Ed Walker
@edwalker.bsky.social
I read a lot of books, Some of them are interesting enough to write about at emptywheel.net. Retired lawyer. Currently essays by Doerfler and Moyn and Regime Change by Deneen.
Avatar: detail from Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden by Masaccio.
Avatar: detail from Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden by Masaccio.
Pinned
Ed Walker
@edwalker.bsky.social
· Nov 20
There are three things you need to learn from your media engagements:
1. Am I or my family in danger?
2. How can I help people who are in danger?
3. Who is on my side?
Once you've answered those questions, you can safely sign out in order to protect your blood pressure and your sanity.
1. Am I or my family in danger?
2. How can I help people who are in danger?
3. Who is on my side?
Once you've answered those questions, you can safely sign out in order to protect your blood pressure and your sanity.
Reposted by Ed Walker
At any other time, ever, Trump would have been impeached and convicted. He's a fraud, a felon, deranged, unfit. Everyone knows that, but it's MAGA-GOP that refuse to act on it.
The President, two of his current Cabinet secretaries, his former strategist, his biggest donor, and his pending Fed Chair nominee are all in the files of a pedophile who ran a sex trafficking ring, while the attorney general and a former Cabinet secretary let him get away with it.
Seems kinda bad?
Seems kinda bad?
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files
The degree to which each individual was connected to Epstein varies significantly, from a single email to years of communications.
www.nbcnews.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:45 PM
At any other time, ever, Trump would have been impeached and convicted. He's a fraud, a felon, deranged, unfit. Everyone knows that, but it's MAGA-GOP that refuse to act on it.
Reposted by Ed Walker
"Democrats who do not recognize the nature of this moment or what our priorities should be must be called out and asked/forced to step aside. If you think this in contradiction to the point above about winning at all costs, that’s wrong."
Please read all of this excellent article.
Please read all of this excellent article.
Sometimes moving forward requires reckoning with uncomfortable realities. My latest.
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
A Dose of Hard Truths
Don't look away. These issues must be understood and addressed.
open.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:47 PM
"Democrats who do not recognize the nature of this moment or what our priorities should be must be called out and asked/forced to step aside. If you think this in contradiction to the point above about winning at all costs, that’s wrong."
Please read all of this excellent article.
Please read all of this excellent article.
Please read this article.
Here's the scene Rothkopf mentions: duckduckgo.com?q=la+marseil...
Aux armes citoyens
Formez vos battilions
Marchons, Marchons,
Leur sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons
Now there's a protest song.
Here's the scene Rothkopf mentions: duckduckgo.com?q=la+marseil...
Aux armes citoyens
Formez vos battilions
Marchons, Marchons,
Leur sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons
Now there's a protest song.
Sometimes moving forward requires reckoning with uncomfortable realities. My latest.
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
A Dose of Hard Truths
Don't look away. These issues must be understood and addressed.
open.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Please read this article.
Here's the scene Rothkopf mentions: duckduckgo.com?q=la+marseil...
Aux armes citoyens
Formez vos battilions
Marchons, Marchons,
Leur sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons
Now there's a protest song.
Here's the scene Rothkopf mentions: duckduckgo.com?q=la+marseil...
Aux armes citoyens
Formez vos battilions
Marchons, Marchons,
Leur sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons
Now there's a protest song.
Reposted by Ed Walker
The President, two of his current Cabinet secretaries, his former strategist, his biggest donor, and his pending Fed Chair nominee are all in the files of a pedophile who ran a sex trafficking ring, while the attorney general and a former Cabinet secretary let him get away with it.
Seems kinda bad?
Seems kinda bad?
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files
The degree to which each individual was connected to Epstein varies significantly, from a single email to years of communications.
www.nbcnews.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:43 PM
The President, two of his current Cabinet secretaries, his former strategist, his biggest donor, and his pending Fed Chair nominee are all in the files of a pedophile who ran a sex trafficking ring, while the attorney general and a former Cabinet secretary let him get away with it.
Seems kinda bad?
Seems kinda bad?
Reposted by Ed Walker
A city review has confirmed that the owner of the South Portland immigration facility violated the land-use agreement that allows federal agents to operate from it.
