Reminder: For 313 days, three Trump-appointed judges have stopped Judge Boasberg from probing possible criminal contempt of his turn-the-planes-around order of last March—conduct implicating, among others, Secy Noem, Judge Bove, DAG Blanche, and, maybe, higher officials.

Due to federal funding cuts, the nonprofit Heartland Human Care Services is closing three Chicago shelters that have been used to house unaccompanied minors coming to the U.S. (via @blairpaddock.bsky.social)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's sensational story about a self-cannibalistic immigrant on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flight never happened, according to a new report.

The maritime war tracker www.hisutton.com/Timeline-202...

Okay, folks- I know we all have plenty to do, but if you're at all concerned about the White House & historic preservation, please consider submitting public comment on Trump's ballroom project; info in this thread. First, a direct link for submitting written statements: www.ncpc.gov/participate/...

You still have the right to go into the post office and get a same-day postmark at the counter. If you have any doubts at all about whether you'll make the deadline, add some extra time to go into the Post Office, go to the counter, and get your voter registration or ballot hand-stamped!

Who is MAGA Judge Aileen Cannon? She was born in the Republic of Colombia in South America in 1981 to a father from Indiana & mother that fled Cuba after the Communist revolution. She was a possible candidate for AG under Trump & SCOTUS if there is a vacancy. This is the kind of judge Trump wants.

Lessons from the MN civil contempt case, by me: Petitioner’s atty: “I understand that the caseload has affected all parties astronomically, and we are all human. But my client is, too. . . . All the people behind these petitions are humans.” www.lawfaremedia.org/article/less...

"We will not be applauding like trained seals because the person who left the bath running and flooded our collective house eventually wandered back and turned off the taps." What the Supreme Court's tariff decision REALLY means from @lizdye.bsky.social www.lawandchaospod.com/p/you-do-not...

Cannon scathingly suggests that Jack Smith violated her order dismissing the criminal case against Trump when he continued to prepare his report on the prosecution from transmission to DOJ. Calls it a "brazen stratagem" meant to "circumvent" her authority. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer wrote that ICE had set up a “trap” for “thousands of non-citizens,” who are required to file forms, attend check-ins, or apply for asylum to receive permission to stay in the country. www.inquirer.com/news/mandato...

1. On January 23, Crypto.com donated $5 million to MAGA Inc, Trump's primary Super PAC. (The donation was first disclosed in a FEC filing Friday night.) Less than 1 month later, on February 17, the Trump administration intervened on Crypto.com's behalf in a high-stakes federal lawsuit.

Reports are now emerging from within the Dilley, Texas ICE Family Concentration Camp, which are referred to as “Blue Butterfly Zones.” These zones are where the camp’s young girls are being kept separated and isolated for unknown reasons.

We're sending toasty warm well wishes to all our friends in the northeast who are bracing for an apocalyptic snowstorm. Be safe please! ❤️❄️

I’ve been obsessed with this band for over a week now. They’re a Quebecois duo that’s skyrocketing into viral fame following this virtuosic KEXP performance which released on February 5. They’re a great reminder that artistic weirdness can be magic.

We are the laughingstock of the world because of our moronic and psychotic president. Deservedly so.

'Whoops': Lawyer who beat Trump in court uses admin's own argument to defeat new plan

We should have an Ambassador to Israel who does not believe that manifest destiny entitles Israel to all land from the Nile to the Euphrates.

A lovely Sat evening reading the Tariff case opinions! Justice Gorsuch’s concurrence is really something. First of all, his tone is that of the star student who volunteers to take over the class for the teacher, because he is best situated explain the subject to his dullard classmates.

Prominent conservative legal commentator Andrew McCarthy has an excellent National Review article explaining why the new Section 122 tariffs are illegal: www.nationalreview.com/corner/trump...

I’m on a trip with my family so I wasn’t going to do a newsletter but then I saw that visualization of very grim data that I thought deserved some comment. And then I added other stuff, too. www.howtoreadthisch.art/a-visualizat...

When he doesn't get his own way, Trump has the personality of a spoiled rotten 4-year-old child. He can do anything he wants to do, and if anyone tries to stop him, he'll hold his breath until the world turns blue.

