Josiah Bates

Why the debate over Jayson Tatum’s role is meaningless This topic is getting old — really old.

It’s been over nine months since Jayson Tatum last played for the Celtics. Friday night against the Mavericks could finally be the moment Boston has been eagerly waiting for all season.

Before that moment arrives, let’s put one debate to rest. www.celticsblog.com/boston-celti...

Aight here we go...

BLUMENTHAL: Have you met with any of the American citizens who have been detained or arrested by your agents?

NOEM: They could've been instructing law enforcemen--

BLUMENTHAL: You haven't met with them. I'd like to introduce you to 3 of them. Will you please stand?

Is Violent Crime an 'Urban' Problem? Violence has long been a disproportionately “big city” problem in the United States; prepare for a future where this is no longer the case

How many times have you heard violence is a "big city problem"?

The data says otherwise, but urban crime is an easier political story, so we all just went with it.

There's always a tweet

Violence Prevention Programs in Milwaukee Face Uncertainty — and Rising Homicides As federal funds expire, community violence intervention is facing renewed scrutiny from elected officials and the public.

Milwaukee’s violence trends are sending mixed signals. Nonfatal shootings declined in 2025. Homicides rose 8 percent.

Meanwhile, the office overseeing violence prevention is navigating leadership upheaval and expiring federal funds. The system itself is under strain.

New story for @thetrace.org

More state media on the way

Family and community members dispute police narrative in fatal shooting of Grand Rapids man • Michigan Advance While multiple agencies continue to investigate Wednesday’s fatal shooting by a Grand Rapids police officer, the family of Da’Quain Johnson, 32, is disputing the narrative that authorities have given ...

A fatal police shooting in Grand Rapids is now under investigation, but the victim's family is contesting key details.

This is why we can't ignore local police shootings just because they aren't dominating the headlines.

Indiana U. won a title and lost its soul | Will Bunch Newsletter Plus, the pundits are so wrong about Dems and 2028.

Indiana University's football crown was the feel-good story of the year. Off the field...not so much

Ranked last for free speech, DEI cuts, slashing the humanities while paying its coach $13M under MAGA trustees

My column on how IU ranks No. 1 in moral bankruptcy www.inquirer.com/columnists/a...

Inspired by the Black Panthers, Armed Citizen Patrols Have Returned to Philadelphia An organization calling itself the Black Lion Party says it intends to protect the public from immigration agents, the police, and criminals.

Inspired by the Black Panthers, an armed group calling themselves the Black Lion Party is now patrolling the Philadelphia streets to protect residents from ICE, the police, and crime.

It's a flashpoint moment.

Mensah Dean dives into it for @thetrace.org

This how you isolate and capture "the worst of the worst" of these dangerous immigrants. You show yourself to be in need of help, and the worst criminals reveal themselves and their criminality by doing whatever they can to provide you with help.

Masterful law enforcement.

I really need to see some evidence that this is KD besides everyone just agreeing it's him.

The old burners were confirmed because he accidentally tweeted from his real account.

"Just trust me bro"

Cops Who Shoot Civilians Are Rarely Punished. But One Verdict in Illinois Stands Out. Some hope the sentencing of Sean Grayson, who shot and killed Sonya Massey in 2024, might signal a shift.

Police officers who fatally shoot civilians are rarely convicted or sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

But the 20-year-sentence handed down in the killing of Sonya Massey stands out and raises questions about whether anything has really changed.

My latest for @thetrace.org

‘He’s not the same’: Father of Liam Conejo Ramos says 5-year-old continues to suffer Some people thought they say the 5-year-old during the Super Bowl halftime show. But Liam is still in hiding with his family, after he and his father were detained and then released from a Texas deten...

Super Bowl viewers Sunday speculated that 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos appeared in the halftime show. In fact, he has been in hiding with his family.

“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.

Why everybody got smoke tonight?

A QB mid-off in the Super Bowl is not ideal

Darnold determined to throw a pick

Just a quick update from the Twin Cities. (Please forgive the unsolicited message). THINGS ARE NOT BETTER IN MINNEAPOLIS. The media is mostly moving on, Trump is focused on other stuff, BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED ON THE GROUND. More than 2,000 DHS thugs continue to roam the streets, abducting people 24/7, assaulting legal observers with impunity, and routinely denying 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment rights. Drones and helicopters are overhead every day. Hundreds and hundreds of terrified families have not left their homes since mid-December ... relying on the community to bring them food and help with rent and other necessities. (Those people are NOT violent drug cartel sex offending murderers, as DHS would tell you. Most are legal residents or citizens.) If anything, things have just become more stressful and intractable (think trench warfare as a suitable metaphor): The resistance is better organized and numerous, but DHS has become more clever and better at disguise... and the county sheriff's office is increasingly supporting them . Do not let anyone tell you that Homans (the new person in charge of the occupation) is making anything better. Do not let anyone tell you that 700 ICE agents leaving the city has made much of a difference; the remaining force (again, ~2,000) is still larger than the entire city's police force (which is legally unable to do anything). Please call your congressional reps ... especially if there is any chance the administration might listen to them.

A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:

Pitino had a better run as the Celtics coach

🧵 1/ We’re devastated about the layoffs at The Washington Post, which are gutting D.C. reporting. These journalists are an incalculable loss for our city. The 51st’s mission has always felt urgent, but now we know it needs to kick into high gear.

This episode of Martin is second to none

What a disgrace

I'm lukewarm on this. He's on an expiring so they're not taking on some crazy contract. Simmons was always trade bait. I wish they coulda kept him though cause he can hoop and he was much better defensively than I thought he'd be.

Danny Ainge has lost the plot

My hope is that if he comes back, they ease him into the rotation. Even if you’re in a dogfight in the middle of the first round. Don’t risk Tatum’s future for this one postseason. Let the new guys get some good playoff experience and get ready for a real title run next year.

With all that said, I have a hard time believing Tatum is gonna be denied. Even with his recent comments about being unsure if he should return. You can tell when you see him on the bench. He’s a hooper. He wants to ball.

But I’m a big proponent of going for a title whenever you can. We see how hard it is to win. If you have a chance, you go for it.

And then, how much time is he realistically going to play? It’d be wild to ask him to play 30 minutes plus in the playoffs coming off an Achilles tear. Teams will try to target him, knowing he’s not in top-tier shape.

But is it smart to rush Tatum back this year? Even if he returns at the end of March, it’s going to take at least 15 to 20 games for him to get into game shape and fit into what the team has going right now. You’re asking him to find his rhythm while you’re trying to win a first-round series.