For the first time since she was freed from an immigration prison, Rümeysa Öztürk speaks. And she does so by ... writing: "Writing is the heart of freedom of expression. Unbelievably, this single opinion piece, published in our student newspaper, would lead to my arrest and detention."

Just How Hot Are Our Nation’s Prisons?

Tens of thousands of people from across Asia have been coerced into defrauding people in America and around the world out of millions of dollars. Those who resist face beatings, food deprivation or worse. (Published 2022)

The claim that Emil Bove told DOJ lawyers they might have to say "fuck you" to court orders rightfully shocked people. The full scope of lawyer Erez Reuveni's claims, however, paints an even more damning picture. At Law Dork, here are 11 key allegations from the whistleblower disclosure —>

The Minnesota shooter apparently used data broker websites to find the home addresses of the people he shot and murdered. Congress has had years to do something about data brokers and they've sided with the tech lobby over and over again. Their inaction is deadly.

Today’s unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for removals of migrants to third countries without any additional process is a disaster—not just on the merits, but because of the government misbehavior that it not only refuses to punish, but effectively rewards. Me, via “One First”:

NEW: Rümeysa Öztürk's latest filings include a strong set of declarations from a number of experienced immigration lawyers in MA, NH, VT, and ME who say the way Öztürk was rapidly shuttled out of state and then from place to place was highly unusual, illogical, and (by all appearances) unnecessary.

Two-thirds of both houses of Congress could undo this whenever they want by passing a bill over Trump's veto taking all power to set tariff rates away from him. Tariffs are set by law. The Constitution gives the president no power over tariffs--only our current laws do that.

If more Americans realized just how fundamentally bad at business Trump always has been, then maybe we wouldn’t be in the mess. But the media at large—news, publishing, TV, social—has always upheld this myth. It’s part of the myth of capitalism itself

CNN got one right

This guy is in one of the worst prisons in the world with no way out and may spend the rest of his life there because, it appears, he has an autism awareness tattoo in honor of his little brother. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Exactly. The Argentinian organizers we spoke with tonight spoke about this kind of violence (there and here) as a form of communication.

Dozens more pregnant and postpartum women have died in Texas hospitals since the state banned abortion, our analysis shows. As the maternal mortality rate dropped nationally, it rose in Texas by 33%.

WHAT DOES BUKELE GET FOR TAKING IN VENEZUELANS DEPORTED BY THE UNITED STATES? Cash, a U.S. seal of approval for his human rights-challenged prisons and gang leaders who might otherwise have testified against him in U.S. courts Mary Beth Sheridan reports www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

When civil society institutions — big law firms, Ivy League institutions — cave to Trump rather than fight what appear to be illegal demands, do they expect him to be satisfied and stop? Do they believe others should step in and fight where they have not?

As a Jewish Columbia alum, disgusted to see this capitulation of the university to a fascist regime under the pretense of fighting antisemitism

Vichy Columbia

Amidst an increasingly hostile environment, the Helpline has been extended through the first 100 days of the Trump administration. U.S. journalists and news outlets concerned about their safety can email urgentcare[at]electionsos[dot]org with “SAFETY” in the subject line for safety consults. (2/3)

I think this is our future unless someone stops him. Musk’s plan for X has been for it to replace the entire banking system. His keen interest in seizing control of Treasury payments (and its tech) may forebode an intention to have such payments go through X www.theverge.com/2023/10/26/2...

We're witnessing the wholesale hijacking of the federal government by a single billionaire. Struggling to think of a parallel in American history.

I hope people see how truly alarming this is: 1. Musk's team, who may not even be US govt employees yet, have complete access to OPM's databases of PII on federal employees and have locked out career employees 2. Musk's people trying to do same with THE US TREASURY MASTER PAYMENT SYSTEM 🚨

So if I’m understanding today correctly, the world’s richest person Elon Musk, whom no one elected, is taking over federal payment systems and employee data while the federal employees who investigate and prosecute public corruption are being fired en masse.

