Aryn Braun

Definitely had a “what the heck is this” moment when I first learned it was a thing a few years ago!

As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Leave in Droves for ICE Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.

NEW: Federal prison workers are jumping ship & heading to ICE for better pay + bonuses. Already BOP lost >1400 people this year, reversing all of 2024’s staffing gains. It’s an unintended consequence of Trump’s push for mass deportations

My 1st for @propublica.org
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...

It was a team effort!

among many other things, "college" meaning "ivy leagues" explains so much about the discourse

Looking to talk to current or former workers at the National Park Service for a story for The Economist.

Please help share this around! I’m on signal at abraun.99

Spending my 4th of July listening for fireworks and then obsessively checking Watch Duty hbu

REPEAT Project just completed our rapid analysis of the impacts of the Senate-passed version of the One Big "Beautiful" Bill (OBBB), which the House is considering now, on the US energy sector and emissions. Still working up full report, but here is a sneak peak...
🔌💡 🧵

One of the biggest obstacles to building new housing in California has now vanished After a decade of battling, lawmakers just exempted infill urban development from the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.

A decade-spanning political battle between housing developers and defenders of CEQA, California’s preeminent environmental law, came to an end this afternoon with only a smattering of “no” votes.

The forces of housing won.

calmatters.org/housing/2025...

This should be interesting: State Sen. Scott Wiener has filed to run in 2028 for the House seat currently held by Nancy Pelosi. docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/form...

Pursuant to the Court’s decision on the ECF 308 motion, the Petitioner shall be released from immigration custody today. The release order shall become effective upon two conditions being met. First, the setting of bail conditions by the United States Magistrate Judge. And second, an order from the United States Magistrate Judge indicating that the bail conditions have been met. The bail conditions here shall not include any obligation that electronic monitoring be put in place or that a bond be Case 2:25-cv-01963-MEF-MAH Document 316 Filed 06/20/25 Page 1 of 2 PageID: 3715 2 immediately posted. There is no basis for that in the evidentiary record the parties have developed. The bail conditions shall include other requirements that the United States Magistrate Judge deems appropriate, including as to those states to which and through which the Petitioner may travel, and when the Petitioner must surrender his passport or passports. IT IS on this 20th day of June, 2025, so ORDERED. _____________________________ Michael E. Farbiarz, U.S.D.J.

NEW: Here is Judge Farbiarz's formal order that Mahmoud Kahlil "shall be released from immigration custody today." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Proud to share that The US in Brief from @economist.com won best political newsletter at this year’s Publisher Newsletter Awards 🏆 Want to read our daily analysis of the second Trump presidency? Subscribe here www.economist.com/newsletters/...

No Waymo is safe

DTLA

Executive Branch States & Localities The National Guard in Los Angeles Chris Mirasola Sunday, June 8, 2025, 10:38 AM Share On: f X in & 6 B The president hasn't invoked the Insurrection Act. He's instead relying on a theory of inherent constitutional power that is far more limited. U.S. California Army National Guard in Sacramento,

“The president hasn’t invoked the Insurrection Act. He’s instead relying on a theory of inherent constitutional power that is far more limited..”

For Lawfare, Chris Mirasola explains the purported legal basis for Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in LA:

www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

Sending the National Guard to LA is not about stopping rioting The city is being punished for resisting the Trump administration’s deportation efforts

I’ve spent years covering both immigration and Los Angeles and sending National Guard troops to LA feels like “a thinly-veiled message to Democratic-run places that retribution awaits those who would stand between immigrants and the administration’s deportation machine”
economist.com/united-state...

“Act of terror” during Israeli hostage demonstration leaves several injured on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall Officers were called to an area near the intersection of 13th and Pearl streets about 2 p.m. Sunday, Boulder police department said.

Several people were set on fire in an “act of terror” Sunday afternoon on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder during a gathering to raise awareness about people taken hostage during Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel, authorities said.

coloradosun.com/2025/06/01/b...

ICE agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil without a warrant, Trump administration confirms Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil's attorneys are asking an immigration judge to terminate his deportation case.

ICE arrested Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil without a warrant, the Trump admin admits—claiming “exigent circumstances.” Khalil, a green card holder, missed his son’s birth while detained. Critics call it retaliation for pro-Palestinian speech.

www.cbsnews.com/news/mahmoud...

Hop aboard this Seattle-Portland train that’s essentially a rolling national park Between April and September on the Amtrak Coast Starlight between Seattle and Portland, you can catch a national park guide onboard who will narrate the journey.

This is so pure www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/...

Photo of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Hot take: California is good, actually

Hollywood is in trouble. Politicians should not try to save it Tariffs will not help, and taxpayers have no good reason to

And another about LA’s declining film &TV production. Does Hollywood need saving?
economist.com/culture/2025...

American cities are criminalising homelessness. Will that help? How a Supreme Court decision paved the way for more punitive policies

Wrote two very different, but very California, stories this week.

First, on the effects of last year’s Grants Pass SCOTUS decision and the dozens of cities trying to end homelessness by force
economist.com/united-state...

Looking to talk to current or former federal workers at NOAA for a story for The Economist.

Please share far and wide! I’m on signal at abraun.99

First migrants charged for entering military zone on US border The U.S. Department of Justice has begun the first prosecutions of migrants for illegally entering a military zone created along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, according to court filings.

From 4/29: First migrants charged for entering military zone on US border

-28 charged so far
-Trump admin is using the zone to have troops arrest migrants without invoking the Insurrection Act
-about 11,900 troops currently deployed to the SW border

www.reuters.com/world/us/fir...

Newsom Asks Trump to Work With Him on $7.5 Billion Tax Credit for Hollywood The proposal for a federal program came after the president called for tariffs on movies filmed overseas, causing confusion and concern across the industry.

Breaking News: Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said he wanted to partner with President Trump to craft a $7.5 billion federal film tax credit for Hollywood.

Alums of Outside magazine are donating a complete collection of back issues to the Outdoor Recreation Archive at Utah State in Logan, UT.

We need to get them from Santa Fe to Logan. If you or anybody you know is planning a trip from NM to UT, please contact me. And please RT.

Our cover this week.

Economist/YouGov Poll
% of U.S. adult citizens saying that in general, immigration makes the U.S. better off | worse off, in...
Oct 19-22, 2024: 35% | 36%
Apr 19-22, 2025: 40% | 29%
today.yougov.com/politics/art...

The big news: “my proposed budget unfortunately includes layoffs”, but she’s still hoping the state will help plug the gaping budget hole