Wes Muller

Smitty’s Supply sues companies that made and maintained tanks that exploded Smitty’s Supply is suing two companies it blames for the Aug. 22 fire that led to an environmental disaster in Tangipahoa Parish.

The lawsuit alleges but doesn’t specify how the tanks were defective
lailluminator.com/2025/10/15/s...

Everett 13-year-old arrested by ICE and sent to Virginia detention facility - The Boston Globe The boy’s mother, Josiele Berto, was called to pick her son up from the Everett Police Department on Thursday, the day he was arrested.

He is 13. A 7th grader w/ a pending asylum case. Being held more than 500 miles from home & housed w/ adults. He called his mom crying, & reported that he’s sleeping on concrete w/ an aluminum blanket.

How is this anything other than sick & shameful? www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/m...

UNC professor suspended for anti-fascist activism returns to class • NC Newsline UNC Chapel Hill professor Dwayne Dixon returned to campus to teach his first class after his suspension for ties to an anti-fascist group.

UNC Professor Dwayne Dixon, whose unpaid leave was lifted last week, denounced the actions of Chancellor Lee Roberts as harmful to free speech. By @kingdollar.bsky.social #ncpol #unc

EPA begins additional water sampling in wake of Smitty’s Supply disaster The EPA said it has begun additional water sampling where contamination is suspected from an industrial explosion in Tangipahoa Parish.

The EPA says it has begun additional water sampling from areas where contamination remains from the Aug. 22 Smitty’s Supply Inc. industrial explosion in Tangipahoa Parish. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports lailluminator.com/briefs/water...

UPDATE: After this article published, the EPA decided to release the list of inventory and chemicals given to them by Smitty's Supply. It can be found on the hub site under "Maps & Data."

EPA withholds list of chemicals in Smitty's Supply fire, citing 'confidential business information' Federal officials are withholding a list of hazardous materials present at a petrochemical fire in Tangipahoa Parish last month.

The Environmental Protection Agency has known for weeks which specific hazardous and radioactive materials were present at Smitty’s Supply Inc. when it went up in flames and exploded last month, but they're not telling the public. lailluminator.com/2025/09/24/e...

Pentagon Introduces New Restrictions on Reporter Access The Department of Defense will force reporters to pledge not to gather or use any information that had not been formally authorized for release, or risk losing their credential to cover the military.

Breaking News: The Pentagon said it would require journalists to pledge not to use unauthorized information or risk losing credentials to cover the military.

More Epstein documents come from the Hill The House Oversight Committee released a list of contacts, a deposition with former Attorney General Bill Barr and other documents.

Breaking news: The House Oversight Committee released more documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate and federal investigation, including testimony from former Attorney General William Barr.

Pentagon approves National Guard to carry weapons in D.C. as federal takeover extends WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the thousands of National Guard troops deployed to the District of Columbia to carry their weapons as they patrol the city, the Pentagon said...

Pentagon approves National Guard to carry weapons in D.C. as federal takeover extends. W/ an assist from @wesmuller.bsky.social www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pent...

Louisiana vets new voting systems as Trump doubles down on false fraud claims • Louisiana Illuminator Secretary of State Nancy Landry’s office hosted a demonstration Tuesday of new voting systems technology as part of the state’s efforts to replace its decades-old machines.

Louisiana vets new voting machines as Trump threatens to eliminate them nationwide lailluminator.com/2025/08/27/l...

Entergy power plant for Meta data center moves toward early regulatory approval Fast tracking a vote that was expected to happen in October, utility regulators will vote tomorrow on a power plant for Meta's data center.

Fast-tracking a vote originally expected to happen in October, the La. Public Service Commission plans to decide Wednesday whether to approve an Entergy power plant for Meta's giant data center in NE Louisiana. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports: lailluminator.com/2025/08/19/m...

Trump fires labor statistics boss hours after weak jobs report The president implied that the BLS commissioner, long-time federal employee Erika McEntarfer, manipulated the data "for political purposes."

BREAKING: President Trump fires the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hours after weak jobs report.

I was just informed that our Country’s “Jobs Numbers” are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory. This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000. These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative. The Economy is BOOMING under “TRUMP” despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting “Kamala” elected – How did that work out? Jerome “Too Late” Powell should also be put “out to pasture.” Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Unquestionably the most dangerous and corrupt attack on the independence of US economic data in American history. Trump is firing the head of the BLS, a longtime civil servant confirmed 86-8 by the Senate, simply because the job numbers came in below his expectations today

Q&A with Rep. Rashid Young on name, image and likeness • Louisiana Illuminator Louisiana state Rep. Rashid Young, D-Homer, created and leads a new task force that will study name, image and likeness issues for college and high school athletes.  You can also listen to a version o...

On this week’s episode of The Light Switch, I talked to Rep. Rashid Young about his new task force on name, image and likeness. #lalege #lagov

University sidelines scientist who exposed toxic metals in Lake Maurepas The SELU scientist who discovered alarming levels of toxic chemicals in Lake Maurepas was abruptly removed from her research position without explanation.

EXCLUSIVE: Southeastern Louisiana University has removed a scientist from a research team that exposed the presence and sources of toxic metals in Lake Maurepas. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports lailluminator.com/2025/07/31/s...

