Trans people in Kansas are reporting that they have received letters from the Division of Vehicles saying they must surrender their driver's licenses immediately. This is as a result of House Substitute for Senate Bill 244, which says ID must now reflect the credential holder's "sex at birth." The letter warns that upon the law's publication today, Feb. 26, current credentials will "no longer be valid." Per the letter, there is no grace period and anyone operating a vehicle without a valid credential may be subject to "additional penalties." In the state of Kanas, anyone caught driving without a valid license could face a class B misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail. Here's Erin Reed's report.

https://flip.it/cicb_B

#USLaw #USPolitics #TransRights #Kansas

Trans people in Kansas are reporting that they have received letters from the Division of Vehicles saying they must surrender their driver's licenses immediately. This is as a result of House Substitute for Senate Bill 244, which says ID must now reflect the credential holder's "sex at birth." The letter warns that upon the law's publication today, Feb. 26, current credentials will "no longer be valid." Per the letter, there is no grace period and anyone operating a vehicle without a valid credential may be subject to "additional penalties." In the state of Kanas, anyone caught driving without a valid license could face a class B misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail. Here's Erin Reed's report.

https://flip.it/cicb_B

#USLaw #USPolitics #TransRights #Kansas

"Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump."
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/nx-s1-5723968/epstein-files-trump-accusation-maxwell

The missing files are about accusations that Trump sexually assaulted a child and hit her in the head. The FBI interviewed the accuser four times and the DOJ has not released the interview notes.

All allegations of Trump wrongdoing are worth watching. But this one is special because it has three properties:
1. It's serious.
2. It's well-documented. (Thanks to #NPR.)
3. It's one that many #MAGA voters and politicians take seriously.

Hundreds of Trump scandals have the first two properties. Almost none has the third.

This creates the prospect of actual accountability.

#DOJ #Epstein #Trump #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

"Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump."
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/nx-s1-5723968/epstein-files-trump-accusation-maxwell

The missing files are about accusations that Trump sexually assaulted a child and hit her in the head. The FBI interviewed the accuser four times and the DOJ has not released the interview notes.

All allegations of Trump wrongdoing are worth watching. But this one is special because it has three properties:
1. It's serious.
2. It's well-documented. (Thanks to #NPR.)
3. It's one that many #MAGA voters and politicians take seriously.

Hundreds of Trump scandals have the first two properties. Almost none has the third.

This creates the prospect of actual accountability.

#DOJ #Epstein #Trump #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. The litigation to restore the endangerment finding has begun.
https://www.edf.org/media/epa-sued-over-illegal-repeal-climate-protections

"A broad coalition of health and environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( #EPA) today [Feb 18] over its illegal determination that it is not responsible for protecting us from climate pollution."

Here's the official complaint:
https://library.edf.org/AssetLink/h3f286t8xt043h8k2404vfvva3866bh5.pdf

Here's the impressive list of plaintiff orgs:
American Public Health Association, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Lung Association, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, Clean Air Council, Clean Wisconsin, Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Public Citizen, Rio Grande International Study Center, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

#Climate #Environment #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. The repeal of the endangerment finding is based on a recommendation from Trump's Climate Working Group. Less than two weeks ago, a federal judge ruled that the group violated federal law by failing to represent a balance of viewpoints (all five members were hand-picked skeptics) and failing to hold public hearings.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/climate/energy-department-climate-ruling.html

Clearly "the decision to change the policy was made ahead of assembling scientific evidence to support that decision."
https://blog.ucs.org/science-blogger/internal-doe-documents-confirm-climate-report-was-created-to-justify-administration-policy/

PS: There will be legal challenges to the EPA repeal of the endangerment finding, and those challenges will cite the procedural violations in the operation of the Climate Working Group. But it's not yet clear how far those violations will undermine the EPA action.

#Climate #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

"Minnesota prosecutors formally demand evidence from Trump administration over the killing of Renee Good"

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-prosecutors-formally-demand-evidence-from-trump-administration-over-the-killing-of-renee-good/601575530

#Minnesota #ReneeGood #ReneeNicoleGood #USPOL #USPOLITICS #USLaw #ICE #FuckICE #ICEMUSTBEDESTROYED

"Minnesota prosecutors formally demand evidence from Trump administration over the killing of Renee Good"

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-prosecutors-formally-demand-evidence-from-trump-administration-over-the-killing-of-renee-good/601575530

#Minnesota #ReneeGood #ReneeNicoleGood #USPOL #USPOLITICS #USLaw #ICE #FuckICE #ICEMUSTBEDESTROYED

5/ A US federal district judge just dismissed the #antitrust case against six academic #publishers (Jan 30, 2026).
https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/myvmqlljdvr/24-cv-06409-HG%20Uddin%20v.%20Elsevier%20B.V.%20et%20al.pdf

Article about the dismissal:
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/academic-publishers-defeat-lawsuit-over-peer-review-pay-other-restrictions-2026-01-30/

"The four scholars, scientists and professors who filed the lawsuit in 2024 had not shown sufficient evidence of a conspiracy involving publishers Elsevier, John Wiley & Sons, Sage Publications, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis and Wolters Kluwer."

#Monopoly #PriceFixing #USLaw

Key indicator of what's happening to US higher ed:

"Despite Harvard's victory [in court, against the Trump admin], more schools agreed to deals."
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/29/nx-s1-5559293/trump-settlements-colleges-universities

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. Yesterday #UPenn filed a 163-page brief in federal court condemning the #Trump admin demand for a list of #Jews at the institution as “extraordinary and unconstitutional".
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/university-of-pennsylvania-trump-jewish-staff.html

"The #EEOC insists that Penn produce this information without the consent — and indeed, over the objections — of the employees impacted while entirely disregarding the frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry. The government’s demand implicates Penn’s substantial interest in protecting its employees’ privacy, safety and First Amendment rights."

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Antisemitism #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

According to @CBSNews, the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, alleging a conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents.

https://flip.it/-4dlhy

#USNews #USPolitics #DepartmentOfJustice #USLaw #Minnesota #Minneapolis #TimWalz #JacobFrey

According to @CBSNews, the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, alleging a conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents.

https://flip.it/-4dlhy

#USNews #USPolitics #DepartmentOfJustice #USLaw #Minnesota #Minneapolis #TimWalz #JacobFrey

Update. Here are two welcome updates on recording #ICE.

1. "Gov. Tim Walz encourages Minnesotans to film ICE agents for future prosecutions."
https://minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/14/gov-tim-walz-encourages-minnesotans-to-film-ice-agents-for-future-prosecutions/

2. "How One Guy Crowdsourced More Than 500 Dashcams for Minneapolis to Film ICE."
https://archive.is/ZBjKV

#FirstAmendment #Minnesota #Trump #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. Here are two welcome updates on recording #ICE.

1. "Gov. Tim Walz encourages Minnesotans to film ICE agents for future prosecutions."
https://minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/14/gov-tim-walz-encourages-minnesotans-to-film-ice-agents-for-future-prosecutions/

2. "How One Guy Crowdsourced More Than 500 Dashcams for Minneapolis to Film ICE."
https://archive.is/ZBjKV

#FirstAmendment #Minnesota #Trump #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics