I will host my regular livestream on Saturday, March 7, at 9 am Pacific / Noon Eastern.
The battle against ICE’s brutal mass deportation tactics is far from over. But the resistance to those tactics by the people of Minnesota and the nation has been both heroic and effective. Slowly but surely, the grass-roots campaign to “Stop ICE for Good” has been stiffening the spines of Democratic lawmakers, raising the anxiety levels of mid-term wary Republicans, and causing Trump’s advisers to remove bottles of ketchup and other possible projectiles from Trump’s Big Mac platters, which sustain and console him as he watches news reports of his sinking favorability ratings.
Trump tried to intimidate the people of Minnesota by unleashing a secret police force that had been told “the Constitution does not apply” and “you have absolute immunity” from state prosecution. But the people of Minnesota refused to be intimidated. Instead, they formed the equivalent of a citizens ’ mutual aid society, protesting, ride-sharing, grocery shopping, and serving as the community’s eyes and ears, watching and listening for the roving gangs of paramilitary thugs. The people of Minnesota made their stand in the coldest months of the year, braving temperatures that sometimes dipped to 30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit).
In those cold, dark months, dreams of victory seemed remote, even improbable. But Minnesotans persisted. They refused to quit. And they won. Their victory is not complete; it is ongoing. But they deserve credit and gratitude for showing us that resistance works.
On March 5, 2026, Trump fired Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem during the first week of a major war against Iran. It is worth reviewing the timeline from the invasion of Minnesota to the firing of Noem:
12/5/25 — DHS launches Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis–St. Paul.
1/5/26 — The federal government announces deployment of 2,000 additional agents to Minnesota, bringing the total to roughly 3,000 officers.
1/7/26 — Renée Good is killed by ICE.
1/24/26 — Alex Pretti is killed by CBP.
1/26 — Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander-at-large, is fired.
2/4/26 — Homan announces withdrawal of 700 agents from Minnesota.
2/12/26 — Homan announces the conclusion of Operation Metro Surge.
3/5/26 — Trump fires DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
That timeline is surprisingly compressed—because of the self-organizing resistance of Minnesota residents. What the above timeline does not show is that every day—every day—the people of Minneapolis-St. Paul were in the streets by the tens of thousands. They were in every neighborhood, in cars, in front of schools and day-care centers, at food pantries, and in hospitals.
The press is reporting today that Trump fired Noem because she claimed Trump approved a $220 million vanity advertising campaign designed to advance her delusional presidential aspirations. While that lie may have been the precipitating cause, it was not the proximate cause. Noem was a political liability because she was the face of Trump’s brutal mass deportation policy—a policy that galvanized the resistance in Minnesota and across the nation.
So, the firing of Noem and Bovino, the withdrawal of ICE, and Trump’s public retreat are due, in part, to the steadfast resistance of everyday Americans who have had enough. A job well done!
To be clear, the plan to appoint Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin is not an improvement. Mullin’s claim to fame is that he is a former mixed-martial arts fighter who was undefeated in his alleged five bout career. He brought his pugilistic tendencies to a Senate hearing, where he challenged a union leader to a fight. He said that he understood why Senator Rand Paul’s neighbor attacked Paul and broke several of the Senator’s ribs. He has repeated Noem’s statements that protesters in Minnesota are “highly paid professional agitators and anarchists”—not a propitious omen for someone stepping into Noem’s combat boots and designer bulletproof vests.
It remains to be seen whether Markwayne Mullin will be confirmed. After all, DHS is still under a partial shutdown because Republican Senators refuse to agree that the Constitution applies to ICE and Border Patrol agents.
We fight only one monster at a time. Having prevailed against Noem, we should turn our view toward Kash Patel, Pam Bondi, Robert Kennedy, and Tulsi Gabbard.
Release of additional Epstein files on Thursday.
The DOJ released more Epstein files on Thursday. News organizations are still reviewing the documents, so there are few reputable sources reporting on the new release. Three FBI “302 forms” recording interviews with a woman who claims that Trump sexually abused her were among the documents released today.
So far as I can tell, those interviews contain redactions. But, according to reporting on MSNow, the FBI 302 forms show that the woman was reluctant to tell her story because Trump was president at the time of the interview (2019) and she feared retaliation. Eventually, the accuser’s lawyer told the FBI to route future communications through her lawyer.
Still, NPR reports that additional known documents are missing from the production. See NPR, Justice Department posts more Epstein files related to accusations about Trump.
I suspect this story will gain traction as news outlets finish reviewing the latest batch of documents.
House defeats War Powers resolution as Pentagon plans for six-month war
Like the Senate, the House defeated a War Powers resolution, effectively allowing Trump to continue his illegal war against Iran without congressional authorization or oversight. The Guardian, US House rejects war powers resolution to end Trump’s hostilities with Iran | House of Representatives.
Yesterday, I reported that the air war is costing $220 million per day. Several outlets are reporting on Thursday that the cost is approaching $1 billion per day. See Center for Strategic and International Studies, $3.7 Billion: Estimated Cost of Epic Fury’s First 100 Hours.
Two concerning reports emerged on Thursday. The first indicated that US Central Command is preparing staffing for a conflict that may last through September 2026, or 6 months. See Politico, Inside the Trump administration’s scramble to support its own war. (“U.S. Central Command, meanwhile, is asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September . . . “)
Second, Trump believes that the people of Iran will consult with him regarding their next leader. Wait, what? Trump is currently using the US military to kill Iranian civilian and military leaders, but somehow believes that Iranians will defer to his “preferences” as to the country’s next leader. His lack of self-awareness and non-existent knowledge of politics, history, and human emotions is breathtaking. See The Independent, Trump says he has ‘to be involved’ in picking next Iran leader and Khamenei’s son is ‘unacceptable’.
