Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Trump-tied firm Ballard Partners smashed the record for lobbying revenue in 2025. Many of their highest-paying clients were foreign companies that hired them since Trump's return to office, seeking access to the new administration.
Foreign Interests Are Paying Millions to a Trump-Linked Lobbying Firm
Ballard Partners’ foreign-interest lobbying business has boomed since Trump took office, signing up new clients from Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Albania, Uzbekistan, and more.
readsludge.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Trump-tied firm Ballard Partners smashed the record for lobbying revenue in 2025. Many of their highest-paying clients were foreign companies that hired them since Trump's return to office, seeking access to the new administration.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
can't help but think there is probably a corrosive effect of having sex trafficker-elite emails unveiled for months on end as one of the biggest cultural/news stories of the last year— unearthing an inexcusable moral rot in the upper echelons of power—but without any real accountability/justice
February 5, 2026 at 6:03 PM
can't help but think there is probably a corrosive effect of having sex trafficker-elite emails unveiled for months on end as one of the biggest cultural/news stories of the last year— unearthing an inexcusable moral rot in the upper echelons of power—but without any real accountability/justice
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Epstein had many known connections to Silicon Valley CEOs, but less known was how he made money from those relationships.
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
Jeffrey Epstein’s Money Mingled With Silicon Valley Start-Ups
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Epstein had many known connections to Silicon Valley CEOs, but less known was how he made money from those relationships.
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Thinking about this quote from @alexvitale.bsky.social (again) as Dems have begun to walk back the simplest demands to rein in ICE. As I noted in July, the anti-mask accountability bills proposed didn't have any teeth. After live-streamed extrajudicial killings, we're functionally in the same place.
February 5, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Thinking about this quote from @alexvitale.bsky.social (again) as Dems have begun to walk back the simplest demands to rein in ICE. As I noted in July, the anti-mask accountability bills proposed didn't have any teeth. After live-streamed extrajudicial killings, we're functionally in the same place.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Private prison companies, such as CoreCivic, have been a key partner to ICE as the government carried out its immigration agenda.
On the next episode of the Stories From The States podcast, we will take a look at how several states are pushing back.
www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stor...
On the next episode of the Stories From The States podcast, we will take a look at how several states are pushing back.
www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stor...
February 5, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Private prison companies, such as CoreCivic, have been a key partner to ICE as the government carried out its immigration agenda.
On the next episode of the Stories From The States podcast, we will take a look at how several states are pushing back.
www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stor...
On the next episode of the Stories From The States podcast, we will take a look at how several states are pushing back.
www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stor...
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
A 45-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assault after getting into a fistfight with a group of Texas teenagers who were protesting Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/05/m...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/05/m...
45-Year-Old Man Beaten Up By High Schoolers After Allegedly Attacking Them During ICE Walkout
A Texas man has been charged after getting into a fistfight with a group of teenagers who staged an ICE walkout
thebarbedwire.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:11 PM
A 45-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assault after getting into a fistfight with a group of Texas teenagers who were protesting Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/05/m...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/05/m...
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
This is a remarkable @nytimes.com split screen:
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
February 5, 2026 at 7:13 PM
This is a remarkable @nytimes.com split screen:
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Still looking for my fellow spooksters...original painting available
🩸Haunted Overlook🩸
🪦🪦🪦
Seascape original is available
Size: 5.5x11" Acryla gouache on paper
$600 (US shipping including)
DM to claim
🪦🪦🪦
Seascape original is available
Size: 5.5x11" Acryla gouache on paper
$600 (US shipping including)
DM to claim
February 5, 2026 at 9:35 PM
Still looking for my fellow spooksters...original painting available
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
From a 30-year-old bakery inside the Oakland Black Panther Party’s original HQ, to cafes, restaurants and ice cream parlors, these are the major Bay Area restaurant closings in January.
The 30-year-old bakery inside the former Black Panther Party Oakland headquarters has closed
From a 30-year-old bakery inside the Oakland Black Panther Party’s original HQ, to cafes, restaurants and ice cream parlors, these are the major Bay Area restaurant closings in January.
bit.ly
February 5, 2026 at 4:00 AM
From a 30-year-old bakery inside the Oakland Black Panther Party’s original HQ, to cafes, restaurants and ice cream parlors, these are the major Bay Area restaurant closings in January.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
FUNDAMENTALLY, of course, ICE must be abolished, and short of that, it must be stripped of funding and denied the opportunity to operate. So these proposals FAIL by not STARTING with ICE OUT OF OUR CITIES.
