Ross Flowers
drums1812.bsky.social
Ross Flowers
@drums1812.bsky.social
Retired lawyer. Interests include Scotland, The Beatles, Military History, especially the 18th and Napoleonic periods, military music, and Georgian architecture.
Reposted by Ross Flowers
Welp, I guess the bare-bones letter from Rubio was determined to be “facially reasonable and bona fide.”

Note that this was largely expected; the standard is exceptionally deferential. This decision will be appealable up to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and then again to the circuit courts.
aclu.org ACLU @aclu.org · Apr 11
BREAKING: An immigration court determined our client Mahmoud Khalil to be removable from the U.S. based solely on his political speech.

The fight isn't over — we'll keep fighting for Mahmoud's freedom and all of our First Amendment rights in federal court.
April 11, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Ross Flowers
The 245-year-old American Academy of Arts & Sciences releases a statement rejecting assaults on scholarly and cultural institutions, the rule of law, & open inquiry--and calls on all Americans to "help fortify" democratic civic culture. www.amacad.org/news/board-s...
April 9, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Ross Flowers
3 days ago RFK Jr. told the CDC to stop recommending water fluoridation, claiming it was a neurotoxin (this is a lie).

Turns out he also just eliminated the CDC’s entire Lead Program, and now lead poisoned children in Milwaukee are just on their own. Lead IS a neurotoxin and harms brain development
CDC denies help for lead poisoning in Milwaukee schools due to layoffs
The CDC rejected a request for help "due to the complete loss" of their lead poisoning experts.
www.cbsnews.com
April 11, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Ross Flowers
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has warned New York hospitals that complying with the White House’s executive order to end gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth could well violate state law.
N.Y. Attorney General Warns Hospitals Against Canceling Transgender Care (Gift Article)
A White House executive order last week threatened to pull federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care. But not providing the care could violate state law, Letitia James said in ...
www.nytimes.com
February 3, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Ross Flowers
Senator Andy Kim just went to the USAID building, talked to the security guard there to confirm employees are being barred entry, and then did a press gaggle right there in front to call it out.

This is doing something. This is making an effort on messaging. Other Democratic lawmakers: take notes.
February 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Ross Flowers
While I understand the optimism associated with Assad’s fall, don’t miss the fact that Syrian Kurds, central to the defeat of ISIS and consistent US allies, are being attacked and driven from their homes by Turkey in the interregnum. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/w...
With Syria in Flux, Turkish Forces Attack U.S.-Backed Forces
Rebels supported by Turkish air power fired on a Kurdish-controlled city in northern Syria, pitting proxies of the U.S. and Turkey — NATO allies — against each other.
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2024 at 11:31 PM