Nicholas Monck
@nicholasmonck.bsky.social
Failed vagabond | All content is my own
https://nicholasmonck.medium.com/
https://nicholasmonck.medium.com/
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Nicholas Monck
@nicholasmonck.bsky.social
· Mar 19
Nicholas Monck – Medium
Read writing from Nicholas Monck on Medium. Runner. Climber. Lawyer. I write about urban planning, access to justice, and voting rights (among other things). Opinions expressed are my own.
nicholasmonck.medium.com
Hello @bsky.app community! Its @nicholasmonck.bsky.social. I'm a #Colorado lawyer who is passionate about access to justice, voting rights, and urban planning. Also climbing, skiing, and whitewater rafting, etc. You can follow me here and on nicholasmonck.medium.com | Opinions expressed are my own.
Can confirm this is accurate ->
Instead of working with us on a solution, MOHELA has shamefully doubled down, fighting us at every turn to derail any attempt at accountability. We are working, on behalf of our members and borrowers, to hold them accountable. www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
Major Student Loan Servicer Failed 6.5 Million Borrowers, Says Amended Lawsuit
A major student loan servicer is facing accusations of widespread misconduct in a new amended complained filed in federal court last week.
www.forbes.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Can confirm this is accurate ->
"The complaint argues that MOHELA gives out incorrect or misleading information to borrowers, miscalculates student loan payments, and engages in practices such as call deflection that make it difficult or impossible for borrowers to resolve problems with their federal student loans."
Major Student Loan Servicer Failed 6.5 Million Borrowers, Says Amended Lawsuit
A major student loan servicer is facing accusations of widespread misconduct in a new amended complained filed in federal court last week.
www.forbes.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:40 PM
"The complaint argues that MOHELA gives out incorrect or misleading information to borrowers, miscalculates student loan payments, and engages in practices such as call deflection that make it difficult or impossible for borrowers to resolve problems with their federal student loans."
"A federal judge Thursday decried what he said were 'breathtaking' constitutional violations by senior Trump administration officials and called the president an 'authoritarian' who expects everyone in the executive branch to 'toe the line absolutely.'"
Trump Cabinet secretaries conspired to violate Constitution, judge says
“The Cabinet secretaries and, ostensibly, the president of the United States, are not honoring the First Amendment,” U.S. District Judge William Young declared.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:19 PM
"A federal judge Thursday decried what he said were 'breathtaking' constitutional violations by senior Trump administration officials and called the president an 'authoritarian' who expects everyone in the executive branch to 'toe the line absolutely.'"
The videos are breathtaking. Police Officers wrestled Pretti to the ground, hit him, disarmed him, then pulled him up to his knees before shooting him 10 times in the back. This was the extrajudicial killing by law enforcement, there simply is no other way of describing it.
Federal agent secured gun from Minn. man before fatal shooting, videos show
A Post analysis of videos sheds light on the encounter that left 37-year-old Alex Pretti dead.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:46 PM
The videos are breathtaking. Police Officers wrestled Pretti to the ground, hit him, disarmed him, then pulled him up to his knees before shooting him 10 times in the back. This was the extrajudicial killing by law enforcement, there simply is no other way of describing it.
"[I]ndustries that rely on manual labor are cutting jobs, not adding them, a trend that economists blame at least in part on the president’s historic and volatile tariff policy...
Trump promised a blue-collar jobs boom. The opposite is happening | CNN Business
President Donald Trump promised voters in 2024 that if they returned him to the White House, his policies would deliver a blue-collar jobs boom.
www.cnn.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:30 PM
"[I]ndustries that rely on manual labor are cutting jobs, not adding them, a trend that economists blame at least in part on the president’s historic and volatile tariff policy...
Reposted by Nicholas Monck
It appears likely that the lawyers representing Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who also pleaded not guilty Monday to drug and weapons charges, will argue they were captured unlawfully. https://cnn.it/4srvxfF
January 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM
It appears likely that the lawyers representing Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who also pleaded not guilty Monday to drug and weapons charges, will argue they were captured unlawfully. https://cnn.it/4srvxfF
"legal analysts and lawmakers from both parties, have described the attacks as extrajudicial killings, which are illegal under U.S. and international law."
The U.S. sank the alleged narco-terrorists’ boat — and let them go
In blowing up the vessel, destroying evidence and repatriating the survivors, the U.S. cut short a process that’s helped bring down traffickers.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:20 PM
"legal analysts and lawmakers from both parties, have described the attacks as extrajudicial killings, which are illegal under U.S. and international law."
