Keith Bolek
@keithbolek.bsky.social
Husband to a beautiful Angel; father to 2 amazing kids; chef at heart; punk/reggae/ska/blues/jazz enthusiast; and union-side attorney fighting for equality and justice everywhere. All posts & reposts are my views alone.
Pinned
Keith Bolek
@keithbolek.bsky.social
· Mar 26
Bruce Springsteen- "Joe Hill" (Tampa, FL 05/01/14)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
What they forgot to kill went on to organize.
youtu.be/T2UF8yw89yE?...
youtu.be/T2UF8yw89yE?...
Reposted by Keith Bolek
That sound you hear is the goalposts moving again
Trump's economic talking points have subtly shifted: "We have the greatest potential economy in history"
January 8, 2026 at 8:39 PM
That sound you hear is the goalposts moving again
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Border Patrol agents pepper-sprayed, tackled, and handcuffed people on the grounds of Minneapolis’s Roosevelt High School on Wednesday—just hours after ICE officers shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. trib.al/OR2Mvub
January 8, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Border Patrol agents pepper-sprayed, tackled, and handcuffed people on the grounds of Minneapolis’s Roosevelt High School on Wednesday—just hours after ICE officers shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. trib.al/OR2Mvub
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Kristi Noem, herself, supplied the method used to ID the agent. She said he "been dragged by a vehicle” in an earlier incident.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
The agent, Jonathan Ross, was dragged by a vehicle and injured during a June operation in the Twin Cities, court records show.
ICE agent who fatally shot woman in Minneapolis is identified
Jonathan Ross, a Minnesota-based agent, was dragged in a separate incident last year by a fleeing motorist.
bit.ly
January 8, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Kristi Noem, herself, supplied the method used to ID the agent. She said he "been dragged by a vehicle” in an earlier incident.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
The person who was shot in the face here is a local organizer who has been very active in the Movement for Black lives.
January 8, 2026 at 5:53 PM
The person who was shot in the face here is a local organizer who has been very active in the Movement for Black lives.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Ongoing and obvious reminder that firing chemical weapons directly at people's heads like this *is* deadly force.
January 8, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Ongoing and obvious reminder that firing chemical weapons directly at people's heads like this *is* deadly force.
Courage in plain sight.
“Emerson does not have a mother today because one of you murdered a woman in cold blood yesterday.”
January 8, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Courage in plain sight.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Excellent, clarifying piece on the (real) legal pathway that Minnesota has to prosecute the ICE agent who shot and killed a woman today.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.
Wrote a piece for @slate.com explaining that states have a long history of prosecuting federal officers when they allegedly use excessive force. Federal officers are only immune from such prosecutions when they act reasonably in carrying out lawful duties.
Minnesota Could Prosecute the ICE Shooter. Trump Can’t Pardon Him.
Shortly after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, city leaders began looking into whether the officer had violated state criminal law.
slate.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Excellent, clarifying piece on the (real) legal pathway that Minnesota has to prosecute the ICE agent who shot and killed a woman today.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Law abiding asylum seeker is arrested by ICE at SF immigration court hearing, packed off to a prison in friggin Hawaii, then finds out she's pregnant. Dad was about to propose, but now his true love is in Colombia. A family separation before the family could even begin.
Your tax dollars at work.
Your tax dollars at work.
A courthouse arrest, a surprise pregnancy, and one family's shattered dreams
"I can't go back to Colombia."
www.motherjones.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Law abiding asylum seeker is arrested by ICE at SF immigration court hearing, packed off to a prison in friggin Hawaii, then finds out she's pregnant. Dad was about to propose, but now his true love is in Colombia. A family separation before the family could even begin.
Your tax dollars at work.
Your tax dollars at work.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
What in the Gestapo is going on in Grand Rapids?
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
January 5, 2026 at 4:12 PM
What in the Gestapo is going on in Grand Rapids?
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
New with @agpines.bsky.social: on Can We Still Govern, we show how OBBBA's new work requirements will deny benefits to families due to volatile hours and employment in the service industry--which is caused by bosses, not workers
New at Can We Still Govern: @agpines.bsky.social & @lizananat.bsky.social explain how the work volatility of low income service employees will make it hard for them to satisfy new SNAP/Medicaid work requirements, even when they work lots of hours. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/when-volat...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/when-volat...
When Volatile Work Schedules Meet SNAP Work Requirements
New policies put low income workers in jeopardy of losing vital supports
donmoynihan.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:13 PM
New with @agpines.bsky.social: on Can We Still Govern, we show how OBBBA's new work requirements will deny benefits to families due to volatile hours and employment in the service industry--which is caused by bosses, not workers
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Instead check out @zeteo.com @propublica.org @flaminghydra.com @404media.co @wired.com @marisakabas.bsky.social and the like.
If you've got an independent site or individual journalist you love, add them to the replies here.
If you've got an independent site or individual journalist you love, add them to the replies here.
January 5, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Instead check out @zeteo.com @propublica.org @flaminghydra.com @404media.co @wired.com @marisakabas.bsky.social and the like.
If you've got an independent site or individual journalist you love, add them to the replies here.
If you've got an independent site or individual journalist you love, add them to the replies here.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
More war crimes
Illegal war killing civilians
Illegal war killing civilians
NYT:
At least 40 people were killed in the US attack on Venezuela, including military personnel and civilians.
At least 40 people were killed in the US attack on Venezuela, including military personnel and civilians.
January 4, 2026 at 12:02 AM
More war crimes
Illegal war killing civilians
Illegal war killing civilians
Reposted by Keith Bolek
"Maduro is a brutal authoritarian dictator," I wisely intone, as the corrupt demented paedophile US President violating Constitutional Law while operating a gestapo and concentration camps illegally arrests a foreign leader on charges which read like they were written on a paper placemat in crayon.
