Ian Vandewalker
@ianvan.bsky.social
Policy advocacy and research on money in politics and disinformation. Senior Counsel & Manager, Brennan Center.
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
British mum detained by ICE agents in California as six-month old baby and stunned husband watch on | LBC
Katie Paul, 33, was in the process of applying for a green card when she was ambushed by immigration agents
www.lbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
Trump is the only president to fundraise for a super PAC while constitutionally prohibited from running again. (To be fair, only one other president, Obama, even had the chance.) www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/u...
Trump to Hold Two Fund-Raisers for His Super PAC Next Year
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Trump is the only president to fundraise for a super PAC while constitutionally prohibited from running again. (To be fair, only one other president, Obama, even had the chance.) www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/u...
Convicted of defrauding the govt of $38M and pardoned by Trump after spending almost $1M to lobby for a pardon. Admin says lobbying had nothing to do with pardon decision. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
The case of a felon who paid lobbyists nearly $1 million to seek a Trump pardon
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million. Seven months later, Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying t...
www.washingtonpost.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Convicted of defrauding the govt of $38M and pardoned by Trump after spending almost $1M to lobby for a pardon. Admin says lobbying had nothing to do with pardon decision. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
"How did the technology sector achieve so much power under the second Trump administration? One undeniable factor is money – more than $1 BILLION in influence spending" www.citizen.org/article/robo...
Robo-Trump: Big Tech’s Big Spending and the Republican Effort to Delete State Laws Against AI Harms - Public Citizen
www.citizen.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
"How did the technology sector achieve so much power under the second Trump administration? One undeniable factor is money – more than $1 BILLION in influence spending" www.citizen.org/article/robo...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Americans overwhelmingly agree on a range of key democracy issues, like limiting the influence of the wealthy, cultural pluralism, facts matter, and violence is unacceptable. news.gallup.com/poll/696494/...
Americans Show Consensus on Many Democracy-Related Matters
A Kettering Foundation/Gallup survey finds most Americans support political compromise, view multiculturalism as a strength and reject political violence.
news.gallup.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Americans overwhelmingly agree on a range of key democracy issues, like limiting the influence of the wealthy, cultural pluralism, facts matter, and violence is unacceptable. news.gallup.com/poll/696494/...
These idiots are lying about vaccines to pander to the politics of cruel stupidity, and they are going to kill children.
The CDC amended its website to suggest that vaccines may cause autism. It now declares that experts “ignored” a potential link between infant vaccination and autism, and asserts that its earlier rejection of such a link was not “evidence-based.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/h...
C.D.C. Changes Website to Reflect Kennedy’s Vaccine Skepticism
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:24 PM
These idiots are lying about vaccines to pander to the politics of cruel stupidity, and they are going to kill children.
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Good morning. I've got a banger new post out today that develops a new method for placing voters on the left-right ideological spectrum, and adds a new, "non-ideological"/affordability axis to usual way we chart & think about US voters (esp swing voters). www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
Not just left vs right: Most voters think about affordability and material wellbeing, not in ideological terms
Most voters want a party that emphasizes cost of living issues and makes the world a better place. Few Americans think in solidly ideologically terms. "Moderates" are mostly non-ideological.
www.gelliottmorris.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Good morning. I've got a banger new post out today that develops a new method for placing voters on the left-right ideological spectrum, and adds a new, "non-ideological"/affordability axis to usual way we chart & think about US voters (esp swing voters). www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Ought to be front-page headlines.
Trump is calling for the six Democratic lawmakers who urged the military not to follow any illegal orders to be arrested, and he’s reposting replies saying they should be hanged and calling them terrorists.
November 20, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Ought to be front-page headlines.
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
wrote about the president’s flagrant and destructive corruption in a column that references street fighter, the simpsons, machiavelli, and a host of revolutionary-era americans (gift link)
Opinion | The White House Gold Rush Is On
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:51 AM
wrote about the president’s flagrant and destructive corruption in a column that references street fighter, the simpsons, machiavelli, and a host of revolutionary-era americans (gift link)
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
The majority of the corporations known to have donated to the fund for Trump's new White House ballroom are represented by three lobbying firms. www.cbsnews.com/news/corpora...
Majority of corporate Trump ballroom donors represented by 3 lobbying firms, watchdog says
Lobbyists from the three firms mingled with top tech executives and President Trump at a dinner for White House ballroom donors last month.
www.cbsnews.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The majority of the corporations known to have donated to the fund for Trump's new White House ballroom are represented by three lobbying firms. www.cbsnews.com/news/corpora...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
NEW:
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
www.propublica.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:08 AM
NEW:
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
Coinbase CEO says the company gave to Trump's ballroom fund to "keep good relations with the White House." www.axios.com/2025/11/18/t...
Exclusive: Coinbase explains donation to Trump's ballroom
Tech firms like Google, Amazon, and Nvidia also donated to Trump's ballroom fund.
www.axios.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Coinbase CEO says the company gave to Trump's ballroom fund to "keep good relations with the White House." www.axios.com/2025/11/18/t...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
79-year-old Paul Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a WWII German refugee camp. His family legally emigrated to the U.S. when he was 5.
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
Sanford grandfather, born in refugee camp, nabbed by ICE after 70 years in U.S.
Paul Bojerski never gained official residency, but he checked in regularly with ICE for years. Then in July, at age 79, he was detained and sent to Alligator Alcatraz.
www.orlandosentinel.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:18 PM
79-year-old Paul Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a WWII German refugee camp. His family legally emigrated to the U.S. when he was 5.
