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The election calendar in August is sooo crowded with major things. I hope readers of my elections guide are ready, it’s going to be the biggest of the year so far.

In North Carolina, Ricky Wilson has been advocating for the release from prison of a man who shot him 30 years ago. “If I can forgive him, why can’t everybody else? I’m the one he shot,” he says. By @phillipvancesmith2.bsky.social:

Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...

A letter from the mother of Alex Pretti, six months after he was murdered by ICE.

The Allen Parish Public Safety Complex has the longest average stay of any immigration detention facility in Louisiana. The center has faced allegations of mistreatment and racist abuse and is “where people go to disappear,” says an immigration advocate.

Law profs doing bad things for democracy have gotten (and should get) attention recently. But a brief shout-out to Prof. @jackchin.bsky.social: He wrote a law review article flagging this issue 20 years ago; some brilliant attorneys eventually read it and litigated it . . . and won.

Two elections this coming Tuesday to close July (before a widely busy stretch starts in early August)

Troy Jackson it is — officially

More than 40,000 Missourians are regaining the right to vote. That’s because of a new law, unusual for a red state in this day and age, that significantly expanded rights restoration!

Compelling story. Calling Gov Stein’s office today. He’s good on corporate and environmental law but has always been conservative on criminal justice cases. Maybe after the midterms.

If you wanna support the sort of journalism that doesn’t care to show up at the WHCD, consider becoming a subscriber to Bolts and bolstering our independent journalism! easy peasy boltsmag.org/donate

I had missed that the AARP released a Georgia poll yesterday, with Ossoff up 52% to 43% for the Senate & Bottoms up by a much closer 48% to 46% for governor. www.aarp.org/content/dam/...

just 11 days from now: Missourians will decide a referendum that could all but shut down direct democracy in their state. @pascalsabino.bsky.social reports on just how extreme the measure is: boltsmag.org/missouri-ame...

"If I can forgive him, why can't everyone else? I am the one who got shot." Bolts telling the stories others ignore, again boltsmag.org/north-caroli...

My WORD this piece is excellent, a triumph of magazine writing. Bravo to Phil Smith and Bolts.

“The man has done 30 years. Shit. What else do they want? If I can forgive him, why can’t everybody else? I’m the one he shot.” boltsmag.org/north-caroli...

The story was reported and written by Phill Smith, a journalist who is incarcerated himself in North Carolina and has done great reporting for Bolts before — you may have read his stuff on commissary prices rising for instance.

NEW: North Carolina’s harsh three strikes law was adopted right before Ramulus Mason was sentenced in the 1990s, so was sentenced to life in prison. Now the man he shot decades ago has become his loud advocate, demanding that the state free him. A fascinating and complex story:

A new Fox News poll has Dems up 53/46 on the generic ballot. Says Fox: “Notably, 53% is the highest percentage either party has received on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996.” www.foxnews.com/politics/fox...

This is not the first criminal justice reform policy to be headed towards passage in ruby-red Missouri (I worked with our partners in Missouri to pass legislation almost two years ago) Kudos Great stuff, again, by @boltsmag.org boltsmag.org/gop-run-miss...