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openargs.bsky.social
Opening Arguments Podcast
@openargs.bsky.social
5.1K followers 720 following 470 posts
Explaining law in the news to non-lawyers every Mon/Fri and responding to the right's worst legal takes on video every Weds. Join the community at patreon.com/law!
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dburbach.bsky.social
NYT provides no evidence here, probably because the claim is flatly untrue. See eg recent Pew data, or many posts on the subject from @gelliottmorris.com this year

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
December 26, 2025 at 12:08 AM
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anthonymkreis.bsky.social
The anti-birthright citizenship element in the legal academy has all the hallmarks of a high school debate club and none of actual scholarship.
December 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
openargs.bsky.social
Hear it here first before every hipster coffee shop catches fire with this news: Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman are two of the MAGA movement's most brilliant leaders (derogatory)
robertscotthorton.bsky.social Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 20h
GOP operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, convicted election fraudsters, were paid $960,000 in the second quarter to secure a pardon for a former nursing-home operator who defrauded the government of $38 million. Trump pardoned the man, Joseph Schwartz, last month.
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
openargs.bsky.social
Tomorrow on OA: we celebrate Hot-Boxing Day* with a closer look at how Biden's attempt to reschedule cannabis went from Blue Dream to Trainwreck, and what Trump's new EO means for the future of sensible drug policy

---

*an occasion which somehow didn't exist until this sentence did
December 25, 2025 at 9:17 PM
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radleybalko.bsky.social
Here's a particularly juicy nugget I found in my reporting . . .
December 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
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willbunch.bsky.social
This was a human being. What the fuck is wrong with you?
December 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
openargs.bsky.social
Late-breaking news that we couldn't include in today's show on this subject, but Trump trying to end the diversity visa by executive order is one more example of severe immigration restrictions introduced in the past few weeks
brandonfriedman.bsky.social Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 7d
Noem is using the Brown University shooter to end an entire visa program, but it should be noted that Pete Hegseth, just today, murdered more than twice as many people
@Sec_Noem on X: The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.  In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people.  At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program. 18 Dec 25 @Southcom on X: On Dec. 18, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel. No U.S. military forces were harmed. #OpSouthernSpear 18 Dec 25
December 19, 2025 at 5:41 AM
openargs.bsky.social
TODAY ON OA (12/19)

-how eugenicists, "progressives", and the Klan teamed up to base the American visa system in old-timey racism

-how Trump is bringing back 1920s-style "national origins"-based immigration by executive order

-a British deli tries to trademark the concept of vegetables
Madison Grant's map of European races, including "Nordics," "Alpines," and "Mediterranean"
December 19, 2025 at 5:13 AM
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mattcameron.bsky.social
Blackwell is a co-author of the book "Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement," an essential multidisciplinary examination of one of the worst things which this country routinely does to people

a.co/d/8WxxqiN
Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement: Blackwell, Christopher William, Zalesne, Deborah, Harris, Kwaneta, Kupers, Terry: 9780745351278: Amazon.com: Books
Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement [Blackwell, Christopher William, Zalesne, Deborah, Harris, Kwaneta, Kupers, Terry] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Ending I...
a.co
December 15, 2025 at 11:50 PM
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mattcameron.bsky.social
Today's episode of Opening Arguments with Christopher Blackwell is our 2nd interview with an incarcerated author in as many months. I am so proud to be part of a show that is committed to sharing the human voices of those harmed by our most inhumane law & policy

directory.libsyn.com/episode/inde...
Solitary Confinement Is Inhumane, Traumatizing, and Unnecessary. So Why Are We Still Doing It To People?
OA1216 - We welcome incarcerated journalist and advocate Christopher Blackwell, calling from his home at the Washington Corrections Center. Chris is the co-founder and Executive Director of Look2Justi...
directory.libsyn.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:38 PM
openargs.bsky.social
EXCLUSIVE! By special arrangement we now have the ONLY copy of DC sandwich tosser Sean Dunn's federal trial transcript which will ever be produced after his acquittal

