Tessera
Folgen

Break the Silence

@shanoprogressive.bsky.social

Looking to help bring real change to the USA that benefits all the people that live here.

9388 Posts1352 Follower393 Folgt
Olga Nesterova@onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 6h ago

EU is investigating Russia’s possible involvement in information campaign surrounding Ceuta crisis. According to Ukrainian officials, pro-Russian networks published more than 1,5K posts about the events, prompting EEAS & Europol to examine whether Moscow coordinated or amplified the online campaign.

Olga Nesterova@onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 6h ago

Inside Defense: Pentagon's counter-drone task force recently launched an online counter-drone marketplace where users are able to input hypothetical scenarios to search for capabilities for specific missions using an artificial intelligence-driven platform.

Mike Nellis@mikenellis.bsky.social · 5h ago

Newsmax: Socialism is a parasite that will destroy America. Me: Donald Trump’s administration is the parasite destroying America right now — and the only people profiting are Trump and his crime family.

Mike Sacks@mikesacks.bsky.social · 6h ago

TX Trump judge Hendrix says key provisions of the 1934 law regulating “gangster weapons” is now unconstitutional, says it can’t be enforced plaintiffs and their associates. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SAN ANGELO DIVISION SILENCER SHOP FOUNDATION, et al., Plaintiffs, V. BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES, et al., Defendants. No. 6:25-CV-056-H MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Article I of the Constitution gives Congress certain enumerated powers. Among those powers is the authority to "lay and collect Taxes." U.S. Const. art. I, § 8. cl. 1. In 1934, Congress invoked its taxing power to enact the National Firearms Act—a scheme to constrict the market for certain classes of firearms. As passed, the NFA required individuals to pay a tax before transferring or making a covered firearm. And it included burdensome regulatory provisions to aid the collection and enforcement of those taxes. At that time, the NFA possessed the key feature of any tax: It produced some revenue for the government. But that is no longer true. In 2025, Congress eliminated the NFA's transfer and making taxes for four categories of firearms: short-barreled shotguns, short-barreled rifles, silencers, and a final, defined group of miscellaneous firearms. Because today's NFA does not generate any revenue from untaxed firearms, its regulatory provisions cannot be upheld under the taxing power. And there is no sign in the NFA's text, structure, or statutory history that Congress invoked any other power in crafting the NFA provisions at issue. Thus, the regulatory provisions must be enjoined as unconstitutional because they exceed Congress's enumerated powers.The plaintiffs are a coalition of individuals, businesses, associations, and states. What began as one case is now two: Recently, another judge in this district transferred a related action, Jensen v. ATF, No. 6:26-CV-227, to this Court. The Court consolidated Jensen with the lead case, Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF, No. 6:25-CV-056, and set both cases for decision on cross-motions for summary judgment. See Dkt. Nos. 48; 59; 117; 118. With the NFA's taxes now eliminated, each set of plaintiffs alleges that the NFA's regulatory provisions for untaxed firearms exceed Congress's Article I enumerated powers. They also claim that those same NFA provisions infringe the Second Amendment right to "keep and bear Arms." The Court agrees on the first point and need not reach the second. By zeroing out the transfer and making taxes for most NFA firearms, Congress eliminated the constitutional basis for the regulations that formerly supported the taxes for those firearms. No longer can the challenged NFA provisions be justified—as they have been for nearly 90 years—under Congress's taxing power. See Sonzinsky v. United States, 300 U.S. 506 (1937). And because Congress enacted the challenged NFA provisions under the Taxing Clause only, the NFA cannot be retroactively justified under another power that Congress never invoked, such as its authority to regulate interstate commerce. See U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 3. Thus, the challenged NFA provisions exceed Congress's enumerated powers. With that understanding, the Court accepts the plaintiffs' invitation-offered at the motions hearing to forgo adjudication of their Second Amendment claims. The Court does not decide constitutional questions unnecessarily, especially when the plaintiffs will receive no less relief than they would get for prevailing under the Second Amendment.Remedy-wise, the plaintiffs in both cases are entitled to a permanent injunction barring enforcement of the challenged NFA provisions against them, their members, and their customers. But that is as far as it goes. Federal courts lack power to issue universal injunctions that provide relief to parties not before the Court. See Trump v. CASA, Inc., 606 U.S. 831 (2025). The Court's remedy is limited in other respects, too. The Jensen plaintiffs lack Article III standing to challenge the NFA's regulation of "any other weapon"-the final, defined group of miscellaneous firearms— because they did not establish as much from the start of the case. The Court also declines to issue the requested declaratory judgments because they would provide no further relief. But to be clear: The challenged NFA provisions are unconstitutional.' Congress's choice to eliminate the transfer and making taxes matters, and the defendants cannot save the NFA's regulatory scheme by referring to a power that Congress never invoked. Efforts to render the NFA constitutional must come from Congress, not this Court.In sum, the Court concludes that the challenged NFA provisions exceed Congress's Article I enumerated powers and are therefore unconstitutional. At the parties' urging, the Court does not reach the plaintiffs' Second Amendment claims. Thus, the Court grants in part and denies in part the cross-motions for summary judgment (Dkt. Nos. 48; 59; 117; 118). The plaintiffs are entitled to a permanent injunction against the challenged NFA provisions, but not declaratory relief. Accordingly, and as further detailed in the Final Judgment, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Department of Justice, Todd Blanche in his official capacity, Robert Cekada in his official capacity, their divisions, bureaus, agents, officers, commissioners, employees, and anyone - 65 - Case 6:25-cv-00056-H Document 136 Filed 08/05/26 Page 66 of 66 PagelD 178 acting in concert or participation with them, including their successors in office, are permanently enjoined from enforcing the challenged NFA provisions as to untaxed firearms against the plaintiffs and, where applicable, the plaintiffs' agencies, political subdivisions, members, and customers-both current and future. The Jensen plaintiffs are entitled to relief from two additional NFA provisions that only they challenge. See supra, n.10; 26 U.S.C. §§ 5842(b), 5861(i). The Court's permanent injunction does not extend to the NFA's regulation of AOWs as it relates to the Jensen plaintiffs, as those plaintiffs lack standing with respect to those firearms. All other relief not specified here is denied." The Court stays the effect of this Order for seven days from the date of entry to allow the defendants to seek relief, if any, at the appellate level. So ordered on August 5, 2026. Laus W. Had JAMES WESLEY HENDRIX UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social · last yr.

