Do you ever wonder how bad things under Trump could get? How America taught Colombia how to run death squads with plausible deniability might provide a clue.

How bad could it get under Trump at home?

1/5 What about the Leahy Law? It began with Amnesty International, which, in 1994, documented abuses by 14 Colombian military units. The U.S. Southern Command conducted an “official use only” audit and found 13 out of 14 of the units had received prior U.S. training or aid.

The rise and of fall of the Leahy Law, America’s most consequential #humanrights law, is included in this piece. It is an example of why so few #warcrimes, even after they are documented, are ever prosecuted. #Colombia

How to Kill Subversives and Get Away with It. My piece on whether America’s complicity in war crimes in nations like Colombia may come back on us at home under Trump? newlinesmag.com/essays/how-t...

My piece on Colombia and what our role in its war crimes can teach us.

Treason.

1) The NRA has long been inclusionary when it comes to women, having put a woman, rifle champion Alice Bull, on its board in 1949, 23 years before the National Press Club did, and, more recently, having hired LGBTQ staffers at its VA headquarters.

Locking down your phone, being mindful of what you're wearing, and coming up with plans to communicate with others are all key steps to take before attending a protest. ssd.eff.org/module/atte...

My piece in Common Dreams on Trump's paramilitary plans, as we endure our daily violence from guns like the Annunciation Catholic School shooting in Minneapolis. #minneapolischurch #gunsense #gunreform #UnathorizedNRA www.commondreams.org/opinion/gun-...

Why can't we stop mass shootings? It's not about the NRA or its money anymore. It's about the ideology of gun rights that NRA, gun industry and extremist groups have been promoting for years. Until Americans who want #gunreform wake up to that, nothing will change. #Minneapolis

America suffers an ongoing epidemic of gun violence, as the Catholic Church shooting in Minneapolis shows. What can we do? Instead of doing what we haven't done in over 50 years, and finally pass meaningful and gun reforms, we watch Trump's militias arm up. #minneapolischurch

1: Remove their identity 2: Reject their reality 3: Resist their will 4: Block validation 5: Assign guilt 6: Protect the vulnerable 7: Cultivate external allies 8: Take the focus 9: Create the alternative #3E #refusefascism #nokings www.patreon.com/BindingChaos...

Machine Gun America. My piece up in @theprogressivemag.bsky.social The Trump administration has legalized a device called a forced trigger reset. An improvement on a bump stock, it makes an AR-15 reload and keep firing as fast or faster than a Vietnam War-era M16. progressive.org/latest/machi...

1/2 What did Ronald Reagan say about machine guns for civilian needs? See it below. Donald Trump's DOJ legalized forced trigger resets last month. They are a game changer in accuracy and firepower. See my story Machine Gun America in @theprogressive 2/2. www.youtube.com/shorts/ltR0w...

Machine Gun America. My piece up in @theprogressivemag.bsky.social The Trump administration has legalized a device called a forced trigger reset. An improvement on a bump stock, it makes an AR-15 reload and keep firing as fast or faster than a Vietnam War-era M16. progressive.org/latest/machi...

Are you a freelance journalist? The 4th Sotloff Memorial HEFAT course will occur in Miami July 14 - 16. Open to qualified freelancers. Details at this link. mailchi.mp/gjs-security...

“Sarah was committed to a concept known as the “third narrative.” It’s a vision that seeks to rise above the noise of vengeance and violence by focusing instead on shared humanity and the mutual right to dignity, safety and peace for Jews and Muslims.” www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/o...

Two Israeli embassy staff officials dead after shooting outside Wasington, D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum. This is terrorism and there is no excuse for it. People of good conscience must condemn violent attacks on civilians no matter who is behind them. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Machine gun America!. The Trump administration has agreed to allow the sale of a device that converts a semi-automatic weapon into a fully-automatic gun. Machine guns were restricted in 1934 and outlawed in 1986. Now they're back. #gunsense #gunreform www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...

Thus spoke the totalitarian despot. This is a harbinger of what may come to curb the free press and even entertainers from comedians to musical performers. As the economy worsens and social tensions increase, Trump will not be able to handle independent criticism.

“Where once a blue press vest offered some guarantee of protection, now many journalists in war zones say it feels like it puts a target on their backs.” www.theguardian.com/media/2025/m...

