John Outwater
@johnoutwater.bsky.social
Reposted by John Outwater
In the concentration camp universe, this is what's known as a filtration camp. A government preemptively takes a whole class of people to interrogate and detain extrajudicially in order to inflict duress on them while arbitrarily assessing their (supposed) culpability.
This is a truly horrifying memo. It says that the policy of the US government will now be to proactively seek out and arrest likely tens of thousands of refugees who entered legally under Biden and subject them to detention, where they will be interrogated about their status.
February 19, 2026 at 2:20 AM
In the concentration camp universe, this is what's known as a filtration camp. A government preemptively takes a whole class of people to interrogate and detain extrajudicially in order to inflict duress on them while arbitrarily assessing their (supposed) culpability.
Reposted by John Outwater
North Carolina Central University's School of Law – 1 of 6 historically black law schools in the country, and one explicitly created to forestall integration by being "separate but equal" from (white) UNC Chapel Hill – had to delete all references to being an HBCU or having minorities at the school
We were told to scrub "biodiversity" from our websites because of this shit.
February 19, 2026 at 2:47 AM
North Carolina Central University's School of Law – 1 of 6 historically black law schools in the country, and one explicitly created to forestall integration by being "separate but equal" from (white) UNC Chapel Hill – had to delete all references to being an HBCU or having minorities at the school
Reposted by John Outwater
In this entire piece there is not a hint of even a semblance of a legal argument for how a war of this scale would be legal or authorized.
There is quite simply no legal or constitutional authority for Trump to launch a war of choice against Iran.
None. Zero. Nothing.
There is quite simply no legal or constitutional authority for Trump to launch a war of choice against Iran.
None. Zero. Nothing.
U.S. Military Moves Into Place for Possible Strikes in Iran
www.nytimes.com
February 19, 2026 at 2:01 AM
In this entire piece there is not a hint of even a semblance of a legal argument for how a war of this scale would be legal or authorized.
There is quite simply no legal or constitutional authority for Trump to launch a war of choice against Iran.
None. Zero. Nothing.
There is quite simply no legal or constitutional authority for Trump to launch a war of choice against Iran.
None. Zero. Nothing.
Reposted by John Outwater
It’s like if George Bush has launched the Iraq War but didn’t bother to even lie about why he was doing it, didn’t even try to claim what the goal was, and didn’t even ask Congress to authorize it.
That’s what Trump is doing now, and everyone is just acting like it’s normal.
This is not normal.
That’s what Trump is doing now, and everyone is just acting like it’s normal.
This is not normal.
February 19, 2026 at 2:07 AM
It’s like if George Bush has launched the Iraq War but didn’t bother to even lie about why he was doing it, didn’t even try to claim what the goal was, and didn’t even ask Congress to authorize it.
That’s what Trump is doing now, and everyone is just acting like it’s normal.
This is not normal.
That’s what Trump is doing now, and everyone is just acting like it’s normal.
This is not normal.
Reposted by John Outwater
In honor of DHS spokesliar Tricia McLaughlin's resignation, let's revisit how her husband's company won a $220 million no-bid contract to run a stupid propaganda campaign featuring her boss, Kristi Noem, bashing immigrants while sitting on a horse in front of Mt. Rushmore.
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rule...
www.propublica.org
February 19, 2026 at 12:43 AM
In honor of DHS spokesliar Tricia McLaughlin's resignation, let's revisit how her husband's company won a $220 million no-bid contract to run a stupid propaganda campaign featuring her boss, Kristi Noem, bashing immigrants while sitting on a horse in front of Mt. Rushmore.
Reposted by John Outwater
We were told to scrub "biodiversity" from our websites because of this shit.
February 19, 2026 at 12:51 AM
We were told to scrub "biodiversity" from our websites because of this shit.
