NEW: We’re publishing a full list of the 373 federal judges who have ruled against ICE’s mass detention policy and the 28 who have endorsed it — as well as links to key rulings by each. Trump appointees have split 44 against/ 20 for the policy. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

NEW: Federal prison workers are jumping ship & heading to ICE for better pay + bonuses. Already BOP lost >1400 people this year, reversing all of 2024’s staffing gains. It’s an unintended consequence of Trump’s push for mass deportations My 1st for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/ice-...

As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Leave in Droves for ICE

Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.

propublica.org

among many other things, "college" meaning "ivy leagues" explains so much about the discourse

Michael Hobbes@michaelhobbes.bsky.social · last yr.

Bari Weiss's website is so psychotic lol www.thefp.com/p/tgif-were-...

Looking to talk to current or former workers at the National Park Service for a story for The Economist. Please help share this around! I’m on signal at abraun.99

Spending my 4th of July listening for fireworks and then obsessively checking Watch Duty hbu

REPEAT Project just completed our rapid analysis of the impacts of the Senate-passed version of the One Big "Beautiful" Bill (OBBB), which the House is considering now, on the US energy sector and emissions. Still working up full report, but here is a sneak peak... 🔌💡 🧵

A decade-spanning political battle between housing developers and defenders of CEQA, California’s preeminent environmental law, came to an end this afternoon with only a smattering of “no” votes. The forces of housing won. calmatters.org/housing/2025...

One of the biggest obstacles to building new housing in California has now vanished

After a decade of battling, lawmakers just exempted infill urban development from the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.

calmatters.org

This should be interesting: State Sen. Scott Wiener has filed to run in 2028 for the House seat currently held by Nancy Pelosi. docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/form...

NEW: Here is Judge Farbiarz's formal order that Mahmoud Kahlil "shall be released from immigration custody today." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Proud to share that The US in Brief from @economist.com won best political newsletter at this year’s Publisher Newsletter Awards 🏆 Want to read our daily analysis of the second Trump presidency? Subscribe here www.economist.com/newsletters/...

US in brief Newsletter

A sharp round-up of the most important US political news. Sign up today

economist.com

DTLA

“The president hasn’t invoked the Insurrection Act. He’s instead relying on a theory of inherent constitutional power that is far more limited..” For Lawfare, Chris Mirasola explains the purported legal basis for Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in LA: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

I’ve spent years covering both immigration and Los Angeles and sending National Guard troops to LA feels like “a thinly-veiled message to Democratic-run places that retribution awaits those who would stand between immigrants and the administration’s deportation machine” economist.com/united-state...

Sending the National Guard to LA is not about stopping rioting

The city is being punished for resisting the Trump administration’s deportation efforts

economist.com

Several people were set on fire in an “act of terror” Sunday afternoon on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder during a gathering to raise awareness about people taken hostage during Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel, authorities said. coloradosun.com/2025/06/01/b...

“Act of terror” during Israeli hostage demonstration leaves several injured on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall

Officers were called to an area near the intersection of 13th and Pearl streets about 2 p.m. Sunday, Boulder police department said.

coloradosun.com

ICE arrested Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil without a warrant, the Trump admin admits—claiming “exigent circumstances.” Khalil, a green card holder, missed his son’s birth while detained. Critics call it retaliation for pro-Palestinian speech. www.cbsnews.com/news/mahmoud...

ICE agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil without a warrant, Trump administration confirms

Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil's attorneys are asking an immigration judge to terminate his deportation case.

cbsnews.com

This is so pure www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/...

Hop aboard this Seattle-Portland train that’s essentially a rolling national park

Between April and September on the Amtrak Coast Starlight between Seattle and Portland, you can catch a national park guide onboard who will narrate the journey.

seattletimes.com

Hot take: California is good, actually

Wrote two very different, but very California, stories this week. First, on the effects of last year’s Grants Pass SCOTUS decision and the dozens of cities trying to end homelessness by force economist.com/united-state...

American cities are criminalising homelessness. Will that help?

How a Supreme Court decision paved the way for more punitive policies

economist.com

Looking to talk to current or former federal workers at NOAA for a story for The Economist. Please share far and wide! I’m on signal at abraun.99

From 4/29: First migrants charged for entering military zone on US border -28 charged so far -Trump admin is using the zone to have troops arrest migrants without invoking the Insurrection Act -about 11,900 troops currently deployed to the SW border www.reuters.com/world/us/fir...

First migrants charged for entering military zone on US border

The U.S. Department of Justice has begun the first prosecutions of migrants for illegally entering a military zone created along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, according to court filings.

reuters.com

Breaking News: Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said he wanted to partner with President Trump to craft a $7.5 billion federal film tax credit for Hollywood.

Newsom Asks Trump to Work With Him on $7.5 Billion Tax Credit for Hollywood

The proposal for a federal program came after the president called for tariffs on movies filmed overseas, causing confusion and concern across the industry.

nytimes.com

Alums of Outside magazine are donating a complete collection of back issues to the Outdoor Recreation Archive at Utah State in Logan, UT. We need to get them from Santa Fe to Logan. If you or anybody you know is planning a trip from NM to UT, please contact me. And please RT.

Economist/YouGov Poll % of U.S. adult citizens saying that in general, immigration makes the U.S. better off | worse off, in... Oct 19-22, 2024: 35% | 36% Apr 19-22, 2025: 40% | 29% today.yougov.com/politics/art...

Listening to Mayor Bass’s state of the city address, and she says she wants to “stop the bureaucratic madness” that prevents police hiring. Should be a slogan for the whole city…county…state

I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.

The scene from Bernie Sanders’ and AOC’s “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in front of LA city hall this afternoon

UPDATE: ICE has awarded a new contract worth up to $3.8 billion for the company to operate a migrant detention camp on Fort Bliss — its largest contract yet. It's the first time ICE is moving ahead with plans to detain thousands of people arrested on U.S. military bases in tents before deportation.

ProPublica@propublica.org · last yr.

NEW: The privately held company Deployed Resources has made billions running tent detention facilities to hold immigrants entering the U.S. at the border. Now it's cashing in again on Trump’s plan to hold immigrants before deportation.