@mollyfarrell
Early American literatures, feminism, history of science. Author, NEW WORLD CALCULATION, out Aug 2026. Views expressed thru this account represent my own opinions, not my employer. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/16/1099244635/for-ben-franklin-abortion-was-ba
New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Daylight savings exposes the deeper political dysfunctions that are making everyone batty.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Big Joanie.
Smart phones really are worse, and the reaction to landlines when they were new shows it.
“Your great-great-grandparents were probably pretty happy with the phone. If your feelings about your smartphone are more mixed, don’t let anyone tell you you’re panicking.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/o...
The thing about fascists is that they have so much respect for each other.
so many people have headed calls to move off Google to places like proton. Actual useful advice is that you try to keep as much sensitive info offline as possible.
The two things Black Philly wanted me to know when I moved there in 2012 (as in, multiple people told me!):
1) Washington owned slaves and he brought them here. Go and see the chains on Independence Mall.
2) They bombed Black people while we had a Black mayor in office.
Me, a Detroiter: *Damn.*
The same way you don't want people bombing you and your loved ones is the same exact thing that other people feel where they live.
To be governed by people who want and intend to kill us.
At this point, the methods are pretty consistent. Propaganda ("birth control is bad for you blah blah"). Informal coercion via bribes and threats. Formal coercion via regulation (limits on who can access). Using the law and courts.
@governorwalz.mn.gov what are you doing? Folks in MN are days away from rent being due but 10s of thousands of people are being impacted by ICE and the Federal government. You need to push to pass a rent moratorium until ICE IS OUT of MN. Please move on this fast.
The study found that children enrolled in Parton’s Imagination Library “were 5 times more likely to be interested in reading, 11 times more likely to be interested in books, and 15 times more likely to join in during shared reading, compared to children who aren't enrolled.”
Here's Harriet Jacobs writing in her memoir about NYC: “What a disgrace to a city calling itself free, that inhabitants, guiltless of offense, and seeking to perform their duties conscientiously, should be condemned to live in such incessant fear, and have nowhere to turn for protection.”
A group of pediatricians wrote an op-ed detailing the traumatic, lasting effects kids in detention centers will endure:
www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...
Academic freedom is not an abstract concept
I saw this today. It looks like the citizens of Surprise, AZ are taking this seriously and trying to stop this concentration camp from being fully implemented. bsky.app/profile/azrw...
Here is Tim Wise and I on the hidden history of murdered white civil rights figures.
For more on this, register for our virtual lecture on Feb.10th, at 6:00 pm!
buy.stripe.com/28EfZi7VN6RA...
Apt connection to W. Wilson screening “Birth of a Nation.” Lynchings increased on average four fold in counties where that film was shown at the time.
listen, we are going to do BEAUTY and we're going to do it TOGETHER and we are NOT leaving anyone behind and it's going to take real work and we are going to get tired but the end (there is no end) will be more life and more beauty and more of everyone and we are going to do it
I'm so glad we are learning there are kid jails. Now you can learn more about the kids inside. Some of us have gone in and interviewed kids in prison. I wrote about incarcerated disabled girls of color. Read & Learn. Then decide #NoKidsInPrison & take action 1/
www.routledge.com/The-Pedagogy...
You can see more of these folks' (Singing Resistance Twin Cities) work on Instagram: www.instagram.com/singingresis...
Art matters, artists matter, protest matters
Abolish ICE.
There’s no reforming it.
There’s no compromise.
There’s only one way to rein in ICE’s terror campaign. Abolish it.
!["On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1
More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreicrroq5taft777rmau2ffjlsphbcatlxnwwigf2yekoke533yycim)
"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].
So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem
![has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up,
twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite
country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of
suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified
Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that
she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8
U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all.
See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here
illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section
IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she
ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id.
The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary
unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes,
the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary,
Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to
replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A.
As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS
holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreid3cmawech25ummuj2tjvgxsrvufma2kmrijlfpglalwddd3qkikq)
has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]
Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.
Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.
It's a tour de force:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
BREAKING: A U.S. District Court judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end protected status for about 330,000 Haitians living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status.
The public library is an essential component of a 21st-century left political project as an example of both what is already available to us and what can be improved upon in the future. The library is a public good, and it is free as a public service.
I want more people to make the connections.
Looking forward to our book discussion about "Open Admissions:" tomorrow afternoon! www.dukeupress.edu/open-admissi...
Children. They are literally tear gassing children.
This super series w @jamellebouie.net, @jdickerson.bsky.social, JSchuessler, @soccerpolitics.bsky.social, @pastpunditry.bsky.social & @marthasjones.bsky.social is part of a project @ the JCB supported by Emerson Collective and in partnership w @theatlantic.com -- v v grateful!
2026, here we come.
Bondi directed federal agents to arrest four journalists.
Georgia Fort, Don Lemon, Jamael Lundy, and Trahern Crews.
All Black. All doing their jobs.
Once again: while this administration claims that it wants people to have more children that’s only directed at certain people
A guide to safer communication with Signal. Screen readable PDF available here: https://libraryfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/signal-best-practices.pdf
New resource from LFP and CoRD: safer communication with Signal. Our best practices based on common threat models and concerns. Feel free to share! PDF downloadable at libraryfreedom.org/wp-content/u...