February 5, 2026 at 4:08 AM
FUNDAMENTALLY, of course, ICE must be abolished, and short of that, it must be stripped of funding and denied the opportunity to operate. So these proposals FAIL by not STARTING with ICE OUT OF OUR CITIES.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell
Somewhat devastating news today from the CIA: One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. There's not even a hint as to why they …
simonwillison.net
February 5, 2026 at 12:25 AM
The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
An interview with Kieran Blokhius, folklorist | “Trans people are happy being trans. It is not a mistake. It is a community. We have our own unique cultural expressions.”
theneedlenews.com/an-interview...
theneedlenews.com/an-interview...
An interview with Kieran Blokhius, folklorist
“Trans people are happy being trans. It is not a mistake. It is a community. We have our own unique cultural expressions.”
theneedlenews.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:02 AM
An interview with Kieran Blokhius, folklorist | “Trans people are happy being trans. It is not a mistake. It is a community. We have our own unique cultural expressions.”
theneedlenews.com/an-interview...
theneedlenews.com/an-interview...
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Kansas plans to invalidate trans individuals' driver's licenses, substituting them with IDs designed to expose them. The bill has now been approved, including provisions for ID revocation and a bathroom bounty. #TransRights #KansasNews
Kansas to revoke driver's licenses of trans people, replacing them with IDs meant to out them
This bill would be the harshest legal restriction on trans life anywhere in the United States, and is all but certain to pass.
theneedlenews.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Kansas plans to invalidate trans individuals' driver's licenses, substituting them with IDs designed to expose them. The bill has now been approved, including provisions for ID revocation and a bathroom bounty. #TransRights #KansasNews
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
again we do not really do a good job of explaining how wealthy people like Jeff Bezos are
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
February 4, 2026 at 5:41 PM
again we do not really do a good job of explaining how wealthy people like Jeff Bezos are
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
I got in SO MUCH trouble for this hugely viral tweet back in 2018 (from MAGA types mostly) but I stand by it (and in fact at the time the Auschwitz Museum defended me when people yelled at me that Auschwitz was a “death camp” not a concentration camp). My DENTIST congratulated me for this one
February 4, 2026 at 5:40 PM
I got in SO MUCH trouble for this hugely viral tweet back in 2018 (from MAGA types mostly) but I stand by it (and in fact at the time the Auschwitz Museum defended me when people yelled at me that Auschwitz was a “death camp” not a concentration camp). My DENTIST congratulated me for this one
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Striking from new Quinnipiac poll:
*Voters prefer path to legalization over deportations for most undocs by 59-34. Among independents it's 61-33
*Majority says Trump on immigration is making America less safe
Again, there's broad rejection of the whole project, not just ICE tactics (see below)
*Voters prefer path to legalization over deportations for most undocs by 59-34. Among independents it's 61-33
*Majority says Trump on immigration is making America less safe
Again, there's broad rejection of the whole project, not just ICE tactics (see below)
February 4, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Striking from new Quinnipiac poll:
*Voters prefer path to legalization over deportations for most undocs by 59-34. Among independents it's 61-33
*Majority says Trump on immigration is making America less safe
Again, there's broad rejection of the whole project, not just ICE tactics (see below)
*Voters prefer path to legalization over deportations for most undocs by 59-34. Among independents it's 61-33
*Majority says Trump on immigration is making America less safe
Again, there's broad rejection of the whole project, not just ICE tactics (see below)
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
The only thing that could have prevented this is preserving the 90% tax rates of the 1950s. Billionaires do this because they’re billionaires. (Preserving the media consolidation rules Regan killed would have helped too.)
I get that everyone is feeling raw but if you are gonna jump on here and chide people for cancelling their WaPo subscriptions you should be able to explain how increased circulation revenue would have prevented this.
February 4, 2026 at 7:12 PM
The only thing that could have prevented this is preserving the 90% tax rates of the 1950s. Billionaires do this because they’re billionaires. (Preserving the media consolidation rules Regan killed would have helped too.)
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
“Sign up for the Gestapo here”: Students at UVU staged a protest today after learning Customs and Border Protection would be recruiting at a job fair on campus.
(Photos by The Tribune’s Rick Egan)
Read more here: https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2026/02/04/uvu-job-fair-what-school-officials/
(Photos by The Tribune’s Rick Egan)
Read more here: https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2026/02/04/uvu-job-fair-what-school-officials/
February 4, 2026 at 7:37 PM
“Sign up for the Gestapo here”: Students at UVU staged a protest today after learning Customs and Border Protection would be recruiting at a job fair on campus.
(Photos by The Tribune’s Rick Egan)
Read more here: https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2026/02/04/uvu-job-fair-what-school-officials/
(Photos by The Tribune’s Rick Egan)
Read more here: https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2026/02/04/uvu-job-fair-what-school-officials/
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
"We have no way of reconciling what these cases will do to water supplies."
