In The Minnesota “Anti-Brutality” ICE Class Action, Early Discovery Will Be Allowed — Before Tangerine’s Motion To Dismiss Is Heard…

This is very good news — for the people wrongfully detained, shot at, and beaten by ICE/DHS in Minneapolis last year.

Eventually, Tangerine 2.0’s administration is going to owe millions in damages to the people he abused — and in at least two cases, to the families of people he. . . killed. Here’s the latest, out of the USDC in Minneapolis:

…The parties are ordered to meet and confer before July 6, 2026 to develop a plan for limited discovery before the Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 174) is resolved….

Early Discovery requests must be tailored to issues that might inform the parties’ positions in the Motion to Dismiss, and information with a high risk of dissipation over time….

The Early Discovery plan should identify, as to each request, a reasonable time scope and a narrowly targeted range of custodians from whom such discovery is sought….

Failure by either party to negotiate Early Discovery in good faith will be construed as a waiver of arguments as to such discovery….

Now you know. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते

Vaccine Candidate For Lassa Fever Looks Safe, And Effective… Good News — For Africa.

Increasingly, Lassa fever may appear in an ever widening section of Africa, as climate change renders much larger portions of the continent hospitable to the transmission of the virus. So a vaccine is sorely needed — and this one uses an inactivated strain of rabies to base the vaccine proteins on. [It comes out of University of Maryland efforts, in Nigeria.]

Here’s that story — from ContagionLive:

…An investigational vaccine for the Lassa fever virus (Josiah strain) vectored with inactivated rabies has demonstrated clinically significant immunogenicity against both viruses and a favorable safety profile in a first-in-human, phase 1 clinical trial conducted by the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine….

“Climate change is causing Lassa fever to extend its reach far beyond its Nigerian and West African origins, putting an estimated 700 million people at risk worldwide,” said UMSOM Dean Mark Gladwin, MD in a statement released on the publication of the trial interim results….

Although the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, exacerbated by late response and lack of vaccine for the circulating species, requires all possible measures, Lassa fever is another zoonotic viral hemorrhagic illness in the region that is a priority target of the World Health Organization (WHO). It is estimated to infect 300,000 people and kill 5,000 each year, with an 80% mortality of mother or fetus when contracted in late-term pregnancy, and with no vaccine yet available….

Onward, with baby-grrls day here — and sunshine at the park, in cool 70 degree air ahead — maybe a walk to the beach, to put our toes in sugary warm white sand, as well. Smile….

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The USDC Judge Chutkan Case, Brought By New Mexico — Against Musk, In DC — For DOGE’s Lawless Actions Last Spring — Has Resumed, Rom A Hiatus…

Well, after a lost appeal — this one is now back in the federal trial courts, in DC. And this capable Judge will not tolerate any Muskian nonsense. Trust that.

This below (in blue) is the pending schedule of court ordered new dates — buckle up, Elon!

…ORDERED that the parties shall adhere to the following deadlines:

➢ Deadline to Exchange Initial Disclosures: June 25, 2026

➢ Deadline to Amend the Pleadings without leave of court: June 5, 2026

➢ Deadline to Join Additional Parties without leave of court: June 5, 2026

➢ Plaintiffs’ Rule 26(a)(2) Expert Disclosures: August 26, 2026

➢ Defendants’ Expert Rebuttal Report: November 23, 2026

➢ Plaintiffs’ Expert’s Response to Defendant’s Expert: December 9, 2026

➢ End of Discovery: December 18, 2026

It is further ORDERED that the parties shall adhere to the following briefing schedule:

➢ Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment due January 25, 2027

➢ Defendants’ Combined Opposition and Cross-Motion due February 22, 2027

➢ Plaintiffs’ Combined Opposition and Reply due March 22, 2027

➢ Defendants’ Reply due April 12, 2027….

Now You know. It rumbles onward, against Mr. Musk. Flawless.

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Kenyan Court Convicts Local Health Official Of Criminal Contempt — For Refusing Its Final Order To Stop Work On The Purported “US / Ebola Colony” Tents.

So, this all has a decidedly strong stank — of being part of a behind scenes bribe, from Trump surrogates, to the Minister of Health, inside Kenya. And now he may be jailed for it — for criminal contempt.

