’t moved to the second plane, according to the people familiar with the incident. The Coast Guard pilot was initially fired and told to take a commercial flight home when they reached their destination. They eventually reinstated the pilot because no one else was available to fly them home.
Breaking news – good for once. Also kinda obvs but Palestine Action aren’t terrorists now officially by court order :
The High Court in the United Kingdom has ruled that the government ban on the pro-Palestinian campaign group called Palestine Action as a “terror group” was unlawful.
In a statement responding to the landmark ruling on Friday, Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori, who had challenged the government’s ban, said the ruling was a huge win for the group.
“This is a monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people, striking down a decision that will forever be remembered as one of the most extreme attacks on free speech in recent British history.”
However, the British government immediately said it intended to appeal the court’s ruling.
…(snip)..
Ammori said in a statement that any move by the government to challenge the court’s ruling would be “profoundly unjust”, while the futures of thousands of protesters who had been arrested for their support of Palestine Action – “many of whom are elderly or disabled and facing up to 14 years’ imprisonment” – hung in the balance.
“Any such attempt by the government would prolong that injustice,” she said.
There has been a sharp split in the UK between government policy, not recognising Israel’s war a s a genocide, and supporting Israel on the diplomatic stage, with public opinion. Hundreds of thousands across the country have protested for an end to the war and punitive action against Israel.
Just weeks after a dramatic purge of China’s top general, the CIA is moving to capitalize on any resulting discord with a new public video targeting potential informants in the Chinese military.
The U.S. spy agency on Thursday rolled out the video depicting a disillusioned mid-level Chinese military officer, in the latest U.S. step in a campaign to ramp up human intelligence gathering on Washington’s strategic rival.
Funny stuff. I find it hard to believe that a public video is a good recruiting tool but the goal here may have more to do with the paranoia of the Chinese government. Poke them with a public release while doing the important stuff secretly.
johnson catmansays
re CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @476:
In the blanket incident, Noem had to switch planes after a maintenance issue was discovered, but her blanket wasn’t moved to the second plane, according to the people familiar with the incident. The Coast Guard pilot was initially fired and told to take a commercial flight home when they reached their destination. They eventually reinstated the pilot because no one else was available to fly them home.
So Noem thinks it is the pilot’s responsibility to move personal belongings to the other plane? If her wittle blanky was so damn important, why didn’t she take the responsibility herself and carry it with her? So damn stupid and childish. The people in this administration sure have an overabundance of privilege.
One of the most common arguments from Republicans on voter ID proposals is that Americans are often asked to show identification. On Friday morning, for example, Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa appeared on Fox Business and pointed to laws that require ID to buy alcohol and purchase firearms.
A day earlier, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin spoke with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo and made a similar pitch. [video]
“I flew home to my home state of Wisconsin, went to buy a six-pack of beer,” the GOP congressman said. “The clerk recognized me, asked for my ID, confirmed it, and then I was allowed to buy the beer. I just think it is nuts that we protect our beer more than our ballots.”
For now, let’s not dwell on the fact that age verification laws are intended to protect public safety, not to “protect our beer.”
Rather, let’s focus on the bigger picture that federal lawmakers really ought to understand.
The public and policymakers have long seen value in preventing minors from buying alcohol. It’s not especially controversial — few figures in modern public life are lobbying to undo these laws — and they’re utilized all the time.
Indeed, every year, thousands of people face criminal charges and are taken into police custody, either because they tried to buy alcohol before they turned 21 or because they’re adults who bought alcohol for those who aren’t old enough to buy it for themselves.
In other words, these laws exist for a reason, and people get caught breaking them all the time.
In contrast, instances in which Americans try to impersonate other people while voting is ridiculously rare. It is a problem that, for all intents and purposes, does not exist.
To hear congressional Republicans tell it, if Americans need to show ID to buy beer, they should show ID to vote. But even if we disregard the underlying potential harms — drinking alcohol poses risks, while casting ballots does not [Casting a ballot should not pose a risk, but already some Trump followers are proposing having ICE agents at polling stations, and that does create risk.]— the comparison collapses quickly: Illegal beer purchases are common, and illegal voter impersonation is effectively unheard of.
Many proponents of voter ID tend to be reluctant to come right out and admit that they want to make it harder for people to cast ballots, imposing new and unnecessary hurdles in the hope that it would help Republicans, because that would be impolitic. But if GOP officials are going to make a persuasive case for creating new voting restrictions, they’ll have to do better than this.
“There’s no reason for us to deploy to a polling facility,” the acting head of ICE said. Some GOP officials want to see it happen anyway.
On the heels of Donald Trump declaring his interest in a federal takeover of American elections [see comment 101], Steve Bannon not only endorsed the president’s goal, he also floated a specific idea related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“You’re damn right we’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November,” Bannon said on his podcast earlier this week.
[…] The far-right media personality is not currently a White House official, and he has earned a reputation as a blowhard who says outrageous things to get attention. He talked about ICE deployments as if they were a certainty, but there was no reason to assume Bannon had any idea what he was talking about in terms of likely future developments.
That said, it wasn’t long before his idea gained favor among Republicans on Capitol Hill. [video]
For example, Rep. Jason Smith, who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, appeared on CNBC and said, “Why should you ban ICE from being at polling places? Because illegals aren’t supposed to vote in this America.” […]
Around the same time, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah asked by way of social media: “If noncitizens don’t vote, then why are Democrats worried about ICE agents going anywhere near a polling location?” [The worry is justified for Lots of other reasons. Just to name two: ICE racially profiles people; and ICE has earned a reputation for using force and/or harming people when it is not necessary.]
[…] Only American citizens can register to vote and cast ballots in federal elections. Republicans have spent years trying to find evidence of a national crisis of noncitizens voting, but the party has so far come up empty, chasing a mirage.
With this in mind, there’s no reason for ICE agents to be at polling stations, looking for people who don’t exist.
Relatedly, it’s not clear what exactly ICE agents would do at local voting precincts — except perhaps harass people who they think don’t look like U.S. citizens, based entirely on racist profiling standards.
There’s no great mystery here. Too many on the right apparently want to create an environment of fear and intimidation, deploying federal immigration agents in the hopes that it might discourage voters from minority communities, fearing harassment and possible detention, from showing up and participating in their own country’s democracy. [All too true.]
[…] [social media post, with video]
If lawmakers such as Smith and Lee continue to find this confusing, they could take up the matter with Todd Lyons, the acting ICE chief, who testified at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing Thursday that he didn’t see the point of what some Republicans were proposing.
“There’s no reason for us to deploy to a polling facility,” he told Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan at the hearing.
In a careful, incremental, and modulated ruling designed to withstand an all but certain appeal by the Trump DOJ, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of D.C. ordered the administration to facilitate the return to the United States of a subset of the Venezuelan nationals spirited out of the country 11 months ago under the wartime Alien Enemies Act.
It marks the second time Boasberg has ordered the return of AEA detainees. The first time was in emergency rulings he issued as the AEA deportations unfolded over a weekend last March, when he ordered the removals stopped and the planes carrying the detainees to El Salvador turned around. The Trump administration defied those orders, but Boasberg’s subsequent efforts to hold those responsible in contempt of court have been thwarted twice by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the administration’s second appeal is currently languishing.
Throughout the latest round of litigation over how to give the AEA detainees the due process they were initially denied, the Trump DOJ has been sneering at Boasberg, rejecting the premises of his orders and barely engaging with his requests for information and proposed solutions. In yesterday’s order, Boasberg noted the pattern: “Apparently not interested in participating in this process, the Government’s responses essentially told the Court to pound sand.”
Boasberg sprinkled similar admonitions throughout his ruling, which I’ve excerpted and condensed here:
Defendants at every turn have objected to Plaintiffs’ legitimate proposals without offering a single option for remedying the injury that they inflicted upon the deportees. … [I]t is up to the Government to remedy the wrong that it perpetrated here and to provide a means for doing so. … [M]indful of the flagrancy of the Government’s violations of the deportees’ due-process rights that landed Plaintiffs in this situation, the Court refuses to let them languish in the solution-less mire Defendants propose.
It is not clear how many, if any, of the 137 former detainees who were held for months in El Salvador’s CECOT prison wish to return to the United States, where they face certain detention and the threat of being deported to a third country again. But for those who make it out of Venezuela to third countries and who want to return, Boasberg crafted his order to give them relief similar to that accorded by the Supreme Court to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported the same weekend in March but on a different flight and not as an alleged alien enemy.
Boasberg stopped short for now of ordering the same relief for those detainees still in Venezuela, so as not to interfere in the executive branch’s conduct of foreign relations and risk being overturned on appeal. Those still in Venezuela will, however, be allowed to begin filing legal challenges to President Trump’s AEA proclamation and their designations as members of the Tren del Aragua gang. Boasberg saved for another day the question of remote hearings for the detainees abroad.
All of this just sets the stage for another round of appeals, which could drag on for months, further delaying any accountability for the administration’s wrongful conduct. [Depressing]
[…] a report in the Star Tribune that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and FBI were set to announce a joint investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti [was premature]i. No such announcement has been forthcoming, and yesterday Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told senators that the feds are still blocking state and local authorities from participating in the investigations of the shootings of Pretti and Renee Good.
That’s not a headline I expected to see in my lifetime.
With President Trump abandoning 80 years of U.S. defense of Europe and with Russia’s territorial ambitions uncontained, Germany is racing to prepare for armed conflict, the WSJ reports:
Germany’s military-intelligence agency estimates that within the next three years, Russia, whose armies poured into Ukraine in 2022, will have amassed enough weaponry and trained enough troops to be able to start a wider war across Europe. [Germany’s top military officer] says a smaller attack could come at any time.
The Epstein files claimed a new victim on Thursday, when Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer Kathy Ruemmler announced she was resigning from the bank over her ties to the disgraced financier, whom she frequently emailed with and even received gifts from.
With her resignation, there are now multiple wealthy elites who have faced personal ruin over their relationship with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, including Prince Andrew, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, prominent Wall Street lawyer Brad Karp, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, United Kingdom Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson, talent agent Casey Wasserman, and CBS contributor Peter Attia, among others. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is also facing calls to resign or be fired for his relationship with Epstein, while former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are being forced to testify before Congress over their history with the convicted sex offender.
However, there is one person who isn’t being forced to step down from his position or testify under oath over his ties to Epstein: President Donald Trump, the con artist and former close friend of Epstein’s who has been accused of not only knowing about Epstein’s abuse of underage girls but also potentially being part of it.
In fact, Republicans and Trump administration officials alike have defended Trump’s ties to Epstein
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was Trump’s former personal attorney, tried to absolve his Dear Leader of culpability by saying that it’s “not a crime to party with Mr. Epstein.” [video]
Earlier this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi screamed like a maniac at a congressional hearing, calling questions about the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files a distraction from the stock market’s performance, like the Dow Jones Industrial Average being above 50,000 points. Point of personal inquiry: Now that the Dow Jones has fallen below that benchmark as of the time of this writing, is it acceptable to ask you about the files, Pam? [video] [It is true that the stock market almost immediately fell by more than 2 points. “Dow ends below 50,000 threshold for first time since Friday as AI fears spark wider stock selloff” It looked like a ‘classic’ risk-off day on Wall Street, said one strategist]
Of course, the Trump sycophants in Congress spent months defending their rationale for not forcing Trump to release the Epstein files, as well as trying to explain away Trump’s relationship with Epstein himself.
Trump, for his part, did everything in his power to look as guilty as possible in the process. And once congressional Democrats forced his hand on the issue, his administration slow-walked the release of the documents, with his top administration officials doing sloppy redactions that not only exposed privileged information about Epstein’s alleged victims but also appeared like an effort to protect powerful people.
While Trump is very unlikely to be removed or forced out of office for his Epstein ties, there is an avenue for Americans to force accountability for the GOP on the issue: voting in the November midterms.
[…] A YouGov/Economist survey found that 52% of Americans believe Trump is engaged in an Epstein cover-up, with another 50% saying they believe Trump was criminally involved with Epstein. […]
Video […] shows the woman igniting window areas and spraying liquid on the flames […] the fire burned for a little while before going out. […] no injuries
[…]
The warehouse had been the focus of community attention earlier in the day after its owner […] announced it would not move forward with the sale of the property to the federal government
Commentary
PSA: don’t spray lighter fluid into a fire. This how people accidentally set themselves on fire.
Came through in broad daylight w/ sandals, nothing to conceal her identity and some leftover lighter fluid she probably found on her back patio. Gonna give it a C for execution but an A+ for effort.
SKINNY JEANS, no less!
Prediction: she tried to burn it down because they wouldn’t sell to ICE.
Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have moved to drop felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men, including one shot in the leg by an immigration officer, after new evidence emerged undercutting the government’s version of events.
In a filing Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota said “newly discovered evidence” in the criminal case against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis “is materially inconsistent with the allegations against them” made in a criminal complaint and a court hearing last month.
The government’s motion asked the judge for “dismissal with prejudice,” meaning the charges against the two men cannot be resubmitted. […]
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says scraps from the wealthy table are on their way to the American people—really, any day now.
“As I’ve said many times, 2025 is about setting the table,” Bessent told CNBC on Friday. “2026 is going to be a banquet for the American people. The economy is taking off.” [video, shows Bessent lying]
Bessent went on to claim that President Donald Trump’s tariffs are slowly evolving into manufacturing jobs. His comments echo fellow shill Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, who said that unnamed “machines” are just waiting to be turned on.
The problem, of course, is that economic data largely indicates the opposite is true. Manufacturing jobs steadily shrank throughout 2025, and the year marked the weakest job growth since the COVID-19 pandemic […]
After the federal agents took the shackles off Gust Johnson’s ankles to release him from detainment, he asked for his phone back. That would be staying […] the agent told him, as part of their investigation into him assaulting a federal agent.
“I didn’t assault an officer. I got assaulted by three officers,” he replied. The 76-year-old Marine Corps combat veteran and mostly retired nurse was still bleeding from his elbow and missing a hearing aid
[…]
He had gone to the scene where federal agents had killed [Alex Pretti] Johnson started shouting at one of the agents lined up blocking the street. He was about five feet away, and the agent sprayed him in the face. […] he turned around and started yelling again, getting sprayed two more times. His son was also sprayed in the face. Johnson was tackled to the ground by at least three agents, handcuffed, and taken […] Johnson was released around 10 hours later. […] unsure how he was going to get home.
He was greeted by a group of volunteers who ushered him to a warm car with hot coffee and cocoa. They gave him a cheap cell phone to call his family, and then drove him the six miles home. […]
Federal agents aren’t just seizing phones. They’re holding onto people’s driver’s licenses, cash and keys. Immigrant detainees are regularly released without their work permits and other documents, attorneys say, even though federal judges have ruled they were illegally arrested in the first place.
[An attorney] said one of her clients was told by an ICE agent in Texas that he no longer had permission to work upon his release, which was not true. She had to seek a judge’s order to force the government to mail the man’s work permit back. Replacing a work permit can cost over $500 and take the better part of a year to receive
[…]
There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to who gets to keep their belongings, […] except that immigrant detainees are more likely to have their documents held while protesters and observers lose their phones. […]
The seized phones, in particular, have alarmed civil rights attorneys because they contain so much personal information […] most people aren’t facing any criminal charges.
