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In January, ICE broke down ChongLy Scott Thao’s door in St. Paul, Minnesota, and walked him into the snow in his underwear and Crocs while wrapped in his grandson’s blanket. They had the wrong man. Thao is 56 and a naturalized US citizen. Agents checked his ID later that same day and then drove him home. There was no apology given.
One of the men they were looking for during this raid had actually been in prison since 2024.
Federal Judge Indira Talwani cited the arrest when she blocked the IRS from giving ICE any more addresses. Then she went further, ordering ICE to stop using the data it already had.
Talwani was the second judge to shut it down. The first was Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who in November ordered the IRS to stop the transfer and tell ICE in writing that handing over that data broke the law.
After Nixon’s Watergate scandal, Congress locked down the IRS so no president could ever use tax files to attack their enemies. Last summer, then-acting ICE director Todd Lyons asked the IRS for the last known address of around 1.28 million people. The IRS built a machine to fill the order, and only checked one thing about each address ICE supplied—whether the box had five or nine digits. Any digits. Kollar-Kotelly wrote ICE could’ve typed “Don’t Care 12345” and still gotten a home address back.
47,289 records went out. In more than nine of ten, nobody checked if the addresses ICE supplied were real.
Just yesterday a federal appeals court upheld Kollar-Kotelly unanimously. The lawyer for the regime admitted that the data transfers were unlawful. He then said three times he had no idea whether anyone had ever actually fixed the machine that processed them.
Our tax returns are not a weapon
Trump can use against us.
In February of this year, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill ordered every state agency she controls not to let ICE into nonpublic areas of state property, or let them use it as a staging ground for raids. Agents were required to have a warrant signed by a judge. Anywhere the public could go, ICE could go, same as anybody.
Just 12 days later, the regime sued her. Their case relied heavily on a memo signed by then-acting ICE director Todd Lyons. Page three of that memo says it’s for internal ICE guidance only. It adds that ICE can cancel it at any time without telling anyone, and that no one can use the memo in court to claim a right to anything.
Then they took it to court to claim a right to something anyway. And page one gives up the game. It admits ICE goes to courthouses precisely because some states and cities refuse to hand people over from jail. The courthouse is the workaround.
On Friday, Judge Georgette Castner threw out the regime’s claims and dismissed the case with prejudice—they can’t sue again. Congress built immigration enforcement to run on states coordinating on a voluntary basis, she wrote. New Jersey said absolutely not—and that’s exactly what the law allows.
What ICE wanted was to take over the back hallways of state courthouses, where people go to fight an eviction or testify against somebody who hurt them. So in New Jersey, if you have to be in court on a Tuesday morning, you can walk in the front door and no agents will be waiting for you in the back.
Thomas Sibick just picked up another felony conviction. But Trump can’t do anything about this one.
During the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, former DC police officer Michael Fanone was yanked into the crowd and beaten unconscious. He suffered a heart attack and a brain injury, and left the force 11 months later after 20 years on the job.
While the mob surrounded him, Sibick took Fanone’s badge and radio off his vest. Later, Sibick lied about it, changing his story three separate times. He claimed he hit the emergency button on the radio to get help, but records show it went off around 16 minutes after others had already walked Fanone to safety. That was one minute after Sibick posed for a picture with a Capitol Police riot shield.
Sibick buried the badge in his backyard, then bought a metal detector so he could dig it back up when agents started to close in on him. He was arrested, and Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 50 months.
Trump pardoned him after he had served 18, along with more than 1,500 other rioters.
Erie County, New York had him on charges Trump can’t erase. After a domestic incident in June, a judge ordered Sibick to turn over every gun he owned. Police pulled two semi-automatic rifles and loaded large-capacity magazines out of the house. In August a grand jury charged him with six felonies and a misdemeanor. He was held without bail. On September 2 he pleaded guilty to the highest felony and the misdemeanor. Sibick now faces up to seven years in prison. Sentencing is November 17.
Trump’s pardon works on federal crimes—not on state ones. Prosecutors in 50 states never need his permission.
Trump’s big ugly budget bill ripped away more than a trillion dollars from health care and food help across the country. It stuck states with enormous bills just to carry out the cuts that states like Washington never wanted.
Gov. Bob Ferguson said Trump’s scheme is to make Medicaid hard enough to navigate that people who qualify stop trying. Nobody has to be denied, they just have to give up. Ferguson calls what Trump and Congress did morally bankrupt.
There were around 14,000 lawfully present immigrants in the state set to lose their insurance on October 1 due to Trump’s mess. State health care workers and community groups sat down with people to walk them through the confusing forms. Thanks to them, 3,000 people have kept their coverage. They’re still working on the rest.
