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Reposted by Lauren Harper

Bec Hamilton @bechamilton.bsky.social · 5d

Latest update of the #PressFreedom tracker is now live @justsecurity.org including #pentagonpledge #jimmykimmel

Just Security @justsecurity.org · 5d

The Trump administration continues high-profile threats to #PressFreedom in the U.S. – and encounters pushback.

Keep an eye on the big picture with this updated interactive tracker and analysis from law professor and former journalist @bechamilton.bsky.social:

www.justsecurity.org/112792/trump...

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 1h

Legal justifications shouldn't be secret.

OLC memos shouldn't be secret.

The law shouldn't be secret.

Attorney General Pam Bondi faces questions on DOJ probes, Epstein files at Senate hearing

Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her first hearing since her confirmation.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Lauren Harper

Alexander Howard @digiphile.bsky.social · 12h

Getting cited on @lastweektonight.com is a great validation of good work.

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Reposted by Lauren Harper

Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: In May, a Texas police department said they used the powerful Flock surveillance network against a woman who had an abortion "for her safety"

Newly obtained court records show it was a 'death investigation,' and they considered charging her with a crime

www.404media.co/police-said-...

Police Said They Surveilled Woman Who Had an Abortion for Her 'Safety.' Court Records Show They Considered Charging Her With a Crime

Court records show that the narrative Flock and a Texas Sheriff's Office has told the public isn't the whole story, and that police were conducting a 'death investigation' into the abortion.

www.404media.co

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 21h

An amazing read that is harrowing on its own, and extremely important in the larger context of Flock surveillance.

Great investigating by @404media.co and @eff.org - and a prime example of how local public records requests help tell stories of national importance and urgency.

Flock Safety and Texas Sheriff Claimed License Plate Search Was for a Missing Person. It Was an Abortion Investigation.

New documents and court records obtained by EFF show that Texas deputies queried Flock Safety's surveillance data in an abortion investigation, contradicting the narrative promoted by the company and ...

www.eff.org

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Reposted by Lauren Harper

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 1d

John Oliver is right. Secret donations to presidential libraries enable bribery, while public access to presidential records is at an all-time low.

Use our action center tool to tell Congress to close the secrecy loopholes and increase transparency.

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Reposted by Lauren Harper

ACLU @aclu.org · 22h

We were at the American Library Association Conference this summer talking with librarians about the importance of everyone having access to books that represent all kinds of different backgrounds and experiences.

Thank you to every librarian working to defend our right to read.

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 1d

At some point we may see images of ICE transporting detainees is budget trucks, which would effectively make private companies unwitting participants in the prison/detainee transport business.

emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

Going back to that raid on the South Shore apartment building. It hasn't gotten much focus that the goons reportedly traveled the same way Patriot Front does: in UHauls.

blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/30/a...

A Budget truck with about five armed men seen inside. It's dark out and the taillights are lit. The photo is attributed to KT O'Loughin.

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 1d

The Pentagon doesn't want the press to report on controlled unclassified information (CUI).

It may seem like common sense, but the DoD has over 1,000 CUI guides - and it's not uncommon for them to conflict.

The only way for a reporter to abide by this rule would be to print nothing of substance.

thehill.com

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 1d

Don't love the "use AI so you can more efficiently delete records and not provide as many documents in response to FOIA" angle

Agencies Increasingly Applying AI in Processing FOIA Requests, Says Report

Almost a fifth of federal entities that process FOIA requests are using AI and machine learning, and those “early adopters are demonstrating the ability

www.fedweek.com

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 1d

@freedom.press FOIAd OLC on 9/3 for any records, including opinions and dissents, justifying the lethal targeting of alleged drug traffickers.

OLC denied expedited processing and hasn't even started a search - and strikes have continued.

The documents clearly exist. OLC must respond to our FOIA.

Exclusive: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say | CNN Politics

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, according to multiple peop...

www.cnn.com

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 2d

Make FOIA offices exempt from government shutdowns again (or for the first time, as the case may be)

If DOGE is working, the public should have a mechanism to see what they are breaking.

