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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Jul 17

The National Guard troopers confirming what everyone suspected; they don't want to be there.

Six members of the Guard — including infantrymen, officers and two officials in leadership roles — spoke of low morale and deep concern that the deployment may hurt recruitment for the state-based military force for years to come. Those who were interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity, because military orders bar Guard personnel from publicly discussing the federal deployment and they feared retribution for talking to the media.

All but one of the six expressed reservations about the deployment. Several said they had raised objections themselves or knew someone who objected, either because they did not want to be involved in immigration crackdowns or felt the Trump administration had put them on the streets for what they described as a “fake mission.”

The New York Times reached out to a broad pool of soldiers seeking interviews about the deployment. While a small sample, the six soldiers’ comments aligned with other signs of poor morale.

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 15

Juan Masullo and I wrote a piece on the recent assassination attempt on Senator Uribe in Bogotá, its connections to the drug war, how it echoes the past, and why it is only the most visible form of how the drug war undermines democracy. 1/2

Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 15

"On June 7...Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot multiple times," write Juan Masullo and Abbey Steele. "The attempted assassination...has rocked Colombia, a country where such political violence feels all too familiar."

www.journalofdemocra...

How Drug Wars Destroy Democracy | Journal of Democracy

Colombia’s drug war has ravaged the country — leaving tens of thousands dead, disappeared, or displaced and entire communities broken. Democracy is among the casualties.

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 15

"Powerful drug-trafficking organizations use violence to operate outside the rule of law, control who can and cannot run for local office, and eliminate community leaders who stand up to them. The attempt on Senator Uribe’s life underscores a grim fact: Democracy is among the drug war’s casualties."

abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 15

Juan Masullo and I wrote a piece on the recent assassination attempt on Senator Uribe in Bogotá, its connections to the drug war, how it echoes the past, and why it is only the most visible form of how the drug war undermines democracy. 1/2

Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 15

"On June 7...Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot multiple times," write Juan Masullo and Abbey Steele. "The attempted assassination...has rocked Colombia, a country where such political violence feels all too familiar."

www.journalofdemocra...

How Drug Wars Destroy Democracy | Journal of Democracy

Colombia’s drug war has ravaged the country — leaving tens of thousands dead, disappeared, or displaced and entire communities broken. Democracy is among the casualties.

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · Jul 12

The proposed Dutch law criminalising assistance to migrants
A critical analysis, by Huub Verbaten - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/07/a-du...

A Dutch dangerous experiment in criminalizing compassion: How a parliamentary "slip-up" could create Europe's harshest migration law

Huub Verbaten , Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute Photo credit : Markus Bernet, via Wikimedia commons On the evening of Jul...

eulawanalysis.blogspot.com

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The New Humanitarian @newhumanitarian.bsky.social · Jul 10

BCG helped set up a militarised aid scheme in Gaza, widely condemned by the humanitarian sector, and worked on cost models for relocating Palestinians out of the territory.

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Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · Jul 5

Russia’s entire military budget is only $145 billion. Stephen Miller got even more than that to expel people who don’t pass his racial standards—including naturalized citizens. And when they’re done with that, they’ll come after critics. When they create a gulag economy that big, it doesn’t go away.

Bolts @boltsmag.org · Jul 5

$171 billion: That’s the sum the Republican megabill pours into President Trump's immigration agenda. “This money is going to ingrain immigration enforcement in all aspects of local law enforcement,” says an analyst at the American Immigration Council. boltsmag.org/how-the...

How the GOP Megabill Would Turbocharge Local Immigration Enforcement

Congress is pouring tens of billions of dollars into more immigration detention, private jails, and border operations, plus new ICE partnerships with local police and sheriffs.

boltsmag.org

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 4

it is also striking what the top 4 are! - they don't care about them either.
(though the Dems haven't been much better lately.)

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 4

It also makes ICE better funded than most national militaries -- by a wide margin. This is the expansion of a secret police force.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Jul 3

With this vote, Congress makes ICE the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency in history, with more money per year at its disposal over the next four years than the budgets of the FBI, DEA, ATF, US Marshals, and Bureau of Prisons combined.

Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · Jul 3

🚨🚨 NEW: House passes sprawling domestic policy bill, sending it to Trump's desk

Final House vote is 218-214, with TWO Rs voting no (Massie & Fitzpatrick).

