The Trump Economy

Plus more white nationalism from the administration.

More Grotesqueries from the Trump Administration

Reveling in cruelty.

President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.

A Message of Sympathy from the President

Right in front of our noses.

Greg Bovino’s Costuming Choices

It is hard to ignore the aesthetic he is invoking.

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The GOP’s ObamaCare Dilemma

They hate the program but have no viable alternative.

Cruelty to Meet Quotas

The administration continues to show its ideological stripes.

More on Indefensible Behavior

A reminder the US government sent people to CECOT who were then tortured.

Ideology Everywhere

Even in font selection, it would seem.

SCOTUS, the Unitary Executive “Theory,” and the Debilitation of the Modern State

Permanent damage appears to be coming (oh, and it enhances the authoritarian power of the presidency as well).

Indefensible Acts

Cruelty in service of nativist purity.

The Futility of Blowing Up Some Boats

Tough guys actions don’t solve massive problems.

The Pro-Murder Narrative

Who needs evidence and due process when “bad guys” are involved.

Meanwhile, in North Korea…

Come for the casual racism, stay for the weird aggrandizement of Dear Leader.

We Don’t Need No Education

Who needs fancy book learnin’ if you already have all the answers?

Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace

I guess this means it’s open again.

Will’s Attempt to Criticize Trump’s Foreign Policy Takes a Turn

Come for the shots fired at the cabinet, stay for the weird digression.

President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.

Trump Wants ‘Garbage’ Somalis Out

The President minced no words.

The Same Subject Continued

More on the clear white supremacist ideology oozing from the Trump administration.

What’s Different Now About Views of ICE?

Thinking about the intellectual foundations of contemporary immigration policy.

Cruelty Quotas

Arresting the spouses of Americans at Green Card appointments.

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Getting Old in America

It beats the alternative but it ain’t for sissies.

It’s a Very, Very Mad World

I find it hard to take.

In Front of Our Noses: Plans to Pardon a Convicted Drug Cartel Leader

(While murdering people without due process because of [checks notes] drugs.)

Trump to ‘Permanently Pause’ Immigration from Poor Countries

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for.

Rubio Orders Pressure on Mass Migration

The State Department will be pressing our closest allies to control their borders.

This Just In!

The NYT has discovered that Trump is old.

Candidate Quality and the Alabama Governor’s Race

Testing a hypothesis or two.

MTG’s Record

Why I am a bit reticent about being sympathetic.

Delusion and/or Gaslighting

Trump and his poll numbers brag.

The Weirdness of US Politics

Mamdani visits the WH; MTG resigns.

Expertise Matters

Some signs of hope and of deep concern due to Trump appointees.

In Front of Our Noses: A President Who Calls for the Execution of Members of Congress

You know, as is normal in democratic politics…

If Only Someone Had Warned Them…

More polling.

Some People Will Never Learn

Bret Stephens wants to oust Maduro in Venezuela.

Trump at 39% in Latest Reuters Poll

Getting close to his term 1 low.

In Front of Our Noses: Apologizing for Murder

Trump’s ongoing revelation of his character.

The Preponderance of the Trumpness

Thinking about how what is known about Trump and Epstein.

Notes on Discharge Petitions

Some notes on House process and how it relates to recent and ongoing political news.

Trump Bows To Reality, Says Release Epstein Files

After months of demanding Republicans resist, he says “We have nothing to hide.”

A U.S. Border Patrol agent and CBP representative discuss U.S. Customs and Border Protection pedestrian border barrier requirements near Lukeville, Arizona, May 7. USACE is supporting the Department of Homeland Security's request to build pedestrian fencing, construct and improve roads, and install lighting within the Yuma and Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Border Patrol sectors following the Feb. 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States. The Department of Defense has the authority under Section 284 of Title 10, U.S. Code, to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotics activities of federal law enforcement agencies. A U.S. Border Patrol agent and CBP representative discuss U.S. Customs and Border Protection pedestrian border barrier requirements near Lukeville, Arizona, May 7. USACE is supporting the Department of Homeland Security's request to build pedestrian fencing, construct and improve roads, and install lighting within the Yuma and Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Border Patrol sectors following the Feb. 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States. The Department of Defense has the authority under Section 284 of Title 10, U.S. Code, to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotics activities of federal law enforcement agencies.

Department of Deportation

Surging resources to immigration enforcement comes with tradeoffs.

Americans Ambivalent on Extrajudicial Killing

Support is low, but opposition is tepid.

Not Ready for a Female President?

Michelle Obama thinks so.

Epstein Files Discharge Petition Reaches Target

Newly-Sworn-in-Rep. Grijalva provides the final signature.

Leading Leaders Who Lead

Some questions to consider as you evaluate congressional leadership.

Nonhierarchical Parties in Action

Why blaming “the Democrats” or even “leadership” ignores a basic fact of American politics.

‘A Moratorium on Mischief’

What the shutdown should have been about.