DC’s highly qualified workers can’t find jobs: ‘What is happening?’ Washington DC has the highest unemployment rate in the US From 4/7 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Brooke Pinto posted her campaign's entire 67-page opposition file on Robert White: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7811...

The Board of Zoning Adjustment hasn't been able to establish a quorum for more than a month, bringing housing renovations and development to a screeching halt. Suzie Amanuel spoke to an elderly couple who are caught in the middle: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7838...

This is the DC agency that grants permits for many development & renovation projects--it hasn't met in 3 months & says it can't convene until June Approximately 40 projects across the District have been stalled as the BZA is effectively shut down without a quorum via @51st.news

A series of departures and a yearlong vacancy have effectively shut down D.C.'s Board of Zoning Adjustment. Meanwhile, one couple’s home sits half-built while they live in a temporary apartment, waiting for a hearing that could be delayed indefinitely. Contributor Suzie Amanuel has the story:

Homeland Security Expands Deportation Fleet With High-End Jets The contract for five planes doubles the Department of Homeland Security’s fleet of jets to expel immigrants, and includes two Gulfstream planes, according to documents and interviews. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/u...

House defies Trump on immigration with move to shield Haitians The vote to advance a bill extending protections for Haitians marks the first time Republican lawmakers have voted this term to oppose Trump’s immigration policy. Gift link: wapo.st/42ebzsM

Very glad to see this @motherjones.com feature from @lauracmorel.bsky.social looking at how immigrants are tragically being ripped off by scammers as they face deportation proceedings--I worry that this problem has really increased due to Trump's deportation push, & TikTok & Instagram

In her latest investigation, @lauracmorel.bsky.social dives into the world of scams that are profiting off of Trump's immigration crackdown. Read it at the link below. ⬇️

Scammers have taken advantage of the desperate positions many immigrants find themselves in today as the Trump administration ramps up deportation efforts. This population is much less likely to feel comfortable reporting a crime when ICE and law enforcement are working together more than ever.

In one New York case, scammers used Facebook to contact victims, fabricated documents using symbols from the federal government, and even organized sham court hearings via videoconference with fraudsters impersonating judges.

Certainly, these kinds of grifts are not new in the legal world. But representatives from several legal groups and private attorneys told @lauracmorel.bsky.social that today’s scams are more sophisticated and harder to detect thanks to the proliferation of AI and social media.

In the last year, the country’s most prominent legal organizations—such as the American Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association— have warned that scams targeting immigrants and attorneys have increased to an alarming level.

Aguila was in court at the time, but the man left his alleged attorney’s website. The site, she soon discovered, listed her law firm’s name and address. It even included her employer identification number. She warned her clients in a Facebook post: “Someone is IMPERSONATING MY LAW FIRM."

NEW: In March, a man who needed legal representation reached out to Maria Aguila’s law office in Jacksonville, Florida, asking to meet with an attorney. There was only one problem: Aguila had never heard of this attorney. She is a solo practitioner who focuses on immigration and family law. 🧵

Why nursing homes worry about Trump’s push to deport Haitians Lower courts blocked the effort to send home Haitian immigrants, part of an already shrinking workforce in nursing homes. The Supreme Court will hear the case this month. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

NYT: Swalwell brings to 4 the # of House members, 2 Dems & 2 Republicans, who face possible expulsion in the coming weeks, a potentially major uptick that could dominate House action when the country is embroiled in a military conflict with Iran & a partial govt shutdown

A helpful read as I'm cleaning out my basement: After 30 Years and $100,000, I Finally Let Go of My Storage Space It took me decades to part with all the things I had stored away—but now I know I’m not alone?https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/storage-unit-cleanout-962730ab?st=RP3tE2 via @wsj.com

This looks at how the murder of 6 Jesuit priests in El Salvador + bipartisanship led to passage of the law creating Temporary Protected Status in 1990 >> A reminder that Congress used to work in a bipartisan way to compromise & deliver majority supported legislation

36 years ago, a Republican president and Democratic lawmakers produced monumental laws. Now a broken Congress has enabled President Trump to undo key parts of that legacy.

This article really emphasizes pressures to "self-deport," not workplace enforcement. Helpful historic comparisons The Next Phase of the Immigration Crackdown Is Quieter — and More Destabilizing www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/m...

State Judges Turn to Guns in New Era of Judicial Threats A Times examination reveals thousands of threats against state judges, in addition to assaults and fatal attacks. Judges say local law enforcement agencies often can’t offer adequate protection. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/u...

ICE operations can cause deep psychological trauma for students Educators nationwide are grappling with the impact of ICE raids on the homes of their students. Teachers face crying, worried children after their family members have been taken away www.washingtonpost.com/ripple/2026/...

