Whether It Is ICE or Local Police, the U.S. Has Normalised Anti-Democratic Law Enforcement Practices open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

Watching the world fall apart open.substack.com/pub/garrison...

War-Making Belongs to Congress―and the Oil Belongs to the People of Venezuela

☀️TOP in @punchbowlnews.bsky.social AM: Election years are supposed to be predictable, but nine days into the new year, Johnson and Thune have been plunged into a series of uncomfortable — and in some cases, intractable — political problems. We break it all down: punchbowl.news/article/camp...

Weeks before the fatal shooting of a driver in Minneapolis by an ICE officer this week, officials warned ICE agents on the ground to remain vigilant about protesters and be “prepared to take appropriate and decisive action should you be faced with an imminent threat.”

In 2023, Ohio voters codified reproductive freedom into law. Now, three years later, state Republicans are pushing to oppose the people by pursuing a backdoor ban on abortion that targets telemedicine and Medicaid funding, Susan Rinkunas writes. https://bit.ly/4srpQhH

“I don’t need international law…My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” open.substack.com/pub/america/...

If we want to live in the democratic republic Franklin, Paine, and Madison imagined where power is given by “the consent of the governed,” then outrage isn’t enough, writes @hartmannreport.com.

NEWS --> Reps Eric Swalwell and Dan Goldman are introducing a new bill to strip ICE officers of qualified immunity, making lawsuits and prosecutions easier. They also say agent who killed Renee Good should be prosecuted in Minnesota. They break this news on our pod: newrepublic.com/article/2051...

Donald Trump’s quest for Greenland could upend transatlantic ties, in turn undermining the most important political and military alliance in the world. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

A Post investigation found that the Office of Refugee Resettlement, or ORR, has locked some teenage migrant boys inside Abraxas Academy, a secure juvenile prison with a long and publicly documented history of staff physically and sexually abusing offenders in its care. https://wapo.st/4py8KML

NEW: A teacher called over a dozen therapists to find mental health care following a miscarriage. An EMT spent months looking for one after a suicide attempt. They couldn’t find any in-network provider able to see them. Now they're suing their insurer.

Trump has transformed the imperial boomerang into a Mobius Strip that feeds his insatiable and seemingly unstoppable lust for power. Be very afraid. My latest: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/o...

We celebrate librarians who find innovative ways to make makerspaces available to their community.

Alex Jones shared a video he said showed Venezuelans celebrating Nicolás Maduro’s capture. But PolitiFact found this footage dates back to 2024 and shows people protesting election fraud.

John Roberts, Stop Gaslighting America open.substack.com/pub/graveinj...

That’s the Whole Ballgame, Folks talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/new-a...

Breaking News: Gov. Kathy Hochul, partnering with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will unveil a plan to expand free or affordable child care for New Yorkers across the state.

The danger of this moment cannot be overstated. Trump/Noem's vile defense of the killing shows that the heavily-armed government agents roaming our cities are unbound/unaccountable even when they kill Americans. On the pod, @felipedlh.bsky.social and I dig into this: newrepublic.com/article/2050...

Robin Wonsley, a member of Minneapolis City Council, condemns the Trump administration's "blatant lies" about Wednesday's ICE killing of Renee Nicole. She warns others across the country that "if this could happen to a 37-year-old mother, this could happen to you in your city."

He has been sending dogwhistle to MAGA thugs. "If you kill for me, your crimes will be forgiven and you will be rewarded."

Literally the Mantra of my Life these days…

A report from the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank tied to the architects of Project 2025, urges lawmakers “to save and restore the American family” through discouraging online dating, creating marriage “bootcamp” classes and more.

Very few public spaces put time, energy, and square footage into giving teens a place to claim as specifically their own.

A Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan is hoping to use rising backlash against massive data-center development projects to mobilize voters. https://www.notus.org/campaigns/abdul-el-sayed-democrat-senate-candidate-data-center-backlash

Gov. Moore wants Maryland to set its own vaccine rules

Breaking news: A frame-by-frame analysis of video footage from a deadly encounter in Minneapolis between ICE agents and a 37-year-old woman raises questions about accounts from officials like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem.

NASA’s science missions have ennobled American culture and advanced American science. Donald Trump has tried to end that era of ambition, Ross Andersen reports:

Records from the Federal Procurement Data System reveal that ICE has increased spending on “small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing” by more than 600% compared to 2024 levels. popular.info/p/ice-boosts...

The ACLU of Utah filed a lawsuit challenging the state's book banning law on behalf of students and authors across the state. The First Amendment protects our freedom to read and express ourselves freely, and we'll always fight to defend it.

“We are the only African American-owned grocery store in the entire State of Wisconsin, committed to addressing food insecurity, food equity, and public health outcomes,” — Sherman Park Grocery owners Maurice “Moe” Wince and Yashica Spears urbanmilwaukee.com/2026/01/07/s...

But it’s not too late to improve this situation. Members of Congress can stop another unjustifiable war—and help Americans pay their bills instead.

Kevin Hassett might do Trump’s bidding at the Federal Reserve—marking a new stage in the president’s control over the American economy, Rogé Karma argues.

"ICE has waged a recruitment drive drenched in war metaphors and martial imagery. The type of person sought...is someone with a fervor for guns and an eagerness to apply violence." Good work by @aselrod.bsky.social putting shooting in context of MAGA's violent ethos: www.ms.now/opinion/ice-...

Although this year's flu vaccine doesn't protect as well against the dominant subclade K strain, doctors still say that getting vaccinated is worthwhile. (via @politifact.bsky.social) https://to.pbs.org/4puQNym

Remember, the government won't stop at regulating the books you are allowed to access in libraries. "An institution that purports to be a university has told a philosophy professor he is forbidden from teaching Plato."

The Smithsonian is facing an ultimatum from the White House to comply next week with a comprehensive review of the institution’s content and plans — or risk potential cuts to its budget.