Randall Gross
@randallgross.bsky.social
(he/him) Retired Global Sr. tech manager, & inveterate news junkie. Everyone is my friend until they firmly prove otherwise. Active on social media since the '80's
@Tarkloon@mastodon.social
formerly @tarkloon @ birdsite
Ego tantum loquor
@Tarkloon@mastodon.social
formerly @tarkloon @ birdsite
Ego tantum loquor
Pinned
New to Bluesky? You can stay reasonably well-informed if you add a column for my bluesky news list:
bsky.app/profile/rand...
Yes, that is Howard Beale, mad prophet of the airwaves.
bsky.app/profile/rand...
Yes, that is Howard Beale, mad prophet of the airwaves.
Reposted by Randall Gross
What Hess said:
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. … Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Trump, the actual president, has insulted Dems repeatedly.
wapo.st/46eFns3
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. … Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Trump, the actual president, has insulted Dems repeatedly.
wapo.st/46eFns3
February 8, 2026 at 3:48 PM
What Hess said:
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. … Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Trump, the actual president, has insulted Dems repeatedly.
wapo.st/46eFns3
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. … Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Trump, the actual president, has insulted Dems repeatedly.
wapo.st/46eFns3
Standard fees for passports are ~ $165.00 and if you have to have the search for lost birth certs etc then it's an additional $150.00
PAPERS! PLEASE!
Some of the GOP controlled legislatures in some GOP states are readying to enact laws that require in-hand proof of citizenship to VOTE this November. If you are in one of those states, find your papers or get them now. Yes, threre are fees
travel.state.gov/content/trav...
Some of the GOP controlled legislatures in some GOP states are readying to enact laws that require in-hand proof of citizenship to VOTE this November. If you are in one of those states, find your papers or get them now. Yes, threre are fees
travel.state.gov/content/trav...
Passport Forms
Download your U.S. passport form on this page.
travel.state.gov
February 8, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Standard fees for passports are ~ $165.00 and if you have to have the search for lost birth certs etc then it's an additional $150.00
PAPERS! PLEASE!
Some of the GOP controlled legislatures in some GOP states are readying to enact laws that require in-hand proof of citizenship to VOTE this November. If you are in one of those states, find your papers or get them now. Yes, threre are fees
travel.state.gov/content/trav...
Some of the GOP controlled legislatures in some GOP states are readying to enact laws that require in-hand proof of citizenship to VOTE this November. If you are in one of those states, find your papers or get them now. Yes, threre are fees
travel.state.gov/content/trav...
Passport Forms
Download your U.S. passport form on this page.
travel.state.gov
February 8, 2026 at 4:54 PM
PAPERS! PLEASE!
Some of the GOP controlled legislatures in some GOP states are readying to enact laws that require in-hand proof of citizenship to VOTE this November. If you are in one of those states, find your papers or get them now. Yes, threre are fees
travel.state.gov/content/trav...
Some of the GOP controlled legislatures in some GOP states are readying to enact laws that require in-hand proof of citizenship to VOTE this November. If you are in one of those states, find your papers or get them now. Yes, threre are fees
travel.state.gov/content/trav...
To prove her citizenship for her long expired passport, my wife had to provide her birth certificate, her mother's birth certificate and marriage certificate, as well has her two marriage certificates before they would believe the name changes she had during life.
Think about students, renters, women who changed their names, and rural voters without easy access to records. The SAVE ACT makes them prove citizenship with specific documents or lose their voice. The people already on the margins get pushed out completely. #sheshed
February 8, 2026 at 3:25 PM
To prove her citizenship for her long expired passport, my wife had to provide her birth certificate, her mother's birth certificate and marriage certificate, as well has her two marriage certificates before they would believe the name changes she had during life.
e.g. I would sub to Aaron in an eyeblink if he were anywhere but substack -- I even occasionally & guitily share his links but it's galling knowing that substack supports real Nazis.
February 8, 2026 at 3:16 PM
e.g. I would sub to Aaron in an eyeblink if he were anywhere but substack -- I even occasionally & guitily share his links but it's galling knowing that substack supports real Nazis.
Reminder: when you link to any substack you are sending people to a publishing site that actively pays real Nazis.
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
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 8, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Reminder: when you link to any substack you are sending people to a publishing site that actively pays real Nazis.
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
Reposted by Randall Gross
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
February 8, 2026 at 5:06 AM
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
Happy that AP recognizes that Republican rebukes for Trump's racism is just a prevailing wind movement, and nothing permanent.
