Losing My Perspicacity, November 6, 2025

Good morning and Happy Thursday! Thanks for reading today.

What a difference 24 hours makes. Tuesday night, while listening to Mikie Sherrill’s victory speech in New Jersey, I was overcome by emotion. Hearing someone speak so hopefully about her plans for schools, neighborhoods, mental health clinics, and all the rest felt so far afield from where we are in Chicagoland right now. We’d love to think about what we can do to improve the lives of our citizens, but instead we have to fight off ICE and make sure our communities don’t starve with SNAP. I’ll be honest, it was a bleak moment for me.

Then I listened to Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech, which felt like a much-needed shot in the arm. Yesterday, I woke up, went to Costco, and, thanks to the generous donations from friends on Bluesky, I was able to deliver hundreds of dollars' worth of diapers, wipes, and feminine hygiene products to my local food pantry. I’ve always found that a sure-fire way to get yourself out of a slump is to do something for others. And, I was heartened to hear that donations at my favorite food bank have picked up, as people realize that the discontinuation of SNAP is harming our most vulnerable. Chicagoland is coming together to overwhelm groups with donations.

I also took a break from immersing myself in the various ICE cases in Chicago, and instead watched from afar as others covered the story. We had a hearing on a preliminary injunction in Chicago Headline Club v. Noem yesterday, so I guess we can start there. If you want to read an ongoing thread that covers the entire day, Jon Seidel of the Sun-Times did it here.

Much of the morning consisted of witnesses for the Plaintiffs describing their various run-ins with ICE and CBP. A lot of the testimony was harrowing, as residents talked about how guns being pointed at their faces and tear gas overwhelming their neighborhoods had affected their mental health. But it was the playing of CBP Commander Greg Bovino’s deposition that took center stage.

Here’s a specific moment that will not make Chicagoans happy:

Given how upset residents get when someone from the suburbs claims to be from Chicago, this should go over like gangbusters. Here’s another Bovino moment that had the entire city rolling their eyes.

You’ve never told another officer to tone it down? Why am I not surprised?

It was hours and hours of this kind of thing: The Plaintiffs showing videos of ICE brutalizing Chicagoans and the DOJ witnesses denying they did anything wrong.

Here’s CBP’s Kristopher Hewson:

Keep in mind, this happened just yesterday, so no one was in any mood to pretend that nothing unlawful was happening.

Judge Sara Ellis lost her cool a few times, once taking the lawyers out in the hallway like an elementary school teacher and reprimanding them outside of earshot. She also had some sharp words from the bench on several occasions. Oral arguments wrapped up around 6 pm Chicago time, and we expect a ruling today around 10 am, before the TRO expires.

Meanwhile, in Judge Robert Gettleman’s courtroom in the same building, we got to see the TRO he issued against ICE regarding the conditions of the holding facility in Broadview. That’s where much of the conflict between ICE and protestors has been taking place. On Tuesday, Judge Gettleman heard testimony that the area in which detainees are held in the Broadview ICE facility is squalid, overcrowded, and inhumane.

Here’s part of what Judge Gettleman ordered Defendants/ICE to ensure in yeterday’s TRO:

Sounds like something the Hague would order following a war crimes trial, no? This is how Kristi Noem is treating our friends and neighbors. But while it’s taking time, the courts are doing what they’re supposed to do.

Finally, oral arguments also took place yesterday before the Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of Donald Trump’s tariffs. While I hate to rely on this iteration of SCOTUS to do the right thing, I am hopeful based on the tone of the questions the justices asked. Mark Joseph Stern did a good breakdown of the arguments over at Slate.

These arguments were broadcast live on MSNBC, which was nice to see. It’s almost like we’re trying to be a more informed citizenry, even though it put me in the uncomfortable position of cheering for both Neil Gorsuch and Neal Katyal, who argued for the Plaintiffs. As I said on social media yesterday morning, Katyal is so good at what he does, but he’s like Loki: you need him on your side, but you have to constantly re-convince him to use his powers for good instead of evil.

Today: DC’s sandwich-thrower gets his day in court; YouTube is helping to cover up human rights abuses; A WNBA player is going all in on a Saudi-backed global hoops league; and The High Note.

Let’s go.

Free the sandwich-thrower!

While some of us were focused on the various legal procedures involving ICE yesterday, others were lucky enough to be in court as notorious hoagie hurler and icon of The Resistance, Sean Charles Dunn, went on trial for assault.

When last we left our hero, a grand jury had declined to indict him on felony charges, leaving US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office to settle for misdemeanor assault. What did we miss by not seeing this trial live? Well, we missed scintillating moments like this:

Harrowing! The oral arguments didn’t disappoint, either.

Anyway, the jury left for the day without reaching a decision, so they’ll be back at it again today. If you want to read all about this one, Molly Roberts’ thread on Day 3 of the Sandwich Saga starts here.

YouTube is running interference for Israel

Lest you thought Google couldn’t get any worse…surprise! It can always get worse.

In October, YouTube deleted hundreds of videos documenting human rights abuses of Palestinians by Israel.

Why would someone do that, you ask? Fair question. Let’s see what Google has to say for itself.

If you guessed “Bending the knee to the Trump administration,” you’d be right. I also think having a guy named Boot Bullwinkle speaking on behalf of your company is part of the problem, but what do I know.

What the hell is Nneka Ogwumike doing?

To be perfectly honest, this story is so upsetting to me that I’m struggling to write about it, which is why I shoved it down here instead of writing about it up top. Nneka Ogwumike, WNBA star and the head of the WNBA Players’ Association, has signed with the Saudi-backed Project B league.

Not only does Ogwumike’s signing throw a wrench in CBA negotiations, which are ongoing, but I am always shocked by the number of athletes willing to help the Saudis launder their image. For the last several years, Saudi Arabia has been throwing women in prison for their social media activity and choice of clothing. I wrote a whole thread on it here:

Not only is Saudi Arabia hostile to women, it’s incredibly hostile to the LGBTQ+ community. The WNBA has a strong LGBTQ+ presence, with more than 40 players who are currently out.

This is so devastating, I can’t even write about it properly at the moment. Maybe I’ll do more later. Ugh ugh ugh!

The High Note

Each Day, I do my best to leave you with a smile on your face, a song in your heart, and the will to fight another day.

Before I say goodbye today, I wanted to share this lovely bit from Sherrilyn Ifill, via her newsletter, about the message to take out of Tuesday Night’s blue wave:

Rebellions are built on hope.

Here’s one of the best things I’ve seen in a while. A doctor thinks she’s going to an interview at a coffee shop. Instead, the entire place is filled with people who are alive because of her work.

Hey, survive and advance out there today, kids. Don’t let the bastards get you down. Keep hope alive.

Follow Julie on Bluesky and Instagram so she can get another book contract.