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gowder.io
Paul Gowder
@gowder.io
18K followers 6.7K following 5.2K posts
Prof @ Northwestern law, political theorist, cat parent. Black lives matter. Profile, pubs, etc: https://gowder.io All my books (rule of law, racial justice, platform governance) are downloadable in free open access pdf @ https://books.gowder.io
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gowder.io
Paul Gowder @gowder.io · Sep 9
The president does not have the power to make laws. That’s literally the first (operative) sentence in the constitution.

The president does not have the power to make laws.

The president does not have the power to make laws.

The president does not have the power to make laws.
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chrispps.bsky.social
CxMxFx @chrispps.bsky.social · 2h
just a squad of depraved fuck-ups from top to bottom
donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 3h
"30-year-old conservative lawyer and activist who is Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, which deals with federal employee whistleblower complaints and discrimination" cancelled his colleague's hotel room so she would be forced to stay with him.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn’t have a hotel room. Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.
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jonsteinman.bsky.social
Jon Steinman @jonsteinman.bsky.social · 10h
The authoritarian coalition continues cracking. Trump is weak and his party knows it.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...
Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago
www.nytimes.com
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gowder.io
Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 3h
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gowder.io
Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 3h
Book 9 of Republic looking more and more accurate every day
newsguy.bsky.social
Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 6h
The Guardian- The US president may impose tariffs, demand higher NATO contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says, if on Friday he is not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. www.theguardian.com/world/202...
Norway braces for Trump’s reaction if he does not win Nobel peace prize
US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says
www.theguardian.com
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dmassey.bsky.social
Daniel @dmassey.bsky.social · 3h
Some coverage of our win today:

abc7chicago.com/post/federal...
Judge orders feds to dial back aggressive response to journalists, protesters in Chicago area
A ruling in federal court Thursday restricts the tactics used by DHS as they engage with protestors, members of the media and the public, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.
abc7chicago.com
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dmassey.bsky.social
Daniel @dmassey.bsky.social · 8h
Pleased to share that we won a TRO today significantly limiting the nature of the force that can be used by fed law enforcement in the Northern District of Illinois. Also reqs that agents wear unique identifiers (like badge #). Great plaintiffs & legal team. Order here www.loevy.com/wp-content/u...
www.loevy.com
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annabower.bsky.social
Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 4h
Important discovery fight taking shape in Kilmar Abrego Garcia's criminal case.

The question: Can the government assert privilege to avoid handing over documents that may be relevant to a defendant's vindictive prosecution claim?

Abrego's counsel says no.

www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.documentcloud.org
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sababausa.bsky.social
❀°。Der Siebenschläfer *.ﾟ✿ ⋆ @sababausa.bsky.social · 4h
Faraqui says the gov’t’s position is a magistrate’s role is purely ministerial and he has no power to reject any proffered indictments for any reason—beside noting the absurd implications of this argument, Faraqui notes he recently rejected an indictment in another case, and the gov’t didn’t object:
It should come as no surprise to the government that this Court serves as more than a mere rubber stamp on grand jury returns. Indeed, just last week, the undersigned refused a facially invalid indictment because the government failed to present a charge to the grand jury, as reflected in the poll sheet, that was in its indictment. The government acknowledged the error and informed the undersigned that they would resubmit their indictment at a later date.
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bjmquinn.bsky.social
Brian JM Quinn @bjmquinn.bsky.social · 4h
Masked desperados and thugs.
thetnholler.bsky.social
The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 14h
CHICAGO — Outside an elementary school during dismissal… horrifying. What have we become?
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drewmckevitt.bsky.social
Drew McKevitt @drewmckevitt.bsky.social · 5h
Years ago I was teaching my gun history class and at the end of the quarter one of the students said that he was in the campus TPUSA chapter and they put him up to taking the class to spy on me but he felt bad about that because he loved the class and learned a lot and had a great time
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gowder.io
Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 4h
Omg omg omg whattttt
coreyryung.bsky.social
Corey Rayburn Yung @coreyryung.bsky.social · 8h
I'm shocked the court thinks the lyrics couldn't be reasonably understood to say Drake was a pedophile:

🎶Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young
...
To any bitch that talk to him and they in love
Just make sure you hide your lil' sister from him
...
Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophile🎶
joshuajfriedman.com
Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8h
NEW: Federal judge dismisses Drake's defamation case against Kendrick Lamar storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 4h
Just getting ahead of the announcement tomorrow
donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 4h
"Sir, Seal Team Six has neutralized the Nobel Prize Committee"
Marco Rubio whispers into Trump's ears
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leilanawaz.bsky.social
Leila @leilanawaz.bsky.social · 5h
Judge blocks National Guard deployment in Illinois for 2 weeks

apnews.com/article/nati...

