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demi lawrence

@deminlawrence.bsky.social

980 followers 760 following 1.4K posts

journalist, writer, yapper, hoosier in portland, oregon. i laugh so i don't cry! weird little gay person who loves music and the truth, opinions are my own! she/they 🍥

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · Aug 19

Journalists as a collective must take a stand to decide if a 200-word AI summary of a meeting you already attended and (assumedly) paid attention to, is worth destroying our planet and feeding into a craze that's directly tied to the destruction of democracy.

I say no.

www.cjr.org/analysis/i-t...

I Tested How Well AI Tools Work for Journalism

Some tools were sufficient for summarizing meetings. For research, the results were a disaster.

www.cjr.org

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 6h

Reposted by demi lawrence

Kyla @boysek.bsky.social · 9h

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/10/w...

WGN-TV producer detained during ICE enforcement action in Lincoln Square

A WGN-TV video editor and producer was roughly detained by two Border Patrol agents on Friday morning during a highly visible rush hour enforcement action in Lincoln Square.

www.chicagotribune.com

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Reposted by demi lawrence

Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 10h

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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CJ Ciaramella @cjciaramella.bsky.social · 8h

UPDATE: In emailed statement to me / @reason.com, DHS alleges that WGN-TV producer Debbie Brockman "threw objects at Border Patrol’s car and she was placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer."

Screencap of email from DHS public affairs: Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin:

“U.S. Border Patrol was conducting immigration enforcement operations and when several violent agitators used their vehicles to block in agents in an effort to impede and assault federal officers. In fear of public safety and of law enforcement, officers used their service vehicle to strike a suspect’s vehicle and create an opening. As agents were driving, Deborah Brockman, a U.S. citizen, threw objects at Border Patrol’s car and she was placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of illegal aliens violently resisting arrest and agitators and criminals ramming cars into our law enforcement officers. These attacks highlight the dangers our law enforcement officers face daily—all while receiving no pay thanks to the Democrats’ government shutdown.”

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 7h

👟 Do you own a pair of On running shoes? Do you find that they squeak? Is that a main reason you don't wear them as often as you would otherwise?

There could be a new class action lawsuit for you to join.

www.bizjournals.com/portland/new...

Footwear brand sued in Oregon over shoes with 'noticeable squeak' - Portland Business Journal

The lawsuit alleges the shoes create “a loud, embarrassing, and difficult to stop squeaking sound … with each step.”

www.bizjournals.com

demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 10h

its so funny to me when straight men try to have a straight man off by ripping off their shirts, bumping chests and hugging

like cmon now just kiss and we can really move on from a lot of cultural bullshit so quickly

CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 1d

We've gone full frat bro with Fitzpatrick & Skattebo

Reposted by demi lawrence

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 11h

EXCLUSIVE — DHS Acting General Counsel sent out a memo Wednesday to all Federal Protective Service staff (the sub-agency that guards federal buildings) letting officers know they could take any action necessary "in the vicinity" federal property to protect themselves.

The Handbasket reports:

DHS top lawyer says 'no legal barrier' to actions officers can take to defend federal property

In a memo obtained exclusively by The Handbasket, Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers were given free rein.

www.thehandbasket.co

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 10h

oh my god she's cheating on don with vlad

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Melania Trump: "President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication."

Reposted by demi lawrence

Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · 11h

profrogteering

The Birds The Turtles and The Beast @turtlebee.bsky.social · 12h

The Frog Costume has gone from $25 to almost $40 on amazon over the last week. There's an army brewing.

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 11h

fr they don't know the secret spots we all go to in january when we're all too close to a breakdown for comfort

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Reposted by demi lawrence

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 12h

live look in at the portland war zone:

a screenshot from the frogger arcade game

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Reposted by demi lawrence

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 12h

Indiana is the only state still executing people outside the view of the media. We wrote last year about how unconstitutional – and dangerous – this is.

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Reposted by demi lawrence

Ryan Mac 🙃 @rmac.bsky.social · 12h

It's strange seeing a bunch of outlets pub stories about Thiel's antichrist lectures and label them as exclusives. For one, they aren't exclusive if a source offered the same material to half the tech press.

