James Neal - will know what will happen when it does.
LightNews LightNews
banner
jameswneal.bsky.social
James Neal - will know what will happen when it does.
@jameswneal.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.1K following 4.9K posts
Lifelong Dem. Worked at the state level for both sides, so I lived the difference. Proud son of a #journalist, later teacher. More #vinyl records than you - probably. Wife & I personally rebuilt this place from the studs out & in. #Photographer just b/c
Posts Replies Media Videos
jameswneal.bsky.social
Among the key figures in the documents: Narcotics arrests fell by roughly 11%. Agents opened 15% fewer new investigations into narcotics crimes. The number of weapons seized fell dramatically, declining from nearly 41,400 to fewer than 11,200 — a 73 percent drop.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
November 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Excerpts pt. 2
Gregory Rosen, Capitol Siege Section: The F.B.I. had to divest serious resources from investigations of violent crime, gun and drug trafficking and child exploitation. Agents were diverted from those cases because they had to be on the street doing immigration roundups. Prosecutor, D.C. metro area: It's unprecedented to shift resources away from national security to this degree. Virginia and D.C. have the most important offices for counterterrorism and espionage. We get cases from the Middle East, long and complex investigations of terrorist threats from abroad and also domestically. In the Eastern District, there were 12 to 14 lawyers in the national security unit and now there are four, with no deputy or chief. In D.C., the national security unit is down about 50 percent. I was recently on the floor where F.B.I. agents work on domestic terrorism and it was completely hollowed out. You have to have good, experienced, trained people doing this work on a daily basis. If you don't, because you demand they do immigration shifts, there is real danger to national security and public safety. Joseph Tirrell, director of the Departmental Ethics Office: I had done some work for Jack Smith, so I assumed that would bring some heat down on me. But in my gut, I also think they didn't want the ethics office calling them up and telling them what to do. As a federal employee, you're restricted from accepting gifts from anyone because of your position. I briefed Ms. Bondi about the ethics rules, and we talked about accepting gifts from employees in the department - for the most part, leaders can't accept gifts from their subordinates. We had about a 10-minute conversation about whether or not she could accept challenge coins from offices within the department. And that seemed to me an odd thing given everything else that we might have discussed. But that started to be a recurring theme with the A.G's office. They didn't want to return gifts, they didn't want to not accept gifts, whatever the source. We got a request about some cigars from Conor McGregor and a soccer ball from FIFA. And I felt like I really had to go to the mattress to convince the A.G's office: You can pay for the item or you can return the item or you can throw the item away. There's no other way to do this. (A Justice Department spokeswoman said that, after consulting with ethics officials, the soccer ball was accepted on behalf of the department and the cigars were destroyed.) And then I got a call from the general counsel at the F.B.I. about changing exceptions to the gift rules because his boss, Kash Patel, felt like he should be able to accept more expensive gifts. I reminded him that his client was not Mr. Patel, but the United States.
November 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Excerpts pt. 1
Katie Chamblee-Ryan, Civil Rights Division: When Bondi's 14 emails started coming in, one was crazier than the next. It's hard to explain how shocking that was. In the Biden administration, there were all these checks in place to make sure we weren't acting on our political biases. It was so by the book. It was too slow, to be honest. Now that seemed farcical. Lawyer, Federal Programs Branch, which defends legal challenges against government agencies: Bondi's memo on zealous advocacy suggested we could be disciplined or fired for pushing back on legal or factual claims we believed were unsupported. That threw up red flags for me. It was just completely improper. Dena Robinson, Civil Rights Division: Some of us referred to them as "Pam Bondi's mixtape," both because they were so random and there were so many dropped all at once. One thing that stuck out to me was her insistence that we served at the pleasure of the president and that we were enforcing the president's priorities. We swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. Lawyer, National Security Division: Bondi signaled the Foreign Agents Registration Act would be enforced only in very limited circumstances after the Justice Department had done a lot over the last decade to give it teeth. At its core, FARA is a transparency statute, to let the American public know when foreign actors engage in political activities or try to influence U.S. discourse. If you're concerned about foreign money and influence in politics, it's a bad time to go dark. The Justice Department asked a court to freeze a legal challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's decision during the Biden administration to tighten one of îs most important air-quality standards, the limit on soot. The E.P.A. found in 2021 that the new standard would save thousands of lives and that the health benefits would outweigh the cost of compliance. The Trump administration put the litigation on hold in preparation for rolling back the regulation. Sarah Buckley, Environment and Natural Resources Division: We made blanket requests to courts to put cases on hold where we were defending E.P.A. rules. The soot case was a real gut punch to me. Soot pollution is a major public health problem. The rule we were defending would reduce the number of people getting sick and dying, from pollution-caused diseases, by a lot. We'd just had oral argument in December. I thought we were going to win. It felt like victory was being snatched away. Dena Robinson: One of my colleagues was pulled into working on the investigations. Every single time that this colleague pointed out factual or legal or ethical issues, the people running them just shrugged. For example, the administration was saying they wanted to go after Perkins Coie because of Trump's commitment to ending discriminatory D.E.I. policies. The idea of the investigation was that Perkins Coie supposedly engaged in illegal discrimination against white men. But Perkins Coie is an extremely white firm - only 3 percent of the partners are Black. When my colleague pointed that out, the leadership didn't care. They'd already reached their conclusion. They continued instructing my colleague to just find the evidence for it. Our job wasn't to engage in fact-finding investigations; our job was to find the facts that would fit the narrative that the administration already had. That is not how the division worked. My colleague told me that the experience demoralized and eventually broke them. It ended up being the reason they left the Justice Department. Liz Oyer, pardon attorney: In February, I was assigned to a working group that the attorney general created to restore gun rights to people convicted of crimes. I was asked to identify suitable recipients, so I looked for people who had committed minor low-level offenses in the very distant past and demonstrated exemplary conduct in the community for many years since their conviction. The pool was narrowed to nine people. And then I was asked to add Mel Gibson to the list. Mel Gibson has a history of domestic violence, and I'm well aware from my experience and training that it is very dangerous for a person with a domestic-violence history to possess a firearm. As attorney general, Bondi has the power to restore rights without my blessing. My recommendation was sought, I believe, to give a veneer of legitimacy to what was actually a political favor for a friend of the president. I said I couldn't recommend restoration. And then I waited for the other shoe to drop. I finally got a phone call from Paul Perkins, an associate deputy attorney general. It was strongly suggested to me that Mel Gibson is someone who had a personal relationship with the president and that really should be all I needed to know. I felt sick. I literally did not sleep at all that night. I wrote back still not making the recommendation. At 2 o'clock that afternoon, I was in a meeting when I learned that I was fired. My deputy told me to grab my bag and literally pulled me out of the room by my elbow and told me in the hallway that she had gotten a call saying that there were security officers in my office waiting to walk me out of the building. I threw everything into a grocery bag and walked out of the office. I passed a lot of people I knew on the way out, and everybody was just looking on in shock.
November 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
A few more, pulled from the NYT piece assembled from interviews with sixty former attorneys at DOJ. gift link) www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
November 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Since some folks only respond to memes . . . (from the gift article).
November 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Difficulty with "word finding," is an early sign of #dementia, of #Azheimers. You can't come up with nouns, like trying to find "can," thinking it'll come to you as you say phrases that describe it.