Charming. We will know one way or the other, in a few days.

Just as would be true in the US, no Kenyan health official has independent, unchecked authority to bind his nation to a deal with any foreign power — at least not without the Bunge (both houses of the legislature, there) or William Ruto’s (the President’s) prior approvals, in writing.

Here’s the latest, from the Beeb — on it all.

…Kenya’s Health Minister Aden Duale has been found guilty of contempt of court over his handling of the construction of a controversial US-funded Ebola quarantine facility.

Last month, the High Court halted the building of the 50-bed isolation centre at a military base in the town of Nanyuki until a case brought by a rights group could be heard.

But on Monday, a judge ruled that Duale had ignored the order and allowed the project to continue. He is to be sentenced on Tuesday.

The quarantine facility is intended for US citizens who are suspected to have contracted Ebola in the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo….

Now you know. Onward, resolutely. Just like the reflecting pool/swamp deal — this one stinks — to high heaven.

नमस्ते

Not A Surprise: McGuire, Stephen Miller And Tangerine 2.0 Appeal Their Complete Loss — In Nashville, On Mr. Abrego Garcia… Y A W N.

And, the notice of appeal comes on the very last day allowed under the federal rules — from the date of the judgment, dismissing Mr. Abrego Garcia’s criminal charges — and leaving him free of all non-civil entanglements. [He is largely free of all civil entanglements in Maryland too — under USDC Judge Xinis’ spearate orders, as well.]

To be certain, these jamokes will lose on appeal. There is not a stitch of thread in the actual evidence before the courts… that this was anything other than a baseless witch-hunt… resurrecting a 2022 TN highway patrol / traffic encounter (where not even a ticket or warning was issued!) to try to create indict-able felonies. All because Abrego Garcia asserted his right… to have… rights:

…Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, 18 U.S.C. § 3731, and Rule 4(b)(1)(B)(i) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, notice is hereby given that the United States of America appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from the Opinion and Order on May 22, 2026, by the District Court granting Defendant Abrego Garcia’s Motion to Dismiss the Indictment….

As I say, the able USDC Judge Waverly Crenshaw took his time, and very carefully offered the government every opportunity to prove that the indictment was pursuant to unbiased, “regular” criminal investigatory processes. When nothing supported that conclusion, he held multiple hearings, and even asked direct questions, of the government witnesses himself, from the bench, in open court.

After receiving entirely non-credible answers from the government witnesses — including US Attorney McGuire, on the stand… he then wrote a very careful, narrow and well-reasoned opinion dismissing the case, essentially for government misconduct.

Welcome to the majors, you Trumpians. [And were Mr. McGuire a wise man — he should be preparing at the same time, for proceedings against his license — to practice law, in Tennessee. Damn.]

नमस्ते

Sophie Adenot Has Reached Her Mid-Mission Date, As Has The “εpsilon” Social Feed — At The ISS…

The latest EU member of the ISS crew — running a near daily all internet media log of her time in space — and thrilling millions of schoolkids, in the process [with over 210 million views, thus far]… has reached the half-way point, of her stay — in the international “hotel” for near Earth orbit / space travel. [With one of my several prior backgrounders, here.]

She is inspiring STEM kids the globe over, with real, hands on looks at what space-life is like: ocassionally very exciting, sometimes mundane and boring — maitenence work… but never the same thing, more than a few days in a row. And then, there are those endlessly breath-taking views, out the cupola window. Here (below) is the latest video installment from the European Space Agency’s feed:

…Sophie is halfway through the εpsilon mission onboard the ISS, and she has already accomplished so much. Between hundreds of hours of scientific research and thousands of photographs taken from space, she has taken the time to share many unforgettable moments with us — inspiring millions along the way on social media.

“Many thanks to all of you following along on social media, and to all the incredible teams behind εpsilon! It’s been an amazing adventure so far, and I couldn’t be more grateful for your support. Looking forward to sharing the second half of the journey with you all!”, says Sophie….

