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Peter Beck

@pwbeck.bsky.social
383 followers 370 following 3 posts

associate editor @lawfaremedia.org law nerd @courtwatch.bsky.social dc by way of sc

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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 11/09/2026
LIVE NOW: @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org, @pwbeck.bsky.social, @mollyroberts.bsky.social, @annabower.bsky.social, @rparloff.bsky.social, and @ericcolumbus.bsky.social are discussing breaking news from the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, updates from the "Grand Conspiracy" investigation, and more.
youtube.com
Lawfare Live: The Trials of the Trump Administration, September 11
YouTube video by Lawfare
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 27/08/2026
One year ago, a mass shooter killed two children and injured many others in the Annunciation Catholic Church mass shooting. @seamushughes.bsky.social and @pwbeck.bsky.social explore the increasingly prevalent online culture of death and nihilism.
lawfaremedia.org
The Church Bells Still Ring
A year after the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting, an examination of faith and fidelity to nothing.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Timely again… “Shifting resources and attention to unfounded threats to appease the administration’s partisan ideology will undermine efforts to deter actual threats.” @lawfaremedia.org @pwbeck.bsky.social
lawfaremedia.org
At a Mosque in San Diego, Trump’s Counterterrorism Strategy Falls Flat
The administration’s strategy trades an accurate assessment of the threat landscape for political rhetoric.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Roger Parloff @rparloff.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Should have @'d @pwbeck.bsky.social below!
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 03/08/2026
On July 29, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court convened for the first time. @pwbeck.bsky.social sat through the first hearing of this court and reports on what occurred:
lawfaremedia.org
Dispatch: Setting Up Secret Courts
The first public hearing of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court had its stumbles.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 27/07/2026
Last week, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court had its first case in 30 years. @pwbeck.bsky.social and @seamushughes.bsky.social explain why Justice Department officials decided to bring a case now and why the court laid inactive for so long.
lawfaremedia.org
The Rip Van Winkle Court
Last week, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court had its first case in 30 years. We dive into DOJ’s awakening of a controversial court.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
“For this piece, we spoke with half a dozen legal experts and attorneys, reviewed far too many academic journals and law briefs, and almost convinced a judge on the court to talk to us about process.” Our Sunday deep dive on the Alien Terrorist Removal Court www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: The Rip Van Winkle Court
Last week, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court had its first case in 30 years. We dive into DOJ’s awakening of a controversial court.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Really interesting and important @lawfaremedia.org deep-dive by @pwbeck.bsky.social, Troy Edwards, Alexandra Hughes, and Barry Jonas, looking at critical new limitations in our legal counterterrorism toolkit against homegrown, "lone wolf" terrorists.
lawfaremedia.org
U.S. v. Ullah and the Problem With the ‘Lone Wolf’
A federal appellate court limited a key asset in the Department of Justice’s counterterrorism toolkit.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 14/07/2026
On April 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the life sentence of the 2017 attempted NYC subway suicide bomber, but overturned the material support conviction. @pwbeck.bsky.social, Troy Edwards, Alexandra Hughes, and Barry Jonas explain the potential ramifications of this decision.
lawfaremedia.org
U.S. v. Ullah and the Problem With the ‘Lone Wolf’
A federal appellate court limited a key asset in the Department of Justice’s counterterrorism toolkit.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 28/06/2026
The Trump administration's counterterrorism strategy nevers mentions the far-right and trades an accurate assessment of the threat landscape for political rhetoric, write @pwbeck.bsky.social and @jacobware.bsky.social.
lawfaremedia.org
At a Mosque in San Diego, Trump’s Counterterrorism Strategy Falls Flat
The administration’s strategy trades an accurate assessment of the threat landscape for political rhetoric.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
“Shifting resources and attention to unfounded threats to appease the administration’s partisan ideology will undermine efforts to deter actual threats.” With @pwbeck.bsky.social for @lawfaremedia.org.
lawfaremedia.org
At a Mosque in San Diego, Trump’s Counterterrorism Strategy Falls Flat
The administration’s strategy trades an accurate assessment of the threat landscape for political rhetoric.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 25/06/2026
The Trump administration's national counterterrorism strategy does not mention the far right. Two weeks later, two teens citing Great Replacement theory allegedly killed 3 at a San Diego mosque. @pwbeck.bsky.social and @jacobware.bsky.social explain the implications of the strategy's blind spots.
