iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Good morning from Flint, Mich., where @abdulelsayed.bsky.social is holding the latest in a series of town halls as he makes his closing argument ahead of the midterms. Sen. Elissa Slotkin joining him in Macomb Co. later today. I’m covering both for @huffpost.com so follow along.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

NEW: In its 2027 budget request, DHS asked Congress for $7.5M to, among other things, develop "smart glasses" for ICE agents to use in the field. Civil liberties advocates have sounded the alarm, but lawmakers said they're finding out about it for the first time. Full story ⤵️

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

& in a press release the Ethics Committee defended its process, saying it has always made the results of sexual misconduct investigations public whenever such allegations "were substantiated."

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

🚨Amid increased scrutiny on Congress & its handling of sexual misconduct allegations, the House Ethics Committee has released a full list of its publicly disclosed investigations into such conduct & their outcomes, dating back to 1976.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

One hot topic for staffers: TMZ's practice of paying for tips. Unclear if the org is paying tipsters for its Congress coverage, but one Republican staffer told me their colleagues have been talking about how much money it would take for them to hand over Congress gossip:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Aides told me they're working to memorize the faces of TMZ's new Hill correspondents & that some staffers are plotting alternate routes for members to travel through the Capitol complex to limit interactions. Some staffers worry about TMZ's intentions, but others are excited:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

NEWS: I spoke to congressional staffers from both parties about how they & their colleagues are preparing members of Congress for encounters with TMZ's new Capitol team - as well as mixed feelings among Hill staff about having the celebrity news outlet around. Story below⤵️

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

The proposed commission would be composed of 17 members, including 8 House & Senate lawmakers from both parties & another 8 members who are "former high-ranking executive branch officers" incl. presidents, vice president, attorneys general and defense secretaries, among others.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

NEW: @raskin.house.gov has unveiled a bill establishing a "Commission on Presidential Capacity," a body overseeing the 25th Amendment power to remove a president from office if "mentally or physically" incapacitated. Comes as Dems scrutinize Trump for recent posts & statements.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Trump vs the Pope 🧐 on Truth Social. The president writes that the first American Pope is “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.” “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” said Trump.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

NEW: Trump has nominated Matthew Schwartz, who worked on the president’s legal team appealing his criminal conviction in the New York hush money case, to fill a key appellate judicial vacancy on the Second Circuit.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

NEW: Rep. Jamie Raskin has sent a letter to WH physician Capt. Barbarella demanding he conduct a cognitive assessment on Pres. Trump after “disturbing” rhetoric on Iran war. Comes as Raskin is preparing to brief House Dems this afternoon on 25th Amendment. Story TK

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

The FBI appears to have arrested a source used in The Fort Bragg Cartel, a recent book by journalist Seth Harp about unexplained deaths at Ft Bragg & reports about drug trafficking among US special forces:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Trump on Truth Social as his Iran negotiation timeline set to expire: “A whole civilization will die tonight.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Boasberg: “In denying the preliminary injunction, the Court does not discount the public value of the documents … This Opinion instead reflects the fact that the importance of sought-after information is not the test for securing a preliminary injunction.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

New: DC Fed won’t force release of internal DOJ documents used to train staff who redacted Epstein files ahead of outgoing AG Bondi’s House Oversight deposition this month.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Trump posts renderings of his proposed presidential library, a skyscraper featuring an auditorium with a gold statue of himself, a ballroom, a rooftop plaza and, yes, a golden escalator:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

TONIGHT @ 7:30 PM EST: Drop by over on Twitch (or on Twitter if you're so inclined) to chat live with me & CNS D.C. federal courts reporter Ryan Knappenberger about the news and whatever else while we play Bungie's Marathon. Link below:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

The president of the United States says deaths of director Rob Reiner & his wife, being investigated as a homicide, were “reportedly” due to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

In the midst of budget negotiations, here’s the president posting an AI-altered clip of Leader Jeffries & Leader Schumer in which an AI clone of Schumer refers to Dems as “just a bunch of woke pieces of shit” & claims Dems will give “all these illegal aliens free health care.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

If you missed today's stream you missed Sen. Dick Durbin's X notifs summoning an energy sword battle:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Mike Johnson’s message to cities under threat of military intervention by the White House: “Yield, man!” “Let the troops come into your city and show how crime could be reduced.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Mike Johnson’s message to cities under threat of military intervention by the White House: “Yield, man!” “Let the troops come into your city and show how crime could be reduced.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Saturday night blue slip hate post from the president — again, at the moment there’s basically zero political will from Republicans in the Senate to end blue slips … though Trump’s said he could sue them to try (still unclear on what grounds). www.courthousenews.com/trump-eyes-s...

