December 30, 2025

Penelope Green of the New York Times: “Tatiana Schlossberg, an environmental journalist and a daughter of Caroline Kennedy — and granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy — whose harrowing essay about her rare and aggressive blood cancer, published in The New Yorker magazine in November, drew worldwide sympathy and praise for Ms. Schlossberg’s courage and raw honesty, died on Tuesday. She was 35.” 

Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Monday said he might sue Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell for what the president called 'gross incompetence,' injecting new tension into the already strained relationship between the White House and the independent central bank. Speaking at a news conference beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said 'the guy is just incompetent.' Trump first brought up the Fed’s multibillion-dollar renovation project, which at times has become a stand-in for Trump’s ongoing attacks on the Fed system.” MB: Geez, Trump said this at a press conference. Why didn't one of those sharp young journos ask him if the public should sue him for “gross incompetence”?

Marie: If anything can get Trump to back off part of his Venezuelan campaign, this might be it: ~~~ 

~~~ Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: “The crew of an oil tanker fleeing U.S. forces in the Atlantic Ocean recently painted a Russian flag on the side of the vessel, in an apparent attempt to claim Russian protection, two American officials said on Tuesday. It’s the latest twist in a bizarre odyssey that began on Dec. 21 when the U.S. Coast Guard tried to intercept the ship, Bella 1, in the Caribbean Sea as it sailed toward Venezuela to pick up oil, putting it in the cross hairs of ... [Donald] Trump’s quasi-blockade of the Venezuelan government’s economic lifeline. The Bella 1’s crew members have since painted a Russian flag on the tanker during the escape and are now claiming Russian status, according to the U.S. officials, who were briefed on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation. The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions since last year for transporting Iranian oil, which federal authorities have said is sold to finance terrorism.”

Paul Schwartzman of the Washington Post: “The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to fast-track the demolition of more than a dozen historic buildings at St. Elizabeths in Southeast Washington, asserting that the conditions of the vacant structures represent an 'emergency' and pose potential security risks, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. DHS Secretary Kristi L. Noem, in a Dec. 19 memo to the General Services Administration, said the buildings 'constitute a present risk to life and property' on the 176-acre West Campus, a fortified complex that Homeland Security has been transforming into its new headquarters over the past 15 years.... DHS’s proposed demolition is prompting opposition from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the D.C. Preservation League, which are seeking to participate in a detailed on-site assessment of the structures, nine of which they say were built in the late 1800s.... Established by Congress in 1855, St. Elizabeths was originally known as the 'Government Hospital for the Insane,' according to the GSA’s website.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Earlier this month, the Senate confirmed a new commandant of the Coast Guard. Normally, this would mean Coast Guard Adm. Kevin Lunday could move into the swanky residence reserved for the Coast Guard commandant at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. A slight glitch: ICE Barbie, whose Department of Homeland Security oversees the Coast Guard, has moved herself, rent-free, into the commandant's residence. My solution: the buildings at St. Elizabeths are already on a DHS campus, so DHS should be able to secure them, despite DHS's claim that “the structures 'provide a tactical advantage for carrying out small arms or active shooter scenarios.'” In the hopes that Noem herself would not be carrying out “active shooter scenarios” (which, admittedly, is something she likes to do), free up the commandant's residence and move ICE Barbie into the “Government Hospital for the Insane.” Seems like just the place for her.

