October 15, 2025

Saturday, October 18, is "No Kings Day." Here's the No Kings main page, where you can find events near you. 

Tony Romm of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from conducting mass federal layoffs during the government shutdown, siding with unions that have argued that the firings were illegal. The decision delivered an early legal blow to ... [Donald] Trump, who has sought to use the fiscal stalemate to slash the federal work force. Yet the president appeared unfazed by the decision, threatening soon after to cut federal agencies, fire more workers and rearrange the budget while the government remained at a standstill. In a sharp and lengthy rebuke, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California raised deep unease about the actions of the White House, just days after the government began to lay off about 4,000 workers across eight federal agencies. The early evidence, according to Judge Illston, suggested that the White House budget office had 'taken advantage of the lapse in government spending and government functioning to assume that all bets are off, that the laws don’t apply to them anymore and they can impose the structures that they like.'” Politico's report is here.

Supreme Racists Favor Racism. Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court appeared poised on Wednesday to weaken a key provision of a landmark civil rights law by sharply limiting the ability of lawmakers to use race as a factor in drawing voting maps, which could lead to widespread redistricting efforts. If the justices determine that lawmakers cannot consider race when drawing districts, the consequences for the country’s political balance could be sweeping. The decision could end the practice, endorsed by the court for decades, of crafting congressional districts with the purpose of helping minority voters elect the candidates of their choice. Republican state legislatures could use the ruling to eliminate around a dozen Democratic-held House districts across the South, according to a New York Times analysis. The court typically issues major rulings by late June or early July, but could rule more quickly in the voting case.” ~~~

      ~~~ Marie: This is not a case that Louisiana brought to the Court; rather, the Supremes demanded it. Mark Elias explains, beginning at about 4:00 minutes in here: ~~~

Only White People Supremacists Welcome Here. Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times: “The Trump administration is considering a radical overhaul of the U.S. refugee system that would slash the program to its bare bones while giving preference to English speakers, white South Africans and Europeans who oppose migration, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. The proposals, some of which already have gone into effect, would transform a decades-old program aimed at helping the world’s most desperate people into one that conforms to Mr. Trump’s vision of immigration — which is to help mostly white people who say they are being persecuted while keeping the vast majority of other people out.” Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Trump's Meddling Backfires in Argentina. Ana Ionova & Daniel Politi of the New York Times: “As President Javier Milei of Argentina faced a deepening economic crisis..., [Donald] Trump rushed to the rescue of his political ally with a generous $20 billion bailout.... To secure help from the United States, Mr. Trump made clear on Tuesday, Mr. Milei’s embattled political party would have to first pull off a victory in what are emerging as momentous and challenging legislative elections this month. 'If he doesn’t win, we’re gone,' Mr. Trump said.... In Argentina, those comments were taken by many as a clear attempt by Mr. Trump to put his thumb on a sovereign country’s electoral process. The fallout was swift. The peso tumbled as investors went on a panicked selling spree of Argentina’s currency. Mr. Milei’s political opponents railed against what they called American extortion, urging voters to reject his party at the polls.”

David Bauder of the AP: “Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power. The U.S. government has called the new rules 'common sense.' News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on information — classified or otherwise — that had not been approved by Hegseth for release. Many of the reporters waited to leave together at a 4 p.m. deadline set by the Defense Department to get out of the building. As the hour approached, boxes of documents lined a Pentagon corridor and reporters carried chairs, a copying machine, books and old photos to the parking lot from suddenly abandoned workspaces. Shortly after 4, about 40 to 50 journalists left together after handing in badges.”

Judd Legum puts together an ingredients list for the Middle East's pay-for-play recipe for Trump à la Mode. We covered most of these here the other day (except the Saudi ones, I think), but it never hurts to remind ourselves of how openly Trump invites and accepts bribes. Thanks to RAS for the link.

Emily Ngo & Jason Beeferman of Politico: “Two more members of a Young Republican group chat strewn with racist epithets and hateful jokes stepped down from their jobs Tuesday after Politico published an exclusive report on the Telegram exchanges. Peter Giunta’s time working with New York Assemblymember Mike Reilly “has ended,” the Republican lawmaker said. Giunta served as chair of the New York State Young Republicans when the chat took place. Joseph Maligno, who previously identified himself as the general counsel for that group, is no longer an employee of the New York State Unified Court System, a courts spokesperson confirmed. Another chat member, Vermont state Sen. Sam Douglass, faced mounting calls for his resignation as well, including from the state’s Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, and Douglass’ fellow Republican lawmakers, who called his statements 'deeply disturbing.'... Before the article even published[,] William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans’ vice chair at the time of the chat, [found himself] 'no longer employed' at Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office. Bobby Walker, who was chair of the New York State Young Republicans as of Tuesday, will not be brought onto New York congressional candidate Peter Oberacker’s campaign as originally planned.”

