1/ As the US continues AI-enabled strikes on Iran, new @brennancenter.org research from @emileayoub.bsky.social and me examines how the military’s investments in the technology have been building to this moment. Congress must step up and reckon with AI’s dangers to life, liberty, and democracy 🧵:

The Trump administration is going after political opponents under the banner of "domestic terrorism," including environmental activists. “They make pretty clear that it is ideology itself that is going to be targeted," says @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social:

Trump's "massive and ongoing operation" against Iran is a clear violation of the Constitution's separation of powers. In our democracy, the president does not have the kingly power to plunge the nation into war without democratic debate and sanction. /1 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

The Pentagon wants AI that can fight wars without limits. Anthropic says there are lines it won't cross. And this week, that standoff turned into an all-out confrontation. To unpack the news, I spoke to Kat Duffy from the Council on Foreign Relations and Amos Toh from the Brennan Center:

Thanks to @knightcolumbia.org for giving me the opportunity to write about this as part of their larger project on reconstructing free expression - it’s such an important effort and I can’t wait to see what comes out of it.

Last July, we warned that the administration’s policy against “woke AI” would heap pressure on the tech industry to quash dissent. Today, it is pressuring industry to roll back safeguards aimed at preventing the mass surveillance of Americans, and lethal targeting without human oversight.

Such a treat to have this conversation with Mary C Curtis!

This is astonishing. A must read. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

The SAVE Act could block millions of Americans from voting. It is not common sense. If passed, it would be the first time in history Congress passed a vote suppression law. #SOTU

The SAVE Act would make voting harder for millions of Americans. It’s based on the lie that noncitizens routinely vote in our elections — the truth is that noncitizen voting is already illegal and vanishingly rare. bit.ly/4qS8wBr

Interested in Anthropic v DOD? Important thread below from expert on military use of AI 👇👇👇

Great piece by @jakelaperruque.bsky.social about how ICE is spying on observers and protesters and what Congress and state and local legislatures should do to stop it. www.techpolicy.press/how-ice-will...

And this is why ICE reform needs to include halting its intensifying surveillance of people exercising their First Amendment rights. Per @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social and colleagues.

CBP wants to collect social media handles from the roughly 14.5 million travelers visiting annually from countries deemed our “close allies.” This proposal comes after the administration has openly declared its intent to use social media to screen people for speech it doesn’t like. 1/

A federal trial starts today in N. Texas, & every American who cares about the First Amendment should be watching. Nine protesters face charges — incl. "providing material support" to terrorists — related to a demonstration outside an ICE detention facility on July 4. 1/ www.ms.now/news/antifa-...

Read Brandy's whole piece - it is such an important deep dive into what this trial means. www.ms.now/news/antifa-...

Federal prosecutors in Texas are seeking to convict protesters on "domestic terrorism"-related charges. The chilling implication: anything that feels "at odds with this administration’s policies could be considered domestic terrorism," says @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social.

This is truly breathtaking.

What. On. Earth.

Trump backed off calling Renee Good & Alex Pretti domestic terrorists because people didn't like it. But as I wrote, the admin is still doubling down on the use of domestic terrorism investigations to scare Americans away from using their First Amendment rights. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

It has been a week. I wanted to work out. I also wanted some wine. I decided to combine them. Everything is fine.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/o... 👇👇👇 “But more to the point, it’s election subversion, not cancellation, that is the real authoritarian move. The goal is to keep elections going but without unseating those in power.”

Yesterday we learned that the Department of Justice is monitoring and tracking members of Congress’s searches of the Epstein files. There’s no sugar coating it: the administration is spying on lawmakers as they exercise their constitutional oversight responsibilities. 1/10

NEW: Most election cases in 2022 and 2024 were decided in state court. I previewed some of what the @statecourtreport.org team will be watching this election year -- and explain why Trump's call to nationalize elections is unconstitutional. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

See more of @margyoh.bsky.social's analysis of ICE's arrest data here: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Alarming new revelations about ICE's use of administrative subpoenas to get information about people the administration wanted to detain and deport because of their protests against government policies. theintercept.com/2026/02/10/g...

