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Posts by Dr. Mark Gasser

Ugh too early in the year to be annoyed with Os

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The first panel shows a crow with the title "How to live a good life". The second panel shows a crow cawing at itself in the mirror with the subheading "Make friends". The next panel says "Explore" and shows a crow looking into a commercial waste bin. The next says "Try new things" with a crow eating something vile. The next one says "Be curious" and shows the crow grabbing a hissing cat's tail". The final frame says "Get a hobby" and shows the crow looking closely at a book of matches.

The first panel shows a crow with the title "How to live a good life". The second panel shows a crow cawing at itself in the mirror with the subheading "Make friends". The next panel says "Explore" and shows a crow looking into a commercial waste bin. The next says "Try new things" with a crow eating something vile. The next one says "Be curious" and shows the crow grabbing a hissing cat's tail". The final frame says "Get a hobby" and shows the crow looking closely at a book of matches.

How To Live A Good Life #oldknees

2 days ago 9736 2819 24 34
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EDSBS Charity Bowl Benefiting New American Pathways

light em up, muplighters

www.edsbscharitybowl.com

1 day ago 22 6 0 3

When do we get to see good at hitting Henderson?

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Arthur Holquin • Follow 9h • 0 When the Neophyte Corrects the Vicar of Christ On JD Vance, Theological Hubris, and the Gospel He Has Yet to Learn There is a particular arrogance that takes root in the newly converted - the zeal of the autodidact who, having just discovered the tradition, mistakes enthusiasm for mastery. JD Vance, who received baptism into the Catholic Church in 2019 at the age of thirty-five, has now committed the singular error of instructing the Bishop of Rome to "be careful when he talks about matters of theology!" We should sit with the full weight of that sentence. The Vice President of the United States - seven years a Catholic, formerly an evangelical, before that a self-described atheist - stood before a Turning Point USA audience in Georgia and publicly admonished Pope Leo XIV about theological precision. "If you're going to opine on matters of theology," Vance informed the successor of Peter, "you've got to be careful, you've got to make sure it's anchored in the truth." The audacity is breathtaking. The irony is almost comic.

Arthur Holquin • Follow 9h • 0 When the Neophyte Corrects the Vicar of Christ On JD Vance, Theological Hubris, and the Gospel He Has Yet to Learn There is a particular arrogance that takes root in the newly converted - the zeal of the autodidact who, having just discovered the tradition, mistakes enthusiasm for mastery. JD Vance, who received baptism into the Catholic Church in 2019 at the age of thirty-five, has now committed the singular error of instructing the Bishop of Rome to "be careful when he talks about matters of theology!" We should sit with the full weight of that sentence. The Vice President of the United States - seven years a Catholic, formerly an evangelical, before that a self-described atheist - stood before a Turning Point USA audience in Georgia and publicly admonished Pope Leo XIV about theological precision. "If you're going to opine on matters of theology," Vance informed the successor of Peter, "you've got to be careful, you've got to make sure it's anchored in the truth." The audacity is breathtaking. The irony is almost comic.

While Vance was dispensing theological warnings from a stage in Georgia, Pope Leo XIV was standing at the archaeological site of Hippo in Algeria - the episcopal see where St. Augustine served as bishop until his death in 430 A.D. Vance, who claims Augustine as his patron saint and frequently invokes him in speeches, was lecturing on Augustinian just war theology to a political rally audience. The pope he was lecturing - who served as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine for more than a decade and holds a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas - was planting an olive tree at the very ground where Augustine lived, prayed, wrote, and died. If God governs history with a sense of irony, this moment surely pleased Him. The occasion for Vance's correction was Pope Leo's statement that "God is never on the side of those who wield the sword." Vance responded by invoking the thousand-year tradition of Just War theory as if the pope were unaware of it. But Leo did not say war is never permissible. He said God is not simply enlisted as a combatant on any nation's side. That is not a negation of Just War doctrine. That is its foundation. The Catechism at §2309 is unambiguous about the conditions that must all be simultaneously met for a war to be just. Archbishop Broglio stated plainly on Easter Sunday that the war against Iran does not meet those criteria. Cardinals Cupich, Mcelroy, and Tobin, along with Archbishop Coakley, have spoken with notable unanimity. Cardinal Tobin put it plainly: Pope Leo "will continue to speak clearly against war and other offenses against human dignity and to call for authentic dialogue, because the Church's witness is grounded in the peace of Christ, not in partisan interests." That is episcopal fidelity. What Vance offered was its precise opposite.

