Rachel Lawrence

Mood:

(h/t @lettersofnote.com)

I don’t think we should make concessions to the Masked Murderers Guild of America. I don’t think we should compromise so the Masked Murderers Guild of America stops using kidnapped kids from schools as bait. I thought this was already illegal. The Masked Murderers Guild of America should not exist.

screenshot of text from Adam Serwer in The Atlantic: "The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they're the ones who are alone. In Minnesota, all of the ideological cornerstones of MAGA have been proved false at once. Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave. Minnesotans have shown that their community is socially cohesive - because of its diversity and not in spite of it. Minnesotans have found and loved one another in a world atomized by social media, where empty men have tried to fill their lonely soul with lies about their own inherent superiority. Minnesotans have preserved everything worthwhile about "Western civilization," while armed brutes try to tear it down by force."

bars

The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. — Frederick Douglass

Screenshot of post reading: These are not rogue agents. This is an all out assault on American life. ICE is a criminal organization that is entering homes without judicial warrants, detaining witnesses, and killing people. All at the direction of Trump. We must stop funding DHS. There is no other path forward. Responding to post reading: The Tribune also says ICE has transported several witnesses into detention.

We must stop funding DHS.

As a journalist, I can say with confidence that most news journalism has failed miserably in dealing with Trump (when not simply partisan), for the reasons Ian explains here. It's been an abject sight to see.

Action Memo for Senior Bureau Official John Armstrong FROM: SUBJECT: CA/VO - Stuart Wilson, Deputy Assistant Secretary (SBU) Revocation of Fl Visa for Rumeysa OZTURK (SBU) Recommendation 1: That you approve the revocation of the Fl visa, effective immediately, for under section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Due to ongoing ICE operational security, this revocation will be silent; the Department will not notify the subject. (Approve/Disapprove by 03/21/25) Decision: [Approved] (SBU) Recommendation 2: That you authorize the transmission of the attached notification to the Department of Homeland Security noting the, immediate revocation of OZTURK's visa. (Approve/Disapprove by 03/21/25) Decision: [Approved] Background (SBU} On March 21, 2025, the Assistant Director of the National Security Division of DHS/ICE's Homeland Security Investigations referred to CA information regarding Rumeysa OZTURK, a Turkish national, for a possible determination by the Secretary that the alien is deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C). As a nonimmigrant visa holder, such a determination is not necessary for OHS/ICE to pursue removal of OZTURK from the United States, as INA section 237(a}(1)(B) provides that an alien is deportable if their nonimmigrant visa has been revoked under INA section 221(i).

(SBU) Under INA section 221(i), the Secretary of State may at any time, in his discretion, revoke a visa.. This authority is delegated to you pursuant to Delegation of Authority 367-4. Department policy reflected in 9 FAM 403.ll~S(B) provides that a visa may be revoked in cases of a suspected ineligibility, when an individual would not meet requirements .for admission, or "in other situations where warranted." (SBU) OZTURK was issued an F-1 visa on December 14, 2020, valid until December 9, 2025. According to information provided by OHS/ICE/HSI OZTURK is a post doctorate degree candidate in Child Studies and Human Development at Tufts University. On March 21, 2025, OHS/ICE/HSI referred information to CA indicating that OZTURK co-authored an op-ed in Tufts' student newspaper. In this article, the authors wrote, "Graduate Students for Pal'estine joins Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine (TSJP), the Tufts Faculty and Staff Coalition for Ceasefire, .and Fletcher Students for Palestine to reject the ,University's response" {to a student government resolution). According to OHS/ICE/HSI, Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine was placed\\ on interim suspension 11 after it used images of weapons to promote a protest rally and urged members of the Tufts community to 'join the student intifada." OHS/ICE/HSI referral concluded that "OZTURK's involvement in these activities and associations with these groups may undermine U.S. foreign. policy by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students and indicating support for a designated terrorist organization." (SBU) While OZTURK has been involved with the actions protesting Turfts' relationship with Israel, QHS/ICE/HSI has not, however, provided any evidence showing that OZTURK has engaged in any antisemitic activity or made any public statements indicating support for a terrorist organization or antisemitism generally. While the report implies a connection between OZTURK and the now-banned Tufts Student for Justice in Pa…

OZTURK was involved in any of the activities which resulted in TJSP being suspended from Tufts. (SBU) Through a search on March 21, 2025, on available USG interagency databases, CA/VO identified no reporting specific to OZTURK, and interagency vetting partners did not provide any response to OZTURK's 2024 visa application indicating the existence of derogatory terrorism-related information. (SBU) OHS did not identify any alternative grounds of removability that would be applicable to OZTURK, including the ground of removability for aliens who have provided material support to a foreign terrorist organization or terrorist activity, and have not indicated whether it plans to consider termination of OZTURK's SEVIS registration. Although information provided by OHS/HSI/ICE does not establish any potential ineligibility for OZTURK, you may, in your discretion and in accordance with Department policy in 9 FAM 403.11-5(8), approve revocation of her F-1 visa effective immediately based on the totality of the circumstances presented indicating that revocation may be warranted.

Here is the newly-unsealed State Department memo confirming -- finally -- that the detention of Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk was based on an op-ed.

No antisemitic activity. No support of terrorism.

An op-ed in a student newspaper.

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

@hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social All eyes on you. Will Dem leadership take any meaningful action to stall our descent into fascism?

