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Mike LaSusa

@mikelasusa.bsky.social
53 followers 67 following 142 posts

Journalist, editor, content strategist: linktr.ee/mikelasusa Currently running @theblanketnews.bsky.social

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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This note from Colorado-based reporter Jane Reuter really says a lot about the state of the local news industry
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Great minds think alike
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
TIL that Peterson Space Force Base has $350,000 worth of rental ski gear and they're looking to buy more and it has to be Rossignol
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This reporting is so important because it belies the pervasive rhetoric that Trump's mass deportation drive is simply about "enforcing the law."
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Reposted by Mike LaSusa
Matt Sebastian @mattsebastian.com · 18/09/2026
Colorado officials suspended the head of a juvenile detention center in Golden and another top staffer this summer without saying why. @samtabachnik.bsky.social obtained thousands of texts between the two, showing they exchanged racist messages and demeaned young people in their care
denverpost.com
Suspended leaders of Golden youth detention center exchanged racist and demeaning messages, records show
State leaders suspended Lindsey Miller, the superintendent of the Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center, and Justin Tomsick, the facility’s program manager, in July.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I always thought that my hatred for the Denver airport was because I have to fly through it most frequently. But I've flown through at least half the airports on this list and I generally agree with this ranking (though I'd put O'Hare higher.)
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I've seen some wild stuff in my career as a journalist, and this one is up there
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"Possible ties to Tren de Aragua"? Really @miamiherald.com? I talked to a detective over two years ago who said the police had ruled out a TdA connection in this case. Your own reporting says the new federal filings "do not explicitly indentify" him as TdA www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
miamiherald.com
Man with possible ties to Tren de Aragua gang pleads guilty to murder in Doral
A Venezuelan man linked to Tren de Aragua pleaded guilty in the kidnapping and killing of a man in Doral — and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.
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Reposted by Mike LaSusa
Jeff Asher @jeffasher.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
New this week! I wrote about all the ways that the FBI's 2025 report shows crime in the US at or near historic lows. Come for the tables but stay for the bar charts! jasher.substack.com/p/summarizin...
jasher.substack.com
Summarizing a Historic 2025 Crime Report with Charts & Tables
The FBI released its 2025 Crime in the United States report on a Friday afternoon which wasn’t there fault but also was super great for getting a ton of attention on the fact that murder fell at the f...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
My 2nd exclusive investigative story at @theblanketnews.bsky.social uncovered problems in Colorado's insurance complaint database and got the state to fix them. I also explore how consumers can use the data and how to improve the database: www.theblanketnews.com/p/colorado-f...
theblanketnews.com
Colorado fixes flawed data on complaints against insurance companies
Plus: New details in the Tina Peters saga, and more
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
NEW: Federal judge blocks part of Colorado law that targeted private immigration detention facilities with extra health and safety requirements storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
Order on Motion for Preliminary Injunction – #34 in GEO Group, Inc., The v. Ryan (D. Colo., 1:26-cv-02533) – CourtListener.com
ORDER granting in part and denying in part 2 Motion for Preliminary Injunction. SO ORDERED by Chief Judge Daniel D. Domenico on 8/20/2026. (rkeec) (Entered: 08/20/2026)
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Even though I don't cover Latin America every day any more, I'm glad I could offer my perspective on why several Latin American countries are suddenly cozying up to Israel in this new article from @quincyinst.bsky.social responsiblestatecraft.org/latin-americ...
responsiblestatecraft.org
In Latin America, the road to Trump's heart goes through Israel
String of newly elected governments strengthen ties with Tel Aviv, in hopes of currying favor with Washington
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This is one of those stories that is not at all surprising and yet still deeply upsetting
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Accountability reporting with impact: This announcement comes 2 days after Chalkbeat reported on the district's plans to use biblically-infused curriculum.
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Reposted by Mike LaSusa
Brad Jones @bradjones.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Did you know that Coloradans have wagered more than $1B on table tennis since 2020? I sure didn't. Sports betting is a little bit of a foreign topic for me, but it was eye-opening digging into the numbers. www.co-political-landscape.org/1-billion-on...
A graphic showing the monthly wagers on table tennis. In 2020, Coloradans were betting an average of $10M each month on table tennis games. By 2025, the average monthly wager had increased to $30M.

Notes: Each point shows the total online wagers for table tennis in that month. The grey line shows the smoothed average. Source: Colorado Department of Revenue Sports Betting Monthly Reports (2020-2026).
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Really cool to see @theblanketnews.bsky.social mentioned here!
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Harmeet Dhillon, who runs the federal DOJ office in charge of deciding whether to cut off money to Jeffco over its trans policies, claims "evil teachers" are "trying to trans girls at lunchtime behind their mother’s back.” www.denvergazette.com/2026/08/06/d...
denvergazette.com
DOJ official decries ‘nonsense’ in Jeffco schools at fundraising gala
Amid a legal battle between Jeffco Public Schools and the federal government, a Department of Justice official spoke at a fundraising gala and decried “crazy stuff” and “nonsense” in the school distri...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I have seen this pattern over and over across the country over the past two years: Initial reports tie criminal suspects to Tren de Aragua, then it turns out there's no evidence to back up those claims www.wweek.com/news/2026/08...
wweek.com
Portland’s Police Chief Said Two Immigrants Shot by a Federal Agent Had Links to a Gang. Why?
Seven months later, the Trump administration has retreated from its own most provocative allegations.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
More than $1,000 per person!
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
#Colorado is home to multiple ongoing legal fights over the role of state and local authorities when it comes to federal immigration enforcement. In this week's newsletter, I break down the similarities and differences in the various cases: www.theblanketnews.com/p/explaining...
theblanketnews.com
Explaining Colorado’s legal battles over immigration
Plus: an update on the ‘public Christian school’ and more
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The lawsuit over #Colorado Gov. Polis' attempt to force a state employee to comply with an ICE subpoena will likely be put on pause. Both sides are asking for a stay until a new governor takes office next year.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
When this Tennessee sex trafficking case was announced last year, DHS played up the alleged Tren de Aragua connection. The press release from last week about the guilty plea doesn't mention the gang at all: www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nine-...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
One in three Denver adults report skipping meals amid rising food costs, nearly double the rate reported in 2024. www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...
cbsnews.com
One in three Denver adults report skipping meals amid rising food costs, community organizations work to help
A survey out of Denver found that one in three adults say they've skipped meals or cut back on food because they simply can't afford enough to eat.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The Texas case mentioned here was the subject of a criminal trial in Dallas County that resulted in a mistrial earlier this year: www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/fe...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Families of trans kids in Colorado are seeking to hold Children's Hospital in contempt of court, following reports that doctors are refusing to provide gender-affirming care despite a state Supreme Court ruling
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The DEA is launching an in-house investigation after @apnews.com reported the agency let huge fentanyl shipments hit New Mexico streets in a "Fast and Furious" style operation to build bigger cases. NM governor is calling for a criminal probe.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
#Colorado coming in at no. 4
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
The questions around Victor Marx's campaign for Colorado governor just keep piling up www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...
cbsnews.com
Colorado candidate Victor Marx must return thousands of dollars in campaign contributions that appear to be illegal
Republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx often points to his prolific fundraising as proof he's the undisputed frontrunner in the race for governor.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
"Can't let hate win. It's as simple as that." www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...
cbsnews.com
Colorado couple responds to stolen pride flag by flying an even bigger one
A couple says someone stole their pride flag from outside their home and replaced it with an American flag. Louisville police say their home is one of two in the area that had pride flags stolen last ...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
High-level federal prison worker in Colorado charged with accepting thousands of dollars in bribes to smuggle in phones, vapes and alcohol storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... via @courtwatch.bsky.social
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
This will be an interesting case to watch. A federal judge in California recently ruled against a different ICE detention contractor, CoreCivic, in a similar suit: calmatters.org/justice/2026...
calmatters.org
ICE detention center must open doors to San Diego County health inspection, judge rules
A California law empowers local health officials to inspect immigrant detention centers. San Diego County sued to enforce it after being denied access to a facility.
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Reposted by Mike LaSusa
Erin In The Morning @handle.invalid · 08/06/2026
"Fascism"—New Federal Rule Would Require Federal Funding Recipients To Deny Trans People Exist • The rule could have heavy impacts towards trans people across society.
erininthemorning.com
"Fascism"—New Federal Rule Would Require Federal Funding Recipients To Deny Trans People Exist
The rule could have heavy impacts towards trans people across society.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
"Experts...generally felt the higher number of disciplinary actions reflected better training and reporting, rather than an actual increase in bad behavior." www.denverpost.com/2026/06/07/c...
denverpost.com
Colorado sees surge in teachers losing their licenses for disciplinary reasons over last 5 years
Incidents that led to educators losing their teaching licenses increased by 77% between 2021 and 2025 when compared to the previous five years, The Denver Post found.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Powerful investigative reporting here -- spurred state officials are open their own probe www.denvergazette.com/2026/06/04/u...