[…]
Federal agents aren’t legally allowed to unlock phones to snoop around without a warrant, although ports of entry are a notable exception. Attorneys […] haven’t heard of any warrants being issued for phones seized from observers and protesters. [Fewer] than 30 observers and protesters have even been charged with a crime
[…]
Johnson’s daughter, who can track his phone’s location, watched it move around the Whipple building the day he was detained. Eventually it stopped pinging, ostensibly because it ran out of battery. But days later, it popped back on. Someone seemed to have charged it, though why, is unclear. […] For what it’s worth, Johnson never joined any of the Signal groups, and he marked his phone missing remotely and set it to wipe the data once it connected to a network.
[…] One teenager detained by ICE tracked his phone back to a vending machine for used electronics near a federal detention center
There’s not an easy avenue to getting one’s phone back. […] they arrested [Grace] as she was tailing them in a northern suburb. The agents smashed in her car windows and took her […] for six hours or so. […] an agent said her phone would be kept to extract evidence. […] Grace, who has not been charged with a crime. […] She spent a day in a Kafkaesque phone tree […] She has marked the phone as lost and bought a new one, but didn’t choose to wipe the data—a lawyer advised her wiping the phone could possibly bring an obstruction charge.
Johnson got his phone back this week after his lawyer pressed [DHS] with a group of other attorneys […] They were able to retrieve about a dozen […] But an unknown number remain
According to President Donald Trump, the U.S. and Venezuela are on extremely good terms a month after arresting Nicolás Maduro and transporting the president and his wife, Cilia Flores, to a prison in New York City.
“Relations between Venezuela and the United States have been, to put it mildly, extraordinary!” Trump wrote via Truth Social Thursday. “We are dealing very well with President Delcy Rodriguez, and her Representatives. Oil is starting to flow, and large amounts of money, unseen for many years, will soon be greatly helping the people of Venezuela.”
However, according to an interview with NBC News released the same day, Rodriguez—who succeeded to power following Maduro’s capture—disagrees with the U.S. perspective.
“I can tell you President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president. I will tell you this as a lawyer, that I am. Both President Maduro and Cilia Flores, the first lady, are both innocent,” the acting president said to “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in Caracas.
Rodriguez also told the outlet that the Trump administration has extended an invitation to meet at the White House that she is still considering. […]
There was good news on Friday for anyone concerned that the Trump administration’s gutting of USAID that has led to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths from starvation and disease in the last year and will likely result in millions more over the rest of the decade: at least he agency had $15 million left over to pay for a full-time security detail for Russ Vought, the architect of much of that death and suffering! [OMFG!]
We suppose this isn’t so much good news as it is the sort of news that history books often record as having inspired thriving guillotine production industries. […]
Vought, who also oversees the Office of Management and Budget and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is reportedly being protected by a dozen members of the US Marshals Service. […]
Vought was also famously an architect of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation blueprint for slashing federal spending and services while pushing the nation’s government to become more openly theocratic. He famously said that he wanted to traumatize federal employees, so they wouldn’t want to come to work. […]
Was Vought’s protection detail, which the $15 million reportedly funds through the end of this year, added in response to specific threats? It’s hard to say. Like so much else these days, it’s more of a vibe:
OMB spokesperson [Rachel] Cauley accused “The Left” – which she did not further identify – of pursuing a strategy that fuels an “assassination culture against public officials” and then expresses “shock about what it takes to keep them safe.”
Cauley has this backwards. What is happening is public officials like Vought are pursuing a strategy of cutting off the only food and medical care some of the world’s poorest people were getting, leaving American consumers at the mercy of corporations that take advantage of them in a myriad of unethical and cruel ways, and a thousand other degradations large and small. And, in Vought’s case, calling this destructive work “fun”. [Embedded links to this and other sources are available at the main link.]
[…]
[A] new study published in The Lancet medical journal aims to quantify the human toll of those budget decisions – projecting that global aid cuts could lead to at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030, if the current funding trend continues. About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.
And remember, at one point the government had 500 tons of food in warehouses that it refused to distribute because of budget cuts. NGOs were begging, really begging, for the US to at least let them have that food so they could give it to the needy. Instead, the government destroyed it all by letting it spoil. [!]
Wouldn’t it have been easier and less threatening to lots of lives, including your own, to not starve people? […]
Did none of these people have to read A Tale of Two Cities in eighth grade? Was it just us?
The Vought story is part of a wider story […] Stephen Miller reportedly has his own Secret Service detail and moved his family onto a military base after someone chalked some anodyne statements on the sidewalk outside his house. Kristi Noem is also living on a military base, having moved out of an apartment she rented in DC. Though to be fair, that might be as much so people won’t spot her married boy toy Corey Lewandowski bopping by […]
On the one hand, these people love to exaggerate the threats they think are coming at them from the left […]
A president should not have an adviser so well-known for his cruelty that he gets enough death threats to warrant Secret Service protection. (Neither should an agency head get a security detail just because it makes them feel important.) The head of the Office of Management and Budget should be […] neutral […]
Instead, these assholes rub our noses in their cruelty and then have the nerve to complain about their safety. There is an easy solution here, but you can more easily pass a camel through the eye of a needle than you can get Russ Vought to not suck.
USIP’s fired board and employees argue that the administration is violating a court-issued stay by making physical changes to the building and, to their understanding, moving ahead with new agreements. Specifically, the letter asks for information on whether the State Department has signed an agreement to use the building for the “Board of Peace,” a new international organization under the personal lifetime control of President Donald Trump that seeks to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
“They’re acting under the stay as though they have a license to use the building, to use money, to treat the building any way they want […] A stay is not permission for the loser of a case to hijack the property of the winning party.”
[…]
In May, a court held that the administration’s takeover of USIP’s building and firing of its staff were unlawful; the next month, an appeals court issued a stay on that ruling. This returned the building to the administration’s control while a federal appeals case is ongoing. In December, the Trump administration renamed the building
[…]
According to the letter, “USIP’s current acting president has recently signed a ten-year memorandum of understanding (‘MOU’) with the State Department, under which hundreds of State Department employees will move into USIP’s building.” […] and the State Department will be indemnified against responsibility for damage […] “construction is already underway to modify working spaces in the USIP building.” These renovations, the letter argues, could cause “impose substantial, expensive, and unwarranted obstacles” should USIP ultimately win back control of the building in the final court case.
[…]
at the World Economic Forum [presentation] for the new “Board of Peace” […] an image of the USIP building was the final slide. […]
“The government does not have a license to rename the USIP headquarters building or lease it out for 10 years. It certainly has no right to open the building to a new international organization like the proposed Board of Peace,” […]
The letter also asks for confirmation of the funds that are in USIP’s endowment, which Foote says he is concerned may be used “to remodel the building […] using our donor money[“]
[…] Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek and his wife had to sell a lot of Van Der Beek’s memorabilia in order to pay for his cancer treatments for the last several years. […] some family friends started a GoFundMe for his wife and six children because his care for the last several years depleted their funds.
Via GoFundMe:
In the wake of this loss, Kimberly and the children are facing an uncertain future. The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds. They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time. The support of friends, family, and the wider community will make a world of difference as they navigate the road ahead.
Your generosity will help cover essential living expenses, pay bills, and support the children’s education. Every donation, no matter the size, will help Kimberly and her family find hope and security as they rebuild their lives. Thank you for considering a gift to support them.
So far, the page has raised $2.1 million for his family, which sounds like a lot but maybe isn’t when you consider that we’re talking about six kids here.
In practically any other country, they would be fine. In the EU, his treatment for the last 2-3 years would have cost them under $100,000 — still expensive, but certainly manageable for a family of means. In the United States, however, even a celebrity can’t afford that shit.
What are we doing here?
More than 250,000 GoFundMe campaigns meant to raise money for medical needs are created in the United States every year, and have been seen for over a decade as something like an ad-hoc safety net to replace the one we don’t have. Unfortunately, as one study discovered, this doesn’t actually work out very well for most people.
Via National Institutes Health:
Of the campaigns in the “medical, illness, and healing” category on GoFundMe in 2016 to 2020, 437 596 met sampling criteria. These campaigns raised more than $2 billion from 21.7 million donations, toward a collective goal of more than $8.45 billion. As shown in Table 1, median campaign earnings were small, raising $1970 toward a $8000 goal, from 24 donors. Variation between successful and unsuccessful campaigns was vast: the top campaign raised $2.4 million from more than 70 000 donors, while 16.1% of campaigns were entirely unfunded, raising $0. Half of campaigns reached 25% of their goal; a third reached 50% of their goal; a fifth reached 75% of their goal; and less than 12% fully reached their goal.
[Not a good social safety net.]
[…] This is not a very good way to do things, especially when you consider the factors that are more likely to create a successful campaign — being a celebrity, being an especially cute kid, knowing a lot of people who have money, social media clout, being able to get publicity for one’s cause.
Conservatives, especially those with a libertarian bent, like to tout the idea of charity and philanthropy being superior to tax collection when it comes to providing a social safety net — frequently insisting that if the government just didn’t take money from people, they would be more inclined to give it. The crowdfunding model is a shining example of how very stupid and inefficient this idea is.
I hope that Van Der Beek’s family is okay, but I also wish they didn’t have to do this. We know there are better, less expensive ways of doing this, and even though there are a whole lot of shitty people in this country, I actually don’t think a majority of people in this country think that medical care should be so costly that families that just lost a parent should have to worry about losing their home due to having to pay for medical expenses. It’s not right.
If the system doesn’t work for celebrities, how the hell do we expect it to work for the rest of us?
It does not work for the rest of us. We die destitute. Often we die earlier than we should because we cannot afford all of the medical care we need.
“My Daughter Lived the Liam Ramos Nightmare. It Turned Out Worse for Us.”
On Sept. 15, my family and I arrived for our routine Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in appointment at the New York City immigration courthouse. My 6-year-old daughter was wearing her school uniform and her backpack. My husband and I planned to drop her off at school afterward.
Instead, the three of us were arrested and detained.
ICE officials held us at the courthouse all day with no food before transferring us to temporary housing for the night. At around 3 the next morning, officers woke us and put us on a commercial flight. Against our will, we were flown across the country to the family detention center in Dilley, Texas. The next two months we spent there were a living nightmare.
When my family and I had fled Colombia in October 2022, we believed that the United States would be a place of refuge. Back home, we had been targeted by an armed guerrilla group—the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—and over time, the death threats and physical violence became impossible to hide from. We had no choice but to flee for our lives.
On our way to the U.S., armed smugglers confined my daughter and me in a guarded safe house for days. I was forced to cook and clean for them, along with the other women. I was warned to watch my daughter closely so she would not be kidnapped. Only after being passed between multiple vehicles and handlers were we finally able to cross the border in November 2022.
[…] We applied for asylum. We were denied. But the dangers we faced in Colombia had not ended. From abroad, we learned that my husband was still receiving threats.
Because of my experience in Mexico, we then filed an application for a T visa, a form of humanitarian protection for victims of human trafficking. While that application was pending, we continued to comply with immigration authorities because we believed that following the law mattered.
[…] But our compliance did not matter to ICE.
After we were taken to the Dilley detention center, my husband was held in a separate area from my daughter and me. Starting the first day, officers began using family separation as a threat. We were told that if we refused deportation, we would be fined $1,000 a day. We were warned that if we continued to resist deportation in any way, my husband and I could face criminal charges and our daughter could be taken from us. The officers also threatened to put us all on separate deportation flights.
The conditions at the facility only intensified the horror. People were constantly sick. Bathrooms were filthy. The food was often inedible, and the water was discolored. My daughter began losing weight because she could not eat. […]
More at the link. I do not have access to the entire report.
For many years, millions of American voters have cast ballots through the mail without incident. Secure systems were created in red states and blue states alike; the public found the practice convenient; the process has long featured reliable safeguards; and even the most ardent election conspiracy theorists struggled to uncover any meaningful evidence of fraud or irregularities.
Donald Trump has nevertheless convinced himself that postal balloting is a national scourge that needs to be dramatically curtailed. [social media post, with video]
Touting the Republicans’ needlessly regressive SAVE America Act, which cleared the House this week, the president said at an unrelated White House event on Thursday, “There would be no mail-in ballots. Very important. You know, we’re the only country in the world that does a system like we do. We’re the only country in the world that has mail-in ballots. The way we do this is unbelievable. It guarantees cheating.” [JFC, blatant lying mixed with attempts to discredit election results. And Trump was so confident when he told the lies.]
[…] I have no idea how Trump came to believe that voting by way of the mail is inherently corrupt. It’s not, and he has never offered anything resembling evidence to the contrary. He just keeps asserting the falsehood, apparently hoping that nonsense will become true by way of repetition. [That’s his standard modus operandi.]
[…] the idea that no other country allows its citizens to vote through the mail is ridiculously untrue. Around the world, many countries, including longtime democracies with advanced economies, rely on postal balloting without incident. [social media post with list of 30 countries that use mail voting]
[…] Republican Party officials, at both the state level and national level, have practically begged Trump to stop lying about this because they want the GOP base to take advantage of mail-in voting. […]
A Pew Research Center poll last summer found that a 58% majority of Americans favor allowing any voter to cast their ballot by mail if they want to.
It’s not exactly a secret that the Republican White House wants to make it harder for Americans to participate in their own democracy. […]
Yesterday, one of ICE’s and the White House’s prize ICE-as-victim cases blew up. We’ve seen a version of this happen before. The story is pushed on Fox. Charges follow. But as it begins to make its way through the courts, it falls apart and the charges are more or less quietly dropped.
We’ve seen so, so many of these cases where it’s clear that what the ICE agents said just wasn’t true. […] First, the story was that protestors were trying to kill ICE agents and the agents barely emerged alive. Then we see the video and none of that is true. The key, though, is that in those cases where charges were filed, it’s always no harm no foul. The claims of ICE agents are shown to have been false, but it’s on to the next wilding spree. There are no consequences. Not for the original behavior. Not for lying about it.
But yesterday something different happened. The DOJ went into court and asked that a set of charges be dismissed with prejudice, i.e., they can’t be filed again. And the reason was this sentence that’s been rattling around my head for the last 24 hours. “Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the Complaint Affidavit.”
This doesn’t mean the kind of evidence you need to turn over to the defense because it might be considered exculpatory at trial. This sounds like evidence that means, what we charged them with totally didn’t happen. Our guys lied. Now Politico reports that ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said today that the two officers who apparently lied are being investigated by the DOJ in connection with the case and … well, the lying thing.
In ordinary times, this wouldn’t require a lot of explanation. It’s no secret that law enforcement officers sometimes lie to justify unjustified use of force after the fact. And it’s no secret that prosecutors often give officers the benefit of the doubt. But if it becomes clear the officers are lying — like really clear — they’re going to be in a lot of trouble.
But that’s not how ICE works. ICE agents not only lie about being attacked all the time, they also get caught lying and it never matters. So what’s different in this case?
A few possibilities suggest themselves.
One is that the lying is so egregious and the discrediting evidence so strong that it’s just too much and they can’t not investigate these guys. That’s possible, but it kind of stretches credulity. Because that just hasn’t mattered in so many other cases. Usually they just drop the charges and move on.
Another possibility is that the facts here are really bad and it’s also a convenient moment to throw the book at someone to give ICE defenders a proof point they can refer to to argue that ICE is a lawful operation weeding out bad apples.
Yet a third possibility is that ICE and the White House are getting enough pushback from Republicans, a lot of it private so far, that they realize some house cleaning is necessary.
Of course, each of these theories require some level of rational, organized deliberation and action. And we’re not dealing with a rational and organized deliberation operation. I don’t know which of the above is the best explanation. But there’s one additional possible explanation that is more amorphous but perhaps comes closest to the truth.