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 2d

Reminding people today for no special reason that Free Press @freepress.bsky.social and The Free Press are different entities

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 2d

Great @lastweektonight.com segment on presidential libraries!

Makes the byzantine relationships between the National Archives and private presidential foundations easy to understand (TL;DR they are problematic and exploitable).

NARA needs more funding and library donation loopholes need closed.

Presidential Libraries: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Lauren Harper

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 3d

Hey, whistleblowers: Exposing corruption is vital but comes with its own risks. If you’re sharing sensitive information, make sure to protect your identity — use encrypted tools like @securedrop.org.

Stay safe, stay anonymous.

How to share sensitive leaks with the press

🚨 Whistleblowers are crucial in exposing government and corporate abuse, but sharing sensitive information can be risky. Whether because of a nondisclosure agreement or a legal contract, leaking can come with serious consequences. If you’re considering reaching out to the press, make sure you take

www.youtube.com

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 4d

FPF recently filed a FOIA lawsuit about DHS asking DOJ to prosecute CNN for reporting on the ICEblock app.

Just got a lot more interesting.

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Reposted by Lauren Harper

Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 4d

On the woeful U.S. job market, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer keeps using that word, “momentum,” but I don’t think it means what she thinks it means. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

The government shutdown leaves Americans in the dark about the latest job numbers

Without new employment data, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer tried to point to recent “momentum” in the job market. Reality told a different story.

www.msnbc.com

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 5d

The Trump administration is trying to shut down the inspector general watchdog group (CIGIE).

Luckily 1) CIGIE accepts FOIAs & 2) you can still submit requests during a shutdown.

I just submitted a handful - in large part to ensure CIGIE's records aren't unlawfully destroyed.

You can, too.

Trump administration moves to defund inspector general watchdog group

The decision marks the latest example of the administration’s push to limit government oversight activities.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 5d

Great - Amelia Earhart declassified. Check.

Now do something that matters, like declassifying still secret records about Jamal Khashoggi - starting with 1) the full disclosure of the Director of National Intelligence assessment and 2) the CIA’s report that MBS ordered Khashoggi’s assassination.

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 6d

Furlough comes for your right to know.

The District Court for DC (which handles the lion's share of FOIA cases) has entered a district-wide stay on all non-emergency court deadlines.

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 6d

Unrelated news, mysterious new polygraph company opens in Arlington, VA. "Captain Morgan's Polygraphs Ulmtd"

Pentagon plans widespread random polygraphs, NDAs to stanch leaks

The Pentagon is planning to require thousands of uniformed and civilian officials to sign nondisclosure agreements and submit to random polygraph testing.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 7d

Oversight.gov is required by law to improve and promote accountability and transparency.

But this is what you get when you visit it now.

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 7d

Hegseth and Trump both used variations of the phrase "war from within" to portray a dystopic America whose only cure is combat boots on the ground in your downtown.

How many other agencies are using this pernicious phrase to sell a militarized mission to their employees?

Let's FOIA and find out.

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Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 7d

Turns out the FBI isn't very good at determining what is in the public interest.

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 7d

The FBI is wrong.

The public deserves to hear the tape of border czar Tom Homan being bribed — and they deserve to hear it while he’s actively on the job, not years from now.

We are appealing.

Lauren Harper @laurenleharper.bsky.social · 7d

I asked the FBI to expedite the release of the tape of "border czar" Tom Homan being bribed.

FBI said it couldn't see how there wasn't an urgent need to provide the public more information about (checks notes) an active federal official taking bribes and denied expedition of the request.

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Reposted by Lauren Harper

Kevin H Bell Esq @kevinok.bsky.social · 7d

Today was my last day as a federal employee, but tomorrow I and my new partner, Ginger Quintero-McCall, open a new law practice, the Free Information Group. We are both FOIA lawyers, and we are very good at suing the government. 1/

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