White knights

Some unpleasant Saturday reading here, two new stories on the humanitarian crisis that Trump and Jeff Sessions have created at the border: One on a woman who was accusedof giving "material support" to a gang because she was kidnapped and forced to do work for them after they murdered her husband. And another on the rapidly expanding program to separate children from their parents. Running against Joe Crowley in Queens, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for the abolition of ICE. I have a new story on that race which includes odd private comments Crowley made at a recent meet and greet. Story here. Election Day is June 26. And a favor to ask: Most of the stories I and other reporters write rely on confidential sources, because it's often dangerous, either personally or professionally, to speak on record. That allows people to dismiss real stories as fake news or whatever, and creates a lack of trust in the media. So when a source goes out on a limb, they need public support for doing so. Nick Haby, when I called to ask about what Crowley said at the event in the story above, agreed to speak publicly -- no small thing for a Democratic official who is rising through the ranks of the Queens machine. If you're on twitter, give him a like or a word of support here. That'll matter if powerful people try to retaliate against him. This email grows by word of mouth. If you enjoy getting it, please forward this note to friends and tell them to sign up to start getting their own copy here. I'm the Washington bureau chief at The Intercept, and I send this several times a week. If you want to contribute directly to help keep the thing running, you can do so here, though be warned a donation comes with no tote bags or extra premium content or anything. Or you can support it by buying a copy of Schoolhouse Wreck: The Betsy DeVos Story, Out of the Ooze: The Story of Dr. Tom Price or Wall Street's White House, the first three books put out by Strong Arm Press, a small progressive publishing house I cofounded. See upcoming titles here. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Grim News, please click here.