USDC Judge Cummings In Chicago Orders DHS To "Find" A Pair Of Brothers It Deported, To Outside The US, And If They Wish, "Return Them And Set Them Free" Here In Chicago...

[

It is clear that DHS, and /or ICE procured these two men's deportations by fraud. [They are likely two brothers.]

Thus, while I will not show their names -- if you know of them -- let them know they are free to return to Chicago (to their families here -- on the federal dime), and ICE cannot re-arrest them. They are free to travel the USA now. Here's the latest order this morning -- in part (I will keep an archive of the PDF, on/in my web-server, anonymized -- but not release it here, as these fine person's names should be kept strictly private):

. . .With respect to M.T.-P. (AXXX) and V.T.-P. (AXYX), who were previously removed from the United States, defendants shall continue to work to secure their return to the United States. As stated on the record, when these two individuals are returned to the United States, defendants are ordered to facilitate their immediate release on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release as specified in Section IV(E)(2) of the Decree, (Dckt. #155-1 at 9). . . .

For any of the additional above individuals that remain detained, defendants are ordered to facilitate their immediate release on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release as specified in Section IV(E)(2) of the Decree, (Dckt. #155-1 at 9), by no later than 12:00 p.m. CT on October 30, 2026. With respect to those individuals who have already been released, but on bond and with conditions, defendants must take action to refund any bonds and remove all conditions on or before 10:00 a.m. CT on October 30, 2026. Defendants shall file a certification by 5:00 p.m. CT on November 3, 2026, that all individuals have been released on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release as required by Section IV(E)(2) of the Consent Decree. This certification shall include a certification regarding J.A.-Q. (AYYY). . . .

What a gaggle of lawless, malign idiots Trump has working for him at ICE and DHS here in the Chi. Dammit -- it is just costing all US taxpayers. . . billions of extra dollars, too.

नमस्ते

Mpox Update: Now 18 in 2026 in Pakistan -- With One Fatality.

It seems some appreciable Mpox viral outbreak will be. . . endemic -- at least in several select locales across the globe -- always, henceforth.

It will be a constant background drum-beat -- and it did not have to be this way. [Ref.: USAID slashings.]

News.AZ has the latest tallies, here:

. . .Four new cases of mpox have been reported in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bringing the total number of infections in the province to 18, the provincial health department said on Tuesday.

Peshawar, the provincial capital, has reported the highest number of cases, with five infections, while one death from the disease has been recorded so far, the department said, Xinhua reported.

[Members of high risk communities -- primarily sex workers and men who have sex with other men -- should consider getting a prophylactic vaccine, available in country from Bavarian Nordic.]

Symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, body aches and skin rashes or blisters. . . .

If untreated, the virus can lead to long-term debilitating conditions, or even be fatal, in people with compromised immune systems. Onward.

नमस्ते

Officially, Over 10,000 Bundibugyo Ebola Cases; Actual Totals: Likely Double That -- With ~48% Mortality Rate.

This is very grim. The globe's fastest ever Ebola outbreak spread has reached 10,000 souls -- with nearly half of them already dead.

And, the "but for" cause of these cases and deaths? It is mostly. . . Trump and Musk. Dammit. Here's that, from Aljazeera:

. . .Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have surpassed 10,000 as the outbreak continues to spread across the country and beyond its borders.

Government data released on Tuesday put confirmed cases at 10,060 and deaths at 4,887. . . .

It is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the country’s history and nearly half of the 10,060 confirmed to have the virus have died, according to data from the DRC’s Ministry of Public Health. That also makes it the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the country’s history.

With cases also mounting outside the DRC, the wider outbreak is also the second-largest and second-deadliest on record, trailing only the 2014-2016 West African epidemic, which saw 28,600 infected and more than 11,000 dead within two years. . . .

And as we've long explained, the actual totals may easily already be 80% higher than the official on the record marks. Dammit -- all largely avoidable. [And go get it, in PT, Steve-o!]

नमस्ते

A Vast IPO That Admits… Its Success May Well Utterly Obliterate The Human Race -- And All Societies, As We Now Know Them. Charming.

The below are truthful statements, out of the very mouths of these founders of Anthropic, the AI IPO darling in the making -- at the moment. It is wildly highly levered, from a financial point of view (think: risk of a sinking ship, with AI running rogue -- what will it NOT do, to preserve itself?) -- and the entire crew seems to be unaware -- of their own cognitive and operational limitations.