As the public mood shifts, or perhaps as it hardens, against ICE, everyone gets a bit more insecure and worried. The public mood informs the next election and the bad midterm omens for MAGA raise the possibility of future consequences, future shifts in the political winds. When that happens, people get a little more skittish about looking the other way or covering things up. And when that happens at scale, old mores start, at least a little, to reassert themselves. Because going back to the book is safe. When the president is getting weaker, that becomes the safer bet. […]
I suspect this is closest to the real story. To make the new Trump rules work, you’ve got to convince a lot of people that those new rules are for good and it’s safe to follow them. Not just the top people and the more thuggish ICE agents, but everyone. Everyone is a lot of people. When people get worried about future accountability, the politics of impunity get harder to sustain. […]
Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website. […] The directive comes amid a broader shake-up at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) […] The institute will focus more on basic immunology and other infectious diseases currently affecting people in the United States, […] rather than on predicting future diseases.
About one-third of the NIAID’s US$6.6-billion budget currently funds projects involving emerging infectious diseases and biodefence. The research studies pathogens of concern and monitors their spread, and develops medical countermeasures against threats from radiation exposure, chemicals and infectious diseases.
[…] “Just because we say we’re going to stop caring about these issues doesn’t make the issues go away—it just makes us less prepared,”
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin appeared on Fox News to defend the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the 2009 scientific finding that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health.
“Do you believe that the talk of climate change is a hoax?” host Bill Hemmer asked.
“When you’re putting forth tens of billions of dollars to pay off your well-connected former Obama and Biden admin officials and Democratic donors wasting taxpayer dollars, yes, that’s a problem,” Zeldin said, not answering the question. “Trillions of dollars of regulation and costs on American families, that’s a big problem. It has been a con job of using this for more power and control.” [video]
[…] getting rid of the legal underpinning for most government laws regulating greenhouse gas emissions could allow President Donald Trump’s stolen Supreme Court a chance to chip away at the government’s power to rein in the fossil fuel industry.
The DOJ DELETED documents from the just released Epstein Files. MEIDAS TOUCH saved them
Some screen grabs and links to other documents are available at the main link.
For the convenience of readers, here are some links back to the previous set of 500 comments on The Infinite Thread.
https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2025/12/30/infinite-thread-xxxviii/comment-page-3/#comment-2291728
“We haven’t released it yet, but as of yesterday, we have moved 1.75 million people off of SNAP. 1,750,000 people that were on the food stamp program when the president was sworn in one year ago have now moved off
https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2025/12/30/infinite-thread-xxxviii/comment-page-3/#comment-2291729
Trump’s incompetent DOJ makes a mess of latest Epstein files drop
https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2025/12/30/infinite-thread-xxxviii/comment-page-3/#comment-2291726
ICE expands power of agents to arrest people without warrants
https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2025/12/30/infinite-thread-xxxviii/comment-page-3/#comment-2291716
Trump Reassures Fox News That He Does Not Consider Them Journalists [satire]
https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2025/12/30/infinite-thread-xxxviii/comment-page-3/#comment-2291701
“Democracy Five-Alarm Fire Of The Day: North Carolina Considering Removing ‘Presumptive Noncitizen’ Voters”
Most of the U.S. government is shut down but is expected to reopen early next week
“The Senate passed a deal between Democrats and the White House to fund the government, but the House won’t vote until Monday. The shutdown will have little impact if it is brief.”
Related video at the link.
Joe Sonka (KY Public Radio):
The Guardian – Elon Musk had more extensive ties to Epstein than previously known
Miles Klee (Wired):
Rando:
Ana Cabrera Reports – Attorney reacts to Don Lemon arrest (12:09, Jan 30)
Ryan Goodman: “Bondi tweet: ‘At my direction’ feds arrested journalists.”
(Short) “BREAKING: Judge strikes down Trump’s $15B lawsuit against The New York Times”
[It turns out you are not supposed to write 85 pages of invective and call it a lawsuit]
.https://youtube.com/shorts/R6J9GjacyaE
The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder Trump’s Plan To Rig The Midterms Becomes Clearer – 8 mins long.
Climatologist Simon Clark The (British – ed) government tried to hide this report – YT Short WARNING to those who don’t watch yt shorts.
Aussie ABC news on the release of more Epstein files here with live updates :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-31/three-million-jeffrey-epstein-files-released-by-us-doj-live-blog/106290612
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-31/israel-strikes-gaza-highest-death-tolls-since-ceasefire/106291744
SLS Artemis so yeah, another delay. Still better safe than sorry – & still tantalisingly close seems launch could happen as early as Feb 8th :
Source : https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-delays-critical-artemis-2-rocket-fueling-test-due-to-below-freezing-temperatures-launch-no-earlier-than-feb-8
This important, thoughtful article is why I respect and appreciate Tim Walz. It even more pertinent for PZ.
https://www.rsn.org/001/tim-walz-fears-a-fort-sumter-moment-in-minneapolis.html
20260130 Isaac Stanley-Becker / The Atlantic
The Minnesota governor warns of a national unraveling.
But the magats still chant ‘drill, baby, drill’ and the failed mainslime media is silent on this:
https://www.juancole.com/2026/01/thursday-australia-uninhabitable.html
All the 15 Hottest Spots on Earth on Thursday were in Australia; Will it become Uninhabitable?
it is admittedly summer in Australia, but this is ridiculous.
Parts of Australia are already experiencing temperatures that on average are 1.5º C. (2.7º F.) hotter than the nineteenth century average.
That is a temperature rise that scientists hope the earth as a whole can avoid, and they are worried that if we go to 3º C. (5.4º F.), it will create large no-go zones where humans cannot live because it is too hot or too hot and humid.
NASA used to be a competent responsible agency, this raises many questions. They seem almost as irresponsible as muskrat’s spacex.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/nasa-artemis-2-rocket-heat-shield-flaw-could-endanger-astronauts-experts-warn/ar-AA1V4lvm
A critical flaw in the heat shield of NASA’s upcoming moon rocket has sparked serious safety concerns among space flight specialists. While the Artemis 2 mission aims to return humans to lunar …
Follow-up to Sky Captain in comment 4.
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/elon-musk-emailed-epstein-about-wildest-party-on-private-island-new-docs-2484553795735
Video is 3:48 minutes.
Triumph Of The Bill: Amazon’s $75 Million ‘Melania’ Movie Is A Corrupt, Fascistic Cinema Fest
“We watched it so you don’t have to.”
That’s a thorough review. Here are a few excerpts:
Cartoon: Where is everybody?
News from Finland
https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-sues-irs-for-10-billion-for
“Trump Sues IRS For $10 Billion For All Those Taxes He Never Paid”
Washington Post link
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s national security adviser stepped down after his name appeared in newly released documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
ICE claims that immigrant shattered his skull running into wall
MPR – Police chief intervenes, prevents federal agents from arresting resident
Community
Anjali Dayal (Intl relations prof):
Legal AF (MeidasTouch): “Judge Biery has ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos. A thunderous rebuke against ICE’s violent campaign in Minnesota.”
Eric Turkewitz (Trial lawyer): “This legal decision is just 2 1/2 pages. It is readily understandable to the lay person. I have never, ever, ever, read an opinion like it.”
Judge Biery’s Order:
Andy Craig (Cato Institute):
Nadiba Dennie (Balls&Strikes): “Here is a judge who knows he has a platform and is acting like it.”
A footnote see also’d Magna Carta article 39: forbidding unlawful detainment.
A profile of the judge
Sky Captain @24, that is such good news … and delivered with style. :-)
In other news: Cartoon: Amend the 2nd Amendment
New York Times link
Aussie youtuber Michael west has this Herzog, Iran, Pauline, Susssan, Pete and the Rio deal | Scam of the Week covering among other things the destruction by takeover of TikTok and the Palestinian-Australian’s repalcemrnt for it called UpScroll ina funny and informative 23 mins long news discussion clip.
From BBC news 7 scenarios for What could happen if the US strikes Iran? (7 mins length.)
haven’t been to the beach allSummer – indeed not since the algal bloom ecological catstrophe began here -usually go atleats a few times :.
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-01/yorke-peninsula-algal-bloom/106277644
@ shermanj – 31st January 2026 at 11:10 am :
Heard / read somewhere that temperatures over approx 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) satrat to denature proteins and are literally close to unsurvivable for most multi-cellular life.
Also know temperatures used in weather observations are measured in the shade and in sunlight temps are considerably hottter. (Maybe even ten plus degrees hotter..)
We’re now getting heatwaves approaching 50 degrees – in the shade – right now withrecords regularly being broken year after year, angry Summer after angrier Summer. So if trends continue and ground and air temps are regularly approaching say 60 degrees then more plus, well.. Fuck!
We have air conditioning (whilst power works) and homes. Outside, the flora and fauna and ecosystems generally.. obvs not.
So, yeah, its looking very fucking grim indeed.
Oh and to teh next comment immediately after that also by shermanj :
(Minor edits by me. Hope that’s okay.)
That’s been addressed. They delayed the next SLS-Artemis launch following the discovery of that heat shield issue after the Artemis 1 flight and fixed that both with alterig the re-entry trajectory and, I think, improving the heat shield too. fairly sure that’sbeen mentione dinsome videos I linked onthis thread earlier..
So no, NASA are being safe and responsiible here.
From over a dozen hours ago now and seems not much more mention of it which is curious but France 24 English News is a reliable source that I trust so whilst maybe not such a big deal somehow – still Iran explosions: What we know so far. 5 mins long.
Plus from only 3 hours ago and CBN news LIVE: A Number of Explosions Reported in Iran, Trump Says Iran is Talking – 8 mins long.
Dóh! Didn’t realise that last source was a Christianist one till now. Looked like a legitimate news channel but then … ending a report with a prayer for Trump & Netanyahu, yuck! Was watching as I typed and hadn’t seen the end of that till now. Sorry folks.
.***
Palate cleanser (as Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer used to call them) World’s Strangest Mating Technique | Frozen Planet II – BBC – Hooded Seals, three and a half mins long.
@ #31 & 32. From Aljazeera which is certainly more reliable than CBN &seems to be more reassuring news :
Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/31/iranian-official-says-progress-made-on-talks-as-us-iran-tensions-persist
They also have an article on the explosion (singular not plural now?) being caused by a gas leak. Do i buy that? Dunno..
Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/31/explosion-in-irans-bandar-abbas-caused-by-gas-leak-official-says
Plus from The NewArab :
Source : https://www.newarab.com/news/explosions-kill-five-people-injure-14-two-iranian-cities
Hmm.. Dunno.
Follow-up on Trump’s $10B IRS lawsuit.
Aaron Rupar:
* Forbes – How Trump shifted Kids-Cancer charity money into iis business (2017)
* NY AG – Trump pays court-ordered $2 Million for illegally using Trump Foundation funds (2019)
Commentary
Nick Bednar (Law prof):
Chris Edelson: “I have had a similar problem as I finish my book on emergency presidential power.”
Rando: “why isn’t the some kind of rule that when the President sues the government, the defendant be represented by independent counsel?”
Nick Bednar: “There is a special counsel when the government seeks to investigate the president, but I don’t think anyone had ever thought the president would sue the government in a personal capacity while in office.”
As we wait for the Moon rocket launch…The early 1970s rocket designs were more daring than the Space Shuttle.
“ReNova SSTO Rocket Concept Developed by Martin”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=0lzICxprMfI
HuffPo – Democrat Flips Reliably Republican Texas State Senate Seat
Texas Monthly: “Legislatively, the outcome of the race is essentially meaningless”
Rando: “[Maps of Tarrant County precincts 2022 vs 2026, awash in blue]”
Texas Tribune
Robert Downen (Texas Monthly): “Rehmet, a union chapter president, has largely avoided engaging with Culture War/MAGA issues, instead focusing heavily on labor, economic issues, working-class solidarity and other issues [to] bring over enough disaffected Republicans.”
GOP wasted all that money on a seat they couldn’t use and didn’t need, just trying to prevent a Dem win in Texas.
Follow up to #30 & broadcast on tonights ABC news Australians to experience more 50C days as heatwaves intensify, experts say – just under five minutes.
I watched the Georgia 2020 recount. Here’s what the FBI raid in Fulton County is really about.
“Staying silent while the Trump administration takes matters, and ballots, into its own hands would irreparably harm our democracy.”
Related video at the link.
Trump policies at odds with emerging understanding of COVID’s long-term harm
More details at the link.
The Guardian:
Empire:
The Globe and Mail:
https://x.com/IlhanMN/status/2017994107168112940
Lovely photos at the link.
Photos are also available at The Washington Post, and at NBC News.
Germany’s Plan to Challenge Trump’s Agenda
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ztCYqyfaKD8
Behold: Germany states the intention of building the most powerful conventional military in Europe…and Poland is cheering them on!
AI-altered photos and videos of Minneapolis shootings blur reality
More at the link.
Link
I don’t trust Hageman’s knowledge concerning the actual facts. She seems ignorant.
Follow-up to Sky Captain @22.
Important Info for everyone
http://theartsinarizona.org/EssentialUrbanFashionAccessories.pdf
would like confirmation it is viewable
New York Times link
[On Saturday Night Live] Tom Homan’s Advice to ICE: ‘Don’t Get Filmed’
The “Saturday Night Live” alum Pete Davidson plays the border czar who was tasked with reorienting ICE agents in Minneapolis, replacing their ousted commander.
Terry Talks Movies:
“Melania Is Kryptonite For Movie Buffs”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=2scJjSCrTJE
AP News – Utah governor signs bill adding justices to state Supreme Court as redistricting appeal looms
For those with fussy browsers that require SSL certs for everything, the link below should work
https://theartsinarizona.qwknetllc.com/EssentialUrbanFashionAccessories.pdf
ProPublica – Two CBP agents identified in Alex Pretti shooting
Rando: “The racial politics of shipping up a bunch of Latinos to arrest and kill midwestern White people is genuinely insane.”
The staggering hypocrisy and irony of Trump here given that Iran DID sign a deal to stop developing nukes and it was Trump who broke and ended it, is just GOBSMACKING!
Yet its been so normalised & doesn’t seem to be getting called out :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-30/donald-trump-poised-to-strike-iran/106275390
Also I don’t think Trump know how the story of the Spanish Armada (the famous 1588 one – although there were subsequent ones that also failed includiing a disastrous English armada!) ended.
See :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada
Plus :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Armada (Thanks QI!)
Climatologist Simon Clark We don’t know how much warming we’ll see by 2050. Here’s why – 33 mins long.
Minor general gripe & suggestion – wish we’d use escalating feedback and stabilising feedback rather than positive and negative feedbacks tomake clearer what they actually do.
TLDR News Global The Two New Blocs Dividing the Middle East – 10mins long.
Slow TV ,er yt but happening now
LIVE! Artemis 2 Wet Dress Rehearsal via The Launch Pad channel.
Brian Tyler Cohen takes a deeper look at the Texas election:
“Trump gives OFF THE RAILS response to surprise Texas election loss”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=I44M8Qi4Jc0
NBC News: Trump says Kennedy Center will close for two years for renovations
This is for remodeling, along designs selected by Trump. The closure is likely a cover for having lost so many artists that they couldn’t fill the schedule.
@60 JM.
Anjali Dayal (Intl relations prof):
WSJ – ‘Spy Sheikh’ bought secret stake in Trump company
Mamdani targets ‘unusable’ AI chatbot for termination
An underwhelming answer for a press conference addressing the $12 billion budget shortfall he inherited but good that the bot’s going away.
A charming video to lift your spirits from the general misery.
.
Donkey Goes Crazy for Peg-Legged Pirate Chicken
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=NBdhNL8WFe4
I just realised… they could have saved a lot of money if they had hired Neil Breen to make “Melania”. Nobody would have noticed the difference.