Republicans rarely criticize Trump in his second term. A racist post briefly changed that
apnews.com/article/trum...
bsky.app/profile/rand...
Republicans rarely criticize Trump in his second term. A racist post briefly changed that
apnews.com/article/trum...
bsky.app/profile/rand...
Republicans rarely criticize Trump in his second term. A racist post briefly changed that
President Donald Trump is facing rare criticism from his Republican Party over a racist video. Trump's White House removed a video that contained a racist image of former President Barack Obama and fo...
apnews.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Happy that AP recognizes that Republican rebukes for Trump's racism is just a prevailing wind movement, and nothing permanent.
Republicans rarely criticize Trump in his second term. A racist post briefly changed that
apnews.com/article/trum...
bsky.app/profile/rand...
Republicans rarely criticize Trump in his second term. A racist post briefly changed that
apnews.com/article/trum...
bsky.app/profile/rand...
Reposted by Randall Gross
this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
February 7, 2026 at 2:20 PM
this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
Americans knew they were racist during the campaign, remember "They're eating the dogs!"???
Trump 2.0’s Most Racist Moments, Ranked
The Obamas-as-apes video is the latest in a long line of racist acts and statements from this administration.
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-seco...
Trump 2.0’s Most Racist Moments, Ranked
The Obamas-as-apes video is the latest in a long line of racist acts and statements from this administration.
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-seco...
Trump 2.0’s Most Racist Moments, Ranked
The Obamas-as-apes video is the latest in a long line of racist acts and statements from this administration.
www.thebulwark.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Americans knew they were racist during the campaign, remember "They're eating the dogs!"???
Trump 2.0’s Most Racist Moments, Ranked
The Obamas-as-apes video is the latest in a long line of racist acts and statements from this administration.
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-seco...
Trump 2.0’s Most Racist Moments, Ranked
The Obamas-as-apes video is the latest in a long line of racist acts and statements from this administration.
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-seco...
DHS wears masks because they are paranoid little cowards who cannot cope with a truly free society.
DHS views any online call to join in a protest as a threat, and worries about things like "reputational risks" -- but you don't have to wonder why post Pretti.
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/homeland-s...
DHS views any online call to join in a protest as a threat, and worries about things like "reputational risks" -- but you don't have to wonder why post Pretti.
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/homeland-s...
Homeland Security Spying on Reddit Users
Leak show feds tracking anti-ICE Reddit users like "Budget-Chicken-2425"
www.kenklippenstein.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:37 PM
DHS wears masks because they are paranoid little cowards who cannot cope with a truly free society.
DHS views any online call to join in a protest as a threat, and worries about things like "reputational risks" -- but you don't have to wonder why post Pretti.
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/homeland-s...
DHS views any online call to join in a protest as a threat, and worries about things like "reputational risks" -- but you don't have to wonder why post Pretti.
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/homeland-s...
Reposted by Randall Gross
Jeffries on Trump asking Schumer to rename Dulles & Penn Station after him in exchange for unfreezing funds: "It's another example of Trump trying to force presidential graffiti down the throats of the people... this guy's priorities are completely & totally unhinged. But this is the GOP right now."
February 8, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Jeffries on Trump asking Schumer to rename Dulles & Penn Station after him in exchange for unfreezing funds: "It's another example of Trump trying to force presidential graffiti down the throats of the people... this guy's priorities are completely & totally unhinged. But this is the GOP right now."
DHS needs that huge budget to build the concentration camps that the hard right used to warn us about. (e.g. I hate to say Alex Jones was right, but it's DHS CAMPS, not FEMA CAMPS...)
February 8, 2026 at 2:15 PM
DHS needs that huge budget to build the concentration camps that the hard right used to warn us about. (e.g. I hate to say Alex Jones was right, but it's DHS CAMPS, not FEMA CAMPS...)
Reposted by Randall Gross
“Renee was not the first person killed, and she was not the last,” Becca Good said. “You know my wife’s name and you know Alex’s name, but there are many others in this city being harmed that you don’t know — their families are hurting just like mine, even if they don’t look like mine.”
Renee Good's partner addresses Minneapolis immigration crackdown one month after killing
Becca Good has seldom spoken out since Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
nbcnews.to
February 7, 2026 at 9:00 PM
“Renee was not the first person killed, and she was not the last,” Becca Good said. “You know my wife’s name and you know Alex’s name, but there are many others in this city being harmed that you don’t know — their families are hurting just like mine, even if they don’t look like mine.”
