We’ve reached the arresting journalists phase of Trumpism. “The former CNN anchor Don Lemon and three other people have been arrested on charges that they violated federal law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn.” Even though a judge rejected these charges just last week, Trump’s Justice Department slash personal retribution engine couldn’t resist bending the law to go after two of their favorite targets: Journalists and protesters. “The arrests of Mr. Lemon, a second journalist and two protesters came a little more than a week after three other demonstrators who took part in the action at the Cities Church on Jan. 18 were taken into custody. The prosecution is likely to face pushback from defense lawyers on First Amendment grounds, given that political protest sits at the center of the charges and that Mr. Lemon and the other journalist, Georgia Fort, have said they entered the church to cover a demonstration against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the area.” NYT (Gift Article): Federal Agents Arrest Don Lemon Over Minnesota Church Protest. Of course, the goal of squeezing Lemon goes beyond an attempt to silence one very notable Trump critic. It’s meant to send a message to any and all journalists who would dare to cover the Trump administration in a way they don’t want to be covered. When life gives you lemons, pay attention.
+ “Let’s be clear: The DOJ has been under intense pressure from the right, from Lemon’s ideological opponents, to arrest him. Lemon has been a longtime Trump antagonist, and Trump has criticized him as recently as last week. So this sure looks like another example of Trump’s retribution campaign. Slate’s Jill Filipovic called it a ‘five-alarm fire moment’ in a column just now. CNN’s Sara Sidner called it “terrifying” during our live breaking news coverage. And David Axelrod remarked this morning that the DOJ is now the ‘Department of Retribution,’ adding, ‘If you don’t believe Don Lemon’s arrest was ordered from on high, you just haven’t been paying attention.’” Brian Stelter in Reliable Sources: Two reporters taken into custody.
“Following last week’s anti-ICE economic blackout in Minnesota and national Free America Walkout, organizers are once again urging Americans to stop working, attending school, and spending money to protest the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown surging across the country.” Stores closed, protests scheduled in all 50 states. I’m noticing the protest on several blogs and newsletters, and locally at my daughter’s high school. But it seems like this effort was put together quite quickly, so we’ll see how widespread it gets.
+ There’s no doubt that the (often heroic) protests in Minneapolis have had an impact in terms weakening ICE’s role in the state and stiffening the spine of the political opposition in Congress. But has anything about this week really changed the policy or the administration’s goals and strategies? “After a wave of public revulsion over the President’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, he offers a familiar playbook: distraction, disinformation, denial, delay.” Susan Glasser in The New Yorker: Operation Trump Rehab. “Is this, then, the inflection point—or whatever you want to call it—that so much of sane America has been waiting for? The beginning of the end of the madness that has gripped our nation? Would that it were so. There is no doubt that the wave of revulsion among everyday Americans, of all political persuasions, to the videos that we’re seeing from Minneapolis, and Chicago, and other cities targeted by Trump’s paramilitary immigration goons, is real. No amount of gaslighting by Trump and his advisers can prove otherwise. It is also reassuring to observe that the President can feel the need to dial back his power-tripping by something other than the bond market. But some caution is in order. We are, after all, still living in post-January 6th America. The Donald Trump who could never recover politically from inciting a mob of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol not only recovered but was reëlected President.”
Data centers are getting all the coverage, but they don’t represent the only big structure real estate trend these days. “Despite protests in small towns and cities across the US, the Trump administration is pushing ahead with the purchase of warehouses it plans to convert into immigration jails in what could be the largest expansion of such detention capacity in US history.” Bloomberg (Gift Article): ICE Begins Buying ‘Mega’ Warehouse Detention Centers Across US.
What to Movie: After years of searching through open tabs, I finally found the most accurate statement on the internet. No Cult Favorite: BREAKING AWAY Is a Masterpiece. In addition to being a really interesting, detailed look at what makes this movie (and movies in general) great, James Kenney provides us with an important and always timely reminder: This is a good time to watch Breaking Away.
+ What to Book: “After dropping his daughter at college, Tom embarks on a cross-country journey, confronting his wife’s past affair, health issues, and work troubles while visiting people from his past.” Ben Markovits: The Rest of Our Lives.
+ What to Doc: The Secret Mall Apartment on Netflix is about, well, a secret mall apartment. But it’s really about what it means to be an artist and a look back at being young without cell phones.
Suit Yourself: WaPo (Gift Article): Trump sues IRS and Treasury for $10 billion over leaked tax records. “The case means Trump has again filed a claim for a large amount of money against the government he oversees, putting him on both sides of the potential negotiating table ... Trump is suing the government in a personal capacity, not as president.” (Trump is also basically running the government in a personal capacity, not as president)
+ Read It and Weep: “American students are struggling with reading — test scores are at new lows, and many students don’t even read whole books. But while average scores have declined for everyone, boys are doing much worse.” NYT (Gift Article): Why Boys Are Behind in Reading at Every Age.
+ Fed Head: “I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best ... On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down.” Trump taps Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve. (He doesn’t seem all that good looking to me?) Paul Krugman, not a fan.
+ More Black Ink: “The new document dump was massive and included more than 3.5 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.” DOJ releases millions of pages of additional Epstein files.
+ Catherine O’Hara: “Catherine O’Hara, the two-time Emmy-winning actor who starred in ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Best in Show’ and had an impressive late-career renaissance in ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ has died, her manager confirmed to Variety. She was 71.”
+ Scrape the Barrel: “The message from Cracker Barrel management went down like a stale biscuit for some. Employees should postpone work travel until later this year, when the Southern-themed restaurant chain hopes to start recovering from a steep sales slide. But if workers must hit the road, management said, they should fuel up on the chain’s own meatloaf and country fried steak.” A recent mandate at the chain highlights a new era of ‘travelscrimping’ as companies tighten budgets.
+ GEO-graphy: SEO (search engine optimization), meet GEO (generative engine optimization). Christopher Mims in WSJ (Gift Article): How Businesses Are Manipulating ChatGPT Results.
+ Fall Lineup: “There’s something to be said when five minutes before you go on air, someone slides you a card of what you’re gonna say if a person falls off the building and dies.” Netflix Had a Plan If Alex Honnold Fell and Died During 101-Story Climb.
“Researchers analyzing blood markers have recently discovered that volunteering appears to slow the aging process in seniors — a felicitous finding that adds to voluminous evidence that performing community service tends to improve things like mood and heart health, particularly for those of retirement age.” Here’s a proven way to slow aging. Any volunteers?
+ Judge Revives Wind Farm That Trump Halted Off Martha’s Vineyard.
+ “He loves cartoons and is tucked in bed by 6:15 p.m. But with a cue in his tiny hand, this toddler can perform feats many adults can only dream of. Jude Owens, a 3-year-old from Manchester in northern England, holds two Guinness World Records for mastering trick shots, maneuvers on a billiards table that require significant skill.” WaPo (Gift Article): Right on cue: Toddler is recognized for his mastery of trick shots.
+ NYT (Gift Article): 24 Simple Secrets to a Healthier Life.
+ Some blind fans to experience Super Bowl with tactile devicethat tracks ball.
+ Woman discovers her childhood pen pal is the doctor who delivered her 2 kids.
+ “Everyone has their favorite oddity: ASMR, jazzy pop song covers, cooking channels, or what have you. But DIY enthusiasts in particular are missing out if they’re not watching Drain Cleaning Australia, featuring an Australian plumber known only as Bruce as he goes about his daily business of shooting high-powered water jets into stubborn clogged drainage systems.” Australian plumber is a YouTube sensation.
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