Jöhn
@chonabo.bsky.social
Husband, Father, Activist, Relief Worker, Mountaineer, Public Policy Junkie, and an OB with a fascination of the law!
Our new Gulag Archipelago! #concentrationcamps #prisons #torture #abuse
A Central African Hotel Has Become a Nightmare Prison for U.S. Deportations
A Central African Hotel Has Become a Nightmare Prison for U.S. Deportations
A Central African Hotel Has Become a Nightmare Prison for U.S. Deportations
Witnesses say men were hooded and beaten in Equatorial Guinea. The autocratic government there is a partner in President Trump’s deportation program.
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Our new Gulag Archipelago! #concentrationcamps #prisons #torture #abuse
A Central African Hotel Has Become a Nightmare Prison for U.S. Deportations
A Central African Hotel Has Become a Nightmare Prison for U.S. Deportations
Reposted by Jöhn
Ahmed Soliman's loved ones have also set up this website to help you send letters to your representatives demanding they get involved in the fight for the his release. findahmedsoliman.org
Help find Ahmed Soliman — Civic Action Tool
Review a draft, open it in Gmail, Outlook, or your mail app, and send it yourself. No sign-in, no data collected.
findahmedsoliman.org
September 18, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Ahmed Soliman's loved ones have also set up this website to help you send letters to your representatives demanding they get involved in the fight for the his release. findahmedsoliman.org
Reposted by Jöhn
AFAIK this is the first time the second man's name has been released. Birhane an Eritrean national who I know Ahmed was friends with. It's a little hard to see, but in the video of Sept. 5 incident, he's the man in a white shirt in the revolving doorway. prospect.org/2026/09/09/s...
‘Shoot Him!’: Police Threaten Third-Country Nationals Imprisoned in African Hotel - The American Prospect
‘I’m fighting for my life,’ said Ahmed Soliman after the latest in a string of abusive incidents in Equatorial Guinea, where ICE expelled him five months ago.
prospect.org
September 18, 2026 at 12:48 PM
AFAIK this is the first time the second man's name has been released. Birhane an Eritrean national who I know Ahmed was friends with. It's a little hard to see, but in the video of Sept. 5 incident, he's the man in a white shirt in the revolving doorway. prospect.org/2026/09/09/s...
Reposted by Jöhn
NEW: @amnesty.org says Ahmed Soliman & another man, Samson Birhane, had bags put on their heads, were beaten when arrested in Equatorial Guinea. They demand their immediate release. Both lived in the US since they were kids, ICE expelled them unlawfully.
TAKE ACTION: www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
TAKE ACTION: www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
Equatorial Guinea: Risk of torture for unlawfully detained men: Ahmed Soliman and Samson Birhane - Amnesty International
On 11 September, the Equatorial Guinea authorities unlawfully arrested Ahmed Soliman and Samson Birhane, accusing them of “breaking a mirror” at a hotel in Malabo, where the two had been arbitrarily h...
www.amnesty.org
September 18, 2026 at 12:43 PM
NEW: @amnesty.org says Ahmed Soliman & another man, Samson Birhane, had bags put on their heads, were beaten when arrested in Equatorial Guinea. They demand their immediate release. Both lived in the US since they were kids, ICE expelled them unlawfully.
TAKE ACTION: www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
TAKE ACTION: www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
Reposted by Jöhn
The Trump administration granted more than 180 polluting facilities nationwide a two-year pause on compliance with Clean Air Act rules.
All they had to do was send an email.
(Published May)
All they had to do was send an email.
(Published May)
Trump Exempted Some of the Nation’s Biggest Polluters From Air Quality Rules. All It Took Was an Email.
In an unprecedented move, the administration has granted industrial facilities in 38 states and Puerto Rico a two-year reprieve from federal rules under the Clean Air Act. The president is considering...
www.propublica.org
September 18, 2026 at 3:19 AM
The Trump administration granted more than 180 polluting facilities nationwide a two-year pause on compliance with Clean Air Act rules.
All they had to do was send an email.
(Published May)
All they had to do was send an email.
(Published May)
Reposted by Jöhn
Blanche’s Political Activity Breaks an Ethical Norm Going Back to Watergate
The attorney general’s campaign politicking for Republicans adds to the degradation of post-Watergate values at the Justice Department.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/u...
The attorney general’s campaign politicking for Republicans adds to the degradation of post-Watergate values at the Justice Department.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/u...
Blanche’s Political Activity Breaks an Ethical Norm Going Back to Watergate (Gift Article)
The attorney general’s campaign politicking for Republicans adds to the degradation of post-Watergate values at the Justice Department.
