Michael J. Corliss
@corliss.bsky.social
Tech law as applied philosophy, AI as applied legal tech. Politics because I can't help myself.
Pinned
'Tariff' just means sales tax on foreign goods.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
ICE is currently holding around 80,000 detainees. Nazi Germany didn't reach this number in its formal camp system until 1942, nine years after seizing power and three years into the war.
February 10, 2026 at 3:42 AM
ICE is currently holding around 80,000 detainees. Nazi Germany didn't reach this number in its formal camp system until 1942, nine years after seizing power and three years into the war.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
NEW: Federal judges are increasingly furious at what they see as a pattern / playbook of defiance by the Trump administration to court orders in immigration cases — in Minnesota and around the country.
Here’s a look at what they’re seeing: www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Here’s a look at what they’re seeing: www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
How the Trump administration skirts — and defies — court rulings on ICE detentions
A POLITICO review of hundreds of cases brought by ICE detainees shows a pattern of noncompliance that has frustrated judges across the country.
www.politico.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:15 AM
NEW: Federal judges are increasingly furious at what they see as a pattern / playbook of defiance by the Trump administration to court orders in immigration cases — in Minnesota and around the country.
Here’s a look at what they’re seeing: www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Here’s a look at what they’re seeing: www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
When Republicans do it / When Democrats do it
February 7, 2026 at 11:41 PM
When Republicans do it / When Democrats do it
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell
Somewhat devastating news today from the CIA: One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. There's not even a hint as to why they …
simonwillison.net
February 5, 2026 at 12:25 AM
The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
Ohrdruf was the first concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops. It was the first time the U.S. Army became fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust. The three highest ranking US officers in Europe - Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton - all visited it to personally witness the horrors.
Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”
February 5, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Ohrdruf was the first concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops. It was the first time the U.S. Army became fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust. The three highest ranking US officers in Europe - Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton - all visited it to personally witness the horrors.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
NEW: The unfathomable Minnesota transcript that must be read, as it tells the reality of America today.
"I am not white, as you can see," Julie Le — a government lawyer — told a federal judge on Tuesday. "And my family's at risk as any other people that might get picked up too ..."
Law Dork:
"I am not white, as you can see," Julie Le — a government lawyer — told a federal judge on Tuesday. "And my family's at risk as any other people that might get picked up too ..."
Law Dork:
The unfathomable Minnesota transcript that must be read, as it tells the reality of America today
"I am not white, as you can see," Julie Le — a government lawyer — told a federal judge on Tuesday. "And my family's at risk as any other people that might get picked up too ..."
www.lawdork.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:59 AM
NEW: The unfathomable Minnesota transcript that must be read, as it tells the reality of America today.
"I am not white, as you can see," Julie Le — a government lawyer — told a federal judge on Tuesday. "And my family's at risk as any other people that might get picked up too ..."
Law Dork:
"I am not white, as you can see," Julie Le — a government lawyer — told a federal judge on Tuesday. "And my family's at risk as any other people that might get picked up too ..."
Law Dork:
Bearish signal for AI take-off: crypto is down across the board.
If the posts on Moltbook about AIs securing their own infrastructure were anything more than hallucinations, I'd expect demand for cryptocurrency to spike.
If the posts on Moltbook about AIs securing their own infrastructure were anything more than hallucinations, I'd expect demand for cryptocurrency to spike.
February 5, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Bearish signal for AI take-off: crypto is down across the board.
If the posts on Moltbook about AIs securing their own infrastructure were anything more than hallucinations, I'd expect demand for cryptocurrency to spike.
If the posts on Moltbook about AIs securing their own infrastructure were anything more than hallucinations, I'd expect demand for cryptocurrency to spike.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
one thing the trump era has made clear, i think, is that the american people themselves are far more committed to the values of our founding documents than our elites
February 4, 2026 at 4:07 AM
one thing the trump era has made clear, i think, is that the american people themselves are far more committed to the values of our founding documents than our elites
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.
Fucking surreal that people dressed like this and carrying assault rifles are permitted to kidnap people off our streets
February 4, 2026 at 12:53 AM
This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.
Also, prisons are awful and dehumanizing and we should rethink them.
If you're response to people calling these "concentation camps" is that they are no different than prisons, that's exactly what makes them concentration camps. Prisons are for people who have received the procedural protections of criminal law and been sentenced, not civil detainees.
BIG news from @bloomberg.com, which confirms that ICE has gone ahead and *purchased* multiple commercial warehouses with the aim of converting them into mass detention camps.
This is likely to be the big detention story of 2026 — literal warehousing of people.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
This is likely to be the big detention story of 2026 — literal warehousing of people.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
January 31, 2026 at 6:17 AM
Also, prisons are awful and dehumanizing and we should rethink them.
The big new split among moderates is between hot war and cold war against ICE. Let's see how this plays out...
January 30, 2026 at 5:26 AM
The big new split among moderates is between hot war and cold war against ICE. Let's see how this plays out...
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
DHS has a whole citizen detainment system set up in Minnesota. They snatch citizens off the street (often with proof they are citizens), detain them for a few hours, steal their phones, then release them into the cold.
It ain’t about deporting citizens; it’s about terrorizing a whole population.
It ain’t about deporting citizens; it’s about terrorizing a whole population.
‘Abolish ICE’ has become an increasingly popular position and people are being shot in the streets over it why the fuck would you dillweeds roll over like this. Especially given that citizenship is much more friable than people think it is this is not as protective as dems want it to look.
