sam j leeds
@samjleeds.bsky.social
radio producer based in Seattle @citycastseattle.bsky.social
formerly: Futuro Media, before that: NPR Music's Louder Than A Riot
they/them | https://samjleeds.xyz/
formerly: Futuro Media, before that: NPR Music's Louder Than A Riot
they/them | https://samjleeds.xyz/
Reposted by sam j leeds
🚨Don Lemon is being charged under the FACE Act, which has historically been used to prosecute those who impede access to abortion clinics. But it also criminalizes interference @ houses of worship.
Days into 2nd term, Trump pardoned 24 anti-abortion activists convicted under FACE 🧵
Days into 2nd term, Trump pardoned 24 anti-abortion activists convicted under FACE 🧵
January 30, 2026 at 4:20 PM
🚨Don Lemon is being charged under the FACE Act, which has historically been used to prosecute those who impede access to abortion clinics. But it also criminalizes interference @ houses of worship.
Days into 2nd term, Trump pardoned 24 anti-abortion activists convicted under FACE 🧵
Days into 2nd term, Trump pardoned 24 anti-abortion activists convicted under FACE 🧵
Reposted by sam j leeds
Georgia Fort, an independent journalist and vice president of the Minnesota NABJ chapter, was also arrested by federal agents this morning
I was sent this video of agents at her door:
I was sent this video of agents at her door:
January 30, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Georgia Fort, an independent journalist and vice president of the Minnesota NABJ chapter, was also arrested by federal agents this morning
I was sent this video of agents at her door:
I was sent this video of agents at her door:
Reposted by sam j leeds
WASHINGTON (AP) — Journalist Don Lemon is arrested after protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.
January 30, 2026 at 1:19 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Journalist Don Lemon is arrested after protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.
Reposted by sam j leeds
About $52 billion, or 28% of Washington’s pension fund is invested in private equity — double the national average for state pension funds. This concerns WA Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti and others. New from me.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
WA's pension fund is an outlier — and the risks are growing
Washington state's pension fund has outperformed peers by investing heavily in private equity. Critics warn the strategy increases risk and future volatility.
www.seattletimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:36 PM
About $52 billion, or 28% of Washington’s pension fund is invested in private equity — double the national average for state pension funds. This concerns WA Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti and others. New from me.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Reposted by sam j leeds
Jury finds the city of Seattle liable for the death of Antonio Mays Jr., who was killed in CHOP in 2020.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
January 29, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Jury finds the city of Seattle liable for the death of Antonio Mays Jr., who was killed in CHOP in 2020.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
Awards more than $25 million to his father, Antonio Mays Sr.
Reposted by sam j leeds
Founded by artist Hala Saleh in April 2025, Ya Hala is a lively pop-up community space for Seattle-area Palestinians.
In a phone interview with journalist Bri Little for CHUM News, Saleh reflected on Ya Hala’s first year, and previewed what’s in store in 2026:
www.chum.news/ya-halas-fir...
In a phone interview with journalist Bri Little for CHUM News, Saleh reflected on Ya Hala’s first year, and previewed what’s in store in 2026:
www.chum.news/ya-halas-fir...
YA HALA'S FIRST YEAR — CHUM NEWS
www.chum.news
January 29, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Founded by artist Hala Saleh in April 2025, Ya Hala is a lively pop-up community space for Seattle-area Palestinians.
In a phone interview with journalist Bri Little for CHUM News, Saleh reflected on Ya Hala’s first year, and previewed what’s in store in 2026:
www.chum.news/ya-halas-fir...
In a phone interview with journalist Bri Little for CHUM News, Saleh reflected on Ya Hala’s first year, and previewed what’s in store in 2026:
www.chum.news/ya-halas-fir...
Reposted by sam j leeds
"They wouldn't have pulled him over if they didn't know his name and they found that out from the Department of Licensing data."
Looking for a good overview of WA Dept. of Licensing-ICE/CBP data sharing?
Tune into this episode of @citycastseattle.bsky.social:
seattle.citycast.fm/podcasts/how...
