Charles Decker

President Trump's Pardons: An Embarrassment of Riches At least the specter of corruption in previous presidential administrations (Clinton’s pardon of Marc Rich or Biden’s pardon of his son) appeared to be an exception to the rule. Today, however, the evidence is piling up that, for this president, corruption is the rule, not the exception.

Trump’s second-term pardons are historic in their enormity—billions in fines erased, allies protected, donors rewarded, DOJ undermined, and election norms threatened. Corruption looks less like an exception and more like the rule, says Dan Greenberg.

https://ow.ly/JJBt50YqcXk

Former top general calls military's removal of trans troops a costly mistake As several global tensions simmer, the Pentagon is removing thousands of transgender troops under an anti-DEI push. How might a focus on gender identity distract from mission readiness?

As several global tensions simmer, the Pentagon is removing thousands of transgender troops under an anti-DEI push. How might a focus on gender identity distract from mission readiness? n.pr/4tEdun4

ICE drawdown? Indications point to steady enforcement activity outside the Twin Cities Some people who observe ICE activity are skeptical about a large scale drawdown of agents in the state. There are indications that activity has decreased in the Twin Cities, but has continued outside ...

Two female ICE agents popped the hood of their car and knocked on the door of a mechanic born in Mexico. He went out to help.

“A bunch of agents jump out and tackle him, essentially restraining him, and take him away...His six kids are now without their father." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

U.S. rejection of new mRNA flu vaccine 'sends chills,' epidemiologist says YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

Mike Osterholm bringing the heat on NewsHour. Drive Republicans into the sea you want to save your children.

youtu.be/1S74vYWKee8?...

NBC appears to cut crowd’s booing of JD Vance from Winter Olympics broadcast The US vice-president, JD Vance, was greeted by a chorus of boos during when he appeared at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan on Friday

Wow, NBC edited out the audience booing JD Vance at the Olympics. And this is one of the few remaining news outlets NOT owned by right-wing billionaire Trump sycophants

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles wit...

Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people's bodies. Her bosses halted her work.

Now she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.

(Published May 2024)

Tear Gas Is Way More Dangerous Than Police Let On In the middle of a respiratory pandemic, law enforcement agencies have used tear gas in especially dangerous ways. The chemical agent also seeps into homes, contaminates food, furniture, skin and surf...

Tear gas is banned in international warfare, yet classified as a “riot control agent” that law enforcement can use for crowd control.

“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.

‘No humanity’: Detainees describe conditions inside Whipple Federal Building Immigration sweep brings overcrowded rooms and overflowing toilets. Lawyers say they can’t visit their clients. The Department of Homeland Security says “all detainees receive full due process.”

Must read: "Holding facilities were so crowded that immigrants in one cell had to take turns lying down because there was no space, according to a refugee detained there for one night in January. Basic human needs like food and medical care were sometimes denied."
www.startribune.com/no-humanity-...

How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk United used an algorithm system to identify patients who it determined were getting too much therapy and then limited coverage. It was deemed illegal in three states, but similar practices persist due...

UnitedHealth is the nation’s largest health insurance conglomerate.

ProPublica obtained what is effectively the company’s internal playbook for limiting and cutting therapy costs.

Here’s what we found.

(Published Nov. 2024)

Screenshot from IMDb for the movie Melania

Wow, I never thought an IMDb rating could go so low!
1.1 for the movie Melania

Billy Bragg - City Of Heroes Listen to City Of Heroes by Billy Bragg.

CITY OF HEROES, my song celebrating the courage of the people of Minneapolis defending their community from Tяump's goons, is now available to stream on numerous platforms via this link: bbragg.lnk.to/cityofheroes

Open letter to our Senators:

Gentlemen, Ladies, we don't really care about ICE not getting even more funding. We don't care about more "training" and more rules they won't follow.

We want ICE de-funded. Dismantled. Gone. Driven out of our cities.

I’m a NO — not one more penny for ICE without stopping this violence. Two American citizens were killed by federal agents.

No more roving patrols. No more secret masked police. No more warrantless raids. Investigate and prosecute ICE crimes.

Get ICE out of Minnesota.

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Lyric Video) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
We’ll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst

Directed by Thom Zimny
Edited by Thom Zimny and Samuel Shapiro
Production Footage: Pam Springsteen and Thom Zimny

BILLY BRAGG - CITY OF HEROES YouTube video by Billy Bragg

I wrote this yesterday about the hero city of Minneapolis

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKOW...

Every member of Congress who supported increasing funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now responsible for every murder, torture, and kidnapping committed by that agency.

I wonder how he expects to be re-elected. Will the election be rigged for him?

Masked government agents are conducting “show me your papers” stops, detaining 5-year-olds to use them as bait, and brutally murdering U.S. citizens.

Call it what it is — fascism.

History will not look fondly on politicians and so-called "leaders" of this country who stood by and enabled this.

When they lie this obviously & shamelessly about their murder victim, a neighbour who was helping his neighbours and was attacked for it, when there’s video EVERYWHERE showing the ridiculousness of their lie, then you know for sure that they’re lying about literally EVERYTHING they say.

Everything.

What happened in Minnesota today was not a mistake. It's a deliberate and inevitable outcome of ICE operations - part of the authoritarian script for state violence against citizens.

Regime thugs target minorities

Regime thugs kill protesters

Regime exploits larger protests to escalate repression

Pretti clearly did not brandish his gun. Which means the government is saying he was killed for legally exercising his right to carry.

It’s as clear-cut a violation of the Second Amendment as I can possibly imagine. And we’re about to see the bulk of the gun rights crowd defend his murder.

Unmask ICE agents.

We need whistleblowers to reveal their identities.

We must shame them as a society.

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.

White. Hot. Rage.

If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.

Yesterday, 50,000 Minnesotans peacefully protested to stop the terror being inflicted on our community. Today, ICE shot and likely killed another constitutional observer on the street. I can’t say this clearly enough: Congress has to stop this. The government is killing us. Congress has to act.

He was legally observing
He was helping other legal observers
He was helping other potential victims
He was not brandishing a gun
May Alex Pretti’s memory be a blessing

All the major corporations in Minnesota need to speak up!
I’m looking at you Target and 3M

Impeach these murderers. Now.

All the major corporations in Minnesota need to speak up!
I’m looking at you Target and 3M

Another illegal assault by ICE. We have the tape

Detained by ICE, two women became first responders during agent’s seizure The women say they guided agents through the emergency, later raising concerns about medical protocols, weapons safety and accountability.

Two women trained as first responders were abducted by three ICE agents. One of the agents starts seizing. The other two don’t know what to do. The women jump into action and save the agent’s life, only to be re-handcuffed and processed.

www.startribune.com/detained-by-...