Ein Mann filmt eine ICE-Festnahme. Er wird niedergerissen, geschlagen, mit 10 Schüssen hingerichtet. Staatliche Ermittler werden trotz richterlichem Beschluss vom Tatort ferngehalten. Aber Merz "geht davon aus, dass aufgeklärt wird, ob es notwendig war". Was für eine rückgratlose Pfeife.

An underappreciated output of Trumpism is going to be an increasing collapse of the links between state parties and the national party, as Republican officials become trapped between occupation and their putative allies.

part of this is like, conservatives projecting; part of this is conservatives unable to imagine politics without money; and part of this is dudes who are so out of touch with feminized labor that they think children's birthday parties exist as a spontaneous act of parthogenesis

„Recent events have brought Trump’s governing style into sharper focus. Fascist best describes it, and reluctance to use the term has now become perverse. That is not because of any one or two things he and his administration have done but because of the totality.“

The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.

The senseless murder of Alex Pretti is finally showing everyday folks that the Trump regime is beyond any redemption. And in an anti-religious age, it's sparked a quest for a new American morality It's beyond politics now. This is about good vs. evil My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/minn...

Here's a regular white guy (literally "Chad") not a protester. because, "It seemed pointless, or just a way for people to expiate their sense of guilt." Chad witnessed something shattering. And, that all changed in a moment. Excellent article!

Secretary Noem has forfeited her right to lead. I’m calling on her to resign. Gregory Bovino must also be fired. No one, not an ICE agent, not a federal officer, not a president, is above the law.

Walz: "To Americans who are watching this, I've got a question for you: What side do you want to be on? The side of an all powerful federal govt that can kill, injury, menace, & kidnap its citizens off the streets? Or on the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such govt?"

In Nixon's era, the Silent Majority trope was used to convey the point that many left-wing public protests were not broadly supported by the nation, according to polls. But polls this month repeatedly show that the "vocal and violent minority" that vast majorities of Americans hate is ICE itself.

When Mamie Till was on the stand during the trial of her son's murderers in 1955, the defense argued she had misidentified her son's body, was lying in order to claim insurance money for her son, & had staged the whole affair with the aid of Communists & the NAACP. Tills murderers walked free.

If you've got state-sanctioned violence and community-organized resistance on your mind, my beloved Arte is streaming Steve McQueen's brilliant Small Axe series, incl Ep. 1 feature film about the Mangrove Nine in London's Notting Hill www.arte.tv/de/videos/12...

this photo. minneapolis. 💜 📷️ Alex Kormann/Star Tribune

#LetterboxdFriday #LastFourWatched Sizzling Seventies with 2 classics! 1) 70: Jack Nicholson just wants wheat toast 2) 71: Starry ode to death of small town USA 3) 75: Madness & obsession, Isabelle Adjani Oscar nom 4) 74: Cross of Giallo & softcore bondage porn with nuns #filmsky 📽 boxd.it/bhE8j

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUFM... Interesting video on US voter choices

Still on the Oscars: I'd love to see a year in which the casting branch didn't pick only films that also get Best Picture nominations. (The Plague would have been a great choice.) But their excellent and deserving inclusion of The Secret Agent shows that they didn't do this on autopilot. Good start!

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/m... Interesting nominee list, my guess is "One Battle after Another" is going to be strong, with "Secret Agent" also doing well.

The 2026 Oscar nominations are about to be announced! Follow along as we update the complete list... bit.ly/OscarNoms26

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiFh... Great video by @kylekulinskishow.bsky.social

My quote of the day Mark Carney

My ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review of FIVE EASY PIECES boxd.it/cLt0z3 You don't know Jack. Nicholson in powerhouse of self-loathing & evasion. When life gets too real...run! Simple character study whose impact sneaks up on you. Karen Black delights. Just don't order wheat toast! #filmsky 📽 Criterion Collection 546

Trump is trying to seize control of the Fed – and it looks like he’s weaponizing the Department of Justice and other agencies to do it. It’s a dangerous abuse of power that will have serious consequences for Americans. @durbin.senate.gov and I are getting to the bottom of it.

Was Markus Bublitz schreibt.

Das kann zu einer Katastrophe werden, denn die Überprüfung wird wohl Jahre dauern und die Ratifizierung durch das EU-Parlament dann ebenso. Und das zu Zeiten einer Weltlage, in der die USA als Handelspartner massiv wegbrechen. Bitter, dass Grüne und Linke für diese Anrufung des EuGH gestimmt haben.

Basil Dearden, Director, #BornOnThisDay in 1911, in Westcliff-on-Sea, England

Dass ein dt. Bundesinnenminister unter Deckung des dt. Bundeskanzlers ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken Menschen, die uns unter Einsatz ihres Lebens geholfen haben und denen wir Schutz und Aufnahme garantiert haben, einfach einer Mörderbande überlasst, empört mich zutiefst. Und kein Aufschrei, nirgends.

Eleven months ago I published a piece which opened with this lede, which some at the time considered "overheated": "We stand at the cusp of a reordering moment in international relations as significant as 1989, 1945, or 1919—a generational event." How about now? foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/21/s...

Q: Can I bring you back to Greenland? LUTNICK: No. It's not necessary. The Western Hemisphere is vital for the United States of America. OTHER PANELISTS: 😬😬😬

A small, ancillary detail in this horror that made me cry

He also says that during a recent meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, the US representatives said they didn’t want to take sides on the Russia-Ukraine war. from live coverage of Davos in @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Asked if we can take it for granted that the US is an ally of Europe, he says “unfortunately, not”. “I would like to confirm that they are an ally, but then they have to behave like an ally.”

The Prime Minister of Belgium speaks:

Sometimes, succinct is the way to get published. Western Mail, 20 Jan. 2026

very good piece which confirms that weiss is both exceptionally arrogant and totally out of her depth. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Europa braucht den Willen zur Macht auch gegenüber den #USA. Es geht um unsere Interessen & das Recht eines EU & NATO-Mitglieds auf die Integrität seines Staatsgebietes. Wir müssen durch Taten zeigen, dass wir Stärke besitzen und bereit sein, sie einzusetzen! #Grönland

x.com/CornelWest/s... This is good, and I think it's also very noteworthy, because he has a strong position on the left. I don't agree with Cornel West on everything and think he is often too critical of Democrats, but this is a good statement.

Let that sink in: „The world’s 12 richest billionaires have more wealth than the poorest half of humanity, or more than 4 billion people.“

The Cinema Snob’s 1964 IN FILM is here! From the magic of Mary Poppins, to My Fair Lady, to The Beatles having a Hard Day’s Night, all the way to the gold covered thrills of Goldfinger, and most importantly, Santa Claus conquering Martians. Check it out here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1zE...

Auf der anderen Plattform. Wir nähern uns einen Punkt, an dem es zum Schwur kommt.

Die SPD hat einen sinnvollen Reformvorschlag für die #Erbschaftssteuer vorgelegt, urteilt #UDE -Sozioökonom @achimtruger.bsky.social in seiner @surplusmagazin.de-Kolumne.

#FairErben Die @fesonline.bsky.social hat zur Diskussion rund um die #Erbschaftssteuer eine Uhr erstellt, die zeigt auf was da vom Staat verzichtet wird. www.fes.de/finanzpoliti...

Geht doch.