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26/05/2026

From Mike Nellis of Endless Urgency, published May 23:

"The Right Is Entering a Very Dangerous Phase.

"A deeper political realignment is happening in real time.

"Comedian and former Trump supporter Tim Dillon went on Piers Morgan this week and said something that perfectly explains the moment the Republican Party is living through right now:

"Donald Trump’s betrayal of his own voters is 'the biggest betrayal of a political movement I’ve ever seen in my life.'

"And honestly, I think a lot of people inside MAGA quietly know that’s true.

"Because what’s happening right now is bigger than Republicans purging Thomas Massie or Trump endorsing Ken Paxton over John Cornyn or another ugly primary fight inside the party. What we’re watching is the slow unraveling of the anti-establishment coalition that made Trump possible in the first place.

"Trump built his entire movement around the idea that he was going to fight the political establishment instead of becoming part of it. He promised people he would end forever wars, expose corruption, release the Epstein files, lower costs for working Americans, and break a system that millions of voters believed had stopped working for them.

"Instead, a lot of those voters now look around and see another Middle East conflict spiraling out of control, an economy that feels brutal for ordinary people, connected insiders getting richer, and Republicans demanding absolute loyalty to Trump no matter what happens.

"That’s where the frustration inside MAGA is coming from.

"And I think Democrats misunderstand this when they reduce every Trump voter to being stupid or evil or brainwashed. A lot of these people were genuinely angry about corruption, economic inequality, endless war, and institutions that felt completely disconnected from normal life in America. Trump tapped into that frustration better than any politician in decades.

"The problem is that instead of dismantling that system, he increasingly became a version of it.

"That’s why figures like Tim Dillon, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and even parts of the online MAGA ecosystem are starting to fracture away from Trump over issues like Iran, the Epstein files, and government corruption. These are people whose audiences bought into the idea that Trump was different, and now they’re struggling to explain why his presidency increasingly looks like the same Republican politics they thought they were rejecting.

"And honestly, the Massie situation tells you everything you need to know about what the Republican Party has become.

"Massie is not some liberal hero. He’s a conservative libertarian from Kentucky who voted with Republicans the overwhelming majority of the time. But the moment he publicly challenged Trump over Iran, spending, and the Epstein issue, he became politically disposable.

"That’s because the modern Republican Party is no longer really organized around policy or ideology. It’s organized around personal loyalty to Donald Trump.

"And while MAGA influencers celebrate Trump consolidating control over the party, I think they’re missing the bigger picture entirely. Yes, Trump dominates Republican primaries. But at the same time, independent voters are drifting away from him, younger voters are exhausted by the chaos, and even parts of his own coalition are becoming disillusioned with what his movement has turned into.

"That matters politically.

"Because Americans are deeply frustrated right now, and not just with Republicans. People feel like the economy isn’t working for them. They feel like institutions are dishonest. They feel like politicians spend more time performing outrage online than improving anyone’s life. And they’re tired of watching powerful people profit while ordinary families struggle to afford housing, groceries, healthcare, and basic stability.

"That frustration created Trump in the first place.

"And if Democrats don’t understand the underlying anger driving this moment, the country is eventually going to produce somebody even more dangerous — somebody smarter, more disciplined, and more effective than Trump ever was.

"That’s why I take people like Tucker Carlson seriously even though I disagree with most of what they believe. Democrats made the mistake of dismissing Trump as a joke because he looked ridiculous and sounded ridiculous. Meanwhile, he was building a direct emotional connection with millions of Americans who felt abandoned by both parties.

"The warning signs are there again now.

"People are desperate for authenticity. They want leaders who sound like they actually understand what life feels like outside elite political circles. They want somebody willing to acknowledge that the system is broken instead of constantly pretending everything is fine while costs explode and trust in institutions collapses.

"And whichever political movement figures out how to channel that frustration into something real is going to shape the next era of American politics.

"Because Trump was never the root problem. He was the product of a country where millions of people lost faith that the system was working for them anymore.

"And until somebody actually fixes that, this cycle is just going to keep producing angrier voters, more distrust, more extremism, and politicians who are better and better at weaponizing despair against a country that already feels like it’s falling apart.

"Whichever movement restores that without exploiting people’s anger is going to define the future of this country." (BR)

21/05/2026

From Chris Bowers, owner of Bowers Kerbel Media, Bowers News Media, and Wolves & Sheep:

"Let's Do This: Trump May Have Won Some Primaries, But It Is Already Starting to Cost Him Big-Time.

