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rainydayreflection.bsky.social

@rainydayreflection.bsky.social
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
They want us to follow the norms of American law when it comes to ICE identification **and** they want us to follow the norms of American law when it comes to voter ID? I mean, this stuff is just intellectually inconsistent if, like Tom Emmer, you were repeatedly kicked in the head by a mule.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Read @scottlincicome.bsky.social on how the rest of the world is basically just working around Trump's trade tariff tantrums. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Global Trade Is Leaving the US Behind
Perhaps the most surprising trade policy development of 2025 wasn’t President Donald Trump’s tariffs but rather foreign governments’ refusal to respond in-kind. Although such abstinence is economicall...
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
What would normally be presidency-ending scandals not even a blip on the radar Daily
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Radley Balko: The Democrats' demands to "reform" Trump's immigration thugs aren't reforms at all. They're already the law, the Constitution, and widely accepted police practices. And in a free society, they'd never be negotiable.
open.substack.com
The Constitution is not a bargaining chip for a budget negotiation
The Democrats demanded that Trump's immigration cops follow the law and the Constitution. The Republicans called those demands "nonstarters."
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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
“Many have said civic virtue and sacrifice for the common good are dead. Those commentators have been proven wrong. The people of Minnesota and across the nation have rallied in opposition to “the harbingers of reappearing tyranny and oppression.” www.thebulwark.com/p/american-v...
thebulwark.com
American Principles in the Age of MAGA Nihilism
Why the Trump administration fears authentic patriotism.
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
People need to understand what happened strategically in 2025. The US switched sides, helped Putin a great deal, which also encouraged the Chinese to help Putin. And Ukraine fought on, inflicting massive casualties on Russia and taking the war to the Russian economy. .
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 17/02/2026
Florida: we deported all your hard working employees, but have no fear, we're bringing back child labor to fix it. Seems like Democrats have all sorts of messaging opportunities here
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Governor Gavin Newsom @governor.ca.gov · 17/02/2026
Today, we grieve. Tomorrow, we honor him by picking up his mantle, keeping hope alive, and continuing the fight.
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 17/02/2026
BREAKING: The U.S. can't take Kilmar Abrego Garcia back into immigration custody because it doesn't have a viable plan to deport him, judge says.
bit.ly
Federal judge rules Kilmar Abrego Garcia can’t be re-detained by immigration authorities
A federal judge has ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia because a 90-day detention period has expired and the government has no viable plan for deporting him.
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ACLU @aclu.org · 17/02/2026
"At no point did ICE give any kind of warning, order, or instruction — not even a verbal 'back up' — before pepper spraying me." We just submitted this sworn declaration and over 80 other stories as part of our lawsuit defending people protesting and documenting ICE abuses in Minnesota.
nytimes.com
ICE Agents Menaced Minnesota Protesters at Their Homes, Filings Say
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Ambassador Ken Fairfax (ret) @portlandken.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The fact that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly stated that DOJ excluded all images showing “death, physical abuse, or injury” from Epstein files is almost certain proof that the images exist. By withholding the images entirely rather than redacting minors, he is protecting the abusers.
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
How is it possible that Kristi Noem still has this job. Imagine if you’re a family member or a shipmate of this guardsman. www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Republican Joins With Democrats on Constitutional Amendment to Give Congress Power to Reject Trump Pardons
mediaite.com
Republican Joins With Dems on Constitutional Amendment to Give Congress Power to Reject Trump Pardons
"This amendment creates a narrow, commonsense check to ensure the pardon power is used fairly and responsibly regardless of who occupies the White House"
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
President Trump keeps threatening to unilaterally impose rules (like voter ID requirements) on upcoming elections. Monday’s "One First" explains why—whether as a matter of constitutional law, existing federal statutes, or simple, practical logistics—his (ominous) threats are ultimately empty ones:
stevevladeck.com
210. The President's Lack of Power Over Elections
President Trump keeps insisting that he can unilaterally change the rules for voting in the midterms. It's not just that he's *wrong*; it's that there's no mechanism through which he could even *try.*
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Nick Bednar @nicholasbednar.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Over at Lawfare, I examine the peculiar constitutional theory undergirding OPM's final rule on Schedule Policy/Career
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
ICE officials knew use of force was rising well before Minneapolis shootings Internal agency emails show a surge in reports of ICE officers using more force going back nearly a year, but DHS leadership did not see it as a concern to be addressed.
politico.com
ICE officials knew use of force was rising well before Minneapolis shootings
Internal agency emails show a surge in reports of ICE officers using more force going back nearly a year, but DHS leadership did not see it as a concern to be addressed.