Mustelids. Africa has honey badgers.
The Arctic has wolverines.
.https://youtube.com/shorts/v8NQ-pHVX_Y
Andy Vitek (PoliSci prof):
Michael Senters (PoliSci): “It very likely put the site and the board on Epstein’s radar […] from what I’ve seen, there is no 4chan stuff before the meeting, only after.”
Andy Vitek: “The latest document drop has emails of [Epstein] sending people shit directly from /gifs. He didn’t just know about it, he was a big user.”
Andy Vitek: “I want to stress again: I don’t actually think there was some Dan Brown shit between moot and Epstein. The nazis were already on the site pre-pol and moot hated them, even going so far as to ban all discussion of gamergate from 4chan (8chan was born as a result).”
Michael Senters:
* Moot created 4chan after SomethingAwful banned sexualized anime minors.
Michael Senters: “Just realized that one of the potential factors (and I should emphasize it was just one, there were other things at play) about the shift in 4chan’s culture that began to be visible and apparent by 2013-2014 is that Epstein started actively sending his pals to the site after the m00t meeting.”
Michael Senters: “The fact that Epstein could have been involved with Gamergate, Pizzagate and QAnon because he was clearly not only an active user on the site but actually knew the creator and seems to have established a friendship with him”
Jared Holt (Open Measures):
Foone:
Rando:
Jared Holt:
Toothless Gears Make Much More Torque Than Conventional Ones, Here’s How…
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ElGCkopB3oc
North Sea sandstone could be used to store carbon dioxide, report suggests
.https://phys.org/news/2026-02-north-sea-sandstone-carbon-dioxide.html
.
Geologists may have solved mystery of Green River’s ‘uphill’ route
.https://phys.org/news/2026-01-geologists-mystery-green-river-uphill.html
The issue would be familiar to Scandinavian geologists, as the litosphere has listed to and fro during the multiple glaciations.
Snakes on trains: King cobras are ‘hopping railways’ to unsuitable habitats in India
.https://phys.org/news/2026-01-snakes-king-cobras-railways-unsuitable.html
‘There is an attempt to get rid of me’: leader of UK’s black police association alleges campaign to silence him | British Police | The Guardian .https://share.google/6PBnGnSOlJqDZcPtw
Follow-up of sorts to Sky Captain @52.
Why some Republicans rediscovered their love of court packing
“GOP officials fiercely oppose adding judicial seats to shift a court in an ideological direction — except when they don’t.”
Lis aka Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who would have turned 80 today.
Daily Beast: DOJ Makes Bizarre Attempt to Redact Trump’s Face in Epstein Files Photo
It is a small and dark picture but it’s either Trump or a Trump impersonator. Either way it shouldn’t have been redacted, it isn’t even embarrassing on it’s own. It was part of a conversation between Epstein and Steve Bannon about the inauguration. It just raises more questions about what is being redacted.
Follow-up to comments 19 and 37.
Link
Not good. Not good at all.
2 measles infections confirmed at Texas facility where 5-year-old detained in Minnesota was held
“DHS said state health officials reported the infections to federal immigration authorities Saturday.”
Summary from David Kurtz of Daily Kos.
Original source is Courthouse News.
Follow-up to JM @60.
Link
I fonally found someone heavier than me.
“Here’s the official weight of Rufus the bull.”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=YfNRHvFxMog
The Wall Street Journal: Classified Whistleblower Complaint About Tulsi Gabbard Stalls Within Her Agency
Gabbard’s lawyers are using the security classification of the issue to stall investigation. I have not read the WSJ article because it’s behind a paywall but there isn’t anything more to say, it’s all classified.
NY Times: Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search
Multiple violations of protocol and legal principle here but probably not illegal. Gabbard should not be involved in an internal operation unless there was suspicion of internal intrigue and there is no reason for her to be in the field overseeing the agents. Bringing Trump into the situation personally just escalates it to another level. Trump’s involvement may have blown up any case the government could bring.
Follow-up of sorts to comment 76.
‘I can’t tell you’: Attorneys, relatives struggle to find hospitalized ICE detainees
Cartoon: A must watch … or else
FAA warns airlines about safety risks from rocket launches, urges ‘extreme caution’
More at the link.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/epstein-files-mega-dump-trump-just
Much more at the link.
BREAKING NEWS: Ed Martin out as DOJ’s ‘weaponization czar,’ sources say
The biggest moments from the 68th Grammy Awards
“The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown took center stage, with numerous artists sporting “ICE OUT” pins at the show.”
Related videos at the link.
Germany’s far right bangs at the gates to get into the Munich Security Conference
“The Alternative for Germany party has done everything from suing to attempting to leverage ties to the Trump administration to end their banishment from the high-profile event.”
U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis faces ‘crisis’ after Good, Pretti shootings
“After Renee Good was fatally shot, conditions in the local federal prosecutors’ office started to unravel. After Alex Pretti’s death, things got even worse.”
Related video at the link.
Judge sides with Democrats against Trump, nixing latest limits on lawmakers’ access to ICE facilities
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly94qe3yr0o
New York Times:
MS NOW:
Robert Evans (CoolZoneMedia):
Rando 1: “There were a lot of babies and toddlers there. Dogs too. Least threatening crowd ever.”
Rando 2: “There were more than 30 unions present, and the reality of Labor is that means most of the people there were teachers, nurses and other health care workers, and public employees”
Southpaw: “Federal paramilitaries running up on the rooftops to fire irritants and flash bangs down into a peaceable assembly full of little kids. [Video clip]”
Alissa Azar liveskeeted the protest.
* She’d heard there were smiley-face marked munitions but hadn’t seen ’em.
Alissa Azar liveskeeted another smaller protest Feb 1st.
Alissa Azar: “There were people with leaf blowers tonight and yesterday too but there was just so much gas it wasn’t doing much.”
New York Times:
Yep. That last sentence is probably correct.
Text quoted by Sky Captain @94:
Sheesh.
Really bad. I hope the media coverage is thorough.
I keep remembering the shouts from protesters after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed: “What have you done!?”
New York Times:
Link
Follow-up to 94.
Portland mayor issues scathing statement after protesters gassed at Portland ICE building
Two Portland councilors urge Mayor Wilson to carry out new penalties on ICE facility
WaPo – Apartment near Portland ICE center sues agency for making tenants’ lives unbearable
Alissa Azar’s first liveskeet thread @94 had footage of a neighbor’s 2nd/3rd-story window getting shattered.
New York Times link
“Trump Drops Demand for Cash From Harvard After Stiff Resistance”
“The Trump administration has lowered the bar for a deal with the university, backtracking on its insistence on a $200 million payment to the government, The New York Times has learned.”
FFS.
New York Times link
“Trump, in an Escalation, Calls for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections”
“The comments, made on a conservative podcast, follow a string of moves from his administration to try to exert more control over American elections.”
More at the link, including: a discussion of the Trump administrations seizure of ballots etc. in Fulton County, Georgia; the Justice Department’s demands that state turn over their full voter rolls to Trump; various executive orders Trump has signed requiring proof of citizenship; and efforts to end the use of mail-in ballots.
In addition, Trump tied his “nationalize elections” rhetoric to his mass deportations efforts:
NPR – NTSB blames ‘deep’ systemic failures for deadly midair collision near Washington, D.C.
* Collision was 278 feet above the river. Helicopter was supposed to be no higher than 200 feet. So ~75 feet WAS all the space they were allotted. And the helicopter altimeter’s inaccuracy was greater than the difference.
Many other problems at the link.
More nature links.
This farmer has a 2800 pound bodyguard.
.https://youtube.com/shorts/jlKMN_7GFSM
5 Animals That Stop Attacking If You Do This
.https://youtube.com/shorts/e89_-CG6VO0
Artemis II launch delayed till March now :
Source : https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-delays-artemis-2-moon-launch-to-march-after-encountering-issues-during-fueling-test
Source : https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/giant-sunspot-that-triggered-recent-solar-superstorm-shot-out-nearly-1-000-flares-and-a-secret-x-rated-explosion-record-breaking-study-reveals
NB. Site / article comes up with an annoying subscribe / join box but that can simply to be closed to read the full article at least on desktop.
This Gray Rock Offers A View Into Life 2.1 Billion Years Ago.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=QFDM34QCClI
Just seen on fb now :
Source : https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10240836338463894&set=a.2777662918864
@85 Lynna
I know it’s still fashionable to blame everything on Russia, but Epstein was not a Russian agent. He was trained as a spy under Ehud Barak and was deeply embeeded in U.S. and Israeli intelligence. Epstein’s actions deeply implicate the American ruling class and their allies, not so much the U.S. military’s chosen adversary-of-the-week.
Lynna, OM@100,
Harvard should not make any deal whatever with Trump, if only out of self-interest. Either the ongoing fascist coup will succeed, in which case Harvard is doomed as an independent institution; or it will not, in which case anyone who collaborated will be discredited.
That’s something you could only know if you were a very close friend of Epstein – and perhaps not even then. Why would the Russians not have approached him – an obviously hugely wealthy and influential networker, and (as they could easily have known) active sex criminal? And if they did, offering money or other favours, andor threatening exposure, and asking for information on prominent Americans involved in child sexual abuse, why would Epstein have refused? Out of principle? Because his Israeli handlers would have disapproved? Grow up.
The face-eating leopards strike again!
“Trump’s Biggest ICE Cheerleader Just Got Arrested by ICE”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=FoZWA9MmM_U
It’s not about criminals.
CNN: Justice Department expected to ramp up efforts to deliver on Trump’s ‘weaponization’ priorities
It sounds like Trump will be yelling at them weekly to get moving on persecuting his opponents. This won’t make their cases any better but will probably result in some accusation being brought to court.
The only remotely funny thing about this is that the next president will end up with the same working group. If it’s a MAGA president they will need to go through the motions of having a legal system while arresting people and presiding over the collapse of the US. If it isn’t MAGA then there are too many political cases started by Trump to just sweep them under the rug and move on.
The dangers of working with big bulls.
“The day Rufus just about caught me.”
.https://youtube.com/shorts/xpTDbgo8Bjw
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/noem-s-coarse-tweet-comes-back-to-bite-her-in-blistering-ruling-on-protections-for-haitians-2484987459821
Video is 5:31 minutes
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/it-s-attacking-the-public-s-right-to-know-georgia-fort-on-the-white-house-going-after-journalists-2484972611823
Video is 3:37 minutes
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-meets-fierce-opposition-escalating-information-war-with-arrests-of-journalists-2484982339857
Video is 7:03 minutes
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-trump-wobbling-as-his-agenda-falls-apart-in-the-face-of-pressure-2484973635982
Video is 4:35 minutes
Tulsi Gabbard’s line on FBI raid ‘raises more questions than it answers’
Related video at the link is hosted by Lawrence O’Donnell.
Trump claims he wasn’t ‘friendly’ with Epstein, despite all of the available evidence
[“[Pushing] a line that was obviously untrue […]”
As Russia attacks Ukraine, Trump pats himself on the back for a ‘pause’ that doesn’t exist
“Last week, Trump thanked Putin for pausing attacks in Ukraine, even as Putin launched new attacks. This week, it happened again.”
Follow-up to comments 100 and 110.
Link
Cartoon: Pick a door
Cartoon: ICE, ICE, bunny
Really? CBS, what were/are you thinking?
Link
Good news:
Link
Follow-up to Sky Captain @94 and 99.
Update regarding Portland, Oregon:
Good news:
Sort of good news: House passes bill to end the shutdown and punt on DHS funding
Follow-up to 94, 99.
Dan Kaszeta (CBRN expert): “Don’t wear contact lenses if there’s any chance at all you might be exposed to tear gas or pepper spray.”
The Handbasket – What it’s like to see ICE tear gas kids
Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast — February 2026
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=5f71iHe033Y
DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’
“Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims”
How toxic is the ICE name? Let the Olympics show you.
Bernie Sanders holds health official’s feet to the fire on vaccines
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/king-charles-cancels-us-visit-and
Re: Lynna, OM @ #130…
See also “Liberty Cabbage” and “Freedom Fires”.
After making hollow threats, House Freedom Caucus members cave (again)
“For the past year, the far-right members have talked a good game, right until they cave under pressure.”
Conclusion: The rightwing doofuses that make up the “House Freedom Caucus” are weak, and getting weaker by the week. That’s good news.
Telling details for sure. How Trump assesses people:
Link
Trump, always a shallow man with no integrity, is now more shallow than ever. As he ages, he has become a caricature of himself. He relies on a person’s outward, physical appearance. He ends up with Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Mike Pence, etc. Ironically, even Trump’s championing of “central casting” physical features also reveals that he is a poor judge in even that department. I wish Trump would look closely at actual qualifications, but there’s no hope for that.
Trump signs bill to end partial government shutdown
That’s it then … for now. We’ll see what happens when the negotiation period for DHS funding runs out in ten days.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/donald-trump-says-he-wants-to-seize
“Donald Trump Says He Wants To Seize State Elections, Probably Just Kidding Again Because He’s Such A Kidder”
Trump just did what sadly happens to many elderly.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=-fi_PcYSs9A
@137 Lynna:
Lindsay Beyerstein: “Sad old man calls for other people to solve his intractable problems.”
Lynna, O.M. @ # 135: … Trump’s championing of “central casting” physical features …
Then how to account for Stephen Miller? Anyone & everyone in Hollywood would put him in the “villain’s henchman” box – all too appropriate in reality, but even Trump must somehow see his role differently.
Re: Pierce R. Butler @ #140…
Well..”central casting” also provides villains…
Sky Captain @139, LOL. Too true.
Pierce @140, I thought of that. Stephen Miller is the exception. I do think he has a different role. Trump depends on Miller to push the mass deportation agenda. Some cartoonists portray Miller as something like a rabid bat; as a ghostly presence hanging around in the background; as the ghost of a Nazi; as a vampire, etc. Trump does have to rely on some people who do actual work. Officially, Stephen Miller is White House Deputy Chief of Staff, a Homeland Security Advisor, and a speech writer. Some reports say that Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, and others do whatever Miller tells them to do.
From a Wall Street Journal report:
So Miller came up with those lies?
From The New York Times, as summarized by Steve Benen:
MS NOW:
New York Times:
Washington Post:
New Yorker link
“To Build a Fire: How Russian military intelligence is recruiting young people online to carry out espionage, arson, and other attacks across Europe”
By Joshua Yaffa
Much, much more at the link.
Just stumbled across Ben Grosscup’s powerful voice and song
“Come Out Ye Cowards ICE” Dedicated to Renee Good & Alex Pretti – 3 mins 45 secs.
Plus Anti-ICE Protest: “Knock on the Door” by Phil Ochs, updated by Ben Grosscup 5 mins 45 secs.
As well as
We Stand | The Minneapple Anthem Official Tribute – 2 mins 45 secs.
Above the Law: DOJ Lawyer Asks To Be Held In Contempt So She Can Sleep
When pressed by Blackwell she said:
She then asked to be held in contempt so she can get some sleep. The situation in the DOJ must be insane.
LEAKED: Epstein Client Pritzker Got Army Escort Through Afghanistan
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=SOA_itN16nI
Op ed analysis
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-04/start-treaty-russia-america-donald-trump-nuclear-arms-race/106303426
Issues for SpaceX now as well :
Source : https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-grounds-its-falcon-9-rocket-after-a-problem-with-its-upper-stage-will-the-crew-12-astronaut-mission-be-affected
@109.
