Debbie Berkowitz

Endangering our children is not an answer to labor shortage. Where is the safety data that says these jobs are safe for kids?

Why the biggest campaign buzzword ‘tapped into a broader political hunger’ “Affordability” is shaping the political conversation like never before as wages struggle to keep up with cost increases.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

A travesty.

This was totally against every policy enshrined in how OSHA is to operate to assure enforcement is based on evidence and not political pressure - Federal OSHA dismissed the citation without investigating whether the violation existed. All to bow to the billionaire class. Thanks for writing this.

And in related news…

The vast majority of voters support the policies to restrict and restrain ICE that Democrats are demanding, and voters blame Republicans for the shutdown because of their unwillingness to support these essential changes.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Shock Poll: Americans Miss Joe Biden’s Economy Here’s what they’re worried about.

Jonathan V Last: "In 2023, the economy added 3 million jobs. In 2024, still under Biden, it added 2.2 million jobs. In 2025, under Trump, it added just 181,000 jobs. This is a story about an economy getting throttled by one man's capricious, destructive governance."

Homeland Security Hires Labor Dept. Aide Whose Posts Raised Alarms

Career communications staff at the Dept of Labor were ignored and many resigned when a 21 year old starting posting white nationalist meme. Now he is going to DHS. This is who prospers under the clicktatorship.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/u...

OSHA Enforcement Staff at Record Low: Inspector General - Confined Space The DOL Inspector General has issued a report outlining serious challenges for OSHA and MSHA. Neither agency has enough inspectors.

The Department of Labor's Inspector General warns that #OSHA enforcement staff is at an all-time low, threatening the health and lives of American workers. jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

TikTok on Payday’s Reporting Gets 21,000 Likes in Brasil, But Blocked by Trump Regs in U.S. TikToks made in Brasil are now banned under new rules implemented by the Trump Administration.

Trump's friend, Larry Ellison, is censoring TikTok to ban material Trump might not like paydayreport.com/tiktok-on-pa... Good thing we stood up to China!

Volkswagen workers' victory represents rare union breakthrough for South Workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tenn., factory won 20% raises in their first UAW contract.

Volkswagen workers' recent deal winning 20% raises and lower health care costs comes amid a precarious labor market. "If VW had [refused to negotiate] ... that would have been a very negative signal about this moment."

@sharblock.bsky.social in @axios.com
www.axios.com/2026/02/05/t...

Elon Musk’s “Vegas Loop,” a network of underground tunnels to ferry passengers in Teslas, was under fresh scrutiny this week from Nevada lawmakers who raised concern about alleged workplace safety and environmental violations. yhoo.it/4tlHXpR

I loved reading his columns - a gem. All horrible.

MINNESOTA — Mom goes outside to warm up her car, ICE grabs her: "Please, my car kids are all alone in the house!”

So nothing has changed and Homan was just to put a new face on the cruelty, got it

(H/T longtimehistory)

ICE’s excuse for wearing masks has never actually manifested There have been incidents of harassment and threats. But there are no apparent incidents in which identified ICE officers have been assaulted off-duty.

Finally got around to a bit of research I'd been meaning to explore, and: There is no documented instance of an ICE officer being identified and assaulted while off duty because he wasn't masked. www.pbump.net/o/ices-excus...

A new report honest DOL report on worker safety confirms that in the first six months of the Trump Administration the number of safety inspectors has fallen to the lowest numbers in the history of the agency. links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2.... Worse than Trump1.0 : www.nelp.org/insights-res...

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

Streets of Minneapolis. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKS...

Trump tries — again — to deliver a winning message on affordability The push comes after weeks of freewheeling speeches and international controversy that reflected Trump’s tendency to derail his own message.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Was on TV earlier, asked about Leavitt trying to distance Trump from the Pretti death and then about some of the other stories we've heard about immigration enforcement. (Sorry for the cruddy quality.)

In the list of MAGA liars who defamed Alex Pretti don’t forget Markwayne Mullin.

Kristi Noem is a liar.

Kristi Noem is incompetent.

Kristi Noem is vicious.

Kristi Noem must be fired.

Opinion | Local Prosecution Is the Answer to Federal Lawlessness

In today's @nytimes.com, @barryfriedman1.bsky.social and I argue that, with no *other* means of pursuing accountability for lawlessness by ICE, local/state prosecutions become not just legally viable, but necessary—both to punish past abuses and to deter future ones:

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...

Screenshot of a TikTok video with error message at top saying “your video is under review and can’t be shared right now.”

This morning, I recorded a video on TikTok about why DHS’s arguments for the power to enter homes without judicial warrants in immigration cases are bunk.

Nine hours later, TikTok still says my video is “under review,” and can’t be shared.

Well, here’s a link:

georgetown.box.com/v/Vladeck-IC...

You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.

I do not just throw out praise for Senate Dem leadership, but this is good. It’s what we need now - Dems using their leverage where they’ve got it and refusing to budge. Make GOP own this lawless goon squad. No Dem votes for it. Support Dems who are fighting back now regardless of past beefs.

This is really something. Mark Warner, one of the more moderate and cautious senators in the Dem caucus, says he'll vote No on ICE funding:

picture of Alex Pretti

Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse serving veterans. He died trying to protect protestors being assaulted. A group of anonymous & masked men fired chemicals into his face, beat him, disarmed him, and shot him in broad daylight in front of witnesses. Then his government smeared him & defended his murder.

Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.