My only real comment is. . . "What is wrong with kids, these days?!" Heh. [Didn't any of them see the "Terminator" series of movies?]

Here's the prospectus in red herring form:

. . .There are four broad categories of risk: misuse, loss of control, authoritarian abuse, and economic disruption.

Al can be misused by those who wish to do harm, for example to conduct cyberattacks or to design biological weapons. We have strict guardrails and trusted access programs that are designed to block misuse of our technology while still enabling positive applications. We regularly shut down attempts to misuse our models, report them to law enforcement when appropriate, and endeavor to transparently disclose them to the public.

Al may also behave autonomously in ways we (and our users) do not intend -- as illustrated by recent high-profile cybersecurity incidents. Losing control of sufficiently powerful Al systems could be a global security threat of the first order. Anthropic has pioneered a number of methods for improving the control of our Al systems. These include mechanistic interpretability, which allows us to look inside Al models and try to understand how they behave, and constitutional training, which allows us to train Al models to act in line with a specific written document -- Claude's constitution. We also publish model system cards that run to hundreds of pages, designed to give the public visibility into our progress on model safety. It has long been our practice to disclose incidents and publish research findings that help mitigate against this risk across the industry.

Authoritarian governments may use Al to create high-tech surveillance states, deepen repression, and make themselves much more difficult to dislodge. We are committed to working with free societies to provide a counterweight to authoritarian abuse and to promote freedom and democracy.

Finally, the incredible economic value of Al may come with economic disruption, similar to what has happened with previous technologies but greater in magnitude. We are committed to studying this disruption-we maintain an economic index that provides aggregated information about Claude's usage across the economy, and our researchers build macroeconomic models to predict the possible future impact of AI. We also suspect more radical actions will be needed and have already committed $200 million to partner with governments to run studies on different ways of responding to changes in the economy. We do this to find evidence about which types of interventions are effective, so that if society does encounter economic disruption, we will have helped build and de-risk the right tools to use in the response.

We expect to scale up this funding significantly in the future. We consider it our personal responsibility to help the world understand these risks, to prevent or mitigate them when they arise from our Al models, and to work with governments and the rest of the industry to address them at a societal level. . . .

Look -- I am an avowed capitalist, technologist and believer in scientific progress. But I still think there are some times (exceedingly rare cases where). . . we ought not trust a gaggle of about 25 year old MBAs from the elites to have an unchecked free hall pass.

And this is. . . one of them. See -- "Oppenheimer" -- or T2. Out.

नमस्ते

CA Gov. Newsom Wins In The 9th Cir. -- Tangerine 2.0 Cannot "Federalize" The CA Natl. Guard, In Immigration Enforcement Matters...

Not at all surprising, and consistent with similar prior appellate decisions in Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Colorado.

I mention it because many of the people of this nation (going into these mid-terms) justifiably fear that Trump will militarize the various arms of the nation, and roll troops when (not if) he suffers wide losses in national politics, in the next two weeks. We must be ready to enjoin that the moment it starts -- as it too finds no basis in law or fact. Resist, resist. . . Resist:

. . .The panel denied Defendants’ motion to dismiss the appeal in Case No. 25-3727—Defendants’ appeal of the district court’s injunction against the initial federalization and deployment of the California National Guard -- for three reasons:

(1) the appeal of the initial-federalization injunction is not moot where a decision on the merits would provide relief to the State by preventing federalization of the California National Guard under similar circumstances in the future,

(2) the court and the parties have already invested substantial time in the appeal, and

(3) exercising discretion against dismissal would curtail strategic behavior and prevent a party from manipulating the formation of precedent by dismissing those proceedings that may lead to an adverse decision. . . .

Now you know. Onward, on a cloud dappled crisp and cool Fall day. Smile.

नमस्ते

FINALLY! Mr. Obama Takes The Gloves OFF, In His Criticism Of Tangerine 2.0. Excellent!

As a general rule, I am not fond of unduly negative, and ad hominem attacks in political campaigns. But we have reached a point in the hell-scape that is Tangerine 2.0 (all as enabled by regular GOP members) that the only way to break through the criminally-corrupt lying. . . is to eviscerate the whole crew -- in acerbic wit.

