Rodney Ellis
is at Houston, Texas.
Today, I celebrate the life of my friend, mentor, and big brother, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, on what would have been his 85th birthday.
I have known Rev. Jackson for more than 30+ years, dating back to my days working with the late Congressman Mickey Leland. Over those decades, our relationship grew far beyond politics and public service. Rev. was a mentor, a trusted friend, and like a big brother to me.
I have also been blessed to know and love his family—Mrs. Jackson and their children—and to share so many moments with them over the years.
Rev. Jackson taught generations of us to fight for justice, stand with working people, protect voting rights, and never lose faith in the possibility of a better America.
While we deeply miss him since his passing on February 17, I am grateful for the friendship, wisdom, laughter, and lessons he gave us.
Happy 85th Birthday, Rev. Jackson. I will always be grateful to call you my friend, mentor, and brother. Your legacy lives on
Orwell Day
OrwellDay
Flock cameras were used to violate a Houston man's rights when police searched his car based on "suspicious" driving patterns.
The ongoing court case discovered that Police were stopping 20 cars a day and searching 10 without cause, but police have refused to admit any wrongdoing.
They also used dogs who may have been trained to give false alerts.
The officer admitted that most stops found nothing.
U.S. Democratic Socialists
Donald Trump is being urged by a convicted election clerk to have his administration seize ballots across the country and hand count them, and one of his former Justice Department officials says the president is taking the idea seriously.
Tina Peters, the former Mesa County, Colorado clerk convicted in 2024 of multiple felonies tied to a security breach of her own office’s voting equipment, met with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday. The visit was disclosed by Ed Martin, who left the Justice Department this year to do election legal work, during an appearance on the right-wing network Real America’s Voice. ABC News confirmed the meeting through an unnamed source. The White House refused to comment.
The plan Peters is pushing, according to her attorney Peter Ticktin, is for the federal government to take control of ballots nationwide and conduct a hand recount. Ticktin called it a good plan and predicted something like it will probably happen.
Peters walked out of prison in June after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shortened her sentence, a move 9NEWS anchor Kyle Clark said was entirely predictable in hindsight. Polis’s clemency letter notably skipped the standard language saying the inmate had taken accountability and shown remorse.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold called Peters and Trump election deniers who have repeatedly lied to Americans, and vowed to fight any attempt to interfere with Colorado’s elections.
States run elections. Not the White House. Not a convicted clerk. Not a lawyer daydreaming about civil war. Every voter, every election official, and every Democrat in Congress needs to treat this as the five alarm fire it is
