emptywheel
@emptywheel.bsky.social
Coverage of American authoritarianism with a focus on legal cases. An American-Irish in Limerick, Ireland.
Legendary potty mouth!
Legendary potty mouth!
Reposted by emptywheel
Here is Raymundo (Ray) Gutierrez, the second agent to shoot Alex Pretti
(seen at a 2013 Halloween party in a Border Patrol vest and more recently.)
(seen at a 2013 Halloween party in a Border Patrol vest and more recently.)
February 2, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Here is Raymundo (Ray) Gutierrez, the second agent to shoot Alex Pretti
(seen at a 2013 Halloween party in a Border Patrol vest and more recently.)
(seen at a 2013 Halloween party in a Border Patrol vest and more recently.)
It was JUST 45 days ago that Trump destroyed the brand of the Kennedy Center by slapping on his name.
And already Trump says he has to close it.
And already Trump says he has to close it.
February 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM
It was JUST 45 days ago that Trump destroyed the brand of the Kennedy Center by slapping on his name.
And already Trump says he has to close it.
And already Trump says he has to close it.
Both of Alex Pretti's murderers are Latino CBP officers from South Texas.
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
So, it seems, is Alfredo Mancillas, who got wildly drunk on Tuesday (Monday?), drove drunk, then vomited all over himself.
sahanjournal.com/public-safet...
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
So, it seems, is Alfredo Mancillas, who got wildly drunk on Tuesday (Monday?), drove drunk, then vomited all over himself.
sahanjournal.com/public-safet...
February 1, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Both of Alex Pretti's murderers are Latino CBP officers from South Texas.
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
So, it seems, is Alfredo Mancillas, who got wildly drunk on Tuesday (Monday?), drove drunk, then vomited all over himself.
sahanjournal.com/public-safet...
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
So, it seems, is Alfredo Mancillas, who got wildly drunk on Tuesday (Monday?), drove drunk, then vomited all over himself.
sahanjournal.com/public-safet...
Christopher Anderson v. Dante Spinotti.
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...
www.newyorker.com/culture/q-an...
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...
www.newyorker.com/culture/q-an...
February 1, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Christopher Anderson v. Dante Spinotti.
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...
www.newyorker.com/culture/q-an...
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...
www.newyorker.com/culture/q-an...
Reposted by emptywheel
And here we go with some key distinctions I use to do my work.
An audience is not a public.
"Audience" suggests people attending to a common object, typically a performance or spectacle.
A public is people with different interests who live in the same space and share common problems. 5/
An audience is not a public.
"Audience" suggests people attending to a common object, typically a performance or spectacle.
A public is people with different interests who live in the same space and share common problems. 5/
February 1, 2026 at 4:36 PM
And here we go with some key distinctions I use to do my work.
An audience is not a public.
"Audience" suggests people attending to a common object, typically a performance or spectacle.
A public is people with different interests who live in the same space and share common problems. 5/
An audience is not a public.
"Audience" suggests people attending to a common object, typically a performance or spectacle.
A public is people with different interests who live in the same space and share common problems. 5/
Reposted by emptywheel
“None of these cases filed this week were picked up by local news, and there’s a clear reason why: Among the 17 counties in Georgia that don’t have a news source, 12 of the counties are in the Middle District’s jurisdiction.”
www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
The Rabbit Hole: Dockets Die in Darkness
Among the 17 counties in Georgia that don’t have a single local news source, 12 of them are in the Middle District of Georgia’s jurisdiction. This week, we sought to examine the dockets dying in the d...
www.courtwatch.news
February 1, 2026 at 9:56 PM
“None of these cases filed this week were picked up by local news, and there’s a clear reason why: Among the 17 counties in Georgia that don’t have a news source, 12 of the counties are in the Middle District’s jurisdiction.”
www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
The two guys who arrested @bradlander.bsky.social were both PoC (IIC, one was African and one was South Asian).
One reason they wear masks is to hide that they live in the community.