Carol Leonnig & Ken Dilanian of MS NOW: "... several days before Donald Trump’s inauguration, a Justice Department lawyer passed ... a one-page summary [report to top Trump transition official Emil Bove. The report] revealed that Tom Homan — at that time, a frequent companion of Trump’s on the campaign trail who had publicly boasted he would be joining Trump’s administration to lead his immigrant deportation strategy — was the subject of an ongoing bribery investigation. Undercover FBI agents posing as private contractors had recorded him accepting $50,000 in cash in exchange for what they believed was Homan’s vow to help get border enforcement contracts in the new Trump administration.... Justice officials felt sure Homan would not be able to obtain a security clearance based on the evidence gathered in the corruption probe.... Without the benefit of a background check to alert Trump’s team to the ongoing investigation of Homan, Trump on Nov. 10 publicly announced Homan as his new border czar, a senior White House advisor position.... It remains unclear how Homan was eventually granted a security clearance, or whom Bove alerted after being briefed on the Homan probe...."

Travis Loller of the AP: “A newly unsealed order in the criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia reveals that high-level Justice Department officials pushed for his indictment, calling it a 'top priority,' only after he was mistakenly deported and then ordered returned to the U.S. Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Tennessee to charges of human smuggling. He is seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution is vindictive — a way for ... Donald Trump’s administration to punish him for the embarrassment of his mistaken deportation.” MB: Read on. It looks as if Acting U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire lied to the court.

Aiden Reiter of Politico: “The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday issued an order rebuking the Trump administration’s efforts to defund and shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Earlier in the month, the D.C. Circuit of Appeals agreed to hear an ongoing lawsuit brought by the National Treasury Employees Union, representing CFPB employees, against OMB director and acting CFPB director Russ Vought. The federal appeals court upheld an injunction from the district court ahead of a February hearing, stating that the Trump administration must cease its efforts to shutter the bureau while the case is ongoing.... On Tuesday, the district court issued a clarification of the injunction, stating that the agency must continue to be funded up until the appeals court hearing in February. The district court judge also cast doubt on Vought’s broader argument, stating that the 'lapse' in funding was 'manufactured by the defendants'  and is 'not a valid justification for the agency’s unilateral decision to abandon its obligations.'...”

Israel Kicks Humanitarian Heroes Out of Gaza. Melanie Lidman & Sam Mednick of the AP: “Israel on Tuesday said it had suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules. Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organizations. But the organizations say the rules are arbitrary and warned that the new ban would harm a civilian population desperately in need of humanitarian aid.”

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Julian Barnes & Tyler Pager of the New York Times: “The C.I.A. conducted a drone strike on a port facility in Venezuela last week, according to people briefed on the operation, a development that suggests an aggressive new phase of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the Maduro government has begun. The strike was on a dock where U.S. officials believe Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, was storing narcotics and potentially preparing to move the drugs onto boats, the people said. No one was on the dock at the time, and no one was killed, they said. But the strike is the first known American operation inside Venezuela. The details of the strike, which were reported earlier by CNN, fleshed out an attack that ... [Donald] Trump had already discussed openly, despite the secrecy that typically surrounds C.I.A. operations. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr. Trump declined to say how the attack had been carried out or by whom but confirmed the United States was responsible.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump casually revealed the strike (NYT link) during a radio interview the other day because when it comes to top secret ops, he can't STFU. He still thinks it is so cool that he knows something you don't that he has to boast about it even when it compromises national security. As we know, this is not the first time he has pulled a stunt like this. Like a toddler, Trump has no impulse control. ~~~

