Todd H. Baker
@tbakerbroadmoor.bsky.social
Write and teach about all things fintech, banking, finreg. Man of the
Enlightenment, now sorely tried by life. Progress in finance is circular®
Enlightenment, now sorely tried by life. Progress in finance is circular®
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
NEW: 9 ex-DOJ lawyers who resigned from antisemitism investigations into UCLA and other UC campuses say they were pressured to find UC guilty of violations in a rushed and politically motivated process.
One called it a "fraudulent and sham investigation."
www.latimes.com/california/s...
One called it a "fraudulent and sham investigation."
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Times Investigation: Ex-Trump DOJ lawyers say 'fraudulent' UC antisemitism probes led them to quit
The Times spoke to nine former Department of Justice civil rights attorneys tasked with investigating antisemitism complaints at the University of California. They all resigned during their invetigati...
www.latimes.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:53 PM
NEW: 9 ex-DOJ lawyers who resigned from antisemitism investigations into UCLA and other UC campuses say they were pressured to find UC guilty of violations in a rushed and politically motivated process.
One called it a "fraudulent and sham investigation."
www.latimes.com/california/s...
One called it a "fraudulent and sham investigation."
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Australian news reporting that the hero bystander here is named Ahmed al Ahmed. Muslim, father of two.
December 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Australian news reporting that the hero bystander here is named Ahmed al Ahmed. Muslim, father of two.
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead
‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead
Exclusive: group behind notorious Florida immigration detention center created bid for reconstruction deal
Trump administration insiders and well-connected Republican businesses have been jostling to dominate pending humanitarian aid and reconstruction logistics in the shattered Gaza Strip, according to sources and documents reviewed by the Guardian.
With three-quarters of Gaza’s structures damaged or destroyed by two years of Israeli strikes, the rebuilding effort to come – estimated at $70bn by the United Nations – could be a rich prize for companies that specialize in construction, demolition, transportation and logistics. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 14, 2025 at 11:13 AM
‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
The thing about measles is that it’s the only known virus that triggers immune amnesia - it causes your immune system to forget everything it has previously learned. Meaning you essentially reset to zero and are now at risk of basically everything.
It can take 2-3 years to get immunities back.
It can take 2-3 years to get immunities back.
December 14, 2025 at 12:43 AM
The thing about measles is that it’s the only known virus that triggers immune amnesia - it causes your immune system to forget everything it has previously learned. Meaning you essentially reset to zero and are now at risk of basically everything.
It can take 2-3 years to get immunities back.
It can take 2-3 years to get immunities back.
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Incredible footage out of Australia, confirmed by NEWS AU, of a brave bystander neutralizing one of the terrorists in the Bondi Beach attack which took place during a Hanukkah gathering.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
December 14, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Incredible footage out of Australia, confirmed by NEWS AU, of a brave bystander neutralizing one of the terrorists in the Bondi Beach attack which took place during a Hanukkah gathering.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
So brave…so brave
Incredible footage out of Australia, confirmed by NEWS AU, of a brave bystander neutralizing one of the terrorists in the Bondi Beach attack which took place during a Hanukkah gathering.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
December 14, 2025 at 1:13 PM
So brave…so brave
When I look out my window. Many sights to see. [thank you Donovan]
December 14, 2025 at 1:12 PM
When I look out my window. Many sights to see. [thank you Donovan]
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
To the gun lobbyists who will inevitably claim the Bondi shootings show that Australia’s strict firearms laws are ineffective:
In 2023, the US had 4.42 gun homicides per 100,000 people.
Australia had 0.09 gun homicides per 100,000.
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rank...
In 2023, the US had 4.42 gun homicides per 100,000 people.
Australia had 0.09 gun homicides per 100,000.
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rank...
Gun Deaths by Country 2025
Data, information, and analysis regarding the number of gun deaths in every country of the world, including gun deaths in the United States.
worldpopulationreview.com
December 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM
To the gun lobbyists who will inevitably claim the Bondi shootings show that Australia’s strict firearms laws are ineffective:
In 2023, the US had 4.42 gun homicides per 100,000 people.
Australia had 0.09 gun homicides per 100,000.
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rank...
In 2023, the US had 4.42 gun homicides per 100,000 people.
Australia had 0.09 gun homicides per 100,000.
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rank...
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Someone apparently didn't read the last five pages in Mussolini's biography.
