Emmett O'Connell
@emmettoconnell.bsky.social
Blogger, podcaster, local government communicator, rec soccer defender
OlympiaTime.com
theolympiastandard.com
OlympiaTime.com
theolympiastandard.com
Bernardean Broadous became WA’s first Black woman county prosecutor in 1994, doubling prosecutions and reforming juvenile justice. Ousted amid turnover and lawsuits that cost $0, her successor Ed Holm later presided over proven discrimination that cost $6M.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
February 14, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Bernardean Broadous became WA’s first Black woman county prosecutor in 1994, doubling prosecutions and reforming juvenile justice. Ousted amid turnover and lawsuits that cost $0, her successor Ed Holm later presided over proven discrimination that cost $6M.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
The firing of Gail Slater as DOJ antitrust chief ends MAGA’s claim it cared about trustbusting. Her real enforcement efforts clashed with Trump allies’ pay-to-play culture. GOP “antitrust populism” was always a media-boosted myth masking corruption.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
MAGA’s Always Bogus “Antitrust Movement” Comes To A Screeching Halt With Firing Of Gail Slater
The Trump administration has fired one of the few remaining members of the administration that had even a passing interest in antitrust enforcement. DOJ antitrust boss Gail Slater has been fired fr…
www.techdirt.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:22 PM
The firing of Gail Slater as DOJ antitrust chief ends MAGA’s claim it cared about trustbusting. Her real enforcement efforts clashed with Trump allies’ pay-to-play culture. GOP “antitrust populism” was always a media-boosted myth masking corruption.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
Blocking the Internet Archive won't stop AI, but will erase parts of the historical record, leaving future researchers without reliable journalism in archives.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
News Publishers Are Now Blocking The Internet Archive, And We May All Regret It
Last fall, I wrote about how the fear of AI was leading us to wall off the open internet in ways that would hurt everyone. At the time, I was worried about how companies were conflating legitimate …
www.techdirt.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Blocking the Internet Archive won't stop AI, but will erase parts of the historical record, leaving future researchers without reliable journalism in archives.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
🧵
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
Why Starting Civic Education Too Late is Hurting Our Democracy
Across the country, adults are wringing their hands about young people’s civic disengagement. We worry about declining trust in democratic institutions, rising attraction to political strongmen, and a...
thefulcrum.us
February 14, 2026 at 2:51 PM
🧵
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
I appreciate the pettiness and the dedication to the bit.
Everyone should do this.
Everyone should do this.
February 13, 2026 at 1:21 PM
I appreciate the pettiness and the dedication to the bit.
Everyone should do this.
Everyone should do this.
After railing against Big Tech, his DOJ allegedly let mergers (HPE/Juniper, Capital One/Discover, UnitedHealth/Amedisys, Ticketmaster) slide if firms flattered or paid MAGA allies.
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
Pluralistic: Trump antitrust is dead (13 Feb 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
February 13, 2026 at 1:16 PM
After railing against Big Tech, his DOJ allegedly let mergers (HPE/Juniper, Capital One/Discover, UnitedHealth/Amedisys, Ticketmaster) slide if firms flattered or paid MAGA allies.
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
DHS expanded its SAVE system to flag noncitizen voters but in Texas and Missouri, many flagged voters were misidentified, causing confusion, removals and investigations, despite scant evidence of widespread noncitizen voting.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
SAVE tool keeps mistakenly flagging voters as noncitizens - The Texas Tribune
DHS rolled out the revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.
www.texastribune.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:03 PM
DHS expanded its SAVE system to flag noncitizen voters but in Texas and Missouri, many flagged voters were misidentified, causing confusion, removals and investigations, despite scant evidence of widespread noncitizen voting.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
200 officers violently raided a legal Wilder horse race, zip-tying minors, using slurs, denying food, water and bathrooms, and targeting Latinos. 105 immigrants arrested; most attendees were citizens or lawful residents.
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
Violence, no food, zip-ties: What a lawsuit says happened at the Wilder illegal gambling and ICE raid - East Idaho News
WILDER (Idaho Statesman) — Law-enforcement officers during the Wilder raid in October acted violently, hurled racial epithets and largely withheld food, water, bathrooms and medical care as part of th...
www.eastidahonews.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:34 AM
200 officers violently raided a legal Wilder horse race, zip-tying minors, using slurs, denying food, water and bathrooms, and targeting Latinos. 105 immigrants arrested; most attendees were citizens or lawful residents.