Your spelling goes too. Even simple words you never had a problem with before (more on pic)
Difficulty with "word finding," is an early sign of #dementia, of #Azheimers. You can't come up with nouns, like trying to find "can," thinking it'll come to you as you start saying phrases that describe it. Your spelling goes too. Even simple words you never had a problem with before This is me, people. And I am here to tell you I still make more sense than the current president of the United States. Because I still have a conscience, a heart. I don't think he ever did.
November 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
A man will always say he got the better end of the divorce, unless she ended up getting all his money
November 24, 2025 at 8:34 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 8:33 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Punchbowl news this AM dropped a pretty interesting rant from an anonymous GOP member of the House of Representatives. It ends - “More explosive early resignations are coming. It’s a tinder box. Mike Johnson will be stripped of his gavel and they will lose the majority before this term is out.”
"This entire White House team has treated ALL members like garbage. ALL. And Mike Johnson has let it happen because he wanted it to happen. That is the sentiment of nearly all - appropriators, authorizers, hawks, doves, rank and file. The arrogance of this White House team is off putting to members who are run roughshod and threatened. They don't even allow little wins like announcing small grants or even responding from agencies. Not even the high profile, the regular rank and file random members are more upset than ever. Members know they are going into the minority after the midterms. "More explosive early resignations are coming. It's a tinder box. Morale has never been lower. Mike Johnson will be stripped of his gavel and they will lose the majority before this term is out."
November 24, 2025 at 5:21 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Somebody needs to ask Trump what percentage of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and marijuana comes into the U.S. from Venezuela. You know, because we all need to know how much more drug trafficking will drop once the leaflets he's going to spend our money to drop convince the people to get rid of Maduro.
Somebody needs to ask Trump what percentage of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and marijuana comes into the U.S. from Venezuela. You know, because we all need to know how much more drug trafficking will drop once the leaflets he's going to spend our money to drop convince the people to get rid of Maduro. After all, it's going to be hard to top what he's done to protect Americans already by sinking a handful of speedboats, killing damned near everyone on board.
November 23, 2025 at 10:05 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
“A symbol or flag is prohibited as a reflection of hate if its display adversely affects good order and discipline, unit cohesion, command climate, morale, or mission effectiveness,” Lunday said in the late Thursday memo.
November 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Reasons Trump would be wise not to try & ambush #zohranMamdani by bringing in reporters & berating him.

