Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But even absolutely corrupt corruption is an understated description for what the Pam Bondi led Justice Department is trying to pull in New York. The Justice Department demanded that the Southern District of NY office drop the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams, essentially in exchange for Adams' assistance with the administration's immigration crackdown and, of course, a string of supportive niceties from Adams about Trump. Just in case you think that's an exaggeration, the day after the order to drop the case, Eric Adams appeared on Fox & Friends with border czar Tom Homan to tout their burgeoning relationship. During the interview, Homan explained to the NYC mayor he'll be 'up his butt' if he breaks his vow to help ICE. He might find a few SDNY prosectors already up there, because the classic and deeply disturbing quid pro quo has been met with a widespread quit pro quo. 2Breaking Down the Breakdown"Although Trump and Musk insist they are fighting fraud, they have not yet provided evidence for their sweeping claims. Although they demand transparency, Musk conceals his own conflicts of interest. Although they do say they want efficiency, Musk has made no attempt to professionally audit or even understand many of the programs being cut. Although they say they want to cut costs, the programs they are attacking represent a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget. The only thing these policies will certainly do, and are clearly designed to do, is alter the behavior and values of the civil service. Suddenly, and not accidentally, people who work for the American federal government are having the same experience as people who find themselves living under foreign occupation." So what's the point of all this? It's been clearly spelled out in Project 2025 and described during speeches previously made by Trump and Vance. It's not about saving money. It's about breaking the system. The stories about firings and department destruction are so plentiful that they can be overwhelming. So le'ts narrow things down to what all of them have in common. The always excellent Anne Applebaum is especially so here. The Atlantic (Gift Article): There’s a Term for What Trump and Musk Are Doing. How regime change happens in America. "The new system, whatever its ideology, will in practice represent a return to patronage...But before it can be imposed, the administration will first have to break the morale of the people who believed in the old civil-service ethos. Vought, at a 2023 planning meeting organized in preparation for this moment, promised exactly that. People who had previously viewed themselves as patriots, working for less money than they could make in the private sector, must be forced to understand that they are evil, enemies of the state. His statement has been cited before, but it cannot be quoted enough times: 'We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,' he said at the time. 'When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains … We want to put them in trauma.'" She ends with: "There is still time to block this regime change, to preserve the old values. But first we need to be clear about what is happening, and why." 3With Friends Like This...Sadly, the administration's appetite for destruction doesn't stop at the borders. As we've already seen, propping up enemies and offending or abandoning allies are core values. In Munich, JD Vance didn't make a single mention of Ukraine, and instead went full Fox News and berated European leaders as tensions with close allies burst into the open. First his boss surrendered to Putin. Then he surrendered to irony. "The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia. It's not China. It's not any external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within — the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America." Vance's performance in the donut shop was better than this. It's been less than a month and our allies know they can't trust America. And our closest friends are sickened by our behavior. US anthem booed in Canada before 4 Nations Face-Off win over Finland. 4Weekend WhatsWhat to Read: Look, I know there's a lot of bad news these days, and I'm trying to narrow it to the important stuff as best I can. But you need a reminder of the goodness in the world, even in a sad story. And you need to cry over some emotion other than anger. ESPN's Sam Borden has you covered with this beautiful piece. Love, Abby: UConn Huskies' forever bond with one magical fan. "The memorial service -- the celebration of life -- was held at Beth El Temple, a synagogue in West Hartford. There was a murmur when the UConn team walked into the overflowing sanctuary, but the players settled quietly into their seats. This wasn't an appearance; they were, like everyone else, just there to grieve. They were mourners. (Really, really tall mourners.)" 5Extra, ExtraCloud Atlas: It's been hot for the last two years. Too hot for even most normal climate change explanations. Less cloud cover could explain it. Now, if only we could explain the less cloud cover. WaPo (Gift Article): Scientists have a new explanation for the last two years of record heat. 6Feel Good Friday"Her haters say she can climb like a pro thanks to her small hands and strength-to-weight ratio—but Reagan Goodwyn is a crusher through and through." Here’s What You Can Learn from the 8-Year-Old Who Climbs Way Harder than You.
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