Portland upholds finding that ICE facility violated city land-use agreement
The agency’s landlord has 10 days to appeal.
www.oregonlive.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:31 AM
ICE/CBP: We want to bust down people's doors and snatch them on our say-so.
All Republicans: Ooooh, so manly and very cool.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
All Republicans: Ooooh, so manly and very cool.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
February 14, 2026 at 6:35 PM
ICE/CBP: We want to bust down people's doors and snatch them on our say-so.
All Republicans: Ooooh, so manly and very cool.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
All Republicans: Ooooh, so manly and very cool.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Ed Walker
This. Moderna's mRNA platform could protect 342 million Americans from our next deadly pandemic.
Covid minimizing Vinay Prasad just destroyed that protection.
We can't know what the next deadly pandemic will be.
When it comes, may grieving, desperate Americans know where to find Prasad.
Covid minimizing Vinay Prasad just destroyed that protection.
We can't know what the next deadly pandemic will be.
When it comes, may grieving, desperate Americans know where to find Prasad.
FDA is refusing to consider Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine. Yet, as @angierasmussen.bsky.social explains, if we had mRNA vax technology for flu, we might have been able to quickly update this season's shots to cover subclade K before it hit the US. @jackiefmogensen.bsky.social reports @sciam.bsky.social
FDA won’t consider a new mRNA vaccine for flu despite the technology’s life-saving promise
The U.S.’s drug safety agency declined to review a next-gen flu vaccine that uses the same tech as the coronavirus shots
www.scientificamerican.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:07 PM
This. Moderna's mRNA platform could protect 342 million Americans from our next deadly pandemic.
Covid minimizing Vinay Prasad just destroyed that protection.
We can't know what the next deadly pandemic will be.
When it comes, may grieving, desperate Americans know where to find Prasad.
Covid minimizing Vinay Prasad just destroyed that protection.
We can't know what the next deadly pandemic will be.
When it comes, may grieving, desperate Americans know where to find Prasad.
Reposted by Ed Walker
Yes
Isn't the @nytimes being way too credulous, believing the inflation figures produced by the corrupt Trump regime? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/b...
U.S. Inflation Eased at Start of the Year
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Yes
Reposted by Ed Walker
Every time a new story about this comes out I feel better about moving our newsletter off Substack. I'm happy to talk to anyone who's interested in learning about moving to Ghost (what we use) or other platforms. It was easy and we didn't lose subscribers
Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters
Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Every time a new story about this comes out I feel better about moving our newsletter off Substack. I'm happy to talk to anyone who's interested in learning about moving to Ghost (what we use) or other platforms. It was easy and we didn't lose subscribers
Reposted by Ed Walker
This is a 3,600-word piece airing every bit of dirt Noem's detractors have aired in the last year, presumably to try to get her (and Corey) ousted.
2 words that don't appear anywhere? "Stephen Miller."
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
2 words that don't appear anywhere? "Stephen Miller."
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS
Secretary faces fire for confrontational immigration crackdown and self-promotional style; White House to wind down Minnesota operations.
www.wsj.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:55 AM
This is a 3,600-word piece airing every bit of dirt Noem's detractors have aired in the last year, presumably to try to get her (and Corey) ousted.
2 words that don't appear anywhere? "Stephen Miller."
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
2 words that don't appear anywhere? "Stephen Miller."
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Ed Walker
On the one hand, the more Noem wastes bc of her own incompetence, the less she'll have for goons and concentration camps. On the other hand, the GOP cut $273M in cancer cure research last year to pay for shit like this.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
February 13, 2026 at 3:47 AM
On the one hand, the more Noem wastes bc of her own incompetence, the less she'll have for goons and concentration camps. On the other hand, the GOP cut $273M in cancer cure research last year to pay for shit like this.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Ed Walker
"Some were as young as 13, and at least half of those taken in so far became pregnant as a result of rape, sources said."
The Trump administration is incarcerating migrant girls in, essentially, a forced pregnancy camp.
Trump administration is sending pregnant migrant girls to South Texas shelter flagged as medically inadequate
Government sources and advocates for the children worry the goal is to concentrate them in Texas, where abortion is banned.
www.kut.org
February 12, 2026 at 5:09 PM
"Some were as young as 13, and at least half of those taken in so far became pregnant as a result of rape, sources said."
🧵
Very important that no Democrats meet with this guy or votes for him.
