Dear listeners,
Letitia James has been indicted, as President Trump’s retribution campaign continues. (So has John Bolton, but that happened after we recorded — we’ll look at his indictment next week.) And while the Bolton indictment has a forbidding, professional feel, the James indictment does not, and is likely to be vulnerable to some of the same attacks James Comey is raising against his own indictment. But then, is the point even to get a conviction? Or is the process the entire punishment here?
Meanwhile, another US Attorney has been forced out for insufficient eagerness to investigate the president’s enemies, and the Wall Street Journal reports that Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrival to the Club Fed in Texas has made life less pleasant for the other inmates there.
That’s for free subscribers. Paying subscribers this week also get our look at Drake’s humiliating loss in his defamation lawsuit against his own record label, in which a federal judge had to explain to him how a rap battle works, and that a statement of opinion can’t become defamatory just because it’s made in a song that was listened to way more than your own songs.
Also for paying subscribers we have a discussion of a split decision by a panel in the Sixth Circuit, saying schools may prohibit clothing with implied vulgarities, such as two students’ sweatshirts that declared “Let’s Go Brandon.” Ken thinks the court got this one wrong, and we discuss whether all the tests here are basically just made up. Plus we look at ICE enforcing a little-known law that green card holders must actually carry their green cards (apparently just with fines, so far), and at the State Department bragging that it’s revoking visas held by non-citizens who said mean things about Charlie Kirk.
There’s also a preview of my new podcast Central Air, in which I discuss with my co-hosts why we wanted to make a weekly politics podcast from the center.
To get all that, click here.
We hope you enjoy the episode,
Josh