David Ovalle & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: “Fifteen Democratic governors on Wednesday announced the formation of a state public health alliance designed to counter turmoil at federal agencies under the Trump administration. Leaders of the Governors Public Health Alliance said it will serve as a hub for governors and public health leaders to monitor disease outbreaks, establish public health policy guidance, prepare for pandemics and buy vaccines and other supplies. The alliance, spanning states where roughly 1 in 3 Americans live, underscores the increasing fragmentation of the public health system that has been upended by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

The New York Times is liveblogging the Supreme Court's hearing of a Louisiana case where the goal is to toss the last vestiges of the Voting Rights Act. From the pinned item at 12 noon: “The Supreme Court is hearing a case on Wednesday whose outcome could cause congressional seats throughout the country to flip from blue to red to cement Republican control of Congress. The case, a challenge to Louisiana’s congressional map, is a battle over whether states can use race as a factor in drawing electoral districts. But it could have much broader implications for the law, politics, and the remaining pillar of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The dispute centers on whether Louisiana lawmakers violated the Constitution when they adopted a new electoral map in 2024, creating the state’s second majority-Black district. If the justices decide that lawmakers cannot consider race in drafting maps, redistricting could follow. Those changes could allow Republican state legislatures to eliminate at least a dozen Democratic-held House districts across the South. During the argument, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh suggested that aspects of the 60-year-old Voting Rights Act might have an implicit sunset date.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In case you are wearing your rose-colored glasses today and think Bart's questions about the "implicit sunset" of the VRA have nothing to do with those Young Republican KKK Kids Politico outed in the report linked below, think again. Abbie VanSickle, who wrote the pinned item, calls O'Kavanaugh "part of the court’s conservative supermajority." Nah, he's part of the court's racist supermajority. (And, yes, weirdly, that includes Clarence Thomas.)

Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: “Jack Smith, the special counsel who investigated Donald J. Trump and is now the subject of intense attacks from Republicans, appeared in a new video advocating on behalf of Justice Department employees who were fired or forced out by the Trump administration. The video, published Wednesday, comes as Mr. Smith has ended his self-imposed silence since resigning from his position days before Mr. Trump returned to office. In recent weeks, he has begun to speak out publicly on the administration’s purge of prosecutors and agents who worked on cases related to Mr. Trump, and on the president’s effort to punish his perceived enemies. The new video was released by Justice Connection, a group of former department employees who provide legal services and counseling to the agency’s work force. The group has been highly critical of the Trump administration’s firings of prosecutors and agents, often without cause, or for the expressed reason that they worked on cases related to Mr. Trump.” Related stuff linked below. ~~~

Chicagoans Fight Back. Julie Bosman of the New York Times: “Federal agents deployed tear gas on Chicago residents and more than a dozen police officers on Tuesday, the latest clash in the nation’s third-largest city as the Trump administration has carried out its immigration crackdown.The clash began on Tuesday morning when federal agents were seen chasing a car through a working-class, heavily Latino neighborhood on the city’s far South Side, witnesses said.... An S.U.V. driven by the federal agents collided with the car they were pursuing.... After the crash, dozens of additional immigration agents in masks arrived and residents emerged from their houses, gathering on streets and sidewalks, throwing objects at agents and shouting, 'ICE go home!' As the agents left, they released tear gas, apparently without warning, sending people coughing and running for cover. Among those affected by the gas were 13 Chicago Police Department officers, the police department said....

“The agents repeatedly have been observed releasing smoke bombs, tear gas and pepper balls to disperse residents who gather or capture videos on cellphones, including when the agents were making arrests in densely populated neighborhoods. Chicago police officers, who have been called to the scenes of some clashes, have been exposed to tear gas from federal agents twice in the last two weeks. As the intensity of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has risen, residents of Chicago are increasingly pushing back with fury.” With photos. Related Sun-Times story linked below. 

