Rebecca Schwarz

@unitedshoes.bsky.social accidents happen - it’s not like you included a reporter on a group chat discussing war plans

the thing about the "see this is why you shouldnt have impostor syndrome" posts is that i will still be held to a higher standard than any of these men for any job i hold for the rest of my life

Statement from Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights: “The President's latest assault on lawyers threatens the fundamental rights of every person in America. The courts are our last safeguard against the full-scale theft of our civil and legal protections. The President’s latest action is an attempt to intimidate lawyers with threats of financial sanctions, disbarment, and worse, simply for doing their jobs. The goal is to bully lawyers out of taking on any case that challenges the administration, leaving everyday Americans with no recourse to fight back when fundamental freedoms — including their reproductive rights — are violated. We must not let that happen.

This is how you respond to attacks on lawyers and the legal profession. Thank you, Center for Reproductive Rights & Nancy Northrup.

(Abortion rights lawyers have known what it is like to be under attack for awhile, so not surprising they know what to do and say now.)

“Trump’s new Executive Order underscores how far removed this President, Attorney General and Administration are from our nation’s Constitution and bedrock values. Our liberties depend on lawyers’ willingness to represent unpopular people and causes, including in matters adverse to the Federal Government. An attack on lawyers who perform this work is inexcusable and despicable. Our profession owes every client zealous legal representation without fear of retribution, regardless of their political affiliation or ability to pay. We encourage law firm leaders to sign on to an amicus effort in support of Perkins Coie’s challenge to the Administration’s executive order targeting the firm, and to resist the Administration’s erosion of the rule of law.” – John Keker, Robert Van Nest, Elliot Peters, Laurie Carr Mims, and the Keker, Van Nest & Peters Partnership

Our first post is a big one...Statement from Keker, Van Nest & Peters on Trump’s Latest Executive Order “Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court.”

Some people will only love the version of you that doesn’t challenge them. Love yourself enough to grow anyway.

The only dating advice I could offer anyone is this:

The more you know and love the person you are, the more you will attract people who agree with you.

That’s it.

Conversely: if you hate yourself? If you demean yourself and count yourself as less?

You *still* attract people who agree with you.

PUT THE WOKE BACK NOW!!!!

131. Five Questions About the Khalil Case The government's arrest and detention of a pro-Palestinian Columbia student (and green card holder) raises difficult questions about both technical immigration statutes and the First Amendment.

In 1905, my great-grandfather helped @stevevladeck.bsky.social's great-grandfather escape arrest by Imperial Russian police who didn't like his speech.

120 years later, Steve has the best summary I've seen of key legal questions the case of Mahmoud Khalil:

www.stevevladeck.com/p/131-five-q...

I used to shop at Target multiples times per week and would spend hundreds each trip. I haven’t spent a dime since they ditched DEI.

They should all do the maga face but worse than loomer exaggerated so it’s just orange with black around the eyes

YouTube video by More Perfect Union We Went To The Town Elon Musk Took Hostage

NEW: Elon Musk and SpaceX have taken control of part of Texas.

In the town of Brownsville, one of the poorest communities in America, Musk sold hope.

Instead, SpaceX caused earthquakes, workplace injuries, and displacement. And now they've built a company town too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cZE...

Incompetence in Washington puts every American at risk, no matter how you voted. No one should be happy that the DOGE team - the same folks who randomly published classified U.S. security information online today - wants access to your bank account & Social Security numbers.

One of the AUSAs put on administrative leave by this letter is Hagan Scotten, my former Hogan Lovells colleague. I am not surprised that he would risk his job for his convictions; he has some of the strongest personal integrity of anyone I've worked with.

Honestly I think about this all the time now.

What’s puzzling to me: history is full of stories of wealthy merchants and wise philosophers who court the favor of monarchs with dubious ethics and little virtue in the hopes of shaping their plans and benefitting themselves.

It doesn’t end well.

I wish we could put this book down.

I once got into a debate with a partner about whether Iron Mountain was an actual mountain and lo and behold they do have at least one.

Help us report on DOGE The Washington Post wants to hear from people affected by DOGE activities at federal agencies. You can contact our reporters by email or Signal encrypted message. Jeff Stein: jeff.stein@washpost.com or jstein_wapo.1066⁩ on Signal. Elizabeth Dwoskin: elizabeth.dwoskin@washpost.com or lizza_dwoskin.42 on Signal. Hannah Natanson: hannah.natanson@washpost.com or natanson.11 on Signal. Jonathan O’Connell: jonathan.oconnell@washpost.com or jonathanoc.76 on Signal.

