Trump's 'lawfare' distortion

And Musk, Trump take back $80 million in FEMA grants from NYC |

VIEW IN BROWSER MSNBC DAILY Understand today's news Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 THE LATEST Why Trump is trying to turn his base against 'lawfare' By Symone D. Sanders-Townsend Why Trump is trying to turn his base against 'lawfare' By Symone D. Sanders-Townsend President Donald Trump loves to take a phrase and drain it of all meaning. In his first term, he transformed the term "fake news" from describing a specific problem with a type of misinformation into an attack on any journalist he didn't like or a piece of journalism that made him look bad.   Now he's doing the same to the word "lawfare," and the stakes are even higher — including, potentially, the guardrails of our democracy.   Coined in 2001, "lawfare" refers to the use of courts and other legal systems to damage or delegitimize a political opponent. (It's also now the name of a nonprofit news site.) After Trump left office four years ago, he began using lawfare incorrectly to describe the various criminal cases he was embroiled in due to paying hush money, allegedly trying to overturn an election and allegedly mishandling classified documents.   This is a preview of Symone D. Sanders-Townsend's latest article. Read the full column here. For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch "The Weekend" every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC. TOP STORIES ALEX JACQUEZ Trump never cared about lowering prices This week's Consumer Price Index release showed the largest single-month increase in inflation since August 2023. Read more.  HAYES BROWN Eric Adams just became the poster child for Pam Bondi's new corruption stance New York City Mayor Eric Adams' bribery debacle highlights how DOJ has recently moved to ignore and underplay kickbacks. Read more. JORDAN RUBIN The Trump DOJ is ready for the Supreme Court to overturn this 90-year-old precedent The high court's 1935 ruling in the Humphrey's Executor case, which has protected federal agency independence, was called out for reversal in Project 2025. Read more.  MARCIE BIANCO Google's calendar no longer recognizes Pride Month. I'm OK with that. If anything, this calendar change should make us re-examine how we, as members of the LGBTQ+ community, understand our political and social power. Read more.   TOP VIDEOS THE BEAT WITH ARI Six DOJ officials resign in protest of 'dangerous' Trump abuse in widening scandal WATCH NOW ALL IN 'Highway robbery': Musk, Trump take back $80 million in FEMA grants from NYC WATCH NOW RACHEL MADDOW 'No and hell no': Gov. Hochul on refusing Louisiana's extradition request for abortion provider WATCH NOW DEADLINE WHITE HOUSE 'This is classic Kremlin thinking': Trump continues to cozy up to Putin WATCH NOW MORE FROM MSNBC Jen Psaki is diving deep into the state of the Democratic party in her new podcast, "The Blueprint with Jen Psaki." As Donald Trump's second term takes shape, Jen will dig into what lessons can be learned from the 2024 election to help uncover a blueprint for how the party can respond to the current moment. Listen to the first two episodes now. In a new episode of "Main Justice," MSNBC Legal Analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord hone in on several of Attorney General Pam Bondi's memos that have significant implications for national security and criminal law enforcement. Plus, they discuss litigation challenging some of President Trump's orders and the latest legal battles over sanctuary cities. Listen now.   MSNBC INSIGHTS Have you ever wanted to provide MSNBC with your opinion about their TV programs, documentaries, and digital products, such as MSNBC.com, newsletters, and podcasts? Now is your chance! Join the MSNBC Insights Community.   Download the MSNBC App: 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 PRIVACY | CONTACT | UNSUBSCRIBE