Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
@amyellen.bsky.social
Higher Ed policy.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Russia has killed over 650 Ukrainian athletes and destroyed at least 15 Olympic training bases.
🧵 1/12 ⬇️
🧵 1/12 ⬇️
February 6, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Russia has killed over 650 Ukrainian athletes and destroyed at least 15 Olympic training bases.
🧵 1/12 ⬇️
🧵 1/12 ⬇️
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
February 6, 2026 at 5:42 PM
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
SHUT this down NOW. It’s not illegal to observe. ICE should not pull GUNS on innocent civilians. @senatedemocrats.bsky.social @housedemocrats.bsky.social @chrismurphyct.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov
happening this morning in Minneapolis -- ICE agents drawing guns on observers. I reiterate again that it is only a matter of time before DHS kills more innocent people in Minnesota. Congress needs to shut this shit down right now.
February 3, 2026 at 4:29 PM
SHUT this down NOW. It’s not illegal to observe. ICE should not pull GUNS on innocent civilians. @senatedemocrats.bsky.social @housedemocrats.bsky.social @chrismurphyct.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Despite the ongoing death and suffering in Gaza, it's fallen out of the news. So today, @thenation.com is devoting its full website to stories from Gaza, written by reporters who have been there. Very proud of the magazine today.
www.thenation.com/article/worl...
www.thenation.com/article/worl...
A Day for Gaza
Today, The Nation is turning over its website exclusively to stories from Gaza and its people. This is why.
www.thenation.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Despite the ongoing death and suffering in Gaza, it's fallen out of the news. So today, @thenation.com is devoting its full website to stories from Gaza, written by reporters who have been there. Very proud of the magazine today.
www.thenation.com/article/worl...
www.thenation.com/article/worl...
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Three rules in FBI firearm training:
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
happening this morning in Minneapolis -- ICE agents drawing guns on observers. I reiterate again that it is only a matter of time before DHS kills more innocent people in Minnesota. Congress needs to shut this shit down right now.
February 3, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Three rules in FBI firearm training:
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot
Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
To anyone tempted to celebrate Noem's big announcement that ICE will use body cams and that it will be expanded nationwide as funding is available...
That's already been official ICE policy for over two years.
www.ice.gov/news/release....
That's already been official ICE policy for over two years.
www.ice.gov/news/release....
February 2, 2026 at 10:54 PM
To anyone tempted to celebrate Noem's big announcement that ICE will use body cams and that it will be expanded nationwide as funding is available...
That's already been official ICE policy for over two years.
www.ice.gov/news/release....
That's already been official ICE policy for over two years.
www.ice.gov/news/release....
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
At least 3,800 kids, including 20 infants, have been detained since Donald Trump returned to office.
They want to tell you a kid with a Spider-Man backpack is evil
Liam Ramos' innocence, like the innocence of all kids, is unimpeachable. The visuals of his arrest are excruciating.
www.motherjones.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:49 PM
At least 3,800 kids, including 20 infants, have been detained since Donald Trump returned to office.
Tragic. ICE has to go.
Citing fear of ICE, pregnant immigrants in Minnesota are
-skipping prenatal care
-requesting home births, even when not medically advised
-going w/o adequate food
Many are experiencing complications providers say can be stress-onset: diabetes, high blood pressure, and even water breaking early
-skipping prenatal care
-requesting home births, even when not medically advised
-going w/o adequate food
Many are experiencing complications providers say can be stress-onset: diabetes, high blood pressure, and even water breaking early
Fear of ICE is keeping pregnant immigrants in Minnesota from critical care
Health care providers in Minnesota said pregnant patients are having more complications linked to stress. But fear of immigration agents is keeping them from prenatal care.
19thnews.org
January 30, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Tragic. ICE has to go.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
very fun to think that there are at least four votes for "the president can unilaterally rewrite a constitutional amendment"
A different kind of April fools
*SUPREME COURT SETS BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ARGUMENTS FOR APRIL 1
*SUPREME COURT SETS BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ARGUMENTS FOR APRIL 1
January 30, 2026 at 4:35 PM
very fun to think that there are at least four votes for "the president can unilaterally rewrite a constitutional amendment"
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
This make you uncomfortable? Good! Because this isn’t history, it’s reality and what ICE has normalized.
January 30, 2026 at 6:00 AM
This make you uncomfortable? Good! Because this isn’t history, it’s reality and what ICE has normalized.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
MINNESOTA — Mom goes outside to warm up her car, ICE grabs her: "Please, my car kids are all alone in the house!”
So nothing has changed and Homan was just to put a new face on the cruelty, got it
(H/T longtimehistory)
So nothing has changed and Homan was just to put a new face on the cruelty, got it
(H/T longtimehistory)
January 30, 2026 at 2:43 AM
MINNESOTA — Mom goes outside to warm up her car, ICE grabs her: "Please, my car kids are all alone in the house!”
So nothing has changed and Homan was just to put a new face on the cruelty, got it
(H/T longtimehistory)
So nothing has changed and Homan was just to put a new face on the cruelty, got it
(H/T longtimehistory)
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
NEW: Special elections in the razor-thin Democratic majority-Houses in Maine and Pennsylvania. Billions of dollars in funding for school. A congressional primary.
There are plenty of important elections right around corner, in FEBRUARY.
So i put together my monthly guide of elections to watch:
There are plenty of important elections right around corner, in FEBRUARY.
