the messiness around the Epstein files reporting is insane

It is wild the calming effect photos like this have on me. So many things are terrible but just look at these beauties.

EXCLUSIVE: ~400 Christian leaders have issued an Ash Wednesday statement decrying the Trump admin as "cruel and oppressive," arguing the govt has been corrupted by an aberrant form of the faith and calling on Christians to perform "greater acts of courage to resist." religionnews.com/2026/02/18/4...

You can help build billionaire-free local news. Repost this -> I give $1 Follow @51st.news -> I give $1 Follow me -> I give $1 Donate -> I match your gift Let's fight misinformation, help good journalists to make a decent living, and stick a big ol' finger in Jeff Bezos' eye.

The "pushback to ICE facilities, contracts, &c" thread Chester, NY: "Town of Chester Supervisor Brandon Holdridge [...] has upped the pressure, asking residents to write opposition letters to the real estate and brokerage firms involved in the sale."

if you're an older person who finds words like mogg and maxxing annoying, just starting using them. people over the age of 30 have the superpower to end trends by simply adopting them

So after Trump pardoned Honduras's narco-president, the admin didn't just let him out--they canceled an immigration hold and sent a specialized team to **chauffeur him to the $1k/night Waldorf Astoria.** “It's "absolutely fucking nuts,” said one official www.propublica.org/article/trum...

The Brazilian political system is, structurally, very similar to the American one. But when they elected a Trump-style authoritarian back in 2018, their Congress and Supreme Court actually fought back. I went to Brazil to find out why. And what I learned surprised me. www.vox.com/politics/479...

Thank god

NEW: One year ago, we caught a peek of MAGA authoritarianism when men roughly dragged a woman named Teresa out of an Idaho town hall. This is the story behind that viral video and the radicalization of the community where it happened. My investigation: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

JUST IN: Federal prosecutors in Chicago move to dismiss another case tied to Operation Midway Blitz. Assuming its’s granted, Jacqueline Guataquira would become the 17th of 32 known defendants cleared. None of the 32 has been convicted. Docket entry and original charging doc below:

Floof peekin’ out 🪶

IT'S HAPPENING: Great Horned Owlette season is upon us! Several weeks earlier than last year, not one but TWO owlettes have been documented AND verified. By me. 10 minutes ago. Let's goooo!!! And observe from a safe respectful distance! Alt status: IT'S A SUPERB OWL MIRACLE! 🪶 🐣

LA Taco has been doing the lord's work. So exciting to see this next chapter!

BREAKING — WE WON! DC Superior Court Judge Darlene Soltys ordered the DC Metropolitan Police to produce ALL body cam footage of the March 2025 DOGE raid on the US Institute of Peace within 14 days. Thanks to my @rcfp.org lawyers for their tireless work. Details on thehandbasket.co later today!

Mr. Sim lived in the US for 43 years. He was ordered deported 20 years ago after a larceny conviction. Because Cambodia wasn’t accepting deportations, he was allowed to stay on an order of supervision. After 20 years, he was suddenly arrested at an ICE check-in and sent to detention, where he died.

Olympics Dog was chasing the motorized camera they have to capture the competitors at the finish line, then decided to chase some competitors instead

NEW: The FDA has removed a webpage warning about dangerous therapies claiming to treat autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under RFK Jr. to discredit long-established science. By @megomatz.bsky.social

This made me so happy today

It took until the late 90s for a majority of Americans to approve of interracial marriage. The “popularists” like Jain or Yglesias would have counseled Democrats to never bring it up because it wasn’t “popular,” the way they’re doing today with trans personhood. It is substantively, morally wrong.

the fundamental divide in the democratic party isn't between "moderates" and "socialists" but between fight and don't fight. the new crop of dems understands that fight is the only option. we can disagree about policy later, as among friends--but we have to crush these people now

Non-Christian Americans sacrificed for our country, too. www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Mil...

“The subordination of the political point of view to the military would be contrary to common sense, for policy has declared the war; it is the intelligent faculty, war only the instrument, and not the reverse.” -Carl v Clausewitz

@rescuerofcritters.bsky.social was wondering if I'd ever seen a weasel, so here's one I photographed in 2012. This fierce little cutie is a Long-tailed Weasel (Neogale frenata) who was at the Sonoma Coast. They are so fast! 💚 #Mammals #Wildlife #NaturePhotos #iNat @denalisam.bsky.social 📷

And this article on abuses in Texas detention. Read both that thread and this article together. The attorney speaks about DHS wanting detainees in Texas and everyone needs to know what’s happening in Texas. www.commondreams.org/news/fort-bl...

