Radley Balko
@radleybalko.bsky.social
Journalist. Quattrone Center journalism fellow.
Author: Rise of the Warrior Cop.
Co-author: The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist.
New podcast: Collateral Damage
Substack: radleybalko.substack.com
Signal: radleybalko.52
Author: Rise of the Warrior Cop.
Co-author: The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist.
New podcast: Collateral Damage
Substack: radleybalko.substack.com
Signal: radleybalko.52
Reposted by Radley Balko
The President pardoned members of his private militia after they failed to overturn an election; they, in turn, pledge their support to him and urge him to use them to police civil society.
New:
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
![STEWART RHODES (FOUNDER, OATH KEEPERS): And one other thing I want to say is that President Trump, as commander in chief, always has absolute authority to call all of us up as the militia because every one of us — in federal statues defining the militia, it's every able-bodied male from age 17-45. And for us veterans, it goes up to age 64 because of our prior training and experience.
Right now, under federal statutes, President Trump can call us up as the militia if he sees it necessary, especially for three purposes: to repel invasions, to suppress insurrections, and to execute the laws of the union. And right now, we see all three of those in play.
...
And the militia is all of us. So the National Guard is part of the militia, which is why it's completely lawful for him to use the National Guard as he has, and he should do more of that, I think, across the country.
...
He could just say given the circumstances of an invasion, insurrection, and resistance against federal law being being enforced, I'm calling up the militia, ordering all the men to come together [in] every county, put the veterans in charge of training and organizing all the other men and just have them stand too and await his orders. He can do that and I think he should do that. And so that's what I'll be advocating for from him. So from the bottom, from down the rank and file, we can let President Trump know that we're ready to serve, encourage him to do that, call us up as a militia, order us all to come together in our counties under his command, which gives you complete legal sanction to do what you're doing.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:af7tqcetuyt352aolf3znlxe/bafkreialm4skuozqobejpd6vx4m6kuwsgtidxmmxvj3ftcff6otiuyohiy@jpeg)
November 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The President pardoned members of his private militia after they failed to overturn an election; they, in turn, pledge their support to him and urge him to use them to police civil society.
Reposted by Radley Balko
I’m late to it—there are already several episodes—but this is a gripping, infuriating, and much-needed podcast on the human cost of the War on Drugs.
The first episode of Collateral Damage, my reported podcast with The Intercept, went up today.
Hope you’ll check it out and, if you enjoy it, give it a favorable rating or review.
Eternal thanks to my producers @lauraflynn.bsky.social and Andrew Stelzer for making it happen.
Hope you’ll check it out and, if you enjoy it, give it a favorable rating or review.
Eternal thanks to my producers @lauraflynn.bsky.social and Andrew Stelzer for making it happen.
Ep. 1 Dirty Business: The Atlanta Narcotics Unit’s Deadly Raid on 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston.
Podcast Episode · Collateral Damage from The Intercept · 10/08/2025 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I’m late to it—there are already several episodes—but this is a gripping, infuriating, and much-needed podcast on the human cost of the War on Drugs.
Never really understood Griffin's appeal, and the Trump severed head thing was a dumb, poor-taste attempt to be provocative. But the reaction to it was (and apparently still is) absolutely unhinged.
She’s Been Booted Out of Hollywood and Investigated by the Secret Service. When She Let Me Into Her House, I Could See Why.
"I was kind of ahead of my time," she says. "Pun intended."
slate.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Never really understood Griffin's appeal, and the Trump severed head thing was a dumb, poor-taste attempt to be provocative. But the reaction to it was (and apparently still is) absolutely unhinged.
Here's a fundraising email I received for some reason.
Turning Point is really embracing the civil, non-incendiary discourse we were told Charlie Kirk championed.*
(*He didn't really champion those things, and I'm sure he would have been fine with this email.)
Turning Point is really embracing the civil, non-incendiary discourse we were told Charlie Kirk championed.*
(*He didn't really champion those things, and I'm sure he would have been fine with this email.)
November 10, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Here's a fundraising email I received for some reason.