Reposted by John Outwater
Was trying to remember a Will Forte quote from Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie and accidentally figured out how to make Google’s AI tool shut up
February 19, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Was trying to remember a Will Forte quote from Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie and accidentally figured out how to make Google’s AI tool shut up
Reposted by John Outwater
“None of the deportees are Cameroonian citizens. And almost all had received protection from American courts, which banned the government from sending them back to their home countries, where they would most likely face persecution, according to government documents obtained by The Times…”
"An Associated Press reporter was beaten by the police and detained along with three other journalists on Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on a secretive Trump administration program to deport migrants to the Central African country, according to two of the people detained." (gift link)
Journalists Arrested in Cameroon While Reporting on Trump’s Secretive Deportation Program
www.nytimes.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:02 AM
“None of the deportees are Cameroonian citizens. And almost all had received protection from American courts, which banned the government from sending them back to their home countries, where they would most likely face persecution, according to government documents obtained by The Times…”
Reposted by John Outwater
Reposted by John Outwater
Next week, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. I won't be there.
Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy.
This cannot be business as usual.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u...
Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy.
This cannot be business as usual.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u...
Democrats Plan to Counter Trump’s Speech to Congress With Rally
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Next week, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. I won't be there.
Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy.
This cannot be business as usual.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u...
Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy.
This cannot be business as usual.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u...
Reposted by John Outwater
OK, let’s discuss what’s happened with the proposed NYC public libraries budget for FY 27. Mayor Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov released his preliminary budget yesterday. This kicks off the city budget process. [Long thread]
February 18, 2026 at 2:09 PM
OK, let’s discuss what’s happened with the proposed NYC public libraries budget for FY 27. Mayor Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov released his preliminary budget yesterday. This kicks off the city budget process. [Long thread]
Reposted by John Outwater
A very detailed explanation of how FBI bamboozled a magistrate into authorizing a raid on Fulton County’s election offices by omitting critical information that would have totally undermined any probable cause claim. Pretty clear-cut case of calculated deception of the courts.
Fulton Co elections expert: “In all 5 areas identified by ... the [search warrant] affidavit, there are a multitude of false or misleading statements or omissions. ... Once ... corrected, the affidavit loses any basis in reality.”
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 18, 2026 at 4:00 AM
A very detailed explanation of how FBI bamboozled a magistrate into authorizing a raid on Fulton County’s election offices by omitting critical information that would have totally undermined any probable cause claim. Pretty clear-cut case of calculated deception of the courts.
Reposted by John Outwater
Wow: Amnesty International official says they were sharing info with the Biden-Harris admin as soon as October 2023 that there wasn't even a "semblance" of Israel following international law.
They kept trying again and again — soon declaring Israel was committing genocide. Admin kept ignoring them.
They kept trying again and again — soon declaring Israel was committing genocide. Admin kept ignoring them.
"We see [Israeli] attacks still occurring. But we also see complete impunity."
Amnesty International USA’s Amanda Klasing tells @premthakker.bsky.social the organization warned the White House in 2023 about Israel’s non-adherence to international humanitarian law.
Watch: zeteo.com/p/how-the-us...
Amnesty International USA’s Amanda Klasing tells @premthakker.bsky.social the organization warned the White House in 2023 about Israel’s non-adherence to international humanitarian law.
Watch: zeteo.com/p/how-the-us...
February 17, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Wow: Amnesty International official says they were sharing info with the Biden-Harris admin as soon as October 2023 that there wasn't even a "semblance" of Israel following international law.
They kept trying again and again — soon declaring Israel was committing genocide. Admin kept ignoring them.
They kept trying again and again — soon declaring Israel was committing genocide. Admin kept ignoring them.
Reposted by John Outwater
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
before antibiotics did people just die all the time from everything?
February 17, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
Reposted by John Outwater
Few things grind my gears quite as much as these fucking illiterates invoking “Western Civilization,” of which they are obviously and comically ignorant, as a euphemism for white supremacy.
February 18, 2026 at 1:55 AM
Few things grind my gears quite as much as these fucking illiterates invoking “Western Civilization,” of which they are obviously and comically ignorant, as a euphemism for white supremacy.