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
Here's an oldie but a goodie:
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
New records show that at least three political appointees at the Department of Energy repeatedly used their personal emails to discuss a controversial climate-change report.
www.notus.org
February 11, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Here's an oldie but a goodie:
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
Olympia Time digs into a 60s fight over mandatory photos on school job apps used as a silent racial filter and how the state stopped it.
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
The Small Power of Photos, the Large Power of Enforcement
Elections matter. Elections matter most because of all the small rules that you don’t really see that shape justice. This is how I think about the Olympia...
buttondown.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Olympia Time digs into a 60s fight over mandatory photos on school job apps used as a silent racial filter and how the state stopped it.
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
Daniel visits with leadership at Intercity Transit. They cover the recent history of our local transit agency, what is going on with the change in routes and how transit in Olympia will grow.
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
theolympiastandard.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Daniel visits with leadership at Intercity Transit. They cover the recent history of our local transit agency, what is going on with the change in routes and how transit in Olympia will grow.
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
Reposted by Emmett O'Connell
Local reporting doesn’t happen without local reporters. Our policy director @mattdpearce.com testified in support of SB5400, a bill that would support journalist jobs in Washington newsrooms through employment grants.
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
February 6, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Local reporting doesn’t happen without local reporters. Our policy director @mattdpearce.com testified in support of SB5400, a bill that would support journalist jobs in Washington newsrooms through employment grants.
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
Reposted by Emmett O'Connell
Snohomish County Council voted unanimously to eliminate the Design Review Board to speed up development permitting. Officials say the rarely used board slowed housing delivery, while new standards still protect pedestrian design, mixed-use hubs, and townhomes.
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
The Daily Herald
Everett and Snohomish County news from The Herald | HeraldNet.com
HeraldNet.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Snohomish County Council voted unanimously to eliminate the Design Review Board to speed up development permitting. Officials say the rarely used board slowed housing delivery, while new standards still protect pedestrian design, mixed-use hubs, and townhomes.
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
My new Olympia Time essay recounts how Olympia School District required teacher headshots in the 1960s, using photos as a silent racial filter. The state banned the practice, exposing how small administrative rules enforced segregation without saying it out loud.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
The Small Power of Photos, the Large Power of Enforcement – Olympia Time
olympiatime.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:12 PM
My new Olympia Time essay recounts how Olympia School District required teacher headshots in the 1960s, using photos as a silent racial filter. The state banned the practice, exposing how small administrative rules enforced segregation without saying it out loud.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
Federal library grant guidelines now favor projects aligning with the White Hous's political vision, breaking from a nonpartisan past. This shift could chills free expression, pressure libraries and museums to reshape history, and undermine public trust.
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
Grant Guidelines for Libraries and Museums Take “Chilling” Political Turn Under Trump
Former Institute of Museum and Library Services leaders from both political parties expressed concern that the new funding guidelines could encourage a more constrained or distorted view of American h...
www.propublica.org
February 7, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Federal library grant guidelines now favor projects aligning with the White Hous's political vision, breaking from a nonpartisan past. This shift could chills free expression, pressure libraries and museums to reshape history, and undermine public trust.
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
Stop giving the NFL rights it doesn’t have. Owning the Super Bowl mark doesn’t automagically ban all commercial or public uses. Fair use applies, and mentioning the Super Bowl alone isn’t infringement
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
Reminder: Don’t Believe The NFL’s Lies About Its Super Bowl Trademarks
It’s been several years since we last did this, but I’d like to remind you all that the National Football League plays a lot of make believe when it comes to what its trademarks for the…
www.techdirt.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Stop giving the NFL rights it doesn’t have. Owning the Super Bowl mark doesn’t automagically ban all commercial or public uses. Fair use applies, and mentioning the Super Bowl alone isn’t infringement
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
Trump’s “he-conomy” revival is failing. A cartoon coal mascot can’t save coal, manufacturing, farming, or construction from automation, bad tariffs, and deregulation. Male-dominated industries keep shrinking under Trump’s own policies.
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
Donald Trump, Alpha President, Has Been a Disaster for the He-conomy
The manly industries have not thrived under the current administration. If anything, they’ve suffered.
www.thebulwark.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Trump’s “he-conomy” revival is failing. A cartoon coal mascot can’t save coal, manufacturing, farming, or construction from automation, bad tariffs, and deregulation. Male-dominated industries keep shrinking under Trump’s own policies.
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
Trust in journalism has shifted: people distrust “the press” as an institution but still trust the outlets they choose. Audiences respond to transparency, human voices, evidence, and clear process, especially younger readers shaped by the digital age.
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...
