Peter Sterne
@petersterne.com
State Editor at cityandstateny.bsky.social. Previously @nysfocus.bsky.social, @freedom.press and @politico.com. He/him.
Email: psterne@cityandstateny.com
Signal: petersterne.91
https://petersterne.com
Email: psterne@cityandstateny.com
Signal: petersterne.91
https://petersterne.com
Pinned
Peter Sterne
@petersterne.com
· Dec 22
Here are the NYC seats DSA is eyeing in 2026
Nepo babies, Eric Adams allies, representatives of lefty districts, beware.
www.cityandstateny.com
Here's a list of all the congressional and state legislative seats that NYC-DSA is targeting next year: www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Peter Sterne
During October's ICE raid in NYC's Chinatown, I saw an IRS criminal division agent standing guard on a corner. A majority of that agency had been detailed to ICE ERO. For @slate.com, I wrote about the phenomenon of federal agents from once-specialized agencies absorbed into this national police blob
The Democratic Plan to “Reform” ICE Misses One Huge Thing
We are no longer talking about individual law enforcement agencies, but rather a giant, singular blob.
slate.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:40 PM
During October's ICE raid in NYC's Chinatown, I saw an IRS criminal division agent standing guard on a corner. A majority of that agency had been detailed to ICE ERO. For @slate.com, I wrote about the phenomenon of federal agents from once-specialized agencies absorbed into this national police blob
Reposted by Peter Sterne
This is 18-mo-old Amalia waving to me when she was detained.
She was hospitalized with a respiratory infection while at ICE’s Dilley facility for immigrant families.
She’s one of dozens of detainees who I spoke to via video and phone calls, letters and an in-person visit. 🧵1/
She was hospitalized with a respiratory infection while at ICE’s Dilley facility for immigrant families.
She’s one of dozens of detainees who I spoke to via video and phone calls, letters and an in-person visit. 🧵1/
February 9, 2026 at 11:21 AM
This is 18-mo-old Amalia waving to me when she was detained.
She was hospitalized with a respiratory infection while at ICE’s Dilley facility for immigrant families.
She’s one of dozens of detainees who I spoke to via video and phone calls, letters and an in-person visit. 🧵1/
She was hospitalized with a respiratory infection while at ICE’s Dilley facility for immigrant families.
She’s one of dozens of detainees who I spoke to via video and phone calls, letters and an in-person visit. 🧵1/
Reposted by Peter Sterne
Inbox: The New Yorker is hiring Washington Post book critic Becca Rothfeld.
February 9, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Inbox: The New Yorker is hiring Washington Post book critic Becca Rothfeld.
Reposted by Peter Sterne
My colleague got into Trump's sprawling family detention camp, which is full of toddlers, kids, & teens.
- Kids have cut themselves or talked about suicide
-There's worms & mold in food
-300 kids have been held for 30+ days, far longer court settlement allows
www.propublica.org/article/life...
- Kids have cut themselves or talked about suicide
-There's worms & mold in food
-300 kids have been held for 30+ days, far longer court settlement allows
www.propublica.org/article/life...
February 9, 2026 at 3:35 PM
My colleague got into Trump's sprawling family detention camp, which is full of toddlers, kids, & teens.
- Kids have cut themselves or talked about suicide
-There's worms & mold in food
-300 kids have been held for 30+ days, far longer court settlement allows
www.propublica.org/article/life...
- Kids have cut themselves or talked about suicide
-There's worms & mold in food
-300 kids have been held for 30+ days, far longer court settlement allows
www.propublica.org/article/life...
Reposted by Peter Sterne
404 Media just had an ad during the #SuperBowl! We Googled "smallest TV markets in the United States" and bought an ad for $2,550 that only ran in Ottumwa, Iowa, population 25,000. That still counts
www.404media.co/watch-404-me...
www.404media.co/watch-404-me...
Watch 404 Media’s Super Bowl Ad
WE BOUGHT A SUPER BOWL AD.
www.404media.co
February 9, 2026 at 2:48 AM
404 Media just had an ad during the #SuperBowl! We Googled "smallest TV markets in the United States" and bought an ad for $2,550 that only ran in Ottumwa, Iowa, population 25,000. That still counts
www.404media.co/watch-404-me...
www.404media.co/watch-404-me...
Is the WFP backing Hochul or Delgado for governor?
Neither.
