Steven Damron
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stevendamron.bsky.social
Steven Damron
@stevendamron.bsky.social
Author of Dear Mustafa. Order in local bookstores worldwide or from Amazon online. Writing Ghostwriter in Barcelona.

Bsky topics: Writing, AI, Barcelona, gay life, and fascism, not necessarily in that order.
Trump and the Supreme Court have no interest in due process.

Immigration enforcement is being turbo-charged at the expense of citizens' rights. There's no significant human benefit here except meeting Stephen Miller's quotas.

#fascism
The DHS Data Grab Is Putting US Citizens at Risk
As the US government rapidly merges data from across agencies in service of draconian immigration policies, citizens increasingly risk being caught up as well.
www.wired.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Thanks, RFK, Jr!

#fascism
Trump’s Golden Age.
December 11, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Steven Damron
According to a new court filing, the Trump administration has a six-page list of banned words that Head Start locations are forbidden from using when describing their programs.
Among the censored words: "disability," "race," "women," "trauma," "Gulf of Mexico." Short thread with the full list. 🧵
December 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Reposted by Steven Damron
Rough day on the farm beat.

@reuters.com @financialtimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Reposted by Steven Damron
Mpls Mayor Jacob Frey: "What we are seeing again & again is discrimination only to the extent that it applies to certain groups. So they're discriminating only as it applies to Latinos and Somalis ... you can't do that. You can't do that in Minneapolis. You can't do there anywhere in this country."
December 11, 2025 at 3:42 AM
The Christmas tree is up at Barcelona city hall.

City hall itself has a fun projection over its façade.

#BCN
December 11, 2025 at 11:18 AM
It's too early to say whether Trump's actions against Venezuela are really about oil.

Wait. No, it's not too early. What's the difference between Venezuela and Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Bolivia?

Why choose Venezuela first for kinetic force?

Oh, yeah, Trump is going to war for oil.

#fascism
US troops seize tanker off Venezuela coast, Trump says in daring move on tyrant
US forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, Donald Trump confirmed. This marks a major escalation in tensions between the nations – and is the strongest hint yet…
share.google
December 10, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Outside my normal wheelhouse, but note that chemicals are a regulatory space where you might prefer Europe's regulation-style to the US' regulation light.

Also, seems like AI could help a lot in determining the relationships between chemicals and disease.
Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water
New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.
www.wired.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Since Trump's imposition of tariffs, China's export surplus has increased to $1 trillion and the US trade deficit has ... well, look at the chart.

The Trump family has grifted billions, though, so it's all okay.

#fascism
December 10, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Along with the Miami mayoral win yesterday, will Republicans extend ACA subsidies?

I don't think Trump is that smart.

#fascism
Georgia Democrat flips a state House seat in district Trump won by double digits, CNN projects | CNN Politics
Democrats continued their run of successes in special elections by flipping a state House seat in Georgia Tuesday, according to a projection from the CNN Decision Desk.
share.google
December 10, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by Steven Damron
This is the economy that Donald Trump called "A++++++" today.
December 10, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Sorry, World Cup. Your host country won't allow your fans to watch the games.

#fascism
This is INSANE www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/t...

and these are our closest allies!
December 10, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Underscores the illegality of Kegbreath's boat strikes. If US attacks of civilians on the open sea were sanctioned under some law, there would be a clear answer about where to send survivors.

#fascism
BREAKING: At one point, the Pentagon considered sending boat strike survivors to CECOT torture prison in El Salvador to avoid discovery in US courts. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
Inside the Pentagon’s Scramble to Deal With Boat Strike Survivors
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Gaudi's Casa Batlló is aglow these days with Christmas cheer.

Also, as always, packed with tourists.

#BCN
December 10, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Proving once again that Trump's friends are above the law.

Perhaps Leavitt now understands that undocumented aliens are not, as she frequently says, criminal per se.

#fascism
​Mother of Karoline Leavitt's nephew released from ICE custody
Bruna Caroline Ferreira was taken into custody on Nov. 12 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts.
share.google
December 9, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Seems like Trump's tariffs are hurting the US a lot more than China.

#fascism #artofthefeel
How did China’s trade surplus hit $1 trillion?
Donald Trump’s trade tariffs have failed to hold back China's export dominance, which scaled new heights in November.
aje.io
December 9, 2025 at 4:03 PM
My problem with Trump's lies is explaining to European friends why the US is murdering alleged drug dealers in the Caribbean when the alleged drugs would be on their way to Europe rather than the US. Trump may think Europe is about to collapse, but he doesn't have to take their drugs away.

#fascism
JVL: By Trump's logic, if he blew up 1.2 of these boats, there would be zero cocaine deaths in U.S.
YouTube video by The Bulwark
youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Steven Damron
Rep. Jasmine Crockett announces her campaign for U.S. Senate for Texas with an ad that uses Trump’s own words against her.
December 8, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Steven Damron
Ha
Benny Johnson has nothing to hide.

by Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, and Mike Johnson
December 9, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Reposted by Steven Damron
Spencer is *the* journalist to read on how we are watching the abuses of the post-9/11 security state being replicated — but on meth. Seriously consider subscribing. www.forever-wars.com/torture-tech...
Torture Techniques from CIA Black Sites Were Used at Alligator Alcatraz
Amnesty International, interviewing migrant detainees, identifies use of the confinement box. There can be no denying it is a torture prison
www.forever-wars.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:26 AM
The video influencers are hard at work on Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona promoting Christmas gifts.

#BCN
December 9, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Steven Damron
"She said she repeatedly told the agents she’s a U.S. citizen.

“I just kept repeating it — I’m a U.S.-born citizen. I was born and raised here. This is my home. My baby’s waiting for me...”

She screamed “Leave me alone...”

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Video shows masked Border Patrol agent chasing woman back to her Louisiana home
Jacelynn Guzman said she is a U.S.-born citizen. The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that it "determined the individual in question was not the target."
www.nbcnews.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The Supreme Court has created a problem for justice. The combination of its presidential immunity ruling with pardon power gives Trump enormous leeway to break the law with the help of his soon-to-be pardoned staff.

It's a matter of time.

#fascism
Trump is immune from accountability for boat strikes. What about everyone under him? | CNN Politics
There is one person who can never face any accountability for the killing of people clinging to an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September.
share.google
December 8, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Even if I supported ICE activities, I'd have a lot of questions about how it can perform so poorly with its huge new resources.

But I don't support ICE, so I'd like it to waste taxpayers' money even more than it is already.

#fascism
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows
The figures don't include arrests made by Border Patrol, which has launched aggressive immigration operations in several cities in recent months.
share.google
December 8, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Steven Damron
This is a great explainer about the legality of the boat strikes. Or illegality, as it were. www.justsecurity.org/126156/exper...
Expert Q&A on the U.S. Boat Strikes
An expert Q & A on the Trump administration's lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats on the high seas.
www.justsecurity.org
December 7, 2025 at 6:22 PM