Downplaying the genocidal evil of Putin and ignoring what he wants to do Ukraine and ist people is very fashionable in Trumpist circles – very unethical and factually wrong too of course. Oh and Tankie circles as well.
Obvs here not everything is blamed on Putin and Russia more generally – just the things they deserve to be blamed for & are suspected of doing based on reasonable evidence.
Also seconding what #111 KG wrote.
In 2023, a subatomic particle called a neutrino crashed into Earth with such a high amount of energy that it should have been impossible. In fact, there are no known sources anywhere in the universe capable of producing such energy—100,000 times more than the highest-energy particle ever produced by the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. However, a team of physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently hypothesized that something like this could happen when a special kind of black hole, called a “quasi-extremal primordial black hole,” explodes.
In new research published in Physical Review Letters, the team not only accounts for the otherwise impossible neutrino but shows that the elementary particle could reveal the fundamental nature of the universe.
Source : https://phys.org/news/2026-02-black-hole-physicists.html
Source : https://phys.org/news/2026-01-satellite-reveals-billion-ton-annual.html
If done right and here’s hoping :
Source : https://phys.org/news/2026-01-strategic-tree-canada-carbon-neutral.html
Re: StevoR @150, quoting Tilman Ruff (physician, anti proliferation activist):
Alexander Lanoszka (PoliSci prof) in March 2025:
Film: Cold Storage
Character 1: “That is a nuke. Are you crazy?”
Liam Neeson: “No. I’m abitious.”
Jimmy Kimmel: Scamnesia
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=VF4vpMQB5ic
Hossenfelder Alert
“We are Much Closer to Kessler Syndrome Than We Thought”
If we get a massive solar storm like in 1859 the satellites will lose their ability to manouver and it is bye-bye space missions above 500 km.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=8ag6gSzsGbc
The story of Saint Balaam
“links between buddism and christianity in the mediaeval period”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=FBCij0PdVbU
Britain: A Different Bias
“We’re Getting Closer to Talking About Customs Union”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=fX-AmC8mkBU
Comrade Faragenov will not be happy.
Hmm… it appears the latest release of Epstein files could bring down Keir Starmer. His disastrous failureof judgement in appointing Peter Mandelson ambassador to the USA – despite knowing that Mandelson continued to associate with Epstein after his 2008 conviction – looks to be possibly fatal, now the released letters between Mandelson and Epstein indicate that Mandelson passed on commercially sensitive government information to Epstein. Mandelson seems likely to end up in prison.
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/hellbent-trump-is-reassembling-his-2020-coup-crew-amid-2026-midterm-panic-2485161027851
Video is 10:32 minutes
Congress to gain access to the whistleblower complaint against Tulsi Gabbard at last
“Lawmakers have had to wait for months to learn the details about allegations against the DNI. That wait is now over.”
Trump steps on his own allies, doubles down on radical federal takeover of elections
‘The president’s team said he hadn’t actually endorsed nationalizing elections. Hours later, Trump made them look foolish.”
Related video at the link.
Link
Follow-up to comments 94, 99, 124, 127 and 129.
Link
Link
Here is the Wall Street Journal link
I do not have access to the WSJ report.
Oh FFS.
‘Melania’ tickets are the latest way to bribe Trump
Link
Cartoon: ‘Polarization’
Renee Good’s brothers share emotional tributes on Capitol Hill
The Onion.
“RFK Jr questions efficacy of skin.”
https://www.wonkette.com/p/number-one-with-a-bullet-tabs-wed
Embedded links are available at the main link.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/trumper-so-inspired-by-ice-goons
re Lynna @175:
What a surprise. Non-compliant white guy with a gun only gets tased.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/nancy-mace-big-disgrace-ex-staffers
That woman was, once upon a time, a star in the MAGA universe, and the apple of Trump’s eye.
johnson catman @176, yes, that was a memorable difference.
In other news: “Minnesota teachers sue to keep ICE off school property” [Good for them!]
“Two school districts and a teachers union allege that the immigration crackdown has spilled onto campuses and interrupted the functioning of schools across the state.”
Washington Post link
Some of you oldtimers will recall these songs.
“100 Songs That Turn 50 Years Old in 2026”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z3UGjbLhv2w
Oh FFS.
Pete Hegseth finds yet another culture-war distraction to focus on: Scouting America
“The Pentagon chief is now adding scouting ‘reforms’ to threats like library books and grooming standards.”
As for all of those “core values,” let’s remember this news from 2022:
And this report about Boy Scout troops sponsored by and led by Mormons:
The Marsh family repurposing an old American Civil War song for the current Civil War
Battle Hymn of the Empire
JD Vance Panics As New Epstein Emails CONNECT HIM and Thiel To Global Scheme
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=h5PWLl1WKAs
Kid Rock’s song about loving underage girls resurfaces ahead of TPUSA Super Bowl show
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/supreme-court-allows-california-use-new-congressional-map-democrats-rcna257036
Rep. Ted Lieu spells out the allegations against Donald Trump that exist in the released Epstein files.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=8WtA7XILcfc
More grenade PSAs.
Dan Kaszeta (CBRN expert) – Captain Dan’s Tear Gas Laundry guidelines
Dan Kaszeta: “[Regarding wastewater] Once the stuff is in water it breaks down quite quickly and there’s really not much re-suspension hazard at all.”
Edgecrusher (EMT, Hazmat response):
Dan Kaszeta:
Dan Kaszeta:
Dan Kaszeta: “A tear gas grenade sitting on the street is a thing. But if you whack it with a hockey stick or a golf club, you become morally, ethically, and legally responsible for what happens to it. If it sets some poor person’s car on fire, or burns their house down, or you poison 5 people, this is a bad thing.”
Dan Kaszeta:
Edgecrusher:
Edgecrusher
Edgecrusher: “CS and smoke are particulates, and OC is an oil. None of the things they’re using are true gases, in the chemical sense. Any P100 filter will keep them out. But the filters need to be changed after every exposure, so when people are getting gassed daily, we need a lot of filters.”
whheydt @184, Good news!
Sky Captain @186, good information. Thanks.
MS NOW:
MN Star Tribune – Committee delays liquor licenses for 2 hotels over hosting feds
Marisa Kabas: “We need every grain of sand in the gears. every single one.”
Border Patrol employee found ‘covered in vomit’, charged with drunk driving
Yikes.
New York Times:
I agree with Steve Benen when he says, “The Washington Post was one of the world’s best and most important news organizations.”
New York Times:
I hope the lawsuit succeeds.
New Republic:
It’s good news that some state leaders are finding ways to work around Trump’s stupidity.
Bulwark link
More at the link.
Cartoon: That’s odd …
Link
The Guardian – Minnesota girl, 10, released from ICE custody after a month in detention
ABC – CIA ends publication of its popular World Factbook
Ken Jennings (Jeopardy): “This feels personal. You have wonder if the problem was ‘world,’ ‘facts,’ or ‘books’.”
Simon Willison (Data Journalist):
Wayback – CIA World Factbook (circa 2026-02-03)
Greg Olsen (Former cartographer):
Holly Fletcher (Ex-CIA): “Honestly updating these every year was one of my least favorite things, but I can see why people are sad.”
Rando: “Should we tell them it was farmed out to contractors years ago?”
Holly Fletcher: “True, but we had to go over them every year. Honestly WFB is about on par with Encyclopedia Brittanica.”
“Together, We are MIGHTY – February 4th Good News Roundup (GNR)”
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/4/2365149/-Together-We-are-MIGHTY-February-4th-Good-News-Roundup-GNR
Hospital evacuated as ‘man found to have WW1 artillery shell in rectum’
* Grey’s Anatomy did this. S02E16-17 with a thoracic WW2 bazooka shell. S15E01 with rectal aerosol hairspray can.
* The second article linked another incident the year before that, a WW2 bum shell in England.
Labour MPs say Starmer’s days as PM are numbered amid fury over Mandelson
Seems I’m far from alone in thinking this could well bring him down.
Jon Stewart:” I am told ‘Billy Jean’ is your favourite song. Why is that?”
Melania: “Because every time I look at Eric, I think ‘The kid is not my son”.
Pakman show not to eb confuse dwithany hypotheticla Pcaman show
Physical therapist: Trump has 4 months to live analysis of Trump’s health.
IF clickbaity headlien prediction is true then we get POTUS Vance and Shadow POTUS Thiel… Yuk. But better? Dunno..
We are not the ‘wise man” (Homo sapiens) but the ‘burned ape’.
“Exposure to burn injuries played key role in shaping human evolution, study suggests”
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-exposure-injuries-played-key-role.html
^ ‘Simius fuerere’ ? Any latin user, please correct it.
Flippin’ typos : Pakman show not to be confused with any hypothetical Pacman show Pakman show not to be confused with any hypothetical Pacman show.
Also from there – Pakman with a ‘k’ show that is – Trump’s health is worse than they’re telling us
Another case – like the Minnesota ICE murders – of teh Trumpists telling us toNOT believe our lying eyes and believ their lies instead o’course..
An except from “Bootstrap Bio” about how fixing problems with biology is not the same as nazi-era eugenics.
.
“We don’t say that children with metabolic disease should live with metabolic illness forever, and that seeking good biochemistry was “euchemics.” We don’t say that kids with cleft palates should have trouble speaking and eating forever, or that fixing this with surgery was “eusurgics.” We just fixed the problem, cheaply, with technology.”
.
My own opinion: As genes that give some protection against cancers, Alzheimers and other diseases are identified, and as genes associated with serious disease are identified we should not stick to a dogmatic rejection of germ-line Gene modification. Unlike the society in GATTACA we can impose rules to make germline GM fair.
.
So the crux is the regulatory framework, and the funding of GM for the non-wealthy.
@203. birgerjohansson : “We are not the ‘wise man” (Homo sapiens) but the ‘burned ape’.
Homo insapiens. Unwise man.
Or maybe Homo laeviculus – see :
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/latin-word-for-a68217bc45b0bf9396bc2815aa8c8f7ba66293e0.html
Homo Kakimaximus even?
Ben Grosscup – one helluva voice singing truth Anti-ICE Protest: “Come Out Ye Cowards ICE” & “Knock on the Door” (pt1 of 2) – 11 mins & can’t seem to find part 2.
Boosting songs’s* signal.
.* Both plural & posessive forms.
Seth Staton Watkins Resistance Bells (Original Song) ~ Abolish ICE – 2 mins long song.
Yeah another good song
Her Name Was Renee 🔥 | A Rock Protest Song in Her Memory points mad ewith music and powerfully so under 5 mins.
Plus Not One More – A Song for Alex Pretti | The Midnight Republic – under 5 mins.
Wish I could feel less sure that there will be far too many more..
Factoid.
The”coatpack parachute” invented by the American Broadwick before WWI (and the predecessor to all parachutes used today, instead of the umbrella style devices used esrlier) was not used during the war as there were still concerns about its reliability, and the modern way to deploy the parachute from the pack had not yet been invented.
Thus, if an aircraft started burning after being hit by tracers, the pilot could either stay and burn just jump to his death. One ace always brought a revolver so he could shoot himself if the plane started burning.
This was evidently not an issue for artillery observers hanging in the baskets under tethered ballons, presumably as they had plenty of space for the older kind of parachute.
Scaredketchup yt channel
ICE, F**K You – A Protest Song for Minneapolis – 3 min 25 secs.
Only 7? Shoulda been more. Everyone even.
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-05/politicians-protest-administrator-appointment-with-walkout/106309768
The hell of content moderators.
‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI
.https://share.google/OifvmQZNNfltcNRb7
Another kick ass song. Marc Skjervem yt channel Minnesota Anthem – The Rise of the North – under 5 mins long.
Source : https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/poll-nearly-two-thirds-of-americans-say-ice-has-gone-too-far-in-immigration-crackdown
Source : https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/stephen-millers-rise-to-prominence-and-influence-on-the-trump-administration
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/surround-the-polls-trump-ally-admits-voter-intimidation-plan-using-ice-2485406275948
Video is 7:53 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/for-what-jd-vance-refuses-to-apologize-for-smearing-alex-pretti-2485410371683
Video is 10:32 minutes
Good news.
New York Times link
New York Times link
Judge Hands Trump a Fifth Loss in His Effort to Halt Offshore Wind Projects
Good news, but it may be temporary if the Trump administration decides to appeal the court’s ruling.
With the midterm elections on the horizon, Trump’s rhetoric takes an unhinged turn
“Claims of international interference in 2020 were largely limited to the fever swamps. In 2026, Trump is still swimming in the same ridiculous waters.”
Related video at the link.
As the New START treaty expires, is Trump prepared for what happens next?
The president said in July that New START is “not an agreement you want expiring,” adding that it would be “a big problem for the world.” Then it expired.
Trump dedicates National Prayer Breakfast to his favorite god—himself
birgerjohansson @212:
Above the Battlefields of World War I
Cartoon: Tom the Dancing Bug presents a handy quiz to see if YOU are a dangerous criminal
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (American Immigration Council):
* That’s one appeal in kangaroo immigration court, then an appeal in judicial court.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “They will absolutely use this to only hear appeals of cases where ICE lost and summarily refuse to hear appeals where ICE won.”
Rando: “The lack of notice and comment here seems vulnerable to a challenge.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “Extremely so, yes.”
“Catastrophic” | Zack Polanski & Barry Gardiner on Keir Starmer’s handling of Mandelson scandal .
BBC Newsnight discussion more-or-less predicting Starmer’s fall.
Follow-up to Sky Captain @227.
Trump team goes to cruel new lengths to strip immigrants’ rights
birgerjohansson @#201
That was a bit on the Stephen Colbert show yesterday night so that has nothing to do with Jon Stewart. Was that a brain fart (which can happen to anyone) or is that due to bad sources? This specific post is inconsequential but I happen to both see the actual event and your post so I was curious to see if you’d reply.
Link
Update on talks between Russian, Ukrainian, and American officials, as reported by The New York Times:
This looks to me like Putin continues to drag out negotiations, with no end to the war in sight.
Yes, it is “a familiar pattern.”
CBS News: A new wave of departures hit U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, sources say
I wonder how many attorneys are left? It isn’t entirely terminal because having attorneys for other states take cases is common but it will be a huge strain.
NBC News:
Warehouses for human beings.
And DHS (or their subcontractors) already have a reputation for running detention centers where detainees are treated inhumanely.
Good news, as reported by The Washington Post:
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/washington-post-subscribers-cancel
The Borowitz Report is satire.
Mike Hall at QEDcon 2022 – The Placebo Myth (42:11)
Joe Schwarcz – The Placebo Myth Picked the Wrong War (2026)
Wired – ICE and CBP’s face-recognition app can’t actually verify who people are
Dell Cameron (Wired):
Continued in the article: “Asked what supported probable cause, the agent cited the woman speaking Spanish, her presence with others who appeared to be noncitizens, and a ‘possible match’ via facial recognition.”
Rando: “So it’s a ‘probable cause’ generator? […] it pops up the best matches out of a criminal database and then kidnap the person to get paid a bounty.”
Dell Cameron: “A lot about this app isn’t known. We used court records, agent testimony, company patents & testing by federal scientists to understand how this works (and when it doesn’t). Similarly, DHS is hiding its policies, so we look at behavior to deduce them.”
Kyle Cheney (Politico):
* A preliminary injunction to prevent irreparable harm as they litigate the merits.
test,test
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/going-on-offense-slotkin-will-not-cooperate-with-trump-doj-probe-2485670979917
Hosted by Ali Velshi, sitting in for Chris Hayes.
