The Sparrow Project

Yes to border cops, no to public media? Got it. Congress approved $170 billion for immigration enforcement, incl. $75 billion in extra funding for ICE. But the Senate may approve a budget CUT package to claw back $1.1 billion from public broadcasters PBS & NPR. The Senate has until July 18 to vote.

Our director @rshapiro.bsky.social discussing our latest: US Army and state intelligence centers are targeting civilian-made online ICE raid maps as security threats, as revealed in new intel docs we obtained & shared w/ @dell.bsky.social @dmehro.bsky.social @wired.com. www.wired.com/story/no-kin...

Anti-Trump protests cap a week of free speech stress tests across America | CNN Business Virtually every flashpoint in American politics right now involves the First Amendment right to free speech and free expression.

The reckoning for freedom is here & we’ve got to fight for a collective freedom if we have any hope of upending Trump’s retaliation campaign. Read @brianstelter.bsky.social @cnn.com piece outlining what’s at stake: www.cnn.com/2025/06/14/m...

'No Kings’ Protests, Citizen-Run ICE Trackers Trigger Intelligence Warnings Army intelligence analysts are monitoring civilian-made ICE tracking tools, treating them as potential threats, as immigration protests spread nationwide.

Scoop: US Army and state intelligence centers are targeting civilian-made online ICE raid maps as security threats, as revealed in new intel docs we obtained and shared w/ @dell.bsky.social / @wired.com. #FOIA www.wired.com/story/no-kin...

How the Farm Industry Spied on Animal Rights Activists and Pushed the FBI to Treat Them as Bioterrorists For years, a powerful ‘Big Ag’ trade group served up information on activists to the FBI. Records reveal a decade-long effort to see the animal rights movement labeled a “bioterrorism” threat.

BIG STORY: FBI's WMD Office colluding with Big Ag lobby group to target animal rights activists as "bioterrorists" for conducting undercover investigations on factory farms, as revealed in intel documents we obtained & shared w/ @dell.bsky.social @wired.com. #FOIA www.wired.com/story/fbi-wm...

This Thursday we're hosting a virtual conversation on free speech in the age of retaliation. @attorneynora.bsky.social will moderate this discussion with experts from @lawyerscomm.bsky.social and @ccrjustice.org. RSVP here! bit.ly/fpaorsoc

NEW: See the dramatic moment when Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, was arrested Friday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility on trespassing charges.

Two woman walking and embracing each other in front of an ICE detention center. The woman on the left is wearing a black dress and heels. The woman on the right is smiling and wearing a white hijab, glasses, and a pink garment. Members of the press are in the background.

Two women standing, smiling, and embracing each other with grass, water, and the sky in the background. The woman on the left is wearing a white hijab, glasses, and a pink garment. The woman on the right is wearing a black dress.

Two woman stand next to each other and hold onto one another. The woman on the left is wearing a black dress. The woman on the right is smiling and wearing a white hijab, glasses, and a pink garment. In the background is the fence of an ICE detention center.

Today, our client Rümeysa Öztürk was released on bail from ICE detention in Louisiana, and she will return to New England to continue her studies.

📸 Giancarlo D’Agostaro

And now the administration has ended public support for PBS and NPR. A blow for press freedom, independent media, and the Fourth Estate. A further blow to democracy any time government seeks to weaken independent news. Reminds me of Hungary and Russia.

Federal judge appointed by Trump rules that Trump's AEA proclamation is "unlawful" The final judgment blocks Trump's March 14 Alien Enemies Act proclamation from being used to deport anyone from southern Texas.

NEW: Federal judge appointed by Trump rules that Trump's AEA proclamation is "unlawful."

The final judgment blocks Trump's March 14 Alien Enemies Act proclamation from being used to deport anyone from southern Texas.

Trump Is Ousting Michael Waltz, His National Security Adviser (Gift Article) President Trump initially defended Mr. Waltz for mistakenly adding a journalist to a group chat about military strikes.

1 Waltz = 4 Flynns + 9 Scaramuccis

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/u...

Live Emergency Session: 100 Days of the Broligarchy - April 30th 100 days into Trump 2.0 and Tech Bro takeover of the US government, where are we?

📣 100 Days of the Broligarchy - on ZOOM

In this emergency session of the Big Tech Oversight Board, we look at Trump’s first 100 days through the lens of Big Tech - the good, the bad and the Broligarchy.

Wed 30th April, 9AM PST / 12pm EST / 5PM BST

citizensreunited.substack.com/p/live-emerg...

Exclusive: DOJ memo offers blueprint to Tren de Aragua deportation plan Trump administration officials directed police to circumvent courts and pursue gang members into their homes without a warrant, a new document shows.

