A Dozen Elected Officials Among 77 ICE Protesters Arrested in NYC - The Friday AM Quickie 9/19/25
Kamala Harris has finally figured out her response to the question of what she'd have done differently from Joe Biden as president, and the answer is... "appoint a Republican to her Cabinet." Bye bye! Whitney's back Monday. - Corey
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THE BIG NEWS
A Dozen-Plus Elected Democrats Arrested at Manhattan ICE Lockup
The rogue Homeland Security Department's contempt for democratic oversight continues to grow – as does its willingness to use force against elected Democrats who criticize the department or show support for migrants held in squalid conditions and denied their basic rights. As the Associated Press reports, federal agents arrested more than a dozen elected Democrats who attempted to access the ICE lockup at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan yesterday, along with dozens more protesters.
The elected officials were "attempting to inspect holding rooms on the 10th floor that are the subject of ongoing litigation alleging squalid conditions and overcrowding." With news cameras present, the officials staged a sit-in in a hallway. Then agents "bound their hands with plastic ties, lined them up against a wall and paraded them down a hall." According to the New York Times, a DHS officer told them they were "protesting illegally."
"I heard them laugh about what they were doing, and they should absolutely be ashamed of themselves," state Sen. Brisport told HuffPost.
"Not only would they not let us in, they duct-taped and wire-tied the door in what is surely a building violation," New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, whom the feds have previously targeted for arrest while exercising oversight, told the Washington Post. "When they refused, we made clear we weren't leaving, and we were then arrested." Per The City, those arrested included Lander, "Senators Jabari Brisport, Gustavo Rivera and Julia Salazar and Assemblymembers Robert Carroll, Emily Gallagher, Jessica Gonzalez Rojas, Marcela Mitaynes, Steve Raga, Tony Simone and Claire Valdez." They were released quickly – which certainly doesn't make it okay that the feds are making a habit of political arrests.
"Our neighbors are disappearing," Assemblymember Mitaynes, who represents Sunset Park in Brooklyn, said in Spanish. "We cannot permit this to continue."
Meanwhile in Portland, Oregon, city leaders issued a land use violation notice to the city's ICE building, which has been holding people longer than permits allow. Which is something to keep in mind as La Migra expands its physical footprint across the US.
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
Censorship Roundup: Trump Says Broadcast Networks Are 'Not Allowed' to Criticize Him
- Red Alert: Suppression of Major Media Echoes Authoritarian Crackdowns Abroad "There is a very strange kind of self-censorship in America," observes Hungarian media analyst Gábor Polyák, who saw his own country's media and democracy gutted by Trump ally Viktor Orbán. "Even with European eyes, it is very frightening to see to what degree individual bravery does not exist. From Zuckerberg to ABC, everyone immediately surrenders." via the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and The Nation.
- Is 'The View' Next? FCC Chair Emerges as Trump's Chief Censor and Media Dealmaker Trump's FCC chair, Brendan Carr, suggested that his agency could seek to censor "The View" by examining its status as a "bona fide news show"; the ABC daytime hosts had nothing to say yesterday about the summary suspension of their late-night colleague Jimmy Kimmel for offending Trump and threatening the interests of MAGA-friendly station owners. via the New York Times, HuffPost, and Politico.
- Democratic Bill Would Protect People Targeted By Government for Political Speech The No Political Enemies Act, or NOPE, would, among other provisions, allow those harassed by the government for speech to recover costs, and "provide due process" to US nonprofits labeled as criminal or terrorist. via the New York Times, Common Dreams, and Politico.
- First Amendment Defenders Rally in Hollywood as Late Night Hosts Express Solidarity with Jimmy Kimmel Jon Stewart debuted "the all-new, government-approved Daily Show," with a gold set and relentless praise for "our great father," who "wowed the English with charm and intelligence, and an undeniable sexual charisma" on his trip to the UK. via the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, and the Guardian.
Trump Family Bribed By Libyan Oil Interests
The New York Times' ongoing coverage of the exploits of Tiffany Trump's wheeling-and-dealing in-laws, the Boulos family, continues to supply outrageously over-the-top examples of corruption. The latest story in the series reveals that Tiffany and her husband Michael Bolous cruised the French Rivera in July aboard one of the world's largest superyachts, the Phoenix 2, which costs upwards of $1.4 million per week to charter – although the happy couple reportedly didn't pay a dime. The superyacht is owned by billionaire oil traders Ercument Bayegan and his wife, Ruya Bayegan, who are major traders of Libyan oil. What's more, the comped yacht trip took place at the same time Tiffany's father-in-law, State Department adviser Massad Boulos – known as "Abu Tiffany" among Libyan officials – was in Libya cutting deals with government officials and energy executives to boost the country's oil and gas production. In the Times' understated conclusion, the story shows "how hard it is to tell where the interests of government end and the Trump family begins." What the story doesn't ask: Is any of this even legal?
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- RFK Jr.'s Handpicked Advisory Panel Votes to End Recommendations for Routine MMR Vaccines for Kids Under Four The chair of the Centers and for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel, Martin Kulldorff, suggested staging "a live debate with the recently departed CDC leaders and nine former CDC directors who wrote a New York Times op-ed describing the new members of the vaccine committee as 'unqualified individuals who share [Kennedy's] dangerous and unscientific views.'" via the Washington Post and NBC News.
- Mississippi Medical Examiner Says Black Delta State Student Found Hanging from Tree Died By Suicide Police released no further details; Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the student's family, will lead an independent investigation. via the Associated Press.
- MAGA Student Sting Operation Claims Job of Texas A&M President Even After He Fired Professor Republican apparatchiks were angry at former university president Mark Welsh III, a retired four-star general and former CIA official, because he initially took the side of instructor Melissa McCoul when a student felt her teaching on gender violated "our president's laws." via the Texas Tribune and the Washington Post.
- A Million French People Take to the Streets to Protest Austerity Under the Banner of Organized Labor "The message on many signs was clear: 'Tax the rich,' 'There's no real trickle-down,' 'Abolish privileges' [and] 'Empty the pockets of the rich to fill the hole in social security.'" via the Guardian and Le Monde.
SOME NUMBER
$400 million
That's how much US military aid to Taiwan that Donald Trump nixed this summer in hopes of smoothing his trade negotiations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Washington Post reports. Trump and Xi are scheduled to talk this morning; Trump says he hopes to "confirm" a deal he made with Xi to avoid a US ban on the popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok.
ON THE SHOW TODAY
9/19: Happy Friday! Sam and Emma will both be in studio, and the guest will be David Klion, columnist at The Nation and contributing editor at the Jewish Currents.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
Trump's Economic Policy Is Designed to Fail
It's the position of the regime that their first year's performance doesn't count.
Right-Wing WAR Over Charlie Kirk's TPUSA
Between the lines, it seems like MAGA influencers are starting to game out a future without Dear Leader.
PARTING WORDS
"Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors."
-- That's the tagline for a new military recruiting campaign centered on MAGA martyr Charlie Kirk being cooked up by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's underlings, NBC News reports. Meanwhile, Kirk's widow, Erika, was unanimously elected to succeed him as CEO and chair of the board of the Republican youth group he founded, Turning Point USA.
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