JUST IN: New suit filed in Texas federal court argues that all federal gun laws related to suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and AOWs are unconstitutional since the One Big Beautiful Bill eliminated taxes on them. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 5h ago

Trump used strong arm tactics to take government ownership in 30 big companies and counting but don’t pay attention to that or wars or the corrupt ways they are enriching themselves at your expense because Mike Johnson says Jesus loves Republicans and Democrats are communists.

ProPublica@propublica.org · 6h ago

The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%. (Published May 2025)

Why Hospital Policies Matter in States That Ban Abortion

Our first-of-its-kind data analysis found that a seismic split emerged in how medical institutions in Texas' two largest metro areas, Houston and Dallas, treated miscarrying patients — and in their ou...

propublica.org

Alt National Park Service@altnps.bsky.social · 7h ago

Mainstream media isn’t talking about it, but bulldozers and construction crews have descended upon Texas’ Big Bend National Park as the Trump administration moves forward with its border barrier project. The project will permanently damage one of our nation’s greatest natural treasures.

Bild
Olga Nesterova@onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 12h ago

Zelenskyy: “We understand how many missiles for air defense systems are available worldwide. And they are needed in Ukraine every day – every day, we have to defend ourselves against these Russian strikes. If each of our partner countries helps us now, it will save many lives.”

Olga Nesterova@onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 9h ago

If implemented, this would set a major precedent. Instead of relying on the existing transit framework, Hormuz becomes a monetized chokepoint. There are dozens of narrow maritime passages worldwide, but only 7 are critical to global trade and energy flows. Are they next?

The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter X.com BREAKING: Iran is demanding a fee of 7% on all commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with Chinese and Russian vessels exempt from the fee, while Oman is discussing smaller fees of around 3% and the US wants no fees at all, per Reuters and an Iranian source. A senior Iranian official says the proposed deal gives Iran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, and is "one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran," meaning "the war launched by the United States and Israel in February had resulted in a major shift in the balance of regional power in Tehran's favour." Another Iranian source however cautions that "the devil is in the details" and that "a single tweet from Trump could cause the whole thing to collapse."
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 9h ago

Trump: "Dana has the most successful fight in history the other night at the White House" (The fight was June 14, nearly two months ago)

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 14h ago

holy shit -- Schiff ties Trump's judicial nominees in knots by asking them who won the 2016 before *before* asking them who won in 2020, which results in them sounding like election deniers about Trump's victories!

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 18h ago

In other news - Rollin Horton and the council passed eminent domain in NASHVILLE late last night, taking another step towards blocking the data center project planned for the property next to the zoo. (From @nonewdatacenters )

Sahil Kapur@sahilkapur.bsky.social · 16h ago

Schumer/Gillibrand on @abdulelsayed.bsky.social's nomination: "Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate. We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November."

Bild
MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com · 19h ago

NEWS: Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) just dropped out of his re-election race at 3:32 a.m.m. He said he’s done running but will finish out his term. This after the House Ethics Committee found “substantial reason to believe [he] violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.”

BildBild