Senate passed it 51-50.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

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EPSS @epssnet.bsky.social · Jun 26

🚨 Big News for European Political Science 🚨

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the European Political Science Society (EPSS): a new, member-led, not-for-profit association built to support our scholarly community.

🔗 epssnet.org

Here’s a thread with everything you need to know.

🧵

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James Martin, SJ @jamesmartinsj.bsky.social · Jul 2

Laughing in front of cages designed to hold migrants and refugees, many of whom came to this country fleeing extreme violence and poverty, and hoping to raise their children in a more compassionate country. And many of whom followed all the legal procedures to enter the country.

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 2

"From what I can tell, ICE is a secret police when acting in a public space...The comparativist in me wants to think about other police forces in history which had such broad and ill-defined powers. But such comparisons are too frightening."

adamprzeworski.substack.com/p/week-19

WEEK 19

adamprzeworski.substack.com

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 2

"...the only ideas offered by Democrats come from its left wing. The rest of the party is just catatonic. Its leadership is patiently waiting for Trump to fail, generously granting them electoral victory while attending weddings of billionaries."

Adam Przeworski @adamprz.bsky.social · Jul 2

Still at it: adamprzeworski.substack.com/p/week-20

WEEK 20

adamprzeworski.substack.com

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jul 2

Gisteren vroeg een collega mij nog of ik inmiddels een Nederlandse nationaliteit had, en was verbaasd toen ik zei dat dat niet mogelijk is (zonder afstand te doen van mijn Amerikaanse nationaliteit, wat nogal een gedoe is).

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Janina Dill @janinadill.bsky.social · Jul 1

Four points I wish public and media commentary understood about #genocide in #Gaza, why legal experts are reluctant to diagnose gencoide and what that does NOT mean 🧵

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · Jun 26

Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, has sent a letter to Pam Bondi calling for Zohran Mamdani to be stripped of his citizenship and deported.

Andy Ogles: Zohran "little muhammad" Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED. Which is why I am calling for him to be subject to denaturalization proceedings.
Attached is my letter to @AGPamBondi.

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Erica Chenoweth @chenoweth.bsky.social · Jun 25

@adamprz.bsky.social on ICE's authorities & operating procedures: "The comparativist in me wants to think about other police forces in history which had such broad and ill-defined powers. But such comparisons are too frightening."

WEEK 19

adamprzeworski.substack.com

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jun 23

an expert panel across Dutch universities has released a report that recommends cutting all institutional ties with Israeli universities - not on a case-by-case basis: academictiesisrael.nl
@antigonesdream.bsky.social

Academic Ties Israel

academictiesisrael.nl

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Stone Cold Jane Austen @abbyhiggs.bsky.social · Jun 22

It’s a good thing Congress isn’t alive to see this

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jun 21

gross

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Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · Jun 19

This is more notice than they are prepared to give people before deporting them

CNN @cnn.com · Jun 19

The Department of Homeland Security is asking members of Congress to provide 72 hours of notice before visiting detention centers, according to new guidance: cnn.it/4edTalh

DHS issues new guidance for lawmakers visiting ICE facilities after tense confrontations | CNN Politics

The agency’s new memo seeks to differentiate ICE field offices from detention facilities, noting that “ICE Field Offices are not detention facilities” and therefore do not fall under the appropriation...

cnn.it

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Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · Jun 20

"Israeli soldiers have opened fire on the crowds and killed Palestinians who've been queuing for food"

Dan Johnson reports that this morning 23 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed at an aid distribution centre & at least 11 killed in an Israeli air strike #BBCBreakfast

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jun 18

The bylaws of VA hospitals removed 'national origin', 'politics', and 'marital status' from the list of patient traits that medical staff could not discriminate on the basis of.

shameful.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans

Trump order allows VA staff to decline providing healthcare to patients based on political affiliation or marital status

www.theguardian.com

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abbey steele @abbeyst.bsky.social · Jun 13

local journalism matters!

Phil Williams @philinvestigates.com · Jun 12

Stephen Miller and U.S. Homeland Security amplify an image from white Christian nationalist CJay Engel -- who has been the subject of my investigations since he and his allies began their move into Jackson County, TN. 1/x

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Phil Williams @philinvestigates.com · Jun 12

Stephen Miller and U.S. Homeland Security amplify an image from white Christian nationalist CJay Engel -- who has been the subject of my investigations since he and his allies began their move into Jackson County, TN. 1/x

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