Robert Downen
@robertdownen.bsky.social
Texas Monthly writer focused on the far right, Christian nationalism and the billionaires funding them. Helped expose the Southern Baptist abuse crisis. Fan of Hip Hop and loud guitars. Send me music.
Pinned
This Texas Church Became a Political Machine. Now It’s Going National.
With a prayer house across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building, leaders of the Fort Worth–based Mercy Culture Church are taking their spiritual battle to Washington, D.C.
www.texasmonthly.com
“The Lord is sending his son back, and he’s coming with fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth.”
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
Reposted by Robert Downen
Per AAG Harmeet Dhillon’s X page, the DOJ is now investigating this protest.
This may frustrate the Trump admin’s religious critics, as the DOJ doesn’t appear to have investigated (at least publicly) any of the incidents where clergy have been shot w/pepper balls/tear gas/etc. by DHS agents.
This may frustrate the Trump admin’s religious critics, as the DOJ doesn’t appear to have investigated (at least publicly) any of the incidents where clergy have been shot w/pepper balls/tear gas/etc. by DHS agents.
January 19, 2026 at 2:06 AM
Per AAG Harmeet Dhillon’s X page, the DOJ is now investigating this protest.
This may frustrate the Trump admin’s religious critics, as the DOJ doesn’t appear to have investigated (at least publicly) any of the incidents where clergy have been shot w/pepper balls/tear gas/etc. by DHS agents.
This may frustrate the Trump admin’s religious critics, as the DOJ doesn’t appear to have investigated (at least publicly) any of the incidents where clergy have been shot w/pepper balls/tear gas/etc. by DHS agents.
Reposted by Robert Downen
NEW: Three top U.S. Catholic clerics — Cardinals Cupich (Chicago), McElroy (Washington DC) and Tobin (Newark) — have issued a joint statement railing against recent U.S. foreign policy moves regarding Ukraine, Venezuela, and Greenland.
January 19, 2026 at 3:36 PM
NEW: Three top U.S. Catholic clerics — Cardinals Cupich (Chicago), McElroy (Washington DC) and Tobin (Newark) — have issued a joint statement railing against recent U.S. foreign policy moves regarding Ukraine, Venezuela, and Greenland.
These guys rule.
I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)
open.spotify.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:37 PM
These guys rule.
Reposted by Robert Downen
“The Lord is sending his son back, and he’s coming with fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth.”
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
This Texas Church Became a Political Machine. Now It’s Going National.
With a prayer house across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building, leaders of the Fort Worth–based Mercy Culture Church are taking their spiritual battle to Washington, D.C.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:04 PM
“The Lord is sending his son back, and he’s coming with fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth.”
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
Reposted by Robert Downen
Breaking news: The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation alleging that they are impeding federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to do their jobs in the state.
Justice Dept. launches criminal investigation of Minnesota governor
The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation into impeding law enforcement.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Breaking news: The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation alleging that they are impeding federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to do their jobs in the state.
Reposted by Robert Downen
“I see Jezebel circling the White House. She’s in the form of a snake; her neck is a python. And I watch her slither around the White House twice. The first time going around was Hillary . The second one was Kamala. There is a demonic attack."
This Texas Church Became a Political Machine. Now It’s Going National.
With a prayer house across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building, leaders of the Fort Worth–based Mercy Culture Church are taking their spiritual battle to Washington, D.C.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM
“I see Jezebel circling the White House. She’s in the form of a snake; her neck is a python. And I watch her slither around the White House twice. The first time going around was Hillary . The second one was Kamala. There is a demonic attack."
Reposted by Robert Downen
The Virginia legislature today passed four constitutional amendments, all by day 3 of 2026 session:
—protect abortion rights
—repeal the same-sex marriage ban
—allow mid-decade redistricting
—greatly expand voting rights restoration.
These will all go to 2026 referendums.
—protect abortion rights
—repeal the same-sex marriage ban
—allow mid-decade redistricting
—greatly expand voting rights restoration.
These will all go to 2026 referendums.
January 16, 2026 at 7:50 PM
The Virginia legislature today passed four constitutional amendments, all by day 3 of 2026 session:
—protect abortion rights
—repeal the same-sex marriage ban
—allow mid-decade redistricting
—greatly expand voting rights restoration.
These will all go to 2026 referendums.