And this great man -- finally -- is just the perfect person to do it. He holds vast credibility for being honest, even about his own failings, four and three terms ago. These attack rallies will result in a blue tsunami. Excellent -- here's a generally unbiased non-US paper, on it all:

. . .Obama condemned critics of Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, suggesting that they’re using his name or his faith to tear him down.

“We have seen this movie before. I starred in it,” Obama told a packed high school gym in Detroit. “I’ve got a long-form birth certificate to prove it.”

“Abdul is as Michigan as it gets,” he added. . . .

Mr. Obama said never had a president “excel so wildly at just straight-up grifting.” And he cast Mr. Trump as disconnected from Americans’ needs, engrossed instead by White House renovation projects. . . .

[And later:] “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovation,” Obama quipped. “He should be on HGTV.” He went on: “There’s gold everywhere. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”

The former Democratic president acknowledged that the nation has Trump for another two years, until his term ends. But voters are not stuck with Trump’s allies, he said.

“We’re not stuck with a spineless Congress and Republican governors who are handling lawlessness and carelessness and cruelty and indifference for working people,” Obama said. “After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence. . . you get a chance to say enough is enough. . . .”

Now you know. Let us do what is needed. . . to end this long night -- of madness. Go vote. Onward.

नमस्ते

Stick A Fork In It… Thanks To Commenters!

Per our excellent commenter / follower team, that highly unethical Hep B "denial" trial against Ethiopian newborns -- will now not go forward.

The Guardian (UK) has it all, here:

. . .“The solution is clear here: take the money and vaccinate as many kids as you can,” said Paul Offit, a vaccines expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who sharply criticized the proposed study as unethical. . . .

[The Ackman backed] hypothesis was “fanciful” because the hepatitis B vaccine is a single protein among billions encountered by the immune system each day, Offit said.

[T]here is a very clear benefit to giving the vaccine to babies as soon as possible, because of high rates of hepatitis B in the country and the possibility of lifelong illness and death from infection. . . .

Now you know. Buffs up by one at the half (since obliterated in second half); and five more local Emmies so far tonight (more chances to come). Woot!

नमस्ते

A SECOND Death in Kenya From Bundibugyo; Now Nigeria, Also?

Other reports suggest cases now in Nigeria. This is. . . terribly troubling public health news.

Here is the Beeb report, overnight:

. . .Kenya has recorded its second death from Ebola as it handles its first ever outbreak of the disease.

A woman, aged 65, who was a close family member of the first victim, a man who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, died after being placed in quarantine, the health ministry.

Seven other Ebola patients were receiving treatment at two isolation facilities, it added. . . .

Sheesh -- and, yikes. And I am still pretty much out of sorts working my way back into things here in the city of big shoulders. . . .

नमस्ते

The Upcoming Schedule -- In The DC Suit Challenging DOGE/Tangerine 2.0's Lawless Gutting Of Congressionally Mandated USAID Funding...

This litigation is slowly working its way toward a resolution in favor of the agencies that lost funding in violation of applicable law.

Here's the latest from the able USDC Judge:

. . .[T]he parties jointly propose the following schedule for resolving the pending motion for partial summary judgment:

▲ November 9, 2026: Defendants supplement the administrative record

▲ November 19, 2026: The parties submit supplemental briefs. Briefs shall be limited to a maximum of 10 pages

▲ December 2, 2026: The parties submit responses, if any, to the supplemental briefs. . . .

Second, the parties jointly propose the following schedule for resolving the nondismissed claims in the third amended complaint not at issue in Plaintiffs’ pending summary judgment motion:

▲ December 23, 2026: Defendants produce administrative record

▲ January 25, 2027, Plaintiffs file motion for summary judgment

▲ February 24, 2027: Defendants file opposition and cross-motion

▲ March 10, 2027: Plaintiffs file combined reply and opposition to cross-motion

▲ March 24, 2027: Defendants file reply on cross-motion. . . .

Now you know -- flying back to Colorado very early tomorrow morning -- thus, off grid for three days -- while seeing my baby bro in the ICU/spinal cord injury rehab. Ugh.

नमस्ते

Brett Shumate Has Again Appealed A Clearly Correct Order In LA -- One Requiring That He Treat Children As... Human Beings. Damn.

