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letloriswim.bsky.social

@letloriswim.bsky.social
665 followers 812 following 321 posts

researcher/analyst/editor re Mexico, US & LATAM - Cold water swimming enthusiast & my dog’s fan club manager

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by @letloriswim.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The Trump administration is weaponizing the DOJ and DHS to generate propaganda to push its “rigged election" narrative. The timing and promotion of arrests of non-citizens for alleged voter fraud suggests a strategic effort to push their false narrative. Thread:
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
NEW FROM PP The Trump admin keeps denying immigration agents are grabbing Americans, so we tracked it 500+ Americans detained 70+ kids, some cuffed or zip-tied 60+ held after filming 36+ held for day+ w/o access to lawyer ~12 deported (yes, deported) projects.propublica.org/american-cit....
projects.propublica.org
More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown — ProPublica
The government doesn’t track how often immigration officers detain U.S. citizens. So ProPublica did. We’ve found more than 500 Americans who were held against their will during this Trump administrati...
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A 10K contribution and a $900 million return. The scale of the graft in Homeland Security is a) off the charts and b) possible because no-one believes they will face any accountability
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 04/10/2026
Last year, just 21% of students from an Austin charter school using an AI learning platform passed state-mandated tests. Texas education leaders helped get the technology in front of public school leaders.
propublica.org
How Texas Helped a Private School Chain’s AI Tool Get Into Public School Classrooms
Just three months after the Texas State Board of Education raised concerns about Alpha School’s AI learning platform, Education Commissioner Mike Morath was in talks about using the tool in public sch...
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Feena van @feenavan2099.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"Before Stonehenge was raised, before Egypts first pyramid broke ground,before the Nazca people drew their famous lines across the Peruvian desert,someone in what is now southern Arizona shaped a 272-foot fish into the earth On April 23,2026,"a border-wall contractor drove heavy equipment across it"
gadgetreview.com
Trump's Border Wall Construction Destroys 6,500-Year-Old Arizona Geoglyph – Older Than Stonehenge
Arizona's 6,500-year-old Las Playas Intaglio, the oldest dated geoglyph in the Americas, was irreparably damaged by border wall construction in April 2026.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 04/10/2026
remarkable piece of journalism. really worth reading.
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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Just for perspective, there are about 677 district court judgeships in the US. If every one of these positions were filled (they're not) and if all of these cases were distributed evenly by geography (they're not), that'd be ~122 more cases PER JUDGE. They cannot possibly keep up.
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Lula @lulaoficialbluesky.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Vale a luta. O Brasil está pronto para mais. Domingo, é 13! ⭐️🇧🇷
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letloriswim.bsky.social @letloriswim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
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letloriswim.bsky.social @letloriswim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Republicans cried that Trump needed money for the border and then he stole the money to pay for a millions in totally illegal, taxpayer funded campaign ads. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
Exclusive | Homeland Security Money Financed Pro-Trump Television Ads
White House calls the spots public-service ads, but critics argue using taxpayer money for campaign-like messaging may violate federal law.
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 27/09/2026
If only there were a more concise word for “an overtly political campaign advertisement paid for by the government.” If only there were a roomful of writers and editors one could consult…
Eric Lipton NYT
@ericlipton.nytimes.com
What an odd moment in United States history.
A U.S. president is running an overtly political camaign advertisement, right before midterm elections, paid for by the U.S. government.
Trump appears to believe he is immune from any kind of legal limit.
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 27/09/2026
Less than a year ago, aggressive immigration raids were drawing headlines and sparking protests. But recently, the Trump administration has shifted its approach. to.pbs.org/4jejpwo
to.pbs.org
'Shadow surge' pushes immigration arrests to highs as Trump administration shifts tactics
Less than a year ago, aggressive immigration raids were drawing headlines and sparking protests. But recently, the Trump administration has shifted its approach. Instead of relying as heavily on high-...
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 26/09/2026
President Donald Trump is canceling nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, the White House announced on Friday, using a rare and contested power to axe funding for immigrant services and diversity-focused initiatives. to.pbs.org/4hAmdSi
to.pbs.org
Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress
Most of the cuts are focused on Health and Human Services programs that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors accused of being in the country illegally.
