Three cheers for the Constitution's right to a jury: a federal jury in Los Angeles "took just over an hour to acquit [Brayan] Ramos-Brito of a misdemeanor assault count" in an ICE-scuffle case hinging heavily on the testimony of border sector chief Gregory Bovino, now doing raids in Chicago.

Two weeks

Comey's testimony in 2020 On the left: In hearing, Senator Cruz erroneously claimed McCabe had said Comey "directly authorized" leak to press. Comey denied that. On the right: Cruz was wrong. McCabe did not say Comey authorized the leak (source: Inspector General Report, on which Cruz relies)

If this indictment really is about the McCabe matter, the government's case appears to hinge on the idea that McCabe telling Comey about the disclosure *after the article published* somehow amounts to Comey "authorizing" it himself.

Tom Homan's envelope is light this week, T.

I have a piece up today at Quillette, that analyzes the cancel culture frenzy that the right has engaged in since the murder of Charlie Kirk, and the way Trump has used government power to stamp out opposition. Here are some excerpts to whet your appetite. quillette.com/2025/09/20/t...

Just call it "murder" That's what it is

I heard an entire podcast with one of them decrying it today, yes.

It’s easy to find examples of GOP figures who decried cancel culture celebrating it now. But spare some contempt for those who ran cover for insane 2020 cancellations, telling us that “speech has consequences.” It can. But when the speaker is well-intentioned, support them.

The Murderer in Chief is really feeling his Cheerios this morning

With this latest boat strike, Trump is now a serial killer.

If you are a Free Speech Warrior angrily demanding the firing of anyone who criticizes both Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the views he expressed, you embody the very “cancel culture” that you pretended to decry—but which you always planned to employ against your own enemies.

We’re frogs in the pot about this, I think. We’re so hardened to eliminationist, fascist rhetoric from the right that it hardly makes a dent when a prominent host on a major network suggests exterminating a large group of people. But he did. And nobody on modern Right gives a shit.

I think this severely understates things. If he was merely unsympathetic to their plight (like the guy on the left) that’s one thing. But he out and out said “or we could just murder them.” That’s a whole different level of bad.

It's ok, just the President of the United States posting apocalyptic QAnon conspiracy gibberish.

It's a mass murder. They are telling us to "turn down the temperature" at a time when our president and military murdered 11 people in cold blood.

The murdering President has given his fan base a taste for murder.

This is awful and shocking.

BREAKING: Judge Cobb GRANTS Lisa Cook’s motion for a temporary restraining order to block her removal from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

Recognized by the judge as the obvious lie that it was, if I recall your coverage correctly

It was obvious just from reading the guy’s comments that the guy was just giving his opinions and had no real knowledge of anything

I guess she forgot “unsuccessfully tried to spirit away dozens of unaccompanied children in the dead of night with scant legal basis”

Amen. Worst decision in decades

In Trump v. US the United States Supreme Court placed the president (not just this president, any president) above the law and went a very long way toward destroying the rule of law in the United States.

And by the way, whatever the legality of the bombing, it was clearly an official act. Therefore Trump cannot be held criminally liable. Criminal liability for subordinates - possible. But the pardon power also exists.

To be perfectly clear, the President has now crossed a line in my opinion into outright murder of foreign nationals on the high seas. Alleged drug smugglers. Not many lines left before he is ordering the murder of American citizens for crimes, real or imagined.

America, 2025

DEVELOPING: Advocates are seeking a court order to block the Trump administration’s effort to deport hundreds of unaccompanied minor children to Guatemala. Judge abruptly moved 3 pm hearing up to 12:30 after she was notified that some children “are in the process of being removed" today.

That seems like some real news

Duuuuuh which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?

HAPPENING NOW: Hello from the media room in DC district court, where Judge Jia Cobb is set to hear argument on Lisa Cook's motion for a temporary restraining order to block her removal from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. I'm here for @lawfaremedia.org. Follow along ⬇️🧵

The country is so poorly run we can’t receive packages from overseas anymore, and I’m not sure it makes the top 10 of the administration’s dumbest, unforced errors

JD Vance on Trump sending troops into cities: "The president is not going out there forcing this on anybody." (Tell that to Los Angeles ... )

All of this is performative cruelty directed solely to avoid admitting they fucked up when they illegally sent him to cecot in March.

The just result for Abrego would be to tell the Gov’t: if you deport him it must be to Costa Rica. (I say this in light of shocking news that the Gov’t says it will deport him there if he pleads guilty, and to Uganda if he doesn’t.) I doubt the courts can achieve a just result.

EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration will move to pull the COVID vaccine off the U.S. market “within months,” one of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s closest associates has told the Daily Beast.

Our government is evil and many of its leaders deserve to burn in hell.

The executive has too much power over immigration. Like so many things, Congress ought to take back power but will not.

Hard to see how an ethical district court judge could accept a plea as voluntary under these circumstances.

What is notable about the search of John Bolton’s house is the certainty all fair-minded people have, that if Bolton were a Trump sycophant rather than a Trump critic, it never would have happened. No previous administration behaved this way. It is death to the rule of law.

Covering this opinion would allow Sarah Isgur and @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social to acknowledge that the *text* of the *full* Appointments Clause gives “Courts of Law” a role (if delegated by Congress) in appointing certain inferior officers. They have implied otherwise and should clarify that.

If you assume, as I do, that Trump is allied with Putin, you’ll never be surprised by any of his decisions.

I miss honesty.

I'm happy that someone finally wrote a fitting takedown about the nightly food fights on Abby Phillip's CNN show. @oliverdarcy.bsky.social: "That CNN... continues to treat its prime time platform as a stage for clowns rather than serious voices is disheartening, to put it gently."

On Fox, Vance brags that Trump's tariffs are "bringing in a lot of additional revenue, which of course we're using to give tax relief to the American people." The tariffs are a sales tax on everyone. The tax cuts are on income, i.e. they send more money to the rich. A net loss for the middle class.

“The draft order also criticizes the role that some banks played in an investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.”

Knew it was coming, but still, what a hard blow. I've been a megafan of his since I was a kid.

Tom Lehrer was the best. R.I.P. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...

They told me if I voted for Kamala Harris, a powerful group of D.C. politicians would conspire to protect those who sexually exploit young children. And they were right!

Also an excellent question. He has been asked many stupid questions, but few like this.