Renee

40 school girls are heartbreaking civilian casualties of Trump‘s war already.

it took an expensive, coordinated effort & a lot of people saying “this doesn’t matter” to get from a bathroom ban costing one state $400 million & a gubernatorial race to “trans people must turn in their documents which become invalid in a few hours or face fines & potential jail time” in 10 years.

They beat a blind refugee who speaks no English for failing to obey police commands he could not understand. Then instead of apologizing, they charged him with possession of a “weapon”—HIS WALKING STICK. Then they dumped him miles from home without notifying anyone, after which he was found dead.

"the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children"

Let Them Fly First Class: Kristi Noem’s DHS Luxury Jet Scandal Inside Noem's flying palace. Plus: Pentagon demands obedient, deadly AI. The race to deploy untested nuclear reactors. Lawmakers move to rein in presidential pardons. And remembering Robert Duvall.

The interior of Kristi Noem’s new billionaire-class luxury jet is complete with two bidets and a wet bar with a wine chiller. It will be purchased on our dime from the slush fund Congress approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

open.substack.com/pub/newsnotn...

At this point, I realize the question is not whether I’m going to cry every day, but when and why. Today’s cry started at 6:27 am, but at least it was a good one.

Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social

Another memorable ruling out of West Virginia, where Judge Goodwin — a Clinton appointee — excoriates the treatment of ICE detainees.

"This is not what civil enforcement looks like in a humane system of government under law."
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of what comes next.

The Children of Dilley ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of what comes next. ...

Brett Ratner, the sex pest who came out of retirement to direct the Melania movie that Jeff Bezos spent $75 million on as thousands of people at Amazon and the Washington Post lost their jobs, helped produce an ad in which rapist Mike Tyson spewed fatphobic dreck for Secretary Bear Carcass

Dilley is a hellhole and we have to get it shut down and all those kids freed.

Healthcare costs increase as budget impasse continues North Carolina remains the only state in the country without a comprehensive budget for the 2025-2027 biennium. Without a fully updated budget, public programs, such as Medicaid, lack the necessary funding to succeed, and residents are bearing the brunt of the state legislature’s impasse with increasing healthcare costs. “North Carolinians who rely on Medicaid are...

Consequences of a delayed state budget?
💰Insufficient funds for public health care programs
⚕️Lower access to health care due to staffing
🧑‍⚕️Burnout among health care staff

We need a budget that centers well-being, not profits #LoveNCFundNC

🧵

Via Keung Hui in the N&O's Under the Dome newsletter: "In 2022, the Supreme Court’s Democratic majority at the time upheld a lower court’s ruling that could lead to hundreds of millions of state dollars being transferred to support public schools. Republicans gained the court majority in the 2022 election and proceeded to block the money transfer and grant a request from GOP legislative leaders to rehear the case. GOP lawmakers, including Senate leader Phil Berger, maintain that the state constitution allows only the General Assembly to spend state dollars."

Journalists should explain the implications of Berger's radical view: it means that only the General Assembly gets to decide what is and what isn't constitutional. That's clearly not how our democracy was ever intended to function.

#ncpol #LeadWithLeandro

(cc: @keunghui.bsky.social)

Trans athletes may not have fitness advantage in women’s sport, landmark study finds Findings suggest physical performance in trans women converges toward that of cis women over time

you don't say? at some point we're going to acknowledge what every study ever on this subject has said, right? right? www.independent.co.uk/news/science...

Sick fourth-grader among 4 Columbia Heights students held by ICE Columbia Heights Public Schools says four students remain detained by ICE after Liam’s return, including 10-year-old Elizabeth, who has fallen ill.

Elizabeth is a Columbia Heights fourth-grader who loves volleyball, learning English and giggling in the halls with her friends. She's been held in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for nearly a month, and she and her mom have both fallen ill. sahanjournal.com/education/co...

NC’s Groundhog Day has gone on for years: Cut taxes, starve services, repeat | Opinion North Carolina is trapped in a time loop much like Bill Murray in the 1990s classic Groundhog Day — but with a tax cut twist.

The combination of state and federal tax breaks will give the richest 1 percent of North Carolinians — households with average incomes near $2 million — a combined $4.9 billion in tax breaks annually. #ncpol

www.newsobserver.com/opinion/arti...

In November of 2024, two weeks after voters returned President Donald Trump to office, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. summoned employees of the U.S. Supreme Court for an unusual announcement. Facing them in a grand conference room beneath ornate chandeliers, he requested they each sign a nondisclosure agreement promising to keep the court’s inner workings secret.

Jodi Kantor in the NY Times reports that the Chief Justice requested Court employees sign nondisclosure agreements in November 2024 - moving to formal contracts requiring silence/confidentiality after Trump was reelected: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...

Senate bill seeks to give West Virginia private schools ‘freedom from government oversight' • West Virginia Watch The Senate is advancing a GOP-backed bill that strikes out many current requirements for West Virginia private schools.

Critical to the success of school "choice" aka privatization is removing any transparency and accountability as they divert public funds to private schools.

The inability to measure the results of vouchers given to these mostly religious institutions strips choice from taxpayers and parents.

A lot of things make me tear up these days, but I can’t remember a judicial order ever doing so before.

ICE Detention Contractors Are Reaping Massive Profits The largest immigrant deportation and prison contractors in the US are expecting an epic payout this year: for every $1

"The largest immigrant deportation and prison contractors in the US are expecting an epic payout this year: for every $1 that they donated to GOP campaigns in 2024, these private companies stand to reap more than $11,000 in increased annual revenue."

Maine clergy form spiritual 'shield' outside workplaces to protect immigrants from ICE (RNS) — Like religious leaders in cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere, local clergy were quick to muster resistance to the rapid influx of immigration enforcement agents, even as they wr...

NEW from me: Every morning for the past week or so, a group of ~24 clergy in Portland, Maine drive out to a business.

They form a line near a door, shielding a group of mostly immigrant workers as they exit their shift.

Then faith leaders stare down DHS agents. religionnews.com/2026/01/29/m...

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

Minnesota National Guard members have arrived at a federal building and were directed to distribute donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate to anti-ICE protesters. Guard members were issued reflective vests so they would not be mistaken for federal agents.

Timeline: How the Shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti Unfolded (Gift Article) A moment-by-moment analysis of video from the scene shows that Mr. Pretti was already restrained when fatal shots were fired, which appears to contradict the federal government’s account of the event.

Law enforcement officers are trained to de-escalate conflict. These guys seem to be doing the exact opposite.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

And note the metal poles. As on Jan 6, these people came prepared to do violence. Every protest I’ve ever been to, the organizers made it clear that poles, sticks or anything that could remotely be imagined to use for violence was forbidden.

AP reports on how an ICE agent, after the shooting, told “Boo hoo” to protesters. apnews.com/article/immi...

When you watch the horrifying video of ICE agents murdering another human in Minneapolis at point-blank range, remember that these violent, untrained thugs have been empowered by a sadistic criminal who occupies our White House. This cannot go on.