The Political Thread

[Chris]

Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, to Retire After 44 Years in Congress

Senator Richard J. Durbin’s departure will set off a primary for a rare open Senate seat in Illinois and open a top leadership slot. He said it was time to “face reality” and make way for someone new.

www.nytimes.com

Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat for two decades and a leading liberal voice on Capitol Hill, will not seek re-election next year, closing out a 44-year congressional career focused on immigration, the federal justice system and anti-smoking initiatives.

The decision to be announced on Wednesday by Mr. Durbin, 80, was widely expected and will immediately touch off a crowded competition for a rare Senate vacancy in his solidly blue state. It also intensifies a generational shift in the chamber as he becomes the fifth sitting senator to announce a retirement, all of them over the age of 65.

In an interview revealing his plans, Mr. Durbin, who is in his fifth Senate term, said it was not an easy choice to step away from his prime perch doing battle with President Trump, whom he considers a dire threat to democracy. He described moments in recent days “where I thought, ‘Man, I don’t want to miss this fight.’”

 

[Chris]

JD Vance says US will 'walk away' unless Ukraine and Russia agree to proposals

Vance issued the warning after top US officials pulled out of London talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.

www.bbc.com

US Vice-President JD Vance said his country would "walk away" unless Ukraine and Russia agree on a deal, echoing recent comments from US officials.

His warning came after London talks between officials from the UK, France, Germany, Ukraine and the US aimed at securing a ceasefire were downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff pulled out.

The US is focused on talks this week in Moscow, where Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time, as the pace of diplomacy to end the war quickens.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said he insisted on "an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire".

"Stopping the killing is task number one," Zelensky said on social media on Wednesday.

 

[Chris]

Nassau County police reveal ID of Gilgo Beach victim 'Peaches' and her toddler

The woman was found inside a Rubbermaid container in June 1997 and the skeletal remains of her child were found more than a decade later.

abc7ny.com

Nassau police revealed the identity of the Gilgo Beach homicide victim known as Jane Doe No. 3, commonly referred to as "Peaches," and her toddler, at a news conference in Mineola on Wednesday.

The woman was found inside a Rubbermaid container at Hempstead Lake State Park in Lakeview in June 1997.

The skeletal remains of her child were found during a series of discoveries off Ocean Parkway in April 2011, and the toddler was linked to her five years later through DNA analysis as part of the renewed Gilgo Beach homicide investigation.

The identifications were previously made, but had not been made public for investigative reasons.

On Wednesday morning, police announced the mother was a 26-year-old Army veteran from Alabama named Tanya Denise Jackson. Her 2-year-old daughter was identified as Tatiana Marie Dykes, born in Texas on March 17 1995.

Her remains, and her daughter's, were buried at Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Spanish Fort in Alabama, in with military honors.

Family members provided DNA samples to confirm their identifies.

The girl's father has been cooperative in the investigation. She was estranged from some family members and was never reported missing, police said.

A $25,000 reward is now being offered to anyone with information leading to an arrest in their deaths.

 

[Barry Poppins]

JD Vance says US will 'walk away' unless Ukraine and Russia agree to proposals

Vance issued the warning after top US officials pulled out of London talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.

www.bbc.com

US Vice-President JD Vance said his country would "walk away" unless Ukraine and Russia agree on a deal, echoing recent comments from US officials.

His warning came after London talks between officials from the UK, France, Germany, Ukraine and the US aimed at securing a ceasefire were downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff pulled out.

The US is focused on talks this week in Moscow, where Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time, as the pace of diplomacy to end the war quickens.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said he insisted on "an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire".

"Stopping the killing is task number one," Zelensky said on social media on Wednesday.

That's basically premeditated, they know Russia will be more than happy to annex territory and have their supremacy recognized over Ukraine, and the Trump Admin knows that Ukraine will never agree to any deal that sees them lose territory or future protection from the EU or NATO.

Their whole plan is for when Ukraine (reasonably and justifiably) turns down the peace deal, the US will throw their hands up, say they tried their best, and let Russia continue to slaughter Ukrainians en masse, and leave Ukraine unprotected.

 

[Samoa Looch]

Levi's Board urged shareholders to reject the anti-DEI proposal, writing: “we believe in the strong business case for a diverse and inclusive workforce because it supports company performance and also enhances our culture and the well-being of those who make our Company thrive: our employees."

Levi's Board further wrote in its proxy statement, urging shareholders to reject the anti-DEI proposal: "Our ‘One Team’ approach is about harnessing our talent, culture and values and we believe it is a competitive advantage and serves as a driver of business results.”