The guy alleged to be a victim of doxing in SoCal changed his name to something Aztec.
One reason they wear masks is to hide that they live in the community.
The guy alleged to be a victim of doxing in SoCal changed his name to something Aztec.
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 10:25 PM
The two guys who arrested @bradlander.bsky.social were both PoC (IIC, one was African and one was South Asian).
One reason they wear masks is to hide that they live in the community.
The guy alleged to be a victim of doxing in SoCal changed his name to something Aztec.
One reason they wear masks is to hide that they live in the community.
The guy alleged to be a victim of doxing in SoCal changed his name to something Aztec.
Reposted by emptywheel
Reminder to set up a monthly donation to ProPublica, if you haven’t.
February 1, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Reminder to set up a monthly donation to ProPublica, if you haven’t.
Reminder: Alexander Smirnov--who has since been snuck out of jail--was hanging out on yachts in the emirates talking to at least Russian spies when he framed the Bidens.
Trump is the most corrupt politician in American history. And we’ve never had a president be this compromised by foreign interests.
But what about Hunter Biden’s laptop?
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
But what about Hunter Biden’s laptop?
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
February 1, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Reminder: Alexander Smirnov--who has since been snuck out of jail--was hanging out on yachts in the emirates talking to at least Russian spies when he framed the Bidens.
Reposted by emptywheel
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:10 PM
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Reposted by emptywheel
For those objecting to comparisons between Germany then & the U.S. now:
“About 500 seniors live at Sinai Residences in Boca Raton, Florida, including many Holocaust survivors. Recently, some of them asked if they could hide the building’s Haitian staff in their apartments.”
“About 500 seniors live at Sinai Residences in Boca Raton, Florida, including many Holocaust survivors. Recently, some of them asked if they could hide the building’s Haitian staff in their apartments.”
'Reminds me of Anne Frank': Jewish seniors are offering to hide their Haitian caregivers as Trump's TPS end looms - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The end of Temporary Protected Status has Holocaust survivors offering to hide Haitian staffers, according to the CEO of a senior-living center in Florida.
www.jta.org
January 31, 2026 at 3:42 PM
For those objecting to comparisons between Germany then & the U.S. now:
“About 500 seniors live at Sinai Residences in Boca Raton, Florida, including many Holocaust survivors. Recently, some of them asked if they could hide the building’s Haitian staff in their apartments.”
“About 500 seniors live at Sinai Residences in Boca Raton, Florida, including many Holocaust survivors. Recently, some of them asked if they could hide the building’s Haitian staff in their apartments.”
Reposted by emptywheel
Please pay attention to decimal places as you read this post. He paid $750.00 in income taxes [I am neither an accountant nor a lawyer so will make no further comment on that] and wants $10,000,000,000.00 because somebody leaked that fact.
Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and now wants $10 billion because a leaker pointed that out www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
Trump Lawsuit Against IRS Puts Him on Both Sides of the Same Case
President Trump’s lawsuit against the government that he runs presents a mind-bending minefield of conflicts that could end with his appointees approving a federal payout to him.
www.wsj.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Please pay attention to decimal places as you read this post. He paid $750.00 in income taxes [I am neither an accountant nor a lawyer so will make no further comment on that] and wants $10,000,000,000.00 because somebody leaked that fact.
Reposted by emptywheel
Liam Ramos gets to meet the pilot and visit the cockpit on his flight home from the Texas ICE camp
This little boy has become an inadvertent symbol of resistance
A reminder of why we fight
What ICE did to this child was wrong.
May the kindness he receives today help heal the damage.
This little boy has become an inadvertent symbol of resistance
A reminder of why we fight
What ICE did to this child was wrong.
May the kindness he receives today help heal the damage.
February 1, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Liam Ramos gets to meet the pilot and visit the cockpit on his flight home from the Texas ICE camp
This little boy has become an inadvertent symbol of resistance
A reminder of why we fight
What ICE did to this child was wrong.