Looking for a good overview of WA Dept. of Licensing-ICE/CBP data sharing?
Tune into this episode of @citycastseattle.bsky.social:
seattle.citycast.fm/podcasts/how...
How ICE Is Violating State Law and Why Seattle Center Needs a Glow Up - City Cast Seattle
Today on the podcast, Jane and contributor Marcus Harrison Green are joined by UW Center for Human Rights Director Angelina Godoy to discuss their...
seattle.citycast.fm
January 27, 2026 at 7:49 PM
"They wouldn't have pulled him over if they didn't know his name and they found that out from the Department of Licensing data."
Looking for a good overview of WA Dept. of Licensing-ICE/CBP data sharing?
Tune into this episode of @citycastseattle.bsky.social:
seattle.citycast.fm/podcasts/how...
Looking for a good overview of WA Dept. of Licensing-ICE/CBP data sharing?
Tune into this episode of @citycastseattle.bsky.social:
seattle.citycast.fm/podcasts/how...
Reposted by sam j leeds
Scarecrow Video announced Monday it has purchased its U-District building, "marking a transformative turning point for the organization." craft.scarecrowvideo.org/assets/conte...
January 27, 2026 at 3:30 AM
Scarecrow Video announced Monday it has purchased its U-District building, "marking a transformative turning point for the organization." craft.scarecrowvideo.org/assets/conte...
Reposted by sam j leeds
After seeing 10-year-old Karla Tiul Baltazar off to her class, Tiul Caal didn’t make it back to their nearby apartment before he was stopped by federal immigration agents, detained, and taken to a Border Patrol office in North Spokane.
Border Patrol detains 10-year-old Spokane girl and her dad, sends them to Texas detention center
Arnoldo Tiul Caal dropped his daughter off for school at Logan Elementary the morning of Jan. 9 with the unnerving sense that they were being followed.
www.kuow.org
January 23, 2026 at 10:06 PM
After seeing 10-year-old Karla Tiul Baltazar off to her class, Tiul Caal didn’t make it back to their nearby apartment before he was stopped by federal immigration agents, detained, and taken to a Border Patrol office in North Spokane.
Reposted by sam j leeds
I had so much fun recording this episode of @citycastseattle.bsky.social, talking Katie Wilson's housing growth plans, the Route 8 bus lane, sustaining the arts in Belltown, and some ideas for more carfree streets across the city.
megaphone.link/CC6681383179
megaphone.link/CC6681383179
Car-Free Zones, The Croc Is for Sale, and Does Seattle Need a Town Center? by City Cast Seattle
megaphone.link
January 21, 2026 at 4:18 PM
I had so much fun recording this episode of @citycastseattle.bsky.social, talking Katie Wilson's housing growth plans, the Route 8 bus lane, sustaining the arts in Belltown, and some ideas for more carfree streets across the city.
megaphone.link/CC6681383179
megaphone.link/CC6681383179
Reposted by sam j leeds
Reposted by sam j leeds
NEW: A bunch of Washington Dems in deep blue districts are legitimatizing right wing craze over age verification obscenity laws that endanger your privacy and free speech just to appease pearl clutchers and make kids sneakier about how they watch porn www.theburnerseattle.com/post/biparti...
Bipartisan Caucus of Prudes Push Age Verification For Sexual Content In WA Legislature
If it sounds like a bill you’d read about in a red state, that’s because it is. A bipartisan coalition in the Washington State legislature is borrowing from policy “role models” such as Texas, Florida...
www.theburnerseattle.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:17 PM
NEW: A bunch of Washington Dems in deep blue districts are legitimatizing right wing craze over age verification obscenity laws that endanger your privacy and free speech just to appease pearl clutchers and make kids sneakier about how they watch porn www.theburnerseattle.com/post/biparti...
"Despite the party’s wishes, I trust my eyes and my ears. I know you should be somewhere safe, close to your loved ones, musing on a poem to rescue our souls from the seduction of despair, the comfort of inaction, and the false safety some see in fascism. Neighbor, I know you should be alive."
