In the Epstein story, the rape and trafficking of girls has been made into a metaphor for the economic exploitation by the elites of the American people. But there’s also actual rape involved, and it’s not a metaphor.

Here's a new and super-useful report from the @urbaninstitute.bsky.social, which looks at recent successes in blocking warehouse conversion to detention centers. It considers federal law, as well as the ways that localities can most effectively create restrictions that will stick.

🧵 DHS/Kristi Noem responded to Rep. Paul Gosar's letter and questions about the proposed concentration camp in Surprise. Incredibly disturbing that DHS describes this industrial warehouse in the desert as "humane" and overall there's not *much* new information but I'll highlight some answers below.

We don't need 100% of America to be angered and activated by this, anywhere around 3 to 5% would be enough. Think we can find roughly 10 million people or more to get pissed off over this?

I forgot I RTed this and getting a second kick out of it lol

A common refrain I've heard from (often well-meaning) people is that they agree that Section 230 is important, but they'd like to reform it so it doesn't apply to algorithmically recommended content. I think that's a bad idea and finally wrote a long thing explaining why.

"It is not a coincidence that Epstein was also interested in crypto, in AI, in right-wing populism, in trad Cath extremists, and anti-trans ideology, ... Epstein gravitated toward fields and figures that rank humans, explain away cruelty, or biologize inequality."

Feels lazy to keep reposting this but apparently it's still relevant

If the British monarchy isn't dissolved this decade, let alone this year I will be shocked.

Umm… no. We expect more rulings on emergency applications as soon as Monday.

“We were stunned [about the prescience] for a while, but we’ve really gotten to the point where it’s really sad. It’s just sad how predictable and lame and obvious and wrong it all is. Fascism is just a total fail in the end.” www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-featur...

Aren't you glad you didn't verify?

A direct cash program for people who are pregnant and earning less than $39,000 a year launched this month in Multnomah County and is still accepting applications. www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

"It's great news. Politicians heard VPN users' worries and fears in Wisconsin, how a ban just wouldn't work, and removed that section," EFF’s Rin Alajaji told @techradar.com, but “the bill is still very problematic even without the VPN provision." www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-pri...

still remember the "it's too early/hyperbolic/irresponsible to compare these guys to Nazi Germany" Reasonable Posters - whom, I imagine, are waiting for the renovations to be completed before they update their priors

Hundreds of local elections with upcoming deadlines still boltsmag.org/criminal-jus...

Just think about the amazing Epstein scoops the new CBS Evening News contributors will have just by interviewing each other.

so while most of you have been absolutely lovely — and thanks for that btw! — it is sadly time for the quarterly reminder: if you are being "playfully" rude in the replies of someone you have not met, you are just being rude. you have not yet earned the good faith required for joking rudeness!

If there is any political group with any sense & minimal leftist values, they'd reach out to PC gamers right now & build a movement to reinvigorate anti-trust & force it as a campaign platform. I paid over $200 for each of these. A week later they were worth over $700ea. This needs to be stopped.

Interesting point. The bad redaction in this case may be old, even if this doc is in the latest dump as well.

Sometimes I remind myself Hunter S. Thompson exited long before his writing could not catch up to the level of absurdity reality beat him to.

Today, members of the House will vote on a dangerous bill that will expand government censorship under the guise of protecting youth online. Tell your representative to protect the First Amendment and vote NO.

The DOJ is instructing judges to IGNORE an order issued last week saying that people who meet certain criteria are eligible for bond. Basically the right to seek bond had been severely limited to a small group of people because the regime is interpreting relevant statutes in a "very different way".

Promise me (sigh) when this bubble bursts we put the fear of God into ANY POLITICIAN who thinks or even floats the idea of a bailout for these tech companies. Anything less than a public takeover of those companies is oligarchal appeasement. They failed. They get to feel the consequences.

The supply might not be endless, but I'm ready to donate hard drives if that's literally *the thing* the government is telling the court is the limiting factor in retaining evidence of ICE abuse.

alarming. gift link

most D members of congress have many years of votes to fund and expand the powers of ICE and CBP, despite warnings from experts. of course they aren’t going to abolish what they created. it would, at minimum, be extremely embarrassing to their legacy the way forward is this:

Wow, what's that like? www.bbc.com/news/live/c2...

Simultaneously, in an era of tech CEO led pro-natalism, here you have a guy desperate and doggedly determined to create new life and then once he does, is shit at actually taking care of it.

Trump doesn’t have to call on House Republican to vote to release the file. Trump can order Bondi and Patel to release the files. Tomorrow. The question is, has he already ordered Bondi and Patel to destroy some of the files after they went through them months ago.

@govpritzker.illinois.gov I want you to watch this video of me slammed to the ground- why are you allowing this to happen to people you know are on the right side of history. They tied my hands behind my back and when I asked them to be loosened because I was going numb they said, “STFU.”

Remember the recent middle-of-the-night apartment building raid where children were dragged outside naked & zip-tied in the street while black & Latino residents were _sorted by race_ and piled into separate vans while their apartments were ransacked & robbed? That raid? So it resulted in 0 arrests.

I really am having an issue with more opinions & reportage on likely right wing power unions/alliances formulating currently and less news in what's forming on the left. We can laugh & consume w/ morbid enthusiasm, MAGA breaking up & the rise of Nick Fuentes, but it's always the most organized...

they did this in atlanta earlier this year too. you could follow the helicopter on flightaware as it went church by church down the main roads in immigrant communities

I have a friend who works in construction. The cost of wood, steel & aluminum shot up in his first term & I was hearing it first hand. I shared this online & someone who alleged they worked in construction said "no it didn't". They were either lying or an idiot. Either way I stop engaging.

Sarah Longwell: "The story of Epstein is not just a story of whether or not Trump at some point engaged in the rapid of...underage girls...It's a story of corruption and elite protection at the expense of the average American."

the angry base has been right and the savvy "calm down" caucus has been wrong every step of the way for the last 10 years

Members fly and the donors and people close to them fly a LOT. My first thought when I’d heard they were caving

"Dig in"...

Schumer (NY) 202 224-6542 Booker (NJ) 202 224-3224 King (ME) 202 224-5344 Hassan (NH) 202 224-3324 Durbin (IL) 202 224-2152 Ossoff (GA) 202 224-3521 Shaheen (NH) 202 224-2841 Gillibrand (NY) 202 224-4451 Masto (NV) 202 224-3542 Warner (VA) 202 224-2023

The trending hashtags within this next 24hrs better be #PrimarySchumer #PrimaryJeffries

To the Fascists and Vichy Dems right now....

(Me absorbing the pain of New York billionaires right now)

Christian Bale's speech at the 2019 Golden Globes for his role as Dick Cheney in Vice: youtu.be/Z0Ce37Au9xM?...

I'm shaking almost too hard to type. I entered SLC airport and heard screams and cries for help. I could see people gathered around, watching. I sped over to discover this woman face down on the floor, four grown men pushing her down, while she cried "HELP ME" and pled for her child.

So he's using the VP loophole

So now we're directly bribing the military through private, anonymous donors.