It’s Time to Floor It
In normal times, I’d probably lead today’s edition with some story that seemed like an April Fool’s joke, but was actually a real story. The NFL owners butting heads over whether the Tush Push is ass backwards or a real kick in the pants would work. Maybe I’d offer up baseball’s new and potentially controversial Torpedo bats as a kicker. But these aren’t normal times, and I’m not just saying that because in the 2025 news cycle it’s impossible to tell whether a headline is an April Fool’s joke or not. At least one Democratic politician is reminding Americans that nothing about this is normal and we’re in an emergency. Cory Booker has been holding the Senate floor since last night, delivering a marathon speech and says he “will speak for as long as I’m physically able to lift the voices of Americans who are being harmed and not being heard in this moment of crisis.” At one point, Booker, who has been attacking the Musk/Trump policies, explained: “He promised to lower your grocery prices – they’re higher. Over and over he’s breaking promises and doing outrageous things like disappearing people off American streets. Do we see what’s happening? How much is enough?” He’s required to stand and take no bathroom breaks to maintain his hold of the floor. (Full disclosure: Cory Booker is a friend of mine, we’re men of roughly the same age, and I’ve had to pee about 35 times since he started his speech.) Will this speech change everything? No. But we are desperate for leaders to remind us that this is all not OK, and more importantly, that people should have the guts to not sit by silently while it’s happening. As of my writing, just after the 18 hour mark, he’s still going.
+ NYT (Gift Article): Cory Booker Slams Trump’s Policies in Marathon Senate Floor Speech. “I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able. I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our nation is in crisis.” In the words of Cory’s fellow New Jerseyan, “Come on up for the rising. Come on up, lay your hands in mine.”
+ Reminder: There’s new gear (along with old favorites) in the NextDraft store. And this week, every time someone buys an item, I add $25 to the amount I’ll personally donate to Protect Democracy. It’s my way of following Cory Booker’s lead, but with bathroom breaks.