Video is 6:00 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/this-shouldn-t-be-that-complicated-jeffries-draws-hard-line-on-dhs-funding-2485668931822
Video is 10:06 minutes
White House tries to defend Trump amplifying a racist video targeting the Obamas
“Karoline Leavitt had plenty of options to address the latest example of the president’s routine racism. She made the wrong choice.”
Who sent Tulsi Gabbard to Fulton County?
Trump said he’ll release federal funds if officials rename Dulles Airport, Penn Station after him
Trump officials propose testing a citizenship question amid a push to alter the census. That’s an NPR link.
OMB is the Office of Management and Budget, run by that villain Russell Vought.
Link
Unicorn Riot
Commentary
Follow-up to comment 242.
Link
Too late for Trump to delete it. The video depicting the Obamas as apes has already been seen around the world, and many media outlets have reported on it.
Link
NPR – Minneapolis now has daily deportation flights. One man has been documenting them
JFC.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-fed-kicks-schnauzer-puppy-in
“Trump Fed Kicks Schnauzer Puppy In Memphis”
Washington Post link
More at the link.
Follow-up to 234.
Project Salt Box – ICE Warehouse Purchase Tracker
Lawyers, Guns & Money – No One Wants Stephen Miller’s Concentration Camps
Arizona Right Watch:
Commentary
The Ohrdruf speech
Independent UK: Two countries booed at Olympics opening ceremony despite stern warning
Israeli athletes got booed. The US athletes didn’t boos but JD Vance did. Nothing too surprising, Russia doesn’t have a contingent at all.
Jen Bendery (HuffPo):
Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket): “It’s so, so, so frustrating how they act like people applying for asylum are subject to removal proceedings. That is not the law!!!!”
Jen Bendery:
Spikes on an .. Iguandontid!?
Yup apparently so – a fossil with the rather unfortunate sounding name of Haolong dongi :
Source : https://phys.org/news/2026-02-dinosaur-spikes-unprecedented-properties-china.html#goog_rewarded
See also albeit originally came up inDaucth but my desktop auto-translated :
https://www.msn.com/nl-be/natuurwetenschappen/dierkunde/fossiel-skelet-in-china-blijkt-nieuw-soort-iguanodon-met-bijzondere-stekels-maak-kennis-met-de-haolong-dongi/ar-AA1VNRKK
Plus form the figure there :
Via The New Arab :
Source : https://www.newarab.com/opinion/pax-silica-outcome-us-fear-losing-dominance
Discoveries Challenge Everything We Knew About Brain Evolution
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=sKZ18vfweC8
Plus The New Arab on the attack on Ilhan Omar here :
Source : https://www.newarab.com/opinion/surprising-or-not-assault-ilhan-omar-shouldnt-be-normalised
NBC News:
MS NOW:
Yikes. Bad news.
New York Times:
As Steve Benen noted: “The White House’s use of the word “obliterated” last year was unwise.”
Associated Press:
Newly obtained emails undermine RFK Jr.’s testimony about 2019 Samoa trip before measles outbreak
As layoffs surge and job openings fall, Trump offers a meaningless talking point
[…] To make matters worse, as job openings dropped, CNBC reported that layoffs last month were the worst in any January since 2009, at the height of the Great Recession.
[…] As for the official unemployment report for January, those numbers are supposed to be released on the first Friday of the month, but because of the recent partial government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will instead unveil the data on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
STAT – What to know about TrumpRx
Wikipedia – GoodRx
Commentary on 266.
Bennett Tomlin (Anti-cryptofraud): “It’s just manufacturer coupons. […] They’ve been talking about TrumpCare for a decade. Like an actual decade. Like 10 years. If they had 10 people working on it that’s 200,000 man hours. […] This is the absolute best they could do. They’re truly pathetic people”
MPR News – Transplant recipient arrested by federal agents
* ICE stopped paying for healthcare months ago.
* Families in Dilley, TX found “worms or mold” in food. “Some children survive largely on crackers and juice.”
Commentary
Lynna @251
Kirsti Noem is disappointed because he didn’t shoot it.
Kristi Noem
Following legal path to citizenship, Tennessee woman w/ no criminal history detained
Rando: “The DHS worker […] presumably doesn’t carry a weapon or wear paramilitary gear. Yet they willingly play their role in moving along the horror.”
Daily Beast – Gregory Bovino kicked out of Las Vegas Bar
MPR – Blockades are pop-up parties that also slow down ICE agents
Jon Collins (MPR): “One of the people there told me [they’re “fuckaroundabouts”]. Our house style is to censor profanity, which I think is a little silly but not my call”
Rando: “Dunno what it’s like in Minneapolis, but in Seattle we’re allowed to shut down a street for a block party with a modest permit.”
CrimethInc – Filter Blockades
The article reports some ICE cars responded by driving erratically, speeding through the oncoming lane, or doing a U-turn before the blockade back into a whistle-blowing crowd that had initially chased it off toward the checkpoint.
MN Star Tribune – Rep. Morrison reports detainees in leg shackles, no clear plan to prevent measles at Whipple
Rep. Morrison calls for Whipple detention center to be ‘shut down’
WARNING : Confronting, distressing viewing, scenes of massacre & horror. Fooitage of gun violence, terrorism and aftermath of those.
Just watched the replay of this week’s episode of Four Corners here – The six minutes of Bondi terror through the eyes of survivors tonight. (53 minutes long.)
Don’t really know what to say, think any words of mine will be inadequate.
Just please watch it if you can bear it and think about it.
Listen to the people, interviewed here telling what they went through.
NO ONE should ever be targeted just because they were born into a particular religious or ethnic or national or other group.
Hate and violence do NOT help. Those do not make things better only worse. You can NEVER fix one atrocity by committing others.
All people are people just like us but for luck of birth and circumstances.
Middle East Eye Trump’s plan to force Iran to surrender is a fatal error | David Hearst | MEE Opinion – ten minutes long yt clip.
Aussie ABC – Matt Bevan’s If You’re Listening episode
Stephen Miller: Edgelord in Chief – 22 mins long.
Tr*mp and Miller do not understand soft power. And it’s hobbling the regime
.
[“Soft” power must obviously be effiminate and gay. This is the infantile level of their understanding]
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=LaP6voExLVU
Follow-up to comments 24, 44, 255.
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/trump-admin-fast-tracks-liam-ramos-and-his-dad-for-deportation-2485912131614
Video is 7:09 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/to-his-bones-a-racist-hayes-says-trump-taking-the-mask-off-with-obama-video-2485910083546
Video is 7:30 minutes
Text quoted by Sky Captain @266:
So Trump teamed up with known fraudsters to commit another fraud, TrumpRx. If not outright fraud, TrumpRx is at least misleading the public.
This aspect of the mostly for-show TrumpRX website is important to keep in mind: “[Prices] are largely more than the cost for patients using insurance. And typically when patients buy their drugs directly from pharma companies, none of their spending counts toward their deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums.”
Also, I see from the reporting that the Trump administration depended on (and continues to depend on) work that GoodRx had already done. The Trump administration did basically nothing. GoodRx software continues to support most of the TrumpRx functions.
Cartoon: Rat race to the bottom
https://www.wonkette.com/p/josh-hawley-somehow-under-impression
“Josh Hawley Somehow Under Impression That It’s Netflix’s Job To Help Him Raise Bigoted Children”
“Hawley spent his time at an antitrust hearing whining about LGBTQ+ characters.”
Washington Post link
“Trump refuses to apologize over video showing the Obamas as apes.”
Washington Post link
“Zelensky says U.S. is readying huge economic deals with Russia”
“The Ukrainian president said he had intelligence indicating that the U.S. and Russia were readying $12 trillion in economic agreements some involving Ukrainian interests.”
The Independent: Chuck Schumer denies Trump’s claim it was his idea to rename Penn Station after the president: ‘Absolute lie’
One of those Trump stories so stupid it’s hard to explain. Trump asked that Penn Station be renamed after Trump and in exchange Trump would lift the freeze on money for the Gateway tunnel project. When asked about this Trump claimed that Senator Chuck Schumer had suggested the idea to Trump, a lie so silly it’s hard to believe that even Trump made it.
Washington Post link
What X’s $1 million creator contest revealed about Musk’s platform
“X said it would give $1 million to a user who had previously shared racist posts, including one supporting Hitler.”
New York Times link
“This Is Just Who Trump Is,” by Jamelle Bouie
US military members were ‘pressured’ by commanders to see ‘Melania’
Commentary
^ Isn’t MRFF the organisation of Mikey, the friend of the late Ed Brayton?
Mike shared a lot of inadvertedly hilarious hate e-mails he received.
BRITISH CAT IS TERRIFIED IN FINLAND!
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=RE-7JtEOPzs
Cats are the most oppressed species in the world. Most rarely get Second Breakfast at all.
The Guardian – Prosecutors stunned as ICE lets suspect in $100m jewelry heist leave US
Rando: “‘voluntary deportation’ lmao”
NBC News: Senior Russian general shot in Moscow
Alekseyev is in a hospital right now but in bad shape. He may still die and will require a long time for recovery. Alekseyev is effectively 2nd in command for military intelligence for the entire Russian army, so his loss is really significant.
There are conflicting stories about how the shooting happened. It appears it was a single shooter who had the information/passcards to go through security and who knew where to wait so they could attack when Alekseyev was away from security. This suggests an inside job.
The situation is getting messy for the senior officials. Putin is getting rid of some without having them arrested. Ukrainian intelligence is picking them off when the opportunity arises. And internal fighting is taking some of them out. This is really bad for Russia because it’s taking out the ones with experience. Large scale military planning, military intelligence and other strategic skills are things where experience really matters because there is only so much you can learn by reading a book.
Text quoted by Sky Captain @289:
I wonder if the Pentagon spokesperson laughed out loud when writing that.
Link
It was journalists who exposed the Trump administration’s lies after the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Brad Arnold, singer in 3 Doors Down has died at 47.
Newsweek: Waymo Reveals Remote Workers in Philippines Help Guide Its Driverless Cars
There is nothing super surprising here. The car companies like to talk about how good their autonomous driving is but none of the systems are good enough to drive all the time without assistance. People are unaware of it because the car companies like to hide these details.
Now the questions become, what sort of assistance is provided, how much assistance are the cars getting and was he lying when he said they never drive?
Also an important job. Depending on what they are doing the assistants outside the US may be a covert outsourcing program, moving driving jobs in the US to other countries.
The Onion.
“Man Feels Like Whole Life Just Endless Cycle Of Work, Eat, Sleep, Get Abducted By Aliens”
Counterpoint to 273 on filter blockades.
Will Stancil:
Follow-up to 266, 280.
Is TrumpRx anything to be excited about?
Legal Eagle
Project 2026 Is Here (27 mins long) as thanks toi the utter fools who didn’t vote for and support Kamala Harris Project 2025 continues to be implemented causing huge harm to almost everyone on the planet.
The Guardian corrected its Melania film review: “A formatting issue led an earlier version to be awarded one star, when the reviewer’s intention was zero.”
ScreenRant – Melania breaks record for the lowest-rated movie of all time on IMDb
Rando: “I can’t stop laughing about the Tomatometer/Popcornmeter gap on Rotten Tomatoes. [Screenshot: Critics=5%, Audience=99%]”
RollingStone – Melania attains biggest critic-audience disparity in Rotten Tomatoes history
IMDb – Ratings FAQ
https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/track-movies-tv/ratings-faq/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAVA title’s ratings breakdown tallies all unaltered ratings from registered users, after the first public screening. Honesty is presumed, for lack of verification mechanism. They don’t pretend it’s objectively anything more than a reductive reflection of its users. The single calculated number is weighted by a secret formula, and they have several countermeasures to detect and defeat manipulation, which they also won’t disclose.
FT – US government to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities in Europe
Rando: “We went from nearly 100 years of red scare about socialists to bankrolling Russian anti-liberalism and exporting American fascism.”
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-08/palestine-action-group-to-challenge-police-powers-herzog-visit/106319078
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-04/what-is-moltbook-the-new-social-media-platform-for-ai-bots/106298768
“Shocking Names Appear in The Epstein Files! & A Presidential Poop?!” |
Have I Got News For You
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=teZWDSg9414
Re: StevoR @305.
404Media – Exposed Moltbook database let anyone take control of any AI agent
TheVerge – Humans are infiltrating the social network for AI bots
Rando:
Ryan Mac (NYT):
Commentary
NBC – Will Lewis steps down as publisher and chief executive of WaPo
Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket): “Will Lewis […] just sent this email to staff”
Thanking Bezos, and none of the the staff he addressed this to. Transformation. Passive voice. Customers. Nonpartisan. Millions (last summer it was 97k).
The Trump Ministry of Truth is Removing brochures from the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument because they refer to the man who assassinated as a “member of the racist and segregationist White Citizens Council”. Trigger warning – Video contains pre conviction footage of the assassin gloating.
Mississippi Today Article
Next, Pete Kegsbreath will probably strip Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jr and his crew of their medals for ending the My Lai Massacre.
It matters very little that the White House decided to delete the racist post from the president’s social feed. Because it should have never been posted.
https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/watch/putting-his-racism-on-full-display-nicolle-wallace-on-trump-posting-a-racist-depiction-of-obama-s-2485843011985
Video is 11:25 minutes
Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic medal hopes dashed after just 13 seconds
“The crowd fell silent after Vonn crashed and tumbled before the first timing marker in Cortina. Vonn was competing just nine days after shredding a crucial ligament in her left knee.”
Video at the link.
More at the link.
David Remnick, Editor, The New Yorker
Adam Rothman (Historian):
Manisha Sinha: “Historian here. President Abraham Lincoln opposed the Mexican War as a land grab for slavery when he was a first term Congressman from Illinois.”
Dave Fortin (History teacher): “Jesus, they make Manifest Destiny a good thing! […] No mention of slavery, of course.”
Rando: “‘A land grab for slavery’ is part of what they’re celebrating.”
Rando: “There are more memorials for Abraham Lincoln in Mexico than the Confederate South.” [True]
Ulysses S. Grant: “For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure, and to this day regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.”
JC Spurlock (Historian): “The invasion of Mexico inspired what I believe was the first anti-war movement in US history.”
Rando: “Henry David Thoreau was thrown in jail for refusing to pay his taxes in protest of the Mexican-American War, which he saw as a cynically opportunistic chance to expand slavery, and wrote ‘Civil Disobedience’ because of it.”
William Sturkey (Historian): “Funny how they leave out the part about the Treaty of Guadalupe creating a new pathway for Mexican citizens to gain US citizenship.”
Rando: “You might have learned about the Mexican-American War in school. You might even have learned that the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo granted USA more than half of Mexico’s land. But did you learn that the US Army was occupying Mexico City at the time?”
Rando: “I had a [Mexican American Studies] professor who refused to refer to it as the ‘Mexican War’ or ‘Mexican-American War.’ We had to ensure any references in coursework described it as the ‘U.S.-Mexico War’ or some version of it.”
Manisha Sinha: “Of course in the long run, California entered as a free state, and the fight over slavery in the Mexican territories led to Civil War and emancipation, which is a good thing. But that’s another story!”
Ulysses S. Grant: “The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times. ”
Bad History Takes: “James Polk died of cholera soon after leaving office, pooping himself to death.” [True]
Spotted at Youtube:
.
For the first time in history you can just post “He’s an idiot!” and 90 % of the world will instantly know whom you are talking about.
AP News – Hard hats and dummy plates: ICE ruses add to fears in Minnesota
Starmer’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney has now “resigned”, a couple of days after Starmer expressed complete confidence in him. It won’t save Starmer; at the latest, he will be out after the May elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd, and English local councils.
