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Vanessa Enriquez-Rios

@pt007.bsky.social

2.6K followers 4.9K following 9K posts

Cancer & Developmental Biology, PhD👩‍🔬 🏳️‍🌈 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Organic Chemistry, MS UCLA, Go Bruins 💙 💛 Chemistry, BS UCSC, Go Slugs 💙💛 Encephalitis Warrior 🧠🔥 Politics Southern Illinois

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Vanessa Enriquez-Rios @pt007.bsky.social · Apr 20

A hard, necessary 💊 to swallow.

"Coalitions of the like-minded are important, but they are not enough to defend democracy. The most effective coalitions are those that bring together groups with dissimilar—even opposing—views on many issues. They are built not among friends but among adversaries. An effective coalition in defense of American democracy, then, would likely require that progressives forge alliances with business executives, religious (and particularly white evangelical) leaders, and red-state Republicans. To Business leaders may not be natural allies of Democratic activists, but they have good reasons to oppose an unstable and rule-breaking administration. And they can be powerful partners. Think of recent boycott movements aimed at state governments that refused to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, continued to fly the Confederate flag, or violated gay or transgender rights. When major businesses join progressive boycotts, they often succeed.

Steven Levitsky, How Democracies Die

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 4h

Donald Trump: Stop trying to incite Illinoisans into violence. Pack up and go home.

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Melissa Ryan @melissaryan.bsky.social · 3h

After Pritzker and Newsom threatened to leave the NGA, the Republican Chair breaks with Trump. Pressure works. Keep it up!

Alex Wayne @aawayne.bsky.social · 12h

“Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

The Republican chair of the National Governors Association breaks with Trump.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

www.nytimes.com

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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 7h

🚨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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Regime Accountant, CPA ☠️🎢 @regimecpa.bsky.social · 8h

Grand juries being the piece of the judicial system that holds up is lol

Pop Crave @popcrave.com · 8h

Federal charges against a Chicago couple who were arrested for protesting against ICE were dropped after a grand jury refused to indict them.

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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 12h

BREAKING: A federal judge in Illinois has blocked Trump administration authorities from using force against journalists in the Chicago area — including threats or arrest or riot control weapons. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 7h

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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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 7h

This is the genius of the Portland protests - they make the claims of lawlessness look not just wrong, but comical

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 9h

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8h

More here:

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8h

It appears that Lindsay Halligan's prosecution of Letitia James has been assigned to Biden appointee Jamar K. Walker.

James is represented by Abbe Lowell.

U.S. District Court
Eastern District of Virginia - (Norfolk)
CRIMINAL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 2:25-cr-00122-JKW-DEM All Defendants
RECAP Actions y
Case title: USA v. James
Assigned to: District Judge Jamar K. Walker Referred to: Magistrate Judge Douglas E.
Miller
Defendant (1)
Letitia A. James
Date Filed: 10/09/2025
represented by Abbe David Lowell
Lowell & Associates, PLLC

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Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 7h

I’ve never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8h

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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James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 7h

“I’ll declare war on you if you don’t give me the peace prize” is an incredible bit

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 8h

trump was prosecuted for real crimes and now he's punishing the people who prosecuted him with fake crimes

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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 8h

New statement from AG James:

"This is nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice system.

"I am not fearful — I am fearless."

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 1d

This article by @radiofreetom.bsky.social is a must read for all those wearing the uniform, but as importantly for all those wanting to maintain our Constitutional republic.

www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here

The leaders of the U.S. military may soon face a terrible decision.

www.theatlantic.com

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Vanessa Enriquez-Rios @pt007.bsky.social · 8h

www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9h

i know grand juries have a relatively low bar for bringing indictments but i find myself wondering WTF is up with some of these grand jurors

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Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 9h

Worth emphasizing that there are serious questions about whether or not Lindsey Halligan is even legally in her job

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Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 10h

fucking WOOF

Scoop: Dominion Voting sold to company run by ex-GOP election official

Dominion is one of the biggest election equipment providers and was used by 27 states during the 2024 election.

www.axios.com

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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 9h

Indicting your political enemies because they’re your enemies, not because they’ve committed crimes, is unAmerican.

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Jacob Shamsian @jayshams.bsky.social · 11h

I've been wondering why Dominion Voting Systems suddenly reached settlements with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and One America News.

Turns out, it's been purchased by a Republican-owned election tech firm that insisted on it, per Axios.

www.axios.com/2025/10/09/d...

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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 9h

The Attorney General of New York has been indicted on two federal counts: prosecuting Donald Trump while black, and prosecuting Donald Trump while female.

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 10h

I knew Fox News was theater. I just didn't realize it was a repertory theater that recycles actors for different roles.

You'd think a company that had to pay $787,000,000 for deceiving its viewers would be a little more careful about blatantly continuing the practice.

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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 10h

Brett Kavanaugh assures me this is the sort of minor inconvenience that shouldn't disturb anyone.

CollinCountyDems @collincountydems.bsky.social · 11h

This is terrifying!

ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)

This is Trump’s America.

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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 10h

Brett Kavanaugh: “The Govt sometimes makes brief investigative stops …”

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rev. howard arson @theophite.bsky.social · 10h

i cannot believe that he keeps bragging about passing a mini mental status exam

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10h

Trump: "I also did a cognitive exam. Which is always very risky because if I didn't do well, you'd be the first to be blaring it and I had a perfect score. And one of the doctors said he's almost never seen a perfect score. I had a perfect score. That made me well good ... not the easiest test."

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Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 9h

NEW: Federal judge dismisses Drake's defamation case against Kendrick Lamar storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The issue in this case is whether "Not Like Us" can reasonably be understood to convey as a factual matter that Drake is a pedophile or that he has engaged in sexual relations with minors. In light of the overall context in which the statements in the Recording were made, the Court holds that it cannot.

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