With Trump reportedly planning to end the IRS Direct File program, there's no better time to remember how TurboTax owner Intuit spent two decades fighting to prevent Americans from filing their taxes online for free.

(Published 2019)
propublica.org/article/inside-…

#Trump #Tax #IRS #News

Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free

Using lobbying, the revolving door and “dark pattern” customer tricks, Intuit fended off the government’s attempts to make tax filing free and easy, and created its multi-billion-dollar franchise.

^ProPublica

#StateTerror
A brief guide for Americans

by #TimothySnyder

Yesterday the president defied a #SCOTUS ruling to return a man who was mistakenly sent to a gulag in another country, celebrated the suffering of this innocent person, & spoke of sending Americans to foreign #ConcentrationCamps.

This is the beginning of an American policy of state terror, & it has to be identified as such to be stopped.

#law #Trump #tyranny #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship
snyder.substack.com/p/state-te…

State Terror

^{Timothy Snyder (Thinking about...)}

UPDATE: After this story was prepared for publication, ICE awarded a new contract worth up to $3.8 billion for this company to operate a migrant detention camp on Fort Bliss — its largest contract yet.

It's the first time ICE is moving ahead with plans to detain thousands of people arrested on U.S. military bases in tents before deportation.
propublica.org/article/trump-d…

#News #Immigration #Deportation #ICE #Immigrants #Trump

Meet the Tent Company Eyeing Billions in Trump’s Deportation Plans

The privately held company Deployed Resources has made billions running tent detention facilities to hold immigrants entering the U.S. at the border. Now it is cashing in again on Trump’s plan to hold immigrants before deportation.

^ProPublica

Inside Rümeysa Öztürk’s Journey From Scholar to Trump Target in Louisiana Cell
—

“So horrifying and so heartbreaking”: Öztürk’s close friend provides an intimate look into one of the hundreds of foreign students who have had their visas revoked — and in dozens of instances have been detained without criminal charges.

propublica.org/article/rumeysa…

#News #ICE #Palestine #Trump #Boston #Students #Phd #Immigration

Inside Rümeysa Öztürk’s Journey From Scholar to Trump Target in Louisiana Cell

^ProPublica

From Lollapalooza to Detention Camps: Meet the Tent Company Making a Fortune Off Trump’s Deportation Plans
—

The privately held company Deployed Resources has made billions running tent detention facilities to hold immigrants entering the U.S. at the border. Now it's cashing in again on Trump’s plan to hold immigrants before deportation.
propublica.org/article/trump-d…

#News #Immigration #Deportation #ICE #Trump #Immigrants #Border

Meet the Tent Company Eyeing Billions in Trump’s Deportation Plans

The privately held company Deployed Resources has made billions running tent detention facilities to hold immigrants entering the U.S. at the border. Now it is cashing in again on Trump’s plan to hold immigrants before deportation.

^ProPublica

I'm not sure what the solution is to #Trump 's #tariffs. Ideally, everyone would boycott American products, but it's hard to get everyone to buy products that may be more expensive.

Should European governments add counter import taxes for importing American products? Or would this just create a tariff war?

Good luck on your business :)

It frightens me a lot when intelligent, thoughtful people say “oh, #Trump can’t do that (some awful illegal thing) because ____ won’t allow it”.

Wake the fuck up please. There is no one to stop him. #SCOTUS just allowed this administration to wash their hands of a completely innocent legal immigrant who they mistakenly sent to a foreign concentration facility.

The guardrails are GONE.

Understanding this landscape is crucial to our battle.

I was told the stock market would crash, unemployment and inflation would rise, our allies wouldn’t be taking us seriously anymore, the war in Ukraine would still be going, and the ceasefire in Israel would collapse if Kamala Harris became president. Good thing we avoided that.

#uspol #kamalaharris #wallstreet #unemployment #ukraine #trump

Interview: "Detained Without Evidence”: Maryland Father Remains in El Salvador Prison After SCOTUS Ruling"

"Immigrants expelled to El Salvador have been largely denied their legal rights & detained without clear evidence."

They are then incarcerated in Salvadoran mega-prisons that carry out forced disappearances.

~Noah Bullock, Cristosal human rights organization, Central America.

democracynow.org/2025/4/8/supr…

#scotus #trump #uspol #fascism #illegaldeportation .

“Detained Without Evidence”: Maryland Father Remains in El Salvador Prison After SCOTUS Ruling

The Supreme Court has paused a lower court order that instructed the Trump administration to immediately bring back a U.S. legal resident who was “mistakenly” sent to El Salvador, giving the court more time to deliberate on the case.

^{Democracy Now!}

LEt's retweet this again!

GlobalX flight attendants were told they would fly rock bands, sports teams and sun-seekers.

Then the company started expanding into deportation flights.

