Another in a (hopefully) weekly series of posts with interesting reading / viewing material.
In the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a unique legal entity with characteristics unlike any other, which then allow its powers to be abused unlike any other. Lawyers have long seen ICE as a threat to American democracy, and for good reason. An immigration attorney explains Why Lawyers Want to Abolish ICE (YouTube, 35 minutes). Meanwhile, Wired magazine explains how to film ICE and CBP as safely as possible while still having an impact.
Democratic members of the House and Senate Oversight Committees held a joint hearing on the violence and murder that have been inflicted on Americans by Homeland Security. The forum was convened by the ranking Democratic members of both committees, and perhaps because of that, no Republican members of Congress bothered to attend. Still, the testimony was compelling and more than a little chilling.
It’s getting obvious that the U.S. has a media problem. But are you sure you can spot media manipulation? Shane Snow has tips for you. Jeff Bezos’ handling of the Washington Post is also instructive, as is Bari Weiss’ handling of CBS News.
Need a mood boost? I’d suggest you read “If They Call Me a Domestic Terrorist,” a timely poem by Michael F. Dubois. Meanwhile, if you were waffling on the effectiveness of protest, the folks behind Indivisible have a thing or two to say on the subject.
Did you think the Epstein files mess was all about politicians? Guess again, lots of big name sports figures are in the files as well. But of course, Trump and his cronies are all over them, as is (of course) Elon Musk.
Greg Dobbs puts Trumpism in perspective as a cult of personality.