Texas Democrats know they don't have the votes to stop Trump and Abbott, but they have a story they want us to hear. Rep. Gina Hinojosa: “The only way that we have any hope of getting out of this is if every freedom-loving American does everything in their power to push back.” tinyurl.com/xtjzav7r

If it feels as though a giant wave is crashing over your head, you’re not alone. A few thoughts about this moment in the Trump presidency, with appearances by Jen Easterly and Jared Wise. One is out of the administration, one is in. Guess which way the axe fell. www.facebook.com/peter.slevin...

Great story by @peterslevin.bsky.social tracing how agricultural research in Africa helps U.S. farmers. Starts with aphid-resistant sorghum in Kansas, then other reasons we created these programs in the first place; features Tim Dalton (my first PhD student!), Dave Tschirley & other #FoodEcon folks

In this brief, @marthasjones.bsky.social and I demonstrate that free Black Americans spent decades claiming birthright citizenship against those who denied it, that the Framers of the 14 Amend. listened, and that these facts should matter to today's Courts. www.brennancenter.org/media/13981/...

At Northwestern, targeted by the Trump administration, more than 100 Jewish faculty joined together to call the threats unwarranted and "deeply offensive." They said it would be wrong "to punish Northwestern financially or to limit academic freedom in the name of protecting Jewish students."

More than 100 Jewish faculty members at Northwestern signed a statement condemning the Trump administration for punishing NU financially and limiting academic freedom “in the name of Jews.” — Reported by Nineth Kanieski Koso

The president of the United States on Truth Social, 6 minutes apart.

This is Utah in case anyone’s wondering how pissed off people are. I have never seen anything like this.

The ongoing White House effort to construct an alternate reality

David Remnick writes: Donald Trump "has the unwavering support of his MAGA base, the cowed compliance of his congressional caucus, and the backing of multibillionaires such as Jeff Bezos, who would rather diminish the vitality of his newspaper than risk the dinner invitations of the sovereign."

The NYT's Peter Baker on the Oval Office meeting: "The president’s verbal assault on Mr. Zelensky was a remarkable display of anger and resentment toward the leader of a country that has been invaded by a larger power intent on eliminating it as an independent state."

The @wsj.com asked its opinion staff about the first month of Trump 2.0. This was the first comment from a member of the team, apparently serious: "What stands out most in DT's first month isn't any one action, but the professionalism behind the aggressive and action-packed game plan."

Protest today outside the federal building in Asheville, NC. Chants of "Where's Thom Tillis?? Where's Thom Tillis??"

Another resignation from SDNY. Pulling no punches in describing the inexcusable political directive from Trump's former personal attorney, now at the Department of Justice.

The majority of the federal workforce is not in or around Washington, DC. Here's an example from Western North Carolina--an area that is still trying to dig out from the effects of Helene & now may have to endure jobs cuts (& will have to deal w/ buyouts) as well ⤵️ www.bpr.org/bpr-news/202...

A big misconception about USAID is that $40 billion rains from the sky over foreign lands. Fact is, billions stay here. USAID buys $2 billion worth of food from U.S. farmers each year. Think of truck drivers, pharma workers, researchers. Last year, $1 billion went to small businesses in the U.S.

Raw numbers. The world's richest man and what he's doing to some of the poorest.

At the San Francisco airport. I wanted to buy a paper or two to read on the flight home to Chicago. “We don’t sell newspapers,” the clerk at, checks notes, Sunset News, said.

A bit of perspective, also remembering that total U.S. foreign aid spending is less than 1 percent of the annual federal budget

This is how it's done. Exposing lies and suppositions with evidence and clarity. x.com/kaitlancolli...

Donald Trump calls the Jan 6ers "patriots" and "hostages." After all, Jan. 6 was "a day of love," he said in October, nearly four years after 140 law officers were assaulted at the Capitol. Here's the reaction of one of the pardoned patriots who joined the lovefest.

A few details about the pardoned Jan. 6ers, whom Donald Trump calls “patriots.” (Source: DOJ) -- A total of 140 police officers assaulted -- Roughly 900 defendants pleaded guilty to federal charges -- At least 146 pleaded guilty to federal charges of assaulting law officers.

In their very first hours in power, Trump's team raced to show disdain for abortion rights and women's health care by taking down the federal reproductiverights.gov website.

Facebook's Zuckerberg says "Fact checking? Nah." @washingtonpost.com: "Meta has rolled back or weakened policies intended to reduce the spread of falsehoods on its network. In the run-up to the 2024 election, the company allowed politicians to claim the 2020 election was rigged in political ads...."

The cartoon that The Washington Post editorial page editor wouldn't print, leading to the resignation of Pulitzer-winning cartoonist @anntelnaes.bsky.social

Democrats in Wisconsin, assessing the 2024 campaign and what comes next . @benwikler.bsky.social on Trump 2.0: “We’re about to have a big defining battle that gives us a chance to show who we are.”https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/how-much-do-democrats-need-to-change

"I'm not setting fire to any playbooks around here," said Ryan Spaude, a Democrat who flipped a Republican legislative district in Wisconsin, even as Kamala Harris lost.

On Joe Biden's death penalty decision: When Trump and Barr decided to start executing people, I wrote a piece for @newyorker.com about an execution I witnessed. The man was named Juan Garza. I asked, "Are we a safer country as a result of Garza’s death? Are we a better one?" tinyurl.com/52jcznf3

It wasn't long ago that almost every editor in America would be clamoring for a chance to lead the Washpost. Now, according to Axios, Bezos and former Murdoch henchman Will Lewis are seeing one candidate after another drop out for the EIC job. www.axios.com/newsletters/...

The Republican leadership just announced who is chairing each of the 17 standing committees in the upcoming 119th Congress. Number of women: 0. Number of people of color: 0 Number of white men: 17

This week's advice from Barack Obama on pluralism if opponents run amok: "In those circumstances, a line has been crossed and we have to stand firm and speak out and organize and mobilize as forcefully as we can. But even in those circumstances, it's important to look for allies in unlikely places."

A thoughtful and thoroughly reported story by @juliaprestonnow.bsky.social, who quit her journalism job at The Marshall Project to canvass for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania. @newyorker.com.web.brid.gy

What should journalists should do? George Packer: "make better use of our dwindling resources, and perhaps regain some of the public’s trust, by doing what we’ve done in every age: expose the lies and graft of oligarchs and plutocrats, and tell the stories of people who can’t speak for themselves."

A man in Brookfield, Wis., told me this on Election Day after casting his vote: “Nobody wants a woman president. I don’t know any woman who would be up to the job. When you’ve got a problem, you call the guy, not the woman.” @NewYorker

Trump loves attacking journalists - "these horrible, horrible dishonest people, the fake news,” he said this month. It's a tactic. He told Lesley Stahl, "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.”

Can't resist some math on the 3 Blue Wall states that gave Trump the win. Total votes: 16,066,386. Margin of victory: 236,898 votes = 1.4 percent. We'd have a different president, and future, if 118,450 voters had flipped their votes. Nationally, Trump's vote total is not quite 50 percent. Mandate?