Alexa Olesen

Why you might not know that 2024 was America's safest year since the 1960s An overwhelming majority of Americans, 64 percent, believe that crime increased across the country in 2024, according to a Gallup survey conducted late last year.

1. This week, the FBI released its comprehensive crime report for 2024, which revealed that both VIOLENT CRIME and PROPERTY CRIME reached their LOWEST LEVELS SINCE THE 1960s

This a massive story. But you might not have heard about it, even if you follow the news closely.

Here's why.

Jennifer Saunders in an oversized mustard shirt dress and Joanna Lumley in an 80’s style suit jacket from an episode of AbFAb

Me three months ago:

EXCLUSIVE: Someone Waived Ghislaine Maxwell's Sex Offender Status to Move Her to a Minimum Security Camp in Texas According to sources, you can't move someone with a Public Safety Factor (PSF) designation - which Maxwell had - without waiving it. That's what happened here.

BREAKING: EXCLUSIVE: A higher up at the Bureau of Prisons WAIVED Ghislaine Maxwell's sex offender status in order to transfer her to a minimum security camp in Texas, per source. My latest: www.muellershewrote.com/p/exclusive-...

Kudos to the Chinese deep diving submersible Fendouzhe and team (which have also been to Challenger Deep where we didn't see anything like these creatures)!
www.bbc.com/news/article...
🌊 🦑

“Since AFP was founded in 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, some have been injured, others taken prisoner.

But none of us remember witnessing colleagues die of hunger"

Who's watching city hall? Nobody—and that should scare you Dave Busiek: A study released this month details a shocking decline in the number of journalists covering local news today.

New post by Dave Busiek: A study released this month details a shocking decline in the number of journalists covering local news today.
(Iowa's decline is bad but it's even worse in many other states)
#media #journalism
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/07/19/w...

Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a California marijuana farm says he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle on his way to work.

ICE detained a veteran and U.S. citizen for three days.

They didn’t let him contact his family or a lawyer. They didn’t let him change or shower. They didn’t give him a reason for his detention.

Under this regime, no one is safe. apnews.com/article/us-a...

The leap from this to the systems Chinese police use for social engineering in Xinjiang and Tibet is exceedingly small

I just left the Everglades Immigrant Interment Camp. No, I’m not using their ridiculous name. It was a very tough to witness humans in those cages. Every Floridian should be ashamed that our taxpayer money is being used for this.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz after touring "Alligator Alcatraz": "These detainees are living in cages. The pictures you've seen don't do it just. They are essentially packed into cages. 34 detainees per cage...they get their drinking water & they brush their teeth where they poop, in the same unit"

The dissonance between the fear-mongering about Chinese ascendence and the willingness to completely cede just about every field in order to pay for massively regressive tax cuts is breathtaking.

I encourage everyone to read this letter.

Please then realize the president is imposing a tax on American consumers to leverage a foreign nation into making a domestic political decision that will help one of his political allies.

Orbitviewer Explore the Solar System in 3D with NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Orbitviewer. Watch objects move through time and learn about Rubin’s new discoveries, right in your browser.

NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Launches Orbitviewer App

New 3D, interactive visualization of planets and minor planets in our Solar System lets you explore Rubin discoveries in real time. 🧪🔭 @vrubinobs.bsky.social

☑️ noirlab.edu/public/annou...
☑️ orbitviewer.app

Hail Mary - Andy Weir

Making sense of the weather that led to a horrible Texas flooding tragedy, plus Tropical Storm Chantal In brief: Invest 92L became Tropical Depression 3 yesterday and is now Tropical Storm Chantal.

The administration's cuts to the NWS are inexplicable and unforgiveable. BUT, in this case it does not appear the cuts played a role in the Texas tragedy. Important read:
open.substack.com/pub/theeyewa...

This 👇 is going to fundamentally change America. An internal security force with ever expanding powers impacting citizens and non-citizens.

With a mission that already expands far beyond what Americans voted for in November 2024.

Red graphic of a tweet from @RepLoriTrahan

Red graphic of a tweet from @RepLoriTrahan

Red graphic of a tweet from @RepLoriTrahan

Red graphic of a tweet from @RepLoriTrahan

Donald Trump is throwing a party at the White House today as he signs his Big, Ugly Bill into law. He’ll be surrounded by Republican politicians and their billionaire donors, and he's going to lie A LOT about what this bill does.

So let's go through it:

Hands down first noticeable effects will be the immigration money.