Kelly Rissman of the Independent: “A clarinet player was arrested after playing her instrument to the tune of the 'Ghostbusters' theme song outside of a Portland ICE facility, which has recently become a site of daily clashes between federal agents and demonstrators. Oriana Korol, 38, was playing 'Ghostbusters' with her group — the Unpresidented Brass Band — during a massive protest outside the ICE facility in Oregon’s largest city Sunday evening when federal agents arrested her, her loved ones said. She has since been taken to a jail in Washington as her husband and bandmates demand answers about her arrest. 'Why are they targeting a clarinet player? A clarinet player standing on the sidewalk far away from the street, following instructions,' her husband wondered.... She was arrested around 5 p.m., but her husband didn’t hear about her whereabouts until 2 a.m. the next day, only to discover she was being held at Clark County Jail in Vancouver, Washington.... It’s not immediately clear why she was transported across state lines.”

Jonathan Wolfe of the New York Times: “Los Angeles County voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over federal immigration raids, the latest move by the county to push back against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Southern California. The emergency declaration, traditionally used in response to events like natural disasters, would allow the county to provide resources for those who have been affected by the raids. County officials say the move will provide help for those who have refrained from going to work for fear of being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or who lose their income after family members are detained.”

Paul Krugman argues that Trump has created a reverse-Sputnik moment that means we will never be able to keep up with China: “Rather than acknowledging that the US is in danger of being permanently overtaken by China’s technological and economic prowess, the Trump administration is slashing support for scientific research and attacking education. In the name of defeating the bogeymen of 'wokeness' and the 'deep state', this administration is actively opposing progress in critical sectors while giving grifters like the crypto industry everything that they want. The most obvious example of Trump’s war on a critical sector, and the most consequential for the next decade, is his vendetta against renewable energy.” 

It's kind of amazing all the stuff Mike Johnson is too busy to know about. ~~~

~~~ Hailey Fuchs of Politico: “Speaker Mike Johnson is shrugging off news that a judge granted the request for a restraining order against embattled Rep. Cory Mills sought by the Florida Republican’s former girlfriend. 'I have not heard or looked into any of the details of that,' Johnson told reporters at a Wednesday morning press conference. 'I’ve been a little busy. We have a House Ethics Committee. If it warrants that, I’m sure they’ll look into that.'”

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Tony Romm & Lazaro Gamio of the New York Times: “Two weeks into the government shutdown, the Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion that had been reserved for more than 200 projects primarily located in Democratic-led cities, congressional districts and states, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Each of these infrastrucfliture projects had received federal aid, sometimes after officials spent years pleading in Washington — only to see that money halted as ... [Donald] Trump has looked to punish Democrats over the course of the fiscal stalemate.... The budgetary moves coincide with the president’s public pledges to use the shutdown to slash spending favored by Democrats. He has described the federal stoppage as an 'unprecedented opportunity' to make some cuts permanent. Many Democrats said that the announcements fit a broader pattern at the White House, where Mr. Trump has claimed vast authority to reprogram the nation’s budget, even though the Constitution gives that power to Congress.”

Sarah Mervosh, et al., of the New York Times: “A pair of decades-old promises from Congress — ensuring disabled students receive a free and appropriate education and protecting all pupils from discrimination in schools — have been thrown into doubt after a round of sweeping layoffs at the Education Department.... About 466 workers at the Education Department have been fired since Friday, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the breadth and depth of those cuts appeared to touch nearly all aspects of an agency that ... [Donald] Trump has vowed to eliminate, part of his bid to end the federal role in supporting roughly 54 million students in the nation’s elementary and secondary schools.” MB: Trump & Vought are making these children suffer because Republicans don't want their parents to be able to afford health insurance for them. At least they are consistent in their cruelty.