I don’t really know what I expect in posting this, but maybe some people see it and can learn from it. I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.” 1/

To everyone thanking me, much appreciated but not why I posted! Pls support your local immigrant defense group like: The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota: www.ilcm.org/donate/ Or my hometown LUCE: www.lucemass.org/donate Or Google your city/state & “immigrant defense” to find your local heroes!

What a perfect example of how these people are not just incompetent, they’re lazy.

NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found. The government keeps doing it nonetheless. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast. The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me. But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.

The details of the Kristi Noem blanket incident are just fucking perfect

I would love to see some comprehensive reporting on what, exactly, the governor, mayor, police departments and sheriffs DID concede to ICE. Because these negotiations still seem extremely vague and unclear.

A suggestion for your Friday: this comp has songs from 110 Minnesota artists. Your $20 donation goes directly to mutual aid in the Twin Cites meltice.bandcamp.com/album/melt-ice

ICYMI: I introduced my Trans Bill of Rights with @markey.senate.gov — legislation to defend trans people across this country as Republicans continue to push anti-trans rhetoric and bills. To our beloved trans community: We see you, we love you, and we will always stand with you.

Another one on Sunday defend612.com/event/commun...

Today by a key organization that coordinated Twin Cities' self defense. If you can't make it... defend612.com/event/commun...

I have a Stand with Minnesota volunteer opportunity for people who speak Spanish and want to help get folks home from detention. If you are interested, please DM me for details!

do YOU have any experience in art, social, organizing, fundraising, comms, graphic design, & want to help us try to raise an insane amount of money to keep immigrant families in MN housed? I am looking for folks who would want to throw down. having a meeting monday evening. DM me if you're in.

this is why i am laser-focused on paying rent for people right now. the second a family is evicted, the costs of everything explode. lives are disrupted, new schools have to be found, people are in physical danger, and then they are so much harder to rehouse with an eviction on their record.

"The legal system doesn’t feel like it’s working like it’s supposed to, and it doesn’t feel like it’s protecting workers the way it's supposed to… I think that this is a sign of worse things to come in declawing the NLRB" www.bloomberg.com/news/article... Context: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

🚨 New: We built a visual tracker of the warehouses ICE is targeting across the US. Working off an idea from @actualkatherine.bsky.social, we’ve mapped active searches, canceled deals, and linked state property records. Explore the map here: tinyurl.com/ICEWarehouse...

@mprnews.org has been consistently knocking it out of the park, along with outfits like @sahanjournal.bsky.social and @minnesotareformer.com. So grateful for their great work under terrible circumstances. Indie and non-profit news are critical rn: www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/ice-...

I don’t think they’re set up to direct it to a specific thing, but you can make a one-time donation to Minnesota Public Radio any time, at mpr.org.

if you remember the FBI + ICE + local raid on a horse race track in Wilder, Idaho that detained hundreds of families (including many kids & U.S. citizens) the @acluidaho.bsky.social just announced a lawsuit. The complaint is just as disturbing as previous reporting www.aclu.org/press-releas...

New: District Judge Robert Gettleman issued an order yesterday mandating clergy be allowed inside the Broadview, IL ICE facility on Feb. 18 to offer those inside ashes and communion for Ash Wednesday. Gettleman found the govt has "substantially burdened plaintiffs’ exercise of religion."

WOW. Incredible. This is the case in which DHS claimed that ICE officers had been attacked with a shovel and fired back in self-defense. Evidence since suggests an ICE officer fired through a closed door and struck someone on the other side. Will DHS retract the prior claims?

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.

I'm a Gallup pollster. You can contact them at [email protected] to let them know what you think of this.

Chicago man cleared of Bovino murder plot still in detention after judge denies bail @chicago.suntimes.com story from @cindylu_7: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

New poll: In 2024, low-engagement voters went for Trump over Harris by 11 percentage points. But now they disapprove of the way he's handling the presidency by 13. They have moved 25 points against Trump — 2x as large as the shift for high-knowledge voters www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-lost...