Again, one of the oldest immigrants' rights federal class actions (in active litigation since 1985!) is going up to the Ninth Circuit on appeal. AGAIN. The Ninth ought to dismiss the appeal, summarily -- without briefing. It is crystal clear that the MAGA AUSAs are simply dragging their feet -- at Stephen Miller's (and Trump's) direction.

Specifically, the latest order would appoint a neutral expert to look after the rights and welfare of children in the various border detention facilities (many now privately run for profit, and owned by Trump cronies!) -- to be certain that the United States government (through these for-profit contracts) is not engaging in crimes against humanity. And we know it is.

Children as young as seven(!), who do not speak any English -- have been sent into immigration/administrative courts alone, without ANY counsel of record. And then a bureaucrat aligned with the MAGA agenda rules against them, from the bench -- simply because they cannot/do not respond with cogent legal arguments -- in English. Then they are dumped on the Mexican side of the border, alone (even if that is not where they came from).

This is deplorable. It MUST end. Here is the Shumate appeal, in full -- filed Friday:

. . .Defendants hereby appeal from two orders dated August 17, 2026, and entered on the docket on August 18, 2026:

(1) In Chambers—Order Discharging Order to Show Cause [1794] and Appointing Special Master and Independent Monitor, ECF No. 1827; and

(2) Order RE Appointment of Special Master and Independent Monitor, ECF No. 1828.

Dated: October 16, 2026. . . .

Now you know. Ugly. Fugly, actually.

नमस्ते

Nairobi, Kenya Now Has Seen EIGHT Cases Of Bundibugyo / Ebola -- Was One, Only A Week Ago...

Without USAID preventative public health funding on the ground, we will certainly see more deaths in Kenya -- just as we've seen in DRC, Ituri province. Damnation.

What is wrong with Musk and Trump? Are they stupid, or just evil? Or. . . both? In any event, here is the latest, from Reuters reporting:

. . .Kenya has confirmed one more ​Ebola case, bringing the total number of ‌infections in the country to eight, Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said on Sunday.

"Today, 38 people were tested, and one ​tested positive for Ebola," Amoth said in an ​interview on Kenya's Citizen TV. . . .

Amoth said the new case was a patient attendant who cleaned utensils and linens, and he was probably exposed to Kenya's first Ebola case, discovered earlier this month, in a man who travelled from Democratic Republic of Congo to Nairobi and died at a ‌Nairobi ⁠ hospital on October 5. . . .

Now you know. Disgustingly. . . avoidable.

Back to Colo. in one more day, by jet -- to check on my baby bro. . . . onward.

नमस्ते

Hera Is Putting On The Brakes, As She Gets Closer To... The Binary Asteroids At Didymos

We will post some good karma tonight -- awaiting some binary news of our own, tomorrow. We hope.

As to the mission, this is all a perfect follow up to our DART mission of a few years back [imaged in the above masthead graphic]. Here's the latest, from ESA.int's Hera blog:

. . .Currently flying relative to Earth at a speed of more than 12 kilometres per second, Hera has been moving like a race car changing lanes, first crossing Mars orbit and now closing in on the orbit of the Didymos binary asteroids. . . .

[I]n order to come close to matching the velocity of its targets, Hera must now perform some serious braking. . . .

Early on Thursday 15 October, Hera rotated around so that its ring of Orbit Control Thrusters faced towards the Didymos system. Three of these hydrazine-based thrusters were ignited at once, burning continuously for a total of 93 minutes, to reduce Hera’s velocity relative to the asteroids by a few hundred metres per second. . . .

“At this point the really hard work starts for us: we will use Hera’s GNC (guidance, navigation and control) sensor outputs via the telemetry we receive plus ranging and Doppler data embedded in the signal itself to assess that the direction and magnitude of the braking matches the anticipated change in ‘delta-v’. . . .”

Following a busy few days of checks and calculations, the telecommand sequence for a second shorter braking manoeuvre, BRM-2, will be uplinked to Hera to be implemented on the early morning of Thursday 22 October. This second approximately 31 minute thruster burn should complete most of the Delta-V required to match the velocity of the Didymos system, at the same time compensating for any misperformance in the BRM-1. . . .

Now you know -- grinning, just the same. Out -- to build more of the haunted house, for the kids.