"Data shows that U.S.-born workers are doing moderately worse under Trump than they were under President Joe Biden because the labor market has weakened — partly due to a sharp slowdown in immigration."
Trump says the job market is booming for U.S.-born. The data doesn’t show it.
The idea that employment is surging for U.S.-born workers is routinely trumpeted by Trump officials. But economists say otherwise.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM
"Data shows that U.S.-born workers are doing moderately worse under Trump than they were under President Joe Biden because the labor market has weakened — partly due to a sharp slowdown in immigration."
SAVE aside, trying to change repayment plans in 2026 is about to get weird. That's because, in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Republicans decided to gradually shut down two other popular, more affordable plans: ICR and PAYE. Both base payments on a borrower's income, and both will end in mid-2028
Federal student loans are changing. Here's what to expect in 2026
The SAVE Plan is ending and repayment options will change dramatically in the new year.
www.npr.org
January 3, 2026 at 4:48 PM
SAVE aside, trying to change repayment plans in 2026 is about to get weird. That's because, in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Republicans decided to gradually shut down two other popular, more affordable plans: ICR and PAYE. Both base payments on a borrower's income, and both will end in mid-2028
"A diminished workforce has struggled to respond to up to 6 million pending cases in its processing centers and 12 million transactions in its field offices — record backlogs that have delayed basic services to millions of customers...
How Social Security has gotten worse under Trump
Customer service deteriorated by key measures as the agency enacted sweeping cuts in Trump’s second term, internal data and interviews show.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:32 PM
"A diminished workforce has struggled to respond to up to 6 million pending cases in its processing centers and 12 million transactions in its field offices — record backlogs that have delayed basic services to millions of customers...
Trails maintained by the U.S. Forest Service nationwide are being 'abandoned' and deteriorating rapidly, threatening visitor safety, after the Trump administration cut staff, according to an internal report obtained by @washingtonpost.com
Internal Forest Service report finds ‘unpassable trails, unsafe bridges’
A report obtained by The Post says the U.S. Forest Service’s trails are deteriorating rapidly due to staff cuts under the Trump administration, posing risks to visitors.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Trails maintained by the U.S. Forest Service nationwide are being 'abandoned' and deteriorating rapidly, threatening visitor safety, after the Trump administration cut staff, according to an internal report obtained by @washingtonpost.com
"[T]he president’s sweeping executive order, which halted all permitting of new wind projects on public lands and in federal waters, was 'arbitrary and capricious violating federal law...
Federal Judge Finds Trump’s Halt on Wind Energy Is Illegal
www.nytimes.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:05 PM
"[T]he president’s sweeping executive order, which halted all permitting of new wind projects on public lands and in federal waters, was 'arbitrary and capricious violating federal law...
The qualification "experts say" in this headline is misleading - POTUS does not have the authority to pardon individuals convicted of state crimes, period, full stop. The purported pardon of Tina Peters is legally meaningless.
President Donald Trump claims to pardon Tina Peters — a power he does not have, experts say
Doug Spencer, a constitutional law professor at the University of Colorado, called it “sad that our president hasn’t read or doesn’t understand a basic tenet of the U.S. Constitut…
www.denverpost.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The qualification "experts say" in this headline is misleading - POTUS does not have the authority to pardon individuals convicted of state crimes, period, full stop. The purported pardon of Tina Peters is legally meaningless.
"[S]hifting the funds had led to the pausing or canceling of programs, including the building of a pilot training facility, the repairing of schools for children of service members and the refurbishment of military barracks, something Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called a priority."
$2 Billion in Pentagon Funds Said to Go to Anti-Immigrant Operations
www.nytimes.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:57 PM
"[S]hifting the funds had led to the pausing or canceling of programs, including the building of a pilot training facility, the repairing of schools for children of service members and the refurbishment of military barracks, something Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called a priority."
Reposted by Nicholas Monck
Exclusive: Trails maintained by the U.S. Forest Service are being “abandoned” and deteriorating rapidly, threatening visitor safety, after the Trump administration cut staff, according to an internal report obtained by The Post.
Internal Forest Service report finds ‘unpassable trails, unsafe bridges’
A report obtained by The Post says the U.S. Forest Service’s trails are deteriorating rapidly due to staff cuts under the Trump administration, posing risks to visitors.
wapo.st
December 17, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Exclusive: Trails maintained by the U.S. Forest Service are being “abandoned” and deteriorating rapidly, threatening visitor safety, after the Trump administration cut staff, according to an internal report obtained by The Post.