And… a lil’ closer to home, on a Zoom last night — we learned that our youngest son had endured another bike crash — he’s fine — except for some limited mobility in his left shoulder, which means he’ll skip swim workouts for a few weeks. We are thrilled the cut under his chin is the only thing that will leave a more permanent scar… but at mid-day, in sunny weather, a pickup truck (without the right of way) didn’t see him, and turned left dead in front of him — as he was pedaling straight ahead at ~22 miles an hour. It T-Boned him, but he mostly flew onto/into the truck bed, and had a pretty soft landing, relatively speaking. The carbon-fiber race bike did its intended job, and provided a crush zone for him — it can be replaced. [This is a common hazard, even in the very-biker friendly environs around Eugene, Oregon — especially at the smaller county road intersections.]

But at 30, he is now less-inclined to ride at absolute max speed on the very mountainous, shaply curved bike course outside Nice, France — this September for the Half Iron world championships.

He says he still intends to enter and finish the race — but may pull his “go fast, or go home” horns in — just a bit. [His prior two crashes were more serious, most recently having to have surgical steel plates and screws put into his right elbow three years ago, and two years before that, having to have his left shoulder repaired with cadaver tendons, from an extremely severely-separated shoulder.] So, crashes are a part of life, for him — but he is now of an age that he does not want to be debilitated, should he ever suffer a serious crash again.

And we are grateful that he is coming to that conclusion, all on his own. We will still do the full month in France in September with extended family in tow — but it will more a vacation, and a lil’ less an intensely competitive nerve wracker. [Paris, and now Florence and Sienna, Italy in Tuscany are all likely to be one week stays, in addition to the week (or so) in Nice, proper.] All in all, all good. Onward — and back to Sophie, now:


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Was Off-Grid All Weekend, Riding Luxe Vintage Rails — Then Running The 27th Ricky Byrdsong Memorial, Here…

…And (though not the main topic, here) the US Constitution celebrated a birthday, this morning. So, all in all — an excellent off-net weekend!

Here’s a bit about Ricky’s legacy:

…“I want you to know that this race against hate was intended to be more than a physical event,” said Sherialyn Byrdsong at the start of the Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate on Sunday. “The finish line is about more than completing a course. This race was intended to remind all of us of the journey we are called to take together. Every step you take today represents a commitment to build communities where people are treated with the dignity, worth and the value that God bestows upon them.”

Byrdsong is the widow of Ricky Byrdsong, the former head coach of the Northwestern men’s basketball team, who was killed by a white supremacist during a Chicago-area shooting spree in July 1999.

She founded the Race Against Hate in 2000….

More than 2,800 athletes — from ages 2 to 89 — as well as an equal number of well-wishers took part in the 27th annual event along the lakefront. The event raises money for YWCA Evanston/North Shore….

And so, we run. Happy Fathers’ Day, to one and all of good will… smile.

नमस्ते

[U] “Gee — Thanks, So MUCH — Capts. Obvious!” Of Mirengoff & Hinderaker, On Trump’s Capitulation In Iran…

I suppose the criticism from former MAGA loyalists is a positive sign.

But it should have come a decade ago, when the educated MAGAts already knew what kind of a thing Trump was. Before they voted for him, thrice.

Updated @ Noon Eastern: now Hinderaker is cheering the fact that Iran “is violating” Trump’s faux-deal. More cogent observers might point out that Israel is still firing on Lebanon. That’s not cricket under the goofy Trump memo. Which also points out the fact that Trump doesn’t control how Israel might choose to defend itself. Again, “thanks, Captain Obvious!”

In any event — here is Paul Mirengoff’s money quote — of this morning (he’s not wrong — just very, very, VERY late… in coming to his senses):

I thought that attacking Iran was the right thing to do. I still think it probably was, but only with a serious president in charge. My mistake was to think that, at least when it comes to warfare, Donald Trump is a serious president….

Paul FINALLY realizes that all Trump has ever cared about is his own personal wealth. Thus Paul is… sad, that Trump is letting the stock market decide it is time to capitulate to Iran.

Mirengoff is plainly a moron, if he hadn’t seen this almost a decade ago now. The guy is venal, doddering sleepy old “Odd-father” — like they used to call Vinny the Chin Gigante.

See ya’, Paulie… and now Johnnie.

Ugh.

