Monday’s news reminded us that Trump is continually violating the Constitution and flouting the rule of law. That might explain a dramatic backlash against Trump among young men—a cohort that pundits had declared to be “lost” to the Democratic party only a year ago. Trump continues to serve as Putin’s “useful idiot” by spreading baseless Russian disinformation designed to disrupt peace negotiations. And he continues to do his best to roil the financial markets by threatening to fire and sue Fed Chair Jerome Powell for “gross incompetence.”
Oh, and Trump is now applying heavy makeup to both hands, disproving Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s claim that the discoloration on Trump’s right hand is caused by shaking hands with hundreds of adoring fans.
A quick reminder to all of us—including me. On Monday, I received several “YouTube videos” from readers who were alarmed about statements allegedly made by prominent celebrities and politicians. Those videos were “deepfakes,” generated by AI video programs. Sadly, we live in an age when we must question whether “news” contained in YouTube or Facebook videos is authentic. On YouTube (for now), there is usually a warning that the video contains “synthetic or altered content.” Also, YouTube commenters frequently flag when an item is fake content created by AI.
If something strikes you as odd or alarming, do not rely on a single source. Check reliable sources to confirm improbable facts. If a video or “news” article makes wild claims but does not cite sources in support of the claims, don’t forward the article or video until you have independently confirmed the claims. While I appreciate readers forwarding stories to me, I can’t serve as the “fact checker” of first resort on stories that seem suspicious. If you are worried about a story, check it out by conducting your own research.
Our obligation to defend democracy now extends to our news consumption habits. We must be part of the solution by preventing the spread of fake AI “news” stories. Use caution when forwarding stories. If you share a video and begin your forwarding email by saying, “You are not going to believe this . . .” then there is reasonable cause to pause before amplifying a suspicious story.
Trump continues to violate Article I by attacking Venezuelan boats and land targets
The Constitution hasn’t changed since last week. It still says that Congress (not the president) has the power to declare war. But on Monday, the Trump administration continued its attacks on Venezuelan boats suspected of smuggling drugs to some destination in the world, not necessarily the US. See The Independent, US military strikes another boat it claims was carrying drugs as Trump works to increase pressure on Venezuela.
The media yawned. “Old hat. The Constitution? Article I? Boring! But if you get video of the boat being blown up, we will play it on a loop for 30 minutes.”
It should shock all Americans that Trump has been carrying on an undeclared war since September while the political and media establishments seem nonplussed.
But it gets worse. Last week, Trump casually mentioned on a radio talk show that the US military had attacked a land target in Venezuela. Trump wasn’t clear on the specific target, but he knew it happened and couldn’t restrain himself from sharing that tidbit with a right-wing radio host.
On Monday, CNN confirmed that the US had attacked a boat dock in Venezuela that was allegedly used to load drugs onto boats that are allegedly smuggling drugs to destinations that offend Donald Trump’s desire to overthrow the Venezuelan government.
If the prior sentence didn’t make sense to you, then you understood my meaning precisely.
See CNN Politics, Exclusive: CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast.
Congress enacted the War Powers Act to restrain presidents (like Richard Nixon) who conducted “secret wars” without authorization from Congress. Did I mention that the Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to declare war?
Violating the War Powers Act should be an impeachable offense that results in conviction and removal from office. And impeachment and conviction should not turn on the availability of videotape showing the US military murdering shipwrecked survivors pleading for rescue. We should impeach and convict Trump because he violates the Constitution daily by ignoring the Constitution’s grant of war powers to Congress.
Trump repeats baseless claim that Ukraine attacked Putin’s residence
After Ukraine and the US claimed they had made significant progress on Ukraine’s 20-point peace proposal, Putin claimed that Ukraine had targeted his personal residence. So, according to Putin, Russia’s participation in peace negotiations is “under review.” See The Hill, Trump sides with Russia on claims that Ukraine targeted Putin residence.
Ukraine called the claim by Russia “a complete fabrication.”
Trump took Putin’s side, claiming that he, Trump, was “very angry” at Ukraine for attacking Putin during a “delicate” phase of the peace negotiations. See The Hill article, above.
But when a reporter asked Trump for proof that Putin’s claim was true, Trump made clear that his only source was Putin, not the US intelligence community. Trump said,
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,
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.”
So, a US president is relying on uncorroborated reports from the Russian president that just happen to justify pulling out of peace negotiations. As I said in the opening, “Trump continues to serve as Putin’s “useful idiot” by spreading baseless Russian disinformation designed to disrupt peace negotiations.”
Trump threatens to fire and sue Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
Against all odds, the financial markets have weathered the chaos of Trump’s second term. But firing the Chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and taking over management of the nation’s money supply would be an earth-shattering event, given Trump’s obsession with lower interest rates.
So, on Monday, Trump threatened, once again, to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, a move that might allow Trump to install a new Fed Chair. The firing would be challenged in court, and the Supreme Court has expressed skepticism about Trump’s ability to fire the Fed Chair. Trump’s nominee would need to be confirmed by the Senate by a majority vote. See Bloomberg, Trump says he still might fire Powell as Fed chair pick looms.
The independence of the Federal Reserve represents a settled expectation, a norm, of the American financial system. If Trump subjugates the Fed, there will be no going back—and interest rates will be used to curry favor with voters. That would lead to financial disaster.
Trump appears on Monday with makeup on both hands.