What is happening in the United States mirrors early stages of an escalation pattern. People being framed as threats rather than human beings. Detention justified as a deterrent. Oversight weakened. Due process suspended. Families torn apart. Every step of the process publicly broadcast. Kalen Dion

When a government publicly broadcasts the internment of a segment of the population. It isn’t just detaining people. It’s training the public.

From “Broadcast Internment
The Conditioning of the American public” by @kalendionpoetry.bsky.social

Full text: substack.com/@kalendion/n...

This has to be criminal. ICE is out of control!

Another Kavanaugh stop.

Any one of these daily atrocities should result in a full congressional investigation and a disbanding of the agency. The fact that it’s all just shrugged off by those with the power to stop it is a national disgrace.

West Point plaque: "Our code of military obedience requires that, should orders and the law ever conflict, our officers must obey the law."

Donald J. Trump @realDonald Trump SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH! O ReTruths 10 Likes 11/20/25, 9:21 AM

Trump has gone off the rails this morning, calling for democrats to be arrested & killed, which only means one thing: he knows his time is up.

He will be impeached. He will be convicted. He will be removed. And this entire regime will be held accountable for its attack on our democracy and people.

Corporate Media will ignore this as Trump being Trump, but we need to stop them from normalizing & obfuscating fact that Trump is *insane* and calling for murder of Democrats. This is not normal, this cannot be ignored, he is US President and his words must be treated seriously & literally.

This will surely surprise most Americans today, but historians have recently discovered that before Donald Trump, it was actually incredibly rare for a president to demand the public execution of this political opponents and press critics.

Moon Duchin on the ‘Mathematical Quagmire’ of Gerrymandering

Really nice piece on math and democracy here.

(gift link)

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/s...

We must fight back.

• Get connected to the resistance:
fiftyfifty.one/groups

• Get trained on noncooperation:
nokings.org/rise

• Get bold for rapid response:
nokings.org/next

• Get involved in mutual aid:
mutualaidhub.org

• Get engaged in politics:
pol-rev.com

• Get started:
Choosedemocracy.us

I want you to feel a glimpse of an ACTUAL healthy, un-sabotaged movement. I’m using this thread to post news articles that either ✅pass or 🚫do not pass the Sabotage Test, so you can start spotting them too. No joke knowing the difference is healing me. Adding more as I see them.

Your gentle reminder that Rep. Melissa Hortman was assassinated on June 14 and hardly anyone bothered to talk about it .

Chicago Mayor Issues Defiant Call For A General Strike It was an audacious proposal, given that the U.S. has never held a true, nationwide general strike.

Whoa. Chicago mayor calls for a general strike; now we're talking

www.huffpost.com/entry/chicag...

‼️CONFIRMED: Nearly 7 million people turned out for No Kings today.

With more than 2,700 lawful and peaceful protests across all 50 states, today’s mobilization was 14 times larger than both of Trump’s presidential inaugurations combined, marking a historic moment of unity and resistance.
#NoKings

Don’t forget to attend your local #NoKings protest, treat it like you would a hike, come prepared and plan ahead. Wear comfortable shoes because you’ll be walking or standing for long periods. Check the weather before you go and dress accordingly, bringing layers, rain gear, or sunscreen as needed.

Congress is collaborating
Supreme Court is collaborating
Corporate Media is collaborating

Trump is terrified of The People’s mass peaceful protest because We The People are the only check standing against Trump’s authoritarian rule over US

No Kings!

NO KINGS, For the love of America. October 18 • NoKings.org

Tomorrow, we declare NoKings.org, for the love of America.

Q: “Most hospitals + people who will lose insurance are in rural areas. If Trump & Republicans are so intent on sticking it to their own voters, why not let them?”

@aoc.bsky.social : “That’s the difference between us & Trump. I don’t care if you voted for me, I want you to have health care.”

NO KINGS FOR THE LOVE OF AMERICA October 18 • NoKings.org

NoKings.org

Everett 13-year-old arrested by ICE and sent to Virginia detention facility By Marcela Rodrigues Globe Staff,Updated October 12, 2025, 44 minutes ago 31 A 13-year-old boy was arrested by ICE in Everett and sent to a juvenile detention facility in Virginia. A 13-year-old boy was arrested by ICE in Everett and sent to a juvenile detention facility in Virginia. A 13-year-old boy was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Everett after an interaction with members of the Everett Police Department and sent to a juvenile detention facility in Virginia, according to his mother and immigration lawyer Andrew Lattarulo. The boy’s mother, Josiele Berto, was called to pick her son up from the Everett Police Department on Thursday, the day he was arrested. After waiting for about an hour and a half, she was told her son was taken by ICE, Berto told the Globe in a phone interview. “My world collapsed,” Berto said in Portuguese. From the police department, the boy was taken to ICE’s holding facility in Burlington on Thursday evening, where he spent a night before being transferred by car to the Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Winchester, Va., on Friday morning, his mother said. The juvenile facility is more than 500 miles away from Everett. The boy is a 7th-grader at Albert N. Parlin School in Everett, his mother said. The teen and his family, who are Brazilian nationals, have a pending asylum case and are authorized to work legally in the United States, Lattarulo said.

ICE kidnapped a 7th-grader with a pending asylum claim and spirited him out of state without notifying his parents, seemingly with the cooperation of the local police in Everett, MA.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/m...

Hyatt Place Medford, at 116 Riverside Ave.