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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 8h

Last year not a single refugee fleeing religious persecution was admitted to the US.

Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 8h

I have to keep saying this but it’s not just that the admin is only accepting white South Africans, but that the white South Africans plainly do not qualify as refugees under the law

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 9h

This would turn into a very funny example of possession being nine-tenths of the law

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much ado about muffin @muffindoin.bsky.social · 10h

good example of the "legally present" vs. "lawful status" distinction. she's allowed to be here but is also deportable whenever ICE finds a country who will take her. US immigration law is fundamentally cruel

Traore is in the United States legally on a 2011 “withholding of removal” order, which grants recipients legal protection from deportation to a country where they face harm or torture. She has no criminal history.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 15h

New graphics from AdImpact vividly illustrate something we've emphasized repeatedly: The GOP's massive spending advantage is *not* translating into a comparable *advertising* advantage. In #TXSen, e.g., the GOP has spent 66% of all ad money but aired just 54% of all ads adimpact.com/blogs/republ...

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The thing about having your immigration policy run by an actual psychopath is that you might not anticipate complications such as: immigrants having friends and families and people who care about them

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Rob Zacny @robzacny.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Tragic news: our reality is just an AU where Anakin Skywalker becomes a classical pianist.

The cover of Justus Eichhorn’s album The Source depicting a black and white photo of a young man with long curly hair half-shadowed like he is balanced between light and darkness.

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Ted Kennedy won his last two elections so handily that no one today knows what his opponents looked like

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

seeing a lot of discussion about this and like: the reason the poster did a screenshot with no link is that if you actually search for the article you'd learn that this bill 1) has nothing to do with Zohran Mamdani 2) was introduced in committee back in May and didn't go anywhere

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Gabriel Malor @gabrielmalor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

9th Cir., 2-1, holds that a failure of the Board of Immigration Appeals to consider record evidence (just straight-up ignored the evidence) is a reviewable legal error, not a factual error outside of the court's jurisdiction. cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...

An “obvious” factual error is still a factual error. See Patel, 596 U.S. at 334, 339. But failing to consider critical evidence is legal error. If we were to adopt the dissent’s position, the agency could completely abdicate its role in cases involving the jurisdictional bar, refuse to consider any evidence in the record, and simply conclude that a petitioner failed to submit evidence. In the dissent’s view, that would be an unreviewable “factual determination.” We reject this absurd result. In short, the BIA legally erred by failing to consider Perez-Garcia’s proof of payment of his voluntary departure bond.

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Okay now I’m worried about polling

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Ben McAdams (The Resurrection Arc) @purrtah.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Okay Obama needs to film an ad where he looks dead center at the camera that says “Susan Collins is a Republican and voted for Brett Kavanaugh. If you re-elect her John Thune, a Republican, stays majority Leader”

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

That’s right 8th Party System here we come

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James Hell Brooks @kleinman.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Taylor Lorenz is proof that Elon's ideological project at Twitter is working. Yeah, the lady who spends 18 hours a day online suddenly got more right wing after he took over, that was the point.

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Waschesalon Grammy Campaign Manager @reginageorgebush.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

this illustrates the gap—Rs are badly outspending Ds everywhere but GA, I believe, but their ad advantages are modest at best because they pay awful rates for so much of it while every Dem except for (probably) Nixon, even post-primary AES, has the money to pay for enough TV to avoid getting lost

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I think he will *probably* pardon them but on the other hand, counting on Donald Trump to repay a favor has a historically rocky track record

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Client order immediately released from ICE detention this morning because the government failed to respond to our habeas petition after requesting and receiving an extension to do so. I’ve heard of it happening but first time I’ve seen it in the wild.

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Maybe I missed it but I haven't seen any mention on here of the news that the ICE agent Greg Abbott was protecting from extradition had to return to Minnesota anyway, where he was arrested and charged. www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...

cbsnews.com

ICE agent accused of lying about north Minneapolis shooting makes first court appearance in Hennepin County

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says it arrested Castro around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Second Avenue South and Third Street in Minneapolis.

