Author | Lightnews

mizmaxgordon @mizmaxgordon.bsky.social · 16m

October 25, 2025
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

October 25, 2025

A newsletter about the history behind today's politics.

open.substack.com

Reposted by mizmaxgordon

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 10h

We all need to fight Trump's plan for voter suppression and election subversion. We need to recognize that it has multiple dimensions. We need to educate ourselves and our communities and then take action.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 13h

Also, note that the person making all these decisions is not Secretary Noem; it's Corey Lewandowski, who is still a "special government employee" (and by many reports sleeping with Noem and running the agency while she does mostly TV), as well as Gregory Bovino himself.

The White House has signed off on a list of at least a dozen directors of ICE field officers who are set to be reassigned in coming days, the two DHS officials, the former DHS official and the federal law enforcement official said. They said that at least half of them would be replaced with Border Patrol officials. ICE has 25 field offices around the country, so the move could replace nearly half of the agency’s leaders.

The list was compiled by Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee at DHS who advises Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol sector chief overseeing the agency’s operations in Chicago and previously in Los Angeles, the law enforcement official said.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 13h

NBC has a story on this as well already, and they've got an indicative quote as to how things will go:

"'The mentality is CBP does what they’re told, and the administration thinks ICE isn’t getting the job done,;' one of the DHS officials said. 'So CBP will do it." www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...

Trump plans to install Border Patrol officials to lead a more aggressive migrant crackdown

The White House has approved a list of ICE leaders to be replaced by Border Patrol officials in coming days amid disappointment with arrest numbers.

www.nbcnews.com

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 13h

Other outlets are now reporting. First to report tonight was Anna Giaritelli at the Washington Examiner, whose story if anything missed how big the purge was. It's not just five cities; ICE Field Office Directors are being fired in at least a dozen cities, and will be replaced by CBP people instead.

Trump administration quietly purges ICE leaders in five cities: Sources

The Trump administration has replaced senior ICE personnel in five cities with Border Patrol officials.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 13h

🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.

Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_
BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in:

- Los Angeles
- Phoenix
- Philadelphia
- Denver
- El Paso
- San Diego
- Seattle/Portland
- New Orleans

Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both.

Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed.

Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino.

ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year.

I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations.

I am hearing from both sides of this friction.

One senior DHS official tells me:

"ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?".

Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me:

"What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table."

It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there.

Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results.

Official statement to
@FoxNews
via
@TriciaOhio
:

"While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country."
7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025
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Norm Ornstein @normornstein.bsky.social · 10h

The cover up here, and the complicity of the mayor enabling these DHS thugs to operate in a dangerous and deadly fashion alongside the DC police, is shocking and unacceptable. There have to be consequences.

Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 11h

BREAKING: A Department of Homeland Security officer shot at an unarmed black man during a traffic stop in DC, and the DC police officer said he was told by superiors not to mention the shooting in his incident report. 1/ www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Lawyers allege cover-up after fed shoots at man during D.C. traffic stop

Neither D.C. police nor the Department of Homeland Security have explained why the Homeland Security agent fired his weapon.

www.washingtonpost.com

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mizmaxgordon @mizmaxgordon.bsky.social · 1h

This is not good news.

Sari Beth Rosenberg @sari.bsky.social · 9h

In a September poll, more than half of the teachers who responded said that political pressure had caused them to modify their curriculums or classroom discussions, a sharp increase from March.”

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 6h

After the Pentagon forced a mass exit of journalists who understood military finance, tactics and technology, their replacements have arrived: cranks, conspiracy theorists and both foreign and domestic propagandists
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The Pentagon’s Preferred Propaganda Model

The Trump administration is trying to muddle reality—and create apathy.  

www.theatlantic.com

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Doctor Moobs @doctormoobs.bsky.social · 1h

Elon's sickness has infected Grok.

bsky.app/profile/doct...

Doctor Moobs @doctormoobs.bsky.social · 1d

Maga is the pedo party, full stop. The fascism and pedophilia isn't a bug, it's a feature. Evil.