January 3, 2026 at 1:24 PM
"Maduro is a brutal authoritarian dictator," I wisely intone, as the corrupt demented paedophile US President violating Constitutional Law while operating a gestapo and concentration camps illegally arrests a foreign leader on charges which read like they were written on a paper placemat in crayon.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
I know these guys famously do not think anything through all the way, but holy shit
January 3, 2026 at 8:20 PM
I know these guys famously do not think anything through all the way, but holy shit
Reposted by Keith Bolek
FOLKS NEED TO REALIZE HOW HUGE THIS IS
For the first time in modern Texas history, Dems have candidates running in every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot.
That includes all congressional seats, every state House and state Senate race, plus statewide judicial and State Board of Education.
For the first time in modern Texas history, Dems have candidates running in every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot.
That includes all congressional seats, every state House and state Senate race, plus statewide judicial and State Board of Education.
January 3, 2026 at 4:33 AM
FOLKS NEED TO REALIZE HOW HUGE THIS IS
For the first time in modern Texas history, Dems have candidates running in every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot.
That includes all congressional seats, every state House and state Senate race, plus statewide judicial and State Board of Education.
For the first time in modern Texas history, Dems have candidates running in every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot.
That includes all congressional seats, every state House and state Senate race, plus statewide judicial and State Board of Education.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
I never again want to hear about how the Republican Party is the party of national security. You don’t incinerate our diplomatic capacity & violate all of our treaty commitments if you care about national security.
Context for Trump withdrawing dozens of ambassadors
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
December 25, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I never again want to hear about how the Republican Party is the party of national security. You don’t incinerate our diplomatic capacity & violate all of our treaty commitments if you care about national security.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
When officials in first Trump admin war-gamed the ousting Maduro, they predicted "chaos for a sustained period of time with no possibility of ending it.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
January 3, 2026 at 5:20 PM
When officials in first Trump admin war-gamed the ousting Maduro, they predicted "chaos for a sustained period of time with no possibility of ending it.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Reposted by Keith Bolek
The Trump admin has fused the war on terror with the war on drugs to create a framework for justifying its own acts everywhere from Chicago to Caracas.
Remember the helicopter raid on a Chicago apartment building? A key rationale was to go after the Venezuelan TdA.*
Same with Caracas raid.
Remember the helicopter raid on a Chicago apartment building? A key rationale was to go after the Venezuelan TdA.*
Same with Caracas raid.
January 3, 2026 at 3:39 PM
The Trump admin has fused the war on terror with the war on drugs to create a framework for justifying its own acts everywhere from Chicago to Caracas.
Remember the helicopter raid on a Chicago apartment building? A key rationale was to go after the Venezuelan TdA.*
Same with Caracas raid.
Remember the helicopter raid on a Chicago apartment building? A key rationale was to go after the Venezuelan TdA.*
Same with Caracas raid.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
1. Maduro is not a good guy by any stretch of the imagination.
2. But capturing him through an extra-legal action that violates international law undermines any US credibility with Russia in Ukraine and China with Taiwan.
3. We have a terrible history with topping leaders without a post-war plan.
2. But capturing him through an extra-legal action that violates international law undermines any US credibility with Russia in Ukraine and China with Taiwan.
3. We have a terrible history with topping leaders without a post-war plan.
January 3, 2026 at 1:40 PM
1. Maduro is not a good guy by any stretch of the imagination.
2. But capturing him through an extra-legal action that violates international law undermines any US credibility with Russia in Ukraine and China with Taiwan.
3. We have a terrible history with topping leaders without a post-war plan.
2. But capturing him through an extra-legal action that violates international law undermines any US credibility with Russia in Ukraine and China with Taiwan.
3. We have a terrible history with topping leaders without a post-war plan.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Republican leaders were briefed. Democratic leaders were not. This is the Trump approach.
January 3, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Republican leaders were briefed. Democratic leaders were not. This is the Trump approach.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Almost always, if someone’s talking about the U.S. Constitution and they say some actor has “inherent” power to do X, that means the text says nothing about the actor having X power and the speaker is just making it up.
January 3, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Almost always, if someone’s talking about the U.S. Constitution and they say some actor has “inherent” power to do X, that means the text says nothing about the actor having X power and the speaker is just making it up.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Latin Americans have a running joke:
'Why aren't there military coups in the United States?'
'Because they don't have an American Embassy to organise them.'
'Why aren't there military coups in the United States?'
'Because they don't have an American Embassy to organise them.'
January 3, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Latin Americans have a running joke:
'Why aren't there military coups in the United States?'
'Because they don't have an American Embassy to organise them.'
'Why aren't there military coups in the United States?'
'Because they don't have an American Embassy to organise them.'
Reposted by Keith Bolek
A desperate dying man with unlimited power unrestrained thanks to an extremist party will gladly burn the world before he exits.
January 3, 2026 at 11:21 AM
A desperate dying man with unlimited power unrestrained thanks to an extremist party will gladly burn the world before he exits.
Reposted by Keith Bolek
Trump and Stephen Miller are actually failing in crucial ways. Deportations are lagging behind their goals, courts are mostly functioning, and their fascist, ethnonationalist cruelties have unleashed a countermobilization of unexpected scope and power.
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2046...
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2046...
December 31, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Trump and Stephen Miller are actually failing in crucial ways. Deportations are lagging behind their goals, courts are mostly functioning, and their fascist, ethnonationalist cruelties have unleashed a countermobilization of unexpected scope and power.
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2046...
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2046...