Grits for Breakfast
@gritsforbreakfast.bsky.social
Nom de plume of Scott Henson, Austin, TX. Cancer survivor, househusband, recovering policy wonk (justice systems, civil liberties; innocence). Retirement focus: TX negro-league baseball, female lion tamers. Zines: https://www.gfbpubs.com
Pinned
State prisons in US grew deadlier and more violent amid guard shortage, review finds
The US locks away more people than any other nation, including about 1 million people in state-run prisons. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
www.straitstimes.com
DOJ: The death rate among state prisoners increased 47% between 2019 and 2024 ... The deaths include homicides, suicides and violence, and the report concluded that understaffing and high turnover “likely contribute” to the increase
"How can we fire people who committed no misconduct or ban them from teaching parts of Plato we don't like with all these annoying tenure rules on the books?"
This amounts to the wholesale elimination of academic freedom: Faculty losing tenure shd file a class action suit.
This amounts to the wholesale elimination of academic freedom: Faculty losing tenure shd file a class action suit.
Breaking, from me: An executive order from Oklahoma's governor directs most of the state's public colleges to "phase out tenure." #AcademicSky #HigherEd @chronicle.com
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM
"How can we fire people who committed no misconduct or ban them from teaching parts of Plato we don't like with all these annoying tenure rules on the books?"
This amounts to the wholesale elimination of academic freedom: Faculty losing tenure shd file a class action suit.
This amounts to the wholesale elimination of academic freedom: Faculty losing tenure shd file a class action suit.
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
On the left, the Texas Teamsters endorsing Greg Abbott yesterday.
On the right, Greg Abbott's campaign website denouncing Big Labor.
On the right, Greg Abbott's campaign website denouncing Big Labor.
February 6, 2026 at 3:18 PM
On the left, the Texas Teamsters endorsing Greg Abbott yesterday.
On the right, Greg Abbott's campaign website denouncing Big Labor.
On the right, Greg Abbott's campaign website denouncing Big Labor.
Taxes paid by Amazon "declined to $1.2 billion from $9 billion" under Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. www.wsj.com/business/tru...
Trump’s Tax Law Sharply Cuts Amazon’s Corporate Tax Bill
Breaks for investment and research lowered the company’s payments to the U.S. government.
www.wsj.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Taxes paid by Amazon "declined to $1.2 billion from $9 billion" under Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. www.wsj.com/business/tru...
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
Cops were frequently getting caught planting drugs in 2017 because body cameras were new and many of them didn't understand how the technology worked.
When cops hit "record" it saved the 30 seconds from *before* they hit the button. Eventually, they figured it out.
When cops hit "record" it saved the 30 seconds from *before* they hit the button. Eventually, they figured it out.
Why Cops Frequently Got Caught Planting Drugs in 2017
Look. All technology comes with a learning curve.
gizmodo.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Cops were frequently getting caught planting drugs in 2017 because body cameras were new and many of them didn't understand how the technology worked.
When cops hit "record" it saved the 30 seconds from *before* they hit the button. Eventually, they figured it out.
When cops hit "record" it saved the 30 seconds from *before* they hit the button. Eventually, they figured it out.
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
This morning at the Minnesota State Capitol.
An ice sculpture that reads "PROSECUTE ICE". I'm told the organization behind the sculpture is Common Defense.
An ice sculpture that reads "PROSECUTE ICE". I'm told the organization behind the sculpture is Common Defense.
February 5, 2026 at 3:26 PM
This morning at the Minnesota State Capitol.
An ice sculpture that reads "PROSECUTE ICE". I'm told the organization behind the sculpture is Common Defense.
An ice sculpture that reads "PROSECUTE ICE". I'm told the organization behind the sculpture is Common Defense.
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
Wait! The public face of nationwide immigration enforcement, Gregory Bovino, said in a newly discovered email that his boss wasn’t the head of CBP. He reported to Corey Lewandowski instead.
He’s a political operative with zero law-enforcement background calling the shots on immigration enforcement.
He’s a political operative with zero law-enforcement background calling the shots on immigration enforcement.
February 5, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Wait! The public face of nationwide immigration enforcement, Gregory Bovino, said in a newly discovered email that his boss wasn’t the head of CBP. He reported to Corey Lewandowski instead.
He’s a political operative with zero law-enforcement background calling the shots on immigration enforcement.
He’s a political operative with zero law-enforcement background calling the shots on immigration enforcement.
Midterm ads in congressional/senate races write themselves against every R who opposes unmasking or restraining ICE: Images of them causing chaos in the streets, abusing people, even shooting and killing them, and say, "People who think this is okay shouldn't be in charge of the government."
