Tyler McBrien
@tylermcbrien.com
Managing Editor at Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org
Signal - tylermcbrien.97
Writing in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Slate, Mother Jones, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and more: www.tylermcbrien.com
Signal - tylermcbrien.97
Writing in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Slate, Mother Jones, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and more: www.tylermcbrien.com
UPDATE (h/t @pwbeck.bsky.social): Bruce Fein filed a response asking the judge to "definitively ascertain" who Maduro wishes to represent him.
Fein also notes that Maduro "was apprehended under extraordinary, startling, and viperlike circumstances..."
Fein also notes that Maduro "was apprehended under extraordinary, startling, and viperlike circumstances..."
January 9, 2026 at 7:51 PM
UPDATE (h/t @pwbeck.bsky.social): Bruce Fein filed a response asking the judge to "definitively ascertain" who Maduro wishes to represent him.
Fein also notes that Maduro "was apprehended under extraordinary, startling, and viperlike circumstances..."
Fein also notes that Maduro "was apprehended under extraordinary, startling, and viperlike circumstances..."
NEW: In the wake of Renee Nicole Good's killing, and as part of the Permanent Subcmte on Investigations' ongoing inquiry into DHS use of excessive force against US citizens, Sen. Blumenthal sent a letter to Secretary Noem demanding information on ICE training policies by Jan 23.
January 9, 2026 at 5:46 PM
NEW: In the wake of Renee Nicole Good's killing, and as part of the Permanent Subcmte on Investigations' ongoing inquiry into DHS use of excessive force against US citizens, Sen. Blumenthal sent a letter to Secretary Noem demanding information on ICE training policies by Jan 23.
Spotted by eagle-eyed @lawfaremedia.org Associate Editor @pwbeck.bsky.social: Bruce Fein is......actually not Maduro's lawyer?
Maduro's lawyer says he "confirmed with Mr. Maduro that he does not know Mr. Fein and has not communicated with Mr. Fein, much less retained him..."
Maduro's lawyer says he "confirmed with Mr. Maduro that he does not know Mr. Fein and has not communicated with Mr. Fein, much less retained him..."
January 9, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Spotted by eagle-eyed @lawfaremedia.org Associate Editor @pwbeck.bsky.social: Bruce Fein is......actually not Maduro's lawyer?
Maduro's lawyer says he "confirmed with Mr. Maduro that he does not know Mr. Fein and has not communicated with Mr. Fein, much less retained him..."
Maduro's lawyer says he "confirmed with Mr. Maduro that he does not know Mr. Fein and has not communicated with Mr. Fein, much less retained him..."
The horseshoe theory of criminal defense: per his wikipedia page, Bruce Fein—the conservative, former Reagan DOJ official who just joined Maduro's defense team—has a brother who was a prominent figure in the Socialist Workers Party.
January 6, 2026 at 7:55 PM
The horseshoe theory of criminal defense: per his wikipedia page, Bruce Fein—the conservative, former Reagan DOJ official who just joined Maduro's defense team—has a brother who was a prominent figure in the Socialist Workers Party.
I wrote this 2+ years ago but it still rings true: "Despite extensive media coverage, prime-time congressional hearings and an accompanying 800-pg report, and more than 1,000 people criminally charged...we have no consensus about how to tell the story of Jan 6 and its aftermath."
January 6, 2026 at 7:22 PM
I wrote this 2+ years ago but it still rings true: "Despite extensive media coverage, prime-time congressional hearings and an accompanying 800-pg report, and more than 1,000 people criminally charged...we have no consensus about how to tell the story of Jan 6 and its aftermath."
Genuinely thought this was in that genre of posts where people tweet like "Thrilled to share that today is my first day as Head of Internal Audit at FTX!" the day Sam Bankman-Fried gets indicted
January 6, 2026 at 4:07 AM
Genuinely thought this was in that genre of posts where people tweet like "Thrilled to share that today is my first day as Head of Internal Audit at FTX!" the day Sam Bankman-Fried gets indicted
My other feed right now is all Trump's Air Force One call—during which he again floated the possibility of a U.S. takeover of Greenland and seemed to hint at U.S. led regime change in Cuba and Colombia too.
January 5, 2026 at 4:15 AM
My other feed right now is all Trump's Air Force One call—during which he again floated the possibility of a U.S. takeover of Greenland and seemed to hint at U.S. led regime change in Cuba and Colombia too.
Seems like a good time to revisit @jakeromm.bsky.social’s piece in @thenation.com from October:
January 3, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Seems like a good time to revisit @jakeromm.bsky.social’s piece in @thenation.com from October:
For the past few years, I've made a collage for @lawfaremedia.org's year-end wrap up "The Year That Was."
It brings me no joy to present my collage for 2025
(sorry)
It brings me no joy to present my collage for 2025
(sorry)
December 30, 2025 at 9:20 PM
For the past few years, I've made a collage for @lawfaremedia.org's year-end wrap up "The Year That Was."
It brings me no joy to present my collage for 2025
(sorry)
It brings me no joy to present my collage for 2025
(sorry)
A big thank you to @danielspielberger.bsky.social for including in @studyhall.bsky.social's Study Hall Wrapped 2025 my blurb on "Magic Bullets" — an essay I wrote for The Baffler in August on the history of U.S. police's widespread adoption of the hollow point bullet
December 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
A big thank you to @danielspielberger.bsky.social for including in @studyhall.bsky.social's Study Hall Wrapped 2025 my blurb on "Magic Bullets" — an essay I wrote for The Baffler in August on the history of U.S. police's widespread adoption of the hollow point bullet
Read the response in full from @hrcberkeley.bsky.social here: humanrights.berkeley.edu/uncategorize...