Murder at Sea, Ctd. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “The United States killed six men aboard a boat in international waters 'just off the Coast of Venezuela...,' [Donald] Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday, asserting without evidence that they had been transporting drugs. The strike was the fifth known attack by the U.S. military on such boats since Sept. 2. The military has now killed 27 people as if they were enemy soldiers in a war zone and not criminal suspects.... He also posted a 33-second aerial surveillance video showing a small boat floating, and then being struck by a missile and exploding. Unlike some previous announcements, the president did not identify the nationality of the people who were killed or name a specific drug cartel or criminal gang with which they were supposedly associated.” The AP story is here.

Trump Touts “Argentina First” Policy. Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said on Tuesday that Washington’s $20 billion bailout for Argentina comes with strings attached — namely, that the ruling party of his ally, President Javier Milei of Argentina, must prevail in the country’s legislative elections this month. 'If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina,' Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House, where he was meeting with Mr. Milei. Just minutes earlier, Mr. Trump had denied the economic lifeline was meant to help Mr. Milei’s party in the elections.... Mr. Trump’s comments made clear that he viewed the financial support for Argentina as a lifeline not just for the country’s economy, but also for a leader willing to spread his pro-capitalist — and pro-Trump — ideology in Latin America....

“Mr. Trump’s bailout of Argentina has come with political blowback at home. Democrats have seized on the bailout to accuse Mr. Trump of helping out a foreign government and wealthy investors while the U.S. government remains shut down because of a dispute over extending health care subsidies. Major hedge funds, including those led by friends of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, could benefit financially from the bailout.” ~~~

     ~~~ Isaac Arnsdorf & Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Tuesday touted a $20 billion foreign bailout that he acknowledged would not primarily serve American interests, testing his leeway with his own 'America First' motto and in particular the patience of domestic farmers who have yet to receive their own relief from Trump’s trade war. By his own account, Trump is offering $20 billion to Argentina to help its politically aligned president, Javier Milei, who faces a possible financial crisis and a legislative election Oct. 26.... Trump has been unusually willing to intervene in foreign elections, endorsing allies with whom he shares a nationalist worldview. He backed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of 2022 balloting and hosted Karol Nawrocki, a right-wing candidate for the Polish presidency, in the Oval Office in May, weeks ahead of his country’s close election. Nawrocki won.... The [Argentine] bailout had drawn criticism from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R), who represents the major farming state of Iowa and noted that Argentina competes with American soybean farmers for global exports. In a Sept. 25 social media post, Grassley said the administration should be supporting American farmers instead.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Funny how it's against U.S. law to let other countries meddle in our elections, but Trump is forthright about meddling in another country's election. And he's not doing it to promote democracy or individual freedoms, which could be justifiable, or even to bolster U.S. security or the U.S. economy; no, he's doing it to "spread his pro-Trump ideology." ~~~

     ~~~ Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: “... Donald Trump’s unprecedented bailout of Argentina is giving Democrats fodder to go on offense as the government shutdown drags on into its third week with no end in sight and hundreds of thousands of federal workers off the job. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday asked lawmakers for unanimous consent to pass the ‘No Argentina Bailout Act,’ a Democratic bill that would prohibit the Treasury Department’s Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) from offering a lifeline to Argentina’s financial markets in a bid to help the country’s president, Javier Milei.... But Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) objected, calling the bill 'unnecessary' and defending U.S. support for 'an important ally in South America.' That allowed Warren to go on the attack, questioning why Republicans are offering aid to a foreign government while the U.S. government remains shut down.” ~~~

~~~ Donald Trump, Champion of Corruption. Patrick Marley & Adam Taylor of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump’s efforts to disband programs that promote democracy abroad and downplay allegations of corruption and human rights abuses in other countries took on an added dimension this week when he appeared before Israel’s parliament and called for pardoning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The request to dismiss corruption charges was the latest in a long line of actions reversing America’s long-standing posture as an exporter of democratic values. Past presidents from both parties have publicly embraced those values, even if they have not always lived up to them.... 'This is new, where you’ve got a U.S. president looking at the domestic trouble that his buddies are in and then trying to intervene to stop the criminal justice process,' said Kim Lane Scheppele, a Princeton University professor.... Trump has adopted a two-pronged approach to corruption. He has sought revenge against people who accuse him of it. And he has granted forgiveness for others — including Democrats — accused of breaking the public trust.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Ordinary corrupt politicians, like say, Tom Homan, try to hide their corruption. But Trump is so corrupt that he not only carries out his own corrupt practices in broad daylight, he sometimes boasts about them. And now he's actually promoting corruption abroad. He appears to be utterly shameless -- but maybe he is not: there is something in those Epstein files that will either shame him or put him in jail. 

Trump Unhappy with His Closeup. Daisy Dumas of the Guardian: “Time magazine’s paean to Trump’s role in brokering a Gaza ceasefire, leading its 10 November issue, was accompanied by a photo of the president taken from below and with the sun behind his head.... 'Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time', Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'They “disappeared” my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one. Really weird! I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?'... Its angle did no favours for Trump’s chin and neck....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Kudos to whoever superimposed Trump's birthday drawing for Jeffrey Epstein on his gobble-gobble turkey-neck goiter. It does improve upon the original photo: ~~~

Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: “A Florida judge temporarily blocked on Tuesday the transfer of a prime property in downtown Miami to ... [Donald] Trump for his presidential library, saying that a state college had failed to provide reasonable public notice before taking steps to convey the land it owned. Judge Mavel Ruiz of Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit found that the board of trustees of Miami Dade College most likely violated the state’s Sunshine Law, which requires a certain degree of transparency in government. She said that lawyers working on the paperwork to deed the property to the nonprofit that is raising money for Mr. Trump’s presidential library should temporarily pause that work. Judge Ruiz’s ruling does not permanently block the state from conveying the property to Mr. Trump, as Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican state officials voted to do on Sept. 30. The college trustees could meet again, this time providing more specific public notice, for the property transfer to be properly completed.” The AP's story is here.

Glenn Thrush & Annie Karni of the New York Times: “Jack Smith, the special counsel who twice secured indictments of Donald J. Trump, said it was 'ludicrous' to suggest he was motivated by partisan politics — and offered a scathing denunciation of the Trump Justice Department — in his first extended remarks since resigning in January.... Mr. Smith [spoke] during an Oct. 8 interview with the former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann at the University College London that was posted online Tuesday. Mr. Smith offered a dour hourlong assessment of Mr. Trump’s campaign of retribution against his enemies, rebuking the indictments of James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, and Letitia James, the New York attorney general, over the objections of career prosecutors. He also called out the forced resignations of prosecutors who unsuccessfully opposed White House efforts to drop the bribery case against Mayor Eric Adams of New York. 'Nothing like what we see now has ever gone on,' he said.... Mr. Smith ... was most passionate in his defense of the career prosecutors and F.B.I. agents who worked for him, many of them subsequently purged by Trump political appointees without evidence they had done anything wrong....

“On Tuesday, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee summoned Mr. Smith to testify behind closed doors about what they called 'partisan and politically motivated prosecutions' of Mr. Trump.... While Republican lawmakers publicly celebrated the move, they have been more circumspect privately, expressing concern that offering a public arena for Mr. Smith, a self-assured prosecutor comfortable in high-pressure situations, could backfire by undermining the narrative that the investigations were unjustified.” ~~~

     ~~~ Casey Gannon & Devan Cole of CNN outline "key takeaways" from the interview. ~~~ 

     ~~~ Here is video of the full interview. It begins at about 6:20 minutes in. (MB: I do intend to listen.)

     ~~~ Marie: In commenting on Jack Smith's defense of DOJ employees, Nicolle Wallace (I think it was) of MSNBC asked an excellent question: "Where is Merrick Garland? Where is Chris Wray? Why aren't they out there defending the people who worked for them against Trump and his minions who are firing them, defaming them, lying about them?" Perhaps they think they are extraordinary gentlemen who reckon they are upholding standards of dignity and grace by sitting next to the fireplace, clad in velvet smoking jackets and silk ascots. But nobody is too damned dignified and graceful to stand up when the people who counted on them are being abused. The quality of mercy is not strained, you selfish nitwits. You worked for the Justice Department, for Pete's sake. Show some justice and mercy.

When a Witch Hunt Yields No Witches. Devlin Barrett & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: “Career prosecutors at the Justice Department do not believe criminal charges are warranted from an investigation seeking to discredit an earlier F.B.I. inquiry into Russia’s attempt to tilt the 2016 election in ... [Donald] Trump’s favor, according to people familiar with the matter. It leaves unclear what political appointees at the Justice Department might do, given the breadth of Mr. Trump’s demands that it pursue people he perceives as enemies. Already, the U.S. attorney in the Western District of Virginia overseeing the case, Todd Gilbert, was forced to resign in August because he refused to sideline a high-ranking career prosecutor who found the evidence flimsy.... Mr. Gilbert was a longtime Republican legislator in Virginia until he was sworn in as the top prosecutor in July. He was quickly ordered to take up [the] case[, which was] championed by the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, and his deputy, Dan Bongino....” The article goes on to detail meddling by Todd Blanche.

