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David Kurtz

@davidkurtz.bsky.social

49K followers 120 following 4.2K posts

TPM editor at large + all things Morning Memo: morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com Signal: davidkurtz.88 Proton: davidmkurtz@proton.me

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Reposted by David Kurtz

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 5h

NEW: The Georgia State Election board is requesting Justice Department "intervention" ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The board sent request letters to Todd Blanche, Harmeet Dhillon, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Docs obtained by @lawfaremedia.org: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

documentcloud.org

Formal Request for DOJ Intervention to Todd Blanche

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 9h

Under the pretext of an ethics complaint against all but one of the active federal judges in Minnesota, Todd Blanche signaled yesterday that not only will the Trump admin keep running roughshod over the judiciary but that judges had better shut up about it. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Trump DOJ Doubles Down on Attacking Judges

Blanche Targets Minnesota Judges Under the pretext of an ethics complaint against...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 10h

“Geoff Shepard, a former Nixon aide turned Watergate historian and revisionist, recently gave a two-hour presentation at DOJ headquarters that laid out his theory that the deep state took Nixon down. The title of his 78-page slide-deck: “Watergate As Lawfare.’” www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...

Exclusive | Decades After Watergate, Justice Department Reviews Whether Nixon Got a Raw Deal

A revisionist historian went to the DOJ headquarters to present his case that the former president and his associates weren’t treated fairly.

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Here's what Blanche is going on about: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/u...

Trump’s Minnesota Surge Threatened Democracy, Judge Warns

In a rare interview, Patrick Schiltz, who served as the federal court’s chief judge last winter, called the administration’s actions “a grave threat to the rule of law.”

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In the defining legal struggle of our time — whether the federal judiciary will sustain the rule of law long enough to preserve the essential core of a democracy for us to repair, rebuild, and re-enlarge after Trump II — the jury is still out. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Appeals Courts Slowly Awaken to Trump II Threat

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back In the defining legal struggle of...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Must-read from @davidkurtz.bsky.social A Critical Moment for the Rule of Law talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-cri...

talkingpointsmemo.com

A Critical Moment for the Rule of Law

This morning the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The full DC Circuit is likely to rule against the Trump admin and allow Judge Boasberg to proceed with a contempt of court inquiry in the original Alien Enemies Act case, where more than 200 Venezuelans were sent to CECOT in violation of his court order. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-cri...

talkingpointsmemo.com

A Critical Moment for the Rule of Law

This morning the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Harry Litman @harrylitman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Important loss for Trump in the bogus IRS tax settlement case. 11th Circuit declines to stay Judge Williams's order. Absent SCOTUS review, it will now return to Williams to assess penalties for contempt and sanctions.

Reposted by David Kurtz

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#BREAKING: Over dissents from the three Democratic appointees, #SCOTUS grants a stay in the third-country removals case; clears way for Trump admin. to continue removing non-citizens without a full chance to litigate the conditions in those countries (while also taking up the full merits appeal).

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The mother of all “investigate the investigators” retributions suffered another major blow with the resignation of Kurt Olsen as top prosecutor. Olsen’s departure marks the 3d top prosecutor in a row to leave the probe—tho his departure seems markedly different. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

The Biggest Trump Retribution Scheme Is Coming Apart at the Seams

Blanche Overpromises and Underdelivers The mother of all “investigate the investigators” retributions...

Reposted by David Kurtz

TPM @talkingpointsmemo.com · 28/09/2026

@joshkovensky.bsky.social joined @jaredlholt.bsky.social and @michaelehayden.bsky.social of the Posting Through It podcast to talk about the influencer grifters boosting the Trump admin's agenda open.spotify.com/episode/59Tb...

open.spotify.com

144: Content Creators for the Authoritarian State feat. Josh Kovensky

Posting Through It · Episode

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Trump administration was found in contempt of court Friday for wrongfully deporting a Salvadoran young man last month for the second time — after he had already been unlawfully deported in March, then returned to the U.S., before being removed again. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Judge Finds Trump Admin in Contempt of Court Again for Wrongful Deportation

Three Different Court Orders Violated The Trump administration was found in contempt...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

SCOTUS says admin will probs win on appeal and grants a stay, as dissenting Justice Jackson puts it, "without full briefing or oral argument...rendering questionable interim rulings about two statutory provisions it has never before interpreted." talkingpointsmemo.com/news/supreme...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Supreme Court Lets Trump Use Beefed-Up Citizenship Verification System That Could Hurt Eligible Voters