Look out for professional trial reenactments and analysis re: this extremely serious legal matter, soon only on #GavelGavel!
Cover page from the transcript of the first day of trial of the DC sandwich thrower (US v Dunn's)
December 10, 2025 at 5:08 AM
openargs.bsky.social
December 10, 2025 at 2:29 AM
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aedwardslevy.bsky.social
File under "charts that need no explanatory context to make the story clear" wapo.st/4iC8oCR
Chart showing an enormous July spike in ICE arrests in DC of people without criminal records
December 4, 2025 at 1:23 PM
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warrenterra.bsky.social
A version of the Simpsons "Lionel Hutz" newspaper ad modified to use the words in Keith's post. So bright red punctuation modifies otherwise grey text from "KILL THEM ALL" to "KILL THEM ALL?" and from "NO SURVIVORS" to "NO, SURVIVORS!"
December 4, 2025 at 6:22 AM
openargs.bsky.social
Coming this Rapid Response Friday: Trump plays a round of Pardon Marry Kill with international narcotraffickers, the legal aftermath of the DC National Guard shooting, and a story from Matt's week that you will have to hear to believe

www.axios.com/2025/12/02/t...
Scoop: The letter behind Trump's pardon of Honduras' ex-president for drug trafficking
The surprise announcement of Hernandez's looming pardon is a window into the unorthodox, norm-shattering way Trump grants clemency.
www.axios.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:07 AM
openargs.bsky.social
This week on Vapid Response Wednesday we pull up a seat at the White House's Antifa Round Table and find it to be disappointingly light on knights and pizza and heavy on guys who were thrown into holes

youtu.be/ijXjNcjL4xY?...
Trump hosts (and dozes through) absolutely unhinged Antifa Round Table
YouTube video by Serious Pod Network
youtu.be
December 4, 2025 at 3:46 AM
openargs.bsky.social
Thanks Chris! OA is for everybody and we especially appreciate hearing from our non-American listeners
December 4, 2025 at 2:26 AM
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breadandrosettes.bsky.social
I'm not even american @openargs.bsky.social
@seriouspod.bsky.social
@mattcameron.bsky.social
@jenessaseymour.bsky.social
My Top Podcast of 2025
Spotify
www.spotify.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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mattcameron.bsky.social
Ready for a break from legal news? Check out our Thanksgiving special in which you'll get to meet just a few of the incredible people in my immigration law office, from George the emotional support dog to my law partner @nicolemicheroni.bsky.social

directory.libsyn.com/episode/inde...
November 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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mattcameron.bsky.social
The very best thing about hosting a podcast is the baked-in excuse to invite people whose work you admire to have a one-hour conversation with you. These were both such interesting interviews!
openargs.bsky.social Opening Arguments Podcast @openargs.bsky.social · Nov 26
Proud to see that two of our favorite author interviews each made the NYT Best Non-Fiction list this year!

Well-deserved congratulations to John J. Lennon (The Tragedy of True Crime, OA1210) and Professor Michelle Adams (The Containment, OA 1198)
November 27, 2025 at 4:16 AM
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kt58.bsky.social
@openargs.bsky.social
Just listened to Matt’s Thanksgiving episode. It was fantastic and uplifting. Thank you!
November 28, 2025 at 1:12 AM
openargs.bsky.social
Proud to see that two of our favorite author interviews each made the NYT Best Non-Fiction list this year!

Well-deserved congratulations to John J. Lennon (The Tragedy of True Crime, OA1210) and Professor Michelle Adams (The Containment, OA 1198)
November 26, 2025 at 6:21 PM
openargs.bsky.social
This week's conversation with author, jorunalist, & convicted murderer John J. Lennon calling in from Sing Sing is one of the most interesting we've ever had. John's new book has so much to say about the true crime industrial complex, and what it is doing to us all

www.amazon.com/Tragedy-True...
The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us
The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us [Lennon, John J.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us
www.amazon.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:46 AM
openargs.bsky.social
Michael Wolf: "In many of the emails that I got from Jeffrey Epstein, I thought, I do not know what he’s talking about.“

Glad it's not just us! It's Epstein emails week on OA, so check out both episodes and what we can learn about the people who wheedled, enabled, and/or fully covered for him
Michael Wolf for Slate on Epstein's writing: I mean, Jeffrey Epstein, in person, was actually an incredibly insightful and articulate and often amusing person. But when he would write things, I would think, God, this is like—OK, I don’t know really what’s going on here. I kind of think written words were at best secondary to him. In many of the emails that I got from Jeffrey Epstein, I thought, I do not know what he’s talking about.
November 19, 2025 at 7:31 AM
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skateintraffic.bsky.social
lmao the comeuppance 👨‍🍳👌
November 18, 2025 at 1:33 AM