February 14 Friday roundup

Happy Valentine’s Day! And welcome, new subscribers. Just a reminder that Tuesday’s posts are usually history and politics, and Thursday posts tend to be stories from my Appalachian childhood or from my reporting around the world. These Friday posts provide links to the podcast episode based on the Tuesday written post—along with links for other reading or actions you can take as well as occasional news about other things I’m up to.

For this week’s “Next Comes What” podcast episode, I looked at the history of Guantanamo, my own trips to report from the base, and how—with Trump’s inauguration of a new wave of immigrant detention there—the past gives us clues on how to interpret the present. You can watch the episode on YouTube or listen to it via Apple, Spotify, and anywhere else you get your podcasts.

In this episode, I mentioned I would post links about Guantanamo detention. Here’s a PDF of the 2014 Torture Report. If you want background on the facilities there, here’s Carol Rosenberg’s January summary of where we’re at. And on Trump’s plan to deport 30,000 immigrants from the continental U.S. to the base, here’s Ben Fox (who was also with me 10 years ago on Guantanamo) talking to Harold Hongju Koh, who is more than familiar with detention issues there.

Since we recorded the episode, Charlie Savage and Carol published a list of 53 prisoners believed to be held in the now-decrepit Camp 6 building, and the ACLU has filed a lawsuit demanding access to detainees deported there.

If you’re having tough times in recent weeks, remember that just when you think you’ve been swallowed by a whale, sometimes the whale coughs you up. Ponder the kind of response that led Danielle Sassoon (along with several colleagues) to quit as interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York rather than rubber stamp what appears to be a deeply corrupt political deal between the Trump administration and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Take heart from the people showing up to denounce the removal of trans icons from the Stonewall Memorial. Let’s look out for one another and check on anyone who’s gone missing, figure out who’s getting shut out, and help whoever needs help.

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