Pascal Sabino
@pascalsabino.bsky.social
Chicago ➡️ LA Writer for Bolts Magazine. Policing & Criminal Justice. Democracy. Data.
Missouri Republicans tried to defeat a 2024 amendment to protect abortion rights by falsely claiming it would allow gender transition care. Voters approved it anyway. Now the GOP is trying to repeal those rights again using the same issue.
Missouri Republicans Are Trying to Repeal Abortion Rights by Leaning Into Anti-Trans Sentiment
Two years after falsely linking reproductive rights to gender transition care for minors, GOP lawmakers have packaged the two issues into one amendment in an effort to strip away the right to abortion...
propublica.org
The data Chicago police has reported to state regulators, though incomplete, consistently show that officers are many times more likely to stop and search Black drivers, and that most traffic stops are for non-safety issues.
Chicago Police Promised to 'Fix' Secret Traffic Stops. A Year Later, the Problem Has Only Gotten Worse. - Bolts
As Chicago’s top cop steps down, police are making fewer traffic stops. But our new investigation finds half of stops are still not being reported to oversight agencies, despite a state law mandating disclosure.
boltsmag.org
Big news this morning is a whistleblower files a complaint that USPS has been illegally preparing to implement Trump’s executive order against mail voting in defiance of court orders: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/u...
Whistle-Blower Says USPS Is Secretly Proceeding on Trump’s Mail Voting Plan Before Midterms
A report detailed “grave concerns” that a new system being rushed into use by the U.S. Postal Service could imperil millions of mail ballots ahead of the midterm elections.
nytimes.com
In February I wrote about 2 Bay Area cases (SF and Santa Clara) where DAs sought felony conspiracy charges vs. Palestine protesters. Update: Both juries deadlocked on the felony charges. Now SF DA Brooke Jenkins has decided to dismiss that case's felony charges. boltsmag.org/stanford-san...
In Bay Area, Felony Charges Against Student Protesters Prompt Free Speech Concerns - Bolts
German Gonzalez grew up about an hour south of Stanford University, in a dusty California farming town where the apples for Martinelli’s sparkling cider are juiced and packaged. In high... Read More
boltsmag.org
ALASKA NEWS: David Leslie, the U.S. Senate candidate who finished 4th in the all-party primary, just told me he has filed to withdraw from the race. Leslie, a Democrat, had until today to withdraw; otherwise he'd have been on "Top 4" ballot alongside Peltola & both Sullivans.
A federal judge has blocked a Virginia law that would have stopped Sheriffs from partnering with ICE. The ban would have begun September 1 — unless ICE agreed to follow state law & give up claims to immunity
The Trump admin targeting bike lanes in the name of its fight against DEI and wokeness. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/u...
Do D.E.I. Bike Paths Exist? The Trump Administration Says Yes.
The administration has revoked funding for bike paths, and encouraged removing some. A cycling advocate said it is playing on the idea of “that dork on a bike.”
nytimes.com
Something we'll know by tonight: the final configuration of who will be on the ballot in Alaska's 'top four' general elections. The question remains for a lot of races up and down the ballot.
the best explainer out there on the Trump/USPS war on mail voting
Pascal Sabino@pascalsabino.bsky.social · 2w agoWTF is going on with mail voting? Your questions, answered in the latest from @boltsmag.org
DeSantis admin steered $10 million to the FL First Lady’s foundation, allegedly to pay for healthcare for children. Instead, the foundation funneled that money to conservative political groups that used it to campaign against marijuana legalization
emptywheel@emptywheel.bsky.social · 2w agoCBS Miami got the actual grand jury report implicating Ashely Moody and Ron DeSantis in stealing Medicaid funds to put into political campaign. www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/g...
NEW: You don't see this everyday. Wyoming GOP voters rejected a ton of Republicans who wanted to crack down on voting. They ousted nearly all members of House Elections Committee, incubator of new restrictions. And: SoS primary was won by a man who rejects fraud claims + defends election workers.
Wyoming Voters Oust GOP Faction that Wants to Crack Down on Elections - Bolts
In a break with the Trump era, the winner of the secretary of state primary strongly defends election systems, and the far-right Freedom Caucus lost a lot of ground in the legislature.
boltsmag.org
Last night, a federal judge blocked Trump’s order for the Postal Service to refuse to deliver some mail ballots, again— after SCOTUS un-blocked the order earlier this week. For some clarity on voting by mail this election season:
Mail Voting in Turmoil: Your Questions Answered - Bolts
Vote-by-mail was not always such a hot topic. It’s a longstanding practice in the U.S., dating back to the Civil War and even before then. It’s secure, with audits repeatedly... Read More
boltsmag.org
WTF is going on with mail voting? Your questions, answered in the latest from @boltsmag.org
Mail Voting in Turmoil: Your Questions Answered - Bolts
Vote-by-mail was not always such a hot topic. It’s a longstanding practice in the U.S., dating back to the Civil War and even before then. It’s secure, with audits repeatedly... Read More
boltsmag.org
there was a whole Black Mirror episode about this, ten years ago…
ICE Plans to Spends Millions on Boston Dynamics Dog Robots
ICE wants the robot dogs to improve “officer safety.”