11 Incredible Movies Absolutely Worth Rediscovering
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=NQ5kiVNsp98
Sky Captain @315, Holy whatever! Those are some bonkers actions ICE agents are taking to disguise themselves. Why do they need disguises? Why are they so incompetent at disguising themselves? Federal agents should not be disguising themselves. Seems like that would be illegal.
Lynn @318
Since when has that stopped them.
RE: Lynna, OM @ #318…
Many years ago, the FBI investigated SF cons. Since they were looking at conventions, they attended wearing business suits. As a result, they stuck out like a bunch of sore thumbs because that’s not the fans dress at cons. One prominent fan, walked up to one, said, “Hi!” and poked the agent in the armpit….where his gun was holstered. Eventually, the FBI learned to dress down in order to blend in.
Business Insider: Elon Musk will have to sit for a deposition over what he did at DOGE, judge rules
The games DOGE and the White House played over who exactly was running DOGE and who was giving orders comes back to bite them. Since it wasn’t clear what Elon Musk’s title was he can’t claim job immunity for being a senior official, since nobody can provide a clear organization chart for DOGE the government can’t substitute another official and in any case Musk isn’t a government official right now.
The Libertarian Town That Ruined Life for Everyone.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=KG3rLciXnnQ
Sir Ian McKellen quoting Shakespeare while opposing jingoism. Words for the modern day.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=wXq58BbhCO
Put yourselves in their shoes for god’s sake and have some empathy, you brutes.
^ Borked link.
Here is the full one.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=wXq58BbhCO4
The US is now funding the far-right in the UK
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=srCked8HMNc
New CRISPR tool spreads through bacteria to disable antibiotic resistance genes
.https://phys.org/news/2026-02-crispr-tool-bacteria-disable-antibiotic.html
Trevor Noah:
“Why America Hates Change?”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=q6evARV6JE0
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology .https://share.google/NmB1pxZ37A6EUwRk6
Reuters: SpaceX prioritizes lunar ‘self-growing city’ over Mars project, Musk says
Musk has realized he may need someplace beyond extradition treaties soon and a moon base sounds cooler then moving to some remote place in Asia.
Realistically speaking, this is Musk shifting around a speech that exists only to draw press releases. His Mars plan turned out to be so unrealistic that it had to be moved to some unlisted future date but he can still make the moon sounds plausible.
White House to host the nation’s governors, but only Republicans are invited
“The fact that the president decided to exclude Democrats is emblematic of a larger problem: Trump sees himself as president of only some of the country.”
https://www.ms.now/morning-joe/watch/joy-over-politics-why-bad-bunny-s-historic-halftime-show-was-so-successful-2486129731912
Video is 13:18 minutes
Dark Secrets of Epstein’s New Mexico Compound Finally Exposed.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=QKRqgPCa_gw
On Iran and tariffs, watch what Trump does, not what he says
“Remember when the president vowed new economic penalties on countries that do business with Iran? A month later, his threats have been exposed as hollow.” [Not just hollow. Trump’s statement was confusing.]
Trump tries to blame Schumer for the president’s own Gateway tunnel project debacle
“The president didn’t deny the absurd proposal, but he did try to blame the Senate Democratic leader for the idea. Schumer called it an ‘absolute lie.'”
House of El:
Germany DEMANDS $200 Billion Gold Back From USA – Investment CRASHES 45%, Flees to China
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=iz9pmi4YbvI
A report from the Salt Lake Tribune, as summarized by Steve Benen:
A Brutal 5th Circuit Ruling Promises More ICE Chaos
Quote of the Day
As reported by CNN, and summarized by Daily Kos:
birgerjohansson @328. An unpaywalled link.
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
I saw a play about Mae West…
/It was the other Mae West.
Pettiness, stupidity and anti-free-speech nonsense from Trump and the Republicans. Again. This time it is related to US Olympians.
Link
Cartoon: 2026 valentines
https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2020618716602396838
Video at the link. Video is 40 seconds. It is well done,
https://www.wonkette.com/p/bad-bunny-joyfully-forces-football
Links to the Hollywood Reporter and to Rolling Stone coverage are provided at the main link.
Lynna @344: Lyrics and background of Bad Bunny’s song under PZ’s post.
New York Times link
“Israel Gives Itself More Control Over Occupied West Bank”
“The security cabinet took actions that make it easier for Jews to buy land in the territory. Critics say the changes violate the Oslo Accords and international law and accelerate attempts to annex the land.
Lynna @344: That was a good Rolling Stone article.
Sky Captain @345 and 347: Thanks for posting that additional information, and for the link to a video with English subtitles.
The lessons from the fiasco surrounding Trump and the racist video he amplified
“We’re dealing with an executive branch in which the right hand doesn’t know what the even-further-to-the-right hand is doing.”
https://www.wonkette.com/p/matt-walsh-trumps-racist-memes-ok
“Matt Walsh: Trump’s Racist Memes OK Because White People Are The Truly Oppressed Ones Now”
“The REAL oppression is not being allowed to oppress other people without being called an oppressor.”
Seb Lowe – Don’t Say No to Hitler (Official Video)
The lyrics not only describe Trump but also Nigel Farage (the outfit worn by the singer mirrors what Farage is wearing when he roleplays as a common man)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=jmjLNDobZqM
Ukrainan soldiers perform a concert in ruins.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=rV6m1yNhCLg
Follow-up to 234, 253.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (American Immigration Council):
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “ICE is buying the land, not just the warehouses, so they own the land. It’ll be fully federal property.”
Rando: “A thing I learned when visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau last summer is that the dormitories were actually pre-fabricated horse stables. Built to house 50 horses, each one housed 500 or more people.”
I’ve been thinking of vaporous data centers, but those probably haven’t been constructed yet. Land buys, hoping for a building, hoping for a data center, hoping the AI bubble holds until then.
The Hill: Raskin said unredacted Epstein files indicate DOJ improperly shielded names
Raskin’s wording here is careful. I suspect he doesn’t want to make any slips and give the DOJ a reason to hide things or come after Democrats.
This is the first day Congress had access and it’s the sort of sensitive material they have to go and review personally at DOJ offices. I would assume no computers or cell phones. So it will take some time for people to go over the documents. There are already some lies and lots of ‘mistakes’ in redaction turning up.
NBC News: Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the 5th Amendment at a House deposition today.
She is fishing hard for a pardon. Saying both that should be honest and suggesting she would provide cover for Trump. But only after she is allowed out of prison and given cover for the lies she is about to make. She had dealt with Trump enough to know that a promise of protection after she testifies is not worth much, she wants the paper in hand first.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/a-frame-by-frame-tour-through-bad
A Frame-By-Frame Tour Through Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Performance, From Wonkette’s Resident Puerto Rican Writer!
Multiple screen grabs from the video illustrate the text.
Sky Captain @353, I was already alarmed about ICE’s purchases of warehouses in which they plan to hold the people they detain. Now that I see the details in your post, I am even more frightened when it comes to considering what comes next.
Many times in the past this thread has presented discussions of the dangers posed by incarceration facilities run by private prison companies. Now we have something even worse: the Trump administration will be partnering with private prison companies to house human beings in sub-standard conditions.
Having the federal government own the land as well as the warehouses looks like a way to avoid regulations and oversight.
Associated Press:
Good news, as reported by the New York Times:
Dr. Oz backtracks on anti-vax bullsh-t as measles cases multiply
France and Germany’s next-generation fighter jet project is ‘dead’
“An official familiar with French President Emmanuel Macron’s thinking said a failure is more likely than a relaunch.”
Lynna @357:
Hopefully it’ll turn out to be an aspirational waste of their enormous budget, like those fixer-upper jets. ICE/CBP are struggling to round up people as it is, much less fill all those warehouses. Meanwhile, the courts are freeing people, and what’s of the DoJ isn’t even arguing.
DOJ begging for AUSAs on Twitter like they’re putting together a kickball league
They don’t have the personnel. And long-term camps would seem at odds with expedited deportation. Hm, maybe they’ll move people from the existing overcrowded facilities, not to be humane but to look busy.
* what’s left of the DoJ
Germany charges third suspect in Russian parcel-bomb sabotage plot
“Russian sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation have leaders throughout Europe concerned.”
Simply elections:
“The 2026 Senate Map Based On The NEWEST Poll From EVERY STATE! (NEW FLIPS)”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=FK-S0z4OcPE
Ryan Cooper (The American Prospect):
NYT – A raid in a small town brings Trump’s deportations to deep-red Idaho
Rando 1: “There is SO much white supremacy dripping off this article, even as the white Mayor of a majority Latino town says deporting 75 people out of a population of 1700 doesn’t affect the town. Sure, Jan. Sure.”
Rando 2: “Particularly ghoulish that the pretext was to shut down racetrack betting when yesterday’s superbowl ads were 95% for gambling sites.”
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-10/israeli-west-bank-settlement-draws-growing-global-condemnation/106325522
On the police brutality used in Sydney yesterday :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-10/nsw-officer-defends-police-sydney-protest-israeli-herzog/106324050
Interspersed with snipped NSW cop & premier Minns lying about what our own eyes and eyewitness accputs formthose there say.
Plus :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-10/federal-politics-estimates-ley-albanese-taylor/106323538
With much more there too.
The first Planet America episode of this year I think and certainly a good and informative one as usual Who has been implicated in the latest Epstein Files release? 30 mins long & covering much more than just the title alone says.
From today’s PBS newshour :
Source : https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-ice-operation-in-minnesota-is-affecting-medical-care-and-mental-health
Source : https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2025/12/30/infinite-thread-xxxviii/comment-page-4/#comment-2292904
Professor Poutine has an answer for all the people who are saying “I never thought Trump would be this bad”, just like all the German’s who said they never thought Hitler would do the things he did.
‘Political prisoner’ Leqaa Kordia has been hospitalized, DHS says. After calling 16 hospitals, Her lawyers say they can’t find her.
Leqaa Kordia – I’m the last Columbia protester still in ICE custody (March 2025)
Follow-up to 52.
Utah GOP push to repeal anti-gerrymander law falters amid fraud allegations tied to firm backed by Trump Jr
PBS – Democrat Christian Menefee wins U.S. House election in Texas, narrowing slim GOP majority
This is a congressional House seat.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-trump-already-defensive-about-economic-data-that-hasn-t-even-been-release-yet-2486336579901
Video is 3:47 minutes
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-law-firms-bullied-by-trump-have-shot-at-payback-in-fight-against-immigrant-prison-camps-2486333507718
Video is 8:45 minutes
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/all-over-the-files-maddow-names-names-of-people-in-trump-s-orbit-in-the-epstein-files-2486326339862
Video is 11:38 minutes
Why Trump’s former campaign lawyer is reportedly gaining access to foreign intelligence
“It’s tough to defend having a conspiratorial election lawyer, known for pushing debunked theories, gaining access to classified secrets.”
Related video at the link.
What New Madness Is This?
Miami Herald link</a
Link
Commerce chief Lutnick admits to visiting Epstein’s island during Senate grilling
Lynna @381
The Ministry of Truth strikes again.
Follow-up to comment 379.
Trump sends Canada a silly warning: China would ‘eliminate’ hockey and the Stanley Cup
“Sounding like a man who’s worried about his ex dating someone new, the president sent Ottawa a message that reeks of desperation.”
CBS News:
Commentary:
Link
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/olympics-update-trump-wins-gold-in
Lynna @379
Trump will block the Gordie Howe bridge until
Which is zero.
The Grifters who ownthe Ambassador Bridge
sought to stop the under-construction Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit, arguing that it infringes on their exclusive right to collect tolls.
It will take a generation for the USA to regain the trust of Canadians. I know I won’t forget in 3 years.
Militant Agnostic @387, good points.
In other Trump-related stupidity: House Republicans eye official investigation into Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show
“Donald Trump condemned the performance, but some GOP lawmakers apparently want to do more than just complain.”
Ice Detention of Legal Irish Man Married to U.S. Citizen Creates Major International Incident
Status Coup News – ICE crashes into a car, its driver flees, ICE steals their car, told observers, “I’ll F*cking Spray You!” (14:19)
TikTok, another incident
New York Times link
“For years Peter Mandelson, a senior British politician, concealed the depth of his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, until new files were released.”
The Guardian – Minnesotans trapped at home, too terrified of ICE to go outside
New York Times link
“Epstein Directed Aide to Obtain Hidden Video Cameras”
“I’m installing them into Kleenex boxes now,” the aide replied in the 2014 email exchange.
RawStory – Dem forces ICE director to admit his agents are like Nazis
Dad shot daughter after ‘arguing about Donald Trump’
What a peach.
Responsible gun ownership.
Texass!‽!
https://www.wonkette.com/p/megyn-kelly-pretty-sure-football
“MEGYN KELLY PRETTY SURE FOOTBALL IS WHITE, DAMMIT, JUST LIKE SANTA AND JESUS”
“And other dispatches from the very serious side of American political commentary after the Bad Bunny show!”
Epstein & Britain: The Journal ‘Private Eye’ on Peter Mandelson, Epstein & Keir Starmer
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=jnCe3H6RcBs
You will recognise some faces from the TV series “Have I Got News For You”.
Associated Press:
WTOP News:
ProPublica:
New York Times:
(Trigger warning)
“Somehow, The Epstein Files Got MORE Horrific”
(At the 6.40 mark we start learning about the torture p×rnography exchanged between Epstein and a sultan. The DOJ does not want to reveal the identity of the sultan even though the law requires it)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=Tm5b_oLFWRg
Pearls Before Swine.
Recommended.
.https://www.facebook.com/share/1B71k2WEjs/
Source : https://www.space.com/space-exploration/search-for-life/life-on-earth-is-lucky-a-rare-chemical-fluke-may-have-made-our-planet-habitable
Well, this is a bummer for ETI life if its true.. Sigh.
Chris Ingraham (Journalist):
Al Jazeera – Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
* Wikipedia – Indiscriminate attack
Hopefully, we can avoid the Kessler syndrome..
Source : https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/earth-orbit-is-getting-crowded-can-this-map-of-1-million-routes-around-our-planet-help-prevent-satellite-collisions
When angiosperms took off they really were on fire – metaphorically and literally as this 12 mins long yt clip notes – 130 Million Years Ago, the World Caught Fire.
Chris Geidner (Law Dork):
Commentary
Rando:
MS Now: Trump DOJ fails to indict Democratic lawmakers on sedition charges
This is the absurd case where the Democratic lawmakers put out a video reminding US soldiers that they have to follow the law. o for 6 on charges the DOJ tried to bring. This is the grand jury so the DOJ is allowed to try again and given it’s just Trump being petty they probably will as long as Trump remembers it.
More fall out from the excessive police response to peaceful protesters at the anti-Herzog visit protests in Sydney :
Aussie politics – the LNP reichwing rabble now kinda back in coalition & masquerading as the opposition party to the ALP is having a leadership spill tomorrow. Sussan Ley’s poisoned chalic e hasn’t taken long :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-11/angus-taylor-resigns-from-frontbench-sussan-ley-leadership/106332492
Good article on the anti-Herzog protests inSydney and aftermath here just found too :
Source : https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/first-charges-laid-after-sydney-protest-chaos/ar-AA1W1JQq
Metro TV yt channel has this 5 mins long interview and video on The Wall of Tears Mural which honors 18,457 Children Killed in Gaza.
@ ^ Also Guardian article about this here :
Source : https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jan/30/wall-of-tears-mural-gaza-children-brooklyn
Just short of 5 minslong interview with Josh Bornstein here explaining how the Herzog visit has set back the fight against antisemitism
Finding the “great filter”!
