For a Besieged F.B.I., the Shutdown is the Latest Trump-Era Assault | The New Yorker

If I was a foreign power looking to exert power over the US I would want to disable the US ability to stop me from exerting that power. Read this and see if you can think of a better way than destroying the career of a whole generation of FBI agents and hurting the ability… Continue reading For a Besieged F.B.I., the Shutdown is the Latest Trump-Era Assault | The New Yorker

Trump Must Be a Russian Agent; the Alternative Is Too Awful | WIRED

we’ve reached a point in the Mueller probe where there are only two scenarios left: Either the president is compromised by the Russian government and has been working covertly to cooperate with Vladimir Putin after Russia helped win him the 2016 election—or Trump will go down in history as the world’s most famous “useful idiot,”… Continue reading Trump Must Be a Russian Agent; the Alternative Is Too Awful | WIRED

Don’t Negotiate with Hostage Takers – Talking Points Memo

The shutdown bacillus that Newt Gingrich injected into our political system in 1995 must be eradicated. It was dormant for almost two decades until Republicans (neo-Gingrichites) returned to power in the House in 2011. It’s wrong. It’s destructive. And it’s the same principle we apply to all terrorists. You can’t negotiate with terrorists or hostage… Continue reading Don’t Negotiate with Hostage Takers – Talking Points Memo

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown Moves Closer To Joining 2020 Campaign : NPR

Seeking to counter President Trump’s appeal to white, working-class voters that helped him flip Ohio and other key midwestern states, Brown is launching a “Dignity of Work” tour through Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. “Too many Democrats, the national Democratic Party, sees this in kind of this false choice of Democrats speak to… Continue reading Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown Moves Closer To Joining 2020 Campaign : NPR

F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia – The New York Times

  In the months before the 2016 election, the F.B.I. was also already investigating four of Mr. Trump’s associates over their ties to Russia. The constellation of events disquieted F.B.I. officials who were simultaneously watching as Russia’s campaign unfolded to undermine the presidential election by exploiting existing divisions among Americans. Source: F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into… Continue reading F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia – The New York Times

This is why you close the parks during a shutdown.

Vulnerable Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park in California have been cut down by visitors who illegally drove into areas where vehicles are banned during the partial government shutdown. As a result, the park is closed indefinitely, its superintendent said Thursday. From Axios

Opinion | Trump’s Big Libertarian Experiment – The New York Times

the philosophy of the party’s base is, in essence, big government for me but not for thee. Stick it to the bums on welfare, but don’t touch those farm subsidies. Tellingly, the centerpiece of the long G.O.P. jihad against Obamacare was the false claim that it would hurt Medicare. … if you have libertarian leanings… Continue reading Opinion | Trump’s Big Libertarian Experiment – The New York Times