नमस्ते

[U: 10.26.2026] A Good Doc — On A Notorious Health Care Fraudster…

Updated: I still haven't found time to see it (3 plus hours!) but my brilliant adult middle son saw it, and said it is a very complex telling of the couple's psychology/psychosis, inter se. He was repulsed at points, but said in some ways, near the end -- he almost felt sorry for Elizabeth. . . in part.

Of course, I will enter the theater with the prior burden of having read literally every filing in every court related to these cases -- and so, I am 100% certain she intentionally defrauded mostly wealthy people out of billions, and actually put ordinary Americans at risk -- on life or death health decisions. I may be sympathetic to her having a mental disease or defect. . . but I will not let her slide, because each moment ALSO involved making a choice -- an unlawful choice, in almost every case. As to Billy Evans, I will wait to see if he was just chasing her derivative fame -- or if he intends a new criminal enterprise as he "relaunches" what he is calling "Blood Flower". Yikes. [Here is another of my prior posts, on Mr. Evans' supposed relaunch.] End, updated portion.

Welp — my guess is that this will be a pretty good (and a pretty unflinching) look at her self-delusions, and her crimes. . . as well as the fecklessness of her baby daddy's billionaire "entitlements".

Headed to see it tonight (unless it is sold out). If it is sold out, I likely won’t get to see it for a few weeks:

नमस्ते

Getting Ready For Next Week's Martian Moons Mission, From The Tanegashima Space Center, In Japan...

Forget Elon Musk's supposed flying roadster.

And all his endless bluster / hype.

[And his knee-capping this week, of Ukraine defense efforts, by bandwidth-limiting access to his Starlink network, for Ukraine military forces, while allowing all others (specifically, Russian special forces and spies!?) full access. Pig.]

Here is real science. Mostly the opposite of Elon's BS.

Real Martian space science -- for next week, out of JAXA:



Have an excellent weekend, one and all.

नमस्ते

MAGA US Atty. [Chicago] Andrew Boutros Will Have His Personal "Manifesto Moment" -- In USDC Judge Kness' Big Shoulders Courtroom -- But Then He'll Be... Bounced.

Well, this is a waste of our taxpayers' money. The MAGA US Atty. / Fed. team must also prove that they cleared the statute of limitations. [Here's his stupid manifesto; I won't quote it -- as it cites no remotely relevant cases, and simply barks political talking points.]

Just like the private whyte crisis actor plaintiffs, the government cannot make that showing. The time to complain ended in 2023, because the program was final and making awards by 2021. Game over. But whatever. See ya', in about six months, lying US Atty. Andrew Boutros.

. . .MINUTE entry before the Honorable John F. Kness:

In-person status hearing held on 10/15/2026. For the reasons stated on the record and that will be memorialized in an opinion to be entered by separate order, the Government's motion to intervene [148] is granted.

The Government is directed to file the complaint in intervention as a separate docket entry on or before 10/23/2026. The parties are directed to meet and confer as to Defendant's motion to bifurcate discovery [45].

A continued telephonic status hearing is set for 10/29/2026 at 11:00 A.M. The parties are to use the following call-in number: 1-855-XXX-XXXX, Access Code: 2315 XXX XXXX. The public and media representatives may have access to the hearing via the same number. Audio recording of the hearing is not permitted; violations of this prohibition may result in sanctions. Participants are directed to keep their device muted when they are not speaking. . . .

Separately, do go read all of this, from Amy Howe at SCOTUSBlog. Phenomenal coverage.

Onward, on a gray Friday -- but keeping a good thought for my baby bro. . . sad smile.

नमस्ते

TX Gov. Abbott Allowed To Intervene In Razor Wire Cases... Over The Objection Of His Own AG...?!

So. . . the MAGA kids are fighting among themselves. The MAGA Governor doesn't feel the collusive federal settlement terms from Trump are favorable enough to him, in Texas. Or more likely,he is balking at Texas taxpayers footing the bill for injuries his own installation of razor wire caused on the Rio Grande. He likely expects the feds will pay, since it is likely that Tangerine 1.0 (toward the end) ordered it.

I dunno. I just find it so dearly. . . precious when these MAGA loons fight one another. [Cough -- AG Ken Paxton much?] The wiser, more clear thinking majority of America looks on -- and sees. . . only a flailing criminal enterprise. Trust that. Here's the order, from clear thinking USDC Chief Judge Alia Moses in Del Rio Texas, overnight:

. . .The Court ordered this case to proceed forward by setting deadlines for relevant discovery and briefing. Governor Abbott then filed a brief on behalf of the state of Texas explaining why absent the Governor's approval of any resulting settlement agreement between the United States and Texas would be unauthorized and unenforceable. The Plaintiffs, represented by the Attorney General of the state of Texas, then filed a Motion to Strike contending that the Governor has no independent statutory or constitutional authority to represent Texas in this case. . . .

