Friday, October 3, 2025. The Donald Chump Shutdown continues, Howard Lutnick gives an interview about Chump's pal Jeffrey Epstein and how a trade probably took place for a sweetheart deal -- videos for easy jail time, ICE continues lying and abusing people -- including children -- across the country, the arrested by ICE continue to be predominately people who've committed no violent crimes, Junior missed the memo -- and the US federal law -- about not being able to fire a whistle-blower for whistle-blowing, and much more.
In the latest corporate cave to Donald Chump, Chris Cameron (NEW YORK TIMES) notes, "Apple has removed from its App Store several programs that alert users to sightings of immigration agents amid a furious pushback from the Trump administration over the services. Most prominently, ICEBlock, a free app with hundreds of thousands of users, was no longer available as of Thursday evening to download on the App Store." Dan Mangan (CNBC) quotes Attorney General Pam daBimbo Bondi stating, "We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store -- and Apple did so. ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed." No, idiot, ICE is designed to put people at risk. ICEBLOCK is just a tool not unlike radar and laser detectors to avoid speed traps or CB radios in earlier times for the same purupose.
ICE? They're the ones designed to put people at risk. Chris Hayes did a segment on that last night on MSNBC.
Chris Hayes: You know there's a reason the American founders put the right to be free from unlawful searches and seizures in the Bill of Rights from the start. Masked secret police profiling people and now targeting entire apartment buildings and making everyone prove that they're not guilty of something is the province of tyrants. It is the opposite of America. And I don't think Americans will stand for it. Nor should they.
In Minnesota, ICE is saving us all from . . . roofers. WCCO reports:
Witnesses say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up to St. Paul's North End neighborhood in unmarked cars Thursday morning and arrested an entire roofing crew.
An ICE spokesperson confirmed four men were arrested, saying three of the men had criminal convictions and orders for removal. The fourth man will be placed in immigration proceedings.
At a vigil Thursday night, advocates for immigrant rights called for neighbors to fight back against the immigration crackdown.
"Our families deserve to go to work, come home and spend time with our loved ones. I also want to be clear: Minnesota depends on us," a speaker at the vigil said.
Protests have followed the action as they should. People know these roofers. They're part of a community. They're contributing to the community.
The whole lie of only violent criminals would be targeted imploded long ago. THE VIRGINIA MERCURY has a report noting 4,264 arrests by ICE in Virginia so far this year and "Notably, most people arrested by ICE in Virginia had no criminal record. Only about 29% had prior convictions, and fewer than 16% had pending charges. Some lawful permanent residents and even U.S. citizens were among those detained and later released." I'm guessing so few criminals are in the streets because so many are serving in the administration.
It's the same story over and over in state after state across the country. Henry Redman (WISCONSIN EXAMINER) reports this morning:
The morning of Sept. 25, federal agents and immigration authorities swept into Manitowoc to arrest people alleged to be in the country without proper documentation. Agents first went to a Walmart parking lot where dairy workers are known to meet up before driving to the farms where they work. The action then moved on to private residences, where migrants were arrested as they left the house.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims the ICE raid in Manitowoc was aimed at dismantling an international sex and drug trafficking ring, but has so far provided little evidence to support that claim. Federal authorities initially said 21 migrants had been arrested in the raid, before later saying 24 had been picked up.
On Tuesday, DHS released the names of six of the 24. Only one individual named in the release has been charged with a sex crime — Jose Hilario Moreno Portillo, who was charged in Manitowoc County court in May with the 2nd degree sexual assault of a child. However, Moreno Portillo has not yet been convicted and court records show he’s been in ICE custody since July.
Pamela Price (DAVIS VANGUARD) covers the impact of ICE on Los Angeles in a podcast here.
daBimbo Bondi has a great deal to answer for. Including what ICE is really doing with children. Having them stand undressed in Chicago -- see Chris Hayes' earlier noted video report. And grabbing them off the streets in Virginia? Please note:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today the ACLU of Virginia filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of four young people and a class of those in similar circumstances who Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) are unlawfully holding in Virginia detention centers, flagrantly ignoring federal laws that give these young immigrants a legal right to be in the United States.
“Our clients are young people whose parents abused, neglected, or abandoned them,” said ACLU-VA Legal Director Eden Heilman. “Federal law says that because they cannot safely return to their home countries and have nowhere else to go, they have every legal right to be in the United States. How could ICE possibly justify picking up young people who were orphaned children and then warehousing them in a detention center?”
