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!
A comment on this: It's worth letting your MoC whether you think they're useless, whether they are Dems (in which case you may alert them to a resource they were unaware of), or MAGAts (in which case this makes clear they're supporting crime).
This is authoritative and timely.
This is authoritative and timely.
As the House prepares to fight over how much of DHS to shut down, I encourage you to pick your favorite factoid from this @vermontgmg.bsky.social report on CBP/ICE criminality and send it to your MoC.
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
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 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM
A comment on this: It's worth letting your MoC whether you think they're useless, whether they are Dems (in which case you may alert them to a resource they were unaware of), or MAGAts (in which case this makes clear they're supporting crime).
This is authoritative and timely.
This is authoritative and timely.
Trump Destroyed Leigh Wambsganss' Brand Even More Quickly Than He Did the Kennedy Center's
emptywheel.net/2026/02/02/t...
emptywheel.net/2026/02/02/t...
Trump Destroyed Leigh Wambsganss' Brand Even More Quickly Than He Did the Kennedy Center's - emptywheel
On Sunday, Trump twice tried to disavow what a loser he is. But Texas Republicans are no longer buying it.
emptywheel.net
February 2, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Trump Destroyed Leigh Wambsganss' Brand Even More Quickly Than He Did the Kennedy Center's
emptywheel.net/2026/02/02/t...
emptywheel.net/2026/02/02/t...
Reposted by emptywheel
This is a post about animal excrement and the English language.
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
February 2, 2026 at 3:23 PM
This is a post about animal excrement and the English language.
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy
Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).
Reposted by emptywheel
I love this idea — reply here or send me your favorite horrifying factoid and which Members of Congress you’re sending it to!
As the House prepares to fight over how much of DHS to shut down, I encourage you to pick your favorite factoid from this @vermontgmg.bsky.social report on CBP/ICE criminality and send it to your MoC.
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
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 2, 2026 at 3:05 PM
I love this idea — reply here or send me your favorite horrifying factoid and which Members of Congress you’re sending it to!
Trump says that he still loves Steve Bannon, even after seeing texts about Bannon's close ties with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, including their mutual plotting against/joking about Trump.
February 2, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Trump says that he still loves Steve Bannon, even after seeing texts about Bannon's close ties with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, including their mutual plotting against/joking about Trump.
It's rather dizzying how much more responsive to the Epstein file releases at least some European countries have been than the US.
I'm not surprised, mind.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...
I'm not surprised, mind.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...
George Mitchell’s name removed from US-Ireland scholarship after Epstein files release
Scholarship was set up in name of Belfast Agreement broker
www.irishtimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:47 PM
It's rather dizzying how much more responsive to the Epstein file releases at least some European countries have been than the US.
I'm not surprised, mind.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...
I'm not surprised, mind.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...
As the House prepares to fight over how much of DHS to shut down, I encourage you to pick your favorite factoid from this @vermontgmg.bsky.social report on CBP/ICE criminality and send it to your MoC.
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
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 2, 2026 at 2:31 PM
As the House prepares to fight over how much of DHS to shut down, I encourage you to pick your favorite factoid from this @vermontgmg.bsky.social report on CBP/ICE criminality and send it to your MoC.
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Body cams are far less important than demasking the goons.
But Marimar Martinez' case was dismissed based on bodycam footage showing that CBP goon shot her unprovoked. And she's fighting hard to release the footage bc it bears on the murders in MN.
But Marimar Martinez' case was dismissed based on bodycam footage showing that CBP goon shot her unprovoked. And she's fighting hard to release the footage bc it bears on the murders in MN.
Speaker Mike Johnson all over the news this morning saying that him and trump
WANT ICE AGENTS TO HAVE BODY CAMERAS
Because of course they do. They want to expand ICE surveillance capabilities to centralize their authoritarian power.
Any Democrat who calls this "reform" is a liar or a fool.
WANT ICE AGENTS TO HAVE BODY CAMERAS
Because of course they do. They want to expand ICE surveillance capabilities to centralize their authoritarian power.
Any Democrat who calls this "reform" is a liar or a fool.
February 2, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Body cams are far less important than demasking the goons.
But Marimar Martinez' case was dismissed based on bodycam footage showing that CBP goon shot her unprovoked. And she's fighting hard to release the footage bc it bears on the murders in MN.
But Marimar Martinez' case was dismissed based on bodycam footage showing that CBP goon shot her unprovoked. And she's fighting hard to release the footage bc it bears on the murders in MN.
Reposted by emptywheel
Meeting in solidarity with Haitians in Springfield, Ohio now - over 600 people and still growing.
February 2, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Meeting in solidarity with Haitians in Springfield, Ohio now - over 600 people and still growing.
Reposted by emptywheel
This Day in Labor History: February 2, 1848. The United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war the U.S. launched against Mexico to steal land and extend slavery. Let's talk about how this also led to the widespread theft of the land grants from New Mexicans!!!
February 2, 2026 at 1:49 PM
This Day in Labor History: February 2, 1848. The United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war the U.S. launched against Mexico to steal land and extend slavery. Let's talk about how this also led to the widespread theft of the land grants from New Mexicans!!!
Reposted by emptywheel
It’s 2026. There is a measles outbreak in the prison for babies
February 2, 2026 at 7:15 AM
It’s 2026. There is a measles outbreak in the prison for babies
As you read WSJ's piece on the super-secret abuse complaint about Tulsi Gabbard, remember that she tried unsuccessfully to wring counterintelligence function away from FBI last year.
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
Exclusive | Classified Whistleblower Complaint About Tulsi Gabbard Stalls Within Her Agency
Congress hasn’t seen the complaint, which was filed eight months ago with the U.S. intelligence community watchdog’s office.
www.wsj.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:47 PM
As you read WSJ's piece on the super-secret abuse complaint about Tulsi Gabbard, remember that she tried unsuccessfully to wring counterintelligence function away from FBI last year.
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
Reposted by emptywheel
Since a lot of the coverage is omitting this detail: The Kennedy Center HAD a $250 million renovation and expansion just a few years ago, in 2019.
February 2, 2026 at 12:38 PM
Since a lot of the coverage is omitting this detail: The Kennedy Center HAD a $250 million renovation and expansion just a few years ago, in 2019.
Reposted by emptywheel
"But there is accumulating evidence that a big reason these goons hide their faces is to hide that the white nationalist project Stephen Miller is pursuing — like virtually everything else in America — relies on brown people to do the hard work."
February 2, 2026 at 12:29 PM
"But there is accumulating evidence that a big reason these goons hide their faces is to hide that the white nationalist project Stephen Miller is pursuing — like virtually everything else in America — relies on brown people to do the hard work."
Reposted by emptywheel
John Sweeney: Blaming Met Éireann for floods is a distraction. Who rezoned the floodplains?
John Sweeney: Blaming Met Éireann for floods is a distraction. Who rezoned the floodplains?
It is now over 20 years since I led the project to give the first scenario-based projections of Ireland’s future climate. We warned Ireland’s winters would become significantly wetter
www.irishtimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:31 AM
John Sweeney: Blaming Met Éireann for floods is a distraction. Who rezoned the floodplains?
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.