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Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 24/09/2026
Of all the things that give me pause about ICE's draft ERO ONE statement of work, a section titled "Network, Link, and Relationship Analysis" is the most eyebrow-raising. I spent close to 20 years as an intel analyst. Here's what section 4.6 says and means, paragraph by paragraph.
Cover page of the ERO ONE statement of work. The Department of Homeland Security seal sits in the center, under the heading "U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)." Below the seal, three lines read: "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," "Office of Enforcement and Removal (ERO)," and "ERO Overwatch and National Security Enforcement (ERO ONE)."
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Incredible. First Secretary Mullin claimed that DHS had identified 15,903 noncitizens on Nevada’s voter roll. Then DHS officials told a skeptical Nevada, no no no, that’s just people we flagged. Here are the names of 185 people we KNOW aren’t citizens. All 185 were citizens. DHS got 100% wrong.
When the Department of Homeland Security sent Nevada a list of 185 names last month that it claimed identified noncitizens who had been improperly allowed to register to vote, state election officials got to work.
On Tuesday, the state sent a strongly worded rebuke to the federal government: Every single person on the list was a lawful citizen.
"As for the 185 individuals, our records indicate that they were citizens," Greg D. Ott, a deputy attorney general in Nevada, wrote, according to a copy of a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security officials obtained through open records requests.
"You have provided nothing of substance to suggest otherwise."Following the meeting, Ms. Vogt sent a clarifying email to Nevada officials. "I also wanted to be sure I clarified that we did not reduce the 15,903 to 185," she wrote. "We've manually reviewed some of the 15,903 and confirmed 185 are not U.S. Citizens."
Now, Nevada officials are saying even that 185 number is wrong. They also took issue with a letter D.H.S. sent them in early September, in which the agency reiterated its initial claims about nearly 16,000 noncitizens on the rolls and pressured state officials to review each case in a letter to Nevada officials in early September.
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Texas Tribune @texastribune.org · 23/09/2026
News shouldn't be a luxury. The Texas Tribune's journalism is free for Texans and anyone who wants to understand what's happening in our state. Support the newsroom during our Fall Member Drive.👇
trib.it
Texas Tribune Fall Member Drive
Donations from readers help The Texas Tribune pursue the truth. Will you support trusted reporting today? give.texastribune.org/donate
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22/09/2026
this is a genuinely crazy story
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I Scare You Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 22/09/2026
“Garces Perez said he was making a DoorDash delivery Sunday when an unmarked black vehicle began pursuing him on Anderson Lane in North Austin. He said the vehicle did not activate its emergency lights or otherwise identify itself before striking his car.”
statesman.com
After ICE shooting, Austin man and DHS tell sharply different accounts
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez said ICE agents sideswiped his car before shooting him. His attorney says video supports his account and seeks to block his removal.
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Jessica Lussenhop @jlussenhop.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Stunner of a thread, stunner of a story, dive in here:
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
In sworn testimony, the Treasury Department says it hasn't seen the money from Venezuela, and doesn't know where it's gone. Time to figure out who's pocketing it. In an overall kleptocracy, this may well be the most brazen act of embezzlement so far. www.ft.com/content/0588...
ft.com
US state department under pressure to disclose Venezuelan oil takings
Trump administration holds back from revealing how much money it has collected and how much it has sent back to Caracas
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Austin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 20/09/2026
ICE Detention Claims 25th Life Since the Start of the Year Carlos Josué Marchena at Louisiana and Lianyong Wei in Saipan are the 25th and 24th people to die in ICE custody. Story by Spanish-language media, slow to hit English-language media. austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-detent...
austinkocher.substack.com
ICE Detention Claims 25th Life Since the Start of the Year
Carlos Josué Marchena at Louisiana and Lianyong Wei in Saipan are the 25th and 24th people to die in ICE custody. Story by Spanish-language media, slow to hit English-language media.
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EL PAÍS @elpais.com · 20/09/2026
Manuel Delgado, antropólogo: “Cuando los políticos hablan de crear espacios urbanos de calidad, debes pensar si tú eres de suficiente calidad para ese espacio. Porque a lo mejor tú sobras”
elpais.com
Manuel Delgado, antropólogo: “Los alcaldes conciben las ciudades como productos en venta”
El catedrático publica ‘Todas las ciudades están poseídas’, un ensayo que critica las políticas neoliberales que arrasan las urbes, que se revisten ahora de bienes morales superiores como el progreso o la cultura
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
First eyewitness accounts from this afternoon’s ICE shooting in Austin is here, from freelance reporter Emiliano Tahui Gómez.
Emiliano Tahui Gómez
@emilianotahui
X.com