“They didn’t tell us these people were going to be shackled, wrists to fucking ankles.”
propublica.org/article/inside-…

#News #ICE #Immigration #Deportation #Aviation #Immigrants #Migrants #Trump newsie.social/@ProPublica/1142…

Inside ICE Air: What It’s Like to Be a Deportation Flight Attendant

Flight attendants for GlobalX, a private charter airline used in migrant deportations, say life on board wasn’t what they signed up for.

^ProPublica

Keep ‘em coming

Via Kyle Griffin:

The National Treasury Employees union has filed suit against the #Trump admin in federal court over Trump's order eliminating collective bargaining rights for most of the federal workforce. #UnionStrong

Keep 'em coming

Via Kyle Cheney:

Looks like there will be movement this weekend on the emergency effort by Cathy Harris (MSPB) and Gwynne Wilcox (NLRB) to reverse the decision that allows #Trump to fire them.

And, of course…

#Pentagon-wide email recently went out warning about #Signal vulnerability

A Pentagon-wide advisory went out one week ago warning against using the messaging app Signal, EVEN FOR UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION.

"A vulnerability has been identified in the Signal messenger application," begins the department-wide email, dated March 18, obtained by NPR.

#NationalSecurity #idiocracy #kakistocracy #Trump #USIntelligenceAgencies #Hegseth #Gabbard #Ratcliffe #Waltz
npr.org/2025/03/25/nx-s1-53398…

The King County executive just got hired as CEO of Sound Transit with a salary of $450k in an opaque process. He sits on the board of Sound Transit. If you are angry at the cronyism and corruption in the Trump administration remember that this behavior is how it got normalized.

kuow.org/stories/dow-constanti…

#seattle #soundtransit #kingcounty #Curruption #trump

King County Executive Dow Constantine nominated to become next Sound Transit CEO

King County Executive Dow Constantine has officially been nominated for a new position of leadership in the Seattle area: Sound Transit CEO.

^{KUOW Staff (KUOW Public Radio)}

And so, here we are #canada #cdnpoli

A version of this @ #globeandmail

“What’s the probability of this kind of scenario? Ten per cent, 5 per cent, or 1 per cent? No one can say for sure. But it’s certainly not zero. And given the existential cost to Canada, we’d be stupid not to take it seriously. In game-theory terms, we need to pursue a strategy of “minimax regret” – to minimize, as best we can, the possibility of worst-case outcomes.”

cascadeinstitute.org/prepare-f…

#ElbowsUp #trump #usa #uspol

So it goes without saying, but let's say it anyway: the concentration of attacks on #trans people isn't because trans people are the only people fascists hate (although they absolutely do hate them). It's because they're the people they think non #fascists are least likely to defend.

#Politics #Democrats #Republicans #Liberals #Conservatives #Vote #Election #DemocraticParty #DNC #RepublicanParty #RNC #DonaldTrump #Trump #JDVance #JoeBiden #Biden #KamalaHarris #TimWalz #LGBTQ

The British and German governments have updated their advice for travellers seeking to enter the U.S. with fresh warnings about the risk of arrest or detention. A French scientist was denied entry to the US, because of text messages on their phone containing a 'personal opinion' about the #Trump administration. Veronica Cardenas, former assistant chief counsel at the US Department of Homeland Security says #deportations are eroding public trust.
#US #travel #immigration

youtube.com/watch?v=yt3He2DTD5…

Former ICE lawyer says deportations are eroding public trust • FRANCE 24 English

Officials in Paris are expressing their dismay after a French scientist was denied entry to the US, because of text messages on their phone containing a 'per...

^YouTube

The Department of Education being closed is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

Most #maga supporters want it as #trump and #doge convinced them schools were federally funded, and they were going to overhaul and fix it.

They're too uneducated to know that it's already funded by states, and The Department of Education exists to fill gaps in resources, especially for #disabled and disadvantaged children.

Which red states need THE MOST.

scoopzapp.com/n/0zov4KM2?ctype…

#scoopz #signalboost #uspol

#TrumpEdOrder States ALREADY Fund their Own Schools. The Department of Education is for Disadvantaged Children & Funding Gaps in Poorer Areas!

^{scoopzapp.com}

Trump has deleted mentions of the Holocaust from the Pentagon’s websites. I don’t see how this makes America great nor how this makes America pro-Jewish or pro-Israeli.

#USA #Politics #Holocaust #Trump

They were not DEPORTED. Deported means sending them back to their country of origin. These people were sent to a maximum security #prison in #ElSalvador, without any #DueProcess or any analysis as to whether they feared harm there.

Flying a person to a third country that they may never have been to, directly into a prison where they are going to be forced to do hard labor, is not a #deportation; it's something else entirely.

#law #Constitution #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #CivilRights #Trump

There are still serious concerns about the prior two flights WITH *alleged* [w/o #DueProcess there’s no way to verify & family members & attorneys have said the allegations are false in many cases] #AlienEnemiesAct detainees onboard that continued despite the judge's order.