Trump has begun to apply thick layers of cover-up on his left hand to conceal bruising and discoloration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claims the bruising is the result of Trump shaking hands with dozens of well-wishers. But on Monday, Trump had makeup on both hands. See Daily Beast, Trump’s Bruises Spread in Blow to Leavitt’s ‘Hand Shake’ Claim.
Bruising in both hands is consistent with frequent use of intravenous needles to deliver drugs or hydration. The White House has been caught in a lie about the reason for the discoloration. We have no reason to believe anything Karoline Leavitt says, so it is reasonable to infer that Trump is receiving regular IV injections to treat an undisclosed disease.
Artists cancel performance at the re-named Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Last week, Trump plastered his name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Performers are now starting to cancel performances. See New York Times, New Year’s Eve Concerts at Kennedy Center Are Canceled.
Kudos to the artists who are standing up to a wannabe dictator. We should follow their example whenever possible. When it becomes clear to Trump’s enablers that they will be shunned from polite society and professional associations, they will begin to think twice about their own post-Trump careers!
Note to Founding Members
Because New Year’s Eve falls on the last Wednesday of January, our monthly Zoom meeting has been moved up to Tuesday, December 30 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You should have received a separate email with the Zoom link. Hope to see you on Tuesday!
Today’s Edition Reader Party in Los Angeles on Feb 1, 2026
During the first three years of the newsletter’s existence, Jill and I invited the entire readership to our home for a “holiday party.” That is no longer possible (given the size of the readership base), but we are attempting to replicate the experience. We have rented a large venue in the Los Angeles area that can accommodate several hundred readers. A sign-up sheet is here: Sign-up / Reader Party Feb 1.
The Today’s Edition Reader Party will take place in Los Angeles on February 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
If you signed up on Monday, December 29, your attendance is guaranteed. Stay tuned for further details. We have about 50 slots left as of Monday evening, but I expect they will fill up, so please RSVP soon!
The event is free, but we will pass the hat for voluntary contributions to help cover refreshments, appetizers, table rental, and event space.
Concluding Thoughts
Analyzing the Democratic loss in the 2024 presidential election has been painful for many reasons. The most painful aspect of the post-facto analysis (for me) is that much of it is wrong and overly simplistic. Most of the analyses are mere descriptions of what happened, masquerading as explanations for why millions of people who voted for Biden in 2020 stayed home in 2024.
The above throat clearing is a preemptive defense for citing to a story that attempts to explain the voting behavior of the young, white male cohort in the 2024 election and, by extension, in the 2026 midterms. See Vox, Gen Z men are turning on Trump. But not equally.
The article’s explanation is nuanced and generally hopeful about Democrats’ prospects of winning back the young male voters they lost in 2024.
Regardless of whether the article’s explanation is correct, two observations in the article should give us confidence as we head into 2026.
The first observation is that there has been a substantial shift away from Trump among young male voters. Whatever the reason, that is good news that seems to align with the “reality check” approach to political forecasting. Trump is acting in a divisive, undemocratic, elitist way that threatens the future of young men seeking secure jobs in a healthy, safe world.
Per Vox,
The Gen Z cohort swung hard toward Republicans last year, moving anywhere from 6 to 21 points (depending on the data source) toward President Donald Trump compared to 2020.
But they now appear to be just as aggressively swinging away. In recent polls, they prefer Democratic congressional control by 17 points in 2026 and now, strongly disapprove of Trump — a flip from earlier this year. . . .
[T] he youngest cohort of Gen Z might be leading a reactionary, anti-system trend among the young Americans, which is fueling frustration at Donald Trump.
Given that the 2024 presidential election was extraordinarily close, a double-digit shift toward Democrats among young white men is significant heading into the midterms.
The second point of note in the article is the discussion of young, white male voters as a voting bloc. In short, they are not a homogeneous group and any analysis that attempts to reduce them to a fungible bloc of voters will miss opportunities to pick up ground. The article ends with this observation:
It turns out that, like other subsets, young voters — and young men specifically — aren’t a monolith.
It can be dispiriting to hear political consultants declare with Duning-Kruger certainty that Democrats have “lost” the working class, Latinos, or older white voters. Such sweeping proclamations are never true and always misleading.
The truth is, we can always gain ground in some part of every group. And we won’t know until the votes are counted which subsets will turn the tide. In close elections, we can leave nothing to chance; we must contest every group and every subset, notwithstanding the proclamations of talk-show entertainers that Democrats have “lost” various blocs of voters.
The very fact that Gen Z voters are (in the words of Vox) “volatile” is a good sign. It means that young male voters are persuadable. And right now, we have compelling facts on our side. . . . Another reason to feel confident, but not complacent, heading into the midterms.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Pro-democracy photos
We have a group of democracy supporters in Monson, MA (split 50 -50 between Democrats and Republicans but that went narrowly for Trump in 2024) that show up every Saturday morning, and have been doing so since the beginning of April. Usually, we have between 15 and 20 people and we receive a lot of honks and support. Last week, we had only three people who braved the18 18-degree temperature and the snow from Friday night. Some in the group suggested stopping until spring, but we decided to keep going to support for democracy with however many people show up!
Eugene Bridge Brigade:
We added FOR ALL to our JUSTICE message on the Delta bike bridge in Eugene. What’s next, you ask…LIBERTY AND? In the other direction, it said “LOVE” in red duct tape, which went nicely with the US flag! Many honks and waves. Working on a new sign supporting immigrants, and on recruiting more participants!
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