"Let's make it even worse for him.

"Over the past two weeks, Donald Trump has scored a series of victories in Republican primaries as part of his revenge tour against any Republican who dares to stand up to him.

"On May 5, Trump successfully defeated for renomination half a dozen Republican Indiana state senators who opposed his extreme gerrymandering push in 2025.

"On May 16, Trump successfully defeated for renomination Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who had voted to convict Trump in the February 2021 impeachment trial that followed the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

"On May 19, Trump successfully defeated for nomination Rep. Thomas Massie, who had led the charge to release the Epstein files and who regularly voted against Trump’s priorities in Congress.

"This is all great news for Trump, right? Well, sure, I guess it is better than losing those elections would have been, as defeats would have effectively spelled the end of his political influence. However, even in winning Trump has caused himself some real problems.

"On May 19, before polls had closed in the Kentucky primary where Rep. Massie went down to defeat, a now-unrestrained Sen. Bill Cassidy announced his opposition to funding Donald Trump’s billion-dollar White House ballroom. Funding for the ballroom project was then removed from the reconciliation bill that is currently working its way through Congress. Since his defeat on Saturday, Cassidy has also joined with Democrats to help pass a War Powers Resolution through the Senate blocking any further military action against Iran (although Trump can veto that measure, should it pass the House).

"In opposing the ballroom, Cassidy was notably joined by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who Trump had cast aside last year for his opposition to the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act; Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who survived a Republican primary defeat in 2010 by winning the general election as an independent; and Sen. Susan Collins, who represents a blue state and thus faces more danger to her political career in general elections than in primaries. On the War Powers resolution, Cassidy was joined by Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who is a long-time supporter of Rep. Massie and very much out of Donald Trump’s good graces.

"In other words, in both cases Trump was defeated by a coalition of Democrats and spurned Republicans who are out of reach for Trump to further influence. That coalition now makes up a majority of the United States Senate, seriously imperilling Trump’s legislative and nomination agenda for the rest of 2026.

"Through his wrath, Trump has destroyed his own Senate majority. Then, on Tuesday, he took a step that might have made things even worse for him by endorsing ethically-challenged Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary runoff against incumbent Sen. Jon Cornyn.

"This move may cost Trump quite a lot on Capitol Hill. The reaction among Senate Republicans was, according to The Hill, 'frustration, anger, [and] sadness.' Almost all Senate Republicans interviewed gave their continued support to Cornyn despite Trump’s endorsement. Cornyn may also soon be in a position to vote his conscience for the rest of the year, just as Cassidy has begun doing and just as Tillis has been doing for almost a year now.

"It might even cost Trump a U.S. Senate seat in Texas. Paxton, who saw his personal wealth skyrocket during his time in office, and who narrowly survived a Republican-led impeachment trial three years ago, notably trails Democratic nominee James Talarico, 44.3%-40.0%, in the 270toWin polling average of the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race.

"As my colleague Matt Kerbel discussed back in March, James Talarico has a faith-based, populist economic message that could strongly resonate with voters. Against an opponent who appears to have used his time in office to make himself wealthy, and at a time when affordability is the top concern on voters’ minds, Talarico is running a campaign focused on lowering costs, fighting billionaire power, and arguing that 'the real fight in this country is not left versus right, it’s top versus bottom.'

"Now, I don’t want to oversell Talarico’s chances here. If you are anything like me, then you feel as though you have been burned numerous times by false promises of Democrats finally breaking through in Texas, only to have reality come crashing down on you on election night after election night.

"Ken Paxton—assuming he wins the Republican nomination—is still going to be the favorite here, despite his many scandals and despite current polls. Texas is still a red state, and Republican party committees and Super PACs have regained the large fundraising advantage over Democrats that they had lost in the years before 2024.

"James Talarico is going to need every bit of help possible in order to pull out a victory in the Lone Star state. However, thanks to Donald Trump’s arrogance, Talarico’s victory has at least become a possibility. (BR)

14/05/2026

From Mike Nellis of Endless Urgency, published Tuesday:

"A Sitting Republican Congressman is Accused of Abusing His Ex-Wife---and The MAGA Movement is Protecting Him.

"Why is the media ignoring this story?

"Max Miller, a sitting Republican congressman with close ties to Donald Trump, has been accused by his ex-wife of horrific physical abuse—including allegedly grabbing her during a custody exchange in front of their two-year-old daughter and, in a separate incident, throwing boiling water at her chest.