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Blanche’s Political Activity Breaks an Ethical Norm Going Back to Watergate
The attorney general’s campaign politicking for Republicans adds to the degradation of post-Watergate values at the Justice Department.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/u...
The attorney general’s campaign politicking for Republicans adds to the degradation of post-Watergate values at the Justice Department.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/u...
Reposted by Jöhn
I'm shocked, but not surprised! #Courts
Trump’s Minnesota Surge Threatened Democracy, Judge Warns (Gift Article)
In a rare interview, Patrick Schiltz, who served as the federal court’s chief judge last winter, called the administration’s actions “a grave threat to the rule of law.”
www.nytimes.com
September 17, 2026 at 2:21 PM
I'm shocked, but not surprised! #Courts
Reposted by Jöhn
It's difficult to fathom that any human who made it out of elementary school could actually be this dumb, but here we are.
And see how smug he looks? He actually thinks he's smarter than everyone who can't comprehend his brilliant logic.
And see how smug he looks? He actually thinks he's smarter than everyone who can't comprehend his brilliant logic.
Trump: "If we lose $50 billion a year with a country, and we say 'we're not going to trade with you anymore,' we don't lose $50 billion a year. It's very simple. Right?"
September 17, 2026 at 1:08 AM
It's difficult to fathom that any human who made it out of elementary school could actually be this dumb, but here we are.
And see how smug he looks? He actually thinks he's smarter than everyone who can't comprehend his brilliant logic.
And see how smug he looks? He actually thinks he's smarter than everyone who can't comprehend his brilliant logic.
Reposted by Jöhn
This is a win for the Constitution, but the fight isn't over. We need to protect and expand access to vote-by-mail, and I have a bill to do just that.
Supreme Court Blocks Trump Administration Plan to Screen Mail-In Ballots
The Trump administration had asked the justices to allow a new Postal Service plan to screen ballots just weeks before the midterm elections.
www.nytimes.com
September 15, 2026 at 12:00 AM
This is a win for the Constitution, but the fight isn't over. We need to protect and expand access to vote-by-mail, and I have a bill to do just that.
Reposted by Jöhn
What a cruel world we are living in because of one awful human being-Trump.
September 14, 2026 at 2:01 PM
What a cruel world we are living in because of one awful human being-Trump.
In the shadow of other great civil libertarians, @radleybalko.bsky.social speaks truth to power! (gift link)
Opinion | Civil Libertarians Knew This Would Happen. We Should Have Listened. (Gift Article)
The civil libertarians’ warnings have come true.
www.nytimes.com
September 10, 2026 at 2:24 PM
In the shadow of other great civil libertarians, @radleybalko.bsky.social speaks truth to power! (gift link)
Reposted by Jöhn
Regardless of where you stand on other issues, the most important issue on the ballot in November is electing a Congress that fulfills its constitutional responsibility to check a lawless president.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
Our Military Needs Congress to Do Its Job
54 Days to the Midterms
open.substack.com
September 10, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Regardless of where you stand on other issues, the most important issue on the ballot in November is electing a Congress that fulfills its constitutional responsibility to check a lawless president.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
Reposted by Jöhn
The arguments against impeaching Trump next year are all bad and spurious, but they're even weaker as applied to all the other impeachable members of the Cabinet, etc. And impeaching Hegseth for literal murder should be top of the list.
I don’t think there’s really even a colorable argument that this isn’t mass murder.
theintercept.com/2026/09/02/m...
theintercept.com/2026/09/02/m...
The U.S. Has Killed 227 Civilians in Boat Strikes During “A Year of Murders”
“The boat strikes are, perhaps, the most stark testament to the lawlessness of the Trump administration.”
theintercept.com
September 2, 2026 at 2:36 PM
The arguments against impeaching Trump next year are all bad and spurious, but they're even weaker as applied to all the other impeachable members of the Cabinet, etc. And impeaching Hegseth for literal murder should be top of the list.
Reposted by Jöhn
UPDATE ON BIG BEND: The pause on Trump’s border construction inside Big Bend National Park has been extended through September 30. That means no bulldozing, no clearing vegetation, no cutting new roads, and no moving earth or dirt in the affected areas while the legal fight continues.
September 1, 2026 at 7:41 PM
UPDATE ON BIG BEND: The pause on Trump’s border construction inside Big Bend National Park has been extended through September 30. That means no bulldozing, no clearing vegetation, no cutting new roads, and no moving earth or dirt in the affected areas while the legal fight continues.
Reposted by Jöhn
in john roberts’ constitution, congress does not exist and the power of the purse belongs to the president, who is an elected dictator embodying the authentic Will of the People
The gig is up in the very first sentence of the Supreme Court's per curiam opinion on the Trump ballroom (emphasis added): "In October 2025, the *federal government* started a project to replace the East Wing of the White House."
