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Eric Baker

@ebaker.bsky.social
231 followers 365 following 95 posts

Typically chill, occasionally furious. Not the fictional Governor of Pennsylvania from the early 2000's portrayed by Ed O'Neil. KC born and raised. Coffee black, please. Posts my own.

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Reposted by Eric Baker
Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
A staggering 55 people have died in ICE custody since Trump's return to office. But the agency's official death toll record-keeping doesn't account for people like Prisciliano, whose health deteriorated in detention but died shortly after the agency released him from custody to be hospitalized.
motherjones.com
The Deaths ICE Doesn’t Count
Prisciliano Trejo Ricano passed away in the hospital days after being released from detention.
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
In 2018, Mirsy Alva López arrived at the US-Mexico border with her 3-year-old son Ederson. Then border patrol agents ripped him from her arms and took him away. [1]
motherjones.com
Separated at the Border, Torn Apart Again
Years after being split up and reunited, a family gets caught in Trump’s immigration dragnet.
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
When the SCOTUS justices hear oral arguments over Trump’s effort to rewrite the Constitution and limit birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara tomorrow, they'll be considering arguments pushed by a handful of controversial legal scholars. @pemalevy.bsky.social and I unpacked their theories here:
motherjones.com
The nonsense case against birthright citizenship
Meet the conservative legal minds telling the Supreme Court to side with Trump.
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
"What the government’s really trying to do here is muddy the waters enough so that we won’t notice that it is rewriting the clear text of the Constitution itself." I talked to Cody Wofsy, ACLU lawyer in the SCOTUS birthright citizenship case, about Trump's push to upend the 14th Amendment.
motherjones.com
The case that could upend who gets to be an American is back at the Supreme Court
A long-settled Constitutional right faces a familiar legal assault.
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
“It’s not at all surprising that this is happening with these ICE [removal] officers being sent out to basically treat people terribly,” a one-time deputy chief counsel with the agency told me, anticipating more escalation of violence. My latest for @motherjones.com:
motherjones.com
Former members of ICE say recent violence is "by design"
"What has changed is there has been an encouragement from the top to be much more aggressive in enforcement."
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Biased-take, but @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social is among the absolute best immigration journalists of 2025, no question. In a time when we *especially* need to record history as it is, not how the government tries to sell it, principled, professional journalism like Isabela’s is paramount.
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
This year felt like a decade. I wanted to highlight some of the immigration reporting I've done over the past 12 months: In January, I wrote about the big money fueling the right's plot to end birthright citizenship.
motherjones.com
The big-money right-wing push to upend the Constitution—and kill birthright citizenship
“We’re in totally uncharted territory.”
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Much of the current immigration policymaking—if this rampant clampdown and unleashing of brutalizing force can be called that—seems to be now distilled to a simple modus operandi: we do it because we can. My reflection on a year of hell for immigrants and the Trump administration's casual cruelty:
motherjones.com
A year of hell for immigrants
In the first Trump administration, cruelty was the point. Now, it is the norm.
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
The hepatitis B vaccine had been recommended for all newborns since 1991. From 1990-2019, acute hepatitis B infections reported among children and teens fell 99 percent. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/w...
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
After 20 years in the Navy, Buzz Grambo thought he'd spend his retirement playing video games and watching baseball. Instead, he patrols the streets of Baltimore to protect his neighbors from ICE. He even upgraded his scooter to a Segway that reaches 26 mph to keep up with the agents. My latest:
motherjones.com
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe—and make federal agents uncomfortable.
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 20/11/2025
“I want their morale as low as possible because a team with low morale is ineffective.” Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
motherjones.com
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe—and make federal agents uncomfortable.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
we need a department of kerning
The Department of War's seal hangs on a wall. The kerning appears to be off.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 13/11/2025
Beatings. Sexual assault. Psychological abuse. These are some of the horrors endured by the more than 250 men the US sent to El Salvador on flimsy evidence of gang membership, according to a new comprehensive report.
motherjones.com
Trump sent men to torture in El Salvador, report confirms
Human Rights Watch found that Venezuelans shipped to El Salvador by the United States were beaten almost every day.
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
"The bitterness is still there. The anger about what happened to him is still there.” After four months, more than 200 men sent to El Salvador have been released from CECOT and returned to Venezuela. @nlanard.bsky.social and I spoke with family members and friends waiting to be reunited with them.
motherjones.com
"We were kidnapped"
On Friday, more than 200 Venezuelans disappeared to a megaprison in El Salvador returned home. The horror stories are already emerging.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
"When you look at rural communities, it is not uncommon that if that AmeriCorps member wasn’t there, the service that they are taking on wouldn’t be happening at all." washingtonmonthly.com/2025/07/07/h...
washingtonmonthly.com
How AmeriCorps Kept Young Talent in Rural Communities | Washington Monthly
Trump's cuts to the federal service program eliminated thousands of positions that provided career pathways in small towns across America.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Every employee considering returning to government (no judgement, it's important work regardless of administration), should demand a public apology and 3x salary. Make them remember what happens when you fuck with the good people who keep the country afloat. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump administration races to fix a big mistake: DOGE fired too many people
Across the government, the administration is rehiring federal workers who were forced out or encouraged to resign.
