Jonathan Gitlin

Kristi Noem confronts enemy combatants in the Portland war zone today.

Anyway there’s a weird inversion of the firing on fort Sumter going on here. We are obviously not at that level of conflict, but the complete inversion of states attacking a federal facility in their borders to the federal government looking to attack outward from one is interesting.

PER MY PREVIOUS E-MAIL

Abbott egged on the Jade Helm conspiracists, who claimed that a military training operation was actually Obama invading the state of Texas.

Now a U.S. president is deploying Texas troops to other states to dominate and intimidate those states, and Abbott is complicit.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE ADJUTANT GENERAL, TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD THROUGH: THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS SUBJECT: Calling Members of the Texas National Guard into Federal Service On June 7, 2025, the President of the United States called forth at least 2,000 National Guard personnel into Federal service pursuant to section 12406 of title 10, U.S. Code, to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property, at locations where violent demonstrations against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations. On October 4, 2025, the President determined that violent incidents, as well as the credible threat of continued violence, are impeding the execution of the laws of the United States in Illinois, Oregon, and other locations throughout the United States. The President has authorized me to coordinate with you on the mobilization of up to 400 members of the Texas National Guard under section 12406 of title 10, U.S. Code. The orders will be effective immediately for an initial period of 60 days, and be subject to extension, to perform federal protection missions where needed, including in the cities of Portland and Chicago. The Chief of the National Guard Bureau will immediately coordinate the details of the mobilization with you, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander, U.S. Northern Command. The mobilized Service members will be under the command and control of the Commander, U.S. Northern Command.

Meanwhile, Hegseth issued a memorandum purporting to federalize members of the Texas national guard for deployment to Portland and Chicago.

The memorandum was just filed as an exhibit on the docket not too long ago. That could explain the delay re: hearing but unclear at the moment....🤷‍♀️

Do judges like it when you make them do court at 7pm on a Sunday

The very first statute authorizing domestic use of the military during domestic emergencies, enacted in 1792 by a Congress full of the same folks who wrote and ratified the Constitution, expressly provided for judicial review in certain circumstances *before* the President could even send troops.

A Chicago citizen confronts the hypocrisy of a fellow Hispanic man working for ICE, shaming him and making a powerful point by asking how his family ended up in the United States.

Either the police are mighty and fearless warriors, or they’re scared enough of a sassy 20-something woman to unload a canister of pepper spray in her face from 2 feet away, but they cannot be both.

Like… it's kind of right there, no?

Jesus Christ. DHS has held this guy in the hospital handcuffed to a bed and under constant guard for over a MONTH without ANY warrant or even ANY steps taken towards putting him into the removal system!

A WILD ONE: A man broke his leg during an arrest by ICE at a car wash south of L.A.

ICE has held him under 24/7 guard at a hospital, registering him under a pseudonym, for *37 days* without telling him why.

A judge has ordered his immediate release.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

You.
Are.
Allowed.
To.
Insult.
The.
Police.

It’s a core First Amendment principle. This is utterly lawless behavior, for which there will be no (short-term) consequences.

That he does it so casually, as they are walking away, in front of cameras.

Rightly confident in his impunity.

also, in keeping with Vance’s view of american identity, only white people are fully American with the right to critique or dissent. nonwhites must show proper gratitude (supporting Trump or marrying JD Vance) before they can speak critically of the country (in approved ways, of course)

Many American Jews sharply critical of Israel on Gaza, Post poll finds Most Jews say Israel is committing war crimes — and 39 percent say genocide — while often distinguishing between the country and its leadership.

Per @washingtonpost.com: New polling shows most U.S. Jews say Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza — and 39% say genocide. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

The Billionaire Behind Trump’s Deal for Universities

the usual story. rich guy wants to punish universities for not clamping down on pro-palestinian protests and for doing too much to recruit minorities. at base these guys want the top tier of american universities to become, once more, safe-spaces for their dunderheaded failsons

Breaking on MSNBC:

An FBI agent in the Washington field office has been fired for refusing to arrest and perp walk James Comey.

This news was first reported by Reuters.

No prison sentence for criticizing him. Yet.

Oregon: (quotes public comments by Trump)

"This looks like World War II Your place is burning down," "There are fires all over the place," etc.

Even if hyperbole, hard to see any statements as good-faith assessment within range of honest judgment.

Trump's new $100K visa fee could pummel red state hospitals Rural areas that overwhelmingly voted for the president employ a high concentration of doctors on H-1B visas.

Trump's new $100K visa fee could pummel red state hospitals

Rural areas that overwhelmingly voted for the president employ a high concentration of doctors on H-1B visas.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Literally impossible to parody this.

Even creepier given that this was written by a 63-year-old dude

Judge Simon's right - he wasn't required to recuse, though he had the discretion to. The problem arises when principled judges recuse even if there's an appearance of bias but unprincipled judges like Alito and Thomas don't.

watching Cate Blanchett give a transcendent performance "hmmm ... but I'm pretty certain she's had sex before ... three out of five stars"

= POLITICO The lists of undesirable staffers include people linked to the Project 2025 policy blueprint; officials who resigned in protest of Trump's response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol; and others perceived as disloyal to the former president, said two former Trump officials familiar with the discussions. The former officials were granted anonymity to discuss private transition operations.

"Clearly people working on Project 2025 are blacklisted," said a second former official. But a sweeping ban on contributors to that project - which boasts the support of more than 100 conservative organizations - could complicate efforts to staff up a Republican administration, and it's unclear whether a future Trump administration would stick to such a ban. The effort to ban certain people from joining a Trump administration is occurring alongside the transition team's work to compile names of prospective political appointees for a second Trump term.

Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of Trump's transition team, told the New York Post this month that an incoming Trump administration wouldn't consider recruits tied to Project 2025, the administration playbook organized by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Project 2025 is "radioactive," Lutnick told the outlet. The Heritage Foundation did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Trump has sought to distance himself from the policy blueprint as it has come under fire from Democrats who portray its ideas as extreme.

Also in the running, also from POLITICO. www.politico.com/news/2024/10...

I’ve been looking around for the most credulous mid-campaign piece about Trump’s obviously fatuous Project 2025 disavowal, and I think it might be this one from Politico. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

The story Mike is referring to is very weird, partly bc the reporter is otherwise so good on this beat www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Remembering how the media reported that the Trump campaign not only denied intent to follow Project 2025, but insisted that anyone associated would be barred from the administration.

@politico.com had a big piece about it.

/4 The other side of this is not merely saying “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs,” it‘s people who say “lol fuck those eggs.” It’s between decency and thuggish, swaggering, nihilistic evil.

/3 The gulf is between people who see this as brutal and inhuman, and people who see the victims of this as inhuman. The gulf is between people who speak our opposition and people who think that makes us unpatriotic, unreliable, someone to be mocked with sombrero videos.