lawfaremedia.org
At a Mosque in San Diego, Trump’s Counterterrorism Strategy Falls Flat
The administration’s strategy trades an accurate assessment of the threat landscape for political rhetoric.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
NEW: The Trump administration's counterterrorism strategy ignores far-right terrorism. And given America's long-standing experience with white supremacy, the administration's oversight is likely to cost lives. With my friend @pwbeck.bsky.social for @lawfaremedia.org.
lawfaremedia.org
At a Mosque in San Diego, Trump’s Counterterrorism Strategy Falls Flat
The administration’s strategy trades an accurate assessment of the threat landscape for political rhetoric.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
So grateful to @pwbeck.bsky.social and @courtwatch.bsky.social for covering this era-defining question: “Are A.I. companies complicit in a string of violence that began online?” @seamushughes.bsky.social
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: When A.I. Helps Kill.
Thwarted Terror Attacks. Attempted School Shootings. Suicides. Are A.I. companies complicit in a string of violence that began online?
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Seamus Hughes @seamushughes.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Representing yourself is a lonely but occasionally noble endeavor. This morning we examine the rise of legal deserts in America, what happens when you take your concerns on your own to the U.S. Courts, and the innumerable ways the deck is stacked against you. www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: Taking on the Courts, Alone.
Between the legal deserts and rising costs of lawyers, more and more Americans are attempting to represent themselves in court. For the most part, it’s not going well for them.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 10/05/2026
🚨 NEW TOOL for U.S. legal journalists ⚖️ I turned @allyjar.bsky.social's incredible crowdsourced Google doc on accessing state court records into an interactive map. Check it out and let me know about any errors, missing information, or ways I can improve this thing (link below)
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 07/05/2026
On May 6, the White House released the Trump administration’s 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy. It focuses on 3 types of "terror groups”: cartels, jihadists, and left-wing extremists. Read the strategy, from @pwbeck.bsky.social.
lawfaremedia.org
Trump Administration Releases 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy
The 16-page memo signed by President Trump reiterates the administration’s plan to pursue cartels, jihadists, and left-wing actors.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 06/05/2026
On Lawfare Daily, @praddenkeefe.bsky.social joined @pwbeck.bsky.social to discuss his most recent book, “London Falling," Radden Keefe’s investigation of a London teenager’s fatal plunge into the Thames and the United Kingdom’s acquiescence to foreign influence. youtu.be/0WgVleSjoDE
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Oh. www.courtwatch.news/oh
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 01/04/2026
On March 31, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” which purports to expand federal control over state-run federal elections. Read the order, from @pwbeck.bsky.social.
lawfaremedia.org
Trump Signs Executive Order Purporting to Restrict Mail-in Voting
The order broadens the administration’s effort to expand federal input in state and local elections.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 27/03/2026
"In the end, the greatest moral of Morris’s tale may lie not so much in the ills of effective altruism as in the powerful appeal of believing our own lies." @pwbeck.bsky.social reviews “Stealing the Future” by David Morris.
lawfaremedia.org
Sam Bankman-Fried and the Lies We Tell Ourselves
A review of David Morris, “Stealing the Future” (Repeater, 2025)
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
“Mass shooters are the cool kids.” Essential reporting by @pwbeck.bsky.social and @seamushughes.bsky.social in @courtwatch.bsky.social, covering the True Crime Community and its "attempts to normalize extreme violence as a noble goal to achieve, not a macabre urge to suppress."
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: Saints and Killers
A rising number of mass shootings can be traced back to a young and violent online community obsessed with death.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The United States has suffered four terrorist attacks since the war in #Iran broke out. Yet our counterterrorism infrastructure continues to atrophy. My thoughts on the challenges ahead, with @colinpclarke.bsky.social in the @latimes.com.
latimes.com
Contributor: The U.S. desperately needs functional counterterrorism
America’s defenses are divided, disorganized and under-resourced at a high-risk moment during the war against Iran.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 12/03/2026
Do you like cool maps? Have you ever wondered why there isn’t a Bloomberg Terminal for life? Do you sometimes have trouble suppressing an irresistible urge to “monitor the situation”? If so, my new essay in @thebaffler.com on OSINT slop and vibe coded dashboards is for you!