Combined tweets, cutting tags and other such

Here in North Austin, where ICE agents appear to have shot an individual in his car. I spoke to two of the only witnesses.

Nedevia Bolaños and her husband, Carlos, own a business just off the intersection where the shooting happened. Shortly before 1 pm they says they heard what sounded like two gunshots. Carlos ran out first. A blue Toyota sedan and a black Escalade were stopped under the highway.Combined tweets, cutting tags and other such
 
He said he saw an olive-skinned man, seemingly in his 30s, leaning backwards against his seat. A masked agent was standing outside the car. The agent refused to answer questions. Within a few minutes as many as 10 other ICE agents arrived.

Carlos asked the victim if he was ok. "Yes," the man said in Spanish, but he looked exhausted. Carlos asked why they had shot him. "Because I didn't stop."Combined tweets, cutting tags and other such. 

Bolaños ran up next. She said she continously asked the ICE agents about why they'd shot him and if they were going to render aid. They didn't answer her. It was an APD officer who later arrived and cut open the young mans shirt, revealing a deep hole between his shoulder blades. The ambulance arrived about 10 minutes after and carried him off. "I've never seen all this. Thank God I'm a citizen," Bolaños said in Spanish. "Or I'd be living like this. In a dream of terror."
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Congressman Greg Casar @repcasar.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning. As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law.
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Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Trump’s obsession with these vulgar memorials to his own vanity is a reminder of the darkness around him, of his hostility to democracy, his loathing of honor, and his disordered mind. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
Trump’s Monumental Obsession
The president fantasizes about a capital city full of memorials—to himself.
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 19/09/2026
POTUS just signed the Lindsey Graham Sanction Russia and Iran Act into law. Don’t fall for the label. It gives the President unprecedentedly broad authority to impose secondary sanctions and massive tariffs on foreign nations (100-500%).
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Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 18/09/2026
ICE’s ERO ONE is official. The agency is looking for 140+ intel analysts to work nationwide to locate immigrants, map their social networks, and help plan arrest operations.
projectsaltbox.com
ICE plans intel units in every field office to research immigrants, map who they know
ERO ONE would task them with researching individuals and charting their associates for the agents who carry out arrests and deportations.
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letloriswim.bsky.social @letloriswim.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
No one wants this!
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Jen Mercieca @jenmercieca.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
There used to be a reciprocal, mutually beneficial relationship between the press and the president, but social media broke it. Presidents can easily go around the news filter and speak directly to supporters. And democracy suffers because no one can hold the president accountable.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 18/09/2026
The Trump administration is pursuing a multipronged strategy to quash those it perceives as its ideological opponents. Part of it involves using expansive authorities meant to combat foreign terrorist groups against U.S. civil society. bit.ly/4Ak6MWP
brennancenter.org
Trump Administration Linking Its Domestic Enemies to Foreign Terrorists
Falsely claiming that U.S. citizens and groups have ties to international terrorism could let the government turn tools intended to combat the likes of ISIS against its perceived foes at home.
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Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I guess we can add Trump managing to end the Kennedy Center to the rest of his legacy: - new wars, incompetently managed - destroyed USAID, killed hundreds of thousands - highest debt and deficits in US history - out of control costs and inflation
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Yes, all his businesses failed. But I do wonder how someone this stupid continued to be in a position to have new businesses to drive into the ground. Now he's just selling his power. But who was having conversations with a guy this dumb in the 80s and 90s and then writing him a check?
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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“Trump wants to tell those same people that the three things they worry about most—data centers, the AI apocalypse, and mysterious AI surveillance cameras—are all super normal and nothing to worry about? Democrats should crush Republicans for this.” open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
Democrats Should Demagogue AI. Seriously.
The politics of data centers, Flock cameras, and runaway tech could hardly be clearer.
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Wonky @wonkysq.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Excellent article. I also recommend @brianbeutler.bsky.social piece today, which provides great context for how new, dangerous technology was handled in the past. www.offmessage.net/p/a-i-risk-a...
offmessage.net
We’re Still Not Taking This Seriously Enough
History suggests we must take radical action to reduce A.I. risk; with Donald Trump in office that means steamrolling him. Bernie Sanders has this right.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Exceptional journalism from @newyorker.com on Jared Kushner's catastrophic diplomacy, conflicts of interest, arrogance. He represents "a new kind of Washington figure, for whom public office serves as a means to extraordinary wealth" www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
Jared Kushner’s Dollar Diplomacy
Jared Kushner represents the kind of Washington figure for whom public office serves as a means to extraordinary wealth.
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Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
get their asses Gillian
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 14/09/2026
One of the incredible ironies of this era is that the journalists with the least resources to fight malicious prosecution by the gov't are the ones telling the most truth about the camps. And the ones with the most resources and teams of lawyers on staff...are not.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
This is part of a pattern: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
theatlantic.com
MAGA Is Making the World Safe for Corruption
Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
After months of staying quiet on his gutter racism, top Texas Republicans are now condemning a post in which Bo French, candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, posted a photo of brown UT students at yesterday's game and said "the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."
Sen John Cornyn, quote tweeting Bo French: "This is the Republican nominee for statewide office. Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized.  This is how great political parties self-destruct.  Sad."Texas House Rep. Jared Patterson: This is racist. It is wrong. And I condemn it without reservation.