"Elon Musk's A.I. system, Grok, installed in a Telsa, asked a 10-year-old to send nudes during a conversation about soccer, then justified the request when a parent askedí it to repeat itself.

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Get Out The Mid Term Vote @gotmtv.bsky.social · 10h

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mizmaxgordon @mizmaxgordon.bsky.social · 1h

And he still would, if he could get it up.

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Save Standard Time @savestandard.bsky.social · 17h

DST is why most Americans wake by alarm in darkness. Permanent Standard Time would let us sleep longer and awaken naturally to sunlight, for health!

Photos comparing 6:30am in Boston on October 26 per Daylight Saving Time (pitch black) versus Standard Time (bright sky).

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Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 11h

BREAKING: A Department of Homeland Security officer shot at an unarmed black man during a traffic stop in DC, and the DC police officer said he was told by superiors not to mention the shooting in his incident report. 1/ www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Lawyers allege cover-up after fed shoots at man during D.C. traffic stop

Neither D.C. police nor the Department of Homeland Security have explained why the Homeland Security agent fired his weapon.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 11h

Houston, Texas ICE GOONS hospitalized a 16-year-old U.S. citizen on his way to school. The teen, a star football and soccer player, was violently detained alongside his father. Despite his cries for help, “I’m underage!” the agents tackled him, resulting in severe neck and back injuries.

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mizmaxgordon @mizmaxgordon.bsky.social · 1h

THIS 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 10h

Our new health insurance premium feels more like a shakedown‼️

Thank you, @politicsgirl.bsky.social , for sharing your story. You’re right—there are millions like you.

Our new premium is over $3K/month for a family of three. Could we scrape it together? Maybe. Should we have to? No.

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mizmaxgordon @mizmaxgordon.bsky.social · 1h

They DO just want us to die.

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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 10h

Our new health insurance premium feels more like a shakedown‼️

Thank you, @politicsgirl.bsky.social , for sharing your story. You’re right—there are millions like you.

Our new premium is over $3K/month for a family of three. Could we scrape it together? Maybe. Should we have to? No.

1/2

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 12h

While the top 1% control $54 TRILLION

(not a typo)

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mizmaxgordon @mizmaxgordon.bsky.social · 1h

This nightmarish scenario sounds like the plot of an apocalyptic horror story dreamed up by @stephenking.bsky.social, @chuckwendig.bsky.social, and @sgj.bsky.social.

#terrifying #pyscho

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’

Patrick Gelsinger, executive chairman of Gloo, has made it his mission to advance Christian principles in Silicon Valley

www.theguardian.com

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 18h

www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/v...

Videos raise questions about if Border Patrol's actions violated use of force policy, judge's order

Videos raise questions about if Border Patrol actions violate the agency's use of force policies and a federal judge's standing order.

www.nbcchicago.com

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Gallego: "How can I negotiate? The president is in Asia for 5 days. Johnson is basically keeping the House out until January to protect pedophiles. So who am I negotiating with right now?"

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✡️Cathy Has Had Enough!✡️ @cathyhadenough.bsky.social · 19h

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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 15h

Sure. And Barron could run ABC and NPR

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 15h

This is the state of American media right now.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Top media analyst tells Comcast to hire Charlie Kirk’s widow as NBC’s editor-in-chief

‘Sure, at first blush it sounds crazy, but Trump loves a deal, and Brian Roberts needs to think big and differently,’ media analyst Rich Greenfield wrote this week

www.independent.co.uk

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Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 1d

This is the guy who lied on the stand at a trial in LA, telling the jury he witnessed the defendant assault the ICE officer, when the video showed the ICE officer assault the defendant. The jury took an hour to acquit. He's referred to immigrants as "filth, trash, and scum."

Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 1d

Federal judge in Chicago has ordered U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino to attend a hearing in her courtroom next week, after he was accused of violating a temporary restraining order limiting federal agents' use of certain tactics

www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino ordered to face federal judge in Chicago, after being accused of violating court order

A federal judge in Chicago has ordered Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino to attend a hearing in her courtroom next week, amid concerns about federal agents' aggressive tactics during immigration ...

www.cbsnews.com

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