In this week’s newsletter, we have our song of the week, an Action Alert, and a round-up of our stories.

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

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Our song of the week is — what else? — “THE NAME IS MAMDANI, M-A-M-D-A-N-I.” You can listen to it here or here.

Sadly, I’m sharing the same Action Alert as last week. A Palestinian-American child from Florida, Mohammed Ibrahim, is still being held hostage in Israel’s torture camps. In the early morning hours on February 16, 25-30 Israeli soldiers abducted him from his family’s home in the West Bank. They took him from his bed, and handcuffed and blindfolded him. Mohammed’s family has not seen him since.

Please take action and demand the Trump administration secure his immediate release.

And finally, here’s what we covered this week:

DHS Told Me Fed Agents Wear Masks to Protect Themselves from “Tren de Aragua and MS-13, criminal rings, murderers, and rapists”

Fascists’ Mixtape: Trump Administration Uses Lana Del Rey song in its Halloween Themed Propaganda Video

Popular culture is essential to the Trump administration’s propaganda machine — and the artists who unintentionally power it must demand their work is not used to advance fascism.

ACLU of Georgia Demands Sheriff Address Human Rights Abuses at Clayton County Jail

Conditions are as atrocious today as they were when I first began reporting on the jail in 2023. Just this week, a person detained at the jail wrote to me: “Nothing has changed here. The conditions are still deplorable, no hot water, no lights in the rooms, still having bug problems among all the other issues we spoke about.”

Congressional Candidate Kat Abughazaleh Charged By Feds for Protesting, Says “I’m Not Backing Down”

The Trump administration has repeatedly attempted to intimidate anyone who opposes its fascist agenda. Huge thanks to Truthout for republishing this piece.

DHS Posts Propaganda Video Honoring Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino

The Department of Homeland Security posted the video on the same day a federal judge ordered Bovino to come to court every weekday to report on the day’s activities. Update: WTTW reported yesterday that the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the judge’s order requiring daily check-ins.

White House Posts Propaganda Video Featuring Clips from The Princess Bride, My Cousin Vinny, Parks and Rec

Actors featured in the clips include Amy Poehler, Wallace Shawn, Steve Carrell, Marisa Tomei, and Meryl Streep.

Calls for GameStop Boycott After it Posts AI-Slop Featuring Trump Shaking Hand of Halo Protagonist

Thank you for reading!

Elizabeth

Share The Carceral Report

Happy Saturday and welcome to our new subscribers!

In this week’s newsletter, we have our song of the week, an Action Alert, and a round-up of our stories.

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Our anti-fascist song of the week is Chumbuwumba’s cutting, play-on-repeat, “The Day the Nazi Died.”

Action Alert: This week, I wrote about a Palestinian-American child from Florida, Mohammad Ibrahim, who is being held hostage in Israel’s torture camps. In the early morning hours on February 16, 25-30 Israeli soldiers raided his family’s home in the West Bank, took him from his bed, and handcuffed and blindfolded him. His family has not seen him since.

In September, he spoke with an attorney from Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP) while held captive in an Israeli torture camp and said he is barely fed and only allowed outside for 40 minutes a day.

Please take action to call on the Trump administration to demand his immediate release.

A quick note on helping to support The Carceral Report

It appears my social media posts have had less visibility since the start of the genocide. It would be a huge help to this little start-up if you could share our stories and encourage your friends to subscribe — which is free!

I’d also like to thank our friends at Truthout for republishing several of TCR’s stories – I am so grateful for their support!

Now onto this week’s news:

NJ Attorney General Says DOJ’s Plan to “Monitor Polling Sites” in Passaic County is “Highly Inappropriate”

Yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it will “monitor polling sites” in Passaic County, New Jersey, and five California counties — Kern Riverside, Fresno, Orange, and Los Angeles.

State Sen. Julia Salazar Calls for Prosecutions of ICE Officers Who Assault New Yorkers

“If an ICE officer assaults a New Yorker, that officer must be arrested and prosecuted by state and local authorities,” she wrote in a statement posted on X.

US Attorney’s Office Threatens Lawmakers Who Say Federal Agents Can Be Prosecuted Under State Laws

On Thursday, Deputy Attorney General (and former Trump attorney) Todd Blanche posted on X: “California politicians want to arrest federal agents for enforcing federal law. We just sent them a letter: Stand down or face prosecution. No one threatens our agents. No one will stop us from Making America Safe Again.”

Thank you to Truthout for republishing this story.

DHS Secretary Says Dems’ ICE Misconduct Tracker Will Be a “Pipeline” That Funnels Info to “Domestic Terrorists”

“Let’s call this what it is: a pipeline that will funnel information on American law enforcement directly into the hands of anarchists, domestic terrorists, and cartel members,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X.

