America’s Defib-rillator

Question: How does Donald Trump sleep at night? Answer: He lies. It’s easy for an indie newsletter writer like me (with just over 3 billion subscribers, if you use America’s new math) to type the word lie. But using that particular word in connection with the president has been something most mainstream media outlets have been loath to do. This headline and lede from the NYT marks a shift in coverage, and the first shot in what could be new mode of coverage to meet a new mode of leadership: Trump Repeats Lie About Popular Vote in Meeting With Lawmakers: “President Trump used his first official meeting with congressional leaders on Monday to falsely claim that millions of unauthorized immigrants had robbed him of a popular vote majority, a return to his obsession with the election’s results even as he seeks support for his legislative agenda.”

+ White House press secretary Sean Spicer was met with a series of questions on this topic. “He believes what he believes.”

+ Is it a bad habit? Is it part of a well-defined strategy to push things through and get things passed? Bloomberg’s Tyler Cowen on Why Trump and his Staff Are Lying.

+ Here’s one good reason to lie. It works. “52% of Republicans and 36% of Democrats believe, like Trump, that millions of voted were illegally cast in the election.”

+ Meanwhile, “In a memo sent out to staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Trump Administration has prohibited press releases, social media postings, blog posts or new content placed on the agency’s website.” And apparently, the USDA got a similar message.

+ From WaPo: The first days inside Trump’s White House: Fury, tumult and a reboot.