Jon Fasman
@jonfasman.bsky.social
Senior culture correspondent, The Economist. Podcaster: "The Intelligence", "Checks and Balance". Ex-DC, Singapore, Atlanta, London, Moscow, Providence. Author: "The Geographer's Library," "The Unpossessed City," "We See It All".
It seems the administration is discovering in real time that political leverage in a democracy (or indeed among liberal democracies) stems from restraint. Nobody likes or long tolerates being bullied.
"In Minnesota, we will continue to follow the letter of the law, which requires us to protect the private data of our voters.
"It is deeply disturbing that the US AG would make this unlawful request a part of an apparent ransom to pay for our state’s peace & security.*
www.kttc.com/2026/01/25/m...
"It is deeply disturbing that the US AG would make this unlawful request a part of an apparent ransom to pay for our state’s peace & security.*
www.kttc.com/2026/01/25/m...
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon releases statement in response to U.S. AG Pam Bondi letter
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has issued a statement in response to a letter written by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to Governor Tim Walz.
www.kttc.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:33 PM
It seems the administration is discovering in real time that political leverage in a democracy (or indeed among liberal democracies) stems from restraint. Nobody likes or long tolerates being bullied.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Here's a regular white guy (literally "Chad") not a protester. because, "It seemed pointless, or just a way for people to expiate their sense of guilt." Chad witnessed something shattering. And, that all changed in a moment.
Excellent article!
Excellent article!
January 26, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Here's a regular white guy (literally "Chad") not a protester. because, "It seemed pointless, or just a way for people to expiate their sense of guilt." Chad witnessed something shattering. And, that all changed in a moment.
Excellent article!
Excellent article!
Reposted by Jon Fasman
At the Alex Pretti memorial this afternoon, people are unfurling four very large banners.
They read, "How many more will ICE murder? How many more funerals? How many more...how many more?"
They read, "How many more will ICE murder? How many more funerals? How many more...how many more?"
January 25, 2026 at 10:13 PM
At the Alex Pretti memorial this afternoon, people are unfurling four very large banners.
They read, "How many more will ICE murder? How many more funerals? How many more...how many more?"
They read, "How many more will ICE murder? How many more funerals? How many more...how many more?"
Reposted by Jon Fasman
A thread of MAGA protesting with guns and not getting murdered for it...
Arizona, November 2020
Arizona, November 2020
January 25, 2026 at 10:22 PM
A thread of MAGA protesting with guns and not getting murdered for it...
Arizona, November 2020
Arizona, November 2020
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Quite a statement by the Republican governor of Vermont
January 25, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Quite a statement by the Republican governor of Vermont
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Literally EVERYTHING else aside:
Officers involved in shootings - even shootings that everybody agrees were justified - always take time off to emotionally process their experience, go to therapy, process it.
Sending somebody right back out says "this is an everyday part of your job, expect it."
Officers involved in shootings - even shootings that everybody agrees were justified - always take time off to emotionally process their experience, go to therapy, process it.
Sending somebody right back out says "this is an everyday part of your job, expect it."
CBP chief Bovino has confirmed that the officers who executed Alex Pretti in the street yesterday are not only *not on administrative leave,* they have all been reassigned to other jurisdictions and are all on the street today.
This is totally unheard of for any officer-involved shooting
This is totally unheard of for any officer-involved shooting
January 25, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Literally EVERYTHING else aside:
Officers involved in shootings - even shootings that everybody agrees were justified - always take time off to emotionally process their experience, go to therapy, process it.
Sending somebody right back out says "this is an everyday part of your job, expect it."
Officers involved in shootings - even shootings that everybody agrees were justified - always take time off to emotionally process their experience, go to therapy, process it.
Sending somebody right back out says "this is an everyday part of your job, expect it."