Reposted by John Outwater
and guess what the trump regime did to the research grants and government experts who worked on antimicrobial resistance 🤪
probably the scariest thing i saw in med school was our microbio book's last chapter about The Coming Post Antibiotic Era
February 17, 2026 at 9:59 PM
and guess what the trump regime did to the research grants and government experts who worked on antimicrobial resistance 🤪
Reposted by John Outwater
Simply hire a bunch of 22yo kids into jobs of unclear legitimacy, put them in charge of DHS, fire all DHS employees, and fold DHS into idk the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. It's all legal now. I don't want to hear this loser shit anymore after what they did to my friends.
One thing that's important to realize now is that, even in a scenario where Dems sweep to a crushing trifecta in 2028, Republicans will use their control of the courts to attempt to continue, as much as they can, to run executive agencies in exile, with DHS/ICE under Biden as the model
February 17, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Simply hire a bunch of 22yo kids into jobs of unclear legitimacy, put them in charge of DHS, fire all DHS employees, and fold DHS into idk the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. It's all legal now. I don't want to hear this loser shit anymore after what they did to my friends.
Reposted by John Outwater
I wrote about ICE’s concentration camps. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
ICE holds people in disgusting conditions. Now it’s turning warehouses into camps | Moira Donegan
The Trump administration has bought warehouses across the US that could hold thousands. But resistance is growing
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:31 PM
I wrote about ICE’s concentration camps. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by John Outwater
The world's richest man is broadcasting eliminationist rhetoric about a tiny, vulnerable minority, and virtually no one is going to treat it as a scandal. It's just normal now.
February 17, 2026 at 2:18 PM
The world's richest man is broadcasting eliminationist rhetoric about a tiny, vulnerable minority, and virtually no one is going to treat it as a scandal. It's just normal now.
Reposted by John Outwater
Democrats love praising Republicans, who in turn tell the world that Democrats are all filthy demons.
Absolutely deranged behavior.
Absolutely deranged behavior.
February 17, 2026 at 2:18 AM
Democrats love praising Republicans, who in turn tell the world that Democrats are all filthy demons.
Absolutely deranged behavior.
Absolutely deranged behavior.
Reposted by John Outwater
Everywhere this man goes he should be treated as if he murdered millions of children, because he did.
The Project 2025 architect who promised to put federal employees “in trauma” is spending $15 million of former USAID funding—money that would have gone toward fighting HIV, polio, malaria, and other diseases—to bankroll his security detail. trib.al/TSV3cmb
February 16, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Everywhere this man goes he should be treated as if he murdered millions of children, because he did.
Reposted by John Outwater
Deeply ashamed to live in a country where tweeting this isn’t instant career suicide
February 16, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Deeply ashamed to live in a country where tweeting this isn’t instant career suicide
Reposted by John Outwater
Only 19 of 50 Palestinian patients were allowed to leave Gaza today, journalist Ahmed Al-Najjar (X: @Ahmed_A1Najjar) reports. The waiting list is more than 20,000 names long.
A young man on the evacuation list died earlier today.
At least one baby now faces imminent death w/o immediate evacuation.
A young man on the evacuation list died earlier today.
At least one baby now faces imminent death w/o immediate evacuation.
February 16, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Only 19 of 50 Palestinian patients were allowed to leave Gaza today, journalist Ahmed Al-Najjar (X: @Ahmed_A1Najjar) reports. The waiting list is more than 20,000 names long.
A young man on the evacuation list died earlier today.
At least one baby now faces imminent death w/o immediate evacuation.
A young man on the evacuation list died earlier today.
At least one baby now faces imminent death w/o immediate evacuation.
Reposted by John Outwater
This is just open, unabashed white nationalist rhetoric at this point.
February 16, 2026 at 6:57 PM
This is just open, unabashed white nationalist rhetoric at this point.
Reposted by John Outwater
Will it be national news? Will it cause performative outrage? Will he be censured?
Nope. Forgotten by tomorrow.
Nope. Forgotten by tomorrow.
February 16, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Will it be national news? Will it cause performative outrage? Will he be censured?
Nope. Forgotten by tomorrow.
Nope. Forgotten by tomorrow.