While Vance was dispensing theological warnings from a stage in Georgia, Pope Leo XIV was standing at the archaeological site of Hippo in Algeria - the episcopal see where St. Augustine served as bishop until his death in 430 A.D. Vance, who claims Augustine as his patron saint and frequently invokes him in speeches, was lecturing on Augustinian just war theology to a political rally audience. The pope he was lecturing - who served as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine for more than a decade and holds a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas - was planting an olive tree at the very ground where Augustine lived, prayed, wrote, and died. If God governs history with a sense of irony, this moment surely pleased Him. The occasion for Vance's correction was Pope Leo's statement that "God is never on the side of those who wield the sword." Vance responded by invoking the thousand-year tradition of Just War theory as if the pope were unaware of it. But Leo did not say war is never permissible. He said God is not simply enlisted as a combatant on any nation's side. That is not a negation of Just War doctrine. That is its foundation. The Catechism at §2309 is unambiguous about the conditions that must all be simultaneously met for a war to be just. Archbishop Broglio stated plainly on Easter Sunday that the war against Iran does not meet those criteria. Cardinals Cupich, Mcelroy, and Tobin, along with Archbishop Coakley, have spoken with notable unanimity. Cardinal Tobin put it plainly: Pope Leo "will continue to speak clearly against war and other offenses against human dignity and to call for authentic dialogue, because the Church's witness is grounded in the peace of Christ, not in partisan interests." That is episcopal fidelity. What Vance offered was its precise opposite.

The deeper problem is not merely that Vance is wrong about just war. It is the ecclesiological framework he is importing from American Christian nationalism into a tradition that explicitly rejects it. Vance told Fox News that "in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what's going on in the Catholic Church, and let the president of the United States stick to dictating public policy." Let that formulation stand naked for a moment. The pope — who holds a universal pastoral office precisely because the Gospel speaks to every dimension of human life — is being instructed to confine himself to the sacristy, while the president is assigned the role of "dictating" the political world. This is not a Catholic understanding of faith and public life. Catholic Social Teaching from Rerum Novarum onward has always insisted that the Gospel is not a private spiritual comfort but a public moral claim. When Vance tells the pope to stay in his lane, he is not defending Catholic doctrine. He is betraying it.

The deeper problem is not merely that Vance is wrong about just war. It is the ecclesiological framework he is importing from American Christian nationalism into a tradition that explicitly rejects it. Vance told Fox News that "in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what's going on in the Catholic Church, and let the president of the United States stick to dictating public policy." Let that formulation stand naked for a moment. The pope — who holds a universal pastoral office precisely because the Gospel speaks to every dimension of human life — is being instructed to confine himself to the sacristy, while the president is assigned the role of "dictating" the political world. This is not a Catholic understanding of faith and public life. Catholic Social Teaching from Rerum Novarum onward has always insisted that the Gospel is not a private spiritual comfort but a public moral claim. When Vance tells the pope to stay in his lane, he is not defending Catholic doctrine. He is betraying it.

JD Vance's forthcoming book on his Catholic faith is titled Communion. Its cover features a United Methodist church. I do not say this merely to mock. Symbolism matters in Catholic theology, and the symbolism here is telling. A book about Catholic unity, bearing Protestant ecclesial architecture on its cover, written by a man who publicly contradicts the pope on Just War doctrine - this is not communion. This is confusion dressed in piety. Archbishop Coakley said it plainly: "The Pope is not Trump's rival, nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls." Communion, in Catholic theology, is not a feeling of spiritual warmth. It is a participation in the Body of Christ that carries radical obligations — to the poor, the stranger, the enemy, to peace. It is a table the powerful do not preside over. They are guests at it, like everyone else. A seven-year Catholic who tells the pope to watch his theology, while defending an administration that posted an Al image of the president as Jesus Christ and refused to apologize, is not in communion with the tradition he claims to be writing about. He is in communion with power. And that, as Augustine himself understood deeply, is a very different thing.

JD Vance's forthcoming book on his Catholic faith is titled Communion. Its cover features a United Methodist church. I do not say this merely to mock. Symbolism matters in Catholic theology, and the symbolism here is telling. A book about Catholic unity, bearing Protestant ecclesial architecture on its cover, written by a man who publicly contradicts the pope on Just War doctrine - this is not communion. This is confusion dressed in piety. Archbishop Coakley said it plainly: "The Pope is not Trump's rival, nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls." Communion, in Catholic theology, is not a feeling of spiritual warmth. It is a participation in the Body of Christ that carries radical obligations — to the poor, the stranger, the enemy, to peace. It is a table the powerful do not preside over. They are guests at it, like everyone else. A seven-year Catholic who tells the pope to watch his theology, while defending an administration that posted an Al image of the president as Jesus Christ and refused to apologize, is not in communion with the tradition he claims to be writing about. He is in communion with power. And that, as Augustine himself understood deeply, is a very different thing.