Thank you judge we shall not name lest your house be torched. Judge, you are truly doing God’s work. 🙏🏽
Judge blocks National Guard deployment in Illinois for 2 weeks
A judge has blocked the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago area for two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois.
apnews.com
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maddow.msnbc.com
Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 5h
"...including while she was praying with her eyes closed and hands lifted, wearing a clerical collar and stole."

religionnews.com/2025/10/07/i...
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newyorkstateag.bsky.social
New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 7h
This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.

I am not fearful — I am fearless.

We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights..
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reanderthal.bsky.social
Charlie @reanderthal.bsky.social · 5h
Have said this before. I think the most plausible optimistic scenario I can believe is an alliance with libertarian types to cripple the presidency back into its original role as administrator
gowder.io
Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 1d
This is really the quintessential failure of progressives, and the area where I think libertarians actually had a point (stopped clock and all): we have such a bad habit of getting fixed on the good things we want to do with government power that we forget that sometimes evil people get ahold of it
sharonk.bsky.social
Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 1d
as Goldsmith points out, it's kind of insane no one thought that reigning this in during the Biden years was a good idea:
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twardell.bsky.social
twardell.bsky.social @twardell.bsky.social · 6h
It's a different property.
bsky.app/profile/whey...
wheystandard.bsky.social
Whey Standard @wheystandard.bsky.social · 6h
They got the date right, James purchased a different property in Norfolk in 2020 by herself. The allegation is she labeled it a second home rather than an investment property, but then treated it as an investment property (which is often permissible under FNMA rules).
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govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 6h
Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law.

Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.

And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.
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kemek.bsky.social
Benjamin O. Anderson @kemek.bsky.social · 11h
"If the president says rebellion you have to let him do whatever he wants."

No we fucking don't.
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marcelias.bsky.social
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 6h
🚨BREAKING: A federal judge Thursday froze President Donald Trump’s attempt to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops in and around Chicago, saying the president lacked the authority to do so. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Chicago Military Deployment
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com
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adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com
Adam Gurri @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com · 18h
Read @aselrod.bsky.social today on how there’s no amount of real crime fighting that will win a political battle over fake crime
liberalcurrents.com
Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 18h
“There is no degree of acquiescence to Trumpism that will satisfy this administration or MAGA at large. All there is is a choice between offering a faint echo of the false reality they’re selling and creating dissonance by speaking the reality of the situation to the public.”
All In Our Heads: On Losing Our Democracy and Life Beyond Our Imaginations
Our language has to meet the moment, and we have to be relentless about dispelling the fiction MAGA is selling.
www.liberalcurrents.com
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gowder.io
Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 6h
In which the DOJ pretends that you can commit bank fraud by accident
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kenwhite.bsky.social
Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 6h
I’ve never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud.
joshuajfriedman.com
Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 7h
NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
INDICTMENT October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT: GENERAL ALLEGATIONS At all times relevant to this Indictment: 1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia. 2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10). 3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages, operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA"). 4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate #29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1). 5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom, (1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the "Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae. 6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property. 7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3). 8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan. 9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner- occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property. 10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s) of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification. 11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan. 12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia. COUNT ONE (Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344) 13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein. 14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank, financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. 15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her. (In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344). COUNT TWO (False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014) 16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein. 17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her. (In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014). FORFEITURE NOTICE Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. § 982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933. If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title 18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1). (In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)
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jenrubin.bsky.social
Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 8h
someone should tell Trump they don't give the Peace Prize to people who blow up boats and murder those on high seas nor to those who deploy military against their own people. NEVER.
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veenadubal.bsky.social
Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 7h
I am both immensely proud and wowed and inspired by @azizaahmed.bsky.social - sister of my heart! This is a work of history, love, brilliance, and resistance. I needed this today.
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