Top recent posts by Brooklyn Community Builders on Bluesky

👀The federal judges in West Virginia, where ICE has been pulling over and detaining people on the freeway, are literally screaming about ICE's tactics. "It is an assault on the constitutional order," Judge Goodwin says. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Pritzker’s invoice to White House: (via @nbcnews.com) @govpritzker.illinois.gov

10% yesterday. 15% today. As Gorsuch wrote, could be “1 percent or 1,000,000 percent .. and he may change his mind at any time for nearly any reason.” 🤡 www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/b...

Democrats can now credibly call for the repeal of the Trump tax cuts and the clawing back of the additional ICE funding as a way of offsetting the revenue loss from the ending of the illegal tariffs.

WSJ EDITORIAL BOARD: “.. his rant in response to his tariff defeat at the Court was arguably the worst moment of his Presidency. .. “.. The fault doesn’t lie with the Justices but with his own tariff obsessions.” www.wsj.com/opinion/dona...

Today wasn't just about tariffs SCOTUS rejected Trump's claim that courts can't review his emergencies That logic extends to the Alien Enemies Act, The National Guard & beyond The rule of law is holding--for now I discuss @ 6pm ET on @ms.now w/ @arimelber.bsky.social -TN

This is the kind of thing a rich CEO says at the beginning of a science fiction movie to establish for the audience that he is a sociopath and the villain.

Hegseth and Noem keep mightily pissing off and humiliating those who serve under them and history informs us that that often does not work out for leaders such as them when regimes collapse taskandpurpose.com/news/army-wa...

CORRUPTION WATCH: The family of Commerce Secy Lutnick now gets pay outs of tens of billions or more in tariff refunds. The Fix Is In: Lutnick Family To Make Killing On Tariff Demise talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-f...

Hey y'all, I thought I was signed up to @atrupar.com substack, but I wasn't. Which means I've been benefiting from his tireless work providing direct evidence of Trump's shitshow for free. I have corrected my mistake. If you enjoy his work, throw him six bucks. www.publicnotice.co/subscribe

NEW: SCOTUS' tariff ruling ripped out the heart of a central premise of Trump's presidency and made him look fallible at a time of mounting threats to his power. "This was an important case to me," Trump said in an understatement. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

“Spending three days on the ground in Minneapolis brought home something that may not be obvious from afar: Minnesota, especially the Twin Cities, has been—and still is—under a paramilitary occupation in which the federal government is at war with the population.” www.thebulwark.com/p/what-i-saw...

NEW: Big step for Democrats who want to win control of US House Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) signs law which allows for a new Virginia congressional map to be approved by voters in upcoming referendum, with early vote beginning on March 6 and Election Day on April 21

Been hoping to see something like this. Even putting aside my political views, legally, I cannot square (1) basic principles of self-defense, amplified by 2nd Amend law and some state statutes with (2) complying with armed people who can't be identified as genuine law enforcement. (2) cannot stand.

We’re at the “rage-tweets-for-sale” phase of the Trump presidency. 🤡 @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/u...

“.. Mr. Martinez is at least the third U.S. citizen who was shot and killed by federal immigration officers since the start of President Trump’s second term.” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/u...

“.. When you put this kind of image into democratic spaces, spaces untouched by the monochromatic shadows of unfettered state power, you set up the last act, which is when they inevitably come down.” @postopinions.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

“The initiative to have the Secret Service purchase suits happened because Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem disliked how a protective detail was dressed in the suits they bought for themselves, two sources familiar with the matter told @CNN.” w/ Holmes Lybrand

“I am just stunned at how little anyone we've spoken to lately – whether they be senior administration officials, Trump advisers, or anyone else close to the decision-making process – can give me a straight answer about what the mission would be here, beyond the Mad King Donald just doing his thing…

The most chilling, because plausible, paragraph in today's papers. (From WSJ www.wsj.com/politics/nat... ) Saving face and soothing his always-wounded ego, by launching a war—with zero Congressional approval or public explanation or support.

