The Weekly Sift

It’s easy to get worn down by the lawlessness of the Trump regime. You hear that they’ve ignored some established legal principle and think, “Oh yeah. That’s what they do.”

But this week has been special and deserves your attention. Yesterday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem admitted on ABC that she authorized the plane that flew detainees to El Salvador after a federal judge had ordered it turned around. Her justification: James Boasberg is an “activist judge”, and Noem will decide for herself whether her orders are “lawful and binding”. This single incident is contempt of court on its own, but it points something far broader and more threatening: The regime refuses to recognize that it can be bound by the courts.

Friday, The Washington Post reported that Defense (not War) Secretary Hegseth ordered the Navy to “kill everybody” in its September 2 attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the open ocean. After the first attack, two survivors were clinging to the wreckage. So a second attack was sent to blow them to bits.

In the featured article “Crime in the Cabinet”, I’ll look at these two incidents and put them in the context of US history: Crimes committed by members of the cabinet are very rare. That we learn of two in one week is completely unique. That should be out around 10 EST or so.

The weekly summary is left to cover the confusing back-and-forth of Ukraine peace proposals; the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House, and Trump’s disproportionate response to halt the processing of all asylum applications; the end of the James Comey and Tish James prosecutions; and a few other things, before closing with a piano-playing octopus. I’ll try to get that out by noon or so.