It is hereby ORDERED that Governor Abbott is hereby added as a plaintiff-interyenor, and a party, in this matter.

SIGNED and ENTERED on this l4th day of October 2026. . . .

Hilarious. And Trump hired a press secretary who falsely claimed she holds a lawyers' license out of the Peoples Republic of China. Of course, there is no bar exam any foreign national may take or pass to be admitted in. . . China. Her ability to make up wholly stupid lies, though make her a perfect fit for Trump's mouthpiece. She understands her. . . assignment.

And separately, do consider what tales the former ambassador to Greece is getting ready to tell. [I think this ship has been cannon-shot, below the water line.] Yikes.

नमस्ते

The Plaintiffs In The Federal DHS/ICE Abuses Class Action In Chicago Now Have Access To The Materials Discovered In The Analogous LA Version Of This Litigation.

Just as we predicted, the people abused and injured by DHS/ICE/Bovino, in and around the Windy City. . . now are seeing all the documents and footage of what are doubtlessly similar abuses from that prior summer (2025) in and around LA.

While these are all separate suits, they point to patteren lawlessness -- which was encouraged and directed from the top of the federal government. Those in turn consititute. . . felonies by Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, Greg Bovino And Donald Trump. When the Democrats control both chambers after November 2026 -- these folks should be impeached, and in the case of ex-officials. . . indicted and jailed.

These were and are crimes against our fellow Americans -- under official policies specifically designed to thwart and abuse the protections of lawful authority:

. . .In conformance with the Court’s directive during hearing on October 8, 2026, Defendants hereby give notice of the filing of Defendants’ responses and objections to Plaintiffs’ discovery requests in Vasquez Perdomo v. Mullin, 25-cv-05605 (C.D. Cal.). . . .

Now you know -- on a gray rainy Wednesday -- but we are smiling just the same. . . [and keeping a good thought that my brother depicted above with the camera and at left, will one day be able to walk again].

नमस्ते

Supremes To Assess CREW v. DOGE FOIA Compliance (Again)…

Today, the Supremes agreed to once again weigh in on the contours of the Freedom of Information Act -- as it might apply to a non-agency (just a rogue band of thugs / vigilantes, actually) that Trump created out of whole cloth -- and told Elon Musk to lord over. All of that, without any Congressional budget authority -- nor creation of agency level federal offices/branches.

That statement alone should (in saner times) end this case in favor of CREW, but given that Alito and Thomas still sit on the court -- it likely won't.

Do go read SCOTUSblog and Amy Howe -- she has the best write-up I've seen on the topic:

. . .CREW urged the justices to deny review. It argued that in formulating the new discovery order, the D.C. Circuit had “followed this Court’s instructions” in its earlier ruling on the interim docket “to the letter.” Instead, it contended, the government was seeking “to transform this Court’s carefully crafted stay-stage order into a sweeping ruling that Cheney effectively forecloses discovery in this case. That is not what this Court said,” CREW insisted, “and, especially after remand, this case looks nothing like Cheney. . . .”

Now you know. A tough day here.

नमस्ते

[U: FTC Moves To Seal?!] Just As We Said They Would... The US FTC Sued Martin Shkreli -- Again. Along With Several State AGs, Joining. Hilarious -- They Will Win.

UPDATED: 10.14.2026 -- apparently the FTC staffers have moved to seal the 42 page memo of law. It makes sense that the exhibits to the memo would be sealed [for ID info, etc. of the various govt. witnesses], but FTC itself posted the memo's 42 pages on its public website [with very minor redactions], when it announced this filing -- just a day ago. So that link will remain -- the feds cannot seal what they chose to press release, after all. Fair is fair -- and I will note that most of the original FTC order by USDC Judge Cote in 2022 prohibited trying to influence the management of a pharma company, or work for one -- in a policy role.