~~~ Heather Cox Richardson: After Trump first said on the radio that the U.S. had “knocked out” a “big plant” in Venezuela, “Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo commented: 'It’s a good commentary on 2025 that the US President announces a major military attack on a foreign country and even the straightest arrows think, 50% chance it’s an attack, 50% chance president is on another cognition bender.'” In her letter, Richardson has quite a bit on Trump's relationship with Putin, including yet another “I believe him” declaration of Donald's trust in Vlad.

Serial Killers Donald's and Pete's Murder Porn (via the New York Times): ~~~

~~~ Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: “A U.S. military strike on Monday killed two more people accused by the Trump administration of trafficking narcotics in the eastern Pacific, Pentagon officials said, bringing the death toll in the U.S. campaign to at least 107. In a post on social media, the U.S. Southern Command said that the strike, conducted at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, had targeted a boat sailing along a “known narco-trafficking route” in the eastern Pacific and killed two men.... It was the 30th attack announced by the U.S. military since early Septembe.... The United States’ boat attacks in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean have drawn the ire of legal experts and members of Congress, who contend that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings and, potentially, war crimes.” The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm glad the Times always mentions in its reports of murders at sea that they may be war crimes. But Trump & Hegseth have carried out these serial killings so often that they don't even rate a top headline.

Mass Murder on the High Seas. Max Bearak, et al., of the New York Times: “Watching from the shore on Nov. 6, Erika Palacio Fernández whipped out her phone, she said, unwittingly recording the only verified and independent video known to date of the aftermath of an airstrike in the Trump administration’s campaign against what it calls 'narco-terrorists.' Two days later, on that same shore, a scorched 30-foot-long boat itself would wash up. Then, two mangled bodies. Then charred jerrycans, life jackets and dozens of packets that were observed by The New York Times and were similar to others that have been found after anti-narcotics operations in the region. Most packets were empty, though traces of a substance that looked and smelled like marijuana were found in the lining of a few.” This story reads like the beginning of a murder mystery. But we know whodunit. The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If the people Trump killed on November 6 were drug traffickers, the drug they may have been trafficking was marijuana. Six weeks after blowing up the boat on Nov. 6, Trump signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug (dangerous) to Schedule III -- "the same group as some common prescription painkillers such as Tylenol with codeine."

The Bonespurs & Bibi Show. New Episode! In this episode, the buddies take the show on the road, moving the action to an exotic, luxurious location. In the gilded setting, Bonespurs treats Bibi and some friends to an elaborate lunch. Find out if Bibi found the meal delicious! Look forward to more dramatic saber-rattling, more exuberant back-slapping and excessive boasting about nothing. (And of course some whoppers.) Listen in on Cadet Bonespurs' secret confessions of despair. How will Bibi soothe Bonespurs' angst? Don't miss the most exciting episode yet in this popular serial farce. ~~~

~~~ Tyler Pager & David Halbfinger of the New York Times: Donald “Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel presented a united front on Monday, papering over their differences on how to carry out the Gaza peace plan while heaping praise on each other. The two leaders, who met over a multicourse lunch inside the dining room of Mar-a-Lago..., shared few details on the substance of their talks or how they planned to resolve the many outstanding issues between them.... Mr. Trump did make at least one commitment. He said that the United States would back Israeli strikes on Iran if Iran continued with its ballistic missile and nuclear weapon program. The president said he has heard Iran is 'behaving badly' and looking to restart its nuclear program, but he declined to provide additional details.... Mr. Netanyahu, in his fifth visit with Mr. Trump this year, seemed to struggle to find new ways to say the president was the best friend Israel had ever had in the White House, at one point going so far as to praise the meal the American leader had just served him.” ~~~

     ~~~ Brett Wilkins of Common Dreams: “... Donald Trump — who has bombed more countries than any US leader in history — once again lamented what he considers his snub for the Nobel Peace Prize during a Monday meeting with fugitive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an apparent hot mic moment, Trump, seemingly unaware that there were reporters in the room, speaks to Netanyahu and other Israeli and US officials gathered at the president’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida about the '35 years of fighting' between two unspecified countries that he 'stopped.' 'Do I get credit for it? No,' Trump says, adding before being interrupted by Netanyahu, 'They gave the Nob...' 'I did eight of them,' Trump said during the hot mic — likely referring to the number of wars he falsely claims to have ended — before seeming to notice the journalists and changing the subject.... As something of a consolation prize, Netanyahu said Monday that he’s awarding Trump with the Israel Prize, that nation’s highest cultural honor. Trump will be the first foreign leader to receive the award.” ~~~

