Over recent weeks I’ve told you several times that while Democrats are shut out of power in Washington and have few means of arresting the Trump-Musk spree of criminal conduct across the executive branch, they do have two points of leverage: the need for a new “continuing resolution” by March 14th to keep the government funded, and the need to raise the debt ceiling at some point in the coming months — the exact date on that isn’t clear. At present, Republicans are on course to shut down the government on March 14th. Essentially, the Freedom Caucus is holding them hostage, demanding not the draconian budget cuts favored by most of the GOP caucus but draconian-plus cuts, the kind that they fear will get their members in swing districts defeated. So Republican leadership is coming to Democrats, hat in hand, asking for help. I’ve explained in probably a dozen posts over the last month that this is the line not just on policy and anti-constitutional actions but also a key moment in the drama of performative power between President Trump and the opposition that will have repercussions and reverberations for months and perhaps years to come. There are already plenty of signs the public is turning against Musk’s wilding spree of criminal conduct through the federal government. To put it in the vulgar and rapacious terms that are the only ones that do it justice, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have spent the last month slapping around like bitches the Constitution, federal workers, the Democrats and really the sovereignty of the American people. Democrats have this moment to decide whether they’ll not only arrest the damage but change the tone through the idiom of power.

Well, now we appear to be at the crunch moment.

Continue reading “RED ALERT: Now Is the Moment, Folks” →

After getting rocked at a highly publicized town hall in Roswell, Georgia, last week, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) is deciding that Elon may have been a bit hasty about things. McCormick tells the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” podcast …

Continue reading “GOPer Now Doubting Elon After Raucous Townhall” →

There’s a big, big scandal brewing beneath the already big scandal of the alleged assault by Florida congressman Corey Mills (R). But as yet no one seems inclined to pull on the dangling thread. As you’ve probably already seen, Mills is accused of assaulting a woman, who is not his wife, at his home in Washington, DC. DC’s Metropolitan Police Department thought it was serious enough to send to U.S. Attorney’s Office, which handles both federal and “local” crimes in Washington, DC, a warrant for Mills’ arrest. But as Politico puts it, “that warrant was never signed.”

Continue reading “Big, Big Scandal Brewing at DC US Attys Office” →

I just did some reporting where I got a tangible and upsetting wake-up call about the real-world impacts of Elon Musk’s weekend email stunt. You’ve likely heard that last week acting Social Security Commissioner Michelle King was abruptly compelled to resign after raising objections about DOGE accessing confidential Social Security information. She was replaced by a mid-level Social Security Administration data analyst named Leland Dudek, who at the time of his elevation was being investigated by SSA officials for providing to DOGE unauthorized access to SSA data. Presumably because Dudek is now the acting Social Security Commissioner, SSA is one of the federal agencies telling employees they must respond to the DOGE/Musk email. Because of this, the public’s access to the national Social Security 800 line is being immediately impacted.

Continue reading “The Perfect Storm at the Social Security Administration” →