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Jonathan Blitzer @jonathanblitzer.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
US Citizenship & Immigration Services is an agency most Americans rarely hear about. It administers the *legal* immigration system. Under Trump, the agency has turned into an enforcement tool in service of the broader crackdown. My latest @newyorker.com: www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...
newyorker.com
How Legal Immigration Became a Deportation Trap
Under Trump, the Homeland Security agency responsible for processing visas and green cards has become a site for easy arrests.
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Sharon C Storm @sharoncstorm.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The ultra wealthy put their money into offshore accounts. The rest of us spend our money on housing, groceries, and other necessities of life. Our money is put to work, oligarchs money is put to rest.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Over the last 24 hours, Trump underscores his intention to betray Ukraine to Russia and Taiwan to China...
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
ICE is moving out to the suburbs of Minnesota We sat in a parking lot and waited. We watched, knowing we were being watched in return. Two men, masked and presumably armed, idled in a gray SUV. “They’re all on this fucking street now,” Lety, a lifelong resident of the Minnesota suburbs, told me.
apple.news
ICE moves out to the suburbs — The Verge
We sat in a parking lot and waited. We watched, knowing we were being watched in return. Two men, masked and presumably armed, idled in a gray SUV. “They’re all on this fucking street now,” Lety, a li...
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Khashoggi's Ghost @urocklive1.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Bari Weiss doesn't seem to understand the Streisand effect. Unless her goal was to attract so much attention for forcing CBS to give up journalism and instead kowtow to the president that it gets her positive attention from Trump? But this for sure won't help @cbsnews.com's reputation or ratings.
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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
This is a censorship state. Is censorship a conservative value? Is that why Republicans are silent about this? No, of course not. They are just happy to let Trump try to rig our politics because they benefit.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Ukraine regained more territory than it has since 2023, largely because of Musk’s belated decision to deny Russian forces the use of Starlink. Which shows in turn how Musk has empowered Russian forces for the last two years.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Nice to see another outlet picking up on the fact that a Republican candidate for governor in Tennessee confirmed to us he believes women who make their own reproductive decisions and get abortions should face the death penalty. pro.stateaffairs.com/tn/elections...
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Mark Zaid, Esq @markzaidesq.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
NEWS FLASH We filed new lawsuit today (seems every week we do so) in DC against FBI & Director Patel for termination of long-standing 17+ year employee. No specific reason. No due process. This is yet another improper firing under Article II of the US Constitution.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
We are off the cliff, folks. 🇺🇸 www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
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Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Me and my team have been in contact with Juan’s family. Juan has bronchitis—according to his mom—and at some point in the last several hours he was unresponsive. Juan was still discharged from the hospital despite that around midnight today.
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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
"The US secretary of state delivered what can only be described as a 22-minute ode to empire. A love letter to conquest and colonialism. A proud defense of the west’s territorial expansion." My Guardian column on Marco Rubio's disturbing "MEGA" speech in Munich at the weekend.
theguardian.com
Forget Maga. Welcome to Mega: Make Empire Great Again | Mehdi Hasan
Marco Rubio arrived at the Munich security conference with a disturbing message for European governments: empire is great
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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
A win! DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin is set to step down at the end of the month.
reuters.com
Top Trump Homeland Security spokesperson to depart with immigration crackdown under scrutiny
U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin will leave the administration, an agency spokesperson said on Tuesday, a move that comes as public support for President Donald Trump...
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Robert Garcia @robertgarcia.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Tomorrow, I’m leading a deposition of Les Wexner for oversight dems. Wexner was Epstein’s largest benefactor and contributor of wealth. Why? And what does he know? I have a bunch of questions, and I bet you do too.👇🏾
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The Shallow State @ourshallowstate.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Trump panicked, called his toadie Brendan Carr. Carr gave the Nazi salute, called Bari Weiss. Weiss clicked her heels, cancelled the Talarico interview on Colbert. TRANSLATION: Dems are poised to flip Texas. EPILOGUE: Talarico interview now seen by 1,000% more people, on social media.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 17/02/2026
The Boss is bringing his resistance to D.C. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 20-date protest tour begins in Minneapolis with a final concert at Nationals Park, three miles from the White House, on May 27.
washingtonpost.com
Bruce Springsteen brings his political message to Nationals Park in May
The D.C. concert is the final date of the North American leg of Springsteen’s newly announced “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour.