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
ICIJ’s latest investigation The #CoinLaundry is now live!
Tap the link to read how the crypto boom minted a shadow economy that thrives on crime — and left a trail of devastated victims.
Tap the link to read how the crypto boom minted a shadow economy that thrives on crime — and left a trail of devastated victims.
The Coin Laundry, a global cryptocurrency investigation
How the crypto boom minted a shadow economy that thrives on crime — and left a trail of devastated victims.
www.icij.org
November 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM
ICIJ’s latest investigation The #CoinLaundry is now live!
Tap the link to read how the crypto boom minted a shadow economy that thrives on crime — and left a trail of devastated victims.
Tap the link to read how the crypto boom minted a shadow economy that thrives on crime — and left a trail of devastated victims.
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
NEW: Trump Invests in Media Merger His Administration Controls readsludge.com/2025/11/17/t...
Trump Invests in Media Merger His Administration Controls
Days after the Ellison family expressed interest in buying Warner Bros. Discovery, Trump bought up to $1 million in its debt. He is now reportedly pushing the deal to be approved.
readsludge.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:05 PM
NEW: Trump Invests in Media Merger His Administration Controls readsludge.com/2025/11/17/t...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
We're now up to over 40 persons pardoned by Trump facing charges for new crimes. The recidivism rate is exceptionally high. Showing that the people sentenced were in fact hardened criminals... but wealthy enough to buy their pardons. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Ponzi Schemer Who Got Trump Clemency Faces 50 Years in New Fraud
A convicted Ponzi schemer whose 24-year prison term was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021 now faces as much as 50 years behind bars for an investor fraud that took place after his clemency.
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:02 PM
We're now up to over 40 persons pardoned by Trump facing charges for new crimes. The recidivism rate is exceptionally high. Showing that the people sentenced were in fact hardened criminals... but wealthy enough to buy their pardons. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
A strategy that helped antiabortion activists in their quest to overturn Roe v. Wade could also work for campaign finance reform: enacting state "trigger laws" that challenge the legitimacy of Citizens United. bit.ly/3Xsczat
State Legislatures Can Push Back Against Citizens United
State lawmakers can fight the influence of big money in politics by passing trigger laws that would go into effect if the Supreme Court’s misguided ruling is reversed.
www.brennancenter.org
November 13, 2025 at 8:58 PM
A strategy that helped antiabortion activists in their quest to overturn Roe v. Wade could also work for campaign finance reform: enacting state "trigger laws" that challenge the legitimacy of Citizens United. bit.ly/3Xsczat
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
No single reform can eliminate corruption or fully repair the public’s faith in government. But codifying the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses would be a powerful start. bit.ly/43MmpHM
How Congress Can Rein in Surging Political Corruption
Federal lawmakers can protect the American public by passing a new law to fully implement the Constitution’s oldest anticorruption safeguards.
www.brennancenter.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:03 PM
No single reform can eliminate corruption or fully repair the public’s faith in government. But codifying the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses would be a powerful start. bit.ly/43MmpHM
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
BREAKING: The Trump administration seeks an emergency pause to a court order demanding full November SNAP payments.
Trump administration seeks to halt SNAP food aid payments after a court order
The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to distribute November’s full SNAP benefits during a U.S. government shutdown. U.S.
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 3:34 PM
BREAKING: The Trump administration seeks an emergency pause to a court order demanding full November SNAP payments.
An important piece of the anti-corruption puzzle... www.brennancenter.org/our-work/pol...
Codifying the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses
To prevent corruption, the Constitution prohibits the president and other officials from receiving untoward benefits. Congress, however, must take action to enable enforcement.
www.brennancenter.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
An important piece of the anti-corruption puzzle... www.brennancenter.org/our-work/pol...
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
At $16 million in campaign spending, the PA retention elections are the second most expensive retention elections ever. But the justices themselves have only raised $4 million, the bulk of the spending is by outside interest groups. 2/
October 30, 2025 at 4:11 PM
At $16 million in campaign spending, the PA retention elections are the second most expensive retention elections ever. But the justices themselves have only raised $4 million, the bulk of the spending is by outside interest groups. 2/
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
The welfare state is about dignity, equality, and making people not poor, but as @itsafronomics.bsky.social says/cites here, it’s often also an investment that more than pays for itself
Why should you 🫵🏿 care about SNAP? SNAP recipients saw:
- Improved life expectancy
- Lower chance of incarceration
- Lowers chance of poverty
- Lived in better neighborhoods
- Higher human capital
SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!
- Improved life expectancy
- Lower chance of incarceration
- Lowers chance of poverty
- Lived in better neighborhoods
- Higher human capital
SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!
November 2, 2025 at 3:58 PM
The welfare state is about dignity, equality, and making people not poor, but as @itsafronomics.bsky.social says/cites here, it’s often also an investment that more than pays for itself
Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
NEW: Jury selection begins in the trial of sandwich guy today. The prosecutors are accusing him of "throwing a meat sandwich" at "point-blank range."
POINT-BLANK RANGE 💀 www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
POINT-BLANK RANGE 💀 www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Jury selection begins in the trial of D.C.'s 'sandwich guy'
Sean Dunn went viral this summer for throwing a salami sub at a Customs and Border Protection agent.
www.nbcnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
NEW: Jury selection begins in the trial of sandwich guy today. The prosecutors are accusing him of "throwing a meat sandwich" at "point-blank range."
POINT-BLANK RANGE 💀 www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
POINT-BLANK RANGE 💀 www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...