The Hound | Feb. 11

Hi there,

It’s Wednesday. Analilia Mejia, a progressive backed by AOC and Bernie Sanders, won an incredibly close primary in a special election to fill a seat vacated by the new Governor, Mikie Sherrill. Mejia beat out former Congressman Tom Malinowski, a former Lt. Governor of New Jersey, and the party machine’s hand-picked candidate — her central message was taking on ICE. The ACLU is taking on ICE tactics in a new lawsuit, attempting to hold the agency accountable for violating civil rights. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s politically-motivated attempt to indict sitting members of Congress failed with a grand jury refusing to indict over the video the members of Congress filmed telling military members to defy illegal orders.

When even everyday Americans serving on a grand jury refuse to go along with an attempted indictment because it appears politically motivated, that should be a five-alarm fire for democracy. Grand jurors are not partisan pundits—they are ordinary citizens asked to weigh evidence. If they see a case as political overreach, the press should not hesitate to say so plainly. When media outlets reduce clear signs of political weaponization to “controversy” or “dispute,” they obscure what is at stake: the integrity of the justice system and the rule of law.

🖊️ Add your name to call on news organizations to cover the attempted indictment of congressional Democrats with clarity and courage—naming credible signs of politicization, explaining the significance of a grand jury’s refusal, and refusing to normalize the use of prosecutorial power for partisan ends. If everyday Americans on a grand jury can recognize pure politics, the media can too. Democracy depends on it.

Read about this, and more, with today’s stories:

Democrats Furious Over Justice Department Attempt to Indict Them (The New Republic)

Progressive Win in New Jersey Hinged on Anti-ICE Organizing (The American Prospect)

Americans Want Accountability With the Epstein Files. Elites Couldn't Care Less (The Intercept)

U.S. unexpectedly adds 130,000 jobs in January after a weak 2025 (NPR)

New Gallup poll reveals depth of Americans' gloom about the future (PBS)

White House deletes JD Vance’s social media post referring to Armenian genocide (The Guardian)

MAGA Freaks Out at CBS for Publishing a Story That Makes ICE Look Bad (The New Republic)

After Disputed Idaho Raid, Lawsuit Tries Different Approach to Hold ICE Accountable (The Marshall Project)

Canada in shock after one of the country’s worst mass shootings (AP News)

Without school vaccine mandates, many kids may never see a doctor (The 19th News)

Firefighters Wore Gear Containing “Forever Chemicals.” The Forest Service Knew and Stayed Silent for Years. (ProPublica)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

P.S. Do you know someone who would appreciate The Hound? If you can, forward this email and encourage them to subscribe! Let’s stay informed, together.