Week 11
By
This is the week the penguins got tariffed. And so did everyone else. Lesotho got hit worst because they had the gall to have a country name Trump couldn’t pronounce. The Masters of the Universe said heh, we didn’t think he’d do it. But he did.
I can take some satisfaction in being ahead of the curve about the penguins, although I was writing in regard to the executive order giving JD Vance the go-ahead to rectify the woke parts of the government’s cultural institutions. There’s a nice article about the Smithsonian Art Museum in the WaPo. It’s early in the month, so I am rationing my use of gift articles.
Follow the court-watchers for the lawsuits, now up to 167, including 5 closed. Three of the giant law firms won temporary restraining orders against the asministration actions. Chris Geidner (LawDork, Bluesky), Roger Parloff (Lawfare, Bluesky), and the Just Security tracker.
As usual, keep it to things that have actually happened, not hypotheticals. I think it’s important to stay grounded with what has happened. What is actually happening is bad enough, and hypotheticals confuse our sense of reality.
Caring for yourself and loved ones is resistance too. Post your pets.
Here’s what the Trump administration did this week, in no particular order
- TARIFFS!
Continuing
- Tesla demonstrations. Reports are that last Saturday’s were the biggest yet. Today is HANDS OFF day. Snow and cold here in NM. Ugh.
- Measles in Texas and New Mexico. RFK Jr pulled back money for vaccinations in the area, and children are experiencing Vitamin A toxicity when their parents follow his advice.
Pushback
- Marine LePen disallowed from elections. This is France, but a good trend.
- Likewise, South Korea’s highest court confirmed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who attempted a coup. We can do it too.
- Cory Booker set a record for long Senate speeches. And it was good, with meaningful content all the way through.
- Susan Crawford won in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, showing that nobody likes Elon Musk. In Florida, two special elections to replace House Representatives went to Republicans with much lower margins than in November.
- Court ruling that the government must bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia from the El Salvador prison.
- Democratic shadow cabinet? https://bsky.app/profile/kenmartin.bsky.social/post/3llykndhbck2q
Here’s a good summary of many things that are happening and why they contravene sanity. But it leaves out the damage being done to the government that supports the research that makes industry run and decent living for the elderly, among other things. So much damage being done.
198 more weeks to go. What are you doing? Should I change the header photo after 10 weeks?
Previous weeks: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8. Week 9, Week 10