denvergazette.com
Using housing and cash, ‘the program’ exploits Colorado’s homeless for Medicaid millions
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how home health in Colorado is a complex setup and about the group On Going HHC. They call it “the program.” For the past four years, dozens o...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Very important government transparency question in Colorado: can public records be entirely withheld if they contain some confidential information, or do the records have to be produced with the confidential info redacted
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Colorado law enforcement warn ICE recruitment posts on social media are so racist that they could endanger the public theintercept.com/2026/05/21/i...
theintercept.com
ICE Recruitment Tweets Are So Racist That Cops Feared They Could Incite Neo-Nazi Violence
Social media posts by the Department of Homeland Security recruiting for ICE contained so many white supremacist themes that they could endanger the public, Colorado law enforcement officials warned, ...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Colorado cop who allegedly coerced women he arrested and detained into sex now works for ICE www.denver7.com/news/crime/e...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
New Israel-Argentina direct flight aims to solidify relations built on law enforcement/defense exchanges ... and give Israelis a travel option that avoids the possibility of arrest in Europe www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026...
aljazeera.com
Flight to Argentina: How significant is it for Israel’s LatAm outreach?
Experts say Israel is using the new flight as a geopolitical tool to cement its footprint in Latin America.
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Reposted by Mike LaSusa
Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
NEW: We've spent 10 months tracking the outcomes in tens of thousands of lawsuits brought by ICE detainees amid an unprecedented detention push. It's not a cose call: judges have ruled more than 10,000 times against ICE, a 9-1 ratio. See the database: www.politico.com/news/2026/05...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
The War on Drugs keeps looking more and more like the War on Terror: mikelasusa.com/2025/09/19/t...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
The latest Tren de Aragua press release from the US Justice Department points to a case in #Colorado where prosecutors do not mention TdA at all - not in their own press release nor in the indictment
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
The debate last night between Colorado's Democratic candidates for governor - state AG Phil Weiser and US Sen. Michael Bennet - showed they agree on a lot, policy-wise, but Weiser had the better performance as a debater www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTR...
youtube.com
WATCH: First Colorado Democratic Gubernatorial Primary Debate - May 7, 2026 | Denver7
YouTube video by Denver7
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I've only been following #hondurasgate loosely, but the latest reports about online influence campaigns reminded me of the pervasive pro-JOH trolling during his presidency. It was so notable that I wrote about it at the time: insightcrime.org/news/insight...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Great story from @cprnews.bsky.social about students and educators leading efforts to reduce vaping among young people in Colorado. The campaigns are funded by millions of dollars from a legal settlement with the vape-maker Juul www.cpr.org/2026/05/05/c...
cpr.org
Colorado students educate classmates about the risks of nicotine with help from vaping settlement money
The state sued e-cigarette maker JUUL and won a $32 million settlement. Now those funds are supporting programs across the state.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Denver's crime data is offline for updates, right at a time when it could be useful to add context to a recent spate of violence
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Isn't the whole point of this boat-bombing campaign to deter drug trafficking? Why would the Trump admin ramp up these strikes "quietly"? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/u...
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Yet another report showing how Trump's immigration crackdown is taking resources away from prosecuting actual crimes news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and...
news.bloomberglaw.com
Trump Immigration Agenda Upends West Texas US Attorney’s Office
A US attorney’s office near the US-Mexico border is buckling under strained morale and departures as the team handles the largest number of legal claims from individuals challenging their detention un...
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Reposted by Mike LaSusa
The Intercept @theintercept.com · 25/04/2026
The expenses were “enough to fund Medicaid for 500,000 people for an entire year.”
interc.pt
Trump Has Already Spent at Least $4.7 Billion Attacking Latin America
It’s not cheap to attack Venezuela and capture its president or conduct dozens of strikes on civilian boats.
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
A US soldier involved in planning the Maduro raid got charged with placing bets on the operation that paid out more than $400,000 www.ft.com/content/43bc...
ft.com
US soldier charged with making prediction-market bets on Maduro’s seizure
Army member was involved in planning Venezuela operation and allegedly made $400,000 on trades about mission
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Mike LaSusa @mikelasusa.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
ICE officer faces criminal charges in Colorado for allegedly assaulting a protester last year. As @durangoherald.bsky.social reports, it is unusual for local officials to charge federal law enforcement, and the case will likely end up in federal court: www.durangoherald.com/articles/dur...
durangoherald.com
Federal immigration officer charged on suspicion of assaulting Durango protester
Durango prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer suspected of taking a woman’s cellphone, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground du...
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