At Least 75 Medical Workers In Ituri Province, DRC Have Contracted Ebola; 17 Of Them Are Already Dead.

And while over $900 million in aid and relief supplies has been pledged globally, only about $110 million of the pledged amounts has actually been delivered into the stricken areas of DRC and Uganda, as of this morning. Much moe will be neeeded, no doubt.

Here is the latest disconcerting news, from Reuters:

…A senior World Health Organization official said on Friday that 75 medics in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been infected with Ebola and 17 of them had died since the current outbreak started ⁠there.

Ebola was thought to be circulating months before the outbreak was first declared by Congolese officials on May 15, meaning many medics were exposed to the disease before they even knew it was present. Even now, health officials say supplies of the basic gear to protect themselves like gloves and masks are running short…

In happier news, this is the first full day that the Obama Center for Democracy is open to the public — in Jackson Park. Today’s tix sold out months ago, but all weekend there will be Juneteenth style celebrations there on the lawn.

Please remember that today is also a day for celebrations, nationwide. Yep, this is the day formerly enslaved people in Texas first learned that — at least as far as Washington, DC was concerned — they were now… free. [In practice, it would be many many years yet, before they could come and go as they liked.] And that knowledge was only shared in Texas, a full three years after the signing of the proclamation. Damn.

नमस्ते

Once Again — There Will Be An Independent Court Appointed Monitor To Find Facts, At Southern Border Detention Facilities In The 1985-Era Class Action…

That is exactly where the able USDC Judge Dolly Gee is headed — again. During Tangerine 1.0 she appointed an independent monitor — and things improved, so by the middle of Mr. Biden’s term… that monitor appointment automatically sun-setted (in no small part to avoid wasting federal taxpayer funds on no longer needed oversight).

But the Tangerine 2.0 status reports offered by ICE and border agents are rife with errors, ommissions and it would seem… even intentional non-compliance with the settlement terms Tangerine 1.0 himself agreed to. So back to exacting third party oversight we will shortly go (as set out in Judge Gee’s opinion tonight, in Flores):

…While Defendants consistently maintain that CBP is in substantial compliance with the FSA and CBP Settlement, Plaintiffs point to an alarming number of minors subject to prolonged detention in CBP facilities and backsliding conditions of confinement. Based on census data provided in the CBP JC’s supplemental reports, the average TIC for minors in CBP custody for over 72 hours has increased since August 2025.

For example, in August 2025, the average TIC was 112.93 hours, whereas in March 2026, the average TIC was 130.46 hours. [Doc. ## 1692-1 at 2, 1767-1 at 2.] While in January 2026 there were 58 minors held in CBP custody for over 72 hours, by March 2026, that number jumped to 155 minors. [See Doc. ## 1735-3, 1767-3.] These numbers are unacceptable.

Moreover, the Court has not been satisfied, so far, by Defendants’ explanations as to why they have been detaining class members for extended periods of time. Defendants assert that in “the majority of cases” where minors are held for over 72 hours, the reasons for delay have to do with awaiting transportation, travel documents, or for other agencies, such as ICE, to take custody. [See Doc. # 1767-1 at 2.] Defendants also justify delays in situations where an individual or family makes an asylum claim of fear and awaits appropriate screening. Id. These generalized circumstances are not unique, nor do they appear to reasonably justify prolonged detention in CBP facilities….

The issues identified in the Court’s August 15, 2025 MTE Order (e.g., cold temperatures, inadequate sleeping conditions, lack of soap), have continued to materialize in Plaintiffs’ responses to the CBP Juvenile Coordinator’s supplemental reports…. [In addition,] Plaintiffs continue to raise issues pertaining to inadequate medical care, family separation, lack of access to the outdoors, and exposed toilets…. Since the parties are unable to come to a consensus about basics facts on the ground, it appears even more important to have an Independent Monitor/Special Master to objectively monitor these issues….

The world-views of Trumpists and MAGA generally… are dying. The non-reputable non-deal “memo” from Trump on Iran tonight proves it. And even more so, the boisterous, joyful and uplifting opening ceremonies for the Obama Center, in the Southside’s Bronzeville ‘hood today — with Bush 43 and Laura clapping and singing right along… are that proof, too. Onward.

नमस्ते