"McLaughlin also gave a statement to the Post that denied any mistreatment or deprivation of constitutional rights and said that detainees get proper meals, medical treatment and showers, and also access to lawyers and family. The letter from the advocacy groups, however, cites claims of “excessive force” inside the Camp East Montana facility, where guards allegedly utilize sexual violence to enforce discipline."

Two mid-item paragraphs run together are the above headline, the source being: 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/texas-ice-camp-abuse-immigration  -- quoting

In a 19-page letter, addressed to senior government officials at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and Fort Bliss military command, the coalition accuses officers at the immigration detention facility on the base, called Camp East Montana, of being “in violation of agency policies and standards, as well as statutory and constitutional protections”.

The advocates called for the immediate closure of the camp, where more than 2,700 detainees are being held in a complex of tents.

“In light of these abuses, we urge the end to detention of immigrants at Fort Bliss,” said the letter signed by eight organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Humans Rights Watch, Estrella del Paso, the Texas Civil Rights Project and Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.

The letter was addressed to ICE acting director Todd Lyons and others, and copied to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office of inspector general and the Senate armed forces committee.

ICE officials in El Paso directed media inquiries to the DHS, which denied all the allegations.

“Any claim that there are ‘inhumane’ conditions at ICE detention centers are categorically false. No detainees are being beaten or abused,” said the DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, in a written statement.

In Minnesota, the key detention center, the Wipple Building, once defense lawyers were admitted to meet with clients, was found to be only a bit short of a cesspool. 

Crowding detainees together is a health risk, where the wrongfully kidnapped ones are then turned back into the general Minnesota population or into other home states. 

This while the quack Kennedy runs health policy. It is dumb as dirt to be that inconsiderate of things.

That Texas site is where the two TB cases were detected, and where the total number of detainees varies day to day, packing densities are unclear, and wrongful kidnapped citizens from all over the States could be exposed carriers released back into their communities. 

 

Stauber and his Minnesota Iron Range support people should take a tariff stand cognizant of the fact that all their processed taconite goes international through Canada's Welland Canal. Etc. re the St. Lawrence Seaway.

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2025/01/30/canada-tariff-biggest-threat-to-great-lakes-since-war-of-1812/

Perhaps Stauber is more concerned with being on Trump's good graces, than he is with the economy of his constituents. A move is timely if he pressures the mentally declining man and his economic advisor pool, before it is too late. With Vance seeming disinclined to exercise 25th Amendment duties, Stauber may either see what a stonewall looks like, or he moves the needle.

Either way, he has to try. And that involves contact and discussion with JD.

Emmer cannot avoid having a role. 

 

 

The Economist tracks Trump on two levels - polling and the economy.

 https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker

https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker/economy 

Crabgrass bet = it only will get worse for Trump.

The dementia situation is not specifically an issue in Economist reporting. That, or I missed it as one of the many trees making up the forest

Biggest takeaway - The economy is a wreck and people know it and dislike it being that. It is the biggest single factor moving the needle into net negative territory.

If nothing else buries him, the wretched things he's done to ruin the economy will bite.

The overall poll reporting differs little except for being less comprehensive. Readers can do independent research, but they should not expect different results other than in detail.

 

 

The rancor remains. Current Gov Walz speaks after Homan's "Vietnam exit-boogie announcement" and next Gov. Klobuchar is interviewed.

 Walz.

Klobuchar.

They don't think it's that easy, over and out. It's Wait-a-minute... 

Trump's poll numbers have not yet plunged enough, and Minnesota needs to be made whole for the plight Trump inflicted upon the State.

It is not over. The siege perps go, the damage remains, and the King Perp remains in the White House demented but unbowed. It sucks. 

 

 

The courts are not always wrong.

 Politico.

 

With immigrants a topic, some legal ones did open a Pandora's Box.

https://visitthereach.us/the-immigrants-of-the-manhattan-project/ 

 

How low, mean and petty-retributive is Donald Trump? Beyond the siege of Democratic cities? In other ways? How stinking bad? (By circumstantial inference)

 

 Above is one of the latest siege images Strib printed before Homan's withdrawal speech. Given the polling, the urge to caption the image, "Who's Next," was dropped because after Trump's having his ass handed him in polling over ICE/CBP methods, he may fire Stephen Miller and avoid further polling losses, if feasible.

But, how petty and retributive is the man? How far is his reach that way?

Our DOW (DoD officially, but Trump/Hegseth do it their way) posts: 

https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4399812/war-department-cuts-ties-with-harvard-university/ 

That's go an embedded awkward Hegseth speech if you care, but the item states:

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today announced the War Department would sever its academic ties with Harvard University, because attendance at the school no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services. 

[video omitted] 

"For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class," he said. "Instead, too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks." 

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the War Department will discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs at the school. Hegseth noted that military personnel who are currently attending classes will be able to finish those courses of study. 

The secretary said the U.S. military has, in the past, had an important and often positive relationship with Harvard. 

"In 1775 ... Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army in Harvard Yard and used the university as a military base," he said. "From that time, through the Korean War, military service was commonplace at Harvard. There are more recipients of our nation's Medal of Honor who went to Harvard than any other civilian institution in the United States." 

Today, Hegseth said, Harvard is no longer a welcoming institution to military personnel or the right place to develop them.

The secretary also cited as a problem the relationships Harvard has with foreign powers, and an on-campus culture that is incongruent with military and American values and interests. 

"Campus research programs have partnered with the Chinese Communist Party," he said. "And university leadership encouraged a campus environment that celebrated Hamas, allowed attacks on Jews, and still promotes discrimination based on race in violation of Supreme Court decisions." 

While the War Department announced cessation of academic relations with Harvard, the secretary said in the coming weeks, the department and military services would evaluate similar relationships with other schools.

There's more, but is there some special reason, why Harvard, and will Hegseth's alma mater Princeton or any other school be next? How do you weigh that?

Well there is search = harvard turned down Barron Trump 

As to how far and how petty; and as to whether Hegseth will really dump on other schools, do the search and consider the implication of returned items - re both questions; how retributive; and will others suffer "warrior scorn" now that folks can connect Barron's college options, and Harvard's being an administration target.

So, presumably other Ivy League rejections of Barron happened before NYU took him, and will there be a patterned domino effect, related per DOD/Barron rejections/

Who is Trump that way, and perhaps Barron took a shot at Princeton, the Hegseth alma mater, and they're unfit now for a warrior ethos too? 

 UPDATE; bonus link: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/02/pete-hegseth-military-harvard-donald-trump.html

FURTHER: It's reported, for example, that Barron chose NYU to remain housed in Trump Tower while in college. It likely does beat dorms or campus neighborhoods. 

FURTHER: Ivanka's spouse Jared Kushner did get into Harvard, but perhaps dad Donald did not want to grease the skids the way the Kushner dad got both sons into Harvard. Or the Harvard endowment possibly would not accept cryoto.

In fairness, getting into NYU is no shabby accomplishment. Even if strings were pulled. It's a good school.