There is absolutely nothing Christian or conservative about looking at a crowd of young Texans at a college football game, seeing the color of their skin, and declaring that they are a “problem.” These are 20-year-old kids cheering for their university—not political props and not targets for racial attacks.

We can have serious debates about our nation’s immigration laws. I have strong views about immigration policy, and Americans have every right to demand changes to federal law. But opposing an immigration policy does not give anyone license to demean people because of their race or ethnicity.

And let’s be clear: the Texas Railroad Commission regulates our oil and gas industry. It does not set federal immigration policy. Texans deserve Railroad Commissioners focused on the responsibilities of that office—not using a statewide campaign as a platform for racial division.

This does not represent my Christian faith. It does not represent my conservative principles. And it does not represent the Republican Party I believe in.

As a Texas Aggie, I’m always happy to take a friendly shot at the Longhorns when the opportunity presents itself. That rivalry is part of what makes these two great universities so special. But this goes far beyond college rivalry. We should be willing to call racism wrong no matter who says it, what party they belong to, or how politically inconvenient it may be. This is wrong, and I want no part of it.Texas Rep. Jeff Leach: This is my son Brady at the  @TexasFootball game with his pledge class. Bo thinks it’s a “problem” they don’t all look like and have the same skin color as Brady. I think that’s racist — and it makes me sick.Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows: You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity — this post has crossed the line.  Delete it @bofrench
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Commerce quietly deleted its own rules against political interference in federal statistics.⁣ ⁣ Now Census and BEA data can legally be delayed, reworded, or manipulated.⁣ ⁣ newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/…
newsletter.platypuseconomics.com
The Rules Changed. The Numbers Didn’t.
And I’ll tell you the day that stops being true.
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steven monacelli @stevanzetti.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Texas is delaying its typical September 1 release of maternal mortality data until December 1, conveniently timed to be after the midterm election. Recent reports have shown a sharp rise in ectopic pregnancy deaths after the abortion ban went into effect. www.austinchronicle.com/news/texas-p...
austinchronicle.com
Texas’ Pregnancy Death Report Set to Release After Midterms • The Austin Chronicle
Texas’ Pregnancy Death Report Set to Release After Midterms
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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 09/09/2026
From our magazine: Cities and counties are between a rock and a hard place, as they’ve lost COVID-era emergency funds at the same time that they’ve become severely limited by the state government in how much revenue they can raise through property taxes.
texasobserver.org
A Texas Austerity Crisis Is Playing Out City by City, School by School
Texas' local governments are facing growing fiscal pain. What’s that mean for the 2026 elections—and the 2027 session?
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Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Pretty much the worst dumbest most dangerous thing Ted could do
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Money can make a scientist freer. It can't rebuild a lab, replace a technician who knows an instrument by feel, or restart a sixty-year dataset from scratch. That is what is at stake.
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 10/09/2026
Concerns about the risks of artificial intelligence, and whether the companies building it are doing enough to keep it safe, have erupted across the tech world. to.pbs.org/4gIVcg9
to.pbs.org
AI researcher warns companies are ignoring catastrophic risks
Concerns about the risks of artificial intelligence, and whether the companies building it are doing enough to keep it safe, have erupted across the tech world. Jacob Coxon, who previously worked at A...
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Jeff Abbott @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
There were protests over the weekend in Camp East Montana in El Paso, which saw detainees break down the walls of pods. The protests were led by Venezuelans, who were demanding their deportations after months of being held in ICE detention. My story:
elpasotimes.com
Immigrants held at Camp East Montana protest over Labor Day weekend
Immigrants held at the Camp East Montana in El Paso protested over Labor Day weekend. They called to be deported from the ERO facility.
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letloriswim.bsky.social @letloriswim.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
AI and why we are not remotely prepared for what’s ahead youtu.be/s4J27XIMtYs
youtu.be
Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, Sept. 4, 2026
YouTube video by Washington Week PBS
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
CNN has more on how Todd Blanche interfered in a money laundering case against Trump's business partner to steal Venezuela's oil. edition.cnn.com/2026/09/04/p...
edition.cnn.com
Trump administration quietly closes criminal probe into Venezuela businessman amid oil deal | CNN Politics
For a decade, Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt has been ensnared in the tentacles of a sprawling Justice Department probe into a sophisticated billion-dollar money laundering scheme that US...
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letloriswim.bsky.social @letloriswim.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Satellite Images Contradict Border Agency on Construction in Big Bend www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
nytimes.com
Video: Satellite Images Contradict Border Agency on Construction in Big Bend
Customs and Border Protection claimed that construction on a border security project in Big Bend National Park in Texas was limited to “survey and design” work. Visual Investigations’ satellite specia...
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