Mary Norkol, et al., of the Chicago Sun-Times: “Federal agents chased a car through a residential neighborhood on the Southeast Side of Chicago Tuesday, and then intentionally crashed into the car in a risky maneuver restricted by some police departments nationwide. The maneuver was caught on local security cameras, which showed the car being hit by the feds’ vehicle, leading the occupants of the car to fall out while it was moving. The occupants then fled on foot as agents ran behind. The commotion attracted a crowd of onlookers and protesters, who converged near the scene of the crash at 105th Street and Avenue N in the East Side. A large number of armed Customs and Border Patrol agents responded to the crowd by hurling smoke grenades, shooting pepper balls and deploying at least three rounds of tear gas over the area, even with children and seniors in the area. At least four protesters were detained.... Oscar Sanchez, a member of a rapid response network that tracks immigration enforcement activity..., said he saw an agent hit a teenage girl in the head with a tear gas canister. 'You see elderly folks on the [ground], so you just ask yourself, what is this for? Why is the aggression needed? Why are these elevated tactics even being used?'”

Zuck Sucks Up, Ctd. CBS News: "Meta has removed a Facebook page used to track the presence of immigration agents in Chicago at the request of the Department of Justice, the company confirmed on Tuesday. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that 'following outreach' from the DOJ, Facebook removed a 'large group page' that was being used to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the city. In the post, Bondi said the page was part of an effort to 'dox and target' the ICE agents.... Users and developers of the apps say it's their First Amendment right to capture what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods, and they maintain that most users turn to these platforms in an effort to protect their own safety as Mr. Trump steps up aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.... Meta is the latest tech company to restrict tools used to track ICE agents on its platform." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Pam Bondi lies most of the time, though maybe this is one time she is at least partially telling the truth. But on the whole, if ICE & other federal agents are in danger, it's obviously because they are provoking people, not because an app told those people where to find the officers. The purpose of the app, after all, is to warn people to stay away from areas where ICE is menacing people. 

DHS = Department of Horrific Sadists. Jason Dearen, et al., of the AP: ICE has been using a full-body restraint called the WRAP since 2020. DHS has been purchasing the devices since late 2015, but “government purchasing records show the two Trump administrations have been responsible for about 91% of that spending.... The AP found ICE has used the device despite internal concerns voiced in a 2023 report by the civil rights division of its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in part due to reports of deaths involving use of the WRAP by local law enforcement. And the AP has identified a dozen fatal cases in the last decade where local police or jailers around the U.S. used the WRAP and autopsies determined 'restraint' played a role in the death.... The WRAP’s manufacturer says it intended the device to be a lifesaver for law enforcement confronting erratic people who were physically attacking officers or harming themselves. But ICE officials have a much lower threshold for deploying the WRAP than the manufacturer advises, the AP found. Detainees interviewed by the AP said ICE officers used the restraints on them after they had been shackled. They said this was done to intimidate or punish them for asking to speak to their attorneys or expressing fear at being deported.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Reuters in the Guardian: "The US government has revoked the visas of at least 50 politicians and government officials in Mexico amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug cartels and their suspected political allies, according to two Mexican officials. The move has sent quiet shock waves through Mexico’s political elite, who regularly travel to the US.... So far, only four [people] have publicly confirmed they lost their visas, including the Baja California state governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila, who has categorically denied any links to organized crime." (Also linked yesterday.)

Bible Mike Frightened by the Sight of Naked People. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) insisted that federal agents' abuse of force had not risen to the level of congressional investigations after a judge barred the Department of Homeland Security from using specific tactics against faith leaders and journalists.... 'I've not seen them cross the line yet,' Johnson insisted.... 'What I've seen is the abuse of law enforcement by radical leftist activists,' he continued. 'You know, most recently, the most threatening thing I've seen yet was the naked bicyclers in Portland who were protesting ICE down there. I mean, it's getting really ugly.'"