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

EOIR: We are tossing the status docket into the paper shredder and no longer allowing continuances, even if the respondent is seeking collateral relief. DHS: Why are we getting so many asylum applications???

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Sam @samd.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

this sounds awful but that’s because she’s actually mocking Trump and Mr. Smoothgroin deceptively clipped it to own the libs

TAPPER: So, it sounds as though he's saying Democrats would allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He's also saying, of course, the war is going to end after the midterms. What's your
response?
PELOSI: Well, first of all, let's just say it's not about always responding to Donald Trump. I know that must attract advertisers, but it doesn't win the election. We have to talk about what we're going to do for the American people. Hakeem Jeffries is going to be the speaker. He is preparing how we win, how we protect the election and what we're going to do when we win.
Our country is at war. We always root for our country under any circumstance. So, let's get this done, Mr. President. You said it would take a few weeks. Clearly, you did not know what you were talking about. And you're sounding like Richard Nixon when you say you're going to end this right after the election. But okay for that.
The fact is so sad about this war because it was could've been so totally avoided. President Obama was masterful, virtuoso diplomatic accomplishment when he did the Iran nuclear agreement. And they had stopped -- we accomplished all of our goals. Except this one comes in, tears that up and now says he's going to stop the development of nuclear weapon in Iran, which he hasn't.
So, it's really sad, but our troops are in harm's way, and this is not a small potatoes thing as that person you had on the screen might refer to it. Small potatoes is not how we describe our men and women in uniform risking their lives.
So, this Iran war is taking a toll on the nation because people don't like us going to war in the first place. Second of all, it's increasing the cost of price at the pump, gasoline for farmers, increasing the price of food and groceries. So, this has an impact right at the kitchen table of the American people, in addition to not protecting the security of our country.

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❀°。Der Siebenschläfer *.ﾟ✿ ⋆ @sababausa.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

If Alito’s jurisdictional argument (“Congress didn’t authorize anyone to sue USPS for unlawful acts, so if we have a judicially-created cause of action the plaintiff‘s case has to be a 100% lock“) were accurate, Dems could direct USPS not to deliver mail-in ballots in rural areas

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

“Shoot him, you coward!” Che screams. “You won’t kill a man!” The other Che only smiles at you.

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Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 12/09/2026

Honestly, "big-name studios can't agree on the premise of the Muppet Show" sounds like the premise of the Muppet Show

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Remember the last time Iran dragged a standoff past Inauguration Day?

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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 07/09/2026

had lunch in this unfussy little place in Beijing and I ordered some water with my meal and boyfriend ordered some soda; waitress said "no" then just brought us a litre bottle of beer instead, fair enough

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1st Minnesota Volunteers Stan Account @himdogson.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

i am simply not willing to end up as smoke up a chimney because people like this really enjoyed their birthright trip

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Tired: Antizionism is antisemitism Wired: Not using the Maxwell House Haggadah is antisemitism

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Professa Murray @kalimurray.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

On some level, this issue has been lurking since President Trump unleashed his Executive Orders: Executive Orders are not statutes, nor are they even agency adjudications or agency rule makings. There are—say it with the me now—instructions to the agency and the agency has to enact the instruction.

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Whey Standard @wheystandard.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This is completely inaccurate framing, because while the order was shit, what it actually said was that the order itself doesn’t actually do this, and until USPS finalizes a rule that says that’s what they’re going to do, the issue isn’t ripe.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

This is VERY big news. Previously, even vacated or expunged convictions could still get someone deported, if an immigration judge determined that the conviction was vacated for reasons unrelated to a legal defect (such as for rehabilitation-related purposes). The 4th Circuit says not any more!

Courts and agencies have long struggled with how to analyze the immigration effects (if any) of a vacated conviction. Eventually, agency practice cobbled together a framework that sought to balance policy priorities. Under that framework, a conviction vacated because of a substantive or procedural defect in the underlying proceedings no longer qualifies as a conviction for immigration purposes, while a conviction vacated for rehabilitation, immigration hardship, or another reason still does. Many courts deferentially accepted that distinction. But the statute we apply here does not make the continuing effect of a vacated conviction turn on the state court’s reason for vacating it. It makes inadmissible “any alien convicted of” the relevant offense. 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2)(A)(i). In this case, the petitioner’s conviction was vacated and her charge dismissed. At that point, she was no longer “convicted of” that offense. So we grant in part the petition for review

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

How do counterclaims work in this scenario?