Let’s talk about what the authoritarian aggression we know is coming will look like. Built on an existing system of political harassment, it’s already taking shape, as it did this week in my neck of the woods. Thread. 1/26 www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Long shot ask: Anyone know what state is of the Al Faranj synagogue in the old Jewish Quarter in Damascus (very near Talisman Hotel)? The elderly people who took care of it all passed away in the past few years. (Last synagogue in Syria after Assad destroyed the one in Jobar in 2013) #damascus

“Raghad al-Tatary, a pilot who refused to bomb the city of Hama during the uprising against Hafez al-Assad in the 1980s, was freed after 43 years; Tal al-Mallouhi, 19 when she was arrested in 2009 for a blogpost criticising state corruption, was found alive.” www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

The red ropes seen in the video were used for daily executions in Sednaya Prison. They should stand as one of the symbols of the dark era Syria endured under the rule of the Assad family and their prisons.

So, that was it. Oral arguments in US vs Skrmetti is now in the history books, though the judgement won't come until June. I haven't read other commentary. Not yet. I wanted to write a thread of my impressions first, and see what the experts are saying afterwards. 🧵

We have to hire armed guards for the high holidays. A couple of randos yelled "fucking kikes" at my kids out of a car window last year. There have been *multiple* high profile antisemitic murders over the past several years. But don't worry, this goyish lady is here to tell us it's NBD, really.

the frenzy over the hunter biden pardon is a good reminder that the press knows how to make something a scandal and has decided that nothing trump does is truly deserving of that treatment

The helpline provides one-on-one support for digital, physical, psychosocial & legal concerns like threats, arrests & doxing. Created by Knight Election Hub, PEN America, @jejem.bsky.social @yemile.bsky.social Ramy Ghaly & a team of safety organizations @freedom.press @pressfreedom.bsky.social (3/3)

3/ And if Trump exits, there is no functioning government to lead. Each news & opinion piece about piecemeal outrages should also make note of the way that the outrages degrade democracy. The existential threat is the ongoing story. @jfallows.bsky.social

“The fact that Trump prevailed is a damning statement on the health of our media systems. These institutions have all failed us.”

"A person who merely refuses to learn what can be known is not a skeptic, but rather an ignoramus; a person who raises questions but does not seek their answers is not a skeptic, but a bullshitter." defector.com/what-the-fuc...

NEW: Legislation that would bar the United States government from spying on journalists—except under rare, specific circumstances—is currently stalled in Congress. Now, with only weeks left to legislate, press advocates are urging Senate Democrats to pass the bill, known as the PRESS Act.

A lot of people have shared this poem over the past week. It’s a sentiment I think about a lot, especially now. I hope everyone is doing what they need to take care of themselves. One step at a time. One day at a time.

More thoughts on the news, thanks to a chat with @farrahfazal.bsky.social. Fascists rely on overwhelming us with information and fear. Overload. They want us to feel overwhelmed to the point we feel paralyzed. Beyond the actual horribleness of the news we are seeing, this is also the objective.

If you’re a journalist in the U.S. and face risks to your safety or wellbeing because of your work, please reach out for one-on-one holistic safety support

Trump went to an event about antisemitism and said it would be the Jews’ fault if he lost the election

"Langsam entsteht in Redaktionen ein Bewusstsein dafür, dass es für Journalist*innen immer Bedrohungen geben kann. Man kann physische Risiken nicht von psychischen oder sozialen Gefahren oder auch von Angriffen auf die Reputation trennen", sagt @yemile.bsky.social: www.journalist.de/startseite/d...

‘A curse to be a parent in Gaza': More than 3,600 Palestinian children killed in just 3 weeks of war

one thing I don’t think a lot of people have internalized is how much worse a second Trump term will be they aren’t neophytes anymore this time they have plans, one of which is replacing basically every federal bureaucrat with a 25 year old groyper it will get very bad very fast

I think part of the despair we’re all feeling is not just the immediate horror of what is happening but it’s the knowledge that all of this will make the next 20 years be like the previous 20, only worse.

The saddest conversations I’ve had this week are with Palestinian and Israelis who see each others pain, and feel helpless to stop the cycle of violence they are in. They sound so defeated.

i just want to be sure everyone knows that there is absolutely NO privacy on this fucking website. the firehose-- every post being made by everyone-- is publicly available by API. do not post anything on here you don't want scraped and used by bad actors

i was nervous to publish this for so many reasons, but i did it anyway. as i write, it’s time to be brave. i hope you’ll read it. www.thehandbasket.co/p/we-can-cho...

Many died unambiguously. The killers waited, anonymously, to be identified, and in the void between weapons were put into motion, found bodies, and rendered them dead, killings all authored with the authorship implied, inferred, unknown, not yet full established, as their real victims died actively.