So i put together my monthly guide of elections to watch:
The 20 Elections to Watch This February - Bolts
Democrats hold the narrowest of majorities in Maine and Pennsylvania’s state Houses. They now need to defend vacant seats to retain their edge in each through the end of the... Read More
boltsmag.org
January 29, 2026 at 3:43 PM
NEW: Special elections in the razor-thin Democratic majority-Houses in Maine and Pennsylvania. Billions of dollars in funding for school. A congressional primary.
There are plenty of important elections right around corner, in FEBRUARY.
So i put together my monthly guide of elections to watch:
There are plenty of important elections right around corner, in FEBRUARY.
So i put together my monthly guide of elections to watch:
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
yes, there are no real signs of any big change in DHS activity here yet. In Chicago there really was after Bovino left and they basically ended "Midway Blitz" not so here so far.
I don’t know, declaring victory in MN seems premature. They’re still arresting people and brutalizing the community. The changes appear—so far—to be cosmetic
January 28, 2026 at 11:44 PM
yes, there are no real signs of any big change in DHS activity here yet. In Chicago there really was after Bovino left and they basically ended "Midway Blitz" not so here so far.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Read the Search Warrant, Obtained by ProPublica, for Federal Officials to Seize Physical Ballots and Electronic Records from Fulton County Related to the 2020 Election; This is a Danger Sign for 2026 electionlawblog.org?p=154020
Read the Search Warrant, Obtained by ProPublica, for Federal Officials to Seize Physical Ballots and Electronic Records from Fulton County Related to the 2020 Election; This is a Danger Sign for 2026 ...
The warrant is here. (As Justin notes, it is hard to imagine what probable cause there may be for getting this information.) One way of looking at this search warrant is that Trump has put the might o...
electionlawblog.org
January 28, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Read the Search Warrant, Obtained by ProPublica, for Federal Officials to Seize Physical Ballots and Electronic Records from Fulton County Related to the 2020 Election; This is a Danger Sign for 2026 electionlawblog.org?p=154020
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
We hear “affordability” and “the middle class” all the time—but what does that actually mean? Who is considered middle class, and how are they being affected? New data from @Brookings.edu breaks down who the middle class is and what they're facing: buff.ly/QqqsMmG
In every corner of the country, the middle class struggles with affordability | Brookings
This report also examines the state of affordability for middle-class families across racial groups, finding that affordability across the country is often further out of reach for families of color.
buff.ly
January 28, 2026 at 8:03 PM
We hear “affordability” and “the middle class” all the time—but what does that actually mean? Who is considered middle class, and how are they being affected? New data from @Brookings.edu breaks down who the middle class is and what they're facing: buff.ly/QqqsMmG
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
January 27, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
People see bringing Homan in as a better alternative to Bovino? Who are you kidding?This guy was one of the master minds of the family separation policy in the first Trump admin.
January 27, 2026 at 2:51 AM
People see bringing Homan in as a better alternative to Bovino? Who are you kidding?This guy was one of the master minds of the family separation policy in the first Trump admin.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
1. Wasn’t at a protest
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
KARL: He was an ICU use who worked for the VA and there's no evidence he brandished the gun whatsoever
BESSENT: But he brought a gun
KARL: I mean, we do have a Second Amendment
BESSENT: I've been to a protest -- guess what? I didn't bring a gun. I brought a billboard
BESSENT: But he brought a gun
KARL: I mean, we do have a Second Amendment
BESSENT: I've been to a protest -- guess what? I didn't bring a gun. I brought a billboard
January 25, 2026 at 5:15 PM
1. Wasn’t at a protest
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Our initial analysis is up.
The video footage appears to show that the gun was taken away from the man before he was shot.
He was UNARMED before any of the shots were fired.
The video footage appears to show that the gun was taken away from the man before he was shot.
He was UNARMED before any of the shots were fired.
Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...
January 24, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Our initial analysis is up.
The video footage appears to show that the gun was taken away from the man before he was shot.
He was UNARMED before any of the shots were fired.
The video footage appears to show that the gun was taken away from the man before he was shot.
He was UNARMED before any of the shots were fired.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
they're executing moms and nurses in the street. they're using preschoolers as bait. they're stealing people's dads and grandmas and children. they're tear gassing babies. they're staking out schools. there is no remedy but abolition. any proposal that doesn't start there is an act of violence.
January 24, 2026 at 7:48 PM
they're executing moms and nurses in the street. they're using preschoolers as bait. they're stealing people's dads and grandmas and children. they're tear gassing babies. they're staking out schools. there is no remedy but abolition. any proposal that doesn't start there is an act of violence.
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
The official policy of the government of the United States of America is that they will murder anyone they want, that they will tell any lie necessary to justify that murder, and that no one who resists them has any rights they are bound to respect.
/1
/1
January 24, 2026 at 7:18 PM
The official policy of the government of the United States of America is that they will murder anyone they want, that they will tell any lie necessary to justify that murder, and that no one who resists them has any rights they are bound to respect.
/1
/1
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 24, 2026
January 23, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 24, 2026
Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield
Venerable news outlet Inside Higher Ed says it'll start charging a subscription in April to afford its operations. It's been free since its founding some 20 years ago.
mailchi.mp/insidehigher...
mailchi.mp/insidehigher...
A Message to Our Readers From the Editor in Chief
mailchi.mp
January 21, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Venerable news outlet Inside Higher Ed says it'll start charging a subscription in April to afford its operations. It's been free since its founding some 20 years ago.
mailchi.mp/insidehigher...
mailchi.mp/insidehigher...