"Neighbor, now that you are part of that eternal elsewhere, what do you see ahead of us? How long is it until goodness wins?"
The amazing Danez Smith's "An Elegy for My Neighbor, Renee Nicole Good"
www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/feat...
The amazing Danez Smith's "An Elegy for My Neighbor, Renee Nicole Good"
www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/feat...
An Elegy for My Neighbor, Renee Nicole Good
Fellow poet Danez Smith memorializes the Minneapolis mother's call to witness
www.harpersbazaar.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:45 PM
"Despite the party’s wishes, I trust my eyes and my ears. I know you should be somewhere safe, close to your loved ones, musing on a poem to rescue our souls from the seduction of despair, the comfort of inaction, and the false safety some see in fascism. Neighbor, I know you should be alive."
Reposted by sam j leeds
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers have shot two people in Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The shooting took place at 2:18 pm on Southeast Main street, but the victims, one male and one female, were found at 146th and East Burnside minutes later.
Police: Two East Portlanders Reportedly Shot by Federal Agents
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers have shot two people in Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The shooting took place at 2:18 pm on Southeast Main street, but the victims, o...
www.portlandmercury.com
January 9, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers have shot two people in Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The shooting took place at 2:18 pm on Southeast Main street, but the victims, one male and one female, were found at 146th and East Burnside minutes later.
Reposted by sam j leeds
@404media.co laying out DHS' blatant lies, which is exactly what all media should call them.
"DHS lied. Trump lied. Noem lied. The Hyundai was already turning to the right away from the officers when the one who allegedly feared for his life fired the shots."
www.404media.co/dhs-is-lying...
"DHS lied. Trump lied. Noem lied. The Hyundai was already turning to the right away from the officers when the one who allegedly feared for his life fired the shots."
www.404media.co/dhs-is-lying...
DHS Is Lying To You About ICE Shooting a Woman
At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday. DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
www.404media.co
January 7, 2026 at 10:41 PM
@404media.co laying out DHS' blatant lies, which is exactly what all media should call them.
"DHS lied. Trump lied. Noem lied. The Hyundai was already turning to the right away from the officers when the one who allegedly feared for his life fired the shots."
www.404media.co/dhs-is-lying...
"DHS lied. Trump lied. Noem lied. The Hyundai was already turning to the right away from the officers when the one who allegedly feared for his life fired the shots."
www.404media.co/dhs-is-lying...
Reposted by sam j leeds
The Trace has identified 14 shootings by federal immigration agents as of January 7.
They include the shootings of three people observing or documenting ICE raids.
www.thetrace.org/2025/12/immi...
They include the shootings of three people observing or documenting ICE raids.
www.thetrace.org/2025/12/immi...
January 7, 2026 at 9:34 PM
The Trace has identified 14 shootings by federal immigration agents as of January 7.
They include the shootings of three people observing or documenting ICE raids.
www.thetrace.org/2025/12/immi...
They include the shootings of three people observing or documenting ICE raids.
www.thetrace.org/2025/12/immi...
Reposted by sam j leeds
Looks like there's protest at 5 pm today, Jan 7 at the federal building in Seattle in reaction to the ICE murder in Minneapolis. I'll be there covering it. www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/co...
January 7, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Looks like there's protest at 5 pm today, Jan 7 at the federal building in Seattle in reaction to the ICE murder in Minneapolis. I'll be there covering it. www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/co...
Reposted by sam j leeds
"Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” her mother said. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being.” www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
‘She was an amazing human being:’ Mother identifies woman shot, killed by ICE agent
Renee Nicole Good, 37, lived in the Twin Cities with her partner.