The Supreme Court on Friday let the Trump administration use its newly-expanded...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Jason Meisner @jmetr22b.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

JUST IN: The prosecutor at the center of the “Broadview 6” scandal penned a fiery resignation letter to U.S. Atty Andrew Boutros saying he “personally directed” her to seek felony charges not misdemeanors and then unfairly "vilified" her in court Read it here: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/25/b...

chicagotribune.com

‘Broadview Six’ prosecutor pens fiery resignation letter saying US attorney pushed for felony charges

The now-retired prosecutor at the center of the “Broadview Six” scandal penned a fiery resignation letter to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros this week.

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Let’s end the week with an intriguing — and even amusing — new development in the bogus investigation out of south Florida into the “grand conspiracy” against Donald Trump. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Don’t You Just Hate Seeing Aileen Cannon in a Pickle?

A Funhouse Mirror of Corruption Let’s end the week with an intriguing...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This is a very cute clip, but I love it for reasons that the episode doesn't really explore: *All networked technology comes down to chat* Talking to each other is either the foundation of all new networked technology or becomes inexorably tied up with it-- since the early days of the Internet 1/

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The White House immediately defied an overnight court order lifting President Trump’s purported ban on three news outlets from covering the White House. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

White House Defies Court Order Lifting Its Media Ban

Reporters Rebuffed at White House Gates The White House immediately defied an...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The man who famously slapped his name on everything from steaks to vodka to cologne to chocolate is eager to emblazon his name prominently on national landmarks. And in his distinctly personalist regime there’s a line of enablers out the Oval Office door ... talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Will Ford’s Theatre of All Places Really Be Trump’s Next Renaming Project?

Scenes From a Personalist Regime The man who famously slapped his name...

Reposted by David Kurtz

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22/09/2026

whenever i hear some variation on "but what if trump does X or Y or Z" i think of this ulysses s. grant remark to a subordinate during the wilderness campaign.

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Bill Pulte—Trump’s posterboard-carrying golden retriever—didn’t just abuse his office as director of the FHFA to gin up mortgage fraud cases against Trump foes. He also reportedly used it to target one of his rivals in the administration: Todd Blanche. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

LOL: Bill Pulte Dug Into Todd Blanche’s Mortgages

Pass the Popcorn, Please Bill Pulte — Trump’s posterboard-carrying golden retriever —...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Catching up on the weekend news, starting with two violent incidents involving ICE: a shooting of an undocumented immigrant in Austin and the roughing-up of a U.S. citizen in Evanston, Illinois. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

ICE Involved in Two Violent Incidents Over the Weekend

Trump’s Mass Deportation Op Grinds On We start today with two incidents...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

It's wild the things we talk about these days. Trump got mad and was about to tear down the Kennedy Center

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Dispensing with the need for an emergency hearing, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper quickly moved to prevent President Trump from demolishing the Kennedy Center—but left unresolved for now this week’s closure of the building and its ultimate fate. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Kennedy Center Saved From Demolition—For Now

JFK Memorial Remains Closed Dispensing with the need for an emergency hearing,...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Saying the quiet part out loud, President Trump’s admits he's trying to "Willie Horton" former Gov. Roy Cooper in the NC-Senate race; and to do so, he features a violent crime that white nationalists are obsessed with ... talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Trump’s ‘Willie Horton’ Moment Featured a Story White Nationalists Are Obsessed With

President Donald Trump painted a terrifying picture during his rally in North...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

EXCLUSIVE: Census Bureau ordered staff to halt all external events related to the 2030 Census amid the agency’s release of a controversial, unprecedented rule proposal aimed at excluding immigrants from the count, according to a copy of an email obtained by TPM. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/exclusi...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Exclusive: Census Bureau Directs Staff to Keep Quiet During Comment Period for Controversial New Rule

Leadership at the Census Bureau has ordered staff to halt all external...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

BY THE NUMBERS... 28: How many Florida GOP elected @letsgomathias.bsky.social contacted about Marshall Rawson, a GOP nom for state rep who marched in Cville 22: How many of those 28 had endorsed Rawson 3: How many responded 0: How many renounced Rawson. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/marshal...

