Donald Trump
The Winter of our Political Discontent: 2025 Edition
Starting today we're going to face a different series of threats, and these won't be courtesy of a foreign bad actor but from an American government under Donald Trump's control.
2024 election
Donald Trump
The Triumph of the Criminal Class...For Now
The explosion of online right-wing, conspiracy theory-centric networks, podcasts, and similar digital sewers has created a permission structure for many Americans to embrace their worst selves and the worst political actors.
2024 election
The Worst Case Scenario: Another Look
Earlier this year, I posted four pieces about the potential for another Trump term and what I've called Civil War 2.0. I thought the worst-case scenario I wrote on February 5 was dire enough. It wasn't.
2024 election
How Far Will They Go?
This is the relative calm before the storm.
2024 election
Ignoring The Long-Term Threat: POLITICO's Unserious Take On "Never Trumpers" And A Post-Trump Era
If our Republic manages to escape a second Trump presidency (a big "if" at this point), the lessons of the last fifty years should not be squandered by a return to the kind of "politics as usual" bullshit being offered in the latest edition of POLITICO Playbook.
2024 election
The PATRIOT Act Turns 23: Constitutional Subversion Begets Political Repression
In the hands of an authoritarian president, the PATRIOT Act could be wielded as an instrument of domestic terror and political repression at scale.
2024 election
Out Of Control Cops: Two Reports You May Have Missed
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice's Inspector General released two reports that, in the pre-Trump era, would've sparked outrage and at least public Congressional hearings.
Surveillance
Surveillance News Update: A Conference And a Lawsuit
Cato Surveillance Week 2024 kicks off on October 7. Also, late Friday we filed yet another FOIA lawsuit against the FBI over FISA Section 702 violation records.
2024 election
From "Police State Lite" to an American Gestapo: What a Trump Victory Might Bring
What makes the prospect of a Trump victory even more chilling is the kind of law enforcement and data collection tools that would be at Trump's disposal if he wins - tools he would be eager to use against his political opponents.
2024 election
When Congress Becomes The Oppressor: From The McCarran Act To The "China Initiative"
Earlier this month, the House passed a bill in the spirit of the McCarran Act that would revive the odious and discredited Trump-era "China Initiative.
2024 election
At 237, the Constitution Is Showing Its Age And Vulnerability
The current political climate makes amending the Constitution impractical, dangerous, or both. Even so, legal and structural changes to our existing, vulnerable governing institutions are possible. All that's required is the will to make it happen.
2024 election
The Threat Response Differential: 9/11 versus January 6
Our failure to roll back 9/11-driven executive power grabs and "coup proof" our government against internal authoritarian political threats may come back to haunt us, and soon.