Reposted by Randall Gross
If ICE gets even one of these facilities fully up and running, it’ll immediately be the second-largest jail in the country behind only Rikers Island.
The proposed centers are so large that some could house as many as 8,000 detainees at once, according to a DHS spreadsheet of more than 20 potential locations that was verified by NBC News. The largest federal prison in the U.S., for example, has roughly 4,000 inmates.
ICE plans to build mega warehouses for immigration detention spark growing concern
Sources at two government contractors told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses — and the large numbers of immigrants who would be housed in them — would present safety problems.
www.nbcnews.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:43 AM
If ICE gets even one of these facilities fully up and running, it’ll immediately be the second-largest jail in the country behind only Rikers Island.
Reposted by Randall Gross
The Trump administration is pushing the Federal Trade Commission to override state AI consumer protection laws, but the agency’s power is constrained by federalism, says TechFreedom’s Andy Jung. And any preemption effort must clear several hurdles, including a lengthy rulemaking process.
The FTC’s AI Preemption Authority is Limited
Andy Jung takes argues the Trump administration’s effort to use the FTC to preempt state AI consumer protection laws will run into significant constraints.
buff.ly
February 8, 2026 at 3:30 AM
The Trump administration is pushing the Federal Trade Commission to override state AI consumer protection laws, but the agency’s power is constrained by federalism, says TechFreedom’s Andy Jung. And any preemption effort must clear several hurdles, including a lengthy rulemaking process.
Reposted by Randall Gross
Trump names an insurrectionist to be Wyoming prosecutor...
‘An unqualified insurrectionist’:
Outcry over Trump nominee in Wyoming
Darin Smith, who was outside Capitol on January 6, decried as Senate mulls nomination as state’s top federal prosecutor
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Outcry over Trump nominee in Wyoming
Darin Smith, who was outside Capitol on January 6, decried as Senate mulls nomination as state’s top federal prosecutor
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘An unqualified insurrectionist’: outcry over Trump nominee in Wyoming
Darin Smith, who was outside Capitol on January 6, decried as Senate mulls nomination as state’s top federal prosecutor
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Trump names an insurrectionist to be Wyoming prosecutor...
Reposted by Randall Gross
"For years, a cottage industry of political observers has contorted itself to obscure and occlude the obvious. That regardless of what others see in him, Trump’s entire political career...cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism." (gift link)
Opinion | This Is Just Who Trump Is
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:49 PM
"For years, a cottage industry of political observers has contorted itself to obscure and occlude the obvious. That regardless of what others see in him, Trump’s entire political career...cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism." (gift link)
Reposted by Randall Gross
"The new law forbids counties and local law enforcement from contracting with ICE. It mandates that public bodies terminate any existing immigration detention agreements and prohibits the use of public property for federal civil immigration detention..."
kfoxtv.com/news/local/n...
kfoxtv.com/news/local/n...
New Mexico governor signs Immigrant Safety Act among other bills into law
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed four bipartisan bills into law, focusing on improving health care access, investing in statewide infrastructur
kfoxtv.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:05 PM
"The new law forbids counties and local law enforcement from contracting with ICE. It mandates that public bodies terminate any existing immigration detention agreements and prohibits the use of public property for federal civil immigration detention..."
kfoxtv.com/news/local/n...
kfoxtv.com/news/local/n...
Reposted by Randall Gross
“The reason Trump didn’t apologize for the Obama post is because he is a small, petty, fragile man who cannot take responsibility for his own actions. And the second reason, frankly, is because he is a racist.”
February 7, 2026 at 10:36 PM
“The reason Trump didn’t apologize for the Obama post is because he is a small, petty, fragile man who cannot take responsibility for his own actions. And the second reason, frankly, is because he is a racist.”
Reposted by Randall Gross
Pam Bondi should be aware that there is precedent in her lifetime for convicting and imprisoning an Attorney General guilty of obstructing justice.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop.
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Pam Bondi should be aware that there is precedent in her lifetime for convicting and imprisoning an Attorney General guilty of obstructing justice.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
Reposted by Randall Gross
Reposted by Randall Gross
Breaking: pathetic clown show canceled when clowns bail out.
February 7, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Breaking: pathetic clown show canceled when clowns bail out.