This is **so much money.** It will make ICE the US's largest jailer. It will militarize the border and immigration operations even more.

You thought mass deportations were intense now? Hoo boy. Buckle up.

Can confirm this email is authentic — and about nothing in it is true.

Social Security income is still taxed. This bill does nothing to change that.

It’s willful disinformation on the part of SSA. It’s a lie.

BREAKING: Congress just gave final approval on a budget bill that guts Medicaid, defunds Planned Parenthood, and supercharges funding for ICE.

We the people will bear the brunt of these harmful policies — and we won’t forget who caused this devastation to our health, rights, and dignity.

AOC: "On this point of tax on tips, as one of the only people in this body who has lived off of tips, I want to tell you a little bit about the scam ... the cap on that is $25,000 while you're jacking up taxes on people who make less than $50,000 across the US ... while kicking them off the ACA."

Case 8:25-cv-00951-PX Document 211-3 Filed 07/02/25 Page 22 of 40 114. Inmates in CECOT are confined to their cells for 23.5 hours daily and cannot go outdoors. They are denied access to reading materials, including even letters from friends or family. Inmates are prohibited from receiving visits from family and friends. Meals are provided through the bars, and the facility enforces strict regulations to maintain order. See Ex. H. 115. In May 2023, Cristosal, a leading human rights organization in El Salvador, released a comprehensive report detailing severe human rights abuses within the country's prison system, especially CECOT. See Ex. I. The investigation documented the deaths of 153 inmates between March 27, 2022, and March 27, 2023, attributing many to torture, beatings, mechanical asphyxiation (strangulation), and lack of medical attention. Id. Autopsies revealed common patterns of lacerations, hematomas, sharp object wounds, and signs of choking or strangulation. Id. Survivors reported being forced to pick food off the floor with their mouths, subjected to electric shocks, and exposed to untreated skin fungus epidemics. Id. Cristosal's director has emphasized that these systemic violations have become state policy. Id. 116. Plaintiff Abrego Garcia reports that he was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture 117. Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was the first name called to disembark the plane that transported him to El Salvador on March 15, 2025. As he exited the aircraft, still in chains, two officials grabbed his arms and pushed him down the stairs, forcing his head down. 118. There were strong lights illuminating the area despite it being nighttime, and cameras were filming the detainees' arrival. 119. Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was pushed toward a bus, forcibly seated, and fitted with a second set of chains and handcuffs. He was repe…

Here’s Abrego Garcia’s amended complaint.

It alleges that Abrego Garcia “was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation,
inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture..”

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

Why Are Federal Agents Wearing Masks? It’s a Threat to American Democracy Masked Federal Agents Are Undermining Trust—and Democracy

If you need a mask to enforce the law, you don’t deserve a badge.
Federal agents are snatching people off the streets—faces covered, names hidden.
This isn’t safety. It’s secrecy.
It’s not America.

adamkinzinger.substack.com/p/why-are-fe...

JUST IN: At Senate appropriations hearing, AG Pam Bondi says she was previously unaware that law enforcement are covering their faces during immigration enforcement. Sen. Gary Peters says people might resist unidentified individuals putting them in a van.

This is oligarchy. This is obscene.

While 60% live paycheck to paycheck & kids go hungry, Jeff Bezos, worth $230 billion, goes to Venice on his $500 million yacht for a $20 million wedding & spends $5 million on a ring while his real tax rate is just 1.1%.

End this oligarchy.

Today's the day — it's officially T-0!

GET READY: Your full First Look at images from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is just hours away! We're about to reveal the preview of the greatest cosmic movie ever made 🎬 #RubinFirstLook #CaptureTheCosmos 🔭🧪

⌚️ 11am US EDT
🔗: ls.st/rubin-first-look-livestream

"We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much. "We want everyone to know that we are both safe and with loved ones. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, and we appreciate your respect for our family's privacy as we grieve. "Our family would like to thank law enforcement for their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents. We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents' home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad. "Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them. "If you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following: • Plant a tree. • Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail. • Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do. • Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it. • Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone. • Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something. • Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace. "Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else."

Please read and share this statement from Sophie and Colin Hortman, children of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

(via WCCO reporter Caroline Cummings on X)

The incredible Resistance Revival Chorus led by Shaina Taub, Tony-Award winning composer of Suffs the Musical, singing "No Kings in the USA"

Hi everyone

I was denied entry, detained, and deported from the USA over the last 48 hours because of my reporting on the Columbia student protests

I arrived back in Melbourne hours ago and had my phone handed back to me upon landing