Dark day, indeed. Worth the read.

The Justice Dept’s theory of the case— that the group that single-handedly disassembled the Ku Klux Klan defrauded its donors by concealing that it was using paid informant to do that work and more— has about as much merit as the now-dismissed charges against Jim Comey.

Trump is really mad at the WSJ for pointing out that he’s getting rolled by Iran.

Aside from the facial absurdity of the charges themselves, one of the funny things in the S.P.L.C. indictments is that doj seems to change its mind in he charging documents themselves abt whether the hate groups are the oppressed good guys or not.

"Part of the reason the weaponization work has been difficult is that you need people who are MAGA and who are really competent," said Chad Mizelle, former chief of staff for Bondi. "Many career prosecutors are not interested in this kind of work. It's a very small group of people."

Bondi's former chief of staff Chad Mizelle: "Part of the reason the weaponization work has been difficult is that you need people who are MAGA and who are really competent."
From @paulareidcnn.bsky.social and other @cnn.com folks:

Opinion | ‘Easily the Worst President in U.S. History’

For sure...

Gift article from The New York Times.

Re-upping. It’s now a recognized feature of Trump’s DOJ that when a prosecutor can’t make a case - usually b/c there’s no case to make - they get fired and replaced by one willing to push the envelope or cross lines. It’s the central tell of all of these vindictive prosecutions.

The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court

WOW: Jodi Kantor & Adam Liptak have the memos that describe the origins of SCOTUS shadow docket - the 2016 order halting Obama’s Clean Power Plan @jodikantor.bsky.social @adamliptak.bsky.social @nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...

What is striking to me about these is that the Justices candidly admit they are imposing their will without understanding the merits of the case.

It’s not that he talks too much, it’s that you can’t ever trust that anything he’s saying is true. Like ever.

Time to Kash out.

Trump’s exit from the Iran War is turning out to be every bit as ill conceived and mismanaged as his entrance into it and his conduct of it throughout its duration.

This one does call out for protracted litigation and the involvement of courts.

It’s almost like a pattern and practice…

And, to clarify, in this context, that would mean taking en banc review.

Very important flag by @rparloff.bsky.social. En banc review may well come out the same way it did last time.

They own this. Whatever disasters continue to unfold belong not to the president and his Cabinet alone, but to the entire Republican Party.

Seriously, it's not fair to create that incentive - he may get a unanimous vote!

This is mostly a tantrum. He's gotta blame someone for the higher gas prices...

This is a good reminder of an important revisions to the truisms of American politics. It has long been one of those truisms, among those interested in he reality of the situation as opposed to campaign rhetoric that a US President has little control over the economy, at least in the near term …

Very well said:

"The corruption buys loyalty. It creates a closed eco-system of funding for regime-friendly voices... Corruption is the means by which a regime can replace accountable liberal institutions with closed personal networks."

BREAKING: DOJ investigates the Hungarian electorate for Mortgage Fraud

Yes, great work J.D - please hit the campaign trail again soon!

#FlipCongressBlue

Today, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat—ending his 16 years in power. Read Kapil Komireddi’s report from the night before the election. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/vODIZE

A screenshot of the unanimous Supreme Court order in favor of Kilmar Ábrego García. (Link to order in post.)

Happy Kilmar Ábrego García Day to all who celebrate.

One year ago today, a unanimous Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" his return to the United States after he was unlawfully refouled his native El Salvador.

Rather than comply, they criminalized him instead. Still are.

The next administration must take the lesson of this one; every single immigration judge hired under Trump 2.0 must be fired on day one.

We’ve gone from demanding freedom of navigation to fantasizing about toll booths in the ocean.

Unreal.

Trump: do as I say, or I will bomb you back to the stone ages Iran: best I can do is this 10 point plan where you give us everything we want Trump: deal! FoxNews: Trump is a master negotiator

Always great but particularly strong newsletter today.

Nothing subtle about them. Ever.