Palestinian-American Child Hostage Tells of Horrific Conditions Inside Israeli Torture Camp

Mohammad Ibrahim, a U.S. citizen, says he’s barely fed, only permitted outside for 40 minutes a day, and kept in an overcrowded room.

Cuomo’s Social Media Manager Posted Video of Himself Posing As Mamdani Canvasser

A video of primary loser Andrew Cuomo’s social media manager posing as a Zohran Mamdani canvasser is making the rounds on X. Some say the stunt may violate the law.

Federal Agents in Chicago Used an Unmarked Van with New Jersey License Plates to Abduct a US Citizen

In response to a records request for any contracts, memorandums, and agreements between the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) and DHS, MVC said, “no documents responsive to this request are made, maintained, recorded, or on file with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.”

Spurred by Right-Wing Attacks on Rutgers Professor, University Senate Passes Resolution in Support of Academic Freedom

History Professor Mark Bray, author of “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” says he relocated his family to Europe after receiving death threats.

Thank you to our friends at Truthout for republishing this story.

That’s it for this week — thank you for reading!
Elizabeth

If you’d like to submit a song for consideration, please email thecarceralreport@substack.com!

If you’re attending a No Kings protest this weekend, send us photos of your favorite signs! If you can’t attend a protest, make a sign and send us a photo of it! We’ll publish them next week.

Some good news for your soul: Mamdani absolutely wrecked Cuomo at the mayoral debate last night. Some clips are here.

Below is a round-up of what we published this week — thanks for reading and please share our stories, if you’d like!

DHS Announces People Will Be Charged $1,000 If They Are Granted Permission to Enter or Stay in US Under Certain Programs

On Thursday, October 16, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that, effective today, it will charge people $1,000 who are granted a type of legal authorization — known as parole — to enter or stay in the United States.

UN, International Criminal Court Asked to Investigate Murder of Palestinian Journalist Saleh Aljafarawi (Thank you to our friends at Truthout for republishing this piece.)

On Monday, October 13, legal representatives for murdered Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi filed complaints and demands for investigations with the International Criminal Court and multiple UN committees and special rapporteurs.

Palestinian Healthcare Workers Among Hostages Released from Israeli Torture Camps (Thank you to our friends at Truthout for republishing this piece.)

Of the 55 healthcare workers held hostage in Israel’s torture camps who were listed for release on Monday, Israeli soldiers abducted 44 from the hospitals where they were working; one person from an organized convoy to transfer patients through Israel-designated “safe routes”; and one person during a rescue mission.

The Fascists’ Mixtape

Taylor Swift. Full House. Spongebob. Zach Bryan. Rihanna. Pokémon.

What do all these things have in common?

The Trump administration used their music, images, or both in propaganda videos.

Cuomo Rants Against Socialism on X

The replies were mostly negative, but an AI generated comment from an AI-generated account run by an AI comms group praised the primary loser.

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Last week, I thought a lot about what it could mean for sources, especially vulnerable ones, and organizations, to be affiliated with a publication called The ACAB Report.

Would it be used against an interview subject in a court hearing as evidence that they hate cops? Would it hurt someone running a progressive primary challenge? Would organizations decline to provide statements or interviews because they don’t believe ACAB? Would an interview subject feel duped because they didn’t know what ACAB means and now they’re affiliated with something they don’t agree with?

As the week went on and I thought more about it, I decided I’d be most comfortable with changing the name.

And so I introduce to you The Carceral Report. Same reporting. Different name. Less anxiety for yours truly. :) (Just kidding, I always have anxiety about something.)

Thanks again for reading.

Elizabeth

If you’d like to submit a song for consideration, please reply to this email!

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Below is a round-up of what we published this week:

Texas Court Stops Execution of Innocent Man on Death Row

Robert Roberson was convicted and sentenced to death for killing his daughter, a crime that never occurred.

Rutgers Unions Come Out in Support of Their Colleague Targeted by Turning Point

“Silence in the face of these assaults will only embolden the far right,” the professors’ unions said in a statement.

Family of Veteran Who Died by Suicide in a LA County Jail Sues Sheriff’s Office

An investigation by the Los Angeles Public Press revealed that deputies were allegedly watching videos when they were supposed to be conducting welfare checks.

Civil Rights Groups Ask Court to Release Recent High School Grad Abducted by ICE

Carlos Guerra Leon is currently being detained in Louisiana, more than a thousand miles from his home in New York.

Lawmakers Who Received AIPAC, J Street Money Demand Release of Flotilla Volunteers

“The U.S. has an obligation to protect its citizens abroad and must act immediately,” they wrote in a letter to the State Department.

ACLU Asks Supreme Court to Reject Trump’s Bid to Enforce Anti-Trans Passport Policy

“I thought that 18 years after transitioning, I would be able to live my life in safety and ease,” one plaintiff said.

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Thanks again for subscribing!
Elizabeth