Frank D. Russo
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Frank D. Russo
@fdrtoday.bsky.social
Attorney, active in politics & public policy half a century starting with JFK & civil rights movement, Ex Publisher California Progress Report & Legal Counsel to Speaker of CA Assembly. Trying to enjoy life in difficult times with music, photography travel
Pinned
I’m a mediator & seek agreement on facts hence my banner at top with another FDR. I also work as an arbitrator where I decide truth amongst “alternative facts.”

With all the news & opinion maybe I should focus more on WHAT SHOULD BE DONE about this “fine mess” we’re in.
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New polling memo urges Senate Dems to ‘play hardball’ on ICE

The memo from the Searchlight Institute think tank, which was circulating among Senate Democrats, emphasizes reforming the agency

politi.co/3ZCfRZJ
New polling memo urges Senate Dems to ‘play hardball’ on ICE
The memo from the Searchlight Institute think tank, which was circulating among Senate Democrats, emphasizes reforming the agency.
politi.co
January 28, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Judge threatens to hold acting ICE director in contempt for flouting court orders
NBG News

The judge ordered the acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director appear in court and explain why ICE is violating a court order to give detainee a bond hearing or release him
bit.ly/3LO6qDt
Judge threatens to hold acting ICE director in contempt for flouting court orders
The judge ordered Lyons to either appear in court and explain why ICE is violating a Jan. 14 court order to give a detainee a bond hearing or release the detainee.
www.nbcnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions
by Adam Serwer
Atlantic Gift Article

If the Trump admin hoped a few rabble-rousers would get violent, but this is a real resistance, broad and organized and overwhelmingly nonviolent

bit.ly/4bRObr9
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
bit.ly
January 27, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Judges, inundated with immigration cases, don’t mince words on ICE tactics
Politico

Federal judges in Minnesota are overwhelmed with cases stemming from Operation Metro Surge

In all but a handful of cases judges have ruled the Trump admin violated the law sometimes flagrantly
bit.ly/49ZFlFg
Judges, inundated with immigration cases, don’t mince words on ICE tactics
Federal judges in Minnesota are overwhelmed with cases stemming from Operation Metro Surge.
bit.ly
January 27, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Trump Holds 2-Hour Meeting With Noem Amid Backlash to Minneapolis Shooting
NY Times Gift Article

Meeting is sign the president is concerned about fallout from the killing of Alex Pretti,shot by immigration agents

Trump did not suggest that Noem’s job was at risk

bit.ly/4jZ18BA
Trump Holds 2-Hour Meeting With Noem Amid Backlash to Minneapolis Shooting
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:51 PM
The Virginian -Pilot Cartoon
by Mike Luckovich

"She was brandishing a torch"

bit.ly/3M9DyFL
January 27, 2026 at 4:19 AM
High school history courses often teach Latin America as a place where the US exerts power, not as a region with it's own complex history
The Conversation

A more complete Latin American history helps students understand the complexities surrounding Nicolás Maduro’s arrest
bit.ly/4pWGLqd
A more complete Latin American history, including centuries of US influence, helps students understand the complexities surrounding Nicolás Maduro’s arrest
High school students in the US often learn about Latin America through the lens of the US, as a main character that exerts power.
bit.ly
January 27, 2026 at 2:20 AM
Greg Bovino Loses His Job (Breaking)
The Atlantic Gift Article

The Border Patrol chief has been ousted from his role as “commander at large,” and will return to El Centro

It's back to El Centro California on the border

bit.ly/4qJoMVm
Greg Bovino Loses His Job
The Border Patrol chief has been ousted from his role as “commander at large,” and will return to El Centro.
bit.ly
January 27, 2026 at 2:16 AM
Remembering the Boston Massacre as Minneapolis Writhes Under Occupation
Talking Points Memo
Josh Marshall

Opposition to garrisoning soldiers in civilian towns was a cornerstone of the American Revolution

It’s anachronistic to think that ICE or CBP don’t count as soldiers

History
bit.ly/3Z3NNyj
Remembering the Boston Massacre as Minneapolis Writhes Under Occupation
Opposition to garrisoning soldiers in civilian towns was a cornerstone of the...
bit.ly
January 27, 2026 at 2:08 AM
Scientist Horrified as ChatGPT Deletes All His "Research"
by Victor Tangermann

"No warning appeared. There was no undo option. Just a blank page."

This is a true story

I am not a big fan of AI. I write my own stuff and don't cotton to it being foisted on me. I like humans
bit.ly/3Z2Lk7j
Scientist Horrified as ChatGPT Deletes All His Research
A scientist admitted he'd "lost" two years' worth of "carefully structured academic work" after turning off ChatGPT's "data consent" option.
bit.ly
January 26, 2026 at 11:20 PM
How $16B in earmarks evaded conservative ire — and helped clinch a funding deal
Politico

Republican leaders have agreed to earmarks for thousands of pet projects in specific congressional districts

Still won't pass Senate as 60 votes needed
bit.ly/4q5FVHJ
How $16B in earmarks evaded conservative ire — and helped clinch a funding deal
Republican leaders have agreed to earmarks for thousands of pet projects in specific congressional districts.
bit.ly
January 26, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Trump’s Board of Peace, which solicits funds from foreign governments clearly violates the Constitution as it amounts to a long-prohibited emolument
Kyiv Post

Funds won't go to the Treasury and will be under Trump's personal control to spend even after he leaves office

Interesting
bit.ly/4qDHLjZ
January 26, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Voters See a Middle-Class Lifestyle as Drifting Out of Reach s
NYT Gift Article