BIG: We obtained the AG's memo serving as the blueprint for law enforcement nationwide to roundup immigrants as suspected Tren de Aragua members explicitly outside due process. We shared with Nick Penzenstadler / @willcarless.bsky.social / @usatoday.com. #FOIA www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Trump Plans to Target ActBlue, Democrats’ Cash Engine (Gift Article) The president plans to direct the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, the main Democratic fund-raising platform, in his latest move using the government to target political opponents.

Albeit slightly different from the types of Executive Orders outlined above, Trump appears to be exerting his executive power over the DOJ to target the ActBlue fundraising platform and PAC that services myriad 501c(3) nonprofits and 501c(4) political campaigns. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...

White House Says It Will Seize Wages For Student Loans In Collection—Here’s What Borrowers Can Expect Borrowers who have defaulted on their loans could start having federal payments withheld next month.

Some developments regarding the proposed attacks on Student Loan Forgiveness.

The White House announced they will seize money from recipients of student loans starting as soon as May 5th.

This may take the form of garnished wages and withheld tax refunds.
www.forbes.com/sites/alison...

I just want to underscore that all of this material is developing and will require additional reporting to confirm.

I will post more information here as soon as I have it.

DOGE wanted to assign staff to the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice because it got federal funds The nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice says staff from Elon Musk’s DOGE contacted them to “assign” a team to the organization and said DOGE staff told them they intended to “assign” teams to all nonp...

Some of this executive action has already started albeit in another form.

This week DOGE attempted to assign staff to the Vera Institute, which works on criminal justice reform because it has received federal grants.

apnews.com/article/doge...

An older image of the Ford Foundation board.

The other two EO's would take aim at individual large donors and charitable organizations.

It is only speculation but these EO's may name:

Ford Foundation
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Gates Foundation
Open Society / Soros

+ other individuals admin sees as key progressive donors.

Oxfam aid workers operating overseas

Another of the proposed EO's will take aim at groups that engage in any overseas activities by specifically blocking federal grants that fund these programs.

Another proposed EO appears to aimed at ending the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program.

It is unclear what this will mean for people who have previously benefited from the program.

studentaid.gov/manage-loans...

Climate change activists

Among these EO's may be one aimed at changing IRS rules to declare groups working on climate change cannot be considered "charitable."

This could result in climate change orgs being stripped of their 501-c3 status, while chilling the speech of other broader environmental groups.

Trump signing executive order

DEVELOPING: There is chatter coming out of the White House that as early as next week Donald Trump may issue as many as 5 Executive Orders targeting US-based nonprofits and civil society organizations.

Michael Benz, a conservative crusader against online censorship, appears to have a secret history as an alt-right persona Frame Game, the pseudonym of an alt-right internet personality, hid his face while pushing racist conspiracy theories. Inadvertent slips revealed details about his identity.

The Secretary of State holding a public conversation with Mike Benz — legitimizing a former white power YouTuber as an expert in our government — is Loomer-level insanity. Reality is dead and there is no floor.

www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers The world’s richest man juggles more than a dozen children and ‘harem drama’ along with running his companies and advising Trump. He recently took a paternity test in a battle with one woman over mone...

Elon Musk is a monster of a human being and an abomination of a father.

I hope Ashley Sinclair and all the mothers impacted by Musk sue him for every penny he has.
www.wsj.com/politics/elo...

Opinion | Palm Sunday Was a Protest, Not a Procession (Gift Article) Jesus’ procession was a parody of imperial power — a deliberate mockery of Roman spectacle and a prophetic enactment of a kingdom not built on violence but on justice.

Jesus’ procession should be seen as a parody of imperial power: a deliberate mockery of Roman spectacle and a prophetic enactment of a kingdom not built on violence but on justice. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/o...

4 charts showing the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Small Cap 2000 indices on 4/2/2025 after US Markets took a $2trillion tumble following Trump's "liberation day" tariff announcements.

The same ghouls who are actively gutting aid, social services, veterans benefits, and now possibly social security, are always hyping "private investments."

"Get a 401k" they say...

Welp, today they just flushed $2Trillion from your 401k in ~20minutes.

"Get a 401k" they say...

I noticed Fox News Pentagon Correspondent Jennifer Griffin is in Mike Waltz phone as "JG"

Fox News Pentagon Correspondent Jennifer Griffin

I noticed Fox News Pentagon Correspondent Jennifer Griffin is in Mike Waltz phone as "JG"

Could an errant click on the wrong JG accidentally have added Jeffrey Goldberg?

Speaks more to human error than conspiracy but why are they adding a Fox News reporter to a sensitive chat?

Palestinian director of 'No Other Land' attacked by settler mob, arrested by soldiers ***

Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning film 'No Other Land' was attacked and wounded by settlers earlier today. Israeli soldiers later removed him from an ambulance while he was receiving treatment. Ballal is presumed still in IDF custody. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

If you think this is insidious just wait until you read the texts from the "Houthi PC LARGE Group"