We are in the thick of the fight, and we are winning! While Trump is busy violating the First Law of Holes (“When you are in a hole, stop digging.”)1, House Republicans have fled Washington for fear that they will be forced to vote on legislation requiring the DOJ to release the Epstein files. Imagine that! During a moment of national crisis, Republicans are so terrified of voting for transparency regarding the criminal behavior of a sex trafficker and child rapist that they have abdicated their constitutional duties. It doesn’t get any more pathetic than that.
Since Republicans are back in their home districts, perhaps they can use their time productively by holding town hall meetings with their constituents. Oh, wait! They can’t do that either! See AP News (3/4/2025), Speaker Johnson tells GOP lawmakers to skip town halls amid sharp protests.
Let’s review where we are during a truly remarkable moment in our nation’s history—and why Democrats and others who stand for the rule of law should take heart from the developments of the last week.
Democrats in the Senate are holding firm in refusing to support a Republican “continuing resolution” that fails to address the obscene increases in health care premiums for millions of Americans and Trump’s ongoing violation of Congress’s power of the purse under Article I.
Per the Hill, a Friday vote on a continuing resolution failed, with only two Democratic Senators (Fetterman and Cortez Masto) and one independent (Angus King) continuing to support the capitulation to Trump. See The Hill, Senate rejects measures to end shutdown.
However, The Hill also suggests that a handful of other Democratic Senators are considering supporting the GOP’s continuing resolution, which offers the American people nothing more than the unacceptable status quo in which Trump does whatever he wants and we pay the price.
Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson reneged on a promise to bring the House back into session on Monday of next week. See The Hill, Johnson cancels House votes next week, pressuring Senate Democrats to end shutdown.
Although The Hill claims that Mike Johnson is keeping the House out of session to pressure the Senate to pass the House’s continuing resolution, the Senate is feverishly trying to do just that. The real reason that Johnson will not bring the House into session is so that he can avoid swearing in newly elected Rep. Adelita Grijalva, who would be the final vote necessary to force the Epstein Transparency Act to the House floor for a vote.
Per Politico,
“The extended recess stands to delay the swearing-in of Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who is expected to be the final required signature on a discharge petition for a bill forcing Justice Department disclosure of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the move, saying, “Johnson and House Republicans care more about protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people.”
But it gets worse for Republicans. After Trump’s lunatic display before the assembled generals and admirals on Tuesday, he has remained out of public view—as he did for several days in September. See Raw Story, ‘No one can find him’: Trump drops from public view again after ‘slurring’ military speech.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on the Morning Joe program,
“Donald Trump is in the presidential witness protection program. No one can find him.”
Indeed, Trump has no public events scheduled for Saturday, marking the third consecutive day when he will not appear in public or before reporters. See Roll Call, Roll Call Factba.se - Donald J. Trump’s Public Schedule.
Trump’s disappearance from public during a shutdown and after he slurred his way through a major speech is suspicious and concerning. Given other indicators of poor health by Trump—bruising on his right hand, edema in his ankles—the most logical inference is that Trump is concealing his medical status from the public.
But that hasn’t stopped Trump from publishing offensive, racist, infantile memes on his social media account. See HuffPo, As The Shutdown Continues, A Checked-Out Trump Posts Childish Memes.
Per HuffPo,
Thursday night, [Trump] posted a video mocking the federal workforce in his own executive branch who are fearful of losing their jobs with a cover of the Blue Oyster Cult classic “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” featuring his own budget director and layoff enthusiast Russ Vought wearing a hooded cloak and carrying a scythe.
A shutdown is no laughing matter. And it certainly is not an occasion to mock hard-working federal employees with the threat that they will be laid off. It is no wonder that Americans are blaming Trump for the shutdown. As I have repeatedly advised, “blame” isn’t a valid metric for determining the response to the shutdown.
Rather, we should (a) continue to highlight Trump’s callous cruelty on our protest signs, and (b) hold all elected Republicans accountable for Trump’s remarks when they next stand for election.
