My dad fought in WWII. He didn’t talk about it. He grew up in Brooklyn, the son of an immigrant father. He served with men from all over the country. His service made him an American; made him believe in the American dream. I think his generation would say this is not the country they fought for.

-->"What Nixon did episodically and covertly, knowing it was illegal or improper, Trump now does routinely and overtly."

Nothing more like a Mafia presidency than preemptively pardoning your co-conspirators in a gigantic crime.

If this were a metaphor or a satire, it would be spot on. But of course, it's not. Even Caesar had his image on only one side. But his coin did have the legend, CAESAR DICT PERPETVO (“Caesar, dictator in perpetuity”)

As ever, it is not either/or but both/and. The Democratic party should be a big tent containing progressives and moderates—heck, that's what a party is! No internecine warfare!

As Atul Gawande writes, "There are valid criticisms of USAID. It sometimes fostered dependency..Yet no agency of the US gov't has saved more lives per dollar." The documentary shows how many of those lives will be lost.

As a lawyer who advised and represented international financial institutions making loans and guarantees on major investment projects in Uzbekistan for 15 years, I can say with 100% certainty that Uzbekistan does not have $135 billion to invest in the US, or anywhere else outside of Uzbekistan.

Seems pretty clear that: 1. Tariffs are a tax, and only Congress can impose a tax. 2. There is no emergency to justify using emergency powers. 3. The IEEPA legislation was designed to constrain the president's powers, not increase them. www.cnn.com/2025/11/05/p...

"If tonight teaches us anything, it's that convention has held us back. We have bowed at the altar of caution, and we've paid a mighty price. Too many working people cannot recognize themselves in our party, and too many among us have turned to the right for answers to why they’ve been left behind."

Memories are short. (A) We forget how deeply unpopular Trump I was and (B) that every election is about the economy. Voters rejected Trump II and the bad economy and embraced sanity and competence. On to the midterms.

In any other administration, a president pardoning a billionaire felon who was enriching his own family would be a scandal that could topple the presidency.

I'll relieve you from having to watch the 60 Minutes interview. Here it is in its entirety: "DEMOCRATS: BAD! ME: GREAT! BETTER THAN ANYONE IN HISTORY!"

"America has lost its moral bearings; as a result, it has also lost its moral standing in the world."

He said the meeting with Xi was a 12 on a 1-10 scale. Let's say at the start of his presidency, the relationship with China was a 5 on a 1-10 scale. His erratic non-strategic tariffs and behavior took it back to a 1. Now he's managed to eke out a 3. So, yes, it's a 12 on a 1-30 scale.

He only has a few moves. One of which, per Roy Cohn, is when someone punches you, punch back harder. That's why he is threatening to resume nuclear testing in response to Putin's previous announcement. Scholars called this escalation dominance. But it ain't diplomacy. It's just dangerous.

"At long last, we have peace in the Middle East." —President Trump, October 13, 2025, in Egypt.

1. There is no evidence that Venezuela produces fentanyl. 2. The UN drug office says it is not a cocaine-producing country. 3. Most illegal drugs come here in container ships, not small boats with outboard motors. 4. The admin has produced no evidence to justify these extra-judicial killings.

Media note. If you thoroughly screw up trade negotiations with another country, say China:) please don’t call it a “win” when you manage to get it roughly back to where it was before you started.

I'm all for the troops getting paid, but this is a dangerous step on the road to autocratic rule. Autocrats always seek to turn national militaries into private militias. Our troops take an oath to defend the Constitution not one man.

The destruction of the East Wing is more than a metaphor—it's a living example of disdain and ignorance for history, order, legacy, transparency, humility, and even constitutional checks and balances. Shameful.

The admin's possible $40 billion rescue of Argentina is more than what they cut in USAID funding. Which would you rather do, spend billions to prop-up an economy that has needed rescuing time and again or save 1000s of lives with AIDS medicine & prevent diseases like Ebola from coming to America?

Trump demanding $230 million from his own Justice Dept shows that he sees himself more as an outlaw than head of state, that he doesn't represent the American people but himself, and that he will never ever turn down an opportunity to make money.