Turning Point is really embracing the civil, non-incendiary discourse we were told Charlie Kirk championed.*
(*He didn't really champion those things, and I'm sure he would have been fine with this email.)
Turning Point is really embracing the civil, non-incendiary discourse we were told Charlie Kirk championed.*
(*He didn't really champion those things, and I'm sure he would have been fine with this email.)
Reposted by Radley Balko
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
November 10, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
Trump has threatened to bomb or invade 7 countries with a shot to play in the 2026 World Cup. He *has* bombed one (Iran) and said he'd deny them visas. He's preparing for war with another (Venezuela). He has summarily executed citizens from at least 3. He has imposed tariffs on nearly all of them.
FIFA head says 'you will see' at World Cup draw if Trump receives new peace prize
FIFA has announced the creation of a peace prize, which it plans to award for the first time at the World Cup draw on Dec. 5 in Washington.
www.npr.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Trump has threatened to bomb or invade 7 countries with a shot to play in the 2026 World Cup. He *has* bombed one (Iran) and said he'd deny them visas. He's preparing for war with another (Venezuela). He has summarily executed citizens from at least 3. He has imposed tariffs on nearly all of them.
Reposted by Radley Balko
The rewards are pouring in
November 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM
The rewards are pouring in
I think my Word of the Day email might be trolling the Democrats.
November 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
I think my Word of the Day email might be trolling the Democrats.
Gutting and politicizing the FBI is a win-win for this administration. If we get attacked because we’re vulnerable, it’s just another opportunity to crack down on dissent and consolidate power.
bsky.app/profile/news...
bsky.app/profile/news...
NYT - Kash Patel's inexperience, his dismissals of top FBI officials and his shift of resources from thwarting spies and terrorism have heightened concerns among the other Five Eyes nations that the bureau is adrift. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/wo...
F.B.I. Director Is Said to Have Made a Pledge to Head of MI5, Then Broken It
The episode has contributed to concerns among intelligence allies that Kash Patel, brash and partisan, is also unpredictable and even unreliable.
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Gutting and politicizing the FBI is a win-win for this administration. If we get attacked because we’re vulnerable, it’s just another opportunity to crack down on dissent and consolidate power.
bsky.app/profile/news...
bsky.app/profile/news...
Congrats to the eight Democrats who gave this regime a huge win over the weekend. Here’s your reward.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Trump Pardons Giuliani and Others Involved in Effort to Overturn 2020 Election
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Congrats to the eight Democrats who gave this regime a huge win over the weekend. Here’s your reward.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Reposted by Radley Balko
I did not grasp how bonkers Canadians are.
One news outlet likened the game conditions to a "snowglobe."
Crews took an hour during the game to clear snow.
"On over hour delay allowed the field crews to clear the pitch, using soccer’s answer to a Zamboni, to more playable conditions."
One news outlet likened the game conditions to a "snowglobe."
Crews took an hour during the game to clear snow.
"On over hour delay allowed the field crews to clear the pitch, using soccer’s answer to a Zamboni, to more playable conditions."
The CPL Final is in the middle of a snowstorm in Canada, true North American soccer heritage...how could it get any better?
HOW ABOUT A FREAKIN' BICYCLE KICK EQUALIZER!!!
HOW ABOUT A FREAKIN' BICYCLE KICK EQUALIZER!!!
November 10, 2025 at 3:13 AM
I did not grasp how bonkers Canadians are.
One news outlet likened the game conditions to a "snowglobe."
Crews took an hour during the game to clear snow.
"On over hour delay allowed the field crews to clear the pitch, using soccer’s answer to a Zamboni, to more playable conditions."
One news outlet likened the game conditions to a "snowglobe."
Crews took an hour during the game to clear snow.
"On over hour delay allowed the field crews to clear the pitch, using soccer’s answer to a Zamboni, to more playable conditions."
Reposted by Radley Balko
Agree.
Sen Hassan, asked what will happen if Republicans don't carry out the deal, "Well, shame on them."
This is not what people were mobilizing for on Oct 18.