INBOX: James Fishback, a Republican candidate for Florida Governor who is accused by his competitor Rep. Byron Donald of statutory rape, released a campaign video today pledging "to make the trains run on time," a direct reference to the Fascist dictator of Italy Benito Mussolini
December 13, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Someone apparently didn't read the last five pages in Mussolini's biography.
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
What possible use could there be to adding these two bozos to that conversation? More gangster gong show? Just what Ukraine needs, right? So shaming for U.S.
s2.washingtonpost.com/461627e/693c...
s2.washingtonpost.com/461627e/693c...
Secret meetings between FBI and Ukraine negotiator spark concern
FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, have met with Ukraine’s top delegate amid a U.S. pressure campaign on Kyiv to trade land for peace.
s2.washingtonpost.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
What possible use could there be to adding these two bozos to that conversation? More gangster gong show? Just what Ukraine needs, right? So shaming for U.S.
s2.washingtonpost.com/461627e/693c...
s2.washingtonpost.com/461627e/693c...
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Well done, anti-vaxxers. Tired of winning?
December 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Well done, anti-vaxxers. Tired of winning?
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Things we learn:
1. Bovino's existence is the result of chain migration, which MAGA wants to ban
2. His family arrived legally under an immigration law MAGA wants to repeal
3. His father killed a woman while driving drunk, a crime for which MAGA aims to deport immigrants
And much more. Read it.
1. Bovino's existence is the result of chain migration, which MAGA wants to ban
2. His family arrived legally under an immigration law MAGA wants to repeal
3. His father killed a woman while driving drunk, a crime for which MAGA aims to deport immigrants
And much more. Read it.
Greg Bovino’s the star of Trump’s deportation show. We trace his roots.
As a boy, the Hollywood movie “The Border" set the course for his life. He couldn’t believe the Border Patrol agents in the movie were the bad guys. Now that he’s in charge of deportation efforts caus...
chicago.suntimes.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Things we learn:
1. Bovino's existence is the result of chain migration, which MAGA wants to ban
2. His family arrived legally under an immigration law MAGA wants to repeal
3. His father killed a woman while driving drunk, a crime for which MAGA aims to deport immigrants
And much more. Read it.
1. Bovino's existence is the result of chain migration, which MAGA wants to ban
2. His family arrived legally under an immigration law MAGA wants to repeal
3. His father killed a woman while driving drunk, a crime for which MAGA aims to deport immigrants
And much more. Read it.
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was enacted to keep the U.S. military out of civilian law enforcement except where authorized by Congress. bit.ly/47Qbde5
Why the Posse Comitatus Act Must Be Reformed
Significant exceptions and loopholes, along with a lack of enforcement mechanisms, undermine the law that prevents military involvement in law enforcement.
www.brennancenter.org
December 13, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was enacted to keep the U.S. military out of civilian law enforcement except where authorized by Congress. bit.ly/47Qbde5
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Two days after the House of Representatives voted to restore collective bargaining rights to federal employees, Trump moves to illegally end collective bargaining for TSA workers.
Trump may be the most anti-union president in American history.
Trump may be the most anti-union president in American history.
December 13, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Two days after the House of Representatives voted to restore collective bargaining rights to federal employees, Trump moves to illegally end collective bargaining for TSA workers.
Trump may be the most anti-union president in American history.
Trump may be the most anti-union president in American history.
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Corruption thrives by implicating everyone else into it
"House Democrats on Thursday voted to return Rep. Henry Cuellar to his leadership role on the House Appropriations Committee following his presidential pardon on federal corruption charges."
JICYMI - Shameful, repulsive move by House Democrats and their leaders. Disgraceful.
JICYMI - Shameful, repulsive move by House Democrats and their leaders. Disgraceful.
Democrats Return Henry Cuellar to Powerful Spending Post After Trump Pardon
“We got ratified,” Cuellar told reporters after the vote.
www.notus.org
December 13, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Corruption thrives by implicating everyone else into it
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."
Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling a...
www.archives.gov
December 13, 2025 at 4:05 PM
"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
As Sen. Jack Johnson & @MarshaBlackburn announce our state government is behind putting TP USA orgs in every high school in TN, seems worth pointing out despite Bannon helping Epstein even after what he did was known he is still a featured speaker at their upcoming event.