Although Pete Hegseth is suggesting the illegal war may last “weeks,” the fact that CENTCOM is requesting staffing for six months is likely a better indicator of how long the hostilities will last. Of course, the US is not the only party involved in the war and may not be able to unilaterally declare a cessation of hostilities.
The surprise retirement of Montana Senator Steve Daines
Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines announced that he would not seek re-election 5 minutes before the filing deadline closed. Six minutes earlier, a first-time candidate filed papers to run in the Republican primary for the now-vacant seat. That newbie candidate, Kurt Alme, was immediately endorsed by high-profile Republicans, including Trump. See Talking Points Memo, Five Points on the Montana Senator Trying to Deceive Voters and Gift His Seat to Chosen Heir.
Can you say, “The fix is in?” It remains to be seen whether denying Montana Republicans the opportunity for a contested Republican primary will go down easily. It might not. As Josh Marshall notes above, there is an independent candidate who was encouraged to run by former Montana Senator Jon Tester:
Seth Bodnar has quite a CV — a Green Beret veteran and current officer with the Montana National Guard, a former Rhodes Scholar, recently president of the University of Montana until he quit to run for Senate as an independent.
I don’t know whether Seth Bodnar would caucus with Democrats or Republicans, but he should expect that Republicans will attack him with their usual ruthlessness—which might drive him into the Democratic caucus in the Senate. A conservative PAC is already running negative ads against Bodnar.
But . . . there are four “low profile” Democrats vying for the Democratic nomination. Between them, they have $27,000 in cash on hand, suggesting that none of them are currently serious contenders in the general election.
Concluding Thoughts
One of the most frustrating aspects of the first year of Trump’s second term has been the sense that people helping him implement an illegal and corrupt agenda seemed immune to accountability—largely because the DOJ views itself as Trump’s personal law firm. The lack of accountability encouraged Trump’s acolytes to engage in increasingly brazen behavior.
That may be changing a bit—which is all it takes to cause people to think, “Is this worth the risk? What if Trump doesn’t come to my rescue?” That nagging doubt may be enough to restrain the worst excesses of Trump’s surrogates in corruption and crime.
Two examples emerged today.
First, after Kristi Noem was fired, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on MSNow that “Kristi Noem should get used to the idea of spending a lot of time in Minnesota.” The comment was cryptic, but the strong implication is that Minnesota may investigate Noem for state-law crimes. Similarly, congressional Democrats are considering recommending perjury charges against Noem for lying about her relationship with Corey Lewandowski and his role in running DHS under Noem. See Political Wire, Senate Democrat to Investigate Noem for Perjury.
Trump can’t pardon Noem from state law violations, and he might not want to pardon her for lying about her relationship with Lewandowsky. Noem’s world was rocked on Thursday, and she is not sleeping easily tonight. She has gone from “untouchable” to “Kristi who?” in the span of a few hours.
In a similar vein is the Florida state bar investigation of Lindsey Halligan. See NYTimes, Lindsey Halligan Is Under Investigation by the Florida Bar. (Gift article, accessible to all.) Halligan was a low-level staffer in the Trump White House when she was appointed as the Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. During her brief tenure, she sought indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and NY Attorney General Letitia James. Her efforts to obtain indictments were marred by procedural irregularities that raised questions about whether she properly instructed the grand jury.
When a legal advocacy group attempted to refer Halligan to the Florida state bar for investigation, the state bar rejected the complaint on the grounds that “We already have an investigation pending.” (See NYTimes article, above.)
The fact that the state bar has a pending investigation into Halligan appeared to be news to Halligan, who asked to see a copy of the state bar letter when a reporter reached out to her for comment.
Again, Trump cannot prevent a state bar from investigating Halligan’s status as an attorney licensed under Florida law. US Attorney General Pam Bondi is attempting to pass a regulation that would allow the DOJ to “take over” state bar investigations of federal attorneys. That initiative won’t pass muster, but shows that the government is worried about the Florida state bar disciplining Halligan.
These are small signs that the arc is bending toward justice. The good news is that the deterrent effect arises from the mere existence of the investigations without regard to the actual indictment or discipline.
We can do more as soon as the DOJ is out of Trump’s death grip. The Democratic message to every member of the Trump administration should be, “Preserve your documents and hire a lawyer. We will be in touch with you as soon as Democrats take back control of Congress.”
So, today, we should accept these small victories and moments of progress as harbingers of the return of the rule of law.
Stay strong! Talk to you tomorrow!
Pro-democracy protest photos
Borrego Springs, CA.
Tubac, AZ. Population 1250, on a hot day.
Pasadena, CA
Visibility Brigade Sonoma County Indivisible
Bridge Visibility Brigade Newton, MA
Today was our 46th consecutive Wednesday protesting at the Ice Detention Center at a nondescript office park in Burlington, MA!
In Berkeley Springs, WV, protestors have met every day since January 4, 2026. At least four of our regular protestors drive cars with handicap stickers, yet they show up in all weather conditions.
Lebanon, NH Town Green
West LA Freeway Brigade, Los Angeles, CA 3/5/26
Sign outside a restaurant in Boston. March 5, 2026
3/5/2026 Hartford CT VB
Bangor Maine……15 months and counting……weekly protests at Federal Building!
Well, this is what your encouragement does in Wisconsin! A coalition of groups, including Chippewa Valley Indivisible, Working Families Party, Eau Claire Dems, and several faith organizations, gathered one year ago on the steps of the Federal Building to protest. We have continued to come together EVERY week for 52 weeks.
From Today’s Edition Newsletter via this RSS feed
You must log in or # to comment.