Alex Baumhardt
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alexbaumhardt.bsky.social
Alex Baumhardt
@alexbaumhardt.bsky.social
Journalist covering environment and education @oregoncapitalchronicle.com, part of @statesnewsroom.com
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Wow. The county is charging the Ilhan Omar attacker even though the feds are also doing that, because they don't trust Trump to not pardon the guy.
This was a disturbing assault on @repilhan.bsky.social, who is frequently the target of vilifying language by fellow elected officials and members of the public.

Mr. Kazmierczak has been charged with one felony count of terroristic threats and one count of fifth-degree assault.
January 29, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
meanwhile, ICE is still out in force terrorizing the children of Minnesota - just got this from my kid's school
January 29, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
NEW: ICE has spent at least $172 million this month on warehouses that it plans to convert into immigration jails

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

W/ @sooophie.bsky.social
US Spends Millions on Warehouses in Historic Expansion of ICE Detention
Plans for ‘mega centers’ and jails in nearly two dozen communities have sparked protests over suitability, proximity to homes and schools.
www.bloomberg.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
"A Minnesota State Patrol trooper found Alfredo Mancillas Jr. of Corpus Christi, Texas, slumped over in a car at 3:25 a.m. Tuesday in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood."

sahanjournal.com/public-safet...
Border Patrol employee found ‘covered in vomit’ in St. Paul, charged with drunk driving
Border Patrol employee Alfredo Mancillas Jr. of Corpus Christi, Texas, was charged with drunk driving in St. Paul.
sahanjournal.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
A federal appeals court in California has ruled that Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, exceeded her authority when she sought to end TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians, saying people have lost jobs, homes, and their ability to provide for their families. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/u...
Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Protections for Venezuelans
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
was that not already banned
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday said House Democrats will demand a ban on the deportation of American citizens as a condition of winning their support for legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Jeffries demands ban on deportation of US citizens as part of DHS reforms
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday said House Democrats will demand a ban on the deportation of American citizens as a condition of winning their support for legislation fun…
www.kget.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:17 AM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
I was talking to some other locals today about this disconnect between what we see on the ground and national politics. What’s clear here is that ICE is acting lawlessly. So it’s unclear why laws reminding them to follow the laws they’re breaking would work.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the party agreed on three main goals:

° Require warrants in some cases and ICE coordination with state and local law enforcement

° Create a code of conduct and enforce it

° Require agents to wear body cams and not masks
Democrats demand new ICE restrictions as government shutdown looms
After federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Senate Democrats say they’ll block a massive government funding package without policy changes.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
"Shirley and his ilk are not just content creators with a right-wing twist — they’re algo hounds. And he was not just making plain old propaganda; he was making internet slop." @miasato.bsky.social @theverge.com
When “independent journalists” aren’t really journalists
The rise of slop producers like Nick Shirley
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
It appears several clergy were just arrested as they staged an anti-ICE protest in the Russell Rotunda in the U.S. Senate office building.

A number of faith leaders, who were in town urging Senators to vote against additional ICE funding, were led away by police: www.facebook.com/FIAnational/...
January 29, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
“Given that training for ICE officers has dropped down to about 6.5 weeks, TV/movies might be their biggest source of knowledge. It demonstrates that agents aren’t moving with tactical focus; they’re doing what they think will look cool and intimidating in photos.”
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
ICE Pretends It’s a Military Force. Its Tactics Would Get Real Soldiers Killed
WIRED asked an active military officer to break down immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
www.wired.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Washington is the only solidly Democratic state with no income tax, and despite the efforts of both Democrats and Republicans, Washingtonians have rejected income taxes 10 times in the last 90 years.
Washington state voters have rejected income taxes 10 times. Is this year different?
Washingtonians have rejected income taxes 10 times in the last 90 years. Democrats and even Republicans have tried and failed. So why is the vibe among tax reform advocates so optimistic in 2026?
n.pr
January 29, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
"This is the worst fucking time. But watching people's response to ICE has just been the most affirming thing in the world.” We interviewed our friends over at @racketmn.com about what it’s like to cover the crisis in Minneapolis as community-centered journalists
How Racket, Minneapolis’s Worker-Owned Newsroom, Is Covering Its Hometown Fascist Invasion
“This is the worst fucking time. But watching people’s response to ICE has been the most affirming thing in the world.”
www.coyotemedia.org
January 29, 2026 at 4:08 PM
U.S. electric and gas utilities requested nearly $31 billion in rate increases last year, more than double what they asked for the year before:
heatmap.news/sparks/power...
Utilities Asked for a Lot More Money From Ratepayers Last Year
A new PowerLines report puts the total requested increases at $31 billion — more than double the number from 2024.
heatmap.news
January 29, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
“I'm here today to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves to be the voice for the people who can't speak for themselves.”

