[T]hese pardons also set the stage for the frightening new America we now live in, in which anyone willing to show their support for Trump through violent force — whether that’s paramilitary rioters like the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other thugs of the insurrection, or police unions seeking no restraints on state violence — have been given carte blanche. The bigger goal is to send a chilling message of fear to anyone inclined to speak out against a monarchical White House. The strongman intimidation is already working.
This commentary in the Philadelphia Inquirer – one of the few remaining traditional journalism organizations showing even a modicum of backbone these days – is a warning we should heed. We are being set up for violence, aimed at dissenters who dare to challenge Dear Leader and perpetrated by government and the .
Journalists should realize they will be targets, and they should be demanding answers to some vital questions, even in states where Democrats are in charge. For instance: What are state and local officials doing to prepare for what the Trump regime is planning? What do they advise citizens to do to prepare?
I don't see any sign that our news media in general are awake to what's happening. And that really worries me.
Immigration enforcement doesn't happen in isolation. When ICE agents stake out our neighborhoods, it affects everyone — the families living in fear, the businesses struggling to retain workers, the schools wondering why children are missing class, and the communities watching their social fabric fray. The grassroots response we saw in the first Trump administration shows that communities have the power to respond with humanity and practical solutions. As deportations ramp up again, we have a choice: We can watch as our neighbors disappear or we can build on these proven strategies to protect the diverse communities we've built together.
You might be surprised to know that some of the best American political journalism today comes from Teen Vogue, and this article is an example. It offers sobering but helpful advice on how to deal with what is going to be an onslaught of surveillance and rounding up of people the Trump regime has decided to arrest and kick out of the country.
The number of communities that will be affected by this overwhelming abuse of power is enormous. It probably includes yours. Some people deserve deportation, but what's about to happen is on a scale that mocks America's (for now, former) role in the world and all sense of fairness.
Keep in mind that there will be more than deportation squads on our streets. Trump's cult has a large number of well-armed, would-be brownshirts – some of whom, as noted above, will be protected (or joined outright) by official law enforcement. They are ready and eager to threaten, and harm, those who resist the administration's thuggish policies. We'll have to be on the lookout for them, too.
“Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship”—better known as the birthright citizenship executive order—attempts to cancel the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.... Nearly every line of this order is wrong, misleading, or flagrantly unconstitutional. To appreciate the depths of racism and lawlessness embedded within it, you need to read every line. Lawyers have done that, and a lawsuit has already been filed attempting to stop the order. But I believe every single person in this country who is not a mouth-breathing racist deserves to understand just how despicable this thing is. I want you to be able to fight the racists in your family, chapter and verse, on this unmitigated piece of trash.
A federal judge (appointed by that commie leftwinger Reagan) has already blocked this order, with a ruling dripping contempt for the lawyers who drafted it. But I hope you'll read the Nation's thorough fisking of the executive order for several reasons. First, it is imbued with history and context, qualities rarely observed in modern American journalism. Second, it is furious in a way that doesn't just blow off steam but explains why you, too, should be outraged by the sheer brazenness of the new regime's boss and apparatchiks.
Will the current, corrupt Supreme Court will read the plain language of the 14th Amendment and say yes, that's what it says? After all, the court's extreme right-wing majority has effectively rewritten several parts of the Constitution in the past several years. If the Roberts crew can give Trump absolute immunity for crimes he commits in office, as it did last summer, maybe it'll find a pretext for this, too. If they do, put a fork in the American experiment, because it will be done.
Sam Baker, a UK-based memecoin trader, says a lot of the coins’ launches are based on internet trends “you have never even heard of” and rely heavily on influencers to push them on a range of channels from Discord to X and Telegram. He acknowledges there is “no intrinsic value” in memecoins and there is no “rhyme or reason” to which ones will succeed. Recent launches include coins based on the new Squid Game series on Netflix and on the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.
In this Guardian article, even a professional trader in "memecoins" – the illusory foundation for the Trump family's new cryptocurrency cons – admits they are pure gambling. They are worse than any casino, or any lottery, because they are wide open for scam artists to rip off suckers. (As the saying goes, if you are playing poker and don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy.)
However appalling all this is, I see several potential upsides to the Trump family's memecoin sleaze. First, these longtime grifters are loudly reminding us how totally corrupt they are, not that there was any real doubt. Second, they're highlighting the disgusting reality of essentially the entire cryptocurrency industry, where insiders are relentlessly ripping off regular-people speculators who seek fast riches and are therefore prime suckers.
Trump's cult seems impervious to learning any lessons from his scumbaggery, no matter how many times he cons them. Meanwhile, the general public is being primed for money trouble as his administration gears up to boost cryptocurrency as a legitimate part of the financial system rather than mostly a vehicle for crime and tax evasion.
To the extent that memecoin scams discredit the broader cryptocurrency "marketplace" – and there are signs that this is happening – the Trump operation could be a learning experience for the broader public. Will (real) journalists pay serious attention to this, and will the public listen? That's more debatable, but I have hopes.
If you also spent the week glued to your feeds, you already know how it felt, and if not you made the right choice. You didn’t miss anything. Instead I just want to encourage you to join something. Please don’t feel like it has to be a political organization, unless you absolutely love Roberts’ Rules of Order. Find a group of people doing something you like, and join them. Join a bowling league. Find a book group. Join a church, or a mosque, or a synagogue, if that’s the way your heart leans. If the first thing you try doesn’t bring you joy, try something else.
One of my favorite newsletters, which I support with a donation as well as my attention, is "Today in Tabs" by one of the earliest bloggers and, in general, wisest people I know. Today's post is an example of why. While I've quoted a nutshell of advice, the piece is broader and deeply thoughtful, as the author examines a key element of his life and how it brings new meaning to what he will be doing as we move forward in an era where some of the worst people are taking power.
I differ on the prescription in one key way. I believe it is essential to be active politically, especially now. Democracy, practiced for real, has never been solely about voting; it is also, mostly, about participation. But we're ultimately talking about similar things. There are lots of ways to participate to boost our communities (and our inner peace). Some groups that are not overtly political have vital impact on the broader society in ways that I believe can ultimately advance the politics we want, and need.
But the bottom line for both of us is that we should not sit back, alone in our dimly lit rooms, binge-watching and clicking, and expect anything good to happen. Joining with people who make you feel good about your common ideals, or causes, is an antidote for the poison spreading so fast right now.
This newsletter is a compendium of the reporting and commentary that best explains the America's political, economic, and social conditions – and, most important, how we can find a way back from the dark days ahead. You will rarely find anything here from the New York Times or Washington Post or any of the other Big Journalism companies that failed us so completely during the 2024 elections and are now sucking up – even more than usual – to Donald Trump, his cult, and corporate oligarchs. My focus will be on smaller, more honorable outlets (and individuals). I hope you'll support them with your attention and your money. For more details, please read my About page.
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Will Bunch
Nikki Marín Baena
Elie Mystal
Dan Milmo
