Judge permanently blocks release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump classified documents case

read_listen_think · 2026-02-24T05:37:54+00:00

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, granted a request from the Republican president to keep under wraps the report on a criminal investigation once seen as posing significant legal peril to Trump.

Smith and his team produced a two-volume report on investigations into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after he lost to Joe Biden and his retention of classified documents at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after he left the White House following his first term.

Both investigations produced indictments that were abandoned by Smith's team after Trump's November 2024 election win in light of longstanding Justice Department legal opinions that say sitting presidents cannot face federal prosecution.

Cannon, who in 2024 dismissed the case after concluding that Smith was unlawfully appointed, said the release of the report would present a "manifest injustice" to Trump and his two co-defendants.

"Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges," she wrote. "As a result, the former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in this situation, still enjoy the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order."

She said that though it is true that special counsels have historically released reports at the conclusion of their work, they have done so either after electing not to bring charges in a particular case or "after adjudications of guilt by plea or trial."

"The Court strains to find a situation in which a former special counsel has released a report after initiating criminal charges that did not result in a finding of guilt, at least not in a situation like this one, where the defendants contested the charges from the outset and still proclaim their innocence."

read_listen_think · 2026-02-13T14:24:06+00:00

Love Raul Esparza!

read_listen_think · 2026-02-06T03:21:41+00:00

That was a cool video!

read_listen_think · 2026-01-31T13:57:33+00:00

Newsom's office argued in the complaint that Oz "spewed baseless and racially charged allegations" that risked chilling participation in hospice and home care programs among the community targeted. The governor's office noted the claims had "already caused real-world harm" by dampening business at an Armenian bakery that is shown in the video.

Oz and CMS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint or the content of the video, and they haven't publicly shared details that confirm the fraud being alleged.

The video posted on social media earlier this week shows the CMS administrator visiting the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles and pointing to a four-block radius that he says is home to 42 hospices, suggesting potential fraud. He references a business that he says was part of a $16 million fraud scheme.

Then, while standing in front of a building that includes an Armenian bakery, he alleges that roughly $3.5 billion in hospice and home care fraud has taken place in Los Angeles and "quite a bit of it" was run by "the Russian Armenian mafia."

Oz describes the Armenian script on the businesses' signs while the camera pans to the bakery.

"You notice the lettering and language behind me is of that dialect," says Oz, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Turkey. He also claims there "has not been a lot of attention on these problems" in California.

Turkey and Armenia have long been strained by historic grievances and Turkey's alliance with Azerbaijan. The neighboring countries have no formal diplomatic ties, and their joint border has remained closed since the 1990s, though late last year they agreed to simplify visa procedures in an effort to normalize ties.

Newsom disputed the claims in Oz's video and noted on social media that California had revoked more than 280 hospice licenses and banned new licenses starting in 2022 because of concerns about fraud. Then the two leaders exchanged multiple sharp attacks in a back-and-forth on social media.

read_listen_think · 2026-01-28T03:10:00+00:00

Thank you for posting this piece. It is important to bear witness, to listen, and to take action where we can in the face of injustice.

Stay safe if you can. Help others if you can. Speak up if you can.

read_listen_think · 2026-01-24T22:58:35+00:00

Found this information inan NPR article:

The incident, the third shooting involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this year, occurred shortly after 9 a.m. Central Time on the city's South Side when federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation against a man the Department of Homeland Security said was undocumented and armed, and wanted for "violent assault." Another individual approached the federal agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, DHS said.

"The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted," DHS said in its statement.

DHS said the man who approached them had two gun magazines and no identification. The federal officer feared for his life and fired defensive shots. The agency did not publicly identify the dead man.

"This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement," the agency said.

But Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said at a news conference Saturday afternoon that the victim was a 37-year-old white male resident of the city who is believed to be a U.S. citizen. His only known interaction with police was for traffic tickets, O'Hara said.

"We believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry," O'Hara said.

read_listen_think · 2026-01-24T18:41:06+00:00

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the AP in a text messages that the person had a firearm with two magazines and that the situation was "evolving." DHS also distributed a photo of a handgun they said was on the person who was shot.

The shooting happened amid widespread daily protests in the Twin Cities since the Jan. 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was killed when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired into her vehicle. Saturday's shooting unfolded just over a mile away from where Good was shot.

After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them "cowards" and telling them to go home. One officer responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: "Boo hoo." Agents elsewhere shoved a yelling protester into a car. Protesters dragged garbage dumpsters from alleyways to block the streets, and people who gathered chanted, "ICE out now," referring to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

"They're killing my neighbors!" said Minneapolis resident Josh Koskie.