#law #Constitution #immigration #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump

From the Sat night hearing:

#UnitedStates Govt attorney:

"Would this TRO apply to aliens that otherwise have final orders of removal, because from our perspective, that would be an independent basis to effectuate their removal?"
...
Judge #Boasberg: "That's fair. ... Yes, Mr. Ensign, I agree."

#law #Constitution #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess #Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump

The #UnitedStates Govt Affidavit provides an explanation for the third flight leaving after #Boasberg’s orders:

"[A]ll individuals on that third plane had Title 8 final removal orders."

That means this flight complied with the order.

#law #Constitution #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess #Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump

#DOJ also argued that b/c it filed for a stay before the appeals court, it "should not be required to disclose sensitive information bearing on national security & foreign relations until that motion is resolved, especially given that this information is neither material nor time-sensitive."

[Not time-sensitive? They were literally flying people out if the country as fast as they could to avoid complying with the court’s order]

#law #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #DueProcess #Judiciary #Trump

Essentially the #DOJ told Judge #Boasberg that it does not need to provide the Court with any additional info (despite being ordered to do so) b/c "there was no violation of the Court's *written* order (since the relevant flights left US airspace, & so their occupants were 'removed,' before the order issued)"

DOJ then said the Court's oral pronouncements prior to the written order being docketed "were not independently
enforceable as injunctions"

[this is bullshit]
#law #Judiciary #Trump

Here's the government's notice:

storage.courtlistener.com/reca…

And here's the accompanying declaration with the data:

storage.courtlistener.com/reca…

#law #Constitution #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess#Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump

4. #Trump #DOJ says they will only give Judge #Boasberg answers on #compliance "through an in camera & ex parte declaration." (that is, they say will file a non-public declaration that he alone can see). They still give zero specific reasons other than handwaving at national security.

#law #Constitution #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess#Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower

NEW. The #Trump admin files its notice w/ Judge #Boasberg, saying:

1. Everyone on the third plane had a final order of removal, so was not deported under the #AEA

2. The Proclamation was signed Friday but didn't go into effect until posted on the WH website

3. #ICE alleges there are 258 known #TdA members in the US

#law #Constitution #AlienEnemiesAct #immigration #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess #Venezuela #CivilRights #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower

Family members of Venezuelan migrants who suspect their loved ones were sent to El Salvador as part of a rapid US #deportation operation over the weekend are struggling to get more info as a legal battle plays out.

Advocates have launched a WhatsApp helpline for people searching for family members, while #immigration attorneys have tried to locate their clients after they went dark.

#law #Constitution #DueProcess #CivilRights #USpol #Trump #AbuseOfPower #AlienEnemiesAct
reuters.com/world/americas/rel…

#Boasberg did in fact mention #contempt as an aside earlier that I didn’t include.

Here’s the exact quote:

“Two more questions for Mr. Kambli (for the US govt) that don't relate to CONTEMPT / disobeying court orders. 1) Was Trump's Tren de Aragua proclamation signed in secret on Friday? Or on Saturday? Need to know timing & when US thinks it went into effect.”

🧵
#law #Constitution #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #AlienEnemiesAct #Trump

With that, the hearing is over. The govt will file more information tomorrow, & it may again refuse to provide specific the information #Boasberg requested (but must explain why). There is a further hearing on the #TRO on Fri, & action in the DC Circuit Court where briefing ends Wed.

🧵
#law #Constitution #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess #immigration #Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #AlienEnemiesAct #Trump

#Boasberg with a sarcastic aside: "What I will hear from you by noon tomorrow — & I will memorialize in written form since apparently my oral orders don't carry much weight — is a written declaration" about the third flight & also the information he's previously ordered them to provide.

🧵
#law #Constitution #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess #immigration #Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #AlienEnemiesAct #Trump

Lee then says they're going to argue that the government should be required to give anyone subject to the #AEA a hearing before finding that they're covered, & they'll be seeking that later.

#Boasberg orders #DOJ to say how many people are designated under AEA. DOJ says again they may refuse.

🧵
#law #Constitution #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess #immigration #Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #AlienEnemiesAct #Trump

#Boasberg then asks how many people are subject to the proclamation & how many people are currently in #ICE custody.

#DOJ says they don't have it. #ACLU also says they don't have it, & points out that the proclamation is vague enough that it's hard for anyone to figure out who is subject.

🧵
#law #Constitution #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #DueProcess #immigration #Venezuela #CivilRights #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #AlienEnemiesAct #Trump

#Boasberg then asks the government about another issue; when was the Proclamation actually signed?

The #DOJ atty says that he does not have any information right now as to when the proclamation was signed, & Boasberg asks him to submit that information as well by noon tomorrow, & for the DOJ to provide an argument for when the proclamation went into effect.

🧵
#law #Constitution #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump #AlienEnemiesAct

Lee Gelernt says it's "implausible" that they didn't believe they were bound by what #Boasberg said in court, but even if they did, it was obvious that the only proper action was to go back to the court & seek clarification or turn the plane around & appeal.

🧵
#law #Constitution #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump #AlienEnemiesAct