New from Miranda Williamson: The world’s largest artificial intelligence data center complex is being built in Amarillo, and it’s almost seven times the size of Central Park.
New from Miranda Williamson: The world’s largest artificial intelligence data center complex is being built in Amarillo, and it’s almost seven times the size of Central Park.
The Texas AI Boom is Outpacing Water Regulations
Each data center can “drink” as much as an entire community. Yet, Texas does not require these tech firms to disclose projected or actual water consumption.
www.texasobserver.org
February 4, 2026 at 7:40 PM
"We have no way of reconciling what these cases will do to water supplies."
New from Miranda Williamson: The world’s largest artificial intelligence data center complex is being built in Amarillo, and it’s almost seven times the size of Central Park.
New from Miranda Williamson: The world’s largest artificial intelligence data center complex is being built in Amarillo, and it’s almost seven times the size of Central Park.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
OPINION: "Heaven forbid we acknowledge that those who established the United States of America weren’t the 'heroes' (those) who mistake nationalism for patriotism want them to be perceived as," Features Editor Nate Schumann writes.
Editor’s Note | Hiding Black History Will Never Erase It
Features Editor Nate Schumann discusses a recent incident in Philadelphia involving the federal censorship of “unfavorable” U.S. history.
buff.ly
February 4, 2026 at 7:45 PM
OPINION: "Heaven forbid we acknowledge that those who established the United States of America weren’t the 'heroes' (those) who mistake nationalism for patriotism want them to be perceived as," Features Editor Nate Schumann writes.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Tear gas is banned in international warfare, yet classified as a “riot control agent” that law enforcement can use for crowd control.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
Tear Gas Is Way More Dangerous Than Police Let On
In the middle of a respiratory pandemic, law enforcement agencies have used tear gas in especially dangerous ways. The chemical agent also seeps into homes, contaminates food, furniture, skin and surf...
www.propublica.org
February 3, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Tear gas is banned in international warfare, yet classified as a “riot control agent” that law enforcement can use for crowd control.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
After Pinterest laid off 15% of its staff to focus on an AI-forward approach," several engineers at the company created software to track the layoffs.
Pinterest then fired the engineers.
Pinterest then fired the engineers.
February 4, 2026 at 4:10 PM
After Pinterest laid off 15% of its staff to focus on an AI-forward approach," several engineers at the company created software to track the layoffs.
Pinterest then fired the engineers.
Pinterest then fired the engineers.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Up now on @indyweek.bsky.social, an excerpt from this essential new @uncpress.bsky.social release. It tells the story of Wyatt Outlaw - a voting rights crusader and Graham’s first Black elected official. He was lynched in 1870. There are no public markers for his life yet, but now there’s a book.
Welcome to Alamance County, North Carolina
An excerpt from "The Legend of Wyatt Outlaw: From Reconstruction through Black Lives Matter" by Sylvester Allen Jr. and Belle Boggs.
indyweek.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Up now on @indyweek.bsky.social, an excerpt from this essential new @uncpress.bsky.social release. It tells the story of Wyatt Outlaw - a voting rights crusader and Graham’s first Black elected official. He was lynched in 1870. There are no public markers for his life yet, but now there’s a book.
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
FWIW, the only way I'd trust a billionaire to "help" save one of these legacy news orgs is if they bought it, transferred ownership to a worker-owned collective of actual journalists (not right wing Substackers), and walked away.
About as likely to happen as a cop arresting an ICE agent, so...
About as likely to happen as a cop arresting an ICE agent, so...
February 4, 2026 at 3:54 PM
FWIW, the only way I'd trust a billionaire to "help" save one of these legacy news orgs is if they bought it, transferred ownership to a worker-owned collective of actual journalists (not right wing Substackers), and walked away.
About as likely to happen as a cop arresting an ICE agent, so...
About as likely to happen as a cop arresting an ICE agent, so...
Reposted by Korrick (he/him)
Dozens of U.S. House Democrats and leaders of several caucuses rallied on a chilly Tuesday morning outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the nation’s capital, demanding the resignation, firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
US House Democrats call for Kristi Noem’s firing in rally outside ICE headquarters • Ohio Capital Journal
Dozens of U.S. House Democrats and leaders of several caucuses rallied on a chilly Tuesday morning outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the nation's capital, demanding the…
ohiocapitaljournal.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Dozens of U.S. House Democrats and leaders of several caucuses rallied on a chilly Tuesday morning outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the nation’s capital, demanding the resignation, firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.