Part of the context here is that Bucks County recently elected an anti-ICE sheriff to replace their pro-ICE sheriff. The actions of Quakertown police (which is separate) are best understood as a gang that sees its power to intimidate slipping and so has initiated a violent suppression campaign.

How will Trump react to all the empty seats at his State of the Union? Democrats are bailing on it Sen Ruben Gallego: “I have more productive ways to spend 2 hours than listening to more lies” My latest ====> youtube.com/shorts/1JKsx...

“.. Even if tariff refunds eventually make their way onto corporate balance sheets, .. the operational costs tied to tariff uncertainty have already been paid. .. we don’t expect pricing pressure on the average American households to go away anytime soon.” @joebrusuelas.bsky.social

“.. We cannot any longer be naive,” he said. “We have to use our tools and not just speak about them.” 🇫🇷 @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/b117...

im not sure this is a thing you want a judge saying.

Federal judges appointed new interim prosecutor in Eastern District of Virginia. And Trump Admin immediately fired him. Escalating a fight against the judiciary and separation of powers in America

“.. Trump has come close to exploding one of the great myths of the investment world, namely that sovereign bonds are safe, risk-free assets. .. undermining the role of US Treasuries as the world’s ultimate capital market hedge.” @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/33df...

Justin is right, but the problem they are to solve is right there. Trump doesn’t want to lose. The problem this was meant to solve is that he lost. So, whether something is effective or lasting is irrelevant. Trump was able to claim, on Friday, a win — show that he was not stymied by SCOTUS.

Interestingly, this was a question asked by Judge Tunheim in the refugee case hearing in Minnesota.

Ah, now we’re guiding tariff revenue LOWER. No more “$300 billion, $600 billion,” etc. 🤡

"I think it’s wrong to celebrate the ruling as some kind of turning point in #SCOTUS's relationship with Trump, just as I think it’s wrong to denounce it as a cynical move by justices concerned primarily about the economy as opposed to about fidelity to neutral legal principles." Me on tariffs:

It's wild that six years ago John Roberts was issuing huffy public statements about how there is no such thing as a "Trump justice" or an "Obama justice," and then today at a press conferece Trump basically called Roberts a cowardly RINO cuck and Kavanaugh a "genius" who "loves our country"

Beyond the horrifying, lawless nature of this — which I have written about repeatedly — this is one of those things that we are just stuck with — not for the future, but, to the extent it has happened, as reality — and we are all less safe for it.

👀 DOJ cites Donald Trump's failed effort to reclaim docs seized from Mar-a-Lago as precedent for rejecting Fulton's effort to reclaim seized boxes ballots A magistrate approed the Fulton raid, they note, just like a magistrate approved the Mar-a-Lago raid. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Yupppppp. The most common question is, “How do I turn it off?”

Johnny-come-lately Neil Gorsuch wrote “it can be tempting to bypass Congress…But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design…deliberation tempers impulse.” Yes, but Trump was unleashed by Gorsuch & the SC extremists.” www.americaamerica.news/p/can-the-su...

One of many reasons to watch @lawfaremedia.org live: you might just catch a surprise appearance by Lucy the beagle!!

After the Supreme Court ruling, @JBPritzker writes a letter to Trump asking him to pay back the costs of the tariffs to people in his state: "On behalf of the people of Illinois, I demand a refund of $1,700 for every family in Illinois." Includes a mock invoice:

From the Congressional Research Service: "Section 122 provides some contextual evidence that 'balance-of-payments deficits' does not refer to trade deficits." www.congress.gov/crs-product/...

Shiiit. Phil Specer (head of Xbox) is "retiring"... "effective Monday." Sarah Bond (Xbox #2 and heir apparent) is resigning. Asha Sharma --"President of Microsoft’s CoreAI product"-- is taking over. Xbox is dead. Skynet is taking over. www.ign.com/articles/phi...

I had missed this in the midst of, well, everything else, but, great work from @marisakabas.bsky.social and @rcfp.org!

Channeling Judge Young here. See: www.lawdork.com/p/judge-will...

JPMORGAN: “.. many trade deals negotiated to date have relied on IEEPA tariffs and have not yet been formalized as trade agreements. With the legal basis for these tariffs now invalidated, the fate of these deals is in question. These may need to be renegotiated ..”