Big ups to @signal.org @meredithmeredith.bsky.social for allowing usernames instead of phone numbers last year (signal.org/blog/phone-n...).

Washington basically runs on Signal right now and that one change has made reporting and whistleblowing way more private and secure.

@elonmusk 3h Elon Musk X I love man can love another man @realDonald Trump as much as a straight 25K 34K 292K 22M @kanyewest 7h ye IM A NAZI 15K 49K 157K 25M Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 1h Donald J. Trump @realDonald Trump I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don't work. BACK TO PLASTIC! 9.1K 16K 147K 11M

My cousin asked me what it's like in the US right now. I sent her this summary.

Costco, which has come out saying it supports DEI, will make no changes to its existing programs, AND pays workers a minimum of $30/hour, is up 15% YTD.

Target, which announced it is ending all DEI programs and has a minimum wage of $15-$24/hour, is down over 4%.

Keep voting with your wallet.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson has formally dismissed the case of Jan. 6 defendant DJ Rodriguez, who drove a taser into the neck of MPD officer Michael Fanone and had been sentenced to 12 years in prison

"Michael Fanone's heroism will never be moot," she says.

s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...

Elon Musk, that avatar or arrogance, is trashing the US Constitution. Trumpers, is this what you voted for? An end to America?

Office of the Attorney General Washington, D. C. 20530 February 5, 2025 MEMORANDUM FOR ALL DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES FROM: SUBJECT: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL GENERAL POLICY REGARDING ZEALOUS ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES' "[E]xecutive Power." More broadly, attorneys are expected to zealously advance, protect, and defend their client's interests. Department of Justice attorneys have signed up for a job that requires zealously advocating for the United States. The responsibilities of Department of Justice attorneys include not only aggressively enforcing criminal and civil laws enacted by Congress, but also vigorously defending presidential policies and actions against legal challenges on behalf of the United States. The discretion afforded Department attorneys entrusted with those responsibilities does not include latitude to substitute personal political views or judgments for those that prevailed in the election. When Department of Justice attorneys, for example, refuse to advance good-faith arguments by declining to appear in court or sign briefs, it undermines the constitutional order and deprives the President of the benefit of his lawyers. It is therefore the policy of the Department of Justice that any attorney who because of their personal political views or judgments declines to sign a brief or appear in court, refuses to advance good-faith arguments on behalf of the Administration, or otherwise delays or impedes the Department's mission will be subject to discipline and potentially termination, consistent with applicable law. ' This guidance is not intended to, does not, and may not be relied upon to create, any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

This is an absolutely remarkable memo — and a betrayal of both the Constitution and the American political tradition. In the US, by *explicit contrast* with interwar fascist governments, the state is not supposed to be an extension of the personality of the chief executive.

Democrats To Take Over Senate Floor All Night To Oppose White House Budget Office Nominee “He’s the architect of the dismantling of our federal government,” Sen. Brian Schatz, one of dozens taking part in a 30-hour talkathon, said of Russell Vought.

At least three dozen Democrats plan to take over the Senate floor all night tonight, for 30 hours, to oppose Trump's budget office nominee, Russ Vought.

“He’s the architect of the dismantling of our federal government,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). www.huffpost.com/entry/democr...

It’s insane that he’s added Gaza in the day since this meme was made. Whiplash.

Now our avocado toast is REALLY going to make it harder to buy a home

Is that not the same thing?

Trump Administration Halts H.I.V. Drug Distribution in Poor Countries PEPFAR’s computer systems also are being taken offline, a sign that the program may not return, as Republican critics had hoped.

Appalling cruelty beyond comprehension. Trump is ordering an immediate, unlawful shutdown of PEPFAR, potentially denying life-saving HIV medication to millions of people. This guarantees a lethal, global resurgence of the HIV epidemic. Just unfathomable sadism. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/h...

Kroger is also still good!

Costco shareholders voted strongly against a proposal requesting a report on the risks of maintaining its diversity and inclusion initiatives, the US company said, sending a message running counter to the intense scrutiny many such corporate policies face. cnn.it/3PQdvlo