Also:

 

[Chris]

I feel more vindicated that the pair of Levi's I'm wearing rn is the most comfortable jeans I've had in years

 

[Chris]

Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s push to end DEI in K-12 public schools

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s guidance forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 public schools.

apnews.com

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s guidance forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 public schools.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused the Republican administration of violating teachers’ due process and First Amendment rights.

In February, the U.S. Education Department told schools and colleges they needed to end any practice that differentiates people based on their race or they would risk losing their federal funding. Earlier this month, the department ordered states to gather signatures from local school systems certifying compliance with civil rights laws, including the rejection of what the federal government calls “illegal DEI practices.”

 

[Chris]

Highland Park gunman Robert Crimo III sentenced to life for July 4th shooting in 2022 that killed 7

Crimo opened fire at an Independence Day parade that wounded nearly 50 more people in addition to the seven deaths.

www.nbcnews.com

The man who opened fire at a Fourth of July parade near Chicago in 2022, killing seven people and leaving behind an "ocean of grief," will spend the rest of his life behind bars with no possibility of parole, a judge said Thursday.

Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III, 24, was a no-show in court Thursday and declined to make a statement to the court, his lawyer said.

It did not appear that any relatives of the killer's family attended the sentencing.

 

[Chris]

Trump reopens protected Pacific waters to commercial fishing, sparking backlash

President Trump has opened a vast marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing, rolling back more than a decade of protections in a move he says will boost the U.S. seafood industry.Rebecca Dzombak and Lisa Friedman report for The New York Times.In short:Trump signed an executive...

www.ehn.org

Trump signed an executive order allowing commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, a 500,000-square-mile protected area established by President George W. Bush and expanded by President Obama.
A second order directed federal agencies to ease restrictions on fishing and aquaculture, with supporters arguing the move will help the economies of Pacific territories like American Samoa.
Environmental groups and marine scientists say the move threatens biodiversity and undermines legal protections, and they plan to challenge the order in court.

 

[Chris]

We're at the arresting judges stage

Wisconsin Judge Arrested, Accused of Shielding Immigrant From Federal Agents

Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested on suspicion that she “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from” an immigrant being pursued by the authorities, the F.B.I. director said in a social media post that he later deleted.

www.nytimes.com

F.B.I. Director Kash Patel said on Friday that agents had arrested a county judge in Milwaukee on charges of obstructing immigration enforcement. A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals confirmed the arrest of a sitting judge, a major escalation in the Trump administration’s battle with local authorities over deportations.

The bureau arrested Judge Hannah Dugan on suspicion that she “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from” an immigrant being pursued by federal authorities, Mr. Patel wrote on social media. He later deleted the post for reasons that were not immediately clear. An F.B.I. spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brady McCarron, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals, confirmed that the judge had been arrested by F.B.I. agents on Friday morning. The charging document against the judge was not immediately available in federal court records.

 

[Comrade Khan]

Arresting judges now

 

[Chris]

Former New York Rep. George Santos sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for fraud, identity theft

Former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison. Here's what to know.

www.abc15.com

Former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison.

Santos pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft as part of a plea deal to avoid trial on 21 additional charges.

He has apologized for his actions, telling voters in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, "I failed you."

Santos’ brief political career was marred by controversy.

Almost immediately after his election in 2022, it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his background, including his education and work history.

 

[Samoa Looch]

Arresting judges now

I have to give it to them... didn't think they would just flat out start arresting them.

 

[Chris]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/25/trump-admin-reverses-termination-foreign-student-visa-registrations-00309407

The Trump administration has restored the student visa registrations of thousands of foreign students studying in the United States who had minor — and often dismissed — legal infractions.

The Justice Department announced the wholesale reversal in federal court Friday after weeks of intense scrutiny by courts and dozens of restraining orders issued by judges who deemed the mass termination of students from a federal database — used by universities and the federal government to track foreign students in the U.S. — as flagrantly illegal.

The terminations caused concern and even panic for thousands of students who feared the possibility they had lost their legal immigration status and could be quickly deported. Many who sued over the move said their schools had also blocked their ability to continue taking classes or conducting research, sometimes just weeks before graduation.

 

[CraigPelton]

Trump's FBI is now arresting judges.

It's pure, unadulterated fascism. There is no longer any way to deny it. All of the Trump = Hitler comparisons are completely justified. The resistance libs have been vindicated.

All forms of resistance against this evil, fascistic regime are now justified. I don't want to hear any finger-wagging or false equivalencies when the inevitable violent resistance manifests itself. This country has been pushed beyond the brink. The Trump administration must be removed from power by any means necessary.