"And what makes this story even more surreal is that the woman accusing him is the daughter of Republican Senator Bernie Moreno—a sitting U.S. senator from the same political movement Max Miller belongs to.

"These allegations are deeply disturbing, and they deserve to be talked about with seriousness and respect — especially for people who have experienced abuse themselves.

"But we also cannot look away from them.

"Because this isn’t just about Max Miller.

"It’s about what happens when a political movement decides that loyalty to power matters more than character.

"Max Miller isn’t some random backbench congressman nobody’s ever heard of. He’s a former Trump aide. He’s deeply embedded in the MAGA world. He got married at Trump’s golf club with Donald Trump in attendance. Trump endorsed him. Elevated him. Helped build his career.

"And now, after years of allegations from multiple women, after reports of violent behavior, after photographs of bruises, after accusations that incidents happened in front of a child, the Republican Party still closes ranks around him because proximity to Trump acts like a shield against accountability.

"That’s the real story.

"Because this keeps happening.

"Over and over and over again.

"Every few months there’s another Republican operative, another MAGA influencer, another congressman, another Trump ally accused of abuse, harassment, violence, coercion, or intimidation—and the response inside the movement is almost always the same:

"Attack the accuser.

"Question the victim.

"Blame the media.

"Protect the powerful man.

"Move on.

"And I need people to understand something: that culture doesn’t emerge accidentally. It starts at the top.

"Donald Trump has spent his entire public life teaching everyone around him that consequences are optional if you’re rich enough, loyal enough, or useful enough. That’s the operating principle of MAGA. Accountability is for other people.

"That’s why this feels bigger than one congressman.

"Because if allegations like these had emerged about somebody outside the cult, Republicans would be screaming for resignations 24/7. Fox News would run wall-to-wall coverage. Every right-wing influencer on earth would suddenly become a champion for women and children.

"But when it’s one of their guys?

"Silence.

"Or worse, excuses.

"And honestly, part of what makes this story so unbelievable is the fact that even having a United States senator as your father apparently still isn’t enough protection from this culture. Think about that for a second. If the daughter of a Republican senator can allegedly be treated this way while the party circles the wagons around the accused, what message does that send to every other woman watching this unfold?

"Because that’s the other thing that keeps eating at me here: they don’t even protect their own.

"This is one of their own families. One of their own senators. One of their own daughters. And even then, the instinct inside this movement is still to defend the powerful man connected to Trump instead of demanding accountability.

"How broken do you have to be as a political movement for that to become normal?

"And what keeps bothering me most about this story is the child.

"Because according to these reports, some of these alleged incidents happened in front of a two-year-old little girl.

"As a parent, I can’t shake that.

"I cannot imagine putting fear into a child like that. I cannot imagine creating an environment where a kid grows up watching violence, chaos, screaming, intimidation — whatever allegedly happened behind those doors. That kind of trauma doesn’t just disappear because adults decide to spin the headlines later.

"And this is why accountability matters early.

"And honestly, the part of this story that scares me the most isn’t even necessarily what we know — it’s what we don’t know.

"Every time somebody powerful is accused of abuse, you have to wonder how many other people stayed silent out of fear. How many staffers, exes, friends, or victims convinced themselves it wasn’t worth speaking up because they knew the machine would protect him anyway?

"That’s the pattern with powerful men inside movements like this. The public allegations are usually just the surface. The truly disturbing part is wondering how much behavior never sees daylight because the people involved don’t have the resources, platform, or protection to fight back.

"Because systems that protect powerful men create more dangerous men.

"If somebody learns over and over again that money, status, political connections, and intimidation can save them from consequences, the behavior escalates. That’s true in politics. That’s true in Hollywood. That’s true everywhere.

"And frankly, that’s been the story of Trumpism from the beginning.

"The movement rewards cruelty.

"It rewards dominance.

"It rewards intimidation.

"It rewards people willing to bully, humiliate, threaten, and steamroll others in pursuit of power.

"Then everybody acts surprised when the people attracted to that culture turn out to be abusive in private too.

"Really?

"What exactly did people think was going to happen?

"Because this isn’t just about one 'bad apple.' It’s about a political ecosystem where morality is entirely conditional. If you help the movement win, almost anything gets rationalized away.

"And before somebody says, 'Well, both parties have bad people,' yes—obviously. Throw every abuser out. Every single one. I don’t care what letter is next to their name.

