The MAGA Republican response to the second No Kings protest has been a combination of laughably extreme invective and childish hissy fit. Republican after Republican issued over-the-top criticism of the organized demonstrations against the Trump regime, calling them Soros-sponsored antifa gatherings. House Speaker Mike Johnson called them “hate America” rallies. White House press secretary Karoline … Continue reading Love America Rallies: No Kings Day, October 2025
On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark
“It goes without saying.” . . . People use that phrase when they’re about to state something everyone within earshot knows. Or they might start a sentence with, “Needless to say,” which bears the same meaning. Usually, one word will do: “Clearly,” for instance, is a common starter. “Obviously” is the most direct way of … Continue reading On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark
“You know better, Marco Rubio”
In preparing today’s Substack column on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I got to thinking about a phrase all of use at one time or another, in one form or another: “You know better. . . . He knows better. . . . She knows better. . . . You should know better.” It might … Continue reading “You know better, Marco Rubio”
Noted passing: A Baltimore native who wrote the book, now banned by Trump, on white nationalists
More than 30 years ago, when the Skinheads were a thing and one of them established headquarters at a house in Baltimore, Leonard Zeskind was the expert we turned to for the full story. Who were these guys handing out leaflets in Hampden? What was their movement all about? Where did such openly racist young … Continue reading Noted passing: A Baltimore native who wrote the book, now banned by Trump, on white nationalists
A constituent appeals to Republicans: Do you really agree with everything Trump has done?
Arnold "Skip" Isaacs, veteran journalist formerly of The Baltimore Sun, watched the Trump-Musk sabotage of government unfold in Washington, then decided to write to Republicans to ask if they agreed with Trump's draconian executive orders and Musk's unprecedented access to government data. I post this here today because I admired Skip's approach -- indeed, his … Continue reading A constituent appeals to Republicans: Do you really agree with everything Trump has done?
Who’s the most dangerous man in Washington?
Update from The New York Times: Employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were instructed to cease “all supervision and examination activity” and “all stakeholder engagement,” effectively stopping the agency’s operations, in an email from the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, on Saturday evening. Who's the most dangerous man in … Continue reading Who’s the most dangerous man in Washington?
Trump gang wants to erase the spirit of John McCain, destroy public service
A purge at the FBI, the firing of 30 Jan. 6 prosecutors by the U.S. Attorney in D.C., the sleazy effort by Elon Musk to reduce the federal workforce — all of this comes from the authoritarian handbook: Get rid of honest public servants and replace them with loyalists who will let you get away … Continue reading Trump gang wants to erase the spirit of John McCain, destroy public service
Head Case: Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 attackers is pure projection, and exactly what a dictator would do
On his first day in office, President Again issued a sweeping pardon of the January 6 rioters who brought terror to the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Psychology professors seeking a case of projection can now use Trump’s pardons as a classic … Continue reading Head Case: Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 attackers is pure projection, and exactly what a dictator would do
Mitch McConnell, the greatest enabler in U.S. history, kept Trump out of prison
I'll employ a legal metaphor -- "fruit of a poisonous tree" -- to trace the path of one of the worst failures in U.S. history: The failure to hold Trump criminally responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and Congress, a failure that kept Trump eligible to run for president a third time. … Continue reading Mitch McConnell, the greatest enabler in U.S. history, kept Trump out of prison
Why Congressional Republicans do not deserve your vote
Here we have the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Trump stooge, saying that, if Republicans get control of Congress again, they will try to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act, a widely-popular law pushed by the Biden administration to give the nation’s chip manufacturing and semiconductor industries a boost. It’s one of the … Continue reading Why Congressional Republicans do not deserve your vote
Dan Rodricks 