Sen Hassan, asked what will happen if Republicans don't carry out the deal, "Well, shame on them."
This is not what people were mobilizing for on Oct 18.
November 10, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Agree.
Sen Hassan, asked what will happen if Republicans don't carry out the deal, "Well, shame on them."
This is not what people were mobilizing for on Oct 18.
Sen Hassan, asked what will happen if Republicans don't carry out the deal, "Well, shame on them."
This is not what people were mobilizing for on Oct 18.
Reposted by Radley Balko
I don’t understand what’s happening here. Is he swearing someone in for something during a football game? Why is he on the PA system?
November 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM
I don’t understand what’s happening here. Is he swearing someone in for something during a football game? Why is he on the PA system?
Reposted by Radley Balko
I wish those calling for the unmasking of ICE agents would be explicit about the obvious reason why this is necessary: these men need to be identifiable because justice demands that they be punished, severely, for what they are doing. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Immigration Agents Arrest Man in L.A. Raid and Drive Off With His Toddler
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:43 PM
I wish those calling for the unmasking of ICE agents would be explicit about the obvious reason why this is necessary: these men need to be identifiable because justice demands that they be punished, severely, for what they are doing. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Reposted by Radley Balko
Judge Mark Wolf resigns from the District Court of Massachusetts and writes why in a powerful piece in the Atlantic.
One thing he doesn’t mention in his list of reasons but I’m sure is a factor:
Erez Reuveni was one of his law clerks.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
One thing he doesn’t mention in his list of reasons but I’m sure is a factor:
Erez Reuveni was one of his law clerks.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Why I Am Resigning
A federal judge explains his reasoning for leaving the bench.
www.theatlantic.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Judge Mark Wolf resigns from the District Court of Massachusetts and writes why in a powerful piece in the Atlantic.
One thing he doesn’t mention in his list of reasons but I’m sure is a factor:
Erez Reuveni was one of his law clerks.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
One thing he doesn’t mention in his list of reasons but I’m sure is a factor:
Erez Reuveni was one of his law clerks.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Radley Balko
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Radley Balko
With a “WOW!,” President Trump posts a claim about DOGE and “royalties linked to Obamacare” that originated on a satirical website. That site’s own About section reads: “Everything on this website is fiction… If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”
November 9, 2025 at 3:33 PM
With a “WOW!,” President Trump posts a claim about DOGE and “royalties linked to Obamacare” that originated on a satirical website. That site’s own About section reads: “Everything on this website is fiction… If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”
Reposted by Radley Balko
Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...
Reposted by Radley Balko
I have been actively watching contracts and surge funding over the last few days and what I would say to my friends in Baltimore is “be absolutely ready, right now.”
ICE poised to ramp up raids in Baltimore by Thanksgiving
The Trump administration has rush-ordered infrastructure to conduct raids, abduct residents, and detain people for months.
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:40 PM
I have been actively watching contracts and surge funding over the last few days and what I would say to my friends in Baltimore is “be absolutely ready, right now.”
It’s incredible how much cheaper produce is at Costco.
Also, gift memberships are great for Christmas.
Also, gift memberships are great for Christmas.
If you do not already have a membership to Costco, I recommend a membership to Costco. (or Sam's Club or BJ's if that is a better alternative)
November 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM
It’s incredible how much cheaper produce is at Costco.
Also, gift memberships are great for Christmas.
Also, gift memberships are great for Christmas.
Before woke happened, the military was famously an institution that operated without rules.
Hegseth decries "broken incentives that reward compliance with rules and regulations"
November 9, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Before woke happened, the military was famously an institution that operated without rules.
Reposted by Radley Balko
sometimes an Oxford comma can make all the difference
November 8, 2025 at 12:36 PM
sometimes an Oxford comma can make all the difference
Reposted by Radley Balko
Happy Trumpsgiving
Sean Duffy: "We have a number of people who want to get home for the holidays, they want to see their family. Listen, many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane."
November 9, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Happy Trumpsgiving
Reposted by Radley Balko
ICE is completely out of control
November 9, 2025 at 12:32 AM
ICE is completely out of control