"But only one political movement in America currently treats accountability itself as the enemy.

"Only one movement consistently turns powerful men accused of horrific behavior into martyrs.

"Only one movement seems fundamentally incapable of saying, 'If this is true, this person should never hold power again.'

"That’s the rot.

"That’s the sickness underneath all of this.

"And until this country stops rewarding people for cruelty, until voters stop excusing behavior they would never tolerate in their own homes, until political parties fear protecting abusers more than they fear losing power, these stories are going to keep happening.

"That’s the part that disgusts me most.

"Not that monsters exist.

"But that so many powerful people keep helping them survive." (BR)

12/05/2026

Normally I wouldn't share 100% all of one of Olivia Troye's "Saturday Covfefe" editions, as the format is quite a bit different from her regular weekday posts, but the five stories she cited this time around were all compelling in their own ways.

"Saturday Covfefe: The System Wants Fewer Witnesses

"This week felt like the guardrails coming off.

"This week hit close to home.

"It started with a gut punch in Virginia.

"On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved congressional redistricting referendum, effectively overruling the will of Virginians who voted YES just weeks ago. I’m deeply disappointed by the decision and personally impacted as one of many candidates who entered this race under those maps. Virginia voters deserved better. It comes right after the U.S. Supreme Court severely weakened the Voting Rights Act, another reminder of how fragile representation and voting rights have become in this country.

[That's right, fellow New Progressive Muckrakers: if you didn't know, conservative Olivia Troye is currently running for Congress in Virginia---as a Democrat.]

"Welcome to this week’s Saturday Covfefe.

"1. The ICE Watchdogs Are Gone

"While the Trump administration rapidly expands immigration detention, the internal Department of Homeland Security office responsible for investigating deaths in custody, medical neglect, and abuse complaints is effectively shutting down. The Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) was created by Congress in 2019 as an independent watchdog over ICE detention conditions. But according to reporting this week, the office has been gutted. Staffing reportedly dropped from more than 100 employees at the start of 2025 to just five this year.

At the same time, detention is growing fast. More migrants are being held for longer periods, while their immigration cases drag through the courts. The number of people detained for over a year has nearly doubled in just six months, while deaths in ICE custody have reached record highs.

As someone who has worked inside government systems, let me translate what this means plainly: when oversight disappears while enforcement powers grow, abuse becomes easier to hide.

That’s why watchdog offices matter. They create accountability. They force transparency. They make it harder for systems to operate in the dark. And right now, the lights are going out.

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/07/g-s1-120834/trump-immigration-detention-ombudsman-shutdown?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

"2. America’s Book Bans Are Escalating

"A new report from PEN America found that bans on nonfiction books in U.S. schools more than doubled during the last school year. Out of 3,743 titles removed from classrooms and libraries, nearly 30% were nonfiction books, many focused on activism, civil rights movements, LGBTQ+ issues, race, grief, and identity.

"Think about that for a second.

"Books teaching students about social movements, historical injustice, and marginalized communities are increasingly being treated as dangerous. Among the books targeted were Night, the Holocaust memoir by Elie Wiesel, alongside books about puberty, identity, and Indigenous civilizations.

"Meanwhile, dystopian novels like Fahrenheit 451 and The Hunger Games are also being removed from shelves. The irony would almost be funny if it weren’t so dangerous. This isn’t about protecting children. It’s about controlling what they’re allowed to understand about power, history, identity, and dissent. Here’s the part people should pay attention to: censorship movements never stop at one category. They expand. First, it’s 'inappropriate' books. Then it becomes history. Then journalism. Then expertise itself. Anyone noticing this to be a familiar pattern lately?…

"At the same time, reading scores are collapsing nationwide, and America is pulling books off shelves rather than helping kids read more of them.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/07/banned-non-fiction-books-doubles?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

"3. Trump Is Redefining 'Terrorism'

"The Trump administration just released a new national counterterrorism strategy, and it marks a major shift in how the federal government defines threats inside the United States. The strategy expands the focus of counterterrorism beyond foreign jihadist organizations to include drug cartels and loosely defined domestic 'left-wing extremist' movements, including Antifa. Administration officials say they plan to 'map' members and 'cripple them operationally' using expanded law enforcement and surveillance tools.