Affordability of education, housing, health care, having a family and retirement are driving economic anxieties NYT/Siena poll found

But not all roses for Dems: 31% Trump responsible 35% blame Biden
nyti.ms/4bTbHnH
Voters See a Middle-Class Lifestyle as Drifting Out of Reach, Poll Finds
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Most Fox News Reporting on Minneapolis Shooting Supports Official Version
NYT Gift Article

Fox anchors were laser focused on promoting the Trump administration’s narrative that Alex Pretti had brought the violence upon himself

Just so you know what we're up against

bit.ly/4t7UwoP
Most Fox News Reporting on Minneapolis Shooting Supports Official Version
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Local Prosecution Is the Answer to Federal Lawlessness

This May Be the Only Path to Accountability for the Minneapolis Shootings
By law profs Barry Friedman and Stephen I. Vladeck
NYT Gift Article

People are wondering what can be done. The answer is right in front of us

bit.ly/4qRQxec
Opinion | This May Be the Only Path to Accountability for the Minneapolis Shootings
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:51 PM
The Lawyer for the Agent Who Shot Renee Good Thinks ICE Has Gone Too Far
Wall Street Journal

GOP candidate Chris Madel is dropping out of the Minnesota’s governor’s race, saying national Republicans "have made it nearly impossible"

“I can’t look my daughters in the eye"

bit.ly/4aeaKoJ
The Lawyer for the Agent Who Shot Renee Good Thinks ICE Has Gone Too Far
GOP candidate Chris Madel is dropping out of the Minnesota’s governor’s race, saying national Republicans “have made it nearly impossible.”
bit.ly
January 26, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Welcome to the American Winter
In frozen streets of Minneapolis something profound is happening
by Robert F. Worth
Atlantic Gift Article

Thousands of Minnesotans have been trained over the past year as legal observers, say they are not protesters but protectors of their communities
bit.ly/3NGcNZZ
Welcome to the American Winter
In the frozen streets of Minneapolis, something profound is happening.
bit.ly
January 26, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Believe Your Eyes
People are risking their lives to document agents in Minneapolis
by Charlie Warzel
Atlantic

We know about this violence, can see it ourselves from numerous angles—largely because of video and photographic evidence taken by everyday citizens

We're all journalists
bit.ly/3YZmqW4
Believe Your Eyes
People are risking their lives to document agents in Minneapolis.
bit.ly
January 26, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Trump Is Engineering Regime Change, Right Here at Home
by E.J. Dionne
NYT Gift Article

E.J. summarizes all that has gone on to conclude:

"Letting these early abuses of power slip by opened the way for the routinization of step-by-step regime change."

Here, not Venezuela

Read it
nyti.ms/3NQ9akd
Opinion | Trump Is Engineering Regime Change, Right Here at Home
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:25 AM
One year ago, Donald Trump took an oath to serve the American people. Instead, he has focused on using the presidency to enrich himself
NYT gift article

How Trump
Has Pocketed
$1,408,500,000

Lays out the documentation

Dwarfs EVERYTHING we have seen before, Teapot Dome & Watergate
bit.ly/4pWCq64
Opinion | How Much Can One Man Make From Being President? (Gift Article)
The president took an oath to serve the American people. Instead, he’s focused his second term on enriching himself and his family.
bit.ly
January 25, 2026 at 7:41 PM
The Logical End Point of Trump Saying He Could Shoot Somebody on Fifth Avenue

Distorting the reality of Alex Pretti’s killing
by Jonathan Chait
Atlantic Gift Article

It was 10 years ago: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters”
bit.ly/4aehp2c
The Logical End Point of Trump Saying He Could Shoot Somebody on Fifth Avenue
His administration is trying to distort the reality of Alex Pretti’s killing.
bit.ly
January 25, 2026 at 7:11 PM
The Trump Administration Is Lying to Our Faces. Congress Must Act
NYT Editorial Board gift article

The administration owes Americans a thorough investigation and a truthful accounting of the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis instead of engaging in a perversion of justice

bit.ly/4r7VH5z
Opinion | The Trump Administration Is Lying to Our Faces. Congress Must Act.
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 7:04 PM
National park pass buyers can’t cover Trump face so California woman made work-around
SF Chron Gift Article

Disappointed when she found new 2026 pass to 63 national parks features Trump instead of usual majestic vista

Interior Dep't. forbade covering face but removable shield works
bit.ly/4sUNBzb
National park pass buyers can’t cover Trump’s face, so a California woman made a work-around
A 25-year-old woman was disappointed when she found out the new America the Beautiful 2026 pass — her ticket to 63 national parks — features President Donald Trump’s face.
bit.ly
January 25, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Trump won’t attend Super Bowl in California, calls performers ‘terrible’
SF Chron Gift Article

Criticizing game’s entertainment lineup — including Bad Bunny and Green Day — while insisting his absence is largely about travel

“I’m anti-them"

Thin skinned and knows he would be booed

bit.ly/3Zx9Ayw
Trump won’t attend Super Bowl in California, calls performers ‘terrible’
President Donald Trump says he will skip the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, citing the distance from Washington while criticizing halftime headliner Bad Bunny.
bit.ly
January 25, 2026 at 6:35 PM
How Trump Is Remaking America, State by State
NYT Gift Article

The Times found evidence of change in all 50 states, no place left untouched

And Trump says that he is far from finished

Read about your state and others

He doesn't respect boundaries and we are no exception

bit.ly/3Ly8lfl
How Trump Is Remaking America, State by State (Gift Article)
Change is everywhere, manifestations of the sharp right turn that the president has promised for the country.
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:59 PM