ML Vercellotti

it's literally impossible for an LLM to do a historian's job

it's not even LLMs sucking it's that they need data input to do anything and where's that data supposed to be coming from without historians

never met a computer that can dig through a thousand year old book in a library

Not every issue in our politics needs to be shirts and skins. Republicans don’t need to automatically be against everything Democrats stand for. We could decide together that no president should ever arrest a political opponent for free speech.

ICYMI

Sundown Town Map | History and Social Justice, inspired by James W. Loewen A database contributed by people across the nation underlies these maps and the tables you can generate.

If you're wondering whether your town was a sundown town?

Check this map.

Shout out to everyone that immediately noticed that most sundown towns were not in the South.

Rand Paul to ICE officials on moments before Pretti's killing: "No one in America believes that shoving that woman's face in the snow was deescalation."

Note that ICE officials then confirm it was improper for her to be thrown down.

Just like with Brazil arresting their insurrectionists rather than re-electing them, other countries are holding their Epstein-tied politicians accountable far better than we do. www.bbc.com/news/article...

MWW26 SUMMER CONFERENCE - Midwest Writers Workshop

If you're looking for a great writing conference to get back into the writing game and build a community, I highly recommend this one in Muncie, Indiana. www.midwestwriters.org/mww26-summer...

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MARK KELLY, Plaintiff, Civil Case No. 26-81 (RJL) V. PETE HEGSETH, et al., Defendants. MEMORANDUM OPINION February 12, 2026 [Dkt. #2] United States Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval officer, has been censured by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for voicing certain opinions on military actions and policy. In addition, he has been subjected to proceedings to possibly reduce his retirement rank and pay and threatened with criminal prosecution if he continues to speak out on these issues. Secretary Hegseth relies on the well-established doctrine that military servicemembers enjoy less vigorous First Amendment protections given the fundamental obligation for obedience and discipline in the armed forces. Unfortunately for Secretary Hegseth, no court has ever extended those principles to retired servicemembers, much less a retired servicemember serving in Congress and exercising oversight responsibility over the military. This Court will not be the first to do so!

Worse still, Secretary Hegseth contends that this Court is not yet competent to decide the issues in this case. He and his fellow Defendants argue that military personnel 1 Case 1:26-cv-00081-RJL Document 37 Filed 02/12/26 Page 2 of 29 decisions are exempt from judicial review and, in any event, that Senator Kelly should first be required to go through the military appeals process so the military can have the first crack at adjudicating his First Amendment rights. I disagree. This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly's First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees. After all, as Bob Dylan famously said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it! Senator Kelly's First Amendment claim is not only justiciable; he is likely to succeed on the merits. He has also shown irreparable harm, and the balance of the equities fall decidedly in his favor. As such, his motion for a preliminary injunction on his First Amendment claim is hereby GRANTED.

BREAKING: Judge blocks Hegseth effort to punish Sen. Kelly.

"This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly's First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees."

Background: www.lawdork.com/p/breaking-k...

Nick Fuentes: “The number one political enemy in America is women. … They have to be imprisoned.”

Fuentes, yesterday: “Our #1 political enemy is women because women constrain everything, every conversation, every man, everything. They have to be imprisoned. They are the ones that are hurting the fertility rate. They're the ones making us sympathetic to poor people, which are also brown people.”

“They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast occupation,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement. “These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it’s not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American.”

“Understanding that sign languages are independent languages also reframes how we think about bilingualism & multilingualism. A Deaf individual who uses ASL & reads and writes in English is bilingual. A Deaf individual who uses LSPR and reads and writes in both Spanish and English is multilingual.”

Why is ICE seizing people’s phones and documents? • Minnesota Reformer After the federal agents took the shackles off Gust Johnson’s ankles to release him from detainment, he asked for his phone back. That would be staying at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, th...

Why is ICE seizing people’s phones and documents? minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/w...

Rand Paul to ICE officials on Pretti's killing: "Because people within the government made conclusions immediately that he was a terrorist and an assassin, people aren't believing that it's gonna be an honest investigation ... there has to ultimately be repercussions ... it's inexcusable."

it really can't be said enough that this is a person who has dined with the president of the united states

Ending this operation is not enough.

We need justice and accountability. That starts with independent investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, economic restitution for businesses impacted, abolishing ICE, and the impeachment of Kristi Noem.

Wow, almost like the media and journalism profession failed in some sort of professional duty to actually inform these low-engagement voters about what Trump was saying he wanted to do and the consequences of those plans.

There is a moral-failure-of-the-voters here, but it's not the only one.

Opinion | Affordability and the ‘Epstein Class’ Will Define American Politics

“When Citizens United was decided in 2010, billionaires had spent $18 million on the 2000 election, $13M 2004 and $16M in 2008. Then came the deluge. In 2012 it was $231M, and nearly doubled again in next three election cycles —to $682M in 2016, $1.2 billion in 2020 and $2.6 billion in 2024.” Gift:

Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study finds Cognitive health in later life is ‘strongly influenced’ by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments, say researchers

'Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition.' 1/2

Pam Bondi had a choice today. She could hold pedophiles accountable or she could protect pedophiles. She chose to protect pedophiles. She chose to protect people who raped children.

RFK Jr/MAHA world say they're not reducing access to vaccines for anyone who wants them, only giving people "choice" to opt out.
But by refusing to even review new vaccines, yes, they are absolutely blocking those who want a new immunization from ever having access to it.

A Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump was convicted of sexually abusing children A handyman from Florida who received a pardon from President Trump for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted on state charges of child sex abuse and exposing himself to a child.

A handyman from Florida who received a pardon from President Trump for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted on state charges of child sex abuse and exposing himself to a child. n.pr/4tx7oVq

Andrew Paul Johnson, who I wrote about in November, was found guilty of five charges.

Rep. Moskowitz: "Kash Patel said under oath that Trump's name appears less than 100 times in the files. We now know that's not true. Trump's name appears more times in the Epstein files than God's name appears in the book about God."

Today’s CBO report says US consumers pay 95% of tariffs. 🤡

@brendanvduke.bsky.social
www.cbo.gov/system/files...

My updated list of estimates of the cost of the GOP megabill including its effects on growth including today's CBO estimate.

Contrary to claims the law will produce such stupendous economic growth it will pay for itself, all independent estimates find it will cost trillions.

"A modern-day concentration camp ... People have been killed by the staff here." Irish citizen Seamus Culleton has been in ICE detention since September, despite having a valid work permit and his own business in the US.

It always pays to read down into the story! The “War Department” scrambled its new laser technology near the southern border and shot down… a party balloon! www.cbsnews.com/news/airspac...

Federal Debt to Hit Record Levels, Budget Office Warns

Federal Debt to Hit Record Levels, Budget Office Warns

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/b...

👇🎯💯

Once again, full democracy, civil liberties, & the rule of law are completely incompatible with imposing the theological beliefs of some white Christians on everyone else, regardless of how fervently those white Christians hold those theological beliefs:

bsky.app/profile/mcop...

You deserve access to abortion care if you are pregnant and do not want to be. Full stop.

Your reasons are your reasons and they are good enough.

Abortion is healthcare and everyone deserves healthcare access.