They've collapsed the legislative branch into the unitary executive.
They've collapsed the legislative branch into the unitary executive.
August 31, 2026 at 9:35 PM
in john roberts’ constitution, congress does not exist and the power of the purse belongs to the president, who is an elected dictator embodying the authentic Will of the People
Reposted by Jöhn
why would any agency abide an injunction knowing there is a decent chance the supreme court will lift it because the president is a special birthday boy? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/u...
Whistle-Blower Says Trump Officials Are Defying Court Orders on Voting by Mail
A report detailed “grave concerns” that a new system being rushed into use by the U.S. Postal Service could imperil millions of mail ballots ahead of the midterm elections.
www.nytimes.com
September 1, 2026 at 10:54 AM
why would any agency abide an injunction knowing there is a decent chance the supreme court will lift it because the president is a special birthday boy? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/u...
Reposted by Jöhn
the fact that the papers of supreme court justices are treated as their personal property is outrageous www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/u...
How the Supreme Court Locks Away Its Own History (Gift Article)
After Justice Scalia died, the justices held private negotiations about locking away their papers. We may not see the ultimate record of the Roberts court for decades.
www.nytimes.com
September 1, 2026 at 11:57 AM
the fact that the papers of supreme court justices are treated as their personal property is outrageous www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/u...
Reposted by Jöhn
Old enough to remember when IRS scrutiny of brand new non-profits for the Tea Party was a huge scandal.
Wheels are in motion to attempt to strip the non-profit status of the Open Society Fdn, SPLC, CAIR and “the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, the anti-Amazon Athena Coalition, left-leaning watchdog MediaJustice, and the Strategic Organizing Center” of the SEIU
nypost.com/2026/08/27/b...
nypost.com/2026/08/27/b...
Exclusive | Trump admin set to target George Soros nonprofit, Southern Poverty Law Center and CAIR in major tax crackdown: sources
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is turning on his old boss, targeting George Soros’ Open Society Foundations in a massive progressive tax crackdown.
nypost.com
September 1, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Old enough to remember when IRS scrutiny of brand new non-profits for the Tea Party was a huge scandal.
Does that mean, in theory, that the #Regime could tear down the #arm of the Statue of Liberty, #Washington Monument, #Lincoln Memorial, #Jefferson Memorial, #MLK Memorial, and the #Kennedy Center, all without so much as a whimper from #Congress #SCOTUS and #Preservationists
US supreme court allows Trump to keep building $400m White House ballroom
Justices’ 5-4 ruling permits Trump administration appeal to block lower court order halting above-ground work
www.theguardian.com
August 31, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Does that mean, in theory, that the #Regime could tear down the #arm of the Statue of Liberty, #Washington Monument, #Lincoln Memorial, #Jefferson Memorial, #MLK Memorial, and the #Kennedy Center, all without so much as a whimper from #Congress #SCOTUS and #Preservationists
Reposted by Jöhn
thank you the new yorker and françoise for having me do this cover for the late, great dolly parton
August 28, 2026 at 5:53 PM
thank you the new yorker and françoise for having me do this cover for the late, great dolly parton
I remember how devastating it was that the #Taliban regime destroyed the Bamiyan Valley carved #Buddhas Now it seems our own #Regime is bent on destroying Big Bend and its riches for the unnecessary border wall!.
Trump’s border wall construction threatens rock art as old as the pyramids: ‘The ancestors are still here’
The president’s border wall plan could damage or destroy ‘the oldest-known books in North America’
www.theguardian.com
August 24, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Jöhn
Wild that we're still having a conversation about the radicalism of Democrats
Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he plans to call for a ban on school districts employing anyone with an H-1B visa, a move that could cost hundreds of Texas teachers their jobs. bit.ly/4wA1bbC
August 19, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Wild that we're still having a conversation about the radicalism of Democrats
Reposted by Jöhn
Please sign a petition to stop construction of a wall in Big Bend National Park. It’s not necessary! Thanks! c.org/kH87qrzLPB
Sign the Petition
Stop the construction of the "smart" wall in the Big Bend Sector, Big Bend National Park
c.org
August 19, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Please sign a petition to stop construction of a wall in Big Bend National Park. It’s not necessary! Thanks! c.org/kH87qrzLPB
Reposted by Jöhn
We published this piece a month ago, and there are STILL new reports of cops using Flock cameras to stalk people...
Police keep losing their jobs for using Flock cameras to stalk people
Advocates say it’s too easy to abuse automated license plate reader technology.
www.motherjones.com
August 19, 2026 at 6:49 PM
We published this piece a month ago, and there are STILL new reports of cops using Flock cameras to stalk people...