Reposted by Jon Fasman
This witness to Alex Pretti's murder not only refutes the governmen't story, but says she is afraid to go home because federal agents might arrest her. This is what it feels like to live under state terror.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
TincherSealedWitnessDec012426.PDF
www.documentcloud.org
January 25, 2026 at 2:43 PM
This witness to Alex Pretti's murder not only refutes the governmen't story, but says she is afraid to go home because federal agents might arrest her. This is what it feels like to live under state terror.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
I think a lot of us get hope wrong. Hope, I do not believe, is an emotion. In fact, hope makes space for lots of emotions to exist alongside it. You can DO hope scared, angry, sad etc...
Hope doesn't find us. We make hope through action and struggle. It's a practice of living and is re-made daily.
Hope doesn't find us. We make hope through action and struggle. It's a practice of living and is re-made daily.
January 25, 2026 at 2:05 AM
I think a lot of us get hope wrong. Hope, I do not believe, is an emotion. In fact, hope makes space for lots of emotions to exist alongside it. You can DO hope scared, angry, sad etc...
Hope doesn't find us. We make hope through action and struggle. It's a practice of living and is re-made daily.
Hope doesn't find us. We make hope through action and struggle. It's a practice of living and is re-made daily.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
There are about 100 protesters outside Schumer’s building in the middle of the blizzard urging him to whip Dem votes against any more ICE/CBP funding.
January 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM
There are about 100 protesters outside Schumer’s building in the middle of the blizzard urging him to whip Dem votes against any more ICE/CBP funding.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone ... this is not sustainable."
January 25, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone ... this is not sustainable."
Reposted by Jon Fasman
A. Of course you can
B. It wasn't a protest
B. It wasn't a protest
Kash Patel: "You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It's that simple. You don't have a right to break the law." (Pretti was carrying a gun legally.)
January 25, 2026 at 3:50 PM
A. Of course you can
B. It wasn't a protest
B. It wasn't a protest
“losing more innocent lives or whatever”
Good question Congressman
Let's see. Would we rather live with our hard-working immigrant neighbors or masked thugs who are murdering our friends? Hard choice.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Let's see. Would we rather live with our hard-working immigrant neighbors or masked thugs who are murdering our friends? Hard choice.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
January 25, 2026 at 5:59 PM
“losing more innocent lives or whatever”
Reposted by Jon Fasman
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
January 25, 2026 at 5:39 PM
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
If this is true (and that’s not a small if), it is reasonable to posit that Bezos is trying to offload the Post. Or kill it altogether.
Sports is a top driver of traffic and subscriptions for most news sites.
And we’ve seen how Bezos and Lewis have mangled the Opinion section.
Sports is a top driver of traffic and subscriptions for most news sites.
And we’ve seen how Bezos and Lewis have mangled the Opinion section.
January 25, 2026 at 2:48 AM
If this is true (and that’s not a small if), it is reasonable to posit that Bezos is trying to offload the Post. Or kill it altogether.
Sports is a top driver of traffic and subscriptions for most news sites.
And we’ve seen how Bezos and Lewis have mangled the Opinion section.
Sports is a top driver of traffic and subscriptions for most news sites.
And we’ve seen how Bezos and Lewis have mangled the Opinion section.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Utterly inhumane behaviour. "In sworn court filings, a doctor who offered to render aid to Mr. Pretti described how agents initially hesitated and asked him for proof of a medical license."
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Minneapolis Live Updates: State Seeks Access to Evidence as Federal Officials Blame Shooting Victim
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Utterly inhumane behaviour. "In sworn court filings, a doctor who offered to render aid to Mr. Pretti described how agents initially hesitated and asked him for proof of a medical license."
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
James O'Keefe says he's never seen anything so organized as the anti-ICE movement, observers--he seems to think this term is code--everywhere he goes. Who is paying for it??? he demands to know. It's like he can't even imagine people caring for one another.