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Because the left has many habitual abstainers whose politics amount to finding reasons to not engage in politics, and since that tendency is rooted in their own laziness and incapacity instead of real-world analysis, they rationalize their way back to it even when the choice is “fascism, or not.”
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Khashoggi's Ghost @urocklive1.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
"We can't follow the law! That will prevent us from accomplishing our goals."
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Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. @repdexteror.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
That's why I just introduced legislation to double the stipend amount and index it to inflation, ensuring everyone can age with dignity and afford simple pleasures, like buying birthday cards for loved ones.
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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Let me tell you about the SAVE Act. You need to know about it. It’s Trump’s first (of likely many) major attempt to rig the election in his favor. It takes away the right to vote for millions and allows your voting records to be erased. We cannot let it pass the Senate.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
WATCH: “Don’t go after immigrants, go after criminals.” The crowd breaks into songs and chants and causes a recess after House Republicans pass the Rep. Elaine Davis/STEPHEN MILLER bill that turns schools & hospitals into ICE informants through subcommittee. #HB1711
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iWillVote.com Pollock ➡️ turn 🔔 on @willpollock.com · 17/02/2026
should also be noted that, during Individual-1's last shutdown, GSA turned into a sweatshop for ICE contracts and leases in other words, shutdown actually superpowered their repugnant operation. one might assume that was the point. 🎩 @whodat35.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/will...
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The current person in charge of ICE's procurement for detention is a GEO Group executive who ran the company's immigration detention portfolio. He was granted an "ethics waiver" from DHS allowing him to hand out contracts to GEO in his new role.
Washington Post.

The former private prison exec behind ICE’s immigrant detention surge
David Venturella, a veteran of private prison firm Geo Group, joined the Trump administration to help oversee an expansion of the immigrant detention system that’s benefiting his former employer.
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iWillVote.com Pollock ➡️ turn 🔔 on @willpollock.com · 17/02/2026
"subpoena provided no justification for why ICE asked for this information, except that it’s required 'in connection with an investigation relating to the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws'" fact-free demands does not a subpoena make. theintercept.com/2026/02/10/g...
theintercept.com
Google Fulfilled ICE Subpoena Demanding Student Journalist’s Bank and Credit Card Numbers
Amandla Thomas-Johnson didn't know how much information ICE requested in a subpoena now. Google never gave him a chance to fight it.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Insanity. They are laughing at us.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
SEN. OLIVER: “They’re hoping to slide this through quietly.” Sen. Charlane Oliver calls on NASHVILLE folks to show up for two meetings this week about ELON’S TESLAS-ONLY TUNNEL — she says they’re trying to lock in a $30 MILLION 40-YEAR agreement with the airport. www.instagram.com/reel/DU1SCdS...
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Alanna Vagianos @alannavagianos.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Every day, at least 300 immigrants land at La Lima airport in the northwest region of Honduras after being deported from the US. Many have arrived without their children – having no idea where their kids are or who is taking care of them.
huffpost.com
The Trump Administration Has Created A New Form Of Family Separation
A new method of detaining and deporting immigrants seems “engineered to lead to family separation,” one advocate told HuffPost.
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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Corrections Officers and ICE goons have started patrolling the Dilley, Texas ICE Concentration Camp, confiscating children’s drawings, letters, and arts and crafts materials to prevent further leaks of the abhorrent conditions in the camp (February 17, 2026).
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ACLU @aclu.org · 17/02/2026
We mourn the loss of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who played an extraordinarily consequential role not in only advancing our nation’s civil rights, but also strengthening our democracy.
Black graphic with a photo of a young Rev. Jesse Jackson in a suit speaking into a set of microphones with his fist in the air and white text reads "Hold your head high, stick your chest out. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive." The quote is attributed to Reverend Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist
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T. Greg Doucette @gregdoucette.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Cops are great Also: guillotines are the moderate solution
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AkivaMCohen @akivamcohen.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
This is infuckingsane
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Governor Newsom Press Office @govpressoffice.gov.ca.gov · 17/02/2026
Nick Shirley, found some waste, fraud, and abuse for you to check out … or do you only go to “blue” states?
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iWillVote.com Pollock ➡️ turn 🔔 on @willpollock.com · 17/02/2026
"New Mexico [will convene] a Truth Commission to investigate Epstein's crimes in our state... it passed unanimously with 62 votes" @repstansbury.bsky.social important peek into the future, if we as a country ever decide to examine ALL of Donald's felonies in similar fashion. wow.
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