Jesse Rieser Photography

Proud to announce that “The System Is Meant to Break You’: What ICE Is Doing to People Here Legally” for has been selected for the upcoming American Photography Annual as one of the year’s best.

Thank you to the judges:
Sally Berman, Run Red Creative
Claire Caple, National Geographic
Chris Dougherty Creative Consultant
Amelia Holowaty Krales, The Verge
Daisy Korpics, The Wall Street Journal
Virginia Lozano, NPR
Mark Murrmann, Mother Jones
Evan Oritiz, Airbnb
Emmalee Reed, CNN
Cate Sturgess, Vanity Fair
Amanda Webster, The New York Times
Cassidy Zobl, Road & Track

“The videos circulating on social media are brutal and terrifying — the often violent arrests, people pulled screaming from their cars, out of day care centers, away from their children and their spouses. What should give Americans equal pause is the inhumanity happening beyond the cameras, away from the view of judges and lawyers and the media. Due process is not a constitutional right afforded only to citizens; legal restrictions on unlawful detention apply to all people on U.S. soil.

The stories we were told call into question both the constitutionality and the morality of how the Trump administration is directing immigration policy. That immorality, once unleashed, may ultimately be aimed at others in this country, regardless of immigration status. If a woman returning from vacation with her young children can be suddenly removed from her family and her life, how can we believe that any of us will remain safe?”

Written by Sarah Wildman and assigned by

Jesse Willenbring.
Painter, designer, curator, & exhibition producer.
01.02.2026

“How Data Centers are Deepening the Water Crisis” & “The True Cost of Data Centers” new for Business Insider.

“The True Cost of Data Centers” wins their first George Polk Award George Polk Award, an investigation that created the most comprehensive national database of data centers and revealed hidden costs of the AI boom. The George Polk Awards, which honor original, resourceful, and thought-provoking investigative work, are widely considered among the most prestigious in journalism. The judges said Business Insider’s investigation was “a thoroughly researched series highlighting the strain new and semi-secret facilities that fuel artificial intelligence are likely to place on communities, diverting overwhelming amounts of power, water and economic support.

“The largest data centers can guzzle millions of gallons of fresh water a day. Roughly 40% of US ones, Business Insider found, are in the most water-stressed areas of the country. The companies don’t seek out locations that are arid — they go to places like Arizona for reasons including abundant land and stable supplies of electricity.”

Assigned by Rebecca Zisser, reporting by and assisted by

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