Well, 2026 is off to a swinging start. We have the ongoing invasion of Venezuela (NC’s Senator Ted Budd thinks that’s a wonderful thing, nobody could have any possible objections) which appears to have happened partly because the Necrotic Toddler’s fee-fees were hurt about not getting the peace prize. And he’s willing to put the opposition leader in charge if she gives him her prize. Which is not only petty, it’s a lousy standard for running a country (as is attacking it and leaving the current regime in charge). Oh, and he’ll turn their oil into a cash cow for himself.
He’s willing to pay Greenlanders $100,000 apiece out of our tax dollars if they’ll switch from Denmark to the US. Why? Because he wants it! “I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do, whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document.” (at the link, see a prime example of sanewashing his comments). And as I said last week, Republican pundits and elected officials are all in on the American empire.
Then this week ICE murdered Renee Good, a mom in Minneapolis. And as in countless unjustified police shootings, they’ve declared she had it coming (see this related thread). In America we are not legally required to do whatever a cop or an ICE agent tells us and the penalty for not doing it is not extrajudicial execution. Nevertheless, authoritarian GOPers are declaring obey ICE or die is the law. Newsmax is parroting the faux outrage.
“Concentration Camp Kristi” Noem declaring the woman was a domestic terrorist. I’m not surprised; taking responsibility for ICE killing someone (and also shooting two people in Portland) would require a spine and a sense of morals, neither of which seems present in Noem’s toolbox. Likewise Border Czar Tom Homan thinks the problem is people criticizing ICE — of course if you antagonize them, you get shot. As Hilzoy says, “If your officers ate not well enough trained to be able not to kill people who insult them, then not only should they be off the street; you should be out of a job.”
JD Vance agrees, claiming Good was part of a domestic terror conspiracy. Given Vance lied in 2024 about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating people’s pets, and admitted it, I wish someone would ask him why the hell anyone should believe a single word out of his mouth. I’m not holding my breath.
As Paul Krugman says, “Renee Nicole Good’s murder is at most collateral damage, in service to his insatiable need to dominate and feel powerful — so insatiable that he is attempting to create an alternate reality, claiming that that Good ran over an agent although there is irrefutable video evidence that she didn’t.”
Lying behind all of this is the Necrotic Toddler and the 1 percent trying to replace the international nation-state order with neo-royalism, where what’s good for America or Americans is replaced by what’s good for the people in charge. Does it make the Toddler or his family rich? Does it enrich his political allies or the Silicon Valley techbros?
I’m still hopeful Krugman and Bouie were right and the Felon’s influence is weakening. No question, he can do a lot of damage before it’s gone. But I can see people chipping away at it, bit by bit. It’s true the Felon has weathered scandals that would have killed many politicians but every loss, every act of defiance, shows he’s not some juggernaut who can’t be stopped.
As I told a trans activist friend recently who was wondering if she was doing enough, “for want of a nail the shoe was lost.” She’s one of the nails that stayed in the shoe, contributing to the fight. In which spirit, here are more nails.
The town that refused to let Noem use a government-building restroom.
DC residents responding to Good’s death by telling ICE to get lost.
Fact-checking Stephen Miller’s immigration lies.
The protesters who pressured the Avelo airline to stop helping with deportations.
The judges who keep disqualifying the Felon’s illegally appointed federal attorneys. Or overruling his efforts to cut off funding for blue states. (which I suppose could be another form of neo-royalism — kings can do things like that).
Kentucky refusing the Felon’s order to give Republicans more seat.
The blue states suing the DOH over Kennedy’s anti-trans policies.
Republicans defying the Felon on mail-in ballots. Likewise Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner for calling out Noem as a lying idiot.
Jake Tapper for pointing out Kristi Noem is lying.
The Minneapolis Timber Wolves.
Are we inching towards a tipping point? We can hope — and if we keep being nails, more and more of us, we can perhaps make hope a reality. Not guaranteed, but the fight is worth it. The consequences for everyone if we don’t fight are worse.
I’ll close with a quote from Krugman (same post as above): “Here’s a warning to those directly perpetrating Trump-directed atrocities: He will not be in power forever, and I expect and hope that you will be held accountable, personally, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” That should be the minimum to expect from the next sane government.