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Reposted by Eric Baker
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 27/05/2025
More than 32,000 low-paid AmeriCorps service workers were terminated in a sweeping budget cut last month that gutted the national service program. The April 25 move was one of the biggest government cutbacks since the Trump administration took office, but went largely unnoticed. Here’s why:
washingtonpost.com
A big Trump administration cutback went nearly unnoticed
About 32,000 low-paid AmeriCorps members lost their positions in April, gutting some health clinics, food pantries and other human service organizations.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
"Investing in AmeriCorps is an investment in America’s future, empowering communities, strengthening families and revitalizing economies." hechingerreport.org/opinion-canc...
hechingerreport.org
OPINION: Canceling AmeriCorps grants threatens the future of education and workforce pipelines that power our nation’s progress
The recent decision to cancel $400 million in AmeriCorps grants is nothing short of a crisis. The cuts will dismantle disaster recovery efforts, disrupt educational support for vulnerable students and...
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Ahead of SCOTUS hearing on Trump's executive order attacking birthright citizenship, here are a few articles I've written that help understand how we got here—and where we could be headed. The conservative effort to undermine birthright citizenship has been a long time in the making:
motherjones.com
The plot against birthright citizenship
The incoming Trump administration wants to take away citizenship for the US-born children of undocumented immigrants. Here's how.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
If I’m ever president, I will outlaw any iteration of “Make America _____ Again.” How about some new messaging ideas you hacky losers. You know who you are.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
I don't agree with Congressman Bacon on everything (probably most things), but he's spot on. I served in AmeriCorps NCCC in Nebraska and it was among the best experiences of my life. It makes civic, financial, and moral sense to support and defend AmeriCorps. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | I’m a Midwestern Republican. Gutting AmeriCorps hurts America.
Why destroy a program that enriches America every day — including in financial returns?
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
“I felt this kind of fear, like something was telling me we weren’t going to Venezuela at all. Because the cops, when they had us here, they kept laughing a lot." @nlanard.bsky.social and I interviewed six Venezuelans who were nearly removed from Bluebonnet—presumably to El Salvador—on April 18.
motherjones.com
The men who could be sent to El Salvador next
A Mother Jones investigation based on firsthand accounts from ICE detainees in Texas reveals how Venezuelans were nearly removed from the country under the Alien Enemies Act without a chance to contes...
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
“I can’t remember a situation that was this urgent or extraordinary," ACLU's Lee Gelernt told @nlanard.bsky.social and I, "where we were worried that every minute we delayed filing something could mean that our clients would end up permanently in a brutal foreign prison for the rest of their lives.”
motherjones.com
The men who could be sent to El Salvador next
A Mother Jones investigation based on firsthand accounts from ICE detainees in Texas reveals how Venezuelans were nearly removed from the country under the Alien Enemies Act without a chance to contes...
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Aspen Global Innovators Group @globalinnovators.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
In a powerful piece, our mentor Brett Davidson and late Executive Director Lola Adedokun share why communications must be at the heart of leadership. aspenglobalinnovators.org/stories/comm... ✨ Support the award in Lola’s honor: as.pn/award @aspeninstitute.bsky.social @dorisdukefdn.bsky.social
aspenglobalinnovators.org
In Translating Expertise Into Influence, Communication Skills Are Key • Aspen Global Innovators
Given the challenges facing humanity, it is critical that we follow the leadership of local experts, with lived experience. The Aspen Global Innovators Group
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Latest with @nlanard.bsky.social: We spoke with relatives of Omar Cárdenas, one of the Venezuelans at the Bluebonnet detention center in Texas who could be removed under the Alien Enemies Act any day now. "He is not a criminal, as he is being portrayed. He is completely and utterly innocent.”
motherjones.com
More Venezuelans face imminent deportation under the Alien Enemies Act
“The Trump administration appears afraid to give people due process."
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Reposted by Eric Baker
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 16/04/2025
On Friday night, the federal government sent Harvard a five-page fusillade of new demands that would reshape the school’s operations, admissions, hiring, faculty and student life. It took less than 72 hours for Harvard to say no.
nytimes.com
Why Harvard Decided to Fight Trump
The Trump administration will freeze over $2 billion in federal funds because Harvard refused to comply with a list of demands. Harvard leaders believed saying no was worth the risk.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
"If you don’t see all of this as one of the darkest days in American history, in which the President is openly embracing disappearing people without due process in the name of 'liberty,' you are a part of the problem."
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Reposted by Eric Baker
ian bremmer @ianbremmer.com · 14/04/2025
bloomberg: ~90% of deported migrants to el salvador had no criminal record
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Corey Atad @coreyatad.com · 14/04/2025
this is Mohsen Mahdawi, the green card holder who was just arrested by ICE for rendition at his citizenship interview
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
If the U.S. government is going to take the position that, once removed from the United States, folks can’t be brought back, then it sure seems to me that federal courts should be reflexively and categorically barring *all* removals until they’re 100 percent certain that the removals are lawful.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
As an American, if even an ounce of you cares about human rights, the rule of law, and the Constitution, every cell in your body should be screaming at this. If you're not enraged, you never cared about "freedom," you only cared about winning.