I'm looking at you @durbin.senate.gov. You've done nothing to stop these rogues. Doing nothing is your strong suit.
Very important that no Democrats meet with this guy or votes for him.
I'm looking at you @durbin.senate.gov. You've done nothing to stop these rogues. Doing nothing is your strong suit.
So @elienyc.bsky.social and @strictscrutiny.bsky.social have speculated that Alito may retire soon. I agree. Elie lays out the case here—it'd be odd to release a memoir in October if he's (a) still serving and (b) unable to promote it because he's hearing arguments. www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Is Samuel Alito Preparing to Disrobe?
In this installment of Elie v. US, our justice correspondent explores the week’s big legal news, including a possible Alito retirement. Also, the anti-trans mob’s latest target: tight clothing.
www.thenation.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:05 PM
🧵
Very important that no Democrats meet with this guy or votes for him.
I'm looking at you @durbin.senate.gov. You've done nothing to stop these rogues. Doing nothing is your strong suit.
Very important that no Democrats meet with this guy or votes for him.
I'm looking at you @durbin.senate.gov. You've done nothing to stop these rogues. Doing nothing is your strong suit.
Reposted by Ed Walker
Lol:
NEWS: The DOJ lawyer who tried--and failed--to indict 6 Dem lawmakers over military video runs an active dance photography studio & worked for US Atty Pirro decades ago. Both prosecutors on case had no prior federal backgrounds as experts were walled off. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
NEWS: The DOJ lawyer who tried--and failed--to indict 6 Dem lawmakers over military video runs an active dance photography studio & worked for US Atty Pirro decades ago. Both prosecutors on case had no prior federal backgrounds as experts were walled off. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Pirro Enlists Dance Photographer-Lawyer in Lawmaker Video Case
Washington’s US Attorney Jeanine Pirro tapped a dance photographer who worked for her decades ago as one of the prosecutors who tried—and failed—to convince a grand jury to indict six Democratic lawma...
news.bloomberglaw.com
February 11, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Lol:
NEWS: The DOJ lawyer who tried--and failed--to indict 6 Dem lawmakers over military video runs an active dance photography studio & worked for US Atty Pirro decades ago. Both prosecutors on case had no prior federal backgrounds as experts were walled off. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
NEWS: The DOJ lawyer who tried--and failed--to indict 6 Dem lawmakers over military video runs an active dance photography studio & worked for US Atty Pirro decades ago. Both prosecutors on case had no prior federal backgrounds as experts were walled off. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Reposted by Ed Walker
This episode has been a nightmare for my city and state, but I hope people realize it’s also a profound defeat and political catastrophe for Trump and DHS, who are slinking away having accomplished nothing. Minneapolis simply wouldn’t bend to them and they lost
Homan in Minnesota: "I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude. A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue."
February 12, 2026 at 3:09 PM
This episode has been a nightmare for my city and state, but I hope people realize it’s also a profound defeat and political catastrophe for Trump and DHS, who are slinking away having accomplished nothing. Minneapolis simply wouldn’t bend to them and they lost
I'm a casual observer of Ice Dance. To me the winners were boring, slow, and unimaginative. Chock and Bates were strong, fast, inventive, and precise in a rousing performance. Managing that skirt thing at those speeds was a skill all by itself.
February 12, 2026 at 3:06 PM
I'm a casual observer of Ice Dance. To me the winners were boring, slow, and unimaginative. Chock and Bates were strong, fast, inventive, and precise in a rousing performance. Managing that skirt thing at those speeds was a skill all by itself.
Reposted by Ed Walker
Crashing the courts is part of the strategy of the Trump regime. Trying to overwhelm the judiciary is a deliberate effort to functionally eliminate it as a check on the Republican Fascist program. www.wired.com/story/ice-cr...
ICE Is Crashing the US Court System in Minnesota
Petitions demanding people get the chance to be released from ICE custody have overwhelmed courts throughout the US.
www.wired.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Crashing the courts is part of the strategy of the Trump regime. Trying to overwhelm the judiciary is a deliberate effort to functionally eliminate it as a check on the Republican Fascist program. www.wired.com/story/ice-cr...
