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The Rickety 702 System: Why It Continues to Fail

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emptywheel
Since the beginning, the yearly review of FISA 702 has separated the abstract legal analysis from the actual state of the implementation. And that has allowed one after another FISA judge to approve 702 with no real evidence it complies with the Fourth Amendment.

Where Were They Radicalized? Two Mike Flynn Supporters Guilty of Threatening Assassination

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emptywheel
One Flynn supporter who threatened to kill Emmet Sullivan and another Flynn interlocutor who rejected Flynn's call for responsibility with a call for guns were both found guilty yesterday.
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FISC Suspects John Ratcliffe of Relaxing Rules for Unmasking of FISA Material

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emptywheel
In addition to the problems regarding still unresolved problems with FBI back door searches, the recently released FISA opinion suggests that as Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe approved a step that might make it easier to unmask US person identities in FISA reports.
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India's COVID Surge: The Curious Facets of U.S. Response

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Rayne
Angry ranting at the U.S. and Big Pharma never let up this past weekend while the U.S. formulated a response to India's explosive COVID surge. While complaints received ample air, news media didn't address several curious facets.

Is a Disorganized Militia January 6 Conspiracy in the Offing?

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emptywheel
Thus far, the conspiracy charges have been focused on organized militias -- the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. That may be about to change.
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Soft-Handed Academic Dudes and Minimum Wage Fast Food: What Could Go Wrong?

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Rayne
Why would any food service or retail employer think for a moment that minimum wage workers would be beating down the doors to come back to more of the same if their health and their lives had been and could be again at risk, for an absurdly low wage?
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Former Presiding FISA Judge John Bates' Curious Treatment of White Person Terrorism

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emptywheel
By chance of logistics, the same judges who presided over the two decade war on Islamic terror are presiding over the cases of more than 60 January 6 defendants. That has already

In Adding Matthew Greene to a Conspiracy with Dominic Pezzola, DOJ Formally Alleges the Proud Boys Committed a Crime of Terrorism

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emptywheel
Yesterday, the government unrolled the latest Proud Boy defendant, Matthew Greene, in a supserseding Dominic Pezzola indictment. But in doing so, the government did something more importantly, legally: it formally aligned all the Proud Boy indictments, including Pezzola's destruction of government property in a way that implicates all the Proud Boy conspiracists in a crime of terrorism.
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Goodbye, American Dream: The Unaffordability of American Life

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Rayne
Speculation, the high cost of secondary education, and long-stagnant wages put the American Dream out of reach for millions of young people. Canceling $50,000 student debt would be a good starting point to fix this mess.
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Derek Chauvin Verdict

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bmaz
OJ aside, a verdict coming this soon is often, if not usually, a tell. While we do not yet know what it is, this is a thread to discuss it.

Last Month, Baked Alaska Got to Ditch His Ankle Bracelet

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emptywheel
Nazi sympathizer Anthime Gionet, AKA Baked Alaska, got the government to let him ditch his ankle bracelet even as the two sides try to find some deal to end the prosecution.

Democratic Values In Practice

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Ed Walker
The individual is formed by the community and contributes back to it. We all flourish together.

Why DOJ Isn't Making Plea Deals: The Delayed Obstruction and Even More Delayed Assault Charge against Patrick Montgomery

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emptywheel
It seemed that Patrick Montgomery, among the first people to be arrested and charged by information, was facing garden variety trespassing charges. Until the obstruction and assault charges and a good buddy of his got added in an indictment.

Updated List of January 6 Assault Defendants

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emptywheel
As of today there are almost 70 defendants charged with some kind of assault on cops on January 6, with at least twice as many suspects at large.

Two One-Time Devin Nunes Flunkies Under Investigation for Leaks

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emptywheel
In an interview with Aaron Maté, Kash Patel stated with confidence that the substance of a meeting he had in an effort to free Austin Tice got back to Bashar al-Assad. That may be why DOJ is investigating whether he leaked classified information.

The US Government Accuses Roger Stone of Rat-Fucking the IRS

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emptywheel
After Roger Stone got indicted, the government alleges in a lawsuit, Stone and his wife tried to hide their funds from the IRS.

Jon Schaffer's Plea Deal Brands Premeditated Use of Force with the Oath Keeper Brand

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emptywheel
Jon Schaffer's plea agreement brands the pre-meditated use of force with the Oath Keeper brand.

Tables Flipped: With Cooperation Agreement, Oath Keeper Jon Schaffer Will Get Protection from US Marshals

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emptywheel
There are a lot of interesting legal details to Oath Keeper Jon Schaffer's decision to plea guilty. But the most ironic is that Schaffer--who on January 5 was part of Roger Stone's security detail--will be provided witness protection by the US government.
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Avril Haines Committed to Reviewing Past Redactions of Intelligence on Russia's Support for Trump

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emptywheel
The confirmation that Konstantin Kilimnik shared polling data with Russian intelligence may portend new declassifications of the stuff the Trump Administration hid in last year's SSCI Report.