Joanne Freeman

Is it a Quasi-War? Not quite. The No-Explanation War

Tomorrow on my live podcast History Matters:

The No-Explanation War

Let’s talk.

Friday 10AM ET
m.youtube.com/watch?v=NMfl...

…chased by bear.

It’s nice to see accountability now and again.

Even if it’s window dressing.

So.
Long.
Noem.

At least it’s something.

Now…we have to keep our eyes on what comes next…

Moral of the story? Congressional oversight matters. Congress should do it more.

Secretary Kristi Noem @Sec_Noem Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren. The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security. We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again: we delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., we have located 145,000 children, FEMA delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, we ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard.

oh my goodness she seems to think Special Envoy for the Shield is a real job

Explore Financial Disclosures From President Trump and 1,500 of His Appointees - ProPublica Use this database to explore potential conflicts of interest for President Donald Trump and his team. The documents disclose positions officials have held outside government, their assets and their de...

An incredibly talented team of my colleagues at @propublica.org have created a searchable database of Trump's team financial disclosures, to help explore potential conflicts of interest: projects.propublica.org/trump-team-f...

Thank you!

field of blood by joanne b freeman

worth revisiting this book btw

The nature of human rights is that they apply to, you know, all humans

This war isn’t an emergency that requires us to give the president more latitude. It’s a monstrosity that requires that judges, lawmakers and above all citizens work to preserve the integrity of elections and the republic.

ICE taking steps to close detention center at Fort Bliss, document shows Preparations to shutter Camp East Montana in El Paso come less than eight months after facility’s opening, according to an internal ICE document.

Success! Close all of the concentration camps.

“Preparations to shutter Camp East Montana in El Paso come less than eight months after facility’s opening, according to an internal ICE document --- ending a tumultuous experiment in large-scale detention where three detainees died.“

‘Nazi heaven’: Inside Miami campus Republicans’ racist group chat The chat is the subject of a Florida International University police investigation.

The secretary of Miami-Dade County’s GOP started a group chat for conservative students — and within 3 weeks, it was filled with over 400 instances of the N-word, Nazi rhetoric and writings of "dozens of ways of violently killing Black people"

Trump Has Been Sued 198 Times for Withholding Funding. It Hasn’t Stopped Him. (Gift Article) Immigration demands for highway dollars, D.E.I. rules for homeless grants: how Trump has tried to wield spending to get his way.

We've been tracking nearly 200 lawsuits against the Trump administration over its attempts to leverage federal funding to impose the president's agenda.

The most startling pattern: The administration seems entirely undeterred when it loses in court.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Thrilled that this joint special forum with @oieahc.bsky.social's William and Mary Quarterly will be out soon! An all-star lineup of scholars offering new interpretations of themes such as religious liberty, citizenship and belonging, sovereignty, and the rule of law during the Revolution

BREAKING on MS NOW:

The House Oversight Committee just voted to subpoena Pam Bondi as part of the panel's Epstein investigation.

The vote was 24-19. 5 Republicans voted in favor.

Jeffries: "Article 1 of the Constitution provides Congress with the sole authority to declare war. Framers made that decision b/c they were concerned about kings plunging their people into unnecessary wars to pillage resources of others for the benefit of a tyrant and his family. Sound familiar?"

"It is fraud" -- Neguse nails Kristi Noem for lying during her testimony yesterday when she told the Senate that DHS's $220m ad campaign starring her "went out to a competitive bid" (it did not), and tells her "I think there's gonna be accountability" (1/2)

Resistance: The Power of Change - NY Phil Official Box Office. March 10, 2026.

OK.
Here’s the official page.

www.nyphil.org/concerts-tic...

This is what weak and insecure people think confidence looks like: buffoonish bluster and swagger, like a 12-year-old bully. It doesn‘t inspire trust or security. It inspires grave concern for the lives of the people serving our nation whose fate is in the hands of these overcompensating oafs.

Raskin: Based on what you know today, were Renee Good and Alex Pretti domestic terrorists?

Noem: What happened was an absolute tragedy.

Raskin: Were they domestic terrorists?

Noem: My condolences to their families

Raskin: You lied about them.

Here’s the link:

www.lincolncenter.org/series/linco...

Pretty much sums it up.

I’d add “greed” into that last phrase, though.

I’ve been notified about another death in ICE custody.

This marks a stunning 40 deaths during the second Trump administration.

This cannot continue. There must be real accountability for ICE and DHS.

"Secretary Noem, you're flying high now -- maybe even a little bit too close to the sun," Raskin tells her.

"But with all these free planes and houses and pilots, you’ve traveled a long distance from your actual job."

👏🏻

Define “imminent.”

Only in the sense that the people who launched it without a plan or objective all get pretty defensive when criticized.

Here's what I believe: no more business as usual in the Senate. We shouldn't be voting to proceed to normal legislation until Republicans schedule a debate and a vote and on a declaration of war against Iran. Let's see if Trump has the votes to authorize war. I bet he doesn't.