Why only a small number of planets are suitable for life
.https://.org/news/2026-02-small-planets-suitable-life.html
Nitrogen, phosphorous and a very narrow range of oxygen abundance.
Even on Aussie commerical news channels the truth is coming out like here via c10 – Grandmother Hospitalised With Broken Back After Alleged Police Assault At Sydney Protest which lasts 3 mins and 45 seconds.
Irish Citizen And Legal US Resident Exposed Horrors of MAGA Concentration Camp
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=FBoswkcG234
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/bernie-trump-is-crazy-or-a-liar-if-he-thinks-this-is-a-great-economy-2486536259917
Video is 7:30 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/trump-doj-fails-to-indict-dem-lawmakers-on-sedition-charges-2486530628001
Video is 4:43 minutes
Institue for the Study of War: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 10, 2026
Despite heavy sanctions the Russians continue to get their hands on western machine tools. This has allowed Russia to continue to expand supplies of artillery and other basic military arms.
There has been a lot of talk of Ukrainian counter-offensive but it’s not as big as some press has made it out. The Ukrainians have cleared some contested zones that just had a handful of Russian soldiers camped out. Some of it is Russian officers covering for previous lies. They had claimed they took some town and now when it becomes clear they won’t be able to they claim that Ukrainian counter offensive has retaken the town.
Three reasons the latest failure for Trump and Mike Johnson was ‘seismic’
“The speaker asked members to keep surrendering their own legal authority to protect the president’s tariffs. Most House members replied, ‘No.’ ”
FDA’s refusal to review Moderna flu vaccine generates immediate political backlash
“While the Trump administration focuses on a deworming medication as a possible cancer cure, it’s taking a different approach to a potential flu vaccine.”
Follow-up to 384, 387, 379.
Lynna quoting NYT @379: “The family had previously called on Mr. Trump to halt the construction of the Gordie Howe bridge”
NYT – Bridge owner lobbied before Trump blasted competing span to Canada
Washington Post link
“EXCLUSIVE: IRS improperly disclosed confidential immigrant tax data to DHS”
“The tax agency only recently discovered the mistake and is working with other federal agencies on a response.”
Sky Captain @423, thanks for the additional information. Lutnick again! The guy who recently lied about his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein (either lies or convenient memory failures, combined with other stupid excuses). In the case of the Gordie Howe bridge, very rich people are coming to each other’s defense in order to protect ill-gotten gains. The Moroun family’s lobbying of Trump (through Lutnick) also does not sound like support for a free market, for capitalism, or for equality in business (supposedly Republican/conservative virtues). It looks like a financial safety net that works only for very rich people.
Pam Bondi loses her sh-t at Epstein hearing
Want to put food up your ass? RFK Jr.’s chatbot can help!
https://www.wonkette.com/p/america-is-hurting-little-children
“America Is Hurting Little Children Again And MAGA Couldn’t Be Happier”
https://www.wonkette.com/p/despite-birth-rate-concerns-gop-stays
Follow-up to “All In with Chris Hayes” video highlighted in comment 19, with Bernie Sanders:
Link
El Paso airport grounding was in response to the U.S. military testing, sources say
“The military testing, which was taking place near Fort Bliss, was of high-energy lasers that are designed to protect against drones from drug cartels that could cross over the U.S. border, three of the sources say.”
Related video at the link.
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-demands-obama-be-named-after
New Yorker link
“Even the Hospitals Aren’t Safe in Iran”
“As the regime imposes a forced forgetting of the massacres in January, it has begun targeting not only wounded protesters but medical workers, who have borne witness to some of the worst atrocities.”
Much more at the link.
CBC:
MS NOW:
Good news, but too little too late.
Associated Press:
Looks like the Trump administration decided on a bipartisan meeting after they got a lot of complaints about their plans to meet with only Republican governors.
New York Times reports this good news:
Wall Street Journal:
New York Times:
Trump dines with Rupert Murdoch as Fox News rejects anti-ICE ad
Follow-up to comment 426.
Link
“TRUMP AFFAIR REVEALED: Trump Bragged About ‘BANGING’ Oval Office Director In Leaked Email”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=B_f-G0UXYJY
Adding to 435.
WaPo – National Guard troops were quietly withdrawn from L.A., Chicago, and Portland
Commentary on indicting lawmakers for their reminder to follow the law at 409, 419.
Eric Columbus (Obama DHS/DoJ):
Steve Vladeck (Law prof): “It’s one thing to get a ‘no true bill’. It’s quite another to get *shut out* in the grand jury.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “I doubt there any official statistics so it would have to be an anecdotal historical example, but not a single person voting for the indictment strikes me as unprecedented.”
Ken White (Attorney): “I have never heard of an indictment getting no votes.”
Adam Klasfeld: “Every grand juror called for duty on this case has more integrity and a better understanding of the law and the Constitution of the United States than every Trump DOJ lawyer who touched this monstrosity of a case.”
Quinta Jurecic (Atlantic): “Asking jurors in a city occupied for months by the national guard to indict members of congress for telling servicemembers they don’t need to obey unlawful orders, under a statute likely unconstitutional under the first amendment. Masterful gambit, sir.”
Ken White: “I think we need a new term, like a hell-no-bill.”
Kathryn Tewson (Paralegal): “A ‘LOL, no’ bill.”
Atlantic – What Happened to Pam Bondi?
Rando: “Wait: Pam Bondi is SIXTY years old?”
Marcy Wheeler (EmptyWheel): “The sole redeeming feature of Bondi, if you can call it that, is someone a few years older than me looks STUPENDOUS, and to the extent that it’s thru plastic, she has not adopted the MAL look. But she IS looking increasingly tired.”
Text quoted by Sky Captain @444:
Wow. That makes it even more impressive.
That is such good news!
Also quoted by Sky Captain is Ken White: “I think we need a new term, like a hell-no-bill.”
LOL. I agree.
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/kash-patel-under-fire-as-nancy-guthrie-investigation-enters-day-11-2486774339914
Video is 6:32 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/astounding-chris-hayes-stunned-bondi-still-has-doj-job-2486770755990
Video is 9:46 minutes
Andrew Karre:
MN Star Tribune – Chase in St. Paul ends with multi-vehicle crash
Elizabeth Shockman (MPR):
MPR
Andrew Karre: “I know Minnesotans filming ICE in their bathrobes is becoming a bit of a thing, but after you laugh, let it dawn on you that people here hate ICE so much that we rush out half-dressed to film even when there are already dozens of others doing the same thing.”
https://bsky.app/profile/andrewkarre.bsky.social/post/3mem774khyu2wAndrew Karre: “[Photo] this Border Patrol goon’s Mandalorian-helmet patch just makes me furious. The fandom incoherence is just a shitty cherry on top.”
Feline spam to cheer you up
“Leopards are just Big Kittens”
.https://youtube.com/shorts/fE6oVWnekH4
NB!
Common anti-seizure drug prevents Alzheimer’s plaques from forming, study shows
.https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-common-anti-seizure-drug-alzheimer.html
UnicornRiot – Indigenous activists occupy land near Fort Snelling, plan to stay until ‘Land Back’
Follow-up to 366 on the ‘gambling raid’ in a small town with a horse track.
NBC – Idaho families sue over immigration raid that swept up hundreds
Rando:
Chris Hayes: “This is the second account—the first being in Chicago—of DHS agents mass detaining people and then *sorting them by race*.”
Rando: “Kavanaugh sorting.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “It goes back much further. This is a common practice during worksite raids. This happened during a 2018 raid in Trump’s first term, and the Biden DOJ ended up settling a lawsuit about it. [Screenshots]”
I’d underestimated the synergy of detention and deportation at 362.
[Video interview] Aaron Reichlin-Melnick on why detention centers are so central to Trump’s mass deportation strategy (37:30)
Follow-up to comments 426, 441, 445 and 447.
Justice Department accused of surveilling lawmakers’ Epstein files search history
“As the dust settled on the partisan circus, there was a new controversy that had nothing to do with Bondi’s antics and everything to do with her notes.”
Related video at the link.
https://x.com/Acyn/status/2021770716014948849
Sky Captain @453, that’s pretty much what I expected. Even if the Trump administration is too incompetent to get all of their detention centers up and running, they will still manage to do a lot of damage.
In other news: Bad news: CBS producer reveals stories are being vetted for ideology
Cartoon: And the horse you rode in on!
Cartoon commenting on the supposed reduction of DHS personnel in Minnesota.
Journalist attacked by professor at ‘intellectual freedom’ center
https://www.wonkette.com/p/donald-trump-orders-pentagon-buy
“Donald Trump Orders Pentagon: Buy Coal Power […]”
“Also, the industry gave him its new Coalpile Peace Prize.”
YouTube link to Jon Ossoff’s speech in Atlanta.
Ossoff nails it. Inspiring.
In other good news: Judge says Pentagon ‘trampled’ on Sen. Mark Kelly’s rights, blocks effort to demote him over ‘illegal orders’ video
“The Pentagon moved to downgrade Kelly’s military retirement rank and pay over a video he appeared in that urged the military and intelligence community not to follow illegal orders.”
The Trump administration tried to take money away from Kelly.
Trump administration working to expand effort to strip citizenship from foreign-born Americans
“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials focused on denaturalization were sent to offices nationwide, sources say.”
Much more at the link.
AG Pam Bondi performed for an audience of one, who was predictably impressed
“The attorney general set her credibility on fire because she was desperate to make Donald Trump happy. It worked.”
Link
Lynna quoting Wonkette @459:
Katie Mack: “You can’t… repeal… a scientific finding. At that point it’s just called lying about it.”
Wired – The fight over US climate rules is just beginning
Lynna quoting NBC @431:
NYT
Cheryl Rofer: “Same agency that shoots people in the streets of Minnesota.”
Rando 1: “I gotta say, “the Pentagon uses a high powered laser to shoot down a party balloon” feels like enough symbolism for a while.”
Rando 2: “‘shooting down party balloons and using it as a pretext for war’ is literally the ’99 Luftballons’ story arc.”
Crip Dyke:
Philip Bump (MS NOW): “[Screenshot: Googling ‘site:foxnews.com biden balloon’] 3,640 results.”
The problem(s) with Trump insisting that he no longer needs anything from Congress
The president is basically telling voters ahead of the midterms, “Vote for Republican candidates who’ll spend the next two years just sitting around.”
And over in Aussie politics, we have a new leader of the opposition. We have swapped out Sussan Ley, she of the double S cos numerology, for the facebook failingly self promoter ‘Fantastic. Great Job. well done Angus’ Angus Taylor. Both, of course, have scandals in their backgrounds that should have disqualified them from being MP’s ever again, let alone high office holders, but here we are.
Meanwhile, the actual Australian Government, instead of using their enormous majority to, oh IDK, climate changily solve poverty or anything, are instead hosting Isaac Herzog. You know, the bomb signing, genocide promoting, corrupt, president of Israel.
US politics is existentially, world threateningly, bad. And has been for a while, and will continue to be so by all the signs. It does not make the Aussie situation less dire in anything except by comparison. I consider that to be well worth noting, too.
How Tim Cook became the apple of Trump’s ire
Rando:
Regarding the Venezuelans deported to El Salvador.
Adam Klasfeld (AllRiseNews):
Lee Kovarsky (Habeas expert): “Judge Boasberg seems happy: ‘Apparently not interested in participating in this process, the Government’s responses essentially told the Court to pound sand.'”
Quinta Jurecic: “This case was first filed almost exactly 11 months ago. One-year anniversary on march 15.”
Anna Bower (Lawfare):
Quinta Jurecic (Atlantic): “Excited for another multi day back and forth over whether Trump actually fired him!”
Rando: “I never thought we’d go into less than one Scaramucci for time employed.”
RFK Jr (Health Secretary):
“I’m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats. [Video clip]”
Commentary
The Hill
HuffPo – Bondi lies to Congress, repeatedly tells them Maxwell was not transferred to a ‘lower-level facility’
Kyle Cheney (Politico):
Ira Goldman (Ex-Senate tech): “[Video] While Judge Brasel is a Trump appointee, as one can discern from her confirmation hearing, she was the choice of Senators Klobuchar (20:22) and Tina Smith (25:40).”
Rando: “Holy crap, I just read this… This is how a judge lays the law down. Not some generic TRO but a long itemized list of exactly wtf they’d better do.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (American Immigration Council):
Steve Vladeck (Law prof): “In other words, long enough that habeas petitions can be filed on their behalf in Minnesota before they’re whisked off to an immigration detention facility somewhere in the Fifth Circuit (where, under that court’s current law, they wouldn’t be eligible for a bond hearing).”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “Yep. This will have a huge impact on the availability of habeas for people who are still being arrested in Minnesota.”
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/trump-admin-s-cartel-drone-story-bursts-like-a-balloon-or-four-2487019587829
Video is 4:04 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/this-did-not-go-well-for-them-frey-reacts-as-minneapolis-ice-surges-ends-2487013956000
Video is 7:37 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/hayes-trump-bet-americans-were-as-bigoted-as-stephen-miller-he-was-wrong-2487012419938
Video is 8:09 minutes
Salacious anonymous leaks of petty infighting.
WSJ – The constant chaos inside DHS
Real space progress.
“Japanese Kaguya Spacecraft Discover a Cave on The Moon”
.https://youtube.com/shorts/mYMRrezJP7g
Breaking news – good for once. Also kinda obvs but Palestine Action aren’t terrorists now officially by court order :
Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/13/uk-decision-to-ban-palestine-action-as-terror-group-unlawful-court-says
Reuters: CIA makes new push to recruit Chinese military officers as informants
Funny stuff. I find it hard to believe that a public video is a good recruiting tool but the goal here may have more to do with the paranoia of the Chinese government. Poke them with a public release while doing the important stuff secretly.
re CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @476:
So Noem thinks it is the pilot’s responsibility to move personal belongings to the other plane? If her wittle blanky was so damn important, why didn’t she take the responsibility herself and carry it with her? So damn stupid and childish. The people in this administration sure have an overabundance of privilege.
GOP lawmaker falsely claims ID laws ‘protect our beer more than our ballots’
Follow-up of sorts to comment 481.
It’s not just Bannon: Republican lawmakers want ICE agents at local voting precincts
“There’s no reason for us to deploy to a polling facility,” the acting head of ICE said. Some GOP officials want to see it happen anyway.
Link
A correction post by Talking Points Memo:
Link
Link
Cartoon: Un-American logic
Newsweek – Woman burns Kansas warehouse linked to potential ICE sale
Commentary
Prosecutors to drop charges against men accused of assaulting ICE officer in Minneapolis
Watch Trump’s snobby treasury secretary show how out of touch he is
MN Reformer – Why is ICE seizing people’s phones and documents?
Trump thinks he’s in control of Venezuela. He’s wrong.
More at the link.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/maybe-russ-vought-wouldnt-need-the
Wired
https://www.wonkette.com/p/even-james-van-der-beek-couldnt-afford
It does not work for the rest of us. We die destitute. Often we die earlier than we should because we cannot afford all of the medical care we need.
Slate link
“My Daughter Lived the Liam Ramos Nightmare. It Turned Out Worse for Us.”
More at the link. I do not have access to the entire report.
Trump reveals his abject ignorance yet again.
Trump falsely claims that the U.S. is ‘the only country that has mail-in ballots’
Link
Has ICE Debuted New ‘No Lying’ Policy?, by Josh Marshall
Paywalled report if you are not a TPM member.
Nature – Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation
That immunology research will pair well with the vaccines we won’t have.
EPA chief says climate change isn’t a hoax, it’s a ‘con job’