A pretty comprehensive takedown of JD Vance by a Catholic priest, Msgr. Arthur Holquin

open.substack.com/pub/liturgya...

1 week ago 224 65 1 10
On January 10, 2022, the Knicks played the San Antonio Spurs at the Garden. It was Pride night. Richards was there, attending with a friend. An 18-page report prepared by Eversole's Threat Management Group and reviewed by WIRED shows just how closely she was being monitored. 07:10:20 // CAM 0241 // scans her ticket to section 102, Row 8, Seat 5 07:11:14 // CAM 1434 // goes up terrace escalators on level 3 to level 6 concourse 07:12:52 // CAM AC10 // hugs usher Appendix A of the report has a screenshot of the embrace, with Richards circled in red. 08:08:58 // CAM 1093 // talking with F&B worker at the Draft Kings Bar 08:10:49 // CAM 0512 // pays for the drinks 08:31:19 // CAM 0485 // eating at a table It goes on and on. At 8:48 pm, camera 0489 spots another quick hug with an MSG “membership experience executive” (there's a grainy photo in the report's Appendix N). Two minutes and two seconds later, the same camera captures her heading into the women's bathroom. Her exit is noted after precisely two minutes and five seconds.

On January 10, 2022, the Knicks played the San Antonio Spurs at the Garden. It was Pride night. Richards was there, attending with a friend. An 18-page report prepared by Eversole's Threat Management Group and reviewed by WIRED shows just how closely she was being monitored. 07:10:20 // CAM 0241 // scans her ticket to section 102, Row 8, Seat 5 07:11:14 // CAM 1434 // goes up terrace escalators on level 3 to level 6 concourse 07:12:52 // CAM AC10 // hugs usher Appendix A of the report has a screenshot of the embrace, with Richards circled in red. 08:08:58 // CAM 1093 // talking with F&B worker at the Draft Kings Bar 08:10:49 // CAM 0512 // pays for the drinks 08:31:19 // CAM 0485 // eating at a table It goes on and on. At 8:48 pm, camera 0489 spots another quick hug with an MSG “membership experience executive” (there's a grainy photo in the report's Appendix N). Two minutes and two seconds later, the same camera captures her heading into the women's bathroom. Her exit is noted after precisely two minutes and five seconds.

The owner of MSG and the Knicks compiled this kind of second-by-second surveillance of a trans woman while they were in the arena. They're doing this at all venues owned by James Dolan of perceived enemies. Crazy, crazy shit.

www.wired.com/story/madiso...

5 days ago 2093 597 82 70
“It’s a couple of things that work beautifully in concert. First: no music. Audiences are so sophisticated, but what they’re not accustomed to is not being told how to feel,” Wyle says. “You take all that out and it forces a level of engagement where you’re now looking for clues within the frame of the screen, which forces you to look up from your phone. And I think that is extremely engaging, especially to young viewers who aren’t accustomed to being asked to participate in a nonpassive way in the viewing experience.

“It’s a couple of things that work beautifully in concert. First: no music. Audiences are so sophisticated, but what they’re not accustomed to is not being told how to feel,” Wyle says. “You take all that out and it forces a level of engagement where you’re now looking for clues within the frame of the screen, which forces you to look up from your phone. And I think that is extremely engaging, especially to young viewers who aren’t accustomed to being asked to participate in a nonpassive way in the viewing experience.

“Second point, shooting it with almost exclusively 50-millimeter or 65-millimeter lenses, which is the most comparable to the human eye—and only shooting from the point of view of a human being that’s present in this space. There are no cameras on gurney wheels going in the hallway. There’s no cameras on the ceiling looking down from a God point of view. You are limited to the perspective of a participant. You can look away, but you can’t leave, and it becomes an endurance test for you to stay on your feet as long as we’re on our feet. Which [brings me to my] third point: real time. Real time has an aggregate sense of tension that you don’t get in any other form of storytelling. What happened before is happening now, and these two things are going to add up to the next thing. And if we throw more ingredients into this cooker and keep ratcheting it up, it’s going to pop.”