"According to the department’s filing on Monday, the PSLF Buyback application backlog now stands at 80,210, even after 2,960 applications were processed during November.
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
Alarming Update On Student Loan Forgiveness Posted By The Education Department
The new data raises serious questions about the Education Department’s ability to process student loan forgiveness and repayment requests under IDR and PSLF.
www.forbes.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:31 AM
"According to the department’s filing on Monday, the PSLF Buyback application backlog now stands at 80,210, even after 2,960 applications were processed during November.
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
The VA plans to cut 35,000 doctor, nurse, and support positions on top of the 30,000 staffers who departed this year, leading to warnings of cuts to services for veterans and longer wait times for medical care.
VA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs
Strains on the Veterans Affairs system could grow with the elimination of as many as 35,000 mostly unfilled health care positions, including doctors and nurses.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:59 PM
The VA plans to cut 35,000 doctor, nurse, and support positions on top of the 30,000 staffers who departed this year, leading to warnings of cuts to services for veterans and longer wait times for medical care.
Putting aside the legality of these strikes, it is worth also remembering that they aren't effective at stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
Hegseth, with White House help, tries to distance himself from boat strike fallout
As Congress vows accountability, the Trump administration emphasized it was a top military commander — not the defense secretary — who directed the engagement.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Putting aside the legality of these strikes, it is worth also remembering that they aren't effective at stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
Tell me again how this is all about stopping drug smuggling.
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Tell me again how this is all about stopping drug smuggling.
"without detailing the evidence"
Blaming some child deaths on covid shots, FDA vows stricter vaccine rules
Vinay Prasad, the nation’s top vaccine regulator, said his team concluded that coronavirus shots were linked to children’s deaths, necessitating a new approach.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:47 PM
"without detailing the evidence"
Contrary to claims by the current administration and media personalities, all Afghan evacuees were "screened through a multiagency vetting process involving the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, CIA and the National Counterterrorism Center."
Counterterrorism officials vetted Guard shooting suspect before he entered U.S.
Individuals with knowledge of the process that Rahmanullah Lakanwal went through contradicted senior Trump officials’ claim that he was not scrutinized.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Contrary to claims by the current administration and media personalities, all Afghan evacuees were "screened through a multiagency vetting process involving the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, CIA and the National Counterterrorism Center."
There has been a lot to get worked up about recently, but one of the biggest under the radar erosion of the Constitutional separation of powers has been the Administration's attempts to take the power to control the federal budget away from Congress.
Impoundment and the Constitutional Power of the Purse
In the architecture of the U.S. Constitution, power is intentionally fragmented. The Framers — deeply skeptical of concentrated authority…
nicholasmonck.medium.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:36 AM
There has been a lot to get worked up about recently, but one of the biggest under the radar erosion of the Constitutional separation of powers has been the Administration's attempts to take the power to control the federal budget away from Congress.
Under the current administration, "the Defense Department... has been co-opted into the president’s norm-shattering bid to exploit what are supposed to be the nonpartisan tools of government to crush political foes."
Hegseth conscripts the Pentagon for Trump’s ‘retribution campaign’
In threatening to deploy the military justice system against Democrats, Hegseth has joined Trump’s norm-shattering bid to punish political foes.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Under the current administration, "the Defense Department... has been co-opted into the president’s norm-shattering bid to exploit what are supposed to be the nonpartisan tools of government to crush political foes."
For those who were never Scouts and might not be aware, neither vindictiveness nor toxic masculinity are part of the Scout Law.
Report of DOD intent to sever military’s longtime ties with Scouting organization met with sadness
An NPR report says the Pentagon will cease support of U.S. Scouting programs on stateside and overseas military bases.
www.stripes.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
For those who were never Scouts and might not be aware, neither vindictiveness nor toxic masculinity are part of the Scout Law.
The Department of Homeland Security has been ordered to reopen a Coast Guard air station in Oregon it illegally shut down to turn into an ICE detention facility.
Judge orders DHS secretary to return Coast Guard helicopter to Newport
The Department of Homeland Security moved a Coast Guard rescue helicopter away from Newport amid reports of an effort to construct an ICE facility there.
www.kgw.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:37 PM
The Department of Homeland Security has been ordered to reopen a Coast Guard air station in Oregon it illegally shut down to turn into an ICE detention facility.