Posts by James Joyner

James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is a Professor of Security Studies. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Thousands of Federal Employees Fired

A Valentine’s Day massacre.

DOGE Website Hacked

Outsourcing efficiency.

Constitutional Crisis?

When does Executive overreach become something more?

Thursday’s Forum

Senate Puts Tulsi Gabbard in Charge of Our State Secrets

The World’s Greatest Deliberative Body is not doing its job.

Legalizing Corruption

The 47th President had a busy Monday.

Hegseth Restores Fort Bragg Name

But it’s a different Bragg!

Looking for a Few Good Toadies

Willingness to lie is now a requirement for senior intelligence and law enforcement posts.

Shock, Awe, and Retreat

The 47th President is flooding the zone.

Israel Preparing to Execute Trump Non-Plan For Gaza

A little ethnic cleansing coming right up.

Hasbro is having a contest to see which of the famous Monopoly pieces will be sent into retirement so new tokens can come to the game. Hasbro is having a contest to see which of the famous Monopoly pieces will be sent into retirement so new tokens can come to the game.

GSA Ordered to Terminate All Property Leases

A brilliant plan with absolutely no conceivable downsides.

Postal Service Halts, Resumes Taking Packages from China

Trade wars are good and easy to win.

CIA Gets Purge and New Mission

Our premier intelligence agency will focus on the Western hemisphere.

Schatz Puts Hold on Trump Nominees

A small step to reclaim Congress’ rightful authority.

Unelected Bureaucrat Shuts Down USAID

An entire Congressionally-created agency seems to have been shut down by fiat.

DOGE Now Runs Treasury and OPM

An evil genius controls the key levers of government.

The Purge: FBI Edition

The administration is compiling a list of every single agent who participated in the January 6 investigations.

It’s Black History Month

Or is it?

The Purge Continues

The new administration is gutting the senior ranks of the civil service.

Reagan Airport Crash Kills Soldiers, Figure Skaters

A tragic but perhaps inevitable event.

Trump Testing Legal Limits

The courts will decide whether we have a President or a King.

Malicious Compliance With Radical Orders

Piling absurdity atop cruelty.

Fear and Loathing in DC

Federal workers are afraid and in the dark.

Dealing With The Deluge

Coping in a second Trump term.

Trump’s DEI Ban

Agencies are quickly seeking to comply with the President’s order.

Muted Outrage Over Trump Pardon Outrage

Only a handful of Republican Senators have objected. Mildly.

Trump Declares War on Federal Employees

Multiple executive orders aim at rooting out the Deep State.

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump, Wednesday, November 13, 2024, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith) President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump, Wednesday, November 13, 2024, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith)

Bad Pardons and Outrageous Pardons

A difference in degree is a difference in kind.

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan salutes the national ensign while embarking U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun (WMSL-759), April 20, 2024. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan salutes the national ensign while embarking U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun (WMSL-759), April 20, 2024.

Trump Fires Coast Guard Commandant

Another severe deviation from our norms.

Trump Pardons Capitol Rioters, Even Most Violent

Proud Boys and Oath Keepers insurrectionists are now free.

Today’s Front Pages

How they’re covering it.

The Day After Forum

Biden Pardons Milley, Fauci, Cheney on Last Half Day

A preemptive strike against potential abuse of power.

Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Ramaswamy Exiting DOGE, Running for Governor

The political upstart may have worn out his welcome.

Trump and the Deep State at State

Normal transition . . . and potential red flags.

Trump and the Great Presidents

Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and both Roosevelts pushed the envelope, too!

Trump Launches Meme Coin, Earns $25 Billion

And so it begins.

The free high-resolution photo of street, bicycle, asphalt, vehicle, hat, park bench, homeless, stockholm, packing, baby carriage, drifter, norrm larstrand , taken with an DMC-FS10 01/29 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/3.8s, 1/640s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of street, bicycle, asphalt, vehicle, hat, park bench, homeless, stockholm, packing, baby carriage, drifter, norrm larstrand , taken with an DMC-FS10 01/29 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/3.8s, 1/640s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

TikTok To ‘Go Dark’ Tomorrow

We can’t fire the popular Chinese spyware, it quits.

Education Department Requires Equal Pay for Women Athletes

Title IX, football, and the economics of college athletics.

Trump’s Mandate

About half the country wants about half of Trump.

Biden Declares Equal Rights Amendment Ratified

It is not ratified.

How Schumer Pushed Biden Out

The Majority Leader has a bigger role than previously reported.

President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, October 19, 2023 President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, October 19, 2023

Biden Warns of Oligarchy in Farewell Address

It “literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

Biden Names Carriers Clinton and Bush

A surprising honor.

A Tale of Two Reddits

Is there an echo in here.

DOGE’s Plan for Slashing Government

Legions of unpaid drones . . . ? . . . budget cuts.

Trump Open to Increasing SALT Deduction

Blue states might get some surprising help.

President Joe Biden wears his aviator sunglasses while working at the Resolute Desk, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in the Oval Office. President Joe Biden wears his aviator sunglasses while working at the Resolute Desk, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in the Oval Office.

Biden Tries to Thwart Trump Immigration Policies

The honey badger strikes again.

The free high-resolution photo of hand, wine, glass, restaurant, celebration, meal, drink, cheer, alcohol, wine glass, stemware, alcoholic beverage, sense, distilled beverage , taken with an unknown camera 12/26 2016 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. The free high-resolution photo of hand, wine, glass, restaurant, celebration, meal, drink, cheer, alcohol, wine glass, stemware, alcoholic beverage, sense, distilled beverage , taken with an unknown camera 12/26 2016 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0.

The Tipping Point

The culture seems to be shifting.