DL Open Thread: Friday, January 9, 2026
Instruction To All ICE Agents:
1. Stand in front of vehicle.
2. Detect, or claim to detect, the slightest hint of movement.
3. Shoot to kill.
4. Claim you were in fear of your life.
5. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Lemme ask you a question: If a bunch of armed goons surrounded your car, would you or would you not be in fear for your life? ICE agents are committing murder, which is being covered up by the Federal enforcement agencies who used to investigate such things. Take Minneapolis:
Disputes between Minnesota officials and the Trump administration intensified Thursday over a federal agent’s fatal shooting of a woman, after the state withdrew from the investigation into the incident because federal officials had denied it access to evidence.
Documents obtained by The New York Times suggested that at least 100 more federal agents were being deployed to Minnesota.
Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis said in an interview on Thursday that the Trump administration would use any chaos as an opportunity to “occupy Minneapolis in some form.”
State officials initially said they would investigate the killing. But Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said on Thursday that the agency had withdrawn because it had been denied access to evidence.
Mr. Walz said at a news conference on Thursday that “Minnesota must be part of this investigation.”
“I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment,” Mr. Walz added. He said that some of the federal government’s statements regarding the circumstances of the shooting had been “verifiably false.”
At a news conference in New York City on Thursday, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said that Minnesota and Minneapolis officials had failed to maintain order.
“They have not been cut out,” Ms. Noem told a reporter who had asked about state investigators. “They don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.”
Yo, Dems: The federal government has declared war against Minnesota. Gonna do or say anything?
They were already at war with Portland:
U.S. Border Patrol agents shot two people during an attempted traffic stop in East Portland on Thursday afternoon. Police found a man and a woman injured after they drove away from the scene of the shooting and someone called for help.
According to a statement from the Portland Police Bureau, officers responded at 2:18 p.m. to Southeast Main Street near I-205, the location of Adventist Health Portland, for a report of the shooting. Officers confirmed at the scene that federal agents were involved in the shooting, which happened in the hospital parking lot.
In both instances, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that the drivers tried to harm federal law enforcement officers with their vehicles.
Minutes later, Mayor Keith Wilson put out a statement, saying in part:
“We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.
A ‘targeted traffic stop’ at a hospital. In other words, target practice.
Trump Proudly Proclaims There Are No Limits On What He Does:
Donald Trump has insisted he doesn’t need to abide by international law and the only constraint keeping his power in check is his own morality.
In a wide-ranging defence of a week of global provocation, the U.S. president laid out the motivation behind his actions.
In the last six days alone, he has launched strikes on Venezuela and captured its president Nicolas Maduro, repeatedly voiced his intention to take over Greenland and claimed that Colombia could be next on his list.
“I don’t need international law,” Trump told The New York Times in an interview in the Oval Office. “I’m not looking to hurt people.”
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has successfully tested many of the constitutional and legal limits to his authority – firing the heads of independent agencies, attempting to rewrite the 14th Amendment and punishing federal judges who insist on giving immigrants due process.
When asked if there were limits to his power, Trump replied: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
He is America’s Hitler. Full stop.
Delaware Building Trades Re-enter Political Wars. You know why: Data centers:
The Delaware Building Trades Council, a once-dominant political force at the state level, is asserting itself into the electoral politics of New Castle County with two of its local leaders announcing last month they will run for seats on the County Council.
The announcements follow an aggressive campaign by the labor group in recent months to push the county to embrace a nationwide boom in the development of the data centers that power the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry.
Led by its outspoken, and often indelicate, president James Maravelias, the Delaware Building Trades emerged last fall as the most vocal supporter of a proposal to build an energy-hungry data center near Delaware City, while also opposing a county ordinance that would levy new regulations onto the broader industry.
What followed were weeks of hostile debates within the New Castle County Council, with union members often packing the council’s chambers during meetings. During one widely reported episode, Councilman Timothy Sheldon – a former member of the Delaware Building Trades – flashed a middle finger at data center critic Councilman Kevin Caneco before walking out of a meeting.
By early December, the sponsor of the proposed data center regulations – New Castle County Councilman Dave Carter – called for a pause to his ordinance in order to offer the county a “cooling off period.”
Days later, Maravelias announced on the Delaware Building Trades Facebook page that Chris Muntz, a business manager for a plumbers and pipefitters union, would challenge Carter for his spot on the New Castle County Council.
The previous week, Maravelias similarly announced on Facebook that Curtis Linton, a rising star within the Delaware Building Trades coalition, would vie for a seat currently held by outgoing New Castle County Councilman Penrose Hollins. In the post, Maravelias encouraged members of the Building Trades to support Linton by sending him a maximum individual campaign contribution of $600 before the end of the year.
In his social media post, Maravelias stated in his brash manner, ”We have been taken as fools and disrespected long enough.”
A skeptic might suggest that Maravelias has been taken as a fool because he pisses so much of his members’ money down the drain in losing causes. But you’d have to ask a skeptic to be certain.
There’s lots more as Karl Baker recounts the history of the Building Trades in recent Delaware elections. He’s also just fun to read.
What do you want to talk about?
Personal to Governor Meyer and Atty General Jennings-
Repeat the following words into the camera, please:
“ICE is an illegal gang. They are not welcome in the State of Delaware. No State or State funded resources will be provided to facilitate their operations. Any DHS operations in the State will be considered kidnapping. Today we are also announcing stand-your ground legislation and removing permit to purchase. We are also establishing a searchable registry of DHS employees within the state”
Delaware’s done a good job. Meyer and Jennings in particular.
Trump replied: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own mortality”
There I fixed it. There is no morality
Someone needs to ask Mike smith if he supports federal agents going door to door. Maybe a bunch of us need to sit outside his house with signs asking him for that.
We can’t do shit about what’s happening nationally but we can throw these Republican fascists out of the general assembly.
Pressure them. These snakes have not been accountable. He can show what he is and lose to a dem. Or he can lie and get primaried by a nut case.
These people eat their own.
I use Mike because he’s a particularly gross example but this applies to all of them.
We aren’t in here with you. You’re in here with us.
The article on the Delaware Building Trades was excellent, and highlights why those candidates are running:
“‘It’s not just about this data center,’ he [Muntz] said of his candidacy. ‘It’s about any project that’s going to lead to 1 hour of work for my members.'”
and
“Asked if he supported the Delaware City data center project, Linton pivoted, saying that any energy or water-usage consequences from it that impacts the community will also impact his members.
‘If my members are making $2,000 a week on a data center project, but if their electric bill shoots to $800 a month, do you think my members will be happy with that?’ he [Linton] asked.”
The vast majority of constituents in their respective districts are not in their unions. Why would we care if a union member gets an hour of work to the detriment of every other voter in Mr. Muntz’s district? Every single Delawarean’s electric bill will go up as a result of this, not just members of Mr. Linton’s union. I’m flabbergasted candidates for office went on record and did not even pretend to be concerned about anyone but their own pocket(s).
Muntz seems like he’s out his league. Thanks to Carter and Caneco for holding strong. They are getting hammered by some of the most gross people in Delaware politics but holding their own and more importantly seem to be winning more people over. Well done.