December 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM
As Sen. Jack Johnson & @MarshaBlackburn announce our state government is behind putting TP USA orgs in every high school in TN, seems worth pointing out despite Bannon helping Epstein even after what he did was known he is still a featured speaker at their upcoming event.
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
thanks brett kavanaugh!
Add to this that HSI just filed a declaration in our case challenging these policies saying they can’t trust REAL IDs as proof of status.
So showing your papers isn’t even enough to end the stop.
So showing your papers isn’t even enough to end the stop.
December 13, 2025 at 2:59 PM
thanks brett kavanaugh!
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
The newsletter is out. Usually it’s fairly light. This week, it’s about how Stephen Miller lies.
www.howtoreadthisch.art/data-is-anti...
www.howtoreadthisch.art/data-is-anti...
Data is anti-fascist
Last week, this newsletter was refreshingly apolitical. Well, that was then.
Chapter 1
What they want you to believe about immigrants
You don't need to travel too far up the branches of White House...
www.howtoreadthisch.art
December 13, 2025 at 3:15 PM
The newsletter is out. Usually it’s fairly light. This week, it’s about how Stephen Miller lies.
www.howtoreadthisch.art/data-is-anti...
www.howtoreadthisch.art/data-is-anti...
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites.
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
ICE Holding Chinese Man Who Documented Uyghur Camps
Heng Guan is awaiting an immigration hearing on Monday that could lead to his removal from the U.S. and ultimately land him back in China, according to his lawyer and a New York-based activist group.
www.wsj.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites.
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Given the general criminality and kleptocracy of the Trump regime, it’s worth noting how sexual abuse is a through line for the authoritarian right. The saga of the horrendous Tate brothers and a child sex and trafficking scandal uncovered in Orbans Hungary recently www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/w...
Judge Dismisses Most Claims Against Tate Brothers in Florida Lawsuit
www.nytimes.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Given the general criminality and kleptocracy of the Trump regime, it’s worth noting how sexual abuse is a through line for the authoritarian right. The saga of the horrendous Tate brothers and a child sex and trafficking scandal uncovered in Orbans Hungary recently www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/w...
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Bovino, the man overseeing mass deportations, publicly declared that we must all have our papers on us, at all times, or we could be stopped, harassed, kidnapped, and detained, as they did with the man in this case, who is a US citizen.
December 13, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Bovino, the man overseeing mass deportations, publicly declared that we must all have our papers on us, at all times, or we could be stopped, harassed, kidnapped, and detained, as they did with the man in this case, who is a US citizen.
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
It's not just social media. Looks like visitors to the US from Europe and other countries that are part of the visa waiver program will have to submit an enormous amount of data about themselves and their families, including DNA, if proposed new rules are accepted
December 12, 2025 at 12:24 PM
It's not just social media. Looks like visitors to the US from Europe and other countries that are part of the visa waiver program will have to submit an enormous amount of data about themselves and their families, including DNA, if proposed new rules are accepted
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
"Pluralistic visions of liberal democratic market societies will lose out to AI-driven ones unless we reimagine the role of technology in human affairs."
Glen Weyl has a fascinating and prescient piece at @wired.com —> www.wired.com/story/opinio...
Glen Weyl has a fascinating and prescient piece at @wired.com —> www.wired.com/story/opinio...
AI is An Ideology, Not A Technology
At its core, "artificial intelligence" is a perilous belief that fails to recognize the agency of humans.
www.wired.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM
"Pluralistic visions of liberal democratic market societies will lose out to AI-driven ones unless we reimagine the role of technology in human affairs."
Glen Weyl has a fascinating and prescient piece at @wired.com —> www.wired.com/story/opinio...
Glen Weyl has a fascinating and prescient piece at @wired.com —> www.wired.com/story/opinio...
Reposted by Todd H. Baker
Courts are using originalist arguments to expand executive power,weaken long-standing rights and protections, and entrench inequality. It’s crucial that lawyers push back. Our new guide shows you how. bit.ly/4iQ1v0B
Countering Originalism
This guide offers lawyers strategies, arguments, and citations to address originalist claims they encounter in litigation.
www.brennancenter.org
December 13, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Courts are using originalist arguments to expand executive power,weaken long-standing rights and protections, and entrench inequality. It’s crucial that lawyers push back. Our new guide shows you how. bit.ly/4iQ1v0B