February 5, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Midterm ads in congressional/senate races write themselves against every R who opposes unmasking or restraining ICE: Images of them causing chaos in the streets, abusing people, even shooting and killing them, and say, "People who think this is okay shouldn't be in charge of the government."
The logo for this is amazing 😂
A new tool lets you search the Epstein files for mentions of your LinkedIn contacts. Tried it out, does work. Outputs a report with links to the material on the DOJ website.
www.404media.co/this-tool-se...
www.404media.co/this-tool-se...
This Tool Searches the Epstein Files For Your LinkedIn Contacts
EpsteIN—as in, Epstein and LinkedIn—searches your connections on the social network for names that match those in the released files.
www.404media.co
February 5, 2026 at 4:49 PM
The logo for this is amazing 😂
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
In 1517 riots broke out in London due to an influx of immigrant workers. Later, the play "Sir Thomas More" wasn't published or performed at the time. This speech is delivered to a crowd by Thomas More. He asks the rioters to imagine themselves as one of the immigrants they attack.
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 3:59 PM
In 1517 riots broke out in London due to an influx of immigrant workers. Later, the play "Sir Thomas More" wasn't published or performed at the time. This speech is delivered to a crowd by Thomas More. He asks the rioters to imagine themselves as one of the immigrants they attack.
We're just eliminating basic reference materials at this point, this, BLS data, etc..
they got rid of the CIA world factbook?????
February 4, 2026 at 11:42 PM
We're just eliminating basic reference materials at this point, this, BLS data, etc..
Transparency for the Epstein files is accomplishing more than prosecutions ever would. Prosecutors in neither party wd ever have gone after the powerful ppl named, but a lot of them are getting a much-deserved comeuppance from the file dump who would have never darkened the door of a courtroom.
Among the emails was a 2009 missive in which Mr. Ross responded supportively when Mr. Epstein told him he was contemplating funding an art exhibition, tentatively titled “Statutory,” that would showcase underage models dressed to look older than they were.
Former Whitney Chief Resigns From Art School After Epstein Email Release
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Transparency for the Epstein files is accomplishing more than prosecutions ever would. Prosecutors in neither party wd ever have gone after the powerful ppl named, but a lot of them are getting a much-deserved comeuppance from the file dump who would have never darkened the door of a courtroom.
Seriously, what a disgrace. Wilbon and Kornheiser should do their whole half hour on it today.
Pouring one out for WaPo sports, which directly gave us Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn, and one of the baddest to ever do sports reporting, @clintonyates.bsky.social
The WaPo sports section was so seismic in its work that it closing down should be considered an institutional injustice.
The WaPo sports section was so seismic in its work that it closing down should be considered an institutional injustice.
February 4, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Seriously, what a disgrace. Wilbon and Kornheiser should do their whole half hour on it today.
Ppl laying fiber optic cable need specialized skills but also work "10 hours a day outdoors in nearly all weather" and must be willing to constantly relocate. W/ proposed data centers requiring millions of miles of new cables and 120k workers nearing retirement, there aren't nearly enough of them.
High-Speed Internet Boom Hits Low-Tech Snag: a Labor Shortage
There aren’t enough linemen and other skilled workers to lay all the fiber-optic cable needed to achieve nationwide broadband internet.
www.wsj.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Ppl laying fiber optic cable need specialized skills but also work "10 hours a day outdoors in nearly all weather" and must be willing to constantly relocate. W/ proposed data centers requiring millions of miles of new cables and 120k workers nearing retirement, there aren't nearly enough of them.
Michele has forgotten more about oversight of detention facilities than anyone currently working at ICE will ever know.
ICE is apparently planning to convert a 1M sq ft warehouse in a small town outside Dallas to a mega-detention facility for 9500 people. For @wfaach8.bsky.social, I weighed in on the problems with this plan, including both humanitarian concerns & environmental issues.
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
'Wrong place for human beings' | Jail expert raises alarms over proposed ICE facility in North Texas
A Texas detention expert says turning a Hutchins warehouse into an ICE facility would fail basic standards and raise major environmental and infrastructure concerns.
www.wfaa.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Michele has forgotten more about oversight of detention facilities than anyone currently working at ICE will ever know.
Hutchins, TX city council opposes proposed ICE detention facility there. www.star-telegram.com/news/politic...
Hutchins rallies against reported ICE detention center
“Nobody up here on this dais is on board with what they’re trying to put here.”
www.star-telegram.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Hutchins, TX city council opposes proposed ICE detention facility there. www.star-telegram.com/news/politic...
This wd have been an excellent journalism project to take on BEFORE the city gave Austin police a 28% pay hike they cdn't afford w/o a tax increase or massive cuts to other services.