January 30, 2026 at 1:43 AM
DHS has a whole citizen detainment system set up in Minnesota. They snatch citizens off the street (often with proof they are citizens), detain them for a few hours, steal their phones, then release them into the cold.
It ain’t about deporting citizens; it’s about terrorizing a whole population.
It ain’t about deporting citizens; it’s about terrorizing a whole population.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
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 Michael J. Corliss
There are only two explanations for why the Director of National Intelligence would show up at a federal raid tied to Donald Trump’s obsession with losing the 2020 election.
January 29, 2026 at 4:06 AM
There are only two explanations for why the Director of National Intelligence would show up at a federal raid tied to Donald Trump’s obsession with losing the 2020 election.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
As far as I know, Tom Suozzi here still does not have a primary challenger in his district (NY-3 on Long Island).
The filing deadline is April 6 for the primary on June 23, and if there's a remotely progressive town council member or PTA president in that district, this is the time to make a move.
The filing deadline is April 6 for the primary on June 23, and if there's a remotely progressive town council member or PTA president in that district, this is the time to make a move.
Confronted Congressman Tom Suozzi, one of seven Democrats casting the decisive votes to increase ICE funding by $10,000,000,000.
January 29, 2026 at 1:45 AM
As far as I know, Tom Suozzi here still does not have a primary challenger in his district (NY-3 on Long Island).
The filing deadline is April 6 for the primary on June 23, and if there's a remotely progressive town council member or PTA president in that district, this is the time to make a move.
The filing deadline is April 6 for the primary on June 23, and if there's a remotely progressive town council member or PTA president in that district, this is the time to make a move.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
Ossoff: "This is a seismic event. This should have people across the country absolutely shook. This is a huge deal. This is an FBI raid on the Fulton County Elections office ... This is a shot across the bow at the midterm elections. He tried to steal power when he lost it in 2020."
January 29, 2026 at 2:52 AM
Ossoff: "This is a seismic event. This should have people across the country absolutely shook. This is a huge deal. This is an FBI raid on the Fulton County Elections office ... This is a shot across the bow at the midterm elections. He tried to steal power when he lost it in 2020."
That bootlicker looked uncomfortable.
January 29, 2026 at 4:25 AM
That bootlicker looked uncomfortable.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
I remember viewing Watchmen & thinking
wow
this is so UNREALISTIC
wow
this is so UNREALISTIC
January 29, 2026 at 12:33 AM
I remember viewing Watchmen & thinking
wow
this is so UNREALISTIC
wow
this is so UNREALISTIC
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
My four year old spotted this while I was scrolling.
So we talked about who looked proud and who looked embarrassed, and whether you should be proud about keeping your neighbors safe.
So we talked about who looked proud and who looked embarrassed, and whether you should be proud about keeping your neighbors safe.
I'm starting to think the Trumpist mastery of propaganda is failing them. The DHS agents posing this way makes it look like they're ashamed of themselves.
January 29, 2026 at 12:30 AM
My four year old spotted this while I was scrolling.
So we talked about who looked proud and who looked embarrassed, and whether you should be proud about keeping your neighbors safe.
So we talked about who looked proud and who looked embarrassed, and whether you should be proud about keeping your neighbors safe.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
Wow.
The front page of tomorrow’s Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.
The front page of tomorrow’s Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.
January 27, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Wow.
The front page of tomorrow’s Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.
The front page of tomorrow’s Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me. These people are inventing whole new ways to combine fascism and incompetence
1/27/2026 - Minneapolis
ICE just attempted an illegal entry into the ECUADORIAN CONSULATE to abduct someone
They did not have a warrant
ICE just attempted an illegal entry into the ECUADORIAN CONSULATE to abduct someone
They did not have a warrant
January 27, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me. These people are inventing whole new ways to combine fascism and incompetence
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
NEW: One of Pope Leo XIV’s top U.S. allies, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, is calling for the defunding of ICE.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Pope Leo’s Top U.S. Ally Says ‘No’ to Funding ICE
Cardinal Joseph Tobin calls ICE a “lawless organization” perpetuating a “machinery of death” and urges Congress to defund Trump’s deportation force.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:14 PM
NEW: One of Pope Leo XIV’s top U.S. allies, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, is calling for the defunding of ICE.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
I keep thinking about this fact that his last words were are you okay and hers were I'm not mad at you and it feels like a weird coincidence but it's just a reflection of the fact that the people who are coming out to take care of their neighbors are good and the people who are after them are bad
His dying words were asking about the safety of someone next to him
Hero
Hero
By Saturday afternoon, some Trump admin. personnel had already begun scouring the internet and other resources trying to find information on Alex Pretti, including social media posts, that could tie him to what Team Trump call “extremists,” two sources familiar with the matter tell @zeteo.com …
January 25, 2026 at 2:22 PM
I keep thinking about this fact that his last words were are you okay and hers were I'm not mad at you and it feels like a weird coincidence but it's just a reflection of the fact that the people who are coming out to take care of their neighbors are good and the people who are after them are bad
Reposted by Michael J. Corliss
Almost 256 years ago, when British soldiers were occupying a city that was restless in their presence but still firmly part of the empire, a confrontation ended in the shooting death of five people, with 6 more wounded. This offset image of the Boston Massacre is so evocative. 1/
January 25, 2026 at 11:28 AM
Almost 256 years ago, when British soldiers were occupying a city that was restless in their presence but still firmly part of the empire, a confrontation ended in the shooting death of five people, with 6 more wounded. This offset image of the Boston Massacre is so evocative. 1/