A thing that annoys me about the Axios newsletter is that the tone is consistently “I am one of the top experts on this thing I learned about five minutes ago.” Also that they have 280 sources in the White House but their only source on the left is Rep. Capitulate Middle (D).

This is a great book: "Paper Girl," by Beth Macy @bethmacy.bsky.social Also read Sarah Smarsh. We need a press that understands the reality of Americans

“This is something that governments in Iran and Syria and East Germany and maybe military regimes back in the day in Argentina and Brazil would do, but in the United States? That’s just crazy,” he said.

Civilians have had apparent seizures. One had his eyes roll back. Another had ribs broken. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen put in a chokehold. The government won’t say if any agents have been punished.

Imagination is a beautiful thing

Such an important story: ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the U.S. and the fear of what comes next. @micarosenberg.bsky.social

Greed is killing this country.

This will not right the ship financially — it never has, and Bezos likely knows that. And by not speaking publicly or literally standing behind the position he holds as owner, he supports the many theories that he has bad/ selfish /political intent.

Jeff Bezos ignored letters from top Post journalists, but on Monday “he was there in person to warmly greet Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, on a tour of another one of the companies he owns, his Blue Origin spaceflight startup.” www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

Federal officials, in the highest offices, lie so easily, so publicly and so often these days that news reporting must no longer simply quote them without factchecking — (not referring here to @atrupar.com, who does the work of monitoring many things and alerting us to what's said)

Maybe the most important read of the day, from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social Information used as a weapon, by the federal government, threatens every element of the freedoms we claim

1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Banger of a story from @wsj.com (gift link) So much about this admin throws out rules and ethics about using office to profit the POTUS and family, great example and context here www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Recall that Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered not long ago by a fake cop who showed up at their door looking like this guy

In 2017, Jeff Bezos gave $1 million to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

This is a direct assault on the First Amendment by the Trump administration www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...

Attention national press: There was no pivot.

The amount of ICE funding -- and the extravagant spending on military gear, high salaries, travel — didn't get real debate during the OBB rush through. This is the time for it to be front and center in the coverage.

Notable: "The ballots are no longer secure." The feds, driven by the theories Trump has posted on his social media site, have full ability to alter them to create the outcome they seek.

Always read @propublica.org

The challenge our national press struggles with is keeping the lens wide — this is news, of course — and keeping attention on multiple topics. Huge challenge with an administration that commands the news cycle pretty effectively.

Journalism counts "bearing witness" as part of its mission. We live in an age when, thanks to communications technology and cultural shift, Jay Rosen's "people formerly known as the audience" also bear witness and report. Journalism's role shifts, and must recognize this www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/u...

My hed would be: Weapons Built for Military and Wars Used Now in U.S. Neighborhoods

Strong local journalism leads to better local government, case in point:

And an edit button. Please. Speaking as someone who frequently makes typos and just needs 10 or 15 minutes to notice and fix them. techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/b...

News coverage of AI focuses on the corporations, the spending, the stock prices. More attention is needed on the motivation to eliminate human jobs to increase profits — that's real and already is having impact, reshaping parts of the labor economy.

Go do important work with @jessicahuseman.bsky.social, who is smart and cool and cares about great journalism.

The NYT "reported on" Project 2025 -- they did report that it existed, it was mentioned a bunch of times in news stories almost in passing, there were some opinion pieces, but the paper didn't dig in to show the organizing and alert the nation to what would happen should Trump be elected again

One effect of Minnesota is that people who've been distraught / angry/ depressed about fed govt actions are finally being covered prominently. Though this piece puzzles with mention of (and imagery evoking) "violent unrest" when organizing has been notably nonviolent www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...

In NC, firearms aren't allowed at protests. Good work from Port City Daily portcitydaily.com/latest-news/...

This is an amazing quote from the people who spent years telling us what a menace federal regulation was

I think many in the US are not aware of the size of the ICE/DHS budget, real and proportional as part of the budget, and how fast it's grown. Yes, it HAS been reported — but not really as a focus — many unaware how much bigger it is than other things people value. Missing from spending bill stories.

Amazon paid Melania $40 million for a documentary about her....

So much appreciation for the journalists at @thewashingtonpost.bsky.social delivering coverage amid reports that drastic layoffs are near.

This morning, I recorded a video on TikTok about why DHS’s arguments for the power to enter homes without judicial warrants in immigration cases are bunk. Nine hours later, TikTok still says my video is “under review,” and can’t be shared. Well, here’s a link: georgetown.box.com/v/Vladeck-IC...

Glad that the "statement" from the Minnesota corporations isn't getting a lot of press. It says nothing — I could not discern any substance. Why make a statement if there's nothing stated?

And I’ll take over from Eric starting at 1!

We should all worry about what's about to happen to The Washington Post. We could use a new national outlet in its place that puts itself firmly on the side of the governed in reporting on the federal government (whose information can no longer be trusted) and national politics.

Waiting for the paper that only editorializes on "civil liberties and free markets" to weigh in on ICE tactics, i.e 4th amendment, 6th amendment, 1st amendment...

One thing that irks me: people keep calling the folks on the streets in Minneapolis protestors. They are not generally there to protest, they are there to observe and document. This is the product of organizing and mutual aid. It is telling that these acts of citizenship are seen as protest!

We're living in a time when people's real-time reporting to each other (right or wrong) is supplanting media on breaking news. Newsrooms need to recognize that reality — ie say there is video, we haven't verified — while reporting, verifying, contextualizing, other key journalism roles

The hollowing out of the Washington Post newsroom is increasingly evident — reporters are still producing good journalism, but on big national and international stories they don't have the firepower to keep up.

This thread, man.

Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...

Journalism has a crucial role but the Minnesota events also show that it's now a trailing vs. a leading source of information for many who are getting and sharing videos, photos, witness accounts. Verification, context, detail, all matter — but even more important to avoid "officials say" reporting

The Jan. 6 pardons were a signal that got far too little attention.

If you are tracking breaking news, read local sources: www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...

Striking change of norms: No mention of FEMA or federal concern (including by president) for people threatened by storm; meantime, federal agents kill another person in Minneapolis, White House official socials post AI doctored image - how quickly the federal govt moved from aid to militarization

What, if anything, will the federal government to help in the storm emergency(ies)?