(1) he'd be highlighting the importance of Mamdani's win;

(2) he'd be giving #Mamdani a platform;

(3) Mamdani's made it clear he's willing to go to the mat for his city;

(4) The threat .
Reasons Trump would be wise not to try and ambush #zohranMamdani by bringing in reporters and berating him. (1) he would be highlighting the importance of Mamdani's win; (2) he would be giving #Mamdani a platform; (3) Mamdani has made it clear he's willing to go to the mat for his city; (4) The threat to New York City is an invasion by the United States. Putin isn't part of the equation.
November 21, 2025 at 2:22 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Maybe it's just me, but the only reason any organization would downgrade the meaning of certain symbols is because they either have people with them tattooed on their bodies, or hanging off their porches . . . Or they want to recruit people who do.

Hate is not in the eye of the perpetrator . . .
Maybe it's just me, but the only reason any organization would downgrade the meaning of certain symbols is because they either have people with them tattooed on their bodies, or hanging off their porches . . . Or they want to recruit people who do. Hate is not in the eye of the perpetrator. It's in the eyes of millions of their victims. And if your job is to protect We, the People, that should be your guiding principle. Coast Guard my ass.
November 21, 2025 at 1:57 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Put it on #vinyl "records," so we heard more than the first few notes before we could cross the room lift the tonearm and blow the whole experience the artists were trying to give us?

Music quality is really about the quality of the entire experience, Live does that. So do these things.
November 20, 2025 at 12:44 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
From UPI. To be clear this did NOT happen. Yes, he signed the bill. No, it doesn't call for "the entire #Epstein case file" to be "Publicly" released.
Photo of trump sitting down, looking at someone off camera. His expression is one of anger. Trump is clearly saying something to the unseen person.) Lower third of the photo says, "Trump signs bill directing DOJ to publicy (sp) release entire Epstein case file
November 20, 2025 at 5:50 AM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Hey kids! You a Republican farmer or wannabe and think your problems stem from Joe Biden's "lawfare" program? Don't you worry, friend. The partisan U.S. Department of Agriculture now gives you a way to complain about the libs!

(All I wanted was to check the plant hardiness zone for my zip code).
Page from the official USDA web site that links to a "USDA Lawfare Complaint form." "USDA launched a new web portal for potential farmer, rancher, and USDA customers who have fallen victim to unfair and politically motivated lawfare originating under the Biden Administration." Because a Joe Biden "lawfare" program doesn't exist, you don't get to check boxes that apply to your situation. But Trump's USDA gives you plenty of room to just complain. Oh, and don't worry if they don't get back to you. One day your complaint might just be used in a political ad. Screengrab fromthe official "USDA Lawfare Complaint Form." "Background : USDA launched a new web portal for potential farmer, rancher, and USDA customers who have fallen victim to unfair and politically motivated lawfare originating under the Biden Administration. Impacted individuals or businesses can submit their concerns and experiences below so the USDA team can promptly address the situation. You are welcome to submit this form anonymously, however please note that USDA cannot contact you further should you choose not to share contact information."
November 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
#eddiekendricks is happy. Me? Well, mixed feelings at the moment. #JamalKhashoggi #gerrymandering #Texas
Screenshot of an iPhone Notification Center at 12:28 pm Tuesday, November 18, 2025. The top window shoew the living room Apple TV is playing Happy, by Eddie Kendricks. Living Room AP Breaking News - Federal judges block Texas from using redrawn congressional maps that would boost the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections. Reuters - Trump contradicts US intelligence, says Saudi prince 'knew nothing' about Khashoggi death. Washington Post Breaking News - Trump defends Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over killing of Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, saying 'things happen.'
November 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
How to alter your perception. (1)read an article highlighting how mortgage appraisers &, yes, banks screw over black people trying to sell or finance a home. (link below)