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Great to join my friends @seamushughes.bsky.social and @pwbeck.bsky.social on the @lawfaremedia.org podcast, discussing counterterrorism challenges posed by 764, the True Crime Community, youth radicalization, and broader nihilistic violent extremism.
youtube.com
Lawfare Daily: Nihilistic Violent Extremism with Seamus Hughes and Jacob Ware
YouTube video by Lawfare
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 10/03/2026
On Lawfare Daily, @pwbeck.bsky.social sat down with @seamushughes.bsky.social and @jacobware.bsky.social to discuss the FBI’s new NVE classification, the online terror group 764, challenges counterterrorism professionals face with a younger set of aspiring terrorists, and more. youtu.be/RwPAsGEz7HA
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 09/03/2026
Today Anthropic sued the Department of Defense over its designation of the AI company as a supply chain risk. Read the complaint, from @pwbeck.bsky.social.
lawfaremedia.org
Anthropic Sues Defense Department Over Supply Chain Risk Designation
The frontier AI firm’s civil suit brings the dispute over its two ethical limitations to the Northern District of California.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
New Piece: Court Watch commissioned @rachelweiner.bsky.social , until quite recently a journalist at the Washington Post, to write about reporting on the fastest court district in America and what is lost when there are no assigned reporters left to cover it. www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: Covering the Courts from a Windowless Office
For more than a decade, Rachel Weiner, until quite recently a Washington Post journalist, chronicled the news involving the D.C. metropolitan area, which included stints at the Eastern District of Vir...
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Seamus Hughes @seamushughes.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Read this.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 14/02/2026
Last week, @tylermcbrien.com sat down with @pwbeck.bsky.social and @seamushughes.bsky.social to discuss what happens when “dockets die in darkness" in ‘news deserts,’ that are devoid of even a single newspaper, let alone a reporter dedicated to its federal court. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFZd...
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Last month, @courtwatch.bsky.social reported on a Texas criminal defense that terrorist threats on Roblox were not "a true threat" because they were issued in an online game. This seems a more egregious case. Would such an argument also apply here? @seamushughes.bsky.social @pwbeck.bsky.social
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: A Texas Criminal Case Tests a Decades-Old Statute
Prosecutors feverishly worked over the holidays to try to keep a Texas teenager in jail after a judge dismissed the case.
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Peter Beck @pwbeck.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
I wrote about grief and my dad for the twentieth anniversary of his passing. open.substack.com/pub/pwbeck/p...
open.substack.com
Decoration Day
Wednesday, February 11th, marks the twentieth year since my father lost his battle with depression.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 11/02/2026
On Lawfare Daily, @tylermcbrien.com sat down with @pwbeck.bsky.social and @seamushughes.bsky.social to discuss the impact of ‘news deserts,’ a place that is largely devoid of even a newspaper that can cover its federal court and what happens when “dockets die in darkness.” youtu.be/oFZd2G--dJI
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Benjamin Wittes @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org · 06/02/2026
The Washington Post—for which I wrote editorials for nearly a decade—has closed its Kyiv bureau. @lawfaremedia.org has not—and we will not. We now employ more people in Kyiv than the Washington Post. Let me tell you about what we have done in Ukraine over the past year and why we are not leaving
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Seamus Hughes @seamushughes.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
I don’t ask a lot from y’all in exchange for spending thousands of dollars a year to give the public free court records. Please share this piece far and wide.
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Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
We dropped our paywall for this new piece. Court Watch picked one of the largest ‘news deserts’ in the South and examined all the new court dockets that went unreported to tell a larger story about the need for local journalism ‘Dockets Die In Darkness’ www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: Dockets Die in Darkness
Among the 17 counties in Georgia that don’t have a single local news source, 12 of the counties are in the Middle District of Georgia’s jurisdiction. This week, we sought to highlight the dockets dyin...
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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 20/01/2026
NEW: In a blistering opinion, Judge Novak says Lindsey Halligan's response "contains a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show and falls far beneath the level of advocacy expected from litigants...particularly [DOJ]" and bars her from using the title of U.S. Attorney
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Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
A nihilistic online group is targeting minors. In this week's Rabbit Hole, we examined the prosecutions aimed at stopping what the Justice Department calls "one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered" www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: ‘Metastasizing Evil’
A nihilistic online group is targeting minors. We examined the prosecutions aimed at stopping what the Justice Department calls "one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have e...