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Reveal @revealnews.org · 12/04/2025
Expulsions based on tattoos, and students targeted for supporting Gaza: Trump’s immigration actions are raising eyebrows and constitutional questions. On this week's Reveal, we dive into Trump's deportation black hole.
revealnews.org
By denying Venezuelan migrants a day in court, the Trump administration is sending them into a deportation black hole.
Expulsions based on tattoos. Students targeted for supporting Gaza. Trump’s immigration actions are raising eyebrows and constitutional questions.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
When I'm occasionally asked about my political beliefs, I always come back to the expansion of civic participation. If the US wants to live up to its ideals where everyone has a voice, then things like the SAVE Act must die. Voter suppression is a coward's tool. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
House Republicans just passed a voter suppression bill that would disenfranchise millions
“It's a five-alarm fire for American voters and for election officials”
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Tim Miller @timmiller.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Spoke to @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social and Noah Lanard who have spoken to family members or friends of 10 people who have been sent to the El Salvador gulag. The number of Venezuelans who are totally innocent we sent there seems to be even greater than we imagined. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz4r...
youtube.com
The Trump Administration Are Cruel And Heartless Bastards For This
YouTube video by The Bulwark
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
The propaganda presidency. In describing the Trump regime's White House X account (a continuous stream of extremist internet memes), Warzel notes a trend that isn't limited to the U.S., the use of AI to generate not deepfakes, but visual propaganda that reinforces strategic frames & narratives.
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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
And huge shout out to @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social who’s the co-author. Absolutely essential work.
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All In with Chris Hayes @allinwithchris.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
"This is some of the finest journalism I've read in the Trump era so far," says @chrislhayes.bsky.social on @motherjones.com's reporting on the Trump admin deporting people to El Salvador, and in one case, over an autism awareness tattoo.
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
@nlanard.bsky.social and I spoke with the relatives, friends, and lawyers of 10 Venezuelan men the Trump administration sent to El Salvador without due process. What they have in common? Tattoos.
motherjones.com
The men disappeared to El Salvador because of their tattoos
The Trump administration sent Venezuelans to El Salvador’s most infamous prison. Their families are looking for answers.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
"If the state can deprive an individual of his freedom just because of his politics, which is what appears to have happened here, then no one is safe." @adamserwer.bsky.social
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
In no world or circumstance is the side that disappears people the "good guys." Accept no excuse to justify this authoritarian practice. I wouldn't care if he was the most MAGA, xenophobic, homophobic piece of shit, free speech is a right for all legal residents. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
theatlantic.com
Mahmoud Khalil’s Detention Is a Trial Run
The pro-Palestine student was arrested without due process for exercising his right to free speech. He will not be the last.
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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
I felt compelled to ask my parents about their lives under the Brazilian dictatorship after seeing the Academy Award-nominated "I’m Still Here." Here's what they told me and my thoughts on why this movie is more than an exercise in remembering some of the darkest chapters in the country’s history:
motherjones.com
Why “I’m Still Here” Should Win Best Picture at the Oscars
I’m biased, but the Brazilian movie about the stoic resilience of a mother of five in face of authoritarianism was made for this moment.
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Слава Україні
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Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 25/02/2025
authoritarians will steadily replace real journalists with propagandists anyway, so what's left of the profession might want to demonstrate something vaguely resembling a backbone
Politico headline: "White House says it will determine which reporters have access to the president"
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Reading today's @politico.com Playbook has me thinking that every single Republican needs to read "The House of the Spirits" by Isabel Allende and remind themselves very quickly that they are not special. If you're lazy, read the last third starting with Alba. www.goodreads.com/book/show/93...
goodreads.com
The House of the Spirits
In one of the most important and beloved Latin American…
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 13/02/2025
See here's how to do a headline. fortune.com/2025/02/13/e...
Some federal workers are ‘getting wealthy at taxpayer expense,’ says Elon Musk, whose companies have received at least $20 billion from the government
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Everyone talking about Collins, Cassidy, Murkowski or any other "moderate," voting for this brain worm-infested grifter salesman need to remember and maintain their rage for every. other. Republican. Senator. that voted to confirm RFK Jr. All preventable deaths going forward are *equally* on them.
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Reposted by Eric Baker
Karl Jacoby @karl-jacoby.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Alternative WSJ headline: "Cherokees Relocated, Why Can't Gazans?"
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Eric Baker @ebaker.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Nothing says "strength" and "leadership" like abandoning your allies. I didn't realize it was the "Art of the Deal" to negotiate away your leverage before you and your allies come to consensus. Beyond shameful. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
theguardian.com
US should not have made concessions to Russia over Ukraine, says German minister
France also criticises Trump’s approach to ending war, resting on Kyiv forfeiting territory and Nato membership
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
It was @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social who first sounded a clarion call as to Vought's schemes to institute Project 2025 and a white Christian nationalists agenda. This piece, from the fall, is still very much worth a read: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
The bureaucrat who could make Trump's authoritarian dreams real
Russ Vought has a plan to take presidential power to new heights.
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