It's also kind of silly for folks just to parrot Thiel when he's saying this:

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Reposted by demi lawrence

Carol Fenton @cfpdx.bsky.social · 12h

Frank Miranda, a U.S. citizen, abducted by ICE at work. #Portland

Miranda: “They (ICE) were not looking or acting professional at all.” www.wweek.com/news/2025/10...

Milwaukie Man Says ICE Abducted and Held Him for Hours Despite His Proving Citizenship

The case may be the first incidence of a documented Oregonian and U.S. citizen being swept up by ICE in an immigration raid.

www.wweek.com

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 12h

OMGGGG CONGRATS!

Reposted by demi lawrence

Lisa Song @lisalsong.bsky.social · 12h

We have reached the point where "multiplying protest frogs" is a headline I instantly understand, and I was not prepared for this. www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

Troops to Portland still on hold, multiplying protest frogs, fact-check on Trump claims: Get caught up

It’s not clear when the 9th Circuit panel will issue its ruling, but it will likely come before an Oct. 17 hearing

www.oregonlive.com

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Reposted by demi lawrence

The Seattle Times @seattletimes.com · 13h

“Portland today, Seattle tomorrow.” Washington state Republicans support Trump’s use of federal troops in Portland and other U.S. cities — some say it’s time for Seattle to be next.

'Portland today, Seattle tomorrow': WA GOP supports Trump's use of troops

www.seattletimes.com

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Reposted by demi lawrence

David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 20h

BREAKING:

"Just landed."

Mark Bray confirms to me this morning that he and his family did, on the second attempt, make it out of the US and to Spain

www.wired.com/story/mark-b...

He Wrote a Book About Antifa. Death Threats Are Driving Him Out of the US

Rutgers historian Mark Bray is trying to flee to Spain after after an online campaign from far-right influencers was followed by death threats. He was turned back at the airport on his first attempt.

www.wired.com

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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 4d

International student arrivals to the US dropped 19% this year, the biggest drop on record aside from the 2020 pandemic low.

The Upshot @upshot.nytimes.com · 4d

The decline is occurring as the Trump administration has delayed visa processing, instituted travel bans or restrictions for 19 countries, threatened to deport international students for pro-Palestinian speech, and heightened the vetting of student visa applicants.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Nearly 20 Percent Fewer International Students Traveled to the U.S. in August

The data shows the steepest decline in August international student arrivals since the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 12h

believe it or not there are teenage/early 20s christian nationalists who LOVE this and don’t think its the single stupidest silliest shit they’ve ever been forced to read with their own two eyes

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 14h

The tech billionaire and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel says the antichrist is ... Greta Thunberg www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by demi lawrence

Bulldog @harpua.bsky.social · 1d

Portland City Council member Angelita Morillo humorously criticizes Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, leading to laughter from CNN's Boris Sanchez.

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 13h

NEW: Clergy are at the Broadview, IL ICE facility today — where clergy have been shot w/pepper balls in recent days.

UMC minister Rev. Hannah Kardon, one of those shot w/pepper balls in the past, among those asking to give communion to those detained. Attendees (who sent photos) say police declined

Clergy holding communion wares talking to police.

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Reposted by demi lawrence

Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 13h

I got curious so I threw this into a readability app. It says she wrote this at a second grade level.

Chart showing readability level Grade 2

4 adverbs meeting the goal of 10 or fewer
1 use of passive voice meeting the goal of 8 or fewer
2 phrases have simpler alternatives
0 of 39 sentences are hard to read
0 of 39 sentences are very hard to read

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 13h

kendra i’m screaming you did not 😭

Reposted by demi lawrence

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 13h

A Wyoming librarian who fought to keep embattled books on a local public library's shelves agreed to settle her federal lawsuit against Campbell County, the county’s library board and several officials for $700,000.

Library director fired over LGBTQ+ books gets $700,000 from county

Terri Lesley, a former library director, said she was wrongfully terminated for refusing to bow to county officials’ demands for censorship.

www.washingtonpost.com

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