Before turning it over to the parties, Judge Reyes says: Can we all agree that I'm fortunate enough to be the first person to rule on that section of the Home Rule Act? Huzzah!

HAPPENING NOW: Temporary restraining order hearing in DC v. Trump, a suit filed this morning over Trump's effort to takeover the DC police. Judge Ana Reyes just took the bench. I'm listening in for @lawfaremedia.org Follow along ⬇️

Charles Allen interregnum to say that the team is open to reducing parking, re-siting the garages, and kicking in for Metrorail (?). Allen's rightfully been a harsh critic of all this; imagine if the rest of the CMs held out for something more meaningful than a one-time CBA and *negotiated*.

Senate voting on the motion to proceed. Currently 45-50. R no votes include Tillis NC, Johnson WI, Paul KY. Not yet voted: Lee UT, Lummis WY, Scott FL, Schmitt MO, Murkowski AK VP Vance just arrived with Schmitt.

Rand Paul: "Tariffs are taxes & when you put tax on a business it's always passed through as a cost, so there will be higher prices. There's an economic fallacy that trade deficits mean anything. They're artificial accounting. The only trade that means anything is the individual who buys something"

EXTRA OMNES

Justice Alito's dissent from last night's order has been published. He objects to the necessity of rushed relief, but notes that "[t]he Executive must proceed under the terms of our order in Trump v. J.G.G." - notice and opportunity to challenge removal. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

The Supreme Court doesn't usually issue orders at 1:00 a.m. on Saturday while the lower court is still deliberating, the government hasn't responded, and one of the justices isn't finished writing a dissent.

I don't care who you are and what you're charged with, in America you have a right to one phone call after you're arrested.

FDR sent a letter to the IRS commissioner in 1938 saying he was "wholly unable to figure out the amount of tax" and after providing his income information, asked them to "let me know the amount of the balance due."

6.7% inflation would probably sweep every incumbent from office in the next election

Judge Paula Xinis to the Trump presidency, on remand from the Roberts Court: figure it the f*ck out and "take all available steps" to facilitate Mr. Abrego Garcia's return.

How many IRS commissioners have to resign before I don’t have to send in my payment?

Supreme Court rules 9-0 that the administration must "facilitate" the return of the guy they mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador. This echoes the reasoning of Circuit Judge Wilkinson, who wrote that the government can be ordered to facilitate, not effectuate, a return

We're at the "I just explained stock market circuit breakers to my husband" stage of this

11 countries were missing from President Trump's tariff list announced on April 2: Belarus Burkina Faso Canada Cuba North Korea Mexico Palau Russia Seychelles Somalia Vatican City Here's what the "their rate on us" and "our rate on them" would have been, using the same formula

There are only three tried and true ways to reduce a trade deficit: > Weaken your currency > Reduce your budget deficit > Crash your economy "Tariffing away" a trade deficit will not work unless it indirectly does one of those three ways

Senators Cantwell (D-Washington) and Grassley (R-Iowa) have introduced a bill to require tariffs to expire unless approved by Congress within 60 days. www.cantwell.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

Full list of countries being tariffed

Discharge petition in the House, filibuster in the Senate, it's like a civics lesson today

Meanwhile just after noon in the House of Representatives, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) moved to discharge a bill to allow new parents to vote by proxy on the House floor for 12 weeks after their child is born. Under House rules, leadership now has 2 days to schedule a vote on the discharge.

Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) is currently 17 hours into a talking filibuster. Starting at 6:59PM ET last night, he is technically blocking the nomination of Harmett Dhillon as Asst. Attorney General for Civil Rights (though it's more opportunity, not a special objection to that nomination).

Have we revived the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?

Tariffs will increase prices. Based on 2024 data, a blanket 25% tariff on imported cars and trucks will cost an average of $6,867 per vehicle. Higher car prices will leave Americans with fewer dollars to spend on other goods and services.

Supreme Court upholds regulations on ghost guns (homemade kits or 3-D printed) that require serial numbers and background checks. Challengers argued the regulations are beyond the scope of the Gun Control Act of 1968. Justices Thomas and Alito dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

To paraphrase Patton, you don't win by losing nobly. You win by getting the other side to lose nobly.

Schumer: "No one on my side of the aisle wants a shutdown. Those who support the CR do not want a government shutdown. Those who oppose the CR do not want a government shutdown." “While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse.”

Mexico tariffs suspended for one month

Trump's tariffs may just save Trudeau's career

Tax credits for shipbuilding: Wall Street Journal reported two days ago that a ship built in China for $55 million would cost $333 million to build in Philadelphia. Would take an expensive tax credit is gonna equalize that without lots of automation www.wsj.com/business/log...

On the question of whether Ukraine is thankful, when Ethan and I visited Kyiv for a week in 2023 and people realized we're Americans, 100% of them said thank you and expressed their appreciation to our country.

Can #5 be "made a list of things I did"?

Today, on the third anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a new resolution calling for an end to the conflict. An amendment added a call for Russia to withdraw its troops. The U.S. voted against it.

Germany 2025 election results (vs. 2021): (316 seats needed for a majority) CDU/CSU (center-right) 28.5% (+4.4), 208 seats AFD (far-right) 20.8% (+10.4), 151 seats SPD (center-left) 16.4% (-9.3), 121 seats Green 11.6% (-3.1), 85 seats Left (far-left) 8.8% (+3.9), 64 seats

What's an underrated movie you love that more people should watch?

BAIER: You're not worried that any of the tariff is going to go back to the consumer? TRUMP: It might, but ...

The last time we did this, it "created" ~8,700 new steel jobs but increased costs for consumers by $5.6 billion. In other words we spent $643,000 per each job created. www.piie.com/blogs/trade-...

We're currently at negative $36 trillion so this has a way to go to say the least

Is this map countries with the highest tariffs or is this map the poorest countries of the world?

Rapid City Subway, here we come

FAA STATEMENT: A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time. PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines. It departed from Wichita, Kansas.

Judge MCCONNELL will *grant* the restraining order, saying the withdrawal of the "hugely ambiguous" OMB order is only a distinction without a difference "based on comments by the president’s press secretary.”

Trump approval Jan 24-26 (vs Jan 20-21) Approve 45 (-2) Disapprove 46 (+7) www.reuters.com/world/us/ame... Approval of specific policies:

Happy Valentine’s Day!

For posts related to my service as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in DC, please follow @joe5f6.bsky.social