Marianne Costantinou

Mamdani: "I speak of Renee Good, whose final words to the man who murdered her were, 'I'm not mad at you.' I speak of Alex Pretti who died as he lived, caring for the stranger. ICE shot him bc he did something they could never fathom ... let us offer a new path: one of defiance through compassion."

Finneas and Billie

Finneas is better at political messaging than 99% of the Democratic consultants in DC.

By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Steps Onto a Wider Stage

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is taking a larger role in Democratic politics, supporting moderate candidates and helping drive the party’s economic message. Her heightened prominence comes as insiders begin to whisper more loudly about what she might do in 2028.

OBAMA: “People make excuses for him. They say he’s not serious. Everything a president says is serious!”🔥

Front pages from January 6. Image: Walter Olson

Five years ago today, Donald Trump urged his supporters to attack Congress and the Capitol over a proven lie. More than 140 police officers were injured.

Trump then pardoned the attackers.

He betrayed his oath and his country, and we won't ever forget it.

MAGA’s War on Empathy This crisis in Minneapolis reveals a deep moral rot at the heart of Trump’s movement.

I believe that Christians like me—and people of faith more generally—have a responsibility to stand up to the extremists who use religion to divide our society and undermine our democracy.

My new piece in the Atlantic:

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Quote from Elora Mukherjee: It is not an enormous ask that we protect children from needless cruelty.

Thanks to the efforts of @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social and other advocates, the boy in the blue bunny hat—five-year-old Liam Ramos—is home from ICE detention.

But hundreds of kids remain in facilities that are no place for children.

Release them all.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/o...

I expected the cuts would be bad but I'm honestly stunned and sickened seeing how many great journalists the Washington Post just lost. People who nailed huge investigations, documented war zones, exposed horrific crimes, dropped all at once for failures they did not cause.

the Washington Post effectively blew up its arts section today, dismissing its books, TV, music, and theater critics, features writers, and several editors. (I'm also guessing the vacant film critic position will stay that way.) Just an insane loss of talent and a huge self-inflicted wound.

Now this in Minnesota federal court today:

The DOJ attorney "admitted it has been like pulling teeth" to get ICE to comply with court orders.

"The system sucks, this job sucks."

"We have no guidance or direction on what we need to do."

www.fox9.com/news/federal...

I wish I lived in a country where our elected officials in Congress had at least half the balls of E. Jean Carroll, Stormy Daniels, Christine Blasey Ford, Anita Hill, or the Epstein survivors.

For those keeping score at home:

When Local Police Collaborate with ICE, Children Pay the Price I know exactly what message the recent deportation of an Austin mom and her 5-year-old sends to kids. They learn that calling 911 is dangerous.

New from Montserrat Garibay: "I know exactly what message the recent deportation of an Austin mom and her 5-year-old sends to kids. They learn that calling 911 is dangerous."

Pinned lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Aug 19, 2021 Almost three years ago, my editor called me early one November morning. A wildfire had sparked near a town called Paradise, he said. Could I go? (1/13) 0:02 / 0:10 lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · 47m I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. Quote lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Jan 25 Waking up without power, heat, or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kyiv continues. Warming up in the car, writing in pencil — pen ink freezes — by headlamp.

A publisher who lays off a reporter whose pen is freezing because she's covering a frigid war zone while dodging missiles is not an editor you want to work for, in a more perfect world

Dear Director Ratcliffe, I write to alert you to a classified letter I sent you earlier today in which I express deep concerns about CIA activities. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator

Sitting U.S. senators don't make letters such as this one public unless they feel a paper trail is needed to inform the public.

Not great. Really not great.

h/t Sahil Kapur

JD Vance Has Frosty, 2-Word Response When Asked About Apology To Alex Pretti's Family “For what?” the vice president replied when asked if he'd be apologizing to Pretti's family.

Vance is a prick that defies description. My mother said this is the main reason she hopes Trump doesn't die while in office. I still hope he croaks off soon.
JD Vance Won't Apologize For Amplifying Smears Against Alex Pretti
www.huffpost.com/entry/jd-van...

I don't often wear political t-shirts, but I'm proudly sporting this one today.

I'm an immigrant.

I teach American (and international!) college students, research the U.S. economy, consult with policymakers, write books, raise my kids, pay taxes, and try to make this a better place.

Heads are going to explode 💥

Cato Institute just nuked the lie. Immigrants have cut U.S. deficits by $14.5 TRILLION since 1994, slashing the national debt by a third.

All that “immigrants are bleeding us dry” noise? Absolute bullshit.
1/3

NEWS: The U.S. Supreme Court will allow the new California congressional map to stand, rejecting Republicans’ bid to block it. It’s a huge win for Democrats heading into the midterms.

Our founders, though deeply flawed, understood that democracy requires an informed citizenry and a government accountable to it people. That’s why the press is the only profession protected by the Constitution. It’s also why autocrats and oligarchs seek to control and destroy it.

If I die, I want my remains to be scattered at the US Capitol. Do not cremate me.

💯

Swalwell: The guy said he would cut prices, and instead he’s killing people—and I’m not signing off on that.

Democrat Christian Menefee wins the special election for CD-18, narrowing the GOP's very slim majority, and returning representation to the district, after Governor Abbott held the seat open to give Republicans an unearned advantage in Congress.

Supposedly Texas Governor Greg Abbott is mentioned 27 times in the Trump-Epstein pedo files & Senator Ted Cruz is mentioned 139 times.

No wonder the Republicans in Congress shut down the government & refused to release the files. More names to come, I'm sure.

And no wonder Melinda left Bill Gates

The federal government rounded up 18 activists tied to an anti-ICE protest in Texas, claiming they were part of an antifa cell. And it's the first big test of Trump’s crackdown on free speech. trib.al/Kc5mxsJ

How to Cause a Dysfunctional Government On RFK, Jr., Trump v. Slaughter, and the serious flaw of the right’s unitary executive theory.

New from Oscar Salinas: In a world run by science, the government would respond to a Texas measles outbreak by increasing vaccination rates.

But today, our government is controlled by dysfunctional, radical idealists like RFK, Jr.

Inside the resistance with Will Stancil "It's something I could do to keep them from stealing my neighbors."

"ICE guys are pretty miserable. I don’t think morale is particularly high for them. They’re freezing, they’re getting shouted at. They can’t go anywhere without being tailed by 5 cars. They get out and immediately there's a crowd of 100 people shouting at them, blowing whistles as loud as they can."