“Second point, shooting it with almost exclusively 50-millimeter or 65-millimeter lenses, which is the most comparable to the human eye—and only shooting from the point of view of a human being that’s present in this space. There are no cameras on gurney wheels going in the hallway. There’s no cameras on the ceiling looking down from a God point of view. You are limited to the perspective of a participant. You can look away, but you can’t leave, and it becomes an endurance test for you to stay on your feet as long as we’re on our feet. Which [brings me to my] third point: real time. Real time has an aggregate sense of tension that you don’t get in any other form of storytelling. What happened before is happening now, and these two things are going to add up to the next thing. And if we throw more ingredients into this cooker and keep ratcheting it up, it’s going to pop.”

Wyle makes eye contact for his next point, delivering it with a Robby-esque matter-of-factness. “Fourth point: The election went the other way,” he says with a shrug. “We could have been a really good show with a lot of nice things to say in a perfectly normal Kamala Harris universe. And instead we became almost a beacon of hope and humanity in an alternative universe. But in the midst of that, fifth point—this is essentially competence porn. You’re watching really smart, dedicated people do what only they know how to do at a level that you don’t know how to do it, and you’re so fucking glad that they’re there doing it, and compartmentalizing their own stuff to put your broken pieces back together. You’re so reassured by knowing that there are people out there that laugh and joke and have the ability to lock in like that.”

Wyle makes eye contact for his next point, delivering it with a Robby-esque matter-of-factness. “Fourth point: The election went the other way,” he says with a shrug. “We could have been a really good show with a lot of nice things to say in a perfectly normal Kamala Harris universe. And instead we became almost a beacon of hope and humanity in an alternative universe. But in the midst of that, fifth point—this is essentially competence porn. You’re watching really smart, dedicated people do what only they know how to do at a level that you don’t know how to do it, and you’re so fucking glad that they’re there doing it, and compartmentalizing their own stuff to put your broken pieces back together. You’re so reassured by knowing that there are people out there that laugh and joke and have the ability to lock in like that.”

this is fucking unreal stuff from Noah Wyle on the magic of The Pitt. www.gq.com/story/noah-w...

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ME:

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Call Their Bluff If conservatives really think Orbanism and Trumpism exist within the rules of democracy, then let's hold them to it! (Spoiler: they don't)

The new Trump-apologist line on Orban—“if your entrenched ruling party can lose everything in a wave election, you are not living in an authoritarian state”—is fallacious, factually wrong, and something they provably don’t believe. Unless they’re prepared to abide Trump-style abuses turned on them.

1 week ago 476 108 11 6
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Opinion | The Affordable Car Is Dead. What Happened? (Gift Article) This is how cars got so ridiculously, forbiddingly expensive.

As someone who loves small cars, this was so satisfying! Long live the Econobox www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

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wheeeeeee!

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Disappointed, though not surprised, I began to describe various life- saving components of USAID’s global health portfolio, highlighting how we prepare for and respond to emerging pandemic threats; support the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV; and immunize millions of children from the deadliest childhood diseases. I spoke for about five minutes, focusing primarily on our infectious diseases work and hoping to keep the attention of people who seemed to have no experience—or interest—in global health. When I finished, the room was silent, the political appointees looking at one another in what appeared to be disbelief. The silence was broken by Ken Jackson, who chuckled softly and shook his head. “Wow, there really is so much that USAID does that we never knew,” he said. “This is the story that needs to get out there.” Joel, also smiling, chimed in next, echoing Jackson’s amazement. “I had no idea you did all this,” he said. “As a Republican, when I think of what USAID does in global health, I assumed it was just, you know, abortions.”

Disappointed, though not surprised, I began to describe various life- saving components of USAID’s global health portfolio, highlighting how we prepare for and respond to emerging pandemic threats; support the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV; and immunize millions of children from the deadliest childhood diseases. I spoke for about five minutes, focusing primarily on our infectious diseases work and hoping to keep the attention of people who seemed to have no experience—or interest—in global health. When I finished, the room was silent, the political appointees looking at one another in what appeared to be disbelief. The silence was broken by Ken Jackson, who chuckled softly and shook his head. “Wow, there really is so much that USAID does that we never knew,” he said. “This is the story that needs to get out there.” Joel, also smiling, chimed in next, echoing Jackson’s amazement. “I had no idea you did all this,” he said. “As a Republican, when I think of what USAID does in global health, I assumed it was just, you know, abortions.”

This is NUTS

www.thehandbasket.co/p/trump-usai...

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People will be closely studying how Hungary's opposition pulled off their win in such a pro-incumbent system. Important to note that the theme was corruption. Democrats need to get much better at calling out Trump's corruption.