Almost 40 years ago, Congress established a pathway to citizenship for vulnerable minors who entered the U.S. and were abused, neglected or abandoned, a legal designation called Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS).
The process for such children to become U.S. citizens is not easy. First, the Office of Refugee Resettlement must release the minor to the care of a sponsor. The sponsor then must get custody from a state judge, who must determine the child cannot go back to their country of origin. Only then can the minor even apply for SIJS, and the wait for a visa to become available usually takes years – after which the person must still apply to become a U.S. citizen.
All four named plaintiffs in today’s class action successfully applied for or were granted SIJS, yet are now being held at Farmville or Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia. Unlike other noncitizens who enter the U.S., people who came to the U.S. as unaccompanied minors are not typically subject to detention. But under the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security is now unlawfully treating people with SIJS as arriving noncitizens who are subject to mandatory detention, and denying them bond hearings before an immigration judge – despite clear protections granted to them not only through SIJS, but also by anti-trafficking laws, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the United States Constitution.
"Our clients are following the rules they’ve been given to obtain citizenship. Unfortunately, ICE is not,” said ACLU-VA Senior Immigrants’ Rights Attorney Sophia Gregg. “Anti-trafficking laws and SIJS both protect people who came to the U.S. as unaccompanied minors from being held without access to bond in immigration detention centers. But ICE is ignoring the process – ultimately causing the very chaos and confusion the Trump administration claims it’s working to fix.”
The amended petition and class action complaint in Sarmiento et al. v. Crawford et al., was filed in the Alexandria division of the Eastern District of Virginia. Today’s class action lawsuit argues that all four plaintiffs and a proposed class of others similarly situated are entitled to bond hearings and should be released from detention because they have sought or been granted SIJ status. The ACLU-VA is co-counseling this case with attorneys Taniska Cruz of Cruz Law, PLLC and Patrice Kopistanky.
daBimbo Bondi, this keeps up and QAnon is going to have to accuse you and Chump of running pedophile ring and using ICE as a cover. In the meantime, more horrors. Isabella Aldrete (NEVADA INDEPENDENT) reports:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in three unmarked SUVs surrounded 56-year-old Rafael Lopez Gomez in a Las Vegas neighborhood and arrested him at what appeared to be gunpoint last month. Afterwards, his family struggled to locate him for days — calling ICE repeatedly without answer.
About a week later, his daughter found him in a hospital room barely able to breathe.
“I got to see my dad handcuffed to the hospital bed. His feet were swollen. He was in tears, and could barely speak,” his daughter, Diana Lopez, said in an interview with The Nevada Independent.
As ICE arrests skyrocket across Nevada and nationwide, aggressive encounters with ICE such as Lopez Gomez’s have become increasingly visible to the public. Late last week, an ICE officer was “relieved of his duties” after he pushed a woman to the floor at an immigration courthouse, and earlier this month, a man was fatally shot by immigration agents after dropping his children off at elementary school.
The family — as well as some legal experts — contend that Lopez Gomez’s case highlights ICE’s lack of transparency on detainee whereabouts and their safety. Although many aspects about his case are not atypical — such as the manner of his arrest — the rare video footage and his daughter’s testimony shed light on what conditions can be like for ICE detainees in an increasingly tense political landscape.
But, hey, ICE never lies, right? Oh. Wait They lie all the time.
Sayed Naser? They lied about him repeatedly. We've been covering him for a few months. Let's drop back to July 19th for this:
Also being targeted are immigrants who were being thanked for their assistance to US troops during the Afghan War and the Iraq War. Sayed Naser is one such person. And we've covered him here many times. Joey Safchik (NBC7) reported in June:
Just over two weeks after Sayed Naser was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, the Afghan national was placed into expedited removal Thursday night, meaning Naser's case was dismissed by a judge.
Expedited removal is a tactic the Trump administration is using to speed up deportations.
A video of Naser being detained outside a San Diego immigration courtroom went viral, wracking up millions of views on social media, playing out on television and catching the attention of congressmembers. In the video, Naser tells the officers handcuffing him that he aided U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
NBC 7 has reviewed documents that support Naser's claims and has spoken to experts who say they are credible. However, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement, "There is nothing in his immigration records indicating that he assisted the U.S. government in any capacity. All of his claims will be heard by a judge. Any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum.”
