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Pandemic Still On!

@globeonfire

Humanist Twitter @eatsthenews Human who loves dogs. This person believes in airborne viruses, climate change, and lives a very small footprint with a very small dog. Discworld ❤️

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19.09.2023
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Latest posts by Pandemic Still On! @globeonfire

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Who profits from migrant detention? : Throughline The U.S. immigration detention system is spread out across federal facilities, private prisons, state prisons, and county jails. It’s grown under both Democratic and Republican presidents. And it’s be...

www.npr.org/2026/02/19/n...

19.02.2026 22:19 👍 101 🔁 52 💬 1 📌 0

The Color of Magic was written first.
I started there and read them through to 41!
A fantastic series.

19.02.2026 22:13 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

We are feasting the employees? Nope.

14.02.2026 02:17 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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1 person shot and killed by U.S. marshal in Northeast DC A U.S. marshal shot and killed a person Wednesday afternoon in Northeast D.C. This shooting happened on Hay Street right in front of the Cesar Chavez Middle Public Charter School and not far from the ...

I heard about a killing of a Black man in DC by US marshals on a call from someone in the neighborhood then saw it confirmed by the organization @harrietsdreams.bsky.social & here. A Black man in DC was killed by the state today. Make the same noise for him as for anyone else when we have his name.

12.02.2026 02:28 👍 1415 🔁 964 💬 16 📌 22
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Case dismissed against LA protester accused of assaulting federal officer with cloth hat Judge says US government acted in ‘bad faith’ in case of Jonathon Redondo-Rosales, 36, who spent six months in jail

NEW: Jonathon Redondo-Rosales, a 36-year-old LA protester, spent six months in jail accused of assaulting a federal officer with a *cloth hat.*

A judge tossed out the DOJ’s case, accusing govt of acting in “bad faith” and engaging in “prosecutorial harassment“ that could “chill lawful protest”

11.02.2026 03:40 👍 3079 🔁 1138 💬 46 📌 58

👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

11.02.2026 04:29 👍 177 🔁 48 💬 0 📌 0

Democratic Party leadership really just calling for “reform” of this shit

07.02.2026 15:58 👍 107 🔁 40 💬 5 📌 0

By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet

07.02.2026 03:38 👍 16289 🔁 5982 💬 267 📌 164
07.02.2026 02:52 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Men and women or only men??

07.02.2026 02:48 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Palantir fasciitis

06.02.2026 04:45 👍 2031 🔁 492 💬 38 📌 13

We gotta come up with a better system than “everything rests on whether these twelve billionnaires are nice”

04.02.2026 19:41 👍 26868 🔁 6372 💬 385 📌 224
Letter from Senator Ron Wyden:

Dear CIA Director Ratcliffe,
I write to alert you to a classified letter I sent you earlier today in which I express deep concerns about CIA activities.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Ron Wyden
U.S. Senator

Letter from Senator Ron Wyden: Dear CIA Director Ratcliffe, I write to alert you to a classified letter I sent you earlier today in which I express deep concerns about CIA activities. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Sincerely, Ron Wyden U.S. Senator

I don’t like this

04.02.2026 19:49 👍 7395 🔁 1582 💬 194 📌 470
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A Secret Oil Cartel Might Have Killed Our Clean-Energy Future In a landmark antitrust case, Michigan alleges oil companies colluded to “capture and kill” clean-energy and electric-vehicle efforts.

Big Oil "purchased solar and EV patents to ensure others couldn’t use them, solicited control of renewable markets and then abandoned them, and funded powerful institutions to promote false solutions, all while using trade groups to downplay the harms of fossil fuels, according to the complaint." 😠

04.02.2026 17:16 👍 6846 🔁 3598 💬 478 📌 291
Pic of indoor 4 rows of plants layered from floor, lower shelf, top of cart.

Pic of indoor 4 rows of plants layered from floor, lower shelf, top of cart.

Plants are all ready for me to ignore them tomorrow.

Then I was called off.
Guess I will just stare at them for awhile.

04.02.2026 05:29 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Dr. Isaac Pope is being called the Larry Nassar of Washington state.

A civil lawsuit alleges he sexually assaulted hundreds of children in state juvenile facilities in the 1980s and 90s. Kids who were supposed to be protected. Kids who had no power. The abuse went on for years.

1/3

04.02.2026 04:05 👍 1558 🔁 886 💬 72 📌 43
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02.02.2026 22:23 👍 3127 🔁 1012 💬 62 📌 47
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Minneapolis Council committee delays liquor licenses for 2 hotels over hosting federal agents The City Council will hold a public hearing on the liquor licenses for the Canopy by Hilton in the Mill District and Depot Renaissance Hotel.

A Minneapolis City Council committee delayed action Tuesday on renewing liquor licenses for two Minneapolis hotels that have housed federal immigration officers.

04.02.2026 01:44 👍 5999 🔁 1263 💬 207 📌 381

I see the “president” is doing and saying (more) unconstitutional stuff today concerning our voting processes.

03.02.2026 23:40 👍 8623 🔁 1568 💬 1 📌 0
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Tulips are a month early outside.

Good time for onions and more Ghost Peppers/Bhut Jalokia seeds.

Seedling on bottom shelf include ggost peppers, yellow onions and red onions.
Turmeric just arrived to plant soon!

04.02.2026 02:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Tulips are a month early

03.02.2026 05:03 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1
 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].

"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].

So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90
Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination).

Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law.

Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has  jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI.

Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem

So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem

has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up,
twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite
country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of
suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified
Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that
she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8
U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all.
See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here
illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section
IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she
ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id.
The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary
unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes,
the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary,
Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to
replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A.
As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS
holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]

has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]

Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly
scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously
does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs
will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to
take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section
IV.B.2.b.
Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not
cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains
unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959
lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our
economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into
the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn
the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of
them.
For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under
5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.

Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.

Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

03.02.2026 01:06 👍 4491 🔁 1749 💬 143 📌 151

bsky.app/profile/hex7...

02.02.2026 06:05 👍 95 🔁 28 💬 0 📌 5

The fuck?

02.02.2026 21:51 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1

Good!

02.02.2026 18:49 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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URGENT: DOJ has again removed Epstein-related files — the second time in three days.

The deleted materials reportedly referenced Donald Trump, “Calendar Girl” events at Mar-a-Lago, and files unproven allegations of rape and the auctioning of minors. Trump’s social ties to Epstein 1/2

02.02.2026 18:43 👍 8 🔁 3 💬 2 📌 0

Mine listens to me and I have voice assistant OFF.

02.02.2026 17:01 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users Class-action lawsuit alleged that Google's voice assistant illegally recorded and shared private conversations with advertisers.

Do you remember when people were saying "I think my phone is listening to me, i'm getting ads for stuff I spoke about" and people said "They arent listening to you, they're just this good at predicting your interests"?

Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...

01.02.2026 21:44 👍 18331 🔁 8109 💬 805 📌 823
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As Black History Month begins, we honor the generations of Black New Yorkers who built this city into the “gorgeous mosaic” we call home.

Today, we reflect on the words of Mayor David Dinkins: our city’s first Black mayor (and a democratic socialist!).

01.02.2026 14:11 👍 9076 🔁 2121 💬 89 📌 81