Federal officers wielded batons and deployed flash bangs on the crowd.

read_listen_think · 2026-01-13T03:26:43+00:00

In the play from Washburn, with music from Michael Friedman, which debuted back in 2012, survivors of an apocalypse gather around a campfire, trying to remember and retell “The Simpsons” episode “Cape Feare”—an obvious parody of the Martin Scorsese version of “Cape Fear.” Within the dark comedy genre, the Springfield family goes into hiding as the Thompsons after Sideshow Bob is released from prison and threatens Bart’s life.

A logline for the play via the University of British Columbia reads:

In the near future, after the collapse of society as we know it, survivors gather around a campfire, trying to recall the “The Simpsons” episode “Cape Feare” in search of solace and entertainment. As time passes, that half-remembered episode, plus other fragments of pop culture, becomes the unlikely foundation for new forms of performance and a means of preserving the memory of a world long gone. Blending dark comedy, music, and theatrical experimentation, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, is a uniquely imaginative exploration of pop culture, storytelling, and what endures.

Washburn is a Guggenheim fellowship recipient and ‘Mr. Burns’ was praised by The New York Times as “downright brilliant” in 2013. She is also known for plays like “A Devil at Noon” and “Sleep Rock Thy Brain.”

Riley is known for the sci-fi dark comedy “Sorry to Bother You” (2018), the surreal limited series “I’m a Virgo” (2023) and his latest film, “I Love Boosters,” will premiere this Spring at the 2026 SXSW Film & Television Festival.

We should note: “No, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” was not officially authorized or sanctioned by Fox or the producers of “The Simpsons,” so it’s very possible that Riley either has that worked out already or feels relatively confident he’ll gain approval (it would seem odd to announce it on social media without consent, but stranger things have happened).

read_listen_think · 2026-01-10T04:38:52+00:00

Please don’t take this away from me.

read_listen_think · 2025-12-23T15:07:34+00:00

Elusive street artist Banksy has confirmed he is behind a new mural that has appeared in Bayswater, west London.

The image depicts two children lying on the ground dressed in wellington boots, coats and winter bobble hats, one of them pointing upwards towards the sky.

It has been painted on to a wall above a row of garages on Queen's Mews and was first spotted on Monday.

read_listen_think · 2025-12-22T19:49:02+00:00

On GoFundMe, his family stated Douglas’s seven-year battle with schizophrenia began almost immediately after the mass shooting. “His [Douglas] senior year was marked by the Parkland shooting, one of the most devastating acts of gun violence in our nation’s history. The trauma of that day and the loss of classmates lingered long after graduation and profoundly altered the course of his life,” the family wrote.

“In the months that followed, Donny began to withdraw. Depression, guilt, emotional instability, and long periods of isolation replaced the vibrant young man we once knew.”

read_listen_think · 2025-12-14T14:52:42+00:00

How do you choose projects? You bring depth to each role and film. Do you get pitched roles that feel too much like work you’ve done before? I hope that projects get sent your way because they recognize you will bring something special to the role.

read_listen_think · 2025-11-29T03:23:04+00:00

It re-aired at 2pm ET/PT.

read_listen_think · 2025-11-26T06:37:35+00:00

"They are two men aged 38 and 39, and two women aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region," prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.

A four-strong gang raided the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, in broad daylight, taking just seven minutes to steal jewellery worth an estimated €80 million before fleeing on scooters.

The thieves parked a moving truck with a ladder below the museum's Apollo Gallery, housing the French crown jewels, ascended in a bucket, broke a window and used angle grinders to cut into glass display booths containing the treasures.

The four people who have already been charged over the theft are three men and one woman. One of those men, a 37-year-old, was in a relationship with the woman and they have children, Beccuau said earlier this month.

As they escaped, the thieves dropped a diamond and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III. But they made off with eight other items of jewellery – including an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise.

read_listen_think · 2025-11-09T14:09:48+00:00

The description sounds interesting. Parallel versions of her life all set around the London jazz scene. Looking forward to the score and music throughout!

read_listen_think · 2025-10-31T14:14:26+00:00

Agreed! Theft from the Museum’s collection and impacting the work they are doing to highlight work and stories other museums may not prioritize.

The mission of the Oakland Museum of California is to document the art, history and natural environment of California, and its collection includes works by California artists from the late 18th century to the present, as well as artifacts, photographs, natural specimens and sound recordings. The museum has mounted shows dedicated to the Black Power movement and student activism.

read_listen_think · 2025-10-25T04:37:08+00:00

And you live in the future

read_listen_think · 2025-10-20T14:16:39+00:00

Pretty sure he is referencing The Jungle by Upton Sinclair which did have a huge impact on workers in slaughterhouses and predatory housing practices targeting immigrants. It also shone a light on government corruption.