@rebeccaclewis.bsky.social reports from the WFP convention: www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
Neither.
@rebeccaclewis.bsky.social reports from the WFP convention: www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
WFP declines to nominate Hochul or Delgado for governor
The progressive third party avoided endorsing either candidate by nominating placeholder candidates for both governor and comptroller, who will later be replaced by whoever wins the Democratic nominat...
www.cityandstateny.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Is the WFP backing Hochul or Delgado for governor?
Neither.
@rebeccaclewis.bsky.social reports from the WFP convention: www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
Neither.
@rebeccaclewis.bsky.social reports from the WFP convention: www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
NEW: NYC Council Members Chi Ossé and Shahana Hanif are applying to join NYC-DSA's City Socialists in Office bloc. If NYC-DSA members vote to accept them, it will double the number of DSA-backed City Council members from 2 to 4. www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
Chi Ossé and Shahana Hanif apply to join DSA’s City Council bloc
The lawmakers are NYC-DSA members, but they want to take the next step with the socialists and make it official.
www.cityandstateny.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:10 PM
NEW: NYC Council Members Chi Ossé and Shahana Hanif are applying to join NYC-DSA's City Socialists in Office bloc. If NYC-DSA members vote to accept them, it will double the number of DSA-backed City Council members from 2 to 4. www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Peter Sterne
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
February 7, 2026 at 5:54 PM
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
Reposted by Peter Sterne
I wrote about ways to bridge the gap between the national party and the civil resistance.
newrepublic.com/post/206262/...
newrepublic.com/post/206262/...
When Will Democrats Decide to Join the Resistance?
The party needs to forge a closer connection with the people fighting for democracy in the streets. Here’s how to do it.
newrepublic.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:24 PM
I wrote about ways to bridge the gap between the national party and the civil resistance.
newrepublic.com/post/206262/...
newrepublic.com/post/206262/...
Reposted by Peter Sterne
"Andor" creator Tony Gilroy spoke to us about how his acclaimed "Star Wars" series on a festering rebellion against authoritarian power became an anti-ICE symbol and seeped into our real-world political moment.
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/andor-ice-...
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/andor-ice-...
'Andor' and the Real-World Rebellion
Series creator Tony Gilroy talks to Status about how his acclaimed Disney+ series became an anti-ICE symbol, and where it might fit in the future of “Star Wars.”
www.status.news
February 6, 2026 at 10:46 PM
"Andor" creator Tony Gilroy spoke to us about how his acclaimed "Star Wars" series on a festering rebellion against authoritarian power became an anti-ICE symbol and seeped into our real-world political moment.
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/andor-ice-...
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/andor-ice-...
Reposted by Peter Sterne
Armed immigration officers entered a Brooklyn man’s home last summer without a judicial warrant or his consent, arrested him, and took his personal documents.
That’s according to a lawsuit advocating for his release.
gothamist.com/news/ice-kno...
That’s according to a lawsuit advocating for his release.
gothamist.com/news/ice-kno...
ICE knocks on a door in Brooklyn. A 'traumatic nightmare' follows.
Immigration enforcement officers stormed the home without a judicial warrant or the occupants' consent, according to a legal challenge.
gothamist.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Armed immigration officers entered a Brooklyn man’s home last summer without a judicial warrant or his consent, arrested him, and took his personal documents.
That’s according to a lawsuit advocating for his release.
gothamist.com/news/ice-kno...
That’s according to a lawsuit advocating for his release.
gothamist.com/news/ice-kno...
Reposted by Peter Sterne
Mamdani announces a new executive order protecting New Yorkers from "abusive immigration enforcement," including requiring ICE to have a judicial warrant to enter NYC property
February 6, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Mamdani announces a new executive order protecting New Yorkers from "abusive immigration enforcement," including requiring ICE to have a judicial warrant to enter NYC property
Reposted by Peter Sterne
welp, this destroyed me first thing upon waking up
February 6, 2026 at 3:13 PM
welp, this destroyed me first thing upon waking up
Reposted by Peter Sterne
Been reading over gut-wrenching Reconstruction-era election testimony recently & may write something on the paramilitary & institutional tactics white conservatives are again employing in a desperate bid to permanently seize power.
Key takeaway: vote, but also agitate & disrupt captured systems.
Key takeaway: vote, but also agitate & disrupt captured systems.
