Brickbats: November 2026

In September 2025, a police officer in Pasadena, California, accidentally shot a fellow officer while engaging in what officials called "horseplay" with loaded firearms. Dashboard camera video showed that while preparing for their shift in the parking garage, one officer drew his gun and pointed it at an officer seated in a patrol car. That officer then drew his own weapon, which discharged, shooting through the windshield and hitting the other officer in the shoulder.

The Denver City Council voted against letting Key Lime Air lease space at the airport because the charter airline transports immigration detainees for the federal government. That decision risked losing $90 million in federal funding, since airlines must be treated equally. City Attorney Miko Brown reportedly told airport officials to investigate the airline's safety record—not for safety reasons but to retroactively create a legal justification for the vote. A memo written at the time quoted Brown saying, "A bad argument is better than no argument." … [Subscribe to continue reading]