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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Among other reforms, it cannot stand that the President can sue everyone all the time but never face any lawsuits or criminal charges himself because he’s president. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/u...

nytimes.com

Trump Threatens Defamation Suit Over National Guard Report, Aiming to Intimidate a Critic (Gift Article)

It was the latest example of President Trump’s bid to use the legal system against those who voice unflattering facts and opinions generally protected by the First Amendment.

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

A thing they will definitely get done before he leaves office

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Remember when Polis tried to pretend this wasn’t the reason for pardoning Peters?

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Guerrero Orellana update, 9:04pm: The First Circuit (Montecalvo, Lynch) joins most of the others in finding mandatory detention is not required of non-criminal aliens. Dissent from Dunlap. District court (PBS, D.Mass) affirmed.

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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Today's 2-1 ruling from the MA-based 1st Circuit joins this tally CA1: 2-1 against ICE CA2: 2-1 against ICE CA3: TBD CA4: TBD CA5: 2-1 for ICE CA6: 2-1 against ICE CA7: 2-1 against ICE CA8: 2-1 for ICE CA9: 2-1 against ICE CA10: 3-0 against ICE CA11: 2-1 against ICE www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

politico.com

ICE keeps racking up losses at the appeals courts on mandatory detention

A 7th appeals court ruled against the Trump administration’s mandatory detention policy.

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Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

ICYMI, the Dobby grave story was completely fake. Like, just, totally not true in any way.

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Wherever did a conservative law professor get the idea that they could do nothing remotely resembling their job, yet still get ahead...

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Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 05/08/2026

Dying at the right-wing activists that (1) held a call with Todd Blanche in which Blanche made a lot of anti-abortion promises, (2) said "uh this is off the record" like doing so would magically ward off journalists, and then (3) UPLOADED IT TO THEIR YOUTUBE CHANNEL www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

The acting attorney general’s conversation with Trump appears to have taken place just hours after the president publicly mused about pulling Blanche’s nomination and instead trying to push through a fund that could be used to compensate Jan. 6 rioters and others who claim to have been persecuted by the Biden administration.
Announcements at the beginning and end of the Intercessors for America call stated that it was “not intended for press purposes.” A speaker told attendees that the call was “not on the record” and directed any journalists on the line to hang up.
POLITICO was not on the call on Thursday when it took place and did not agree to any limits on reporting. Audio of the session was posted on YouTube by Intercessors for America, which calls itself “the largest national prayer ministry dedicated to praying for our government and leaders.”
As of Monday, the recording remained publicly accessible.

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I figured it out, it’s because she was a chef. Have to work most holidays, often slammed, worst customers, half the staff doesn’t want to be there or didn’t show…

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Tired: Nixon creating the EPA. Wired:

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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

A lot of people are determined to read Zionism as something innate to Judaism going back to the ancient world, as opposed to a modern nationalism that emerged out of the same conditions that produced other 19th century nationalisms. Unfortunately, both some Zionists and some anti-Zionists do this.

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

She might gain some points if she publicly refused it but I bet she can’t resist

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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

dems holding shadow hearings to get this info out is good politics

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Yes. I don’t know if this is department policy or the work of individual officers, but in MA we’ve had a number of recent cases of people getting stopped by police for minor issues, told they can leave, and then *suddenly* ICE shows up to take them in

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Luke Knox @lukeknox.me · 30/07/2026

just became aware of William Howard Taft’s 1908 campaign poster

William Howard Taft campaign poster, 1908

Floating head, with “BILL” in huge letters

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Sam Vimes' Boot Salesman @bam5.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Doesn’t fully capture it. Rubio’s grandfather was actually ordered removed, but apparently the order was never carried out and he was given parolee status. Under today’s system, which presumably Rubio endorses, he would have been detained and put on a plane without a second thought.

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