December 23, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Read the response in full from @hrcberkeley.bsky.social here: humanrights.berkeley.edu/uncategorize...
NEW: @hrcberkeley.bsky.social says they were "shocked" to learn CBS pulled its 60 Minutes segment INSIDE CECOT "just hours before broadcast" after it "had already cleared CBS’s legal review and editorial standards," and directly respond to Bari Weiss' question about their students' analysis
December 23, 2025 at 7:51 PM
NEW: @hrcberkeley.bsky.social says they were "shocked" to learn CBS pulled its 60 Minutes segment INSIDE CECOT "just hours before broadcast" after it "had already cleared CBS’s legal review and editorial standards," and directly respond to Bari Weiss' question about their students' analysis
Blumenthal and the subcommittee also sent a letter to Shalom Baranes Associates Architects, the firm that took over construction after Trump clashed with the previous designer, McCrery Architects
December 22, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Blumenthal and the subcommittee also sent a letter to Shalom Baranes Associates Architects, the firm that took over construction after Trump clashed with the previous designer, McCrery Architects
NEW: Sen. Blumenthal and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations sent letters to Roblox CEO David Baszucki—and 10 others who attended an Oct 15 fundraising dinner for Trump's ballroom construction—demanding info on their donations and the management of the project
December 22, 2025 at 10:32 PM
NEW: Sen. Blumenthal and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations sent letters to Roblox CEO David Baszucki—and 10 others who attended an Oct 15 fundraising dinner for Trump's ballroom construction—demanding info on their donations and the management of the project
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” 60 Minutes Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi wrote.
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO."
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO."
December 22, 2025 at 3:19 AM
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” 60 Minutes Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi wrote.
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO."
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO."
This Epstein files copypasta mass text I just got is truly pushing the boundaries of the form
December 21, 2025 at 7:16 PM
This Epstein files copypasta mass text I just got is truly pushing the boundaries of the form
If you are in line to access the Justice Department's latest tranche of the Epstein Files, STAY in line
December 19, 2025 at 9:17 PM
If you are in line to access the Justice Department's latest tranche of the Epstein Files, STAY in line
According to @airwars.bsky.social tracker, the U.S. military has now killed over 100 people in the Caribbean (and Pacific) across at least 28 strikes on small boats since September.
December 19, 2025 at 9:05 PM
According to @airwars.bsky.social tracker, the U.S. military has now killed over 100 people in the Caribbean (and Pacific) across at least 28 strikes on small boats since September.
The Trump admin issued an executive order to "designate illicit fentanyl and...precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction," claiming "the potential for fentanyl to be weaponized for concentrated, large-scale terror attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat"
December 15, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The Trump admin issued an executive order to "designate illicit fentanyl and...precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction," claiming "the potential for fentanyl to be weaponized for concentrated, large-scale terror attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat"
Big day for universal jurisdiction: a French court sentenced former Congolese Minister Roger Lumbala to 30 yrs in prison for complicity in crimes against humanity—@trialinternational.bsky.social calls the verdict "the first of its kind" and challenges 20+ yrs of impunity for '98-'03 crimes in DRC
December 15, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Big day for universal jurisdiction: a French court sentenced former Congolese Minister Roger Lumbala to 30 yrs in prison for complicity in crimes against humanity—@trialinternational.bsky.social calls the verdict "the first of its kind" and challenges 20+ yrs of impunity for '98-'03 crimes in DRC
Today, Abushanab and @ccrjustice.org filed a motion seeking summary judgment in his favor on grounds that his detention violates the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. This follows his habeas petition filed in November.
December 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Today, Abushanab and @ccrjustice.org filed a motion seeking summary judgment in his favor on grounds that his detention violates the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. This follows his habeas petition filed in November.
This case hasn't gotten enough attention:
27yo Palestinian asylum seeker Mohammed Abushanab has been detained by ICE for 17 months—even though an immigration judge in February granted humanitarian relief from deportation bc he faced likely torture if sent back to the West Bank.
27yo Palestinian asylum seeker Mohammed Abushanab has been detained by ICE for 17 months—even though an immigration judge in February granted humanitarian relief from deportation bc he faced likely torture if sent back to the West Bank.
December 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
This case hasn't gotten enough attention:
27yo Palestinian asylum seeker Mohammed Abushanab has been detained by ICE for 17 months—even though an immigration judge in February granted humanitarian relief from deportation bc he faced likely torture if sent back to the West Bank.
27yo Palestinian asylum seeker Mohammed Abushanab has been detained by ICE for 17 months—even though an immigration judge in February granted humanitarian relief from deportation bc he faced likely torture if sent back to the West Bank.
NEW: Today watchdog @weareoversight.bsky.social sued the Trump administration over its failure to release records related to deals made with 9 Big Law firms earlier this year that amounted to almost $1 billion in pro bono legal services.
December 11, 2025 at 7:29 PM
NEW: Today watchdog @weareoversight.bsky.social sued the Trump administration over its failure to release records related to deals made with 9 Big Law firms earlier this year that amounted to almost $1 billion in pro bono legal services.