     ~~~ Robert Mackey & Lucy Campbell of the Guardian: “After Trump was caught on camera before lunch appearing to complain about not receiving a Nobel peace prize, despite his claim to have settled eight wars – some of which were not wars, and others of which are not settled – Netanyahu revealed that Trump would be the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel prize.... In a video clip posted online by Netanyahu’s office, he could be seen holding up his phone for Israel’s education minister to inform Trump that he was being given the award.... Before their meeting, Trump falsely claimed that 'every hostage, just about, that was released was released because of me … none were released in the Biden administration.' In fact, 107 hostages were released in 2023, when Joe Biden was president, and another 33 hostages were returned in early 2025 in a deal made before the end of Biden’s term.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I haven't researched this thoroughly, but it appears that  Hamas released 140 hostages during Biden's administration, and 28 -- at the most -- during Trump's administration. I'm certain Hamas released 20 living hostages during Trump's second term, and perhaps eight deceased hostages' remains. So Trump's claim is a whopper.

     ~~~ Just Making Up Stuff. Dave Lawler of Axios: "Israeli President Isaac Herzog swiftly denied ... [Donald] Trump's claim on Monday that he had told the U.S. president he would pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.... 'I think he will,' Trump said, when asked if Netanyahu would get a pardon. 'How do you not? He's a wartime prime minister who's a hero. How do you not give a pardon?... I spoke to the president, he tells me it's on its way.... You can't do better than that, right?' According to a statement from Herzog's office issued almost immediately afterward, that conversation never happened. 'There has been no conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted.'... Trump was asked later on Monday if he had spoken with Herzog about a pardon and 'no,' while reiterating that he believes Netanyahu should and will be pardoned." 

Neil MacFarquhar & Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: “With talks on ending the Ukraine war making little progress on the toughest issues, Russia issued a dramatic threat on Monday to harden its stance, linking the potential change to what the Kremlin called a failed Ukrainian drone attack overnight targeting a rural residence of President Vladimir V. Putin. Ukraine immediately denied any such attack, accusing the Kremlin of inventing a pretext to undermine the peace talks being orchestrated by the Trump administration. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who met with ... [Donald] Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Sunday to discuss a possible deal, called the Russian allegation a 'complete fabrication.'... Mr. Trump said that he heard about the alleged attack from Mr. Putin himself during a previously scheduled phone call early Monday to discuss the peace talks. 'I was very angry about it,' he told reporters at Mar-a-Lago, though he conceded that he had no independent confirmation that it had occurred.” The Guardian's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oddly, I don't recall Trump's saying he was "very angry about" Russia's extensive & deadly strike on Kiev Saturday. The Hill report linked next makes clear, as the Times report does not, that when a reporter told him of Zelensky's denial, Trump still seemed to be convinced of Putin's veracity. This is hardly surprising. Trump has often said, "I believe President Putin." He's even taken Putin's side against U.S. intel agencies. ~~~

