The Watch

After 35 years in prison, Charlie Vaughn is free

Vaughn, an Arkansas man with a severe intellectual disability, spent decades in prison for a murder he did not commit. He was finally released on…

Jan 9 • Radley Balko

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"The courts are dead." An interview with a fired immigration judge

George Pappas talks about how Trump ended due process for immigrants, and how to fight back. "The law has failed us," he says. "So now we have to turn…

Jan 8 • Radley Balko

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December 2025

The roundup -- and a request for your support

My year-end pitch for your paid subscription

Dec 29, 2025 • Radley Balko

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104 murders in 107 days

The Trump administration's assault on alleged drug boats has killed about one person per day since early September. These are murders, and basic…

Dec 19, 2025 • Radley Balko

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The roundup, and an open thread

The horrible, no-good week in review

Dec 6, 2025 • Radley Balko

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November 2025

MAGA's $300 million heist

Donald Trump supports immunity for cops and prosecutors. Unless they try to hold him and his allies accountable. Then we all have to pay Donald Trump.

Nov 21, 2025 • Radley Balko

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Odds and ends

An update on Jordan Silverman, new episodes of Collateral Damage, and some fall photos from Nashville

Nov 12, 2025 • Radley Balko

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October 2025

Accusing Jordan Silverman

A D.C. teaching assistant was accused of molesting up to 15 kids. Multiple law enforcement agencies cleared him. But his nightmare was just beginning.

Oct 27, 2025 • Radley Balko

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Scenes from a protest

No Kings in Nashville

Oct 20, 2025 • Radley Balko

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The first episode of Collateral Damage

The story of Kathryn Johnston

Oct 10, 2025 • Radley Balko

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Yes, the Trump administration is eviscerating the due process rights of immigrants

Part two of my response to Pirate Wires editor Harris Sockel's disingenuous defense of Trump's immigration policy

Oct 3, 2025 • Radley Balko

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Announcing my new reported podcast with The Intercept. Plus, three years of The Watch!

Some personal news

Oct 1, 2025 • Radley Balko

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