January 25, 2026 at 4:41 AM
James O'Keefe says he's never seen anything so organized as the anti-ICE movement, observers--he seems to think this term is code--everywhere he goes. Who is paying for it??? he demands to know. It's like he can't even imagine people caring for one another.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
The people who spent years defending and even lionizing Kyle Rittenhouse and Ashli Babbitt now want us to believe that an unarmed mother in her car and a disarmed nurse were domestic terrorists who deserved to be murdered by law enforcement.
January 25, 2026 at 4:26 AM
The people who spent years defending and even lionizing Kyle Rittenhouse and Ashli Babbitt now want us to believe that an unarmed mother in her car and a disarmed nurse were domestic terrorists who deserved to be murdered by law enforcement.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
“.. It was the first time Evans could recall state investigators with jurisdiction over a crime scene being denied access by federal officers. ‘We’re in uncharted territory here,’ he said.”
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/us-news/poli...
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/us-news/poli...
January 25, 2026 at 1:17 PM
“.. It was the first time Evans could recall state investigators with jurisdiction over a crime scene being denied access by federal officers. ‘We’re in uncharted territory here,’ he said.”
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/us-news/poli...
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/us-news/poli...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
One thing that irks me: people keep calling the folks on the streets in Minneapolis protestors. They are not generally there to protest, they are there to observe and document. This is the product of organizing and mutual aid. It is telling that these acts of citizenship are seen as protest!
January 24, 2026 at 9:29 PM
One thing that irks me: people keep calling the folks on the streets in Minneapolis protestors. They are not generally there to protest, they are there to observe and document. This is the product of organizing and mutual aid. It is telling that these acts of citizenship are seen as protest!
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Her half-done picture was everywhere, with its slit eyes, greenish flat face and a shaggy hood of hair. People were calling it “Monkey Jesus” and “Ecce Mono” (Behold the Monkey). Yet not so long afterwards, a wonder occurred
Cecilia Giménez only meant to be helpful
The creator of the “Monkey Jesus” died on December 29th, aged 94
econ.st
January 25, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Her half-done picture was everywhere, with its slit eyes, greenish flat face and a shaggy hood of hair. People were calling it “Monkey Jesus” and “Ecce Mono” (Behold the Monkey). Yet not so long afterwards, a wonder occurred
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Tonight, on behalf of Minnesota law enforcement, I filed a lawsuit against DHS to prevent the destruction of evidence related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
DHS is not above the law, and Alex sure as hell is not beneath it.
DHS is not above the law, and Alex sure as hell is not beneath it.
January 25, 2026 at 2:44 AM
Tonight, on behalf of Minnesota law enforcement, I filed a lawsuit against DHS to prevent the destruction of evidence related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
DHS is not above the law, and Alex sure as hell is not beneath it.
DHS is not above the law, and Alex sure as hell is not beneath it.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Imagine this in a trial.
Devastating first-hand witness to Alex Pretti's killing
Declaration filed in federal court:
"I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him."
Devastating first-hand witness to Alex Pretti's killing
Declaration filed in federal court:
"I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him."
January 25, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Imagine this in a trial.
Devastating first-hand witness to Alex Pretti's killing
Declaration filed in federal court:
"I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him."
Devastating first-hand witness to Alex Pretti's killing
Declaration filed in federal court:
"I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him."
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Even when there’s no accountability, the record matters. Credit to the Wikipedia editors maintaining this page.
Deaths, detentions and deportations of American citizens in the second Trump administration - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 25, 2026 at 3:09 AM
Even when there’s no accountability, the record matters. Credit to the Wikipedia editors maintaining this page.
Our country was founded on resistance to tyranny.
Attorney General Pam Bondi: "Our country was founded on law enforcement"
Bondi: "It's extremely organized. The signs they have are all matching, they're well written. And look at what's happening today. How did these people go out & get gas masks? These protesters. Would you know how to walk out on the street and buy a gas mask? Think about that. We're not gonna have it"
January 25, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Our country was founded on resistance to tyranny.