Hard relate.

The Looming Tower
The Swerve
Say Nothing

Editing federal employees’ emails to blame Democrats for shutdown violated their First Amendment rights, judge says | CNN Politics A federal judge ruled Friday that the Department of Education violated the First Amendment rights of some agency employees when it sent out-of-office messages on their behalf that blamed Democrats for...

Interesting compelled public employee speech case. (Opinion linked from the story, thankfully.) www.cnn.com/2025/11/07/p...

Unless its a religious liberty case, in which case a fourth-hand account of someone maybe saying something under their breath one time will suffice.

The Illinois legislature had passed the “Illinois Bivens Act,” allowing people to sue ICE agents in state court. Just waiting for Pritzker’s signature.

dailynorthwestern.com/2025/11/03/c...

Amen.

There was no one unified and tidy movement, but rather multiple overlapping ones with rival leaders and disparate constituencies, generational and sectional tensions, arguments over strategies and tactics, wildly different attitudes to capitalism and religion, focal points all over the map …

All you peacenik liberals wringing hands over what to do: Yes, of course, vote. It's your primary responsibility as a citizen.

But now more than ever, fulfill your second civic responsibility: Serve on juries. Never has it been more imperative to thwart rogue injustice.

MIT's response to the Trump admin's proposed "compact" is excellent and should be a model for other universities. orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession Thirty years ago, a peace-loving Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the apocalyptic theories of Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt. They’ve been a road map for the billionaire ever since.

Thirty years ago, a peace-loving Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the apocalyptic theories of Carl Schmitt, the German legal theorist tapped by the Nazi's to justify Germany's slip from democracy to dictatorship.

Those theories have been a roadmap for the billionaire
ever since.

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.

"This used to be the best job I’ve ever had, the best environment I’ve ever had, the best culture I’ve ever had—and they fucking ruined it.

I will never ever forget how much they ruined it."

A man in Washington, DC, plays the Imperial March from Star Wars while following patrolling soldiers. One of the soldiers threatens to call the police.

Victor Lodato Reads Denis Johnson Podcast Episode · The New Yorker: Fiction · 09/01/2025 · 1h 31m

This story has haunted me since I first read it. Beautifully presented and discussed here by Victor Lodato. So good.

Lot of people posting about jury nullification right now. One thing to keep in mind: if you want to be on a jury, where you can hold the government to its burden or nullify when necessary, you have to be able to get on a jury. 1/

The Michigan @aclu.org is looking to hire a senior staff attorney. These jobs don't come around that often, and they've got a great team -- wanted to make sure folk saw it!
www.aclumich.org/en/jobs/staf...

1977: why would the bartender in star wars even care if some robots with artificial intelligence came into his bar

2025: ohhh ok

The David Lynch estate auction doubled as a caffeinated wake Most of the bidding action was online. But at a ritzy Beverly Hills hotel, hopeful bidders united by genuine affection for Lynch admired the tools of the late artist's trade. It was a mirthful wake.

Most of the bidding action was online. But at a ritzy Beverly Hills hotel, hopeful bidders united by genuine affection for Lynch admired the tools of the late artist's trade. It was a mirthful wake.

If this disingenuous, mealy mouthed order doesn’t convert everyone to being a legal realist, I don’t know what will.

the establishment clause

Everything is awful, but Sam Alito is really mad, so there's that.

At a certain point you have to admire the brazenness. It’s basically performance art at this point.

If this has the same effect on the papal conclave as he did on the Canadian election, I'll take it.

Why So Many MAGA Men Look Like Joe Rogan The slim-fit uniform of grindset entrepreneurs and right wing podcasters can be traced back decades.

I want to give credit to my editors, who asked me to write 2,000 words on why Andrew Tate wears such tight pants. I submitted 3,700. They asked if I really needed to start with a story about the industrial revolution and I said "yes, absolutely don't cut."

www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

AAUP, American Federation of Teachers sue Trump administration over Columbia federal funding cuts <i>Updated April 3 at 9:13 p.m.</i>

Indeed they have! www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/03...

An ‘Administrative Error’ Sends a Maryland Father to a Salvadoran Prison The Trump administration says it mistakenly deported an immigrant with protected status but that courts are powerless to order his return.

BREAKING: Trump admin says it mistakenly deported a Maryland father who had *withholding of removal* back to El Salvador on March 15. Govt told court Monday it won't bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back. "What.The.Fuck..." one govt attorney told me. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc... @theatlantic.com

A reminder for this Transgender Day of Visibility:

Trans people have always existed, and we always will. 

No president, politician, or court can change that.

As an east coast based msu and u of m alum, this has been a rough week.

Many Medicaid recipients do not know they receive it because Medicaid is called different things in different states. The public narrative of Medicaid focuses on a distant other, but 40% of US children and 60% of nursing home residents receive Medicaid. Just SOME of the names by state are below:

Auditioning for @spartanpod.bsky.social foreign correspondent

This is how we finally get Thomas off the bench.