Month: April 2026
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VRA Gutted
The Voting Rights Act remains, but in name only. Note to my future self. Today the Roberts Supreme Court finished what it started in 2013. In a 6–3 decision written by Justice Samuel Alito, the Court struck down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans voting practices that…
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Turned Around
It appears the government continues to try to decide for itself which court orders to follow. Note to my future self. On Saturday, Hayam El Gamal walked into an ICE office in Denver for a required check-in. Agents arrested her and her five children and put them on a plane. They came to the United…
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Firing Squads
What they are describing is something else. Note to my future self. On Friday the Trump Justice Department announced it will execute federal prisoners by firing squad, something it has never done. DOJ is also readopting pentobarbital, the lethal injection drug whose use the previous administration had paused after concluding it caused a sensation close…
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Map War
The map war will determine whether the legislative branch can again function as a branch of government or if it is to be a ceremonial body. Note to my future self. Virginia voters approved mid-decade redistricting Tuesday night, joining the map war by authorizing the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional districts before 2031.…
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Bad Banner
Chavez deRemer’s resignation statement called Donald Trump “the greatest President of my lifetime.” Note to my future self. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned Monday under an inspector general investigation. The allegations: an affair with a member of her security detail, a stash of alcohol in her office, taking subordinates to a strip club on official…
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Not Winning
Watch, because those who believe themselves to be cornered can be the most dangerous. Note to my future self. This is not winning. The president built his reputation on being perceived as a winner. Recent facts do not paint that picture. Just look. Iran. He started a war of choice seven weeks ago. Iran closed…
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Eastman Disbarred
Noteworthy: We increasingly look to the states to uphold the rule of law. Note to my future self. On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court disbarred John Eastman — the architect of the legal strategy to keep Donald Trump in power after losing the 2020 election. The court found him culpable on 10 of 11 charges…
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Taxing Supremacy
Leadership matters. Note to my future self. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger just ended 76 years of state subsidies to Confederate organizations. This week she signed HB 167, stripping tax-exempt status from six Confederate-linked groups — including the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Confederate Memorial Literary Society. Notably, these…
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Authoritarian Playbook Lost
The people of Hungary just showed what’s possible. The question for us is: are we paying attention? Note to my future self. Great hope in Hungary this week. Strongman Viktor Orbán — 16 years in power, the global patron saint of illiberalism — lost decisively in elections on Sunday and conceded. Seventy seven percent of…
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Trump Arch
Meanwhile, just weeks ago, eight million people took to the streets and said: we will have no kings in this land. Note to my future self. On Friday the Trump administration unveiled plans for what they’re calling a Triumphal Arch. At 250 feet tall, with gold lions, golden eagles, and a gilded Lady Liberty on…
Notes To My Future Self 