Madeleine May and Hannah Marr (CBS NEWS) have quoted #AfghanEvac's executive director Shawn VanDiver stating, "A bureaucratic technically just stripped a wartime ally of his legal protections and fast-tracked him for deportation. Sayed stood with U.S. forces in combat. Now he faces removal without a lawyer, without a hearing and possibly without a country. This isn't just cruel, it's cowardly." June 19th, NPR's MORNING EDITION reported on Sayed's arrest:
QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE: The scene of ICE agents arresting immigrants at courthouses has become common in the past few months, but this one played out a bit differently last week in San Diego.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED ICE AGENT #1: Yeah, yeah, go ahead. We're going to take him.
LAWRENCE: Bystanders filmed as Sayed Naser was approached by two masked ICE agents after a routine immigration hearing. They don't show a warrant, and they don't even seem to be sure they have the right person.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED ICE AGENT #2: What's your name?
LAWRENCE: As they handcuff him, he starts to tell the onlookers that he's a former interpreter for the U.S. Army.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SAYED NASER: I worked with the U.S. military back in my home country, Afghanistan.
LAWRENCE: Sayed Naser asked to withhold his family name because he fears for their safety in Afghanistan. And that's the whole point, says his lawyer, Brian McGoldrick.
BRIAN MCGOLDRICK: He spent three years working with the U.S. military at great risk to himself. And they've already killed part of his family.
LAWRENCE: Sayed Naser fled Afghanistan after the Taliban showed up at a family wedding and killed one of his brothers. He made a journey from Afghanistan to Brazil and then, sometimes on foot, traveled north to the U.S. border, where he was admitted legally last year. But McGoldrick says ICE agents took none of that under consideration.
MCGOLDRICK: Was all about filling their quota of 3,000 a day. They didn't care that, you know, he was really our ally. I don't think anybody took the time to even go through that.
LAWRENCE: ICE confirmed to NPR that Sayed Naser is in custody but didn't answer other questions. Sarah Verardo is with the advocacy group Save Our Allies. Her husband, Mike, was severely wounded in Afghanistan. In fact, President Trump hosted the Verardos at the White House just this April to honor that. But Sarah Verardo says seeing Afghans like Sayed Naser arrested is another wound.
SARAH VERARDO: And so much of the moral injury that we see among veterans now has really resurfaced with these issues of how we've abandoned our Afghan allies. And the Trump administration has an opportunity, while they do pursue strong immigration reform, to also say that as a nation, we stand with those who stood with us.
Even with the supporting US government documents and even with strong support from US veterans, Sayed has been falsely targeted and imprisoned by ICE. Yesterday, Sophia Sleap (TIMES OF SAN DIEGO) provided an update:
An ally of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan on Thursday shared his thoughts on being free after spending months in immigration detention. For one, it gave him a new perspective.
“I can say that freedom is the most beautiful feeling,” the man identified only as Sayed Naser said during a morning press conference at the Veterans Museum at Balboa Park with his brother, attorney and advocates alongside him.
For another, recalling the day in June when he was first surrounded by immigration officers, he said he did not believe he was truly being detained until he met others in the same situation.
One day in detention, he said, felt like an entire month, and among the most difficult trials he experienced was finding himself wearing prison garb. In all, he called his three-plus months in custody the “hardest days of my life”.
“I never expected to be detained in the United States of America because I was a U.S. government ally back in my home country,” Sayed said.
His attorney and supporters asked that Sayed’s full name be withheld for security reasons while standing with him Thursday. They gave him almost a week to recuperate from his time in detention before he appeared to offer his first detailed public comments about his ordeal, but his case has attracted substantial attention since the summer.
He is aware of that support and spoke of the large number of people in this country who disapproved of his detention.
“They stand with me,” Sayed said. “It shows that the Americans are there with their allies, they support us.”
I'm seeing a lot in the article but I'm not seeing an apology or even an acknowledgement of wrong doing. Not from daBimbo Bondi or Kristi Noem or Tom Homan or any of the government officials responsible for persecuting Sayed. Those three have done nothing in their life of value. Sayed risked his life to help US troops. Maybe it's time for Homan, Noem and daBimbo Bondi to be detained behind bars for a little bit? Maybe that would enlighten them? Make them be a little more careful in their actions?
Sadly, those three will never develop compassion and they've been reading at a second grade level since at least senior year.
In other bad news, Malcolm Ferguson (THE NEW REPUBLIC) informs, "Free-speech grifter Bari Weiss will soon be named editor-in-chief of CBS News, multiple outlets reported Thursday, and her right-wing, genocide-denying blog The Free Press will be acquired by Paramount Skydance for about $150 million. Paramount will make the official announcement in the coming days." We addressed the freak show possibly joining CBS at the start of last month with "As ugly as she is stupid," "Barely Bari can't wait to destroy CBS NEWS," "An idiot named Bari Weiss," "Crazy Karens named Bari Weiss," "What Bari Weiss wants to (mis)teach the world" and "THIS JUST IN! BARI WEISS GROWLS NEXT TO HER FOOD BOWL!"