—protect abortion rights
—repeal the same-sex marriage ban
—allow mid-decade redistricting
—greatly expand voting rights restoration.
These will all go to 2026 referendums.
Reposted by Robert Downen
NEW: Trump’s DHS forces have shot 11 people since September. NBC News examined every case, revealing a pattern that policing experts called alarming: officers firing into cars, injuring and killing drivers.
Trump's DHS has shot 11 people during immigration enforcement operations since September
The ICE and Border Patrol shootings show a pattern that policing experts say is alarming: officers firing into cars and injuring and killing drivers.
www.nbcnews.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:30 PM
NEW: Trump’s DHS forces have shot 11 people since September. NBC News examined every case, revealing a pattern that policing experts called alarming: officers firing into cars, injuring and killing drivers.
Reposted by Robert Downen
Just hours after Renee Good was shot, one member of Customs and Border Patrol’s elite tactical team on an adjacent street fired a less-lethal weapon five times in less than five minutes, with four shots aimed at the faces of protestors. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...
Analysing One Federal Agent’s Use of Less-Lethal Launcher in Minneapolis
After the fatal shooting of Renee Good, Border Patrol agent "EZ-17" was filmed shooting less-lethal munitions at protesters five times in five minutes.
www.bellingcat.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Just hours after Renee Good was shot, one member of Customs and Border Patrol’s elite tactical team on an adjacent street fired a less-lethal weapon five times in less than five minutes, with four shots aimed at the faces of protestors. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...
Occasional reminder that Joe Lonsdale recently bragged about co-founding Palantir to cleanse the western hemisphere of communists — a term which, per this Politico piece, he defines extremely broadly.
January 16, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Occasional reminder that Joe Lonsdale recently bragged about co-founding Palantir to cleanse the western hemisphere of communists — a term which, per this Politico piece, he defines extremely broadly.
“There is every reason to believe that what was just experienced by a Washington Post reporter was just the tip of the iceberg of things to come."
The threat to freedom of the press is real, we used to say. Can't say that any more. It's not a threat. The first small laps in a far larger wave are here.
That part in blue. Agonizingly true. What looked sturdy was way flimsier than we — than I — thought. view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
That part in blue. Agonizingly true. What looked sturdy was way flimsier than we — than I — thought. view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
January 16, 2026 at 7:23 PM
“There is every reason to believe that what was just experienced by a Washington Post reporter was just the tip of the iceberg of things to come."
Reposted by Robert Downen
The threat to freedom of the press is real, we used to say. Can't say that any more. It's not a threat. The first small laps in a far larger wave are here.
That part in blue. Agonizingly true. What looked sturdy was way flimsier than we — than I — thought. view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
That part in blue. Agonizingly true. What looked sturdy was way flimsier than we — than I — thought. view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
January 16, 2026 at 6:52 PM
The threat to freedom of the press is real, we used to say. Can't say that any more. It's not a threat. The first small laps in a far larger wave are here.
That part in blue. Agonizingly true. What looked sturdy was way flimsier than we — than I — thought. view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
That part in blue. Agonizingly true. What looked sturdy was way flimsier than we — than I — thought. view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
“I see Jezebel circling the White House. She’s in the form of a snake; her neck is a python. And I watch her slither around the White House twice. The first time going around was Hillary . The second one was Kamala. There is a demonic attack."
This Texas Church Became a Political Machine. Now It’s Going National.
With a prayer house across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building, leaders of the Fort Worth–based Mercy Culture Church are taking their spiritual battle to Washington, D.C.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM
“I see Jezebel circling the White House. She’s in the form of a snake; her neck is a python. And I watch her slither around the White House twice. The first time going around was Hillary . The second one was Kamala. There is a demonic attack."
Reposted by Robert Downen
More of the blood-soaked, sword-wielding Jesus stuff.
“The Lord is sending his son back, and he’s coming with fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth.”
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
This Texas Church Became a Political Machine. Now It’s Going National.
With a prayer house across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building, leaders of the Fort Worth–based Mercy Culture Church are taking their spiritual battle to Washington, D.C.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:23 PM
More of the blood-soaked, sword-wielding Jesus stuff.
DHS made a recruitment post proclaiming “We’ll Have Our Home Again,” a popular song in neo-Nazi spaces that features lines about reclaiming “our home” by “blood or sweat.”