A different perspective of a Torpedo Ray, a ray with the ability to stun prey with a jolt of electricity. One eye is visible but the Ampullae of Lorenzini, sweeping arc of light dots on the rt side, really stand out. They're specialized sensory pits that detect weak electric fields of prey & motion.

Trump's Tantrum Tariffs emptywheel.net/trumps-tantr...

Another very angry judge. This judge previously held detaining non-citizens without a hearing violates their due process rights. The government kept doing it, claiming that immigration judges (DOj employees) had to follow a decision from the top immigration court (the BIA, a DOJ “court”).

NEW: Here’s our searchable list of federal judges who have ruled on the legality of ICE’s mass detention policy — with links to key decisions by each. At least 380 district judges have rejected it in ~3,800 cases. 31 have upheld ICE’s approach ~180 times www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

President Trump keeps threatening to unilaterally impose rules (like voter ID requirements) on upcoming elections. Monday’s "One First" explains why—whether as a matter of constitutional law, existing federal statutes, or simple, practical logistics—his (ominous) threats are ultimately empty ones:

Who says Bluesky can’t just be fun and inspiring? Not me. Explore the replies.

This is a pretty cool gift I didn't know about; I think I am able to declare Canadian citizenship through my grandmother Doris H born in Nova Scotia early 1900's: immigration.ca/claiming-can...

Hey friends, here's some information about the "State of the Swamp” event being put on by the great @milestaylor.bsky.social. It’s set for 2/24 and will serve as counter-programming to the Orange Autocrat’s state of the union address. Go to defiance.org for details.

This is going to keep me going all day www.tiktok.com/@_stephenspe...

The @ACLU has filed a class action damages suit against federal & state officers over an Idaho immigration raid last October. 200 armed officers raided a horse-race festival, detaining 400 Latinos for 4 hrs. All adults & many teens ziptied & searched. 1/8 storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

I note that the White House originally said it was the White House Historical Association that preserved items from the East Wing. Now it says the General Service Administration and the National Park Service did. Did they? Did anyone?

Pam Bondi's Rap Sheet emptywheel.net/pam-bondis-r...

"I'm younger than Putin and that matters. He doesn't have much time left. God bless, not much time" Zelensky said.

Time for Kristi & Cory to take their Big Beautiful Jet for a sight seeing trip to Yemen since she thinks the country's conditions have improved enough that asylum seekers no longer qualify for TPS designation. Recommend the search for land mines in the desert tour www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

I don’t really know what I expect in posting this, but maybe some people see it and can learn from it. I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.” 1/

“The Constitution does not permit the government to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their constitutional rights because it would be too challenging to honor those rights.” It might not seem it to non-lawyers, but that is a *furious* judge right there.

Time for House members to take their oversite role seriously. They are "first responders" to the humanitarian crisis inside detention centers. Members could hire PT RN & SW as staffers to do the tours for them? Only constant oversite can change conditions inside www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

"El Jefe" Supported CBP's Information War and Violent Attack on Marimar Martinez emptywheel.net/el-jefe-supp...

Trump: "I'm letting everybody that builds a plant build their own electric plant. So they're building a massive plant that's 4 miles long by 4 miles wide, and I'm letting them build electric plants. Some are nuclear, some are oil and gas, some are coal as a backup just in case."

Kristi Noem launches retaliation bid in showdown with Dems over DHS funding

JUDGE JOHNSTON: “Today, immigrants are being detained without due process. Tomorrow, under the Government’s interpretation of the law, American citizens could be subject to the same .. This Court will not allow such an unraveling of the Constitution.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Judge Tunheim (Clinton) declines to dissolve his temporary restraining order blocking Trump policy requiring warrantless detention of 5,600 refugees in MN. Says DHS's new reading would mean govt has been violating the law for past 45 yrs. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Do they even have the proper number of toilets per person, or showers? No. Do they provide the most basic, decent privacy that humans deserve? Are they hotels? Are they dorms? No! No! No! Can we choose to live in or stay overnight in our corporate offices, which are zoned commercial? No!

“the Rio Grande River” 🫠

3x Trump voter: “He takes bribes blatantly, now he’s being a racist blatantly.”

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition. Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Update: Judge Alexakis said she is largely granting Marimar Martinez's motion to modify the court protective order around her case, allowing certain materials, incl. multiple texts from the Border Patrol agent who shot her, to be made public.