Week 16

ICE is ramping up its visibility because it hasn’t made the ridiculous numbers that Candidate Donald Trump set for it. Trump is becoming frustrated because he has not yet ended war across the earth and so his Nobel Prize is delayed. This morning he has claimed to have negotiated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, but India never admits that mediation has been involved, and other sources say that as many as 36 nations may be involved. We probably won’t have a good idea of what happened for a few days, maybe not then.

The lawsuits plod along, hard to follow. Last night a temporary restraining order was issued against firing government employees. I can’t tell from the reports whether this is across the entire government. By and large, judges are responding to administration claims with “Are you fucking kidding?”

Follow the court-watchers for the details of the lawsuits, now up to 232, including 7 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

• Ordered the city of Stockholm (yes, in Sweden) to end its DEI activities.
• Lost three F-18 fighter jets (See top photo).
• Supreme Court allows military transgender ban to proceed.
• ICE arrested the mayor of Newark.
• Trump got a “deal” with the UK that specifically states that both sides regard it as not legally binding. It’s an agreement to consider making a deal. I shared some thoughts about “deals” and international agreements on Bluesky.

Continuing

• Trump’s losses in the courts. We’re up to three weeks with only the Supreme Court decision on trans people in the military in his favor.

Pushback

• Allison Riggs finally wins her seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court.
• Mark Carney: Canada is not for sale.
• Rümeysa Öztürk released.
• Bill Gates increases his giving, calls out Elon Musk’s child killing.

Chris Murphy calls out Kristi Noem.

193 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

Week 11, Week 12, Week 13, Week 14, Week 15