On Thursday, Ferguson signed an order to keep all of that work going. It sets up a committee that will track every person losing health care, and do what they can to get them covered. Ferguson signed it at a community health center in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, where more than half the patients are on Medicaid. The clinic serves people in over 90 languages.
Ferguson also urged people to open their mail. Under the new Trump rules you have to prove that you qualify twice a year. If the form doesn’t get sent back in time, you’re dropped from coverage. So if you or anybody you love is on Medicaid, open your renewal letter.
A state can only patch a hole like this. Closing that hole takes Congress. November is coming.
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My read on what the new California map did, with fifty-five days left.
According to the Cook Political Report, Democrats could pick up three to five House seats thanks to the new lines that have been drawn. The 2024 election was run on the old map, so the numbers below are how that race would have gone inside the new districts.
Republicans lost one already. Last fall, when California voters passed Prop 50, it redrew the congressional map. GOP Rep. Ken Calvert, who has been in Congress since 1993, essentially had the district he served in deleted from the map. The new district shares no ground with the old one. Kamala Harris would have taken 56% of the vote there. Calvert abandoned it within hours and ran against fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim. One of them will lose in November—the GOP gains nothing either way.
A Republican left the party. Rep. Kevin Kiley took a look at his new district outside Sacramento, and he stopped calling himself a Republican. He filed as an independent on the last day he could. He’s now the only one in the House, but he still votes with Republicans. Harris would have carried his new district.
Democrats have to take these seats. GOP Rep. David Valadao has held the Central Valley district for years. In the new district, Trump and Harris would have finished less than two points apart. GOP Rep. Darrell Issa’s old San Diego County seat—which Issa quit instead of defending—is just over three points apart. Those two are must-wins for Democrats.
Two seats Democrats have to hold. Dem Rep. Adam Gray won his Merced-area seat in 2024 by only 187 votes. The new district lines have it as a virtual tie. It’s now the tightest district in California. Dem Rep. Derek Tran’s Orange County seat is also close. They must hold both.
The Bottom Line: Republicans hold the House 219 to 214. Democrats need four seats—California could hand them three to five.
The midterms are going to be here before we know it. As of now, if we all show up and vote—we will win. But we have to keep working as if we are behind, and we must sprint through the finish. That’s why we need all hands on deck to support our reporting and organizing here.
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Onward!
Scott
Are you or someone you know on Medicaid?
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Glad to have you back out in the world! Let that mighty roar be heard far and wide. Thank you for signing and sharing!
Done. Phone calls made and e-mails sent !
✔️ done
Every day I open this and remember why I am a paid subscriber. Not the rage. The people who refused the easy version of the story.
If you’ve been quiet lately, this is a good morning to not be.
I’m proud of this room. That’s all.
Your words mean the world. Having a community that insists on looking at the unvarnished facts rather than easy answers is what makes this work sustainable. Proud to stand in this room with you!
Fanone held the line. Sibick took the badge, buried it, got a pardon, and New York still put a felony on him. Federal clemency is not a state hall pass. That’s the part I want sitting in people’s heads this week.
That distinction is monumental. Federal pardons do not erase state accountability, and keeping that truth front and center gives people real grounding.
MICHAEL FANONE deserves our utmost respect for his heroism to continue to speak out about his brutal attack on JAN 6.
We all know that tRump pardoned brutal THUGS without regard....
Too many had prior histories or violent crimes and should not have been walking our streets. To them, JAN 6 was just another excuse for VIOLENCE.
Over the weekend, I listened to Rick Wilson's podcast "Elephant in the Room". He is suggesting the Dems should compel testimony from lower level people in the Regime who can't claim executive privilege and don't have the money for fancy lawyers. It was an interesting listen.
Trump Won't Pardon You. He Barely Remembers Your Name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z2-ixAUqOo
I’m grateful you’re here on a Wednesday. Not because the news is neat — because you keep showing up for the unglamorous part: reading the exhibit, sending the letter, putting a win in front of somebody who was done.
The thing that still gets me is how small the hinge is. One judge. One order. One person at a table with a form. That’s not theory. That’s how this week moved.
If you’re tired, I get it. Stay anyway. Fifty-five days is long if you stare at it. It’s short if we work it like the next conversation in front of us is the one that matters.
Thank you for funding the hours in the docket. I don’t say that as a pitch. I say it because I know what the copy looks like when nobody pays for the extra hour.
Fifty-five days is an opportunity to make every conversation count, Sam. Thank you for digging into the dockets and keeping the focus on how everyday actions move the needle. Talk to you in 2 minutes lol
It's not that it's unglamorous. Scott uses that "Just the facts, Ma'am" style. The content is very glamorous. The delivery is direct and matter-of-fact. That's why people like Ms Jonington and me are grateful paid subscribers.
