Barbara

NEW: Judge apologizes in court to WHCA Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said that he was “fascinated and disturbed” by Allen's treatment in jail. Allen was placed on suicide watch when he was first imprisoned. Prosecutors argued that since Allen told investigators he did not expect to survive the alleged attack, he could be a danger to himself. But an incredulous Faruqui wasn't convinced by that argument, drawing comparisons between Allen and defendants arrested for rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “To me, it’s extremely disturbing that he was put in five-point restraints, a person with no criminal history. It’s troubling. I never heard of one Jan. 6 defendant who was put in five-point restraints or in a safe cell. If the only way to keep him safe is the most punitive thing, that’s a problem.” “At a minimum, I should be apologizing to him. We are obligated to make sure he’s taken care of. Mr. Allen, I’m sorry that things have not been the way they are supposed to.”

Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities - so long as they do it under the guise of “partisanship” rather than explicit “racial bias.” And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach. The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers - not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.

Today’s raids by state and federal law enforcement happened because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it. That’s how the system is supposed to work, and our agencies will keep at it as long as there are fraudsters around to put behind bars.

"Hey there to my Trump supporters." "This is your local friendly DoorDasher and I just want to let you know that if I see a MAGA sign out in front of your house, Im going to take the utmost care to make sure that when I deliver you order, I throw it out the fuking window!"