Core PCE, last .. April: 2.6% May: 2.8% Aug.: 2.9% Dec.: 3.0% 🤡

This tracks with Disney’s recent guidance about headwinds at its domestic parks. @forbes.com $DIS www.forbes.com/sites/suzann...

TS LOMBARD: “.. The immediate narrative around Q4 GDP is that the shutdown did it!!!! .. The thing is, the economy is slowing .. The simple truth is less payroll, less spending.” 👀

We've had real wins — elections, redistricting, legislative seats & there is support on this court — a 6-3 majority is emerging But they're also using the shadow docket No argument, no transparency The court is holding--but the fight isn't over I explain w/ @arimelber.bsky.social -TN

Huge story by Georgia. Flagged by an automated review system, debated by "about a dozen staffers," and OpenAI did nothing.

You know, I sometimes wonder, how much longer can John Roberts actually keep up his Principled Institutionalist act? Are Supreme Court pundits going really going to keep buying this stuff? And then I see something like this, and, well, I guess the answers are "a while longer," and "yes."

Newsletter: With Trump faltering and their policy agenda incomplete, the cryptocurrency industry has moved at least $288 million toward the midterms in a desperate bid to keep Republicans in control of Congress. www.citationneeded.news/crypto-super...

Here are just 4 elections coming up in the next 10 days to know about. -- 1️⃣ This Democratic lawmaker in North Carolina gave the GOP *the* decisive vote to pass a pro-ICE law last summer. She faces a primary from a local progressive pastor, part of the Moral Monday movement.

I’ve had a cold for the last couple days and have avoided close contact with the kids so as not to infect the whole house. 5yo just came up and said, “since it seems you don’t have the kind of disease where we will both die I think it’s ok for you to cuddle me again.” 🫠

What the actual F is this?

open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...

Immigration agents keep lying, the "Justice" Department keeps prosecuting innocent people, and the cases keep collapsing in court. Trump's thugs aren't fighting violent criminals – they *are* violent criminals. 1/2🧵

"The tariffs ruling makes clear that #SCOTUS is not going to rule reflexively for the Trump administration in every case (a point for which we already had data); and there’s still plenty of reason to be concerned about its overall behavior when Trump is one of the parties at bar." Via "One First":

Because of course he’s doing this…

It’s a great day in music history, as Bowie releases “Young Americans” 51 years ago today — his first US hit. Of the song, he said: “No story. Just young Americans. It’s about a newlywed couple who don’t know if they really like each other. Well, they do, but they don’t know if they do or don’t.”

Attorney says Rep. Tony Gonzales coerced his late aide into a relationship and is "playing the role of a victim in a situation that he created" www.cbsnews.com/news/attorne...

Appalling. In our name: "‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks. Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

The good news is that ICE's stealth plan to get 23 concentration camps up and running before anyone noticed is melting somewhat under the light of public exposure and outrage The bad news... www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...

The new 15% global tariff: - Trump doubles down on his failed, wildly unpopular economic strategy - Invalidates every trade agreement negotiated over the past year - Will force every R in Congress to go on record while getting challenged in court - Super Mad Kingy 1/ www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/b...

This is the goal – to dispossess the Palestinians of all land in a vicious campaign of ethnic cleansing. The criminal Trump regime and the criminal Netanyahu regime are aligned on this.

There’s a newborn baby here at the DMV, which is smart, because by the time his number gets called he’ll be old enough to get a license

Judge Rebukes U.S. Over Application to Search Reporter’s Home A prosecutor apologized for failing to alert the magistrate to a 1980 law that restricts searches for reporting materials. w/ Erik Wemple www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/u...

Trump's claim that the court "confirmed" his authority to use all these other authorities to reconstruct his tariffs scheme is false. Justice Kavanaugh said that, joined by Thomas & Alito, but the majority said this:

Getting more AOC-pilled by the day.

LOL “Zombie Tariffs” is some good framing. 🧟‍♂️ @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/economy/2026...

Go, already. Just... go.