"As someone who spent years working in counterterrorism and national security, let me be very clear: words matter in this space. Definitions matter. Authorities matter. Counterterrorism powers are among the most aggressive tools the government possesses. They were built after 9/11 to stop mass-casualty attacks and foreign terrorist networks. Expanding those frameworks into broad ideological territory inside the United States should concern every American, regardless of politics. Especially because the actual threat data tells a different story.

"According to analysis cited in the reporting, right-wing extremists carried out far more deadly attacks over the last decade than left-wing extremists. Having worked on these threats during my time in homeland security, I know that to be true. Yet the administration is now elevating 'violent left-wing ideology' as a central national security priority. For the record, this isn’t new. I witnessed attempts firsthand to push this narrative during Trump 1.0 as well.

"When governments start blurring the line between violent extremism and loosely defined political movements, the risk isn’t just overreach. The risk is that national security tools become politicized. And once that door opens, it rarely closes cleanly.

https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/trump-new-counterterrorism-strategy/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

"4. White Nationalists Found A New Recruitment Tool

"This is one of the more disturbing stories I’ve read this week.

"A new report details how white nationalist groups and militias are increasingly showing up after natural disasters, not just to 'help,' but to build followers, soften their public image, and spread anti-government extremism. After Hurricane Helene devastated parts of North Carolina, local officials say armed far-right groups descended on affected communities, claiming they were there to restore 'law and order.' Some spread conspiracy theories about FEMA. Others filmed themselves handing out supplies for social media content.

"One white nationalist organizer openly admitted the strategy:
Show up during a crisis, help people, hand out flyers, and change how people see them. This matters because disasters create something extremists look for: fear, confusion, distrust, and institutional breakdown.

"Historically, moments of instability are exactly where radical movements grow. When people lose trust in institutions, they start looking elsewhere for protection, identity, and belonging. Extremist groups understand that. They study it. And increasingly, they’re exploiting it.

"The sheriff interviewed in the piece warned this could become 'the new normal.'

"Honestly? That line stayed with me. Because we are living through a moment where conspiracy theories spread faster than verified information, where public trust is collapsing, and where online radicalization pipelines are increasingly bleeding into real-world organizing. And now they’re using natural disasters as branding opportunities.

"Pay attention to that.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/some-white-nationalists-swoop-in-after-natural-disasters-60-minutes-transcript/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

"5. Reality Itself Is Starting to Feel Fake

"A lot of people are feeling this, but struggling to describe it—the growing sense that reality itself is becoming harder to trust. Not just because of misinformation, but because we’re now living inside an environment where AI-generated content, algorithms, propaganda, conspiracy theories, and nonstop information overload are all colliding at once.

"The result? Exhaustion. Distrust. Confusion. And a public increasingly unsure of what’s real.

"This may be one of the biggest stories underneath all the others. Whether it’s book bans, extremist recruitment, propaganda ecosystems, conspiracy theories after natural disasters, or governments expanding power through fear…none of it works without information chaos. That’s the point.

"When people stop trusting institutions, facts, journalism, expertise, or even their own ability to tell truth from manipulation, societies become easier to fracture. We are seeing that happen in real time. While we used to talk about 'fake news,' increasingly, reality itself feels unstable. That’s dangerous territory for any democracy.

"Which is why critical thinking, credible journalism, independent voices, media literacy, and actual human connection matter more than ever right now. Do not lose your ability to discern. That may become one of the most important survival skills of this era.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/may/06/how-to-survive-the-information-crisis-we-once-talked-about-fake-news-now-reality-itself-feels-fake?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

"One Thing For Your Soul

"Sometimes people still surprise you in the best ways. Before Game 5 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference First Round in Buffalo, the microphone cut out during 'O Canada.' Instead of awkward silence, thousands of fans in the arena simply kept singing together until the anthem singer got a new mic. Just people stepping in together in a small human moment because they could. Buffalo sits right near the Canadian border, and the Sabres have long embraced that connection with Canadian fans. Simple. Human. Kind of beautiful. I might have found a new hockey team to root for…"

https://www.nhl.com/news/buffalo-sabres-fans-sing-o-canada-before-game-5?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

(BR)

05/05/2026

From Matt Kerbel of Wolves and Sheep:
"Arms Race

"The Supreme Court last week tossed accelerant on the redistricting fire that has been raging since Donald Trump pressed Texas to squeeze every possible Republican district out of its already gerrymandered map.

"By gutting the provision of the Voting Rights Act that protected the drawing of majority-minority districts, the Court guaranteed a race to the bottom as both parties will now look to alter their maps to offset the gerrymandering gains of the other.