May the kindness he receives today help heal the damage.
This little boy has become an inadvertent symbol of resistance
A reminder of why we fight
What ICE did to this child was wrong.
May the kindness he receives today help heal the damage.
Reposted by emptywheel
I testified Friday before Gov. Pritzker's commission studying abuses of ICE and CBP and tried to explain how the agencies went so far off track. It's actually way worse than I ever realized. Please read and share my testimony as Congress considers reform: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Accountability for ICE and CBP
However bad you think the corruption and misconduct at ICE and CBP is — the reality is far far worse.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 1, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I testified Friday before Gov. Pritzker's commission studying abuses of ICE and CBP and tried to explain how the agencies went so far off track. It's actually way worse than I ever realized. Please read and share my testimony as Congress considers reform: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Reposted by emptywheel
Okay! This has already inspired a bunch of DMs, so I made a page on the website. If you have 50,000+ Skymiles and would be willing to book flights to get someone home, please fill this out.
Donate Your Skymiles — Stand With Minnesota
Donate your Delta Skymiles to get people home from Texas
www.standwithminnesota.com
February 1, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Okay! This has already inspired a bunch of DMs, so I made a page on the website. If you have 50,000+ Skymiles and would be willing to book flights to get someone home, please fill this out.
Reposted by emptywheel
... was to reveal to the Chief and others that DOJ had improperly obtained confidential notes of the Conference that it *referred to* but refused to disclose! It's difficult even to imagine what the conversations in the AG's Office could have been like before they decided to do this.
February 1, 2026 at 4:18 PM
... was to reveal to the Chief and others that DOJ had improperly obtained confidential notes of the Conference that it *referred to* but refused to disclose! It's difficult even to imagine what the conversations in the AG's Office could have been like before they decided to do this.
Remember that Tom Barrack was prosecuted (but acquitted) for being the foreign agent of these folks.
This is corruption on a breathtaking level. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal nicknamed the "spy sheikh", pumped $187mn into Trump family businesses. A WSJ team has the whole story, reported here for the first time. Remember: Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm.
‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company
$500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips.
www.wsj.com
February 1, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Remember that Tom Barrack was prosecuted (but acquitted) for being the foreign agent of these folks.
Reposted by emptywheel
He won 🥹😎😭🎉✨
Whether he wins or not, @runforsomething.net is so proud to be part of Taylor Rehmet’s team - and to have planted the seed for him to run back in 2019! 😎
February 1, 2026 at 6:57 AM
He won 🥹😎😭🎉✨
Reposted by emptywheel
Reposted by emptywheel
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
February 1, 2026 at 5:05 AM
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
A sound piece of messaging and also an explanation of the way Schumer and Jeffries MAY buy leverage with this deal.
February 1, 2026 at 12:21 AM
A sound piece of messaging and also an explanation of the way Schumer and Jeffries MAY buy leverage with this deal.
Reposted by emptywheel
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
The FBI was able to access Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Signal messages because she used Signal on her work laptop. The laptop accepted Touch ID for authentication, meaning the agents were allowed to require her to unlock it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 1, 2026 at 12:08 AM
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
Reposted by emptywheel
IF YOU ARE A LAWYER AND ARE INTERESTED IN BEING AN AUSA DM ME!
January 31, 2026 at 10:38 PM
IF YOU ARE A LAWYER AND ARE INTERESTED IN BEING AN AUSA DM ME!
Reposted by emptywheel
“There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.”
abc7ny.com/post/ice-min...
abc7ny.com/post/ice-min...
ICE claim that a man shattered his skull running into wall triggers tension at a Minnesota hospital
Intensive care nurses immediately doubted the word of federal immigration officers when they arrived at a Minneapolis hospital with a Mexican immigrant who had broken bones in his face and skull.
abc7ny.com
January 31, 2026 at 8:04 PM
“There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.”
abc7ny.com/post/ice-min...
abc7ny.com/post/ice-min...