The #NRA still loves Trump, but it's finally throwing Wayne LaPierre under the bus. "We’ve endured the shame of discovering and confronting the misdeeds of former NRA leaders and officials. Misdeeds that many of our loyal and courageous members rightly criticized and condemned.

Fatima Hassouna said: “I f I die…I don't want to be in a breaking news, nor in a number with a group, I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that will not be buried by time or place.” Radio Nisaa

America number 1 in gun violence. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/u...

RIP Marla, a modern Saint.

BREAKING: NRA complains "Germany Strips 'Extremist' AfD Members, Supporters of Gun Licenses, Guns" in online post, seconding VP JD Vance's prior claim that German authorities should not attempt to silence or now disarm this "popular opposition party." www.nraila.org/articles/202...

Go ahead and share… #ElonTheBaronMusk, #TaxMuskNow, #MuskMonopolyMan youtu.be/RPGmLGGcc_8?...

The grad school alma many including me. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/hi...

First they came for the pronouns, and I didn't speak because I don't use any. Then they came for non-binary people, and I didn't speak because I wasn't one. Then they came for me, and now we're all-me and you- fucked for good. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/b...

Got a domestic abuse conviction like Mel Gibson? No problem. Trump AG Pam Bondi will give you your gun rights back. people.com/mel-gibson-g...?

“This does not just affect North Carolina,” Riggs said. “This is like dropping a match in a really dry forest. And if we let this kind of anti-democratic effort take hold, we will not be able to contain it. So this is a fight for the very soul of democracy. Today’s decision was deeply misinformed.”

An unexpected, timely reminder of the importance of accountability with people and their institutions. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/u...

GOP TX Rep: America needs Nazi “supervision.” GOP TX Rep. Keith Self, quotes Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, without irony about “it is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion.” m.youtube.com/watch?v=PRBU...

BREAKING: President Donald Trump aims to reshape the Smithsonian museums and zoo with an order targeting funding to programs with "improper ideology."

What could @realDonaldTrump see as "improper" or "divisive, race-centered ideology" at @NationalZoo ? On Eastern Monday the Zoo plans to host "a day of rest...for many local African American families" as part of a DC tradition spanning over 112 years. www.si.edu/newsdesk/rel...

“A federal judge on Friday temporarily halted the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle Voice of America, the government-funded international broadcaster whose prospective demise has alarmed advocates for press freedoms.” www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/b...

Jose Ruben Zamora is the most accomplished investigative reporter, editor and publisher in Guatemala. He has been jailed for more than 800 days on trumped up charges. Ten international organizations have filed a joint amicus brief demanding his release. cpj.org/2025/03/10-i...

Murphy: "If we continue to observe norms, if we continue to engage in business as usual, this democracy could be gone. I don't think we have a year to save American democracy. I think the way the president is acting ... puts out democracy at immediate risk."

“If you have a social media page, make sure it is not filled with commentary on the Middle East,” he told the gathering in Pulitzer Hall. When a Palestinian student objected, the journalism school’s dean, Jelani Cobb, said: “Nobody can protect you. These are dangerous times.”

Trump and Vance’s spectacle didn’t show strength, but fear of being challenged by a real leader.

Firing top Naval officer and first woman chief of Naval operations. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/u...

Ruth Kronenburg, Executive Director Free Press Unlimited at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in #Geneva: "A #press vest, once a symbol of protection, has now become a target." #HRC58 #UN #pressfreedom #safetyforjournalists

This is real, and it violates the Constitution and the rule of law.

SCOOP: On his second day as HHS secretary, RFK Jr., the onetime environmentalist, killed climate change programs at NIH that research and prepare for the health effects of extreme weather and a warming planet. This is not going to make Americans healthy. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

“A spokesman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry described USAID as “a machine for interfering in internal affairs” and “a mechanism for changing regimes.” El Salvador’s president accused USAID of using its funds to “fuel dissent [and] finance protests.”” www.icij.org/news/2025/02...

Do more guns facilitate the establishment of authoritarianism?

A federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled 18 to 20-year-olds may buy guns, following a SCOTUS decision, citing the Militia Act of 1792, which required “every free able-bodied white male” between 18 and 45 to join with their rifle or musket. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/u...

“Nearly 100 journalists and other members of civil society using WhatsApp, the popular messaging app owned by Meta, were targeted by spyware owned by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli maker of hacking software, the company alleged on Friday.” www.theguardian.com/technology/2...