"The decision in the Callais case was hardly surprising. The Court telegraphed where it was heading months ago, and the opinion of the 6-3 majority is consistent with their standing efforts to make elections safe for white people in a rapidly diversifying country.

"But it’s possible the long-term result will look nothing like what they intended.

"In the short run, Callais is unlikely to affect the 2026 elections any more than at the margins. It’s May, and most states have either held their primaries or are too close to holding them for redistricting this year.

"There is an absurdly transparent effort by the governor of Louisiana, whose state was at the center of the dispute in Callais, to interfere with the election cycle by ordering a halt to the state’s May 16 primary—even though ballots have been sent out and early voting was set to start this past weekend. And there is the quixotic attempt by Florida Republicans to extract four more Republican districts from a state where Republicans have been bleeding at the ballot box since Trump reclaimed the White House.

"Otherwise, it’s hard to see more than a small handful of districts being re-drawn. And regardless of the outcome of these efforts, they will not be enough to counteract the seismic force of an electorate poised to vent its anger at Donald Trump.

"As of this writing, the average price of gas is $4.39 a gallon and rising. You can’t gerrymander your way out of that.

"But the long term implications of Callais are profound.

"Democrats immediately declared all-out war on Republican efforts to eviscerate minority districts in states where they control the redistricting process by eviscerating Republican districts in states where they have a governing trifecta.

"Hakeem Jeffries, who stands to become Speaker in a Democratic House, identified New York, Illinois, Maryland and Colorado as states where his party is actively looking to neutralize Republican Callais gerrymandering with gerrymandering of their own.

"And, if a Democratic wave produces blue down ballot trifectas in states like Wisconsin and Minnesota where Democratic legislative majorities are within reach—and it very well could—their gerrymandering opportunities will expand.

"This is of course an abhorrent situation. It is blatantly undemocratic and will prevent countless millions from having a chance to elect representatives of their choice.

"But it is also very likely to be temporary. The gerrymandering arms race should prove unsustainable in the face of an electorate that is moving dramatically against the regime this ruling was intended to preserve.

"Let’s understand the Callais decision in the context of our times.

"It is an act of desperation.

"It leverages the political power of the Court to bolster the right-wing project of establishing a permanent white governing class as whites move inexorably toward minority status in a rapidly diversifying nation.

"It is of a piece with Project 2025 and MAGA governance, both of which are in the process of being rejected by a country that has given up on Donald Trump.

"As such, Callais feels to me a bit like another Court decision that attempted to lock in the power of a fading regime. In the Dred Scott case, a Court determined to protect slavery denied citizenship to all Black people of African descent and declared it unconstitutional for Congress to limit slavery at a time when an expanding country was threatening the power of slaveowners through the admission of free states.

"That was in 1857. Slavery was abolished by constitutional amendment seven years later.

"We know what happened in the interim. But I’m not suggesting that we are heading into a civil war. To the contrary, I think the experience of the second Trump presidency is lifting the veil of duplicity from the autocrats who successfully used race, gender and culture to divide the country and cement their power. We appear to be entering a moment when political divisions are defined by antipathy to the small powerful groups Trump repeatedly favors, in defiance of his false populist appeal.

"As a new political division emerges between the many who are paying more at the pump and the very few who benefit from the surge in oil prices, we are seeing the early outlines of a coalition that could be large and enduring enough to overcome the best efforts of those who are doing everything possible to preserve a threatened status quo.

"A decision like Callais should help open the political space for reforms to the Supreme Court, voting rights, redistricting and the election process—all of which were way out of the political mainstream just a few years ago.

"The gerrymandering wars will take place against the backdrop of a country figuring out how to navigate the wreckage of the Trump years and a Democratic party finding its voice amidst dramatic political change.

"It’s possible to see an outcome that will result in a political system that accommodates the interests and demographics of mid-twenty-first century America, made possible in part by the reaction to efforts by a reactionary Court to protect the power of a threatened elite.

"For now, it matters most that Democrats understand the assignment and are prepared to respond in kind to the frenzy of Republican efforts to draw more districts for themselves at the expense of Black representation.

"The process will be ugly and the results will and should rankle any advocate of small-d democracy, but the fact that the Court has opened the door to this arms race shows they are running out of ways to safeguard their power. We are getting closer to the end-game.

"And while it may not be much comfort now, we will in time recognize that the Roberts Court is on the wrong side of history."
(BR)

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