David Leopold

Thanks for your reporting on this. Cruelty for cruelty’s sake.

HUGE. A victory for more than a quarter million Haitians with Temporary Protected Status. A significant majority of them entered the United States legally and have never been out of status since.

Even the Trump admin isn't saying Haiti is a safe country for them to go back to.

🚨HOLY CRAP. An ICE whistleblower just revealed a secret memo authorizing ICE officers to break into homes without a judicial warrant, which DHS's own legal training materials say is unconstitutional!

ICE then hid the memo from the public, passing it along by word of mouth and private conversation.

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you lived through an extraordinarily dangerous moment in history?

You’re doing it now.

Federal Agent Shoots Woman Amid Minneapolis Crackdown

This was inevitable. How many more families shattered, lives derailed, people lost before we finally say: enough! www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...

What We Know About the Shooting at Bondi Beach

Jews “have increasingly been targeted since the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In Britain, a man attacked a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. And American Jews have faced a year of violence. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/w...

U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”

“The US Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika — an emblem of fascism & white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and the deaths of more than 400,000 US troops who died fighting in WW II
— as a hate symbol..” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Trump really shivved JD Vance when he endorsed Tucker's interview w/Nick Fuentes, who had been mocking Vance and making racist comments about his wife. Trump basically dumped the Fuentes mess on him.

@zackbeauchamp.bsky.social nails the dynamics in this exchange:

newrepublic.com/article/2033...

Listening to Va Gov-elect Abigail Spanberger’s magnanimous victory speech, thanking her opponent for her service and reaching out to those who didn’t vote for her. Tears in my eyes remembering what real American leadership looks like.

ABC News featured Jenni Rivera’s story of losing her and her kids losing their husband and father to self deportation today. Please watch this video and sit with the agonizing reality that our members at American Families United face right now.

abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/vid...

Finally. Our hostages are home.

Investigation by Sen. Jon Ossoff alleges abuse of children, pregnant women in ICE custody An investigation by the office of Sen. Jon Ossoff alleges more than 500 counts of human rights abuses in immigration detention, including the abuse of pregnant women and children.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff says his office has documented more than 500 cases of abuse in immigrant detention centers, including the abuse of pregnant women and children.

🧐 ALSO: Jeanine Pirro says district residents can carry rifles and shotguns in DC.

Think this will work out?

🧾 Jeanine Pirro's office ends D.C. rifle and shotgun felony prosecutions policy share.google/cizgtCuSI4cD...

🧾 National Guard troops in DC are now armed: Official
is.gd/wOJM4S

Cruelty for cruelty’s sake.

Friends and family gather to remember Eden, a year after she was killed in captivity ***

"A year has passed, and I still can't understand that you aren't here," said Eden's mother, Shirit Yerushalmi, at the ceremony in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Cemetery. "Not a day goes by when I don't think of you, about your big heart and the way you loved life."

www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

U.S. Pauses Visitor Visas for Gazans After Right-Wing Outcry

Putin gets applause and a limo ride. Gazan children get refused medical visas. Who’s more of a national security threat? www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/u...

IRS, White House clashed over immigrants’ data before tax chief was ousted The Trump administration’s move to push out IRS Commissioner Billy Long came after the agency said it couldn’t release some information on taxpayers suspected of being here illegally.

Fact reported in this article—>“Undocumented immigrants pay tens of billions of dollars in taxes each year, which the ITINs help facilitate.” www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Good morning. Trump is protecting Epstein files. The confederacy lost and they were traitors, mRNA vaccines are the future, cops shouldn’t wear masks, Trump cut taxes for the rich and ripped benefits from the poor.

Have a weekend

I agree and certainly would have handled it differently. But when it comes to vexatious immigration litigation the DOJ is in no position to complain.

‘This is sending a message’: DOJ moves to sanction lawyer who took pro bono deportation case The move comes after Trump directed the department to seek to sanction lawyers “who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation.”

The administration’s deportation playbook reads like a dystopian travel guide—CECOT, South Sudan, torture included. But when lawyers push back, suddenly we’re the problem? Sorry, zealous advocacy isn’t a crime. Yet. www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

Former Superman actor Dean Cain reveals he’s becoming an Ice agent to support Trump’s mass deportation agenda The actor will be sworn in ‘ASAP’ amid the federal agency’s recruitment drive and unprecedented immigration raids that have sparked protest across the US

Dean Cain joining ICE during masked raids is peak method acting. From Superman to “I am only following orders.” Looks like “truth, justice and the American way” got deleted from the script 🤔 www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Pope Leo reflects on migrants and refugees as ‘messengers of hope’ Pope Leo showed a special interest in the well-being of immigrants during his work before the papacy and has been described as the “first modern immigrant pope.”

“Pope Leo XIV urged the public to see migrants and refugees as “messengers of hope” on Friday, as the Trump administration focuses on mass deportation efforts in the pontiff’s former home country.” www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Video: Powell Corrects Trump on Cost of Fed Renovations During a tour of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters, President Trump debated with Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, over the cost of renovations to the central bank’s headquarters.

I have this clip running on a loop. www.nytimes.com/video/us/pol...

"I don't believe the polls" -- Homan on polls showing a majority of American oppose Trump's deportation policies

The Israel Medical Association demands humanitarian aid be brought into Gaza. "Harm to innocent people approaching aid hubs in Gaza must be avoided. There'a a serious concern international law is being breached."

“Americans are recoiling,” almost 60% oppose Trump’s attempt to take away birthright citizenship.

📺 @davidleopold.bsky.social joined CNN Newsroom to explain how Trump’s policies are shredding our constitutional rights.

ICE chief stands by mask use in immigration raids, despite criticism There is no constitutional protection or ban on immigration agents wearing masks or face coverings. ICE acting head Todd M. Lyons defended the practice.

Masked enforcement by ICE agents isn’t just alarming—it’s legally dubious and ethically indefensible. It undermines identification laws, invites impersonation risks, and chips away at public trust. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

A Former ICE Official Is Worried That the Agency Is About to Go on a Hiring Spree of Proud Boys “What self-respecting person who wants a meaningful career in law enforcement would go to work" at ICE "right now, knowing the way [it] comports itself?"

A former ICE official warns new hires may include Proud Boys & insurrectionists. With Trump expanding ICE & gutting oversight, this isn’t reform—it’s weaponization. Civil liberties aren’t just eroding. They’re being bulldozed. slate.com/news-and-pol...

Must read thread.

Video: Documenting L.A.’s Surge in Immigration Arrests Jennifer Medina, a political reporter at The New York Times who is based in Los Angeles, speaks with a witness who recorded an immigration raid near a Home Depot.

ICE can’t just snatch people off the street.

✅ Must have reason to believe the person committed a federal offense or is unlawfully present.
✅ Must get a warrant—unless escape risk.
✅ Must ID themselves and state the reason for arrest.

Due process isn’t optional. www.nytimes.com/video/us/pol...