Demolition man: The White House has undergone controversial renovations in the past, but not with the scale, speed and lack of transparency with which Trump has torn down the East Wing to make way for a massive gilded ballroom, writes Hayes Brown. After pledging to barely touch the existing structure, the administration backtracked, confirming that it planned to raze the entire East Wing. Given the president's background as a real estate developer and his questionable taste in internal decor, the project isn't surprising, but as unpopular as it is turning out to be, there's little that can be done to stop it. Read more. |
Enemies list: The Trump administration is reportedly preparing sweeping changes at the IRS that would allow it to pursue criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups. But while the president may think this will hurt his political enemies, it also creates a massive risk if he, the vice president or other Cabinet officials (other than the attorney general) directly or indirectly ask for someone to be audited or investigated by the IRS, writes Elias Law Group political law chair Ezra Reese. This legal risk extends to the civil servants who would be tasked with such an investigation. Read more. |
Rewriting history: Trump is reportedly asking the Justice Department to pay him about $230 million in compensation for past federal investigations into his conduct. The people who would typically sign off on these payments happen to be former defense lawyers for him or his aides. But while that's a pretty brazen conflict of interest, arguably the bigger story is that Trump is again trying to rewrite history to erase the blemishes on his record, writes law professor Austin Sarat. Trump will no doubt use any compensation to further argue the investigations into collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russia and the classified documents he took from the White House at the end of his first term were all a hoax — despite copious evidence to the contrary. Read more. |
Platner's tattoo test: The campaign of a progressive populist running for the U.S. Senate in Maine hit a major stumbling block when it was revealed that he had a tattoo on his chest that resembled the Nazi "Totenkopf" symbol. Graham Platner apologized and covered the tattoo with a new one, but questions remain, writes Zeeshan Aleem. There can be a cost to embracing charismatic first-time political candidates too quickly and without proper vetting, and progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders risk undermining their own movement by dismissing legitimate concerns. Read more. |
Heist flicks: The theft of more than $100 million in jewels from the Louvre in Paris was a breathtaking crime. But there's more to the public interest in this story than just the scale of the crime. These kinds of thefts — and the heist movies that they inspire — occupy a special place in popular culture, writes John DeVore. The movies are "Robin Hood fantasies" where "hypercompetent thieves take on powerful institutions," whether that's a bank, a casino or an insurance company. Read more. |
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George Santos relied on MAGA slogans and a 2022 red wave to win a congressional seat on Long Island. But he was a Trump acolyte long before running for Congress. And that loyalty seems to have paid off, as Trump commuted his seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft three months after the disgraced lawmaker reported to prison, writes Mark Chiusano, author of the book "The Fabulist." Just days before the commutation, Santos published an open letter noting that as a member of Congress he still "stood firmly" behind Trump's agenda and asking for a second chance. Perhaps Trump was moved by Santos' depictions of life behind bars — or perhaps he simply fell for his flattery. But in the end, shamelessness won. Read the column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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Jen Psaki sits down with party leaders, strategists, and rising stars who are shaping the future of the Democratic party in Season 2 of "The Blueprint with Jen Psaki" podcast. In episode 3, Jen speaks with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear about what Democrats should stand for, his mission to address the issues that are affecting all Americans, and his oppositional stance against policies enacted by the Trump administration that directly affect his constituents. Listen now. |
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