Leila Barghouty
@plbarghouty.bsky.social
Freedom of the Press Foundation editor, Independent open source journalist, public records advocate, 2L at Syracuse College of Law, WGAE always. Palestinian~Greek blend made by generations of olive growers.
We're sorry, the old FOIA office can't come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, cuz she's dead.
What I ordered: Radical Transparency
What I got: “Hello, the FOIA office has been placed on admin leave and is unable to respond to any emails.”
What I got: “Hello, the FOIA office has been placed on admin leave and is unable to respond to any emails.”
Health Secretary RFK Jr. Promised Radical Transparency. Now He's Closing FOIA Offices
FOIA staffers were among those fired by RFK Jr.'s Department of Health and Human Services, reducing public transparency on medical information.
www.rollingstone.com
April 4, 2025 at 6:33 PM
We're sorry, the old FOIA office can't come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, cuz she's dead.
As the Signal plot continues to thicken, consider subscribing to our secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds, for a weekly lesson in how wild this all is from our resident expert @laurenleharper.bsky.social
Interested in learning more about the U.S. government's secrecy system, overclassification, and FOIA?
Sign up for our newest newsletter, The Classifieds, by @laurenleharper.bsky.social, and get it in your inbox every Sunday afternoon.
Sign up for our newest newsletter, The Classifieds, by @laurenleharper.bsky.social, and get it in your inbox every Sunday afternoon.
The Classifieds
Freedom of the Press Foundation’s project to fight overclassification and advocate for reforms to the secrecy system.
freedom.press
March 26, 2025 at 2:46 PM
As the Signal plot continues to thicken, consider subscribing to our secrecy newsletter, The Classifieds, for a weekly lesson in how wild this all is from our resident expert @laurenleharper.bsky.social
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
ICE officers arrested 54-year-old Julio Noriega and moved him into a van before he could explain himself, he said.
He spent several hours in an ICE processing center before officers checked his wallet and realized he is a U.S. citizen.
By @vernalcoleman.bsky.social
He spent several hours in an ICE processing center before officers checked his wallet and realized he is a U.S. citizen.
By @vernalcoleman.bsky.social
Under Pressure From Trump, ICE Is Pushing Legal Boundaries
Confrontations with judges are grabbing attention, but more quietly a pattern of questionable arrests shows the extent to which the administration is willing to test norms and laws.
propub.li
March 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
ICE officers arrested 54-year-old Julio Noriega and moved him into a van before he could explain himself, he said.
He spent several hours in an ICE processing center before officers checked his wallet and realized he is a U.S. citizen.
By @vernalcoleman.bsky.social
He spent several hours in an ICE processing center before officers checked his wallet and realized he is a U.S. citizen.
By @vernalcoleman.bsky.social
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
You really can’t script this. The same week the Trump admin invokes the state secrets privilege to deny Boasberg info, he is assigned the lawsuit over the Trump administration’s apparent carelessness with state secrets.
March 26, 2025 at 1:16 PM
You really can’t script this. The same week the Trump admin invokes the state secrets privilege to deny Boasberg info, he is assigned the lawsuit over the Trump administration’s apparent carelessness with state secrets.
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
JUST IN: Judge James Boasberg has been assigned to the Signalgate lawsuit.
March 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM
JUST IN: Judge James Boasberg has been assigned to the Signalgate lawsuit.
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
NEW: When Marco Rubio abruptly halted foreign aid, cleanup crews in Vietnam were forced to abandon one of the largest chemical spills in the world for weeks.
Left exposed: open pits of soil contaminated with dioxin, the deadly byproduct of Agent Orange.
Left exposed: open pits of soil contaminated with dioxin, the deadly byproduct of Agent Orange.
Trump Halted an Agent Orange Cleanup. That Puts Hundreds of Thousands at Risk for Poisoning.
Diplomats in Vietnam warned Washington that halting USAID’s efforts to clean up the massive deposit of postwar pesticides would be a catastrophe for public health and relations with a key strategic partner in Asia.
propub.li
March 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM
NEW: When Marco Rubio abruptly halted foreign aid, cleanup crews in Vietnam were forced to abandon one of the largest chemical spills in the world for weeks.
Left exposed: open pits of soil contaminated with dioxin, the deadly byproduct of Agent Orange.
Left exposed: open pits of soil contaminated with dioxin, the deadly byproduct of Agent Orange.