(2) Take a good look at the 2 women Trump's having investigated for "mortgage fraud." #DEI
theconversation.com/black-and-la...
How to alter your perception. (1)read an article highlighting how mortgage appraisers &, yes, banks screw over black people trying to sell or finance a home. (2) Take a good look at the 2 women Trump's having investigated for "mortgage fraud." Perhaps b/c of status, James & Cook were able to get competitive rates. But why isn't Trump focused instead on making sure fraudsters aren't discriminating against blacks & latinos? Oh, sorry. It's that "woke"DEI thing again.
November 18, 2025 at 1:22 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
Front page of the "failing" New York Times is a winner, far as I'm concerned.
November 17, 2025 at 8:20 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
If you haven't seen this yet . . .
If you haven't shared it yet . . .
If you understand what a child is . . .
Release the #Epstein files - including the ones Trump told you to disappear.
November 17, 2025 at 4:10 AM
jameswneal.bsky.social
If you don't live there, or at least subscribe to the paper the people who *do* live there rely on to report on their city, you don't know jack about what it's like there. Case in point: Charlotte . From the Charlotte Observer. Anything here stand out to you? #journalism
After days of growing fear and speculation, masked federal agents swept across Charlotte & its suburbs Saturday, detaining & arresting people outside restaurants, in parking lots, at a church and along busy roads. The sudden show of force shuttered businesses and sent fear through immigrant communities. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation unfolded less than 2 months after Border Patrol first stationed at least 200 agents in Chicago, where officers questioned residents, used tear gas & made 1,500 arrests since September, according to CBS News. In Charlotte, the mission's scope & duration remained unclear, and local leaders said they received insufficient notice of a deployment. By late morning, federal agents had appeared at restaurants, shopping centers & busy roadways from Central Avenue to Pineville-Matthews Road. A Charlotte Observer reporter saw agents carrying large guns on South Boulevard, while witnesses described men being cornered in parking lots, stopped as they walked to their cars, snatched from a church, & in one case, having a truck window smashed and keys taken. Residents used social media to share filmed arrests and repeated stops across Charlotte as the operation expanded into Matthews. Border Patrol has not said how many agents arrived from Chicago or how long they plan to stay in the region, & local leaders said they received no explanation for the mission or why Charlotte was chosen. Elected officials said they learned of the deployment from news reports and from Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden rather than through federal briefings. Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol official leading the Charlotte operation, said on X Sat. evening that the agency had a "record day." "Massive numbers in Charlotte," he said. "Some good criminals also." Manuel "Manolo" Betancur, who closed his Charlotte bakery, for the 1st time in 28 years due to agent activity, said CBP is not looking for criminals. "They're lying, man," Betancur said. (more) CBP is not looking for criminals. "They're lying, man," Betancur said. "They're not chasing criminals. They're chasing anyone who looks, speaks like me, who has an accent like me." In a statement Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said it was "surging resources" to North Carolina for "Operation Charlotte's Web." Federal officials said the operation is focused on people with criminal records who, according to DHS, were released after local jurisdictions did not "honor" more than 1,400 detainer requests In a statement Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said it was “surging resources” to North Carolina for “Operation Charlotte’s Web.” Federal officials said the operation is focused on people with criminal records who, according to DHS, were released after local jurisdictions did not “honor” more than 1,400 detainer requests statewide. (Photo of a man showing his scraped elbow and forearm) Willy Aceituno, a U.S. citizen, shows his injuries from a confrontation with U.S. Border Patrol agents on Saturday morning at Pollo Campero restaurant near the intersection of South Boulevard and Archdale Drive. He said agents attempted to arrest him twice and smashed his car window when he tried to leave. (photo: Khadejeh Nikouyeh) Arrests at church, grocery stores, and Lowe’s Some of the day’s most significant moments played out across multiple neighborhoods and commercial corridors on Saturday. Near the intersection of South Boulevard and Archdale Drive, Willy Aceituno said agents broke a window of his pickup truck outside the Pollo Campero restaurant and took his keys. He said agents stopped him twice within about 10 minutes. “Are you an illegal immigrant?” he said an agent asked. “I don’t have to answer your questions,” he said