February 6, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Been reading over gut-wrenching Reconstruction-era election testimony recently & may write something on the paramilitary & institutional tactics white conservatives are again employing in a desperate bid to permanently seize power.
Key takeaway: vote, but also agitate & disrupt captured systems.
Key takeaway: vote, but also agitate & disrupt captured systems.
Reposted by Peter Sterne
FWIW this is more or less how white conservatives destroyed multiracial democracy after emancipation. That & paramilitary violence, but of course they would never... oh yeah they're doing that too.
Here's @rickhasen.bsky.social detailing the scenario in which Trump uses search warrant to seize ballot boxes in a contested 2026 locale. This is more worrisome than ICE at the polls. Hasen also suggests ways to act against this now.
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
February 6, 2026 at 3:43 PM
FWIW this is more or less how white conservatives destroyed multiracial democracy after emancipation. That & paramilitary violence, but of course they would never... oh yeah they're doing that too.
Reposted by Peter Sterne
Remember that horrific immigration raid in Chicago? Turns out it was just ICE doing the work of landlords, because of course the landlord class is a collaborator.
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
www.propublica.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Remember that horrific immigration raid in Chicago? Turns out it was just ICE doing the work of landlords, because of course the landlord class is a collaborator.
Reposted by Peter Sterne
The policy director at Open New York, the state's main YIMBY group, is leaving to join Zohran's administration 👁️
February 6, 2026 at 3:15 PM
The policy director at Open New York, the state's main YIMBY group, is leaving to join Zohran's administration 👁️
Reposted by Peter Sterne
At least 9 companies hold active contracts with both ICE and NYC totaling at least $260M, @documentedny.bsky.social finds.
Will Owen of @stopspyingny.bsky.social is right: "You can’t be both a sanctuary city and a surveillance state."
Will Owen of @stopspyingny.bsky.social is right: "You can’t be both a sanctuary city and a surveillance state."
February 6, 2026 at 3:02 PM
At least 9 companies hold active contracts with both ICE and NYC totaling at least $260M, @documentedny.bsky.social finds.
Will Owen of @stopspyingny.bsky.social is right: "You can’t be both a sanctuary city and a surveillance state."
Will Owen of @stopspyingny.bsky.social is right: "You can’t be both a sanctuary city and a surveillance state."
Reposted by Peter Sterne
Construction on the Hudson River Tunnel Project has officially been suspended after the federal government failed to release promises funding. Both the Gateway Development Corporation and New York state are suing the feds to get the funding back
February 6, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Construction on the Hudson River Tunnel Project has officially been suspended after the federal government failed to release promises funding. Both the Gateway Development Corporation and New York state are suing the feds to get the funding back
Reposted by Peter Sterne
The ads drove voters TO him more, especially among young voters here.
February 6, 2026 at 4:05 AM
The ads drove voters TO him more, especially among young voters here.
Reposted by Peter Sterne
It would be a delightful irony given Mejia’s pro-Palestinian sympathies, but the ad campaign got so much press coverage that it may actually have boosted Malinowski.
February 6, 2026 at 3:46 AM
It would be a delightful irony given Mejia’s pro-Palestinian sympathies, but the ad campaign got so much press coverage that it may actually have boosted Malinowski.
Given how close the NJ-11 primary is (Mejia beating Malinowski by less than 1 point), it seems clear that Malinowski probably would have won if AIPAC hadn't done everything it could to drive liberal voters away from him, right?
February 6, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Given how close the NJ-11 primary is (Mejia beating Malinowski by less than 1 point), it seems clear that Malinowski probably would have won if AIPAC hadn't done everything it could to drive liberal voters away from him, right?
Reposted by Peter Sterne
finally, the ICE reform we’ve been waiting for: no masks unless you really want to wear them
February 5, 2026 at 2:29 AM
finally, the ICE reform we’ve been waiting for: no masks unless you really want to wear them
Reposted by Peter Sterne
"except in extraordinary and unusual circumstances" is a big enough loophole for a family of elephants to walk through. www.huffpost.com/entry/democr...
Democrats Ease Up On 1 Of Their Biggest ICE Demands
Masks might still be OK in "extraordinary and unusual circumstances," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
www.huffpost.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:32 AM
"except in extraordinary and unusual circumstances" is a big enough loophole for a family of elephants to walk through. www.huffpost.com/entry/democr...