For decades, courts gave the gov't a "presumption of regularity," which is the idea that federal officials were doing their duty, following the rules, and being honest. But in 9 months, this admin has forfeited this presumption for many judges because of failing to follow the rules and be truthful.

Just when you might have cause to wonder if it’s all about the money, you find out that, yes, it’s all about the money.

His disdain for the People’s House is only matched by his contempt for We the People.

What I saw at my No Kings rally and in all the images from around the nation was love—love of country, love of the Constitution, love of freedom and equality, and love of the principle that in a free country that you have the right to protest.

The beautiful images from yesterday put me in mind of Lincoln: 'The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched by the better angels of our nature.'

“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny.”—Thomas Jefferson. #NoKings

Heading to my local No Kings protest with a friend. Protest is democratic superpower. Onward.

We’ve never before had a chief executive who sympathizes more with criminals than their victims.

There’s nothing more American than protest. Our country was born in protest. It is the democratic super-power. It is the embodiment of freedom of speech and assembly. I will be at my local No Kings protest tomorrow. Hope you will too.

Our republic was formed in revolt against a king, and the idea of hereditary privilege. The idea of "we the people" is opposed to all forms of tyranny and supports the idea of popular sovereignty. That's why I am attending the #NoKings protest tomorrow in New York's 19th district!

“A study published in The Lancet journal in June said the U.S. funding cuts could result in more than 14 million deaths, including more than 4.5 million children under age 5, by 2030.”

If you could only use two words to summarize the idea behind the revolution and the Declaration of Independence it would be, "No Kings."

Who says bi-partisan patriotism is dead? Hegseth's restrictive new rules manage to unite the entire left-right news continuum in favor of freedom of the press.

I was on TV quite a bit today talking about the release of the hostages (undeniably moving) and the "peace" conference (less moving). It's wildly premature (and incautious) to declare "peace in the middle east." It's a noble goal, but even with the ceasefire, the underlying problems remain the same

In Article II of the Constitution it says the president's duty is to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." This president is taking care that his adversaries be faithfully prosecuted.

Three cheers for the ceasefire and kudos to the Trump admin for its role in bringing it about. Welcome to the hostages. But the loss in Gaza has been devastating—there should be an immediate surge of aid & humanitarian assistance. Let's hope the agreement holds & is a pathway to an enduring peace.

Of the approximately 400 Nobel prizes in medicine, chemistry, & physics that American scientists have won since 1901, 36% of the winners have been immigrants. Of the 100+ Nobels the US has won in those categories since 2000, 40% have been immigrants.

American servicemen and women take an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Who would have thought they had to defend the Constitution against the commander-in-chief?

Leslie Stahl, quoting Trump: “And he said: ‘You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so that when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you.’”

A government that rewards the speech it likes can also punish the speech it doesn't like. The animating idea of authoritarian rule is to control all aspects of society. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

More and more, I think the model for Trump is Nixon, if Nixon had no scruples at all, no knowledge of American history or law, and a compliant Republican congress.

When one party controls the executive, the Senate, and the House, it's objectively the case that they are responsible for a government shutdown.

Last week I was honored to be the speaker for Christ Church's 500th anniversary celebration in New York. Yes, 500! (Christ Church was my Oxford college.) I spoke about the decline of democracy around the world and here at home. This piece is adapted from that talk. time.com/7321529/demo...

The sad and dangerous irony here is that the future of war is happening in Ukraine, and it's drone warfare, which has nothing to do with dusty boots, or beards, or how many push-ups you can do. That's what we need to be preparing for. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...

The idea of using American cities as a "training ground" for the military directly violates the "posse comitatus act" and the idea that no civilized democratic society uses its military against its own citizens. This is precisely what the Framers feared about a standing army.

Putin's success in quashing free speech and independent reporting in Russia was not just by closing down outlets, it was by getting oligarchs and cronies to take over the businesses. That's the model.

There’s something deeply wrong when you are fired for following the Constitution.