     ~~~ Ellen Mitchell of the Hill: “But Trump later on Monday appeared to take Russia’s side. 'I don’t like it, it’s not good. I heard about it this morning. You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it. Early in the morning he said he was attacked. That’s no good, it’s no good,' Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., of the claimed strike.... Asked if there’s evidence of the attack, Trump replied: 'Well, we’ll find out. You’re saying maybe the attack didn’t take place? That’s possible, I guess, but President Putin told me this morning.'... Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) later criticized Trump for appearing to side with Russia.... 'President Trump and his team should get the facts first before assuming blame. Putin is a well known boldface liar,' Bacon wrote on X.” Also, Trump talks like a three-year old. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ President Zelensky is a former comic actor. He's quite good at effecting a poker face. But sometimes too much is too much. Watch his reaction when Trump says, "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed":

~~~ Phillips O'Brien contrasts Trump's remark above with "... this quote from Trump’s chief of staff and intimate, Suzie Wiles, in her extraordinary Vanity Fair interview.... 'The experts think that if he (Putin) could get the rest of Donetsk, then he would be happy,' Wiles told me in August. But privately, Trump wasn’t buying it — he didn’t believe Putin wanted peace. "Donald Trump thinks he wants the whole country," Wiles told me.' Both of these statements cannot be true. Indeed they cancel each other out. There is one that is far more likely to be true (Wiles estimation) and one that was almost certainly a lie (what Trump said yesterday)." Emphasis original. MB: I've linked O'Brien's Substack post, but I went through a lot of folderol to try to "claim my free post," and I couldn't do it. My attempt devolved into a loop that brought me back to the same "claim your free post" prompt. Perhaps you'll do better. (Also linked yesterday.)

“Adapt, Shrink or Die.” Nick Cumming-Bruce of the New York Times: “The Trump administration said on Monday that it would provide an initial $2 billion next year to fund humanitarian aid coordinated by the United Nations but urged humanitarian agencies to deeply overhaul the way they deliver assistance.... 'The agreement requires the U.N. to consolidate humanitarian functions to reduce bureaucratic overhead, unnecessary duplication, and ideological creep,' the State Department said in a statement on Monday. 'Individual U.N. agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die.' The move will likely keep the United States as the biggest international aid donor in 2026, even as it drastically scales back the level of support traditionally provided by American administrations.” MB: Do they have to be so melodramatic? Is Trump going to shoot some aid workers on First Avenue?

Adam Nagourney & Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: “A veteran jazz ensemble and a New York dance company have canceled events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, intensifying the fallout at one of the nation’s pre-eminent arts centers after it was renamed to include ... [Donald] Trump. The center had previously promoted two New Year’s Eve performances by the Cookers as an 'all-star jazz septet that will ignite the Terrace Theater stage with fire and soul.' But those performances, like an annual Christmas Eve jazz concert hosted by Chuck Redd, are now canceled. 

“The Cookers['] ... drummer, Billy Hart, told The New York Times that the center’s name change had 'evidently' played a role. He acknowledged that the group was concerned about possible reprisals. Doug Varone and Dancers, a New York dance company, also said on Monday that it was canceling two performances in April.... Mr. Varone, the head of the company, said it would lose $40,000 by pulling out. 'It is financially devastating but morally exhilarating,' he said in an email. Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s chairman, said in a statement on Monday night that the artists canceling shows were 'far-left political activists' and that they had been booked by previous leadership.  'Boycotting the arts to show you support the arts is a form of derangement syndrome,' he said.” The Independent has a story here.

Jennifer Bahney of Mediaite: “Attorney General Pam Bondi has confirmed that the Department of Justice is investigating 'lawfare' under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden that she believes amounts to an 'ongoing criminal conspiracy.' In an interview with conservative outlet Just The News, Bondi said she asked prosecutors to probe what she termed the 'ongoing election-meddling conspiracy' that she claimed was used to persecute ... Donald Trump and his supporters, while protecting Democrats.... Editor-in-chief [of Just the News] John Solomon wrote that charging defendants with 'criminal conspiracy' nullifies the statute of limitations because the cases are ongoing, much like with organized crime cases.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: Don't think the Trump DOJ is just bluffing and won't "investigate"/harass Presidents Obama & Biden. We already know what Bondi, et al., have done to Jim Comey, Letitia James, Lisa Cook, Adam Schiff and others. And now we're learning that Bill Barr was after Julie K. Brown, too: ~~~

~~~ Marcie Jones of Wonkette: "... the Miami Herald reporter Julie Knipe Brown, who first broke the Epstein secret-sweetheart-deal story in 2018, has now found herself in the [Epstein] files, in evidence that the Department of Justice had obtained her flight records from American Airlines as part of a grand jury subpoena in February of 2020.... Sooooo … why was the Trump/Bill Barr DOJ interested in a grand jury seeing Brown’s flights? And what grand jury? Did it even exist?" Brown wants to know why the DOJ was monitoring her travels. And "Democrats on the House Oversight Committee would like answers too." Read on. MB: Jones constructs a "Stalkers for Trump" murder board that evokes the boards with the perp photos & connecting & cross-connecting strings you see in police procedurals. 