404media.co
Will the Supreme Court’s order on mail-in ballots impact voting in Illinois? @capitolnewsil.bsky.social reports: blockclubchi.co/4glatn7
Besides the battles for Congress, there are plenty of downballot races to watch, especially with the infighting among Democrats between establishment centrists and Progressives
The 40 Elections to Watch This September - Bolts
The 2026 primaries are reaching the end: The four remaining states that have yet to hold theirs are taking center stage in September. A pair of statewide elections—Seth Moulton’s challenge... Read Mor...
boltsmag.org
GOP lawmakers in North & South Dakota want to make it harder to pass amendments by requiring a 60% supermajority vote. The amendment process has been a way to enact reforms that the Republican legislatures in ND& SD won’t— like Medicaid expansion, legalizing medical marijuana, and term limits
"Disrespectful for Voters": The Dakotas Weigh Raising the Bar for Direct Democracy - Bolts
Frustrated that voters are bypassing the legislatures they control, the GOP is pushing two ballot measures this fall in North Dakota and South Dakota to require a supermajority to amend the state cons...
boltsmag.org
Six of the Kansas supreme court's 7 sitting members were appointed by a Democratic governor, and 4 of them won’t hit the mandatory retirement age until the 2040s.
chicago! come out to pilsen community books on 8/25 from 6:30-8:30 pm to discuss the politics of public space. @katieprout.bsky.social will be talking about encampment sweeps in public parks. and i’ll be unpacking the cook county jail’s new “trauma-informed” visitors center.
Join us at The Politics of Public Space - Chicago Reader
A moderated panel and group discussion. Tuesday, August 25th at Pilsen Books, 6:30-8:30 PM.
chicagoreader.com
Juvenile Detention Center’s First-Ever 3K Race Allows ‘Youth To Be Youth, Regardless Of Their Crime’ blockclubchi.co/4zgkARs
Voters rejected another GOP ballot measure by huge margins, this time in Kansas. It would have overhauled the judicial system to favor conservatives, as conservative control of the Kansas Supreme Court has eroded in recent years
A Ballot Measure’s Defeat, and New Judicial Appointments, Foil Kansas Conservatives - Bolts
Kansans refuse to shake up their state supreme court, which has protected abortion rights and where a majority more amenable to voting rights cases may be emerging.
boltsmag.org
So a tech company recruits neighbors to surveil each other, then collects a check from Chicago Police
Can Your Phone Warn You When Shots Are Fired? Gunshot Detection App Tested In 2 Chicago Wards
SplitSec, a Chicago company, says its app uses residents’ phones instead of the fixed acoustic sensors used by the controversial Shotspotter program, which was discontinued by the city.
blockclubchicago.org
The rise of reform prosecutors has stumbled in some places, but still continues in others. Great reporting by @psfrench.bsky.social
With Latest Win, Progressive Vermont Prosecutor Looks to Double Down on Reforms - Bolts
Over nearly a decade in office, Burlington’s chief prosecutor Sarah George has pursued a platform of restorative justice and dialing back low-level prosecutions.
boltsmag.org
last year, the cook county sheriff’s office took a free spin of axon’s “drone as first responder” program. sheriff tom dart’s office ran the pilot without any public disclosure or guardrails governing the use of any data collected.
Chicagoland police agencies fly drones outside public eye
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the Chicago Police Department both missed state-mandated deadlines to publicly report drone information.
chicagoreader.com
Truthout@truthout.org · last mo.Hundreds of local police departments are preparing to deploy autonomous, AI-driven surveillance drones. The drones are capable of following a single vehicle across an entire city, capturing footage through apartment windows, and generally recording daily life from the sky without being noticed.
Another incredible look at felony disenfranchisement by @burness.bsky.social. Maine is one of few places where incarcerated people can still vote. But in reality, there are still barriers that stop most people from exercising that right. An MIT study found only a 6% turnout rate in Maine prisons
Maine Prisoners Organize to Protect Their Rare Right to Vote - Bolts
Maine is one of the only places in the country where prisoners keep their right to vote. But logistical barriers to voting still contribute to their larger exclusion from the political process.
boltsmag.org
Curious that Mayor Brandon Johnson has insisted that he be the one to select the next police superintendent, but has not yet announced whether he will seek reelection. If Johnson doesn't stay in office, the odds are that his pick to lead CPD will also be out
CBS News Chicago@cbschicago.bsky.social · last mo.As Chicago's civilian police oversight body begins the process of searching for a new police superintendent, it has scheduled a series of meetings to gather public input.
it’s a Thursday but… … happy Election Day to those who celebrate!
Bolts@boltsmag.org · last mo.Tennessee is holding its elections today: primaries for key statewide and federal races, but also general elections for important local offices. Our guide walks you through what to watch.
Missouri Republicans asked voters to surrender crucial citizen power and, whaddya know, 80% of them declined the offer. @pascalsabino.bsky.social: boltsmag.org/missouri-rej...
Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts
Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against a measure to restrict direct democracy, while state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.
boltsmag.org
Missouri voters defeated the bid by Republicans to kill direct democracy in a blowout — 80% rejected the measure, with huge turnout for a primary boltsmag.org/missouri-rej...
Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts
Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against a measure to restrict direct democracy, while state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.
boltsmag.org