After Conor Lamb ousts him in the primary, Fetterman can get a contributor gig with CBS News.

Designed by Trump, I hope — like our warships, ballrooms, monuments and Air Force One.

There are some harms from tariffs a court ruling won't undo. Las Vegas, Maine, etc. won't get the missing visitors from Canada who boycotted the US for the past year; companies that went bankrupt and cited tariffs won't magically come back to life; Bourbon companies won't win back lost sales.

Notably (a) this is meaningless in terms of the budget and (b) Republicans don't care about the budget anyway. The sole purpose is to torment highly-skilled career officers because the Trump admin is filled with no-skills dilettantes who resent everyone with expertise and commitment to their work.

Stephen Miller and the GOP’s favorite immigration law is one that helped make the holocaust worse for Jews who wanted to flee to America, so that’s all you need to know

Shawn DeRemer, the husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, will not face federal charges over allegations of assault at the department's Washington, D.C., headquarters, multiple sources told CBS News www.cbsnews.com/news/labor-s...

First the American people had to stop the Trump crime syndicate from illegally taxing us. Now the people will have to sue them again to get back the money they stole. Crooks don't give back their loot unless they're forced to.

“.. the dollar is becoming less popular for savings, for trade, and as the ultimate safe asset. That makes diversification, through international stocks and bonds .. good options for the years ahead.” @barrons.com $VEU www.barrons.com/articles/dol...

PIMCO: The decision “upholds the separation of powers as delineated under the Constitution – that the White House executes the law, but it is the Congress that creates them – and .. it reinforces that the power of the purse, specifically the power of taxation, (still) rests with the Congress.”

BLANKFEIN, on whether a crisis is brewing in private credit: @wsj.com www.wsj.com/finance/inve...

But we were promised certainty

The Supreme Court decision to invalidate tariffs is no surprise, except for the three dissenting justices whose corruption knows no bounds. The ruling has established for all time the total constitutional faithlessness of the court’s angry men. steveschmidt.substack.com/p/the-unhing...

Do not come to the US. For any but the most dire reason. Do not come.

RenMac:

The State of the Union is that we've all had enough of Trump's bullshit. My latest 👇 www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/the-state-...

Todd Blanche says he’s fired the court-appointed U.S. attorney who succeeded Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

I think I knew the tide had turned when dem lawmakers were basically competing to see who could do the most viral of these selfie videos

Go-Go’s release “Head Over Heels” as a single 42 years ago today. 🎂 “That was the beginning of the end, that album," said Belinda Carlisle. It has a “cheerful melody” — but also “captures the darker side of fame. I had an appreciation for the lyrics then, but not like I do now.”

It's not a ballroom. It's a temple dedicated to him. If it does get built, they really need to tear it down or turn it into a museum dedicated to DEI.

I’m sorry, you didn’t know about it already?

If Obama had reacted to the Supreme Court the way Trump did today, Republicans would have impeached him before noon.

Why hasn't Howard Lutnick been fired? Because if Trump fired everyone who blatantly lied to the American people, he wouldn't have a Cabinet, and he'd have to fire himself too.

Section 122 allows temporary tariffs up to 15% so Trump announced a 10% worldwide tariff last night just so he could up it to 15% today and sound tough

"Trump went on to praise Kavanaugh, who wrote the principal dissent in Learning Resources, for his 'genius' and 'great ability,' which is instantly, effortlessly ruder to Kavanaugh than anything I have ever said about him." @jaywillis.net, on yesterday's SCOTUS and POTUS happenings.

RIP Ruben Ray Martinez www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/u...

This feels very dark?!

Trump’s new tariffs are only legal in response to “fundamental international payments problems,” of which there are none. So they’re just as illegal as the old ones. But god forbid our top news organizations tell you that.

Let's say plainly what happened today: The Supreme Court stopped Donald Trump from illegally imposing a huge tax increase on the American people.

It is good that the Supreme Court spiked Trump's cartoonishly illegal tariffs. But the six conservatives also made sure that next time a Democrat is in the White House, they'll be free to use their "major questions doctrine" to strike down any policy they don't personally like