he replied. “Why don’t you ask other people that? Why just me?” Aceituno said he is originally from Honduras and has been a U.S. citizen for about six years. In east Charlotte, church members said a typical Saturday turned chaotic when masked federal agents arrived and detained one of the congregants. Around 15 to 20 people had been doing yard work on the Albemarle Road property while children played nearby and others cooked. The church’s pastor, who declined to identify himself or the congregation, said agents parked outside a closed gate and ran into the yard without offering identification or asking questions before taking a man whose wife and child were inside at the time. Some workers ran into the surrounding woods as the agents moved through the property, and inside the church, families cried as they tried to understand what had happened. At Nazo’s Mediterranean Bowls and Salads on Pineville-Matthews Road, manager Adam Maaroufi said he watched at least three agents in two black SUVs corner a man outside. He said he also saw agents stop five or six other men walking in the nearby Walmart parking lot. “Just very, very rough to watch,” Maaroufi said. Just before 11 a.m., an Observer reporter saw two agents walking with large guns near an AutoZone on South Boulevard as drivers honked and bystanders recorded the scene with their phones. Social media posts also reported sightings on Arrowood Road, Sharon Amity Road and Archdale Drive. In Pineville, a store owner said Border Patrol agents with rifles chased employees outside the Super G Mart before entering the business and pulling out a teenage worker. The incident, portions of which were captured on video, happened around 2 p.m., according to Peter Han, whose family owns the international grocery chain. Han said employees ran when they saw agents in the parking lot, and that several armed officers then came into the self-checkout area, restrained the 15- or 16-year-old teen and took him. In the heart of the city’s immigrant community, a picture posted on social media around 9:30 a.m. Saturday by Immigration Alerts CLT appeared to show two federal agents standing behind a man with his hands behind his back on Rosehaven Drive near Central Avenue. Greg Asciutto, executive director of the nonprofit CharlotteEAST, said many businesses along Central Avenue closed Saturday because of the federal activity. His group warned residents to stay away from the area. In Matthews, construction worker Jesse Pacheco said he and his team were picking up supplies at a Lowe’s store when agents arrived in two SUVs and questioned them. He said Border Patrol took one of his workers without telling them where the man was being brought. The experience left Pacheco feeling “useless,” “intimidated” and targeted as a Hispanic person, he said. “It’s discriminatory. It should not happen,” Pacheco said.
November 16, 2025 at 1:38 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
If you don't live there, or at least subscribe to the paper the people who *do* live there rely on to report on their city, you don't know jack about what it's like there. Case in point: Portland. From the Portland Tribune. Anything here stand out to you? #journalism
Top stories from the Portland (Oregon) Tribune. LOCAL NEWS. Former Gresham employee seeks testimony on ICE encounters. Goal is to spur Gresham City Council to take public steps around federal enforcement LOCAL NEWS. No arrests made at Portland ICE protests Friday night. The Portland Police Bureau reported that it made no arrests at protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement... CRIME & JUSTICE. Feds appeal ruling permanently blocking Trump Guard deployment to Portland. Federal lawyers are asking an appeals court to reverse a recent decision in District Court in Oregon that... a day ago CRIME & JUSTICE. Oregon immigrant advocates ask court for class action status in suit against feds. Plaintiffs allege agencies are purposefully denying people in immigration detention centers access to lawyers The two Oregon . . .
November 16, 2025 at 1:05 PM
jameswneal.bsky.social
They're piling on. Here's WaPo
Front page of The Washington Post, featuring an unflattering photo of trump at his Oval Office desk hunched over with his mouth open, forming a big "o".
November 15, 2025 at 5:50 AM
jameswneal.bsky.social
"complies . . ."
popup on Washington Post's web site, a teaser with a hot link to another story. Photo of Bondi. "Trump asks Justice to examine Democrats' ties to Epstein; Bondi complies"
November 15, 2025 at 5:46 AM
jameswneal.bsky.social
The Petty President pulls his support from #MTG and the millions of other Americans who voted for him, expecting him to really do all the things he keeps saying he's already done. Also, "failing New York Times is pissing him off by rubbing his nose in it.
Front page of The New Hork Times, Saturday, November 15, 2025 America First? Some Trump Supporters Worry That's No Longer the Case. President Trump has been dining with billionaires and taken an interest in crises abroad, leading to fears that he is drifting from his more populist stances.
November 15, 2025 at 5:40 AM