Tim Balk of the New York Times: “The Justice Department sued Virginia on Monday over its policy of granting unauthorized immigrants in-state financial aid at public colleges and universities, saying that the assistance violates federal law because it discriminates against U.S. citizens living in other states.... It is the latest in a series of lawsuits from the Trump administration aimed at blocking states from extending tuition benefits to unauthorized immigrants. In November, the administration sued California over a similar tuition policy, and in September it brought a case against Illinois over its financial aid program for unauthorized immigrants. In June, a federal judge blocked a Texas law that provided unauthorized immigrants in-state tuition.”

Rachel Roubein, et al., of the Washington Post on how Bobby Kennedy, Jr. “has reshaped the vaccine and broader public health infrastructure in less than a year.” MB: “Reshaped” is one way to put it.

Lisa Rein, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Social Security Administration ... began the second Trump administration with a hostile takeover [by DOGE]. It ends the year in turmoil. A diminished workforce has struggled to respond to up to 6 million pending cases in its processing centers and 12 million transactions in its field offices — record backlogs that have delayed basic services to millions of customers.... Long-strained customer services at Social Security have become worse by many key measures since ... Donald Trump began his second term, agency data and interviews show, as thousands of employees were fired or quit and hasty policy changes and reassignments left inexperienced staff to handle the aftermath. Exaggerated claims of fraud, for example, have led to new roadblocks for elderly beneficiaries, disabled people and legal immigrants, who are now required to complete some transactions in person or online rather than by phone.... The current crisis follows years of disinvestment by Congress and acting leadership, despite a surge in baby boomer retirements.”

Ron Draper of the New York Times Magazine interviews Marjorie Taylor Greene. Mildly interesting. Looks like a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Tyler Katzenberger of Politico: “A federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration can resume sharing location data about undocumented immigrants receiving public health insurance benefits with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, starting next month. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria’s ruling is a victory for ... Donald Trump’s mass-deportation agenda as it allows ICE to use Medicaid data in deportation cases beginning Jan. 6. The agency had been blocked from doing so for months amid a legal challenge from blue states.... Chhabria’s order is narrowly tailored to six categories of “basic” personal information: citizenship, immigration status, address, phone number, date of birth and Medicaid ID.” MB: Judge Chhabria is an Obama appointee.

Paul Krugman: "It turns out that even at a fundamentally corrupt institution like Heritage there are lines you can’t cross. Suddenly, Heritage is experiencing a mass exodus of staff.... Heritage has never been a source of credible research, but its role in the conservative movement has been to provide an intellectual gloss by producing what looked to the gullible — i.e., many people in the news media — like credible research.... While I may be making too much of the demise of one organization, I see Heritage’s fall as a preview of how MAGA as a political movement will eventually implode.... Extremists have been able to gain so much power only thanks to support from ordinary conservatives. In the past it was largely about greed: people who wanted right-wing economic policies promoted Christian nationalists because they thought they could use them.... What the debacle at Heritage suggests, however, is that many of these fellow-travelers have limits." 

Trump Betrayed Small Business, Too. Paul Krugman: “... if we ask who in America is likely to have relatively high income either without having a college degree ... — and therefore be predisposed to favor Republicans — the answer is clearly owners of successful small businesses. Beyond that selection effect, a recent study of small-business partisanship by Malhotra, Margalit and Shi finds that 'the experience of being a small business owner leads people to adopt conservative views on government regulation.' So small business owners supported Trump in the belief that he would get the government off their backs. That’s not what happened. Instead, the second Trump administration has been marked by increased government-imposed burdens on small business. High tariffs have been a body blow to the many small businesses that rely, one way or another, on imported goods. Mass arrests of immigrants have also been highly disruptive for businesses, such as construction contractors, that depend on foreign-born workers.”

Andrew Egger of the Bulwark goes home to Iowa for Christmas and finds out Republicans are scamming his grandma. (Also linked yesterday.) 

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