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields: Trump is turning America into a ‘dictatorship’ • Louisiana Illuminator Louisiana’s newest member of Congress accuses President Donald Trump of unconstitutional actions that he says are destroying democracy.

“I think the president is really bringing this country closer and closer to a dictatorship, and I’ve said to my constituents the best way to deal with a bully is to stand up to him,” Fields said. lailluminator.com/2025/07/29/f...

Angus King Says He Voted to Confirm This Anti-Choice Trump Nominee Because Josh Hawley Asked Nicely The first member of the Senate Democratic Caucus to back a Trump nominee does so for the most embarrassing reason imaginable.

I appreciate the headline from @jaywillis.net on all this.

Angus King Says He Voted to Confirm This Anti-Choice Trump Nominee Because Josh Hawley Asked Nicely ballsandstrikes.org/nominations/...

U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans misrepresented family’s immigration history | Colorado Newsline U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans of Colorado has mischaracterized the story of how his Depression-era ancestors immigrated to America.

NEW: Rep. Gabe Evans has mischaracterized the story of how his grandfather immigrated to America, according to documents obtained by Newsline. The Colorado Republican has repeated a false version of the story as part of his support of Trump's deportation policies.
By @chasewoodruff.bsky.social

More toxic waste leaking from levees at River Parishes alumina refinery, records show Environmental inspectors have discovered more toxic waste leaking from the containment lakes at the Atlantic Alumina facility near Gramercy.

RED ALERT: Regulators discover more toxic discharges from the Atlantic Alumina facility near Gramercy, just months after citing the refinery for spewing waste with arsenic, cadmium, chromium and other heavy metals into state waters. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports lailluminator.com/2025/07/18/a...

BREAKING: Donald Trump sues Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, WSJ reporters for libel, court records show reut.rs/3TNpulG

Raw sewage intentionally pumped into New Orleans storm drains, records show The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans intentionally pumped thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the city’s stormwater drainage system.

NEW INVESTIGATION: Over several days, the Sewerage & Water Board approved the intentional disposal of thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the city’s stormwater drainage system, records show. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports lailluminator.com/2025/07/17/r...

Oregon's Bynum, Merkley and Florida Republicans target microplastics with new bill • Oregon Capital Chronicle U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum and Sen. Jeff Merkley, both Oregon Democrats introduced the Microplastics Safety Act.

The average human brain now contains enough tiny plastic fragments to equal the weight of a plastic spoon, a 50% increase since 2016. @bynum.house.gov and @jeff-merkley.bsky.social introduced a bill with Florida Republicans today to target microplastics.

buff.ly/cZ40Fbt by @jmshumway.bsky.social

"[Governor] Landry has said the project would 'break' Louisiana’s culture of shrimp and oyster harvesting and compared it to government efforts a century ago to punish schoolchildren for speaking Cajun French."

Georgia man accused of running $140M Ponzi scheme contributed to 3 Alabama officials | Alabama Reflector The SEC has accused Edwin Brant Frost IV of running a Ponzi scheme in Georgia. Frost and his businesses made $136,000 in contributions to Alabama candidates and PACs.

Via @alander.bsky.social: A Georgia man accused of running a $140 million Ponzi scheme contributed a total of $132,000 to three elected Alabama GOP officials or their PACs, according to finance records. A PAC run by one of the recipients later made a $29,000 loan to one of the man's businesses.

Texas has banned talking on college campuses at night | Opinion Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill will ban speech at night — from study groups to newspaper reporting — at the state's public universities.

Greg Abbott signed a law that bans talking at night because when you gotta stop campus protests over Israel's genocide in Palestine, you gotta whole hog violate people's first amendment rights.

www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outl...

LSU’s ‘Plant Doctor’ works around the clock to heal Louisiana farms  • Louisiana Illuminator How an LSU AgCenter plant pathologist works to prevent disease on Louisiana farms

#LSU’s ‘Plant Doctor’ works around the clock to heal Louisiana farms

Thousands of undocumented students in Louisiana to lose student aid under Trump rollback • Louisiana Illuminator Nearly 6,000 students without legal immigration status in Louisiana will lose access to federal financial aid

NEW: Nearly 6,000 students w/o permanent legal immigration status will lose access to federal financial aid for workforce education programs, creating funding gaps for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. @piperhutch.bsky.social reports lailluminator.com/briefs/undoc...

Raw sewage intentionally pumped into New Orleans storm drains, records show The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans intentionally pumped thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the city’s stormwater drainage system.

Rather than use vacuum trucks to clean up the fecal matter and take it to a treatment facility, the SWBNO chose to pump it all into the storm ditches because they believed there was simply too much sewage for the vacuum trucks to handle. lailluminator.com/2025/07/17/r...

Interestingly, it appears we’re seeing a real case where commitment to a (long-held conspiratorial) belief > partisan motivated reasoning among many MAGA supporters.

Fascinating from a social science perspective, I’m not sure I’ve seen many cases of that

Lawsuit claims slavery persists at former St. James plantation with unmarked graves • Louisiana Illuminator Community activists with ancestral ties to enslaved people at Louisiana plantations are using a unique legal theory to gain access to an unmarked slave cemetery on the property of a petrochemical comp...

Community activists with ancestral ties to enslaved people at Louisiana plantations are using a unique legal theory to gain access to an unmarked slave cemetery on the property of a petrochemical company. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports: lailluminator.com/2025/07/12/s...