story via @caitlinsievers.bsky.social
Student protesters shut down Arizona Senate with anti-ICE demonstration at Capitol | Arizona Mirror
Phoenix high school students walked out and marched to Arizona Capitol to protest ICE, briefly locking down Senate
azmirror.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:53 AM
“The court’s patience is at an end… the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed,” the federal judge wrote in his order. minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/27/i...
ICE releases detainee following slapdown from federal judge • Minnesota Reformer
Schiltz said acting ICE director Todd Lyons, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE’s top local official, David Easterwood, had failed to comply with “dozens” of court orders in recent weeks.
minnesotareformer.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Enrollment in Healthier Oregon — a state-funded health insurance program for income-eligible Oregonians regardless of immigration status — dropped by 10,000 in last 6 months, and many who remain covered aren't seeking care @miamaldonado.bsky.social reports: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/01/28/f...
Fewer immigrants are seeking Oregon health care benefits under Trump • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Healthier Oregon enrollment dropped to 97,000 people in January, according to Oregon Health Authority data.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
I'm a reporter and editor with Task & Purpose. I want to talk to VA employees, better yet Minneapolis VA ones. What has the VA said to you after Alex Pretti's death? Has there been any message? Any asks not to discuss? What? Will protect sources, use 1st names only, etc. Signal handle is nslayton.12
January 28, 2026 at 4:30 AM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
In response to announcement that he will be a new CBS contributor, Andrew Huberman tweeted “I’ve always gone issue-by-issue on health & science, spoken to experts w/a range of takes & presented where I see the center of (data) mass pointed. I’ll do the same with @CBSNews”. In Sept he posted this:
January 28, 2026 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
ICE agents would be disqualified from working in California law enforcement and inside the public school system under a new bill introduced in the Legislature this week.
California bill would ban ICE agents from jobs in teaching and policing
ICE agents would be disqualified from working in California law enforcement and inside the public school system under a new bill introduced in the Legislature this week.
bit.ly
January 28, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
“Kristi Noem should be fired immediately, or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." floridaphoenix.com/2026/01/27/r...
Here’s the list of US House Democrats who want to impeach Kristi Noem • Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — A growing number of U.S. House Democrats are pushing for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s impeachment after another fatal shooting of an American citizen by federal immigration o...
floridaphoenix.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Breaking Axios:

Kristi Noem's language that Alex Pretti wanted to "massacre" federal agents was dictated to Noem and her department by the man most responsible for the controversial operation: Stephen Miller.

That's according to four sources who spoke to Axios. www.axios.com/2026/01/27/t...
Scoop: Stephen Miller behind misleading claim that Alex Pretti wanted to "massacre" agents
The episode illustrates the sheer power of Miller, Trump's close and longest-serving political adviser
www.axios.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Cannot imagine any news organization that would choose to lose a reporter like Louisa Loveluck she does extraordinary reporting from the Middle East. I tell people who don’t believe in WaPo anymore to focus on the exceptional reporters, like her, who are still there.
As @washingtonpost.com international & local correspondents, we have risked our lives, side by side, because we believe reporting from the ground serves the public good. To choke that engine of brave, committed colleagues would be devastating. If you value our work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost.
January 27, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
My friend and former colleague @emilybregel.bsky.social is reporting on the border patrol shooting near Tucson. Folo for reliable information on this developing situation tucson.com/news/local/b...
1 critically wounded in Border Patrol shooting south of Tucson
A person described as a "suspect" was shot and wounded Tuesday morning and flown by helicopter to Tucson, authorities say.
tucson.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Commentary: A close analysis of how the immigration crackdown risks violating America's treaty obligations minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/27/w...
With the immigration crackdown, America risks violating its treaty obligations • Minnesota Reformer
If a person has a well-founded fear of persecution or torture, the government is legally barred from returning them. The promise is not symbolic; it is codified in U.S. law.The exceptions are narrow a...
minnesotareformer.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
"Once in the old neighborhood, when he was seven or eight, he’d fallen off his bike, his helmet splitting cleanly in half like a cantaloupe. He showed the halves to all the neighbor kids as a way to warn them to never ride without one."
- @kristenradtke.bsky.social
www.theverge.com/policy/86856...
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:01 PM