the killing spree . Jorie Graham

[sometimes the poet is there before the act occurs to us ... with a fragment describing a thing that could happen . and how . and maybe why we might wish to go forward in time to stop it being ordinary]

 The killing spree began one day in the suburbs. It was the first day of its life so at first it cried out.

It tried to move swiftly into the past—but we got its essence down before it slipped away

into the here-to-stay where it could hide,

where it could become perpetual.

Source

Excerpted from Jorie Graham . The Eloquence . The Atlantic magazine . January 2026

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/01/jorie-graham-the-eloquence/684952/

let's take it from the top

 

Read the DOJ Use of Force Policy

Don’t take my word for it . Read it yourself

DOJ Use of Force Policy

source

https://www.justice.gov/d9/pages/attachments/2022/05/23/departments_updated_use-of-force_policy.pdf

Key excerpt

DEADLY FORCE 

I.          Law enforcement officers and correctional officers of the Department of Justice may 

use deadly force only when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable 

belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious 

physical injury to the officer or to another person. 

A.        Deadly force may not be used solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing 

suspect. 

B.        Firearms may not be discharged solely to disable moving vehicles.  Specifically, 

firearms may not be discharged at a moving vehicle unless: (1) a person in the 

vehicle is threatening the officer or another person with deadly force by means 

other than the vehicle; or (2) the vehicle is operated in a manner that threatens to 

cause death or serious physical injury to the officer or others, and no other 

objectively reasonable means of defense appear to exist, which includes moving 

out of the path of the vehicle. 

read it yourself . Jack Smith's swears at Congress

Don't take my word for it; read it yourself.

Here are links to the transcript and video of Jack Smith's sworn testimony before the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on December 17, 2025, and released on New Years Eve, December 31, 2025

Sources

Transcript: https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/2025-12/Smith-Depo-Transcript_Redacted-w-Errata.pdf

Video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR-bhPzQYUE

And here's the Republican House Judiciary Committee Facebook page link to the video: https://www.facebook.com/JudiciaryGOP/posts/news-jack-smith-deposition-transcript-released-read-it-here-httpsjudiciaryhouseg/1300124778825602/

Notes

• The transcript is redacted — particularly the identification of some participants in the deposition and, possibly, classified information — and there may be uncorrected typographical and transcription errors. 

• The video appears to be unedited; but that has not been certified by the Judiciary Committee or independently verified.

    Using the page numbers in the transcript:

• The first 16 pages are housekeeping, more or less (not unimportant to establish the context of the process; but not the heart of the matter). 

• Mr. Smith's opening remarks begin at the top of page 17.

• The examination begins with questions from the Committee at the top of page 19.

• Mr. Smith sought to testify before the Judiciary Committee in public but the Republican-led committee insisted on a closed-door deposition. 

• Mr. Smith was further restricted from testifying to the Judiciary Committee about his investigation into  classified documents transferred and retained by then Former-President Trump at Mar-a-Lago by a comprehensive injunction issued by Judge Aileen Cannon barring disclosure of nonpublic information from that investigation. 

• Volume I of Smith's final report into the investigation of election interference that crescendoed at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 has been released publicly and is the only part of his investigation he was permitted to address in the December 17, 2025 deposition. 

• Volume II, examining the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, is embargoed by Judge Cannon on the grounds of ensuring a fair trial for two co-defendants of then former president Trump. But those cases have been closed and are no longer in play. In November, 2025, the Eleventh Circuit directed Judge Cannon to end her ‘undue delay’ in ruling on motions to unseal Volume II, but they have not at this date compelled her to lift or narrow the injunction.