Reposted by Ed Walker
Facebook removed Chicago’s most popular ICE sighting page. Now, its founder is suing. blockclubchi.co/46K4h2C
February 11, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Facebook removed Chicago’s most popular ICE sighting page. Now, its founder is suing. blockclubchi.co/46K4h2C
The only Dem who vote for this piece of trash is Henry Cuellar, the toad Trump pardoned before his corruption trial. Cuellar got the support of the Democrats against the progressive Jessica Cisneros twice.
Corruption. It's not just for Republicans.
Corruption. It's not just for Republicans.
Terrible. The bill now goes to the Senate. Make those calls. 202-224-3121
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
House passes SAVE America Act, sending Trump-backed election bill to the Senate
The legislation would overhaul federal election laws in all 50 states by imposing new voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. But it faces a daunting path in the Senate.
www.nbcnews.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:50 AM
The only Dem who vote for this piece of trash is Henry Cuellar, the toad Trump pardoned before his corruption trial. Cuellar got the support of the Democrats against the progressive Jessica Cisneros twice.
Corruption. It's not just for Republicans.
Corruption. It's not just for Republicans.
The list of Trump thugs who must be impeached includes the odious Pam Bondi.
CNN confirms what MSNBC reported live a few hours ago: DOJ is surveilling Dem lawmakers when they go to the DOJ to search unredacted Epstein files.
CNN: "Another photograph - these are notes AG Bondi brought to the hearing today. This shows a list of Rep. Jayapal's search history. Lawmakers are allowed to go to a DOJ facility to search unredacted files. We learned from this photo that the searches are apparently being tracked & read by the DOJ"
February 11, 2026 at 9:41 PM
The list of Trump thugs who must be impeached includes the odious Pam Bondi.
Reposted by Ed Walker
Charity fight between Mayor Jackson and Muhammed Ali.
“Those trunks he had saved him because he had them too high," Ali said. "He came with the trunks up to his breast, therefore I couldn’t hit him in the effective spots ‘cause he’s so big, he’s like a balloon, and if you hit him he’ll bust."
“Those trunks he had saved him because he had them too high," Ali said. "He came with the trunks up to his breast, therefore I couldn’t hit him in the effective spots ‘cause he’s so big, he’s like a balloon, and if you hit him he’ll bust."
February 11, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Charity fight between Mayor Jackson and Muhammed Ali.
“Those trunks he had saved him because he had them too high," Ali said. "He came with the trunks up to his breast, therefore I couldn’t hit him in the effective spots ‘cause he’s so big, he’s like a balloon, and if you hit him he’ll bust."
“Those trunks he had saved him because he had them too high," Ali said. "He came with the trunks up to his breast, therefore I couldn’t hit him in the effective spots ‘cause he’s so big, he’s like a balloon, and if you hit him he’ll bust."
Reposted by Ed Walker
Seems like a state crime for which there is no federal counterpart... should be prosecutable by state officials, non?
February 11, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Seems like a state crime for which there is no federal counterpart... should be prosecutable by state officials, non?
Reposted by Ed Walker
“We’re going to push back. I’m going to use every single tool that’s available to me, to protect our people in our city, to ensure that we receive our fair share in the federal government, particularly when these families desperately need relief as quickly as possible.” @wttw.bsky.social
Johnson Vows to ‘Push Back’ After Trump Administration Denies Disaster Relief Request
Chicagoans “suffered tremendously” during those storms and should be able to rely on the federal government for help, Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday.
news.wttw.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:14 PM
“We’re going to push back. I’m going to use every single tool that’s available to me, to protect our people in our city, to ensure that we receive our fair share in the federal government, particularly when these families desperately need relief as quickly as possible.” @wttw.bsky.social
Reposted by Ed Walker
Jamie Raskin uses his introductory statement to introduce a bunch of the survivors, sitting right behind Pam Bondi.
February 11, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Jamie Raskin uses his introductory statement to introduce a bunch of the survivors, sitting right behind Pam Bondi.
Reposted by Ed Walker
On this day in 1990: Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
Today, Miller and Trump would not even allow Mandela in the US.
Today, Miller and Trump would not even allow Mandela in the US.
February 11, 2026 at 3:34 PM
On this day in 1990: Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
Today, Miller and Trump would not even allow Mandela in the US.
Today, Miller and Trump would not even allow Mandela in the US.