The Epstein and Maxwell scandal is not going away no matter how Chump tries to pretend. Yesterday, MSNBC had four strong segments on it -- sadly, they only posted three. Jen Psaki's strong interview with US House Rep Robert Garcia has not posted.
US House Rep Eric Swalwell rightly notes that one effect of Chump's shutdown is to try to slow the release of the government's Epstein files.
But guess what? It's the administration bringing the story back into the news. Specifically, it's Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. THE NEW YORK POST notes:
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a notable break with the Department of Justice, claimed late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was “the greatest blackmailer ever” — and may have traded the feds video of his rich and well-connected associates getting massages from young women in exchange for a controversial 2008 plea deal.
Lutnick made the shocking allegations to The Post’s Miranda Devine on the latest episode of “Pod Force One,” out now.
The 64-year-old cabinet secretary said Epstein himself showed off his notorious “massage room” while giving Lutnick and his wife a tour of the infamous East 71st Street townhouse after the couple moved in next door to the since-disgraced financier in 2005.
“I say to him, ‘Massage table in the middle of your house? How often do you have a massage?'” Lutnick recalled. “And he says, ‘Every day.’ And then he gets, like weirdly close to me, and he says, ‘And the right kind of massage.'”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a notable break with the Department of Justice, claimed late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was “the greatest blackmailer ever” — and may have traded the feds video of his rich and well-connected associates getting massages from young women in exchange for a controversial 2008 plea deal.
Lutnick made the shocking allegations to The Post’s Miranda Devine on the latest episode of “Pod Force One,” out now.
The 64-year-old cabinet secretary said Epstein himself showed off his notorious “massage room” while giving Lutnick and his wife a tour of the infamous East 71st Street townhouse after the couple moved in next door to the since-disgraced financier in 2005.
“I say to him, ‘Massage table in the middle of your house? How often do you have a massage?'” Lutnick recalled. “And he says, ‘Every day.’ And then he gets, like weirdly close to me, and he says, ‘And the right kind of massage.'”
In the interview, Lutnick notes, "He's a serial sex offender. How could he get 18 months and be able to go to his office during the day and have visitors? Must have been a trade. I have no knowledge but my assumption is there was a trade for the videos because there were people on those videos."
Howard Lutnick's interview is explosive. And US House Rep Robert Garcia realizes that. He addressed it with Jen Psaki but MSNBC hasn't posted that segment to YOUTUBE. They do have this report on Lutnick's statements.
The fourth segment was on Lawrence O'Donnell's program last night. Though the segment's not posted, audio for the entire show is. The segment starts 16 minutes in.
Lawrence provides the most straight forward breakdown and then brings on Senator Adam Schiff for the two to discuss the meaning of Lutnick's comments.
Okay, a friend at MSNBC just called, the segment is here. You can watch that segment at the link of Lawrence. It's not on YOUTUBE and I'm dictating this so I don't have time to play around and figure out how to embed using DOS. But the video it up at the MSNBC site, just not on YOUTUBE. I was not aware until the phone call that happened. And I never check the MSNBC page for videos -- only their YOUTUBE page.
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ADDED 15 minutes after this posted: MSNBC friend just called again. There was a segment that Tim Miller did with Nicole Wallace on her MSNBC show yesterday. It's not at YOUTUBE for MSNBC so we'll post it from THE BULWORK.
So there were at least five strong segments on Epstein yesterday on MSNBC.
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Remember how the government isn't supposed to retaliate against people for whistleblowing? No surprise, Robert Kennedy Junior doesn't. Junior blew his mind on drugs decades ago. THE NEW YORK TIMES' Benjamin Mueller reports:
Three weeks after a leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health filed a whistle-blower complaint against the Trump administration, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy fired her, according to her lawyer and a copy of the termination letter.
Her dismissal was the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken against government scientists and environmental experts after they warned that administration policies were endangering public health and safety.
That scientist, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who had directed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases before being demoted in March, was one of several senior N.I.H. officials who said that their tenures at the agency had ended in recent days.
Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable, who had directed the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, told the publication Science that he received a letter from the N.I.H. director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, stating that his appointment was ending this week.
Let's wind down with this from THE BLACK COMMENTATOR:
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