Why the Issues Around Newsrooms and Trust Aren’t Quite What You May Think
How it resembles trust in Congress, and why the problem is not limited to the young.
dicktofel.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Trust in journalism has shifted: people distrust “the press” as an institution but still trust the outlets they choose. Audiences respond to transparency, human voices, evidence, and clear process, especially younger readers shaped by the digital age.
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...
Right-leaning media amplified the opioid crisis as a story of disorder and crime, not public health, which helped drive hard-hit areas to vote more Republican.
How the opioid crisis turned places Republican
www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-the-op...
How the opioid crisis turned places Republican
www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-the-op...
How the opioid crisis turned places Republican
You can't give the right answer if you don't know the question.
www.theargumentmag.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Right-leaning media amplified the opioid crisis as a story of disorder and crime, not public health, which helped drive hard-hit areas to vote more Republican.
How the opioid crisis turned places Republican
www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-the-op...
How the opioid crisis turned places Republican
www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-the-op...
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been capitalism. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But capitalism has marked the time.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/03/t...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/03/t...
Turns Out They Didn’t Really Want You To Bring Your Whole Self To Work
For years, we watched Silicon Valley executives perform elaborate corporate theater about “values” and “belonging” and “bringing your whole self to work.” If you…
www.techdirt.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:26 PM
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been capitalism. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But capitalism has marked the time.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/03/t...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/03/t...
Ammon Bundy now calls ICE’s actions “tyranny” and a moral failure after recent killings, siding with humanitarian critiques. But many of his former militia allies praise ICE violence and back deportations, leaving Bundy isolated within the movement.
boingboing.net/2026/02/02/a...
boingboing.net/2026/02/02/a...
Ammon Bundy called ICE "tyranny." His militia allies disagree.
"They're willing to completely abandon that principle." Ammon Bundy on his former allies' support for ICE.
boingboing.net
February 4, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Ammon Bundy now calls ICE’s actions “tyranny” and a moral failure after recent killings, siding with humanitarian critiques. But many of his former militia allies praise ICE violence and back deportations, leaving Bundy isolated within the movement.
boingboing.net/2026/02/02/a...
boingboing.net/2026/02/02/a...
In crises like Minnesota ICE shootings, facts alone aren’t enough. Disinformation spreads via simple narratives. Treating false claims as equal to truth misleads; winning info wars requires clear, factual narratives people can remember.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
A War of Narratives
A battle among competing narratives has developed in Minnesota.
www.psychologytoday.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:15 PM
In crises like Minnesota ICE shootings, facts alone aren’t enough. Disinformation spreads via simple narratives. Treating false claims as equal to truth misleads; winning info wars requires clear, factual narratives people can remember.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
This piece matters because it separates real antisemitism from bad-faith conflation. The Jackson synagogue arson draws on a centuries-old, religiously rooted hatred of Jews, not criticism of Israel or support for Palestinians. Mixing them obscures the threat.
www.propublica.org/article/jack...
www.propublica.org/article/jack...
A Mississippi Synagogue Was Attacked in 1967 and 2026. The Antisemitic Rhetoric Looked the Same Then and Now.
A 19-year-old accused of setting a Mississippi synagogue on fire allegedly dubbed Beth Israel a “synagogue of Satan.” The phrase echoed antisemitic rhetoric used almost 60 years ago by a KKK leader ac...
www.propublica.org
February 4, 2026 at 1:53 PM
This piece matters because it separates real antisemitism from bad-faith conflation. The Jackson synagogue arson draws on a centuries-old, religiously rooted hatred of Jews, not criticism of Israel or support for Palestinians. Mixing them obscures the threat.
www.propublica.org/article/jack...
www.propublica.org/article/jack...
Trump’s cuts and mismanagement left tens of thousands without power for days after winter storms in deep-red Southern states. FEMA cutbacks and political priorities worsened the crisis, and Republicans would be outraged if a Democrat were president.
www.nationalmemo.com/trump-incomp...
www.nationalmemo.com/trump-incomp...
Trump's Incompetence Left Thousands Freezing In the Dark Across MAGA South
We all know that Trump has declared war on Blue America. He has made clear that he intends to use the full power of the presidency to make the people who didn’t vote for him suffer. He is even going s...
www.nationalmemo.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Trump’s cuts and mismanagement left tens of thousands without power for days after winter storms in deep-red Southern states. FEMA cutbacks and political priorities worsened the crisis, and Republicans would be outraged if a Democrat were president.
www.nationalmemo.com/trump-incomp...
www.nationalmemo.com/trump-incomp...