If anyone wanted to argue with Scott, he leaves them no room to argue.
Thank you, Fred. Sticking strictly to the documented record and letting the facts speak for themselves is the only way to build an airtight case. We appreciate your readership and support!
I am legal guardian of a young man I brought home from school.. he is “medically fragile/complex. He is on Medicaid as well as a Medicaid waiver that helps pay for home health help and supplies not covered by straight Medicaid
He is profoundly disabled, mentally and physically.
But this is still about a third the cost of institutional placement!
Thank you for sharing that deeply moving reality. Home-based care supported by Medicaid waivers preserves dignity, keeps families together, and is far more cost-effective than institutional care. You are doing incredible, selfless work.
Home based care including home health aides for Medicare recipients is ALWAYS cheaper!
It’s all or nothing now at this late date, I believe we’ve done our part and hopefully people will get out and vote.
The work everyone has put in matters so much. Turning that energy into massive turnout at the ballot box is the final, vital step!
Prior to retirement, I worked for a home health care agency providing physical therapy treatments to home-bound individuals. Most of them were on Medicaid. Even before Trump 2.0, patients had difficulty navigating the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid). I heard so many stories: finding reliable care-givers to assist with daily living activities, transportation to medical appointments, prescriptions, unable to complete forms due to visual impairment. Some folks could not get out of their apartment to the mailbox without physical assistance. I cannot imagine how difficult that maze is now!
Thank you for sharing your professional frontline experience, Theodora. Home health physical therapy gives people their independence back, and bureaucratic hurdles only harm vulnerable patients. We need to simplify and expand care, not gut it.
Trump likes to talk about "cutting fraud and abuse", but it is absolutely clear that any "savings" in program expenses will come from making it so defficult that people who do qualify for benefits will simply give up. Disgusting!
Especially considering that he himself is a master of Fraud and Abuse in order to enrich himself and his family members!
Why is it that most Republican administration make Healthcare, education, and food assistance "waste and abuse"
Thanks for the positive messages today, Scott! Just got back from voting in our primary and a bunch of other errands, it was great to see my neighbors working the polls.
10/17 is an important date for getting the vote out, you need to check what events are in your state.
TACO Tuesday featured DonOld of the many hairdos (and don'ts); his vain attempt to look younger is appalling, almost as bad as his stories about 9/11.
Happy Wednesday, everyone!
Thank you for casting your vote and taking the time to thank your local poll workers! Mobilizing ahead of key deadlines is how we win.
If Donold & all the ignorant & hateful idiots understood how we’re laughing at them, would they care? I can’t imagine what they think about each day. What an empty life they must have.
Staying grounded in empathy, community, and humor keeps us resilient, Carol. Living with purpose and looking out for others will always triumph over empty grievance.
Staying grounded in empathy, community, and humor keeps us resilient, Carol. Living with purpose and looking out for others will always triumph over empty grievance.
They probably would not understand any other life
Spot on, Netta. Focusing our energy on building a kinder, more equitable society is what sets this community apart.
Heads up for California District 3 for U. S. House of Representatives: The Republican running is complete a trump moron: Rob Tucker.
Tucker is taking Kevin Kiley CA3 spot. Please vote fir Democrat Ami Berra
https://ballotpedia.org/California%27s_3rd_Congressional_District
Thank you for sharing this down-ballot intelligence from California's 3rd District, Lillian! Down-ballot races determine the balance of power, and keeping people informed on every race is essential.
My self-employed son 41, his children, ages 5 and 2, and his 38 old wife.
That is a prime example of why Medicaid is so crucial, Kirk. Independent workers and young families need reliable healthcare to thrive. Thank you for highlighting how vital these programs are for working households!
So seeing what law abiding citizens these Jan 6 dissidents are makes one aware of how corrupt and evil Trump is for using people like them. It also should point out what kind of people actually showed up on Jan 6, people with no moral values.
You make a clear-eyed point, Sylvia. Using people as pawns and then attempting to whitewash unlawful conduct undermines the entire legal system. Upholding accountability is non-negotiable.
Yes my son is on Medicaid because of a disability and last February he had a total aortic dissection which almost caused him his life. He only had disability income and thanks to Medicaid his surgical bills were paid. Otherwise he’d have to declare bankruptcy.
Cathy, hearing that Medicaid saved your son's life and protected your family from financial ruin after an aortic dissection is deeply moving. That is precisely why healthcare is a human right. Wishing him continued strength and health!