ICE arrests in D.C. region reach nearly 20,000 during Trump’s second term Nearly 60 percent of the more than 19,500 people arrested had no prior criminal record, federal data shows. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

When Trump first retook office, there was a good amount of reporting on how much (self) censorship was happening as companies, law firms, NGOs & so many others were afraid to speak out. That's still happening now, especially as contracts remain tenuous or at risk

At a moment when much of the tech industry would rather not talk politics, Google executive Jeff Dean has been a rare outspoken voice—even on issues that hit close to home www.wsj.com/tech/ai/sili... via @wsj.com

‘Fedlandia’: New neighborhood could take shape in DC amid sale of federal buildings wtop.com/dc/2026/04/i... From @wtopnews.bsky.social via @51st.news local news roundup

I had dinner w/ a friend last night whose student loan payment is $750 per month, barely covering the interest. Student Debt Burdened Them, So They Moved Abroad and Stopped Paying www.nytimes.com/2026/04/04/b...

The Senate sent its deal to fund most of DHS back to the House this morning — marking what should be the beginning of the end of a historic partial government shutdown.

It has been one year since the Trump admin invoked the Alien Enemies Act and began targeting international students with a novel provision of the INA but thus far faced resistance in the courts with these and other policies. Read more here: www.migrationpolicy.org/article/trum...

How a top housing agency is carrying out Trump’s immigration crackdown The president has long blamed housing shortages on undocumented immigrants, which translated into a push to kick them — and citizens they live with — out of their homes Gift link: wapo.st/4v6BvEf

Trump officials cite white supremacists in bid to end birthright citizenship An argument heading to the Supreme Court is built in part on a post-Civil War campaign that scholars say was steeped in anti-Black and anti-Chinese racism. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Boats decorated for Bloomeroo at the Wharf

Cherry blossoms in DC

D.C. healthcare cuts leave low-income residents with fewer options and worse care From @51st.news 51st.news/dc-healthcar...

In Annapolis, Md., people gather each year to usher in the warmer weather by burning their socks. The springtime tradition is the unofficial start of the Chesapeake Bay sailing season. n.pr/4c6KP3f

Trump Calls for Law Cracking Down on Crime and ‘Rogue Judges’ Ahead of the midterms, President Trump told a Republican gathering that he wants to go after repeat offenders and “rogue judges that are criminals.” www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/u...

Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years Artificial intelligence could reshape work, but for now a low-hire, low-fire labor market is the main impediment for young people seeking employment. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/b...

Mullin Explored Bipartisan Deal to Rein in Immigration Crackdown The G.O.P. senator President Trump chose to lead the Department of Homeland Security privately discussed concessions the White House has repeatedly rejected. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/u...

Cuba’s power grid collapses in third nationwide blackout amid US oil blockade

Mullin Said to Have Credited the King of Jordan for a Helicopter Rescue Trump’s nominee for homeland security secretary, has a history of suggesting that he has firsthand familiarity with overseas war-zone operations, despite having never served in the military.

House Dems' letter to DHS on Corey Lewandowski: preserve your documents oversightdemocrats.house.gov/imo/media/do...

A rookie ICE agent fresh out of the Trump administration’s abbreviated basic training program made critical errors in paperwork that became the government’s justification for detaining a California man for days in December, federal court records show.

Here's a new one: ICE detained a man in Utah who had been arrested for a suspected drug sale ... that turned out to be dried pinto beans. Utah case was dropped but the man, who arrived in US as a minor and has deferred action, was transfered to ICE. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

JUST IN: Judge Shah in Illinois has blocked the Trump admin from yanking $600m in public health funds from four blue states, saying it appeared to be a “contrived” and illegal effort to punish them for sanctuary immigration policies storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

👀 A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reveal data that will show whether it has so dramatically tipped bond hearings against ICE detainees that they're now unconstitutional. Some notable fox-henhouse metaphors here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

GENEVA (AP) - UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the war. @apnews.com

Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia was released from an ICE detention facility in Texas after a year in custody. The 33-year-old from the occupied West Bank was the last person connected to the Columbia University pro-Palestine protests still held by US immigration authorities.

In January, we wrote about the Trump administration's efforts to rescind Temporary Protected Status for nationals covered by 12 different designations

New: Supreme Court grants cert on two TPS cases, involving 353,000 Haitian migrants and 6,100 Syrians. The Trump admin canceled their TPS status earlier this year, saying conditions in their home countries had improved. SCOTUS will now decide if the moves are legal. Args sked for 2nd week of April.