talkingpointsmemo.com

We Asked 28 GOP Officials If They’d Denounce the GOP Nominee Who Marched With Nazis in Charlottesville

This week I asked 28 current and former Republican Party officials in...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

TPM obtained internal track changes showing input from Commerce, Treasury, and the White House’s Executive Office of the President. They offer a rare look into closely held internal legal deliberations over how to shape a rule that aims to transform the Census. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/exclusi...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Exclusive: Commerce Overruled Treasury Concerns in Push to Narrow Census Count

Before the Trump administration issued its rule aiming to reshape the Census...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Minnesota law enforcement arrested fugitive ICE agent Christian Castro yesterday after he returned to the Twin Cities to face separate federal charges stemming from a January shooting of a Venezuelan national during Operation Metro Surge. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Fugitive ICE Agent Arrested in Minnesota

Mary Moriarty Finally Nabs Her Fugitive Minnesota law enforcement arrested fugitive ICE...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

!!!Lawyers fighting President Trump over the Kennedy Center sent an actual Kennedy—one of their staff members—to the venue this a.m. to confirm it's been shut down: www.courtlistener.com/docket/72069... Now they're seeking an emergency hearing on the closure: www.courtlistener.com/docket/72069...

courtlistener.com

Hearing – #84 in BEATTY v. TRUMP (D.D.C., 1:25-cv-04480) – CourtListener.com

Emergency MOTION for Hearing Regarding Shutdown by JOYCE BEATTY. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration)(Zelinsky, Nathaniel) (Entered: 09/16/2026)

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The news this week is littered with examples indicating that accountability for the depredations of Trump II — if it ever comes — will be so slow, drawn-out, exhausting, and limited that it will never feel satisfying, complete, or just. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Trump: If I Can’t Have the Kennedy Center, No One Can

The Grinding Long Haul of Trump II The news this week is...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A NSF memo signals a retreat from its traditional role of giving grants to individual researchers to pursue their best ideas and to train the next generation of scientists. NSF will instead devote the bulk of its resources to President Trump's research priorities. www.science.org/content/arti...

NSF memo implementing Trump’s ‘golden age’ of science unsettles researchers

New document emphasizes support for White House priorities over curiosity-driven ideas

Reposted by David Kurtz

Roger Parloff @rparloff.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today’s hearing in the Kennedy Center case (Beatty v Trump): 1. Judge Cooper said he’ll rule on the renaming proposals soon. (He did not betray anger at how Trump’s KC board has treated him. He has the patience of Job—which is not meant as a compliment here.) 1/6

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The tl;dr from the The Global State of Democracy 2026 is that the quality of democracy in the U.S. is at or near record lows (based on a dataset that covers 1975-2025) — and that decline is having seriously destabilizing effects on democracy around the world. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Trump II Sends Democracy Worldwide Into a Tailspin

What the World Is Saying About Us Sometimes it helps to hear...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Exclusive: FBI Builds Out National NSPM-7 Center to Track Dissent, Docs Show talkingpointsmemo.com/news/fbi-nsp...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Exclusive: FBI Builds Out National NSPM-7 Center to Track Dissent, Docs Show

The FBI has tapped employees from across federal law enforcement to crack...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

If you read one thing today, make sure it's the TPM exclusive on Marshall Rawson, the GOP nominee for a seat in the Florida House who marched alongside neo-Nazis at the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

What Trump’s ‘Very Fine People, on Both Sides’ Has Wrought a Decade Later

Charlottesville Still Reverberates If you read one thing today, make sure it’s...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Phil Williams @philinvestigates.com · 14/09/2026

Hellava story!!!

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Video and a photo show Marshall Rawson—the current GOP nominee to be a state representative in Florida—marching alongside neo-Nazis at the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a new TPM investigation reveals. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/florida...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Exclusive: He Marched With Nazis in Charlottesville. Now He’s Expected to Join the Florida Legislature.