For a couple of years in the early 70s, the NSA had a wildly orientalist internal magazine called Dragon Seeds, which was complete with Buddhist quotes, an advice column called "Ask the Dragon Lady" and of course, a racist caricature at the end of every issue to remind readers it was classified:
March 13, 2025 at 2:59 PM
For a couple of years in the early 70s, the NSA had a wildly orientalist internal magazine called Dragon Seeds, which was complete with Buddhist quotes, an advice column called "Ask the Dragon Lady" and of course, a racist caricature at the end of every issue to remind readers it was classified:
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
An attorney for Khalil says his legal team “literally have not been able to confer with our client once since he was taken off the streets of New York City,” interfering with their ability to represent him. They sought a privileged call with him that was scheduled for March 20.
March 12, 2025 at 3:58 PM
An attorney for Khalil says his legal team “literally have not been able to confer with our client once since he was taken off the streets of New York City,” interfering with their ability to represent him. They sought a privileged call with him that was scheduled for March 20.
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
Axon’s Draft One, which produces AI-generated police reports, purports to cut in half the amount of time officers spend writing police reports. But a recent police agency’s decision to discontinue use of the software and a new scientific study cast doubt on those assertions.
Anchorage Police Department: AI-Generated Police Reports Don’t Save Time
The Anchorage Police Department (APD) has concluded its three-month trial of Axon’s Draft One, an AI system that uses audio from body-worn cameras to write narrative police reports for officers—and ha...
www.eff.org
March 12, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Axon’s Draft One, which produces AI-generated police reports, purports to cut in half the amount of time officers spend writing police reports. But a recent police agency’s decision to discontinue use of the software and a new scientific study cast doubt on those assertions.
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
Bellingcat's Environmental Investigation team is looking for story pitches that use open-source investigation techniques to investigate environmental issues. We offer payment for stories, so if you've been working on a story and want to get paid, look here:
www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...
www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...
Pitch Wildlife and Environmental investigations to Bellingcat - bellingcat
If your source material is online and public, and your story unearths something deeper about our planet, we'd love to hear from you.
www.bellingcat.com
March 13, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Bellingcat's Environmental Investigation team is looking for story pitches that use open-source investigation techniques to investigate environmental issues. We offer payment for stories, so if you've been working on a story and want to get paid, look here:
www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...
www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
ICE illegally arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, for his political advocacy.
Take action to free Mahmoud NOW.
Take action to free Mahmoud NOW.
Free Mahmoud Khalil
The Trump administration has illegally arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil in direct retaliation for his advocacy in support of Palestinian rights. This egregious, unprecedented, and illegal abuse of...
action.aclu.org
March 10, 2025 at 11:25 PM
ICE illegally arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, for his political advocacy.
Take action to free Mahmoud NOW.
Take action to free Mahmoud NOW.
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
At least six people incarcerated at Virginia's Red Onion State Prison intentionally burned themselves to get transferred out. Today, the VADOC's director dismissed concerns and called those imprisoned people manipulative. theappeal.org/virginia-pri...
Virginia Prison Director Tells Self-Immolating Prisoners to ‘Behave’
At least six people incarcerated at Virginia's Red Onion State Prison intentionally burned themselves to get transferred.
theappeal.org
December 16, 2024 at 11:04 PM
At least six people incarcerated at Virginia's Red Onion State Prison intentionally burned themselves to get transferred out. Today, the VADOC's director dismissed concerns and called those imprisoned people manipulative. theappeal.org/virginia-pri...
Reposted by Leila Barghouty
There's still time to pass the PRESS Act, which would give journalists critical protections from government spying. You can speak up through our action center with just a few clicks:
Tell Congress To Pass the PRESS Act Now
The Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying (PRESS) Act is a long overdue federal shield law that provides protections to journalists against government surveillance and forced disclosure of confidential sources. Journalists shouldn’t be forced to choose between protecting their confidential sources or going to prison. But the reality is that both Democratic and Republican administrations have secretly subpoenaed reporters’ emails and phone records to hunt down their sources. That chills essential newsgathering and whistleblowing, and it needs to stop now.
act.eff.org
December 17, 2024 at 12:02 AM
There's still time to pass the PRESS Act, which would give journalists critical protections from government spying. You can speak up through our action center with just a few clicks:
FPF is launching a newsletter focused on government secrecy: attacks on FOIA, overclassification, and anything and everything limiting government transparency — especially during this upcoming administration. Subscribe to here: mailchi.mp/freedom.pres...
The Classifieds
The latest news and commentary on fighting government secrecy.
mailchi.mp
December 16, 2024 at 9:53 PM
FPF is launching a newsletter focused on government secrecy: attacks on FOIA, overclassification, and anything and everything limiting government transparency — especially during this upcoming administration. Subscribe to here: mailchi.mp/freedom.pres...