www.startribune.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:57 PM
"Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” her mother said. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being.” www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
Reposted by sam j leeds
NEW: The SIFF Cinema Uptown was packed Saturday for a special screening of NO OTHER CHOICE, Park Chan-wook’s searing satire about job loss due to restructuring. Today, SIFF began its own organization-wide restructuring & layoffs 📽️
My story for @seattletimes.com: www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
My story for @seattletimes.com: www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
January 5, 2026 at 10:31 PM
NEW: The SIFF Cinema Uptown was packed Saturday for a special screening of NO OTHER CHOICE, Park Chan-wook’s searing satire about job loss due to restructuring. Today, SIFF began its own organization-wide restructuring & layoffs 📽️
My story for @seattletimes.com: www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
My story for @seattletimes.com: www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by sam j leeds
Looking for new things to try in 2026? Check out our January guide for recommendations from @samjleeds.bsky.social @slimeythash.bsky.social @liamgbillingham.bsky.social @janehu.bsky.social! seattle.citycast.fm/guides/2026-...
Your Guide to Seattle in January 2026 - City Cast Seattle
What to do, where to eat, where to shop, and more ways to spend the month of January in Seattle.
seattle.citycast.fm
January 5, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Looking for new things to try in 2026? Check out our January guide for recommendations from @samjleeds.bsky.social @slimeythash.bsky.social @liamgbillingham.bsky.social @janehu.bsky.social! seattle.citycast.fm/guides/2026-...
Reposted by sam j leeds
Katie Wilson has officially taken the oath of office. In her speech, she pledged to fight for Seattle’s artists, activists and ordinary people who make it run, and liberate residents’ time from the grind of capitalism, saying the city should “honor what you're doing when you’re not making money.”
January 2, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Katie Wilson has officially taken the oath of office. In her speech, she pledged to fight for Seattle’s artists, activists and ordinary people who make it run, and liberate residents’ time from the grind of capitalism, saying the city should “honor what you're doing when you’re not making money.”
Reposted by sam j leeds
It's absolutely packed at Seattle City Hall as hundreds arrive for Katie Wilson's official mayoral inauguration ceremony.
January 2, 2026 at 6:00 PM
It's absolutely packed at Seattle City Hall as hundreds arrive for Katie Wilson's official mayoral inauguration ceremony.
Reposted by sam j leeds
Tort Claim by Two Fired SPD Employees Alleges Gender, Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination Under Police Chief Shon Barnes
Barnes' chief of staff reportedly responded to concerns about a crackdown on the nude beach at Denny Blaine Park by saying, "We're not here for the gays."
publicola.com/2025/12/31/t...
Barnes' chief of staff reportedly responded to concerns about a crackdown on the nude beach at Denny Blaine Park by saying, "We're not here for the gays."
publicola.com/2025/12/31/t...
Tort Claim by Two Fired SPD Employees Alleges Gender, Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination Under Police Chief Shon Barnes - PubliCola
Barnes’ chief of staff reportedly responded to concerns about a crackdown on the longtime nude beach at Denny Blaine Park…
publicola.com
December 31, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Tort Claim by Two Fired SPD Employees Alleges Gender, Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination Under Police Chief Shon Barnes
Barnes' chief of staff reportedly responded to concerns about a crackdown on the nude beach at Denny Blaine Park by saying, "We're not here for the gays."
publicola.com/2025/12/31/t...
Barnes' chief of staff reportedly responded to concerns about a crackdown on the nude beach at Denny Blaine Park by saying, "We're not here for the gays."
publicola.com/2025/12/31/t...
every word of this!! especially: “The adage that journalism should “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” is abandoned when the comfortable are deciding who to afflict.”
A weird ending note for a weird year: I wrote a manifesto for journalists in 2026.
leahsottile.substack.com/p/66-clarity
leahsottile.substack.com/p/66-clarity
66. Clarity
A Living Manifesto on Journalism for 2026 and Beyond
leahsottile.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:26 PM
every word of this!! especially: “The adage that journalism should “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” is abandoned when the comfortable are deciding who to afflict.”
Reposted by sam j leeds
This Friday, January 2, at 10am at Seattle City Hall, Katie Wilson will be sworn in as the 58th Mayor of Seattle.
December 29, 2025 at 8:31 PM
This Friday, January 2, at 10am at Seattle City Hall, Katie Wilson will be sworn in as the 58th Mayor of Seattle.