As to point (b), Republicans running for office can’t distance themselves from Trump without alienating Trump’s base, but in failing to condemn Trump’s remarks, the GOP candidates will alienate those who oppose gratuitous cruelty. As I noted in the opening paragraph, Trump is violating the First Law of Holes.
As Trump mocks federal workers at risk of losing their jobs, the Treasury Department picked the most inopportune moment to suggest a new dollar coin with Trump’s face on the front and back of the coin. See USA Today, The Treasury Department is considering a Trump $1 coin for 250th US birthday.
Minting the $1 coin with Trump’s face would be illegal because “[o]nly the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities.” See 31 USC 5114: Engraving and printing currency and security documents.
Does the Treasury Department know something we don’t know about Trump’s health?
Regardless of whether Trump will be eligible to have his face engraved on a $1 coin by the time 2026 rolls around, Trump is exhibiting an unsurpassed lack of self-awareness and insensitivity at a time when Americans are anxious about the shutdown and the economy.
In the meantime, Trump has lost another battle at the district court level. Homeland Security cut $187 million in funds designated for national security in New York. The state sued Trump on Monday, and a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction in favor of New York. On Thursday, Trump restored the funds, claiming that it was his decision. See The New Republic, Trump Bizarrely Tries to Take Credit After Judge Blocks Funding Cuts.
Trump wrote,
I am pleased to advise that I reversed the cuts made to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism for New York City and State.
That’s one way to describe a loss in court!
And Trump is seeing more resistance among federal law enforcement officers to his campaign of vengeance. Trump wanted former FBI Director James Comey to be handcuffed for a “perp walk” in front of cameras. But at least one FBI agent refused to arrange the perp walk—and was relieved of their job. See Reuters, FBI agent relieved of duty over refusing Comey perp walk, four people familiar say.
And finally, a judge presiding over Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation hearing has concluded that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the government has engaged in vindictive prosecution. See US v. Abrego Garcia | Opinion 10-3-2025.
US District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr granted Abrego Garcia discovery directed at the government’s decision to deport Abrego Garcia, writing:
For the reasons that follow, the Court holds that the totality of events creates a sufficient evidentiary basis to conclude that there is a “realistic likelihood of vindictiveness” that entitles Abrego to discovery and requires an evidentiary hearing before the Court decides his motion.
It is rare for a defendant to be granted discovery against the government for vindictive prosecution. But here, the judge found that statements by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem provided grounds for granting discovery.
But as we head into the weekend, there are several troubling developments to track going into next week.
First, the US military has destroyed a fourth boat in international waters. The administration claims that the boat was heading from Venezuela to the US with drugs. That rationale does not justify the extrajudicial killing of people (even presumed criminals) in international waters. The killings appear to be unjustified and, hence, likely violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice and international law. Trump does not have the authority to order the extrajudicial killings of civilians. See Human Rights Watch, US: Maritime Strikes Amount to Extrajudicial Killings.
Per Reuters,
U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the Trump administration has failed to provide Congress with any credible justification or intelligence to justify its actions.
“Every American should be alarmed that their president has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he calls an enemy,” Reed said in a statement.
Second, the Supreme Court has again issued a “shadow docket” ruling that reverses a lower court stay. This time, the Supreme Court allowed the Department of Homeland Security to remove the “temporary protected status” of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have fled violence in their home country. For a detailed discussion, see Chris Geidner at Law Dork (Substack), Supreme Court lets Noem end legal status for many Venezuelans in the U.S.
As on prior occasions, the Supreme Court offered no reasoning for its lifting of the lower court stay. The Supreme Court is broken, corrupt, and illegitimate. It must be reformed from the ground up when Democrats next hold a trifecta.
Finally, the horrendous assault on an apartment building in Chicago by ICE, CPB, and FBI agents is described in detail by Lucian K. Truscott IV on Substack, The perfect fascism of a raid in Chicago. I will write about this raid next week, but Truscott does his usual