DOD/Hegseth Lawyer Rejects First Amendment. Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bid to impose sweeping restrictions on journalists’ ability to report at the Pentagon was orchestrated with advice from his longtime personal lawyer, whose role on Hegseth’s staff has troubled some defense officials. Tim Parlatore’s dual status as a mid-ranking military officer and legal fixer for Hegseth has attracted scrutiny internally among other officials, some of whom are leery of the influence he wields.... He was integral in shaping the new media restrictions set to take effect this week.... Parlatore, 46, joined Hegseth’s staff in March, upon commissioning into the Navy Reserve. He arrived shortly before Hegseth fired three senior political appointees in April, shrinking a small group of senior advisers he trusted even more.... The part-time arrangement allows Parlatore to remain involved in his private practice — work that included representing Hegseth when the former Fox News personality was accused of sexual assault — while working behind the scenes in uniform, in an ostensibly nonpartisan military role, to shape policy and carry out the defense secretary’s directives.” ~~~

~~~ Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Scott Nover of the Washington Post: “Fox News, along with ABC, CBS and NBC, did not sign the Defense Department’s press policy by Tuesday’s deadline, having earlier in the day denounced the new regulations in a joint statement that included CNN, which previously said it would not sign. 'Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,' the news networks wrote. 'The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. We will continue to cover the U.S. military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press.' Fox’s dissent is notable considering the Trump-friendly views of many of its opinion hosts, whose ranks previously included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Gosh, with no real news organizations covering the Pentagon, nobody is going to come around to interview Drunk Pete. Why, it's almost as if his new hair & make-up studio was a waste of taxpayer money. 

EPA = Ethnic Protection Association. Maxine Joselow & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: “Five months before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, tearing many houses off their foundations, the Trump administration canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from such extreme flooding. The grant from the Environmental Protection Agency was designed to help stabilize the riverbank on which Kipnuk is built, protecting it from the twin threats of erosion and flooding. But in May, the E.P.A. revoked the grant, which was issued at the end of the Biden administration, saying it was 'no longer consistent' with the agency’s priorities. Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, boasted on social media that he was eliminating 'wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grants,' referring to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and programs to help communities facing a disproportionate level of environmental threats.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hey, it would be wrong to save a village that wasn't full of White people. 

Joseph Gedeon & Lauren Gambino of the Guardian: “Congress remained deadlocked on legislation to reopen the federal government, as the US Senate on Tuesday again rejected a Republican plan to end the government shutdown that began two weeks ago. The eighth Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would fund government operations through 21 November failed on a 49-45 tally – far short of the 60 needed for advancement in the chamber. In a sign that that there has been little if any progress toward ending the stalemate, no senators changed their votes from the last time the measure was brought to the floor, though there were a handful of absences.”

Oh, look, the Supremes are capable of doing the right thing: ~~~ 

~~~ Ann Marimow of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review an appeal from Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and founder of Infowars, leaving in place a lower court judge’s order that he pay $1.4 billion in damages to some of the families who lost children in a 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. In turning down Mr. Jones’s appeal, the court gave no reasons, as is its custom in issuing such orders.” The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Zachary Small of the New York Times: “Dozens of prominent artists and cultural organizations have signed on to participate in a series of artistic demonstrations aimed to protest what they see as authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration and its allies. The protests, known collectively as Fall of Freedom, will take place on the weekend of Nov. 21. Organizers, including the visual artist Dread Scott and the playwright Lynn Nottage, describe the effort as 'an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation.' Planners have intentionally provided only loose guidelines to participate, suggesting, for example, that museums might highlight artwork in their collection that explores censorship and that bookstores might organize drag queen story hours or showcase banned books.”

Meet the Next Generation of Republican Leaders! Jason Beeferman & Emily Ngo of Politico: “Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country ... referred to Black people as monkeys and 'the watermelon people' and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. [In Telegram chats, t]hey talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.... The chat ... among Young Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont ...  offers an unfiltered look at how a new generation of GOP activists talk when they think no one is listening....

“The 2,900 pages of chats, shared among a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans between early January and mid-August, chronicle their campaign to seize control of the national Young Republican organization on a hardline pro-Donald Trump platform. Many of the chat members already work inside government or party politics, and one serves as a state senator. Together, the messages reveal a culture where racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric circulate freely — and where the Trump-era loosening of political norms has made such talk feel less taboo among those positioning themselves as the party’s next leaders.” ~~~

      ~~~ Gov. Phil Scott (R-Vt.) Press Release: “Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement in response to leaked messages from leaders of a national Young Republican group chat: 'The hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable. The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it. Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party – including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass.'” MB: Sorry, Phil. These are your people. ~~~

