Week 13
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I started writing this post early in the week with some cool analysis. Midweek, I said in a Bluesky post that I think Trump is checked out on everything but cheerleading tariffs. I realized that if this is the case, I need to rethink some of my analysis. Today, the wheels are starting (but only starting) to come off. Things have seriously deteriorated for Trump and his people.
I’ve had the movie “The Death of Stalin” as my mental model for what is likely to happen when Trump dies or is removed from office. But it’s looking more and more like that is what is happening now. In the Signal conversation, Stephen Miller seemed to be calling the shots. The Washington Post reports a major fight among all sides to place their guy in the post of IRS commissioner.
Court decisions went badly for the administration, with the Supreme Court telling them early this morning (1 am) not to transport any more people to the El Salvador prison. That whole situation is not going the way they planned, with Senator Chris Van Hollen traveling to El Salvador and actually meeting with his constituent, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The administration responded with lies, torture porn, and contending that bad people shouldn’t get due process.
Today there are demonstrations, but since it’s Easter weekend, I won’t be surprised if the turnout is lower than two weeks ago.
Follow the court-watchers for the lawsuits, now up to 201, including 4 closed. Chris Geidner (LawDork, Bluesky), Roger Parloff (Lawfare, Bluesky), and the Just Security tracker.
As usual, keep it to things that have actually happened, not hypotheticals. What is actually happening is bad enough.
Caring for yourself and loved ones is resistance too. Post your pets.
Here’s what the Trump administration did this week, in no particular order
- Vance to be “tariff czar”.
- A number of people have departed the Pentagon as Pete Hegseth tries to find the leakers.
- DOGE tried to get into a private corporation, Vera Institute of Justice, and failed.
Continuing
- Measles continues in several states.
- It appears that law firms’ agreements aren’t written down.
- Bernie and AOC continue to draw crowds in red districts.
Pushback
- The administration sent a letter to Harvard with much more onerous conditions than they imposed on Columbia. Harvard said no thanks and reworked its website to feature what its research means to the public. Last night, the administration said that the letter was sent in error but didn’t take anything back. In fact, it accused Harvard of bad faith for not checking that a letter on official letterhead with three official signatures was official.
- Corey Robin, Richard Hanania, David Brooks, Bret Stephens, David From all are having second thoughts about Trump.
- California filed a lawsuit to end the tariffs.
- HCR and Angus King https://youtu.be/5YHvpx3vzCE
Heather Cox Richardson started out to interview Senator Angus King of Maine about Paul Revere (anniversary today of his ride), and King proceeded to detail how Trump is violating the constitution.
195 more weeks to go. What are you doing?
Previous weeks: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8. Week 9, Week 10