No DHS funding without stronger oversight and accountability, civil liberties protections, curbs on violence. Congress must "flex its muscle" - by @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social, @margyoh.bsky.social, @hannahajames.bsky.social

It was great to join KQED’s Marisa Lagos for this conversation today - we hit ICE surveillance tech, the admin’s targeting of observers and protestors (and even retirees emailing govt employees!), the exception that gives the govt free rein to buy loads of personal data from data brokers, and more.

The Constitution is quite clear: states run elections in our country. The president has no role.” - @mawaldman.bsky.social on Trump's talk of federalizing elections.

🎙️ON AIR: We're talking to @brennancenter.org's @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social and @nytimes.com's @sheeraf.bsky.social about how the facial-recognition tools used by federal immigration agencies work and what they mean for enforcement and civil liberties. ❓What are your Qs about this tech? 📻Listen:

I shouldn't be shocked by the exciting new frontiers[TM] in unwanted consumer-facing AI, but this one took me by surprise. I'm emailing with a staff member at my son's school about signing up to bring some kind of food that reflects my family's culture for Culture Day.

Join me and @sheeraf.bsky.social at 1 pm ET/10 am PT *today* as we talk with @kqedforum.bsky.social about ICE surveillance and more. www.kqed.org/forum/201010...

Excellent piece from my colleague @hannahajames.bsky.social on the legal and constitutional bankruptcy of ICE's position that it can break down doors on the basis of nothing more than a piece of paper signed by an employee of the executive branch. www.justsecurity.org/130497/dhs-w...

Love to see the increasing recognition that DHS is overdue for major reform and that we need to "end the securitization of American life." I couldn't agree more! www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/o...

The administration is massively expanding surveillance for immigration enforcement. @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social asks: “Are we also going to expand it or wield it against U.S. citizens who are engaging in entirely lawful protest activity?”

🔔 Immigration enforcement reporting can be dangerous. Learn how lessons from one community can apply elsewhere with local journalists @eltragon.bsky.social, @franciagarciah.bsky.social, @nigrotime.bsky.social, and @kevinhfoster.bsky.social. Feb. 5, 2 pm ET RSVP: freedom.press/covering-immigration

wapo.st/4bXee03 Good rundown of the tech that ICE has in hand, fueled partly by the spending spree it was able to go on after the Big Beautiful Bill.

Important thread from an expert on immigration and DHS funding👇👇🧵🧵

ICE is spending big on surveillance tools like iris scanning software. That raises serious privacy and free speech concerns. “The idea that someone is going to be pulled off the street and have their face scanned feels enormously dystopian,” says Brennan Center's @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social.

Federal agents showed up *at the house* of an ICE watcher in order to threaten her over completely lawful activity. They literally told her: “This is a warning. We know you live right here.” This is not normal. www.pressherald.com/2026/01/23/i...

Federal agents killed innocent civilians. The response of the U.S. attorney general is to use it as leverage to illegally access voter data.

Day after day in Minneapolis, ordinary people have pulled out their phones and documented ICE & Border Patrol's actions, often in the face of threats and tear gas. They showed the world the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. But what happens when the camera is in ICE’s hands? 1/11

The Insurrection Act lets the president deploy the military on American soil. It's dangerously vague. Learn more: bit.ly/3GsFBhL

And now Alex Pretti is being called a domestic terrorist by Stephen Miller. This should be no surprise at this point - it’s part of a playbook that strips the word of its meaning and facilitates the targeting of people who oppose the administration’s policies. www.cnn.com/us/live-news...

My heroes today include documentary photographers. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/us...

This is outrageous and un-American. Full stop. Let's start with the basics: being an observer or a protester does not make you a "domestic terrorist," as I explained shortly after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good. 1/12 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

The president can’t declare war or lock someone up without a fair hearing. That’s why we have Congress. That’s why we have courts. That’s why we have a Constitution. Stand up for checks and balances. Protect due process. Protect democracy.

L.A./Southern Cal folks! It is essential to protect the right to record! For all – Jane Q. Public, not only journalists! Adam Rose is a ferocious + trustworthy advocate. Pls send your witness/victims info. The lead lawyer is the doyenne for these types of cases in L.A. I know they will win!

Multiple administration officials have called Renee Good a domestic terrorist. Here’s why that’s both wrong and dangerous. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

“We can still stop these abuses of power, but we need to be clear about what we’re facing. This is no longer a conversation about law enforcement or immigration policy. This is about authoritarianism.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...