Prosecution Won't Rest, Weekend Whats, Feel Good Friday
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But even absolutely corrupt corruption is an understated description for what the Pam Bondi led Justice Department is trying to pull in New York. The Justice Department demanded that the Southern District of NY office drop the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams, essentially in exchange for Adams’ assistance with the administration’s immigration crackdown and, of course, a string of supportive niceties from Adams about Trump. Just in case you think that’s an exaggeration, the day after the order to drop the case, Eric Adams appeared on Fox & Friends with border czar Tom Homan to tout their burgeoning relationship. During the interview, Homan explained to the NYC mayor he’ll be ‘up his butt‘ if he breaks his vow to help ICE. He might find a few SDNY prosectors already up there, because the classic and deeply disturbing quid pro quo has been met with a widespread quit pro quo.
+ The first act of resistance came from Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon (notably, a Republican, a former Scalia clerk, and a Federalist Society member) who resigned after refusing to carry out the order to drop the charges. She explained her decision in a scathing letter to Bondi. “It is a breathtaking and dangerous precedent to reward Adams’s opportunistic and shifting commitments on immigration and other policy matters with dismissal of a criminal indictment. Nor will a court likely find that such an improper exchange is consistent with the public interest.”
+ Sassoon wasn’t the only one to say Take this job and gov it. Six other prosecutors have resigned, including Hagan Scotten, an assistant U.S. attorney (and a former Special Forces Officers who clerked for Roberts and Kavanaugh) who sent his resignation letter to Emil Bove (the person who directly issued to order to drop the case). “There is a tradition in public service of resigning in a last- ditch effort to head off a serious mistake. Some will view the mistake you are committing here in the light of their generally negative views ofthe new Administration. I do not share those views. I can even understand how a Chief Executive whose background is in business and politics might see the contemplated dismissal-with- leverage as a good, if distasteful, deal. But any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”
+ Eventually, the administration is going to find some fool or coward to carry out this order. That will be true of many other corrupt orders over the next few years. But hold onto this moment when patriotic and professional Americans, who don’t necessarily hold your political views, were willing to take a risky, political stand in the name of justice. Over time, there will be fewer and fewer of these principled people working for the Trump administration. But there will still be plenty of them in America.
+ Here’s the latest from the NYT (Gift Article).
Breaking Down the Breakdown
“Although Trump and Musk insist they are fighting fraud, they have not yet provided evidence for their sweeping claims. Although they demand transparency, Musk conceals his own conflicts of interest. Although they do say they want efficiency, Musk has made no attempt to professionally audit or even understand many of the programs being cut. Although they say they want to cut costs, the programs they are attacking represent a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget. The only thing these policies will certainly do, and are clearly designed to do, is alter the behavior and values of the civil service. Suddenly, and not accidentally, people who work for the American federal government are having the same experience as people who find themselves living under foreign occupation.” So what’s the point of all this? It’s been clearly spelled out in Project 2025 and described during speeches previously made by Trump and Vance. It’s not about saving money. It’s about breaking the system. The stories about firings and department destruction are so plentiful that they can be overwhelming. So le’ts narrow things down to what all of them have in common. The always excellent Anne Applebaum is especially so here. The Atlantic (Gift Article): There’s a Term for What Trump and Musk Are Doing. How regime change happens in America. “The new system, whatever its ideology, will in practice represent a return to patronage…But before it can be imposed, the administration will first have to break the morale of the people who believed in the old civil-service ethos. Vought, at a 2023 planning meeting organized in preparation for this moment, promised exactly that. People who had previously viewed themselves as patriots, working for less money than they could make in the private sector, must be forced to understand that they are evil, enemies of the state. His statement has been cited before, but it cannot be quoted enough times: ‘We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,’ he said at the time. ‘When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains … We want to put them in trauma.'” She ends with: “There is still time to block this regime change, to preserve the old values. But first we need to be clear about what is happening, and why.”
+ “I don’t think we’ve ever felt hunted for sport before.” TPM: NIH and Its Agencies Are Being Smothered.
With Friends Like This…
Sadly, the administration’s appetite for destruction doesn’t stop at the borders. As we’ve already seen, propping up enemies and offending or abandoning allies are core values. In Munich, JD Vance didn’t make a single mention of Ukraine, and instead went full Fox News and berated European leaders as tensions with close allies burst into the open. First his boss surrendered to Putin. Then he surrendered to irony. “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia. It’s not China. It’s not any external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within — the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.” Vance’s performance in the donut shop was better than this. It’s been less than a month and our allies know they can’t trust America. And our closest friends are sickened by our behavior. US anthem booed in Canada before 4 Nations Face-Off win over Finland.