He was however, prohibited from manipulative stock TRADING (in any public company) by the SEC orders long ago entered in Brooklyn, before USDC Judge Kiko Matsumoto. So this may yet have a few twists and turns. That said, the FTC does offer a transcript of his under oath deposition which we mentioned here. It must be assumed he lied, back then, to the FTC. End, update.

Most here will recall that we have closely followed the criminal travails of Martin Shkreli for over 12 years -- mostly at another property of ours -- and updated, from time to time here, as well. Today's developments will mean he is essentially completely broke -- again, at a minimum. [All his stock trades in the life sciences will be forfeited, without accounting for any potential offsetting losses.]

Moreover, as I directly and clearly predicted several times (see here), the FTC has had enough of his violating his lifetime pharma bans. They have sued him in front of USDC Judge Cote in Manhattan -- for contempt of court, overnight. Here's the 42 page memo of law -- supporting the short motion in full -- and a bit from CNBC (interspersed with snippets from the FTC memo of law):

. . .In addition to the FTC, the states that joined Tuesday’s court filing are New York, California, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The filing asks the judge to order Shkreli’s sister, Leonora Izerne, and his “significant other, Chelsea Voss,” to preserve all evidence relating to potential violations of the injunction against Shkreli because both women “appear to have assisted or be assisting Shkreli in violating the Permanent Injunction. . . .”

“After a full trial, the court found that Martin Shkreli’s conduct drove up prescription drug costs for American patients and blocked the entry of lower-cost generics,“Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The motion alleges that, while livestreaming his trades in pharmaceutical industry stocks, Shkreli told his viewers “I’m showing you how to trade and invest in biotech.” The motion further alleges that, in another livestream, Shkreli confessed his “magic trick”: “It doesn’t matter what trades I make because I can always find a couple of biotech stocks to smoke.” As alleged in the motion, Shkreli used his livestreams to wage multiple public campaigns to short certain pharmaceutical company stocks based on his prediction that their key clinical trials would fail.

In their contempt filing, the FTC and its co-plaintiff states ask the court for an order to show cause why Shkreli should not be held in civil contempt for violating the lifetime ban imposed by the court and ultimately to issue civil sanctions to force Shkreli to comply with the terms of the court’s 2022 injunction.

In September 2024, Shkreli bragged to his viewers that “[t]he last time I shorted a stock, I made $20 million bucks, it was called Vital Therapies . . . . I made a similar amount of money in Celadon. I mean, you can look at my track record of public shorts. . . . It’s very good in biopharma only.” In September 2025, Shkreli declared himself “the GOAT of binary events. . . .”

“When judgment is entered by a court, whether it’s a settlement or an order following a trial, defendants must fulfill their obligations,” Guarnera said. “Today’s action should serve as notice that the FTC will not hesitate to enforce violations of court orders. . . .”

Finally, "because Shkreli’s sister, Leonora Izerne, and significant other, Chelsea Voss, appear to have assisted or be assisting Shkreli in violating the Permanent Injunction (by, for example, or funding Shkreli’s trading), we ask the Court to instruct Izerne and Voss as well as Shkreli to preserve all evidence relating to potential violations of the Permanent Injunction. . . ."

Welp. Yeh -- the guy simply is incapable of believing that the laws we all agree to live by. . . actually apply to him. They do -- and if he's not very careful now -- he's likely to be going back to jail.

नमस्ते

East Bay V: Statement Of Contested Issues, In USDC ND CA

Geez. What a messed up agency ICE is at the moment. The below details the federal violations, against the rights of the people -- primarily, to find out what the feds are doing in our name and with our tax dollars. Sheesh.

Here is all seven pages of that (as a pdf file) -- and a bit:

. . .Plaintiffs’ prayer for relief asks this Court to (1) declare that Defendant United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has violated FOIA by failing to make a timely determination regarding Plaintiffs’ request for expedited processing, and by failing to grant Plaintiffs a waiver of all fees associated with its FOIA request; (2) declare that each Defendant has violated FOIA by failing to make a timely determination regarding Plaintiffs’ FOIA request and by failing to produce responsive documents; (3) order each Defendant to respond to Plaintiffs’ FOIA request by a date or dates certain and to search for and produce responsive records on an expedited basis; (4) order Defendant United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to grant Plaintiffs a waiver of all fees associated with their FOIA request; and (5) award Plaintiffs their reasonable costs and attorney fees. . . .

Now you know. Onward -- these jamokes are mostly crooks. . . .

नमस्ते