     ~~~ Julianna Bragg & Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "The Young Republican National Federation said on X it's 'appalled by the vile and inexcusable language revealed' in the report. 'Such behavior is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents,'  it added. Those involved must immediately resign from all positions within their state and local Young Republican organizations. We must hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, respect, and professionalism.... The Kansas Young Republicans was disbanded by the state GOP after racist comments about Black people and a slur for gay people were linked to two of its members. New York State Assemblymember Mike Reilly fired Peter Giunta as his chief of staff after he was accused of posting offensive messages including one saying 'I love Hitler' and writing in a June message when he was the N.Y. state Young Republicans' chair 'everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.''' MB: Right. Because none of the "good" Republicans could possibly have guessed these young folks were hate-mongering racist, misogynistic neo-Nazis. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Divan Diver Defends De Kids. David Gilmour of Mediaite: “Vice President JD Vance sparked backlash Tuesday after he dismissed 'pearl clutching' over racist, antisemitic and misogynistic messages leaked from a Young Republicans group chat while arguing a Virginia Democrat Jay Jones’s violent texts were 'far worse.'... Rather than condemning the group’s rhetoric, Vance pivoted to a recent scandal involving Jones over leaked 2022 texts calling for violence against then–House Speaker Todd Gilbert.... Vance ... dismissed the Young Republicans messages as nothing more than a 'college group chat.'” Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary in several posts below. MB: I infer the Young Nazis' group chat was exactly the kind of group chat Young JayDee engaged in during his own tender college days. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: These twisted fascist punks were carefully taught by older generations of Republicans whom Hillary Clinton had the temerity to call "deplorables." Luckily, the MSM lambasted her for that characterization. Seriously, this is what the Republican party is today. Just because many older Republican officials know better than to put some of these remarks in writing doesn't mean they don't harbor these same disgusting thoughts and rely on this bigotry as the basis for policy and legislation. ~~~

     ~~~ Charles Pierce of Esquire: "No longer do we have to wonder where they find these people. The next generation of GOP leaders now have given themselves away. Again.... I think Politico soft-pedaled what it was plainly looking dead in the face This is a finishing school for white supremacists.... This is the new Klan." The post is subscriber-firewalled. (It was my one & only freebie for the month.)  

~~~~~~~~~~ 

California Gubernatorial Race. Laurel Rosenhall of the New York Times: “In her first public comments since two viral videos surfaced last week showing her berating a staff member and belittling a news reporter, Katie Porter owned up to her missteps on Tuesday and said she was working to hold herself to a higher standard of conduct. Ms. Porter, a former Democratic congresswoman, has been the early front-runner in next year’s race for California governor. But the videos cracked open a new phase by spurring opponents to go on the attack and intensifying the feeling among some Democrats that the party needed to find another candidate to be its standard-bearer.... 'What I did to that staffer was wrong,'  Ms. Porter said in [an] 'Inside California Politics' interview. 'I’ve acknowledged it to her in that moment, and I’m acknowledging it now.... I think people who know me know I can be tough, she added, 'but I need to do a better job expressing appreciation for the amazing work that my team does.'”

Florida. Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: “A judge issued a protective order against a Republican congressman from Florida on Tuesday, forbidding him to contact a former girlfriend who in court proceedings said he had threatened her with revenge porn after she broke up with him. The lawmaker, Representative Cory Mills, was also ordered to refrain from making any references on social media to his ex-girlfriend, Lindsey Langston, the reigning Miss United States, who had ended their relationship this year after Mr. Mills was linked to an assault investigation in Washington, D.C., involving another woman. Mr. Mills, 45, a staunch ally of ... [Donald] Trump who represents a district northeast of Orlando, has not been charged with a crime in connection with either episode. The Hill reported in August that the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington had closed its investigation of Mr. Mills.” Politico's story is here.

Massachusetts Senate Race. Jenna Russell of the New York Times: “Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts announced on Tuesday that he would challenge Senator Edward J. Markey, a fellow Democrat, in next year’s Senate race, with a campaign message highlighting his relative youth. Mr. Moulton is 46, and Mr. Markey, who was elected to Congress almost 50 years ago, is 79. In a news release and video launching his campaign, Mr. Moulton leaned hard into the idea that the Democratic Party must change and embrace fresh leadership in an urgent bid to maintain relevance and power.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As someone who is more-or-less Ed Markey's age, I agree he should step aside. I'm just not sure Seth Moulton, who is a fairly conservative Democrat, is the best guy to replace him in a state that will support liberal ideals. 

Pennsylvania. Ben Brasch of the Washington Post: “The man who scaled a fence at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion before setting it on fire — while Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and his family slept inside — has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and arson. Prosecutors announced the plea deal with Cody Balmer on Tuesday. Balmer agreed to a sentence of at least 25 years and no more than 50 years in state prison for the April attack, according to prosecutors. The 38-year-old set the fire, which caused serious damage to the governor’s mansion, on the first night of Passover. He called 911 after he left the property to report what he had done. During that conversation, Balmer — who reportedly struggled with untreated mental illness — indicated that he was in part motivated by the Israel-Gaza war and believed Shapiro, who is Jewish, needed to stop supporting the killing of Palestinians, according to investigators.”