+ WaPo (Gift Article): Vance meets with leader of far-right German party, exports MAGA message.
+ Will European leadership fill the void? “Ukraine remains on ‘an irreversible path‘ towards Nato membership, Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that underlined the divide between Europe and the US over the future of the country…While Starmer’s sentiments are no more than a restatement of the UK’s longstanding position … the decision to speak to Zelenskyy and the strong language used has a fresh resonance after Donald Trump’s interventions this week.”
Weekend Whats
What to Read: Look, I know there’s a lot of bad news these days, and I’m trying to narrow it to the important stuff as best I can. But you need a reminder of the goodness in the world, even in a sad story. And you need to cry over some emotion other than anger. ESPN’s Sam Borden has you covered with this beautiful piece. Love, Abby: UConn Huskies’ forever bond with one magical fan. “The memorial service — the celebration of life — was held at Beth El Temple, a synagogue in West Hartford. There was a murmur when the UConn team walked into the overflowing sanctuary, but the players settled quietly into their seats. This wasn’t an appearance; they were, like everyone else, just there to grieve. They were mourners. (Really, really tall mourners.)”
+ What to SNL: It’s SNL’s big anniversary weekend. Check out the two main events. The Homecoming Concert featuring a ton of big name performances, and the Saturday Night Live’ 50th anniversary special (which, oddly, takes place on Sunday). While you’re waiting, here are 50 Surprising Facts About ‘Saturday Night Live‘
+ What to Watch: Tom Green’s return to media returns with a really good standup routine (in which he is accompanied by his dog). Check out I Got a Mule on Prime.
Extra, Extra
Cloud Atlas: It’s been hot for the last two years. Too hot for even most normal climate change explanations. Less cloud cover could explain it. Now, if only we could explain the less cloud cover. WaPo (Gift Article): Scientists have a new explanation for the last two years of record heat.
+ Doc Pay: “The first lady’s cut is more than 70% of the $40 million, according to people familiar with the matter. And they’re still looking for more: Melania’s agent has been trying to sell ‘sponsorships’ for the film—starting at $10 million—to prominent CEOs and billionaires who were at the inauguration.” Amazon is paying a ridiculous amount for a Melania documentary (more than 10x some of the other bids). This is par for the new course. WSJ (Gift Article): How the Trumps Turned an Election Victory Into a Cash Bonanza.
+ Auto Zone: The world’s a stage. Or at least a showroom. “Used-car brokers in West Africa know what models their customers will snap up, so they call US-based thieves to beef up inventory of highly desirable models.” When a car is stolen in the US, there’s a good chance that the thief is a teenager, and that the vehicle will end up in western Africa. Bloomberg (Gift Article): Grand Theft Auto: Real Life.
+ Story’s Hard to Swallow: “Experts say it’s just not possible for a whale to swallow something as large as a person. While their mouths are massive — as wide as 10 feet — their throats are much smaller, roughly the size of a human fist.” In other words, not big enough for a kayak. But that fact does nothing to detract from this unreal story. Did a whale swallow a kayaker? The truth behind the viral video. (I deleted about 17 obscene swallow references for this story. It could be a sign of personal growth. Of course, I also mean personal growth as an obscene reference, so maybe not…)
Feel Good Friday
“Her haters say she can climb like a pro thanks to her small hands and strength-to-weight ratio—but Reagan Goodwyn is a crusher through and through.” Here’s What You Can Learn from the 8-Year-Old Who Climbs Way Harder than You.
+ Bloody fingers with pink nails’: how Sasha DiGiulian broke climbing’s glass ceiling.
+ “If it doesn’t work out, you can kick them out in the morning.” WaPo: Animal shelters offer Valentine’s Day sleepovers, sloppy kisses included.
+ Glasgow couple who fell in love despite not sharing a language celebrate 69 years of marriage. (It probably helped.)
+ Some scenes from the Eagles Super Bowl parade.
+ Apropo of nothing… New Zealand Just Made It Easier to Get a Golden Visa.
+ And if you skipped down here without reading the rest of the newsletter, don’t miss: Love, Abby: UConn Huskies’ forever bond with one magical fan.