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 12/01/2026
Today, Sen. Mark Kelly filed a suit against the Department of Defense and Secretary Pete Hegseth over the military disciplinary proceedings initiated against him which argues that the government retaliated against Kelly for First Amendment-protected speech. Read the suit, from @pwbeck.bsky.social.
lawfaremedia.org
Sen. Kelly Sues Department of Defense Over Disciplinary Actions
The suit alleges the Defense Department retaliated against Kelly for protected speech and interfered with his Article I duties.
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Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Here’s a gift link “This reporting is based on hundreds of pages of U.S. legal filings, interviews with national security officials who worked on the investigation, foreign court proceedings, and sentencing hearings attended by Court Watch reporters.” www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: A Terrorism Prosecution Finally Ends.
Convicted of terrorism in two countries for the same crime, the last member of five young Virginians who disappeared in 2009 to join a terrorist group had his day in court.
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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 09/01/2026
UPDATE (h/t @pwbeck.bsky.social): Bruce Fein filed a response asking the judge to "definitively ascertain" who Maduro wishes to represent him. Fein also notes that Maduro "was apprehended under extraordinary, startling, and viperlike circumstances..."
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Seamus Hughes @seamushughes.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
A fascinating piece to come out shortly.
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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 09/01/2026
Spotted by eagle-eyed @lawfaremedia.org Associate Editor @pwbeck.bsky.social: Bruce Fein is......actually not Maduro's lawyer? Maduro's lawyer says he "confirmed with Mr. Maduro that he does not know Mr. Fein and has not communicated with Mr. Fein, much less retained him..."
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Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
My latest in @lawfaremedia.org: Nihilistic Violent Extremists (NVE) closely resemble two other forms of mass violence that have evaded simple characterization: incels and school shooters. Ambitious efforts to better classify such violence should be applauded. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/a-te...
lawfaremedia.org
A Terrorism of Vengeance
Understanding incels, school shooters, and the new category of terrorism, “nihilistic violent extremism.”
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Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 15/12/2025
On Dec. 15, the White House announced an executive order designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. The order claims that fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic and warns about its potential use by adversaries in a terror attack. Read the order, from @pwbeck.bsky.social.
lawfaremedia.org
Executive Order Designates Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction
The White House says fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” warning about the opioid's possible use in a terror attack.
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Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
"It seemed much closer to the alt-right site 4chan than a children’s game. The edgy and what’s real become blurred." Tremendous reporting by @courtwatch.bsky.social's @pwbeck.bsky.social on new counterterrorism front lines and the validity of violent threats. @seamushughes.bsky.social
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: Terrorist or Terminally Online?
A Texas case raises important questions about online threats, offline arrests, and how to understand an increasingly radicalized internet environment.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
a big runoff last night, in New Orleans: Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet. So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
veritenews.org
Calvin Duncan wins Orleans clerk of court race - Verite News New Orleans
Duncan, a political newcomer and former prisoner, defeated incumbent Darren Lombard by a wide margin in Saturday's runoff.
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Reposted by Peter Beck
Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
For our second issue of ‘The Rabbit Hole’ where we dive deep into in one court docket, @pwbeck.bsky.social enters the Roblox world of edgy gamers to understand if a Texas arrest is terrorism or terminally online. Or perhaps both. www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: Terrorist or Terminally Online?
A Texas case raises important questions about online threats, offline arrests, and how to understand an increasingly radicalized internet environment.
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Court Watch @courtwatch.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
This morning, we’re happy to launch a new regular Sunday morning feature we’re affectionately calling ‘The Rabbit Hole.’ This weekly series, led by our reporting fellow, Peter Beck, picks a single federal court docket from the week and dives deep into the details www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: Inside the arrest of a purported L.A. Mobster
It was a crazy game of poker. Assaf Waknine may lose it all.
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The Intercept @theintercept.com · 10/10/2025
After the officers forced open her door, 92-year-old Johnston fired a single shot that hit no one. The officers responded with a swarm of 39 bullets screaming through Johnston’s living room.
interc.pt
Episode One: Dirty Business
The Atlanta narcotics unit’s deadly raid on 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston.
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