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Trump says he’ll file a lawsuit challenging blue slips … but also acknowledges that it’s not a practice enshrined in law. “This is based on an old custom, it’s not based on law, and I think it’s unconstitutional and I’ll probably be filing a suit on that pretty soon.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

14th & U St NW, Washington DC 08/21/2025

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

The scene just before 5pm at the corner of 14th and U St NW, where the “Defend the District” event is about to kick off. Pretty sizeable MPD presence on both sides of the street — Pres. Trump is expected to travel around DC neighborhoods this evening to meet with police.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

From the other site: AG Pam Bondi is touting the 86 illegal gun seizures fed law enforcement has made in the two weeks they've been active in D.C. - but local police data shows that rate is more or less on pace with the city's firearm recoveries in 2024.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

NEW: In a statement, Fed Governor Lisa Cook says she learned about FHFA director Bill Pulte DOJ referral from media reports & responds to Trump’s call for her resignation. “I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet,” she said.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Relatively quiet on my 5 mile PM walkabout from Adams Morgan ➡️ U St ➡️ the White House, save for some National Guard by McPherson Metro & a few MPD. Did have a nice chat tho with the guy who sells custom hats on 14th St who was interested in the upside down Ilabb logo on mine

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Trump says museums in Washington and all over the country are “the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.’”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

ICE has not responded to my multiple requests for comment on whether the Ford Raptors and GMC Yukons featured in a recruiting video last week violate DHS guidelines for political speech on agency fleet vehicles - the trucks have Pres. Trump's name emblazoned on them.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

It took DC police 90 minutes to arrive at the scene of a car crash on I-295 Saturday night.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Whoa, MPD chief Pamela Smith says in court filing that DC police were “unaware” of Trump’s plan to place them under federal control until he announced it at Monday’s news conference.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Oop, DHS appears to have DELETED its IndyCar inspired “Speedway Slammer” post despite the agency doubling down on its marketing for the planned detention facility — after IndyCar itself asked DHS to stop using its intellectual property to promote the project.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Whoa — DHS spokesperson on this: “An AI generated image of a car with ‘ICE’ on the side does not violate anyone’s intellectual property rights. Any suggestion to the contrary is absurd.” Says DHS will continue promoting “Speedway Slammer” detention facility.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

DHS yesterday evening posting an AI pic of an Indycar chassis car with an ICE livery. In real life, the 5 car is driven by Pato O’Ward — who is from Mexico.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

He forgot the additional Taylor Swift hate down at the bottom:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Trump says “Sidney” Sweeney’s American Eagle ad spot is the “HOTTEST ad out there.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

In a statement, Sen. Durbin, top Dem on Judiciary, says he's "disappointed but not surprised" with Trump's call to end the blue slip. In Judiciary just now he thanks Grassley for standing by the practice & says he hopes "that continues to be the case." "Yes," Grassley replies.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Statement from Grassley spox doesn't signal to me that he's ready to walk away from blue slips - spox points out that Grassley/Judiciary have already moved US atty noms with Dem blue slip approval and that "all 100 senators have a say" on noms once they clear Judiciary.

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

And there it is — Trump calls for the end of the Senate blue slip process for both judges and attorneys. Often viewed as one of the last vestiges of bipartisanship in the chamber. Trump is calling it a “hoax.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

On today’s episode of “what even is Congress’ job anyway?” …

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I asked WH whether they'd consider asking the Senate to ignore Booker & Kim's blockade on Habba's nom - or if they're planning to appoint her again as acting US atty after DOJ fired Desiree Grace. WH spox said more or less what the admin's been saying all along:

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Joint statement from Sen. Cory Booker & Sen. Andy Kim on DOJ firing Desiree Grace hours after she replaced Alina Habba as US attorney for NJ. They call the move “another blatant attempt to intimidate anyone who doesn’t agree with them and undermine judicial independence.”

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Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Hours after an NJ court replaced Alina Habba with her deputy as US atty for NJ, DOJ has canned the replacement, accusing judges of “colluding” with NJ Sens. Booker & Kim. Habba’s nomination was effectively dead in Senate — Kim & Booker both not returning blue slips.

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