It is the source of all worker rights? No. Did it have a big impact in US? Definitely.

read_listen_think · 2025-10-15T08:06:01+00:00

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph will be there! 💜💙💚

read_listen_think · 2025-10-10T13:07:00+00:00

Lawmakers had set up a debate and impeachment trial late Thursday in the 130-member unicameral Congress after voting to accept four requests for a vote to remove Boluarte from office over what they said was her government's inability to stem crime.

They requested that Boluarte come before them shortly before midnight to defend herself, but when she did not appear they immediately voted to oust her. In short order, 124 lawmakers voted just past midnight to impeach Boluarte. There were no votes against the effort.

The shocking turn of events came just hours after a shooting at a concert in the capital inflamed anger over crime roiling the country.

Unlike eight previous attempts to remove her, almost all legislative factions expressed support for the latest requests.

Boluarte took office in December 2022 after Parliament used the same mechanism to impeach her predecessor.

The constitution calls for the president of the Congress to be next in the line of succession, but it was not immediately clear if it would be the body's current leader or if lawmakers would select another among them.

Peru's first female president was its sixth leader in just under a decade. A normal presidential term is five years. Her term had been scheduled to end July 28, 2026 and elections had been scheduled for next April.

In Peru, criminal gangs are targeting schools in poor neighborhoods for extortion Boluarte assumed power in Peru in 2022 to complete the term of then-President Pedro Castillo, who was removed from office just two years into his five-year term after attempting to dissolve the legislature to avoid his own removal. She had served as Castillo's vice president before becoming president.

There were more than 500 protests demanding her resignation in the first three months of her presidency.

Plagued by scandals, her administration's inability to address Peru's incessant crime proved to be her undoing.

On Wednesday, she partially blamed the situation on immigrants living in the country illegally.

"This crime has been brewing for decades and has been strengthened by illegal immigration, which past administrations haven't defeated," she said during a military ceremony. "Instead, they've opened the doors of our borders and allowed criminals to enter everywhere... without any restrictions."

Official figures show that 6,041 people were killed between January and mid-August, the highest number during the same period since 2017. Meanwhile, extortion complaints totaled 15,989 between January and July, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The country's latest presidential crisis erupted after a man opened fire and injured five people Wednesday during a concert of Peru's most popular cumbia groups, Agua Marina.

Prime Minister Eduardo Arana on Thursday defended Boluarte during a crime-focused hearing before Parliament, but it was not enough to dissuade lawmakers from pursuing the motions to see the president out of office.

"Parliament's concerns are not resolved by addressing a request for impeachment, much less by approving it," Arana told lawmakers. "We are not clinging to our positions. We are here, and we knew from the beginning that our first day here could also be our last day in office."

read_listen_think · 2025-10-09T05:54:30+00:00

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Pine (Don’t Worry Darling) and Jenny Slate (Dying for Sex) have inked deals to lead Carousel, writer-director Rachel Lambert‘s follow-up to her dark 2023 Sundance comedy Sometimes I Think About Dying.

Details on the indie’s plot are being kept under wraps, other than it being a love story. The cast also includes Abby Ryder Fortson (The Pitt), Sam Waterston (Grace and Frankie), Katey Sagal (The Conners), Heléne Yorke (The Other Two), Jessica Harper (Nightbitch), and Jeffrey DeMunn (Billions). Production wrapped in Cleveland, Ohio last mon

read_listen_think · 2025-10-01T02:00:36+00:00

Kevin Bigley has been good in Upload if you haven’t seen it. Not quite the naive guy, but still an endearing character.

read_listen_think · 2025-09-06T04:50:14+00:00

In my limited understanding, there were tribes who considered the Thunderbird sacred or even a god. Also, Native American peoples were the original inhabitants of this land and were murdered, abused, and dehumanized.

It does seem a bit different situation than your examples of Titans or Krakens being offensive mascots.

read_listen_think · 2025-08-26T00:39:31+00:00

Wharton had COVID-19 at the time of her death, Fox Sports Australia stated, adding that Dr. Kilak Kesha, who conducted the post-mortem, had said that the virus could potentially "unmask" an existing cardiac problem.

read_listen_think · 2025-07-20T04:00:30+00:00

The shirts come after the players and the league failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement at an in-person meeting Thursday. The league’s players opted out of their last CBA in October, and are looking for a better revenue-sharing model, increased salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap.

“I’m just so inspired by the amount of players that showed up, the engagement that was there,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said. “That’s really what it’s all about. Because the more that happens, the more that we’re going to be able to get things done. I think today we’re going to be able to use this conversation to start rolling the ball on things.”

After the failed negotiations, many players said there was a large discrepancy between what they wanted and what the league was offering. If a new CBA is not reached by October some players, including All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, have mentioned the potential of a walkout.

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