Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He's written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology's harassment of Paulette Cooper titled 'The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.' He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) [Header image courtesy John Rickard]
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Telescope builder in Crimea beat the robot professionals to the comet of the century

[Gennady Borisov and his 25.5-inch telescope, pre-installation]

Twenty-one years ago, we went to the White Sands Missile Range to get the first press tour of a previously top-secret military []

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Just what Panama City needed, a new Scientology ‘Ideal Mission’!

 Scientology’s Ideal Org drought continues as they have opened none so far this year. It’s been speculated that leader David Miscavige has postponed openings to avoid being served legal papers in Scientology’s court cases. Miscavige has never attended the opening ceremonies of ‘Ideal Missions,’ and this week saw the opening of one in Panama []

Trump got judge-splained about his tax returns in thorough 134-page appellate opinion

[Judge David S. Tatel]

Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

While the Second Circuit prepares to hear the question of whether New York can subpoena Trump’s tax returns (against Trump’s defense that he’s immune as President), the DC Circuit has just weighed in on whether Congress can subpoena Trump’s []

Who was Joe Zaccardi, and why did he kill his family?

[Joe and Deirdre Zaccardi]

When the horrible news began to come out of Abington, Massachusetts, a suburb south of Boston, that a family of five had been found shot to death in their condo, we began watching this story, wanting some answers about how it could []

First sub-2 hour marathon happens, meticulously planned and executed

 The world is celebrating another major sporting milestone, the first sub-2 hour marathon, run in Vienna by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in []

Scientology wants your children: The 1957 lecture they think will convince you

[“Tinny-Tin” on the left]

 Our thanks to the tipster who forwarded this email to us from Scientology’s publishing arm, Bridge Publications. The creep factor is off the charts here, and fits in with a general increased focus on children for Scientology []

It’s worth your time to read Marie Yovanovitch’s statement before the House today

[Marie Yovanovitch]

Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

It’s worth your time to read Marie Yovanovitch’s prepared statement before her closed testimony before the House today. She was fired because she had the integrity to stand in the way of a bad-faith investigation Trump and Giuliani wanted opened on []

Shep Smith leaving Fox News not related to Barr-Murdoch meeting

[Shepard Smith]

Media reporter Yashar Ali was frenetically playing whack-a-mole on Twitter this afternoon, trying to get some journalists to stop spreading the idea that Shepard Smith’s sudden and stunning exit from Fox News had anything to do with a meeting the day before between US Attorney General William Barr and Fox News mogul Rupert Murdoch. []

Chinatown street formalism, with noodles

 We’re big fans of attorney Scott Pilutik’s New York street photography. He posted a stunner today we thought you’d like to []

Appeals court denies Trump over tax returns, Trump appointee dissents

Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

134 page (which I’ve only skimmed) 2-1 appellate opinion in the other case concerning Trump’s tax returns (last week’s was in a NY fed court, this one is in DC fed court). Upshot is that Congress is well within its constitutional rights []