DHS Used Neo-Nazi Anthem for Recruitment After Fatal Minneapolis ICE Shooting
The federal government is openly embracing white nationalist online content — including in a recent recruitment post.
theintercept.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:32 PM
DHS made a recruitment post proclaiming “We’ll Have Our Home Again,” a popular song in neo-Nazi spaces that features lines about reclaiming “our home” by “blood or sweat.”
Reposted by Robert Downen
The FBI searching Hannah Natanson’s home for classified documents is an attack on the first amendment meant to chill sources and journalism. Her reporting this year has been outstanding.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
F.B.I. Searches Home of Washington Post Journalist for Classified Documents
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:08 PM
The FBI searching Hannah Natanson’s home for classified documents is an attack on the first amendment meant to chill sources and journalism. Her reporting this year has been outstanding.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
Reposted by Robert Downen
This is 10th-grader Arnoldo Bazan.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
January 13, 2026 at 10:20 PM
This is 10th-grader Arnoldo Bazan.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
Reposted by Robert Downen
NEW: Far-right Zionist group Betar US will disband following an investigation by NY State Attorney General Letitia James into the group's "violence against and harassment of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish activists" and failure to register as a charity in NY despite soliciting donations.
January 13, 2026 at 9:10 PM
NEW: Far-right Zionist group Betar US will disband following an investigation by NY State Attorney General Letitia James into the group's "violence against and harassment of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish activists" and failure to register as a charity in NY despite soliciting donations.
Texas Public Policy Foundation, the right-wing think tank closely tied to the Heritage Foundation and Trump admin, is hosting an event later this month on CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood and aversaries to "Western values." Two state reps - including 10 Commandments bill author Candy Noble - are panelists.
January 13, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Texas Public Policy Foundation, the right-wing think tank closely tied to the Heritage Foundation and Trump admin, is hosting an event later this month on CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood and aversaries to "Western values." Two state reps - including 10 Commandments bill author Candy Noble - are panelists.
Reposted by Robert Downen
I spoke with Martin Peterson, the philosophy professor at Texas A&M University who had to remove Plato readings from a course syllabus to comply with school policies against teaching "race and gender ideology." He says he's replaced that material with media coverage of this censorship.
Professor Forbidden to Teach Plato Assigns Article About University Censorship Instead
Texas A&M philosophy professor Martin Peterson is using the censorship of Plato from his course syllabus to teach his students about freedom of speech
www.rollingstone.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:57 PM
I spoke with Martin Peterson, the philosophy professor at Texas A&M University who had to remove Plato readings from a course syllabus to comply with school policies against teaching "race and gender ideology." He says he's replaced that material with media coverage of this censorship.
Much more on this here!
January 13, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Much more on this here!
“The Lord is sending his son back, and he’s coming with fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth.”
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
This Texas Church Became a Political Machine. Now It’s Going National.
With a prayer house across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building, leaders of the Fort Worth–based Mercy Culture Church are taking their spiritual battle to Washington, D.C.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:04 PM
“The Lord is sending his son back, and he’s coming with fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth.”
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
I looked at the rapid political expansion of Mercy Culture, a Texas-based church network that believes its fighting spiritual war against Jezebels, and now has a direct line to the White House.
"'I felt like I was going to die' said 16-yr-old citizen."
BREAKING:
We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing
People have had seizures. They passed out.
“I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen
Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing
People have had seizures. They passed out.
“I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen
Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
January 13, 2026 at 3:15 PM
"'I felt like I was going to die' said 16-yr-old citizen."
Reposted by Robert Downen
BREAKING:
We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing
People have had seizures. They passed out.
“I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen
Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing
People have had seizures. They passed out.
“I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen
Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
January 13, 2026 at 12:06 PM
BREAKING:
We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing
People have had seizures. They passed out.
“I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen
Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing
People have had seizures. They passed out.
“I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen
Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Reposted by Robert Downen
Wow — New YouGov / Economist poll:
46% support abolishing ICE
43% oppose abolishing ICE
This is the first time that abolishing ICE has received net positive support
46% support abolishing ICE
43% oppose abolishing ICE
This is the first time that abolishing ICE has received net positive support
January 13, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Wow — New YouGov / Economist poll:
46% support abolishing ICE
43% oppose abolishing ICE
This is the first time that abolishing ICE has received net positive support
46% support abolishing ICE
43% oppose abolishing ICE
This is the first time that abolishing ICE has received net positive support