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A series of posts from journalist Mark Chadbourn reporting on the acceptance speech of Péter Magyar after Hungarian elections: Péter Magyar: "Our country wants to live again. It wants to be a European country again." Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 24m Magyar's speech is powered. From a contact in the audience: "He's basically just asked all the puppets, all the supreme justices, all the heads of media, all the heads of the ministries to leave their jobs tomorrow and not wait to be fired." •.. Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 22m He's announced that Hungary will join the European Prosecution Office so anyone in the country can be charged. Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 21m Magyar: "No mercy, they will need to take responsibility for all their actions." ... Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 20m Magyar says he's starting work with the EU and NATO immediately. "The EU doesn't have to worry anymore."

A series of posts from journalist Mark Chadbourn reporting on the acceptance speech of Péter Magyar after Hungarian elections: Péter Magyar: "Our country wants to live again. It wants to be a European country again." Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 24m Magyar's speech is powered. From a contact in the audience: "He's basically just asked all the puppets, all the supreme justices, all the heads of media, all the heads of the ministries to leave their jobs tomorrow and not wait to be fired." •.. Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 22m He's announced that Hungary will join the European Prosecution Office so anyone in the country can be charged. Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 21m Magyar: "No mercy, they will need to take responsibility for all their actions." ... Mark Chadbourn• @chadbourn.bsky.social • 20m Magyar says he's starting work with the EU and NATO immediately. "The EU doesn't have to worry anymore."

From new Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar's acceptance speech tonight. This is the absolute BARE MINIMUM platform for any Democrat running for President in 2028.

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Yes, you moron, I am pushing the button

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Dear astronauts, are you pushing the right button

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Yaaaaaay chutes
SPLASHDOWN CONFIRMED

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These shots of the chute deployment and splashdown were incredible

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DROGUE CHUTES

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Let’s goooooo! Comms up!

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StoryGraph review of The Antidote by Karen Russell. 4 stars Fiction. Historical. Literary. Magical Realism. Emotional. Mysterious. Reflective. Medium-paced.

StoryGraph review of The Antidote by Karen Russell. 4 stars Fiction. Historical. Literary. Magical Realism. Emotional. Mysterious. Reflective. Medium-paced.

Worth your time for the beautiful imagery and storytelling. Wish more characters, many I found interesting, had resolutions

#BookSky #BooksMark

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Two panel comic. Panel 1: a digital kiosk at the entrance of a parking garage with a dispensed ticket. The screen display reads: PLEASE TAKE TICKET BELOW. Panel 2: a T-Rex is sticking its little arm out the window of its partially opened car door, trying to reach the ticket.

Two panel comic. Panel 1: a digital kiosk at the entrance of a parking garage with a dispensed ticket. The screen display reads: PLEASE TAKE TICKET BELOW. Panel 2: a T-Rex is sticking its little arm out the window of its partially opened car door, trying to reach the ticket.

1 week ago 15855 3095 151 205

the levels of elite impunity we are seeing now and the levels of war crimes we are seeing now are two aspects of the same path of historical development. right now they see war as our problem (and their investment opportunity). it is world historically important that we make war their problem again

2 weeks ago 3187 778 13 15

This pic goes so hard

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It’s been a week #LastFourWatched

2 weeks ago 7 1 0 0
Video

The Orioles were the 1st team in MLB history to win on a walk-off ABS challenge.

Catcher Samuel Basallo wasn't 100% sure it was a strike, but O's still had both remaining.

"So I thought, ‘Why not use it?’" Basallo said via interpreter. "Better to use it and see what happens."

3 weeks ago 49 4 1 4
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Screenshot from the NASA Artemis II launch livestream showing the core stage separation from a camera on the rocket.

Screenshot from the NASA Artemis II launch livestream showing the core stage separation from a camera on the rocket.

What a fucking shot holy shit

3 weeks ago 9640 2616 56 132

Absolutely crazy

3 weeks ago 0 0 0 0

COUNTDOWN AHHH

3 weeks ago 0 1 0 0
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Trump’s Justice Department dropped 23,000 criminal investigations in shift to immigration • Minnesota Reformer The cases included an investigation into a Virginia nursing home with a recent record of patient abuse; probes of fraud involving several New Jersey labor unions, and an investigation into a cryptocur...

The DOJ quietly closed more than 23,000 criminal cases in the first six months of President Donald Trump’s administration, abandoning hundreds of investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime, drugs and other offenses in order to pursue immigration cases. minnesotareformer.com/2026/04/01/t...

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