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
Some Austin police officers earn double pay thanks to overtime
Austin police officers use a significant amount of overtime that can double their base salary. Police officials say it's due to a persistent officer shortage at the Austin Police Department.
www.statesman.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:31 PM
This wd have been an excellent journalism project to take on BEFORE the city gave Austin police a 28% pay hike they cdn't afford w/o a tax increase or massive cuts to other services.
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
Back when Texas still had small government Republicans, some of them passed a bill to give cities discretion to issue citations instead of arresting ppl for 7 common misdemeanors, including pot possession. Now wd be a good time for towns that didn't utilize that authority to rethink their stance.
For a wide range of misdemeanors, police can issue a summons rather than making an arrest. That option is becoming the final firewall against increasingly aggressive DHS efforts to gain access to local jails.
Citation In Lieu of Arrest
With community-police relations in the spotlight and key policy groups recommending the increased use of citation, now is an important moment to consider the use and impact of citation policies, to me...
www.theiacp.org
February 4, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Back when Texas still had small government Republicans, some of them passed a bill to give cities discretion to issue citations instead of arresting ppl for 7 common misdemeanors, including pot possession. Now wd be a good time for towns that didn't utilize that authority to rethink their stance.
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
I quit working for TDCJ in 2003, and we had been "studying" this issue back then. They know heat is a real problem inside these prisons, many of which aren't remotely designed for heat mitigation. They just don't care.
Arguably also related (except TX stopped keeping records so we couldn't 100% tell). Because of very long sentences, many Texas inmates are older, often disabled, and thus particularly susceptible to the heat. TDCJ doesn't start heat mitigation till temps hit 105F. www.kut.org/crime-justic...
Many Texas prisons are regularly topping 90 degrees. The state is about to defend itself in court.
A new comprehensive analysis of state data shows Texas prisons get so hot in summer that temperatures there would routinely violate state standards for other types of lockups. The state will be back i...
www.kut.org
February 4, 2026 at 4:24 PM
I quit working for TDCJ in 2003, and we had been "studying" this issue back then. They know heat is a real problem inside these prisons, many of which aren't remotely designed for heat mitigation. They just don't care.
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
This passed unnoticed: New Pew poll finds 64% oppose mass detention of migrants while their cases are decided.
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
February 4, 2026 at 12:47 PM
This passed unnoticed: New Pew poll finds 64% oppose mass detention of migrants while their cases are decided.
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
Private prison company now doing electronic surveillance and "physical observation" of ppl in ICE's "non-detained docket." What could go wrong?
February 4, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Private prison company now doing electronic surveillance and "physical observation" of ppl in ICE's "non-detained docket." What could go wrong?
DOJ prosecutors are starting to sound like red-state public defenders.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
“Your honor, can I just be like, fuckin’, real with you for a second?”
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
February 4, 2026 at 1:26 PM
DOJ prosecutors are starting to sound like red-state public defenders.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
DOJ: The death rate among state prisoners increased 47% between 2019 and 2024 ... The deaths include homicides, suicides and violence, and the report concluded that understaffing and high turnover “likely contribute” to the increase
State prisons in US grew deadlier and more violent amid guard shortage, review finds
The US locks away more people than any other nation, including about 1 million people in state-run prisons. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
www.straitstimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:40 AM
DOJ: The death rate among state prisoners increased 47% between 2019 and 2024 ... The deaths include homicides, suicides and violence, and the report concluded that understaffing and high turnover “likely contribute” to the increase
I've said before, I assume any attorney still working at DOJ is simply on board with the agenda. Sounds like that was an overstatement and not fully the case, but everyone who's not down w/ what's happening should quit now and band together to begin a new practice suing the malefactors.
According to FOX 9, a Minneapolis federal judge demanded to know why DOJ is missing deadlines & AUSA Julie Le said, "The system sucks, this job sucks" & asked to be held in contempt so she could sleep.
PACER shows she got assigned to defend the govt in 88+ cases since Operation Metro Surge started.
PACER shows she got assigned to defend the govt in 88+ cases since Operation Metro Surge started.
February 3, 2026 at 10:29 PM
I've said before, I assume any attorney still working at DOJ is simply on board with the agenda. Sounds like that was an overstatement and not fully the case, but everyone who's not down w/ what's happening should quit now and band together to begin a new practice suing the malefactors.
Bodycams are fine, fwiw, but they're an accountability nothingburger. We already have video of LOTS of ICE misconduct and there's been no accountability at all. There's no reason to think generating MORE video for prosecutors to ignore will help much.
February 3, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Bodycams are fine, fwiw, but they're an accountability nothingburger. We already have video of LOTS of ICE misconduct and there's been no accountability at all. There's no reason to think generating MORE video for prosecutors to ignore will help much.