The Republican nominee for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Good @davidkurtz.bsky.social on the diGenova imbroglio. morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/10-thought...

morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com

10 Thoughts on the Abrupt Resignation of Joe diGenova

INSIDE: Joseph diGenova ... Todd Blanche ... Donald Trump

Reposted by David Kurtz

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Good run down of the latest Joe diGenova story. How he went rogue, resigned or maybe got fired, publicly went rogue, but then tried to un-rogue so he didn't get booted entirely off the Gravy Train. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

10 Thoughts on the Abrupt Resignation of Joe diGenova

Say It Ain’t So, Joe! Joseph diGenova, the Trump loyalist and conspiracy...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Terrific analysis from @davidkurtz.bsky.social: "Trump just wants indictments. More than anything else, Trump is eager to stain his foes with indictments. What about actual convictions? That would be icing, but they are almost beside the point." morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/10-thought...

morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com

10 Thoughts on the Abrupt Resignation of Joe diGenova

INSIDE: Joseph diGenova ... Todd Blanche ... Donald Trump

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Joe diGenova, the Trump loyalist and conspiracy promulgator put in charge of the sweeping DOJ investigation into an imagined grand conspiracy against the president, abruptly resigned, reportedly under pressure for not having secured indictments quickly enough. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

10 Thoughts on the Abrupt Resignation of Joe diGenova

Say It Ain’t So, Joe! Joseph diGenova, the Trump loyalist and conspiracy...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

News that the Trump DOJ is escalating its attack on state election officials first emerged yesterday in Utah, where the lt gov revealed she’d received a threatening letter from the Civil Rights Division dated Sept. 4 warning that she is “under investigation.” talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Election Officials Nationwide Under Threat of Prosecution From Trump DOJ

Election Interference Happening Now News that the Trump DOJ is escalating its...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Since becoming president again, Trump has promised: -$5000 stimulus checks via "DOGE dividend" -$2000 stimulus checks via "tariff dividend" -$1000+ checks via "savings" from expiring ACA subsidies -$5000 "dividend" if Rs win midterms No checks have been issued www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-magi...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"the current spate of last-minute legal challenges are orderly and tame in comparison to some of the scenarios election officials are preparing for, namely direct federal interference in an ongoing election." talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Election Officials Gird For Unprecedented Federal Interference in the Midterms

Preparing for the Unthinkable President Trump’s concerted assault on free and fair...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The current spate of last-minute legal challenges involving Trump's election EO and new USPS ballot rules are orderly and tame in comparison to some of the scenarios election officials are preparing for, namely direct federal interference in an ongoing election. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Election Officials Gird For Unprecedented Federal Interference in the Midterms

Preparing for the Unthinkable President Trump’s concerted assault on free and fair...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The scale of Trump's percolating threats, the complexity of the legal battles to beat back the federal govt from an unlawful role in state elections, and the relentless disinfo campaign to deligitimate elections all combine intentionally to overwhelm the senses. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Trump Launches Whole-of-Government Attack on Midterm Elections

A Critical Week Ahead for Democracy As I sat down this morning...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Zoe Tillman @zoetillman.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

New: A federal judge ordered DOJ to disclose the names of the people who came up with the structure for a controversial fund that could have been used to pay allies of President Donald Trump. Here's Jimmy Jenkins' dispatch from Virginia today: buff.ly/1akfgfX

Judge Orders US to Name Architects of Trump ‘Weaponization’ Fund

A federal judge ordered the US Justice Department to disclose the names of the people who came up with the structure for a controversial fund that could have been used to pay allies of President…

Reposted by David Kurtz

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

NEW: Once-secret records show grand jurors sought Bovino testimony, more evidence in doomed Midway Blitz cases From @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/bearing-the-...

chicago.suntimes.com

Once-secret records show grand jurors sought Bovino testimony, more evidence in doomed Midway Blitz cases

The court records, unsealed at the request of the Chicago Sun-Times, offer a rare window into grand jury proceedings during the feds' pummeling deportation campaign last fall. Far from being a rubber ...

David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The Trump DOJ has fired the federal prosecutor who sought to bring civil rights charges against an ICE agent for the January shooting of a man through the closed door of his home during Operation Metro Surge. talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Trump DOJ Fires Prosecutor in ICE Shooting Case

Ex-AUSA Now Under Criminal Investigation The Trump DOJ has fired the federal...

Reposted by David Kurtz

Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 04/09/2026

The Hugging Face incident may turn out to be one of the most important milestones/warnings in technological revolution now underway. History may look back at this moment/point to it. Everyone should be reading ab it and thinking about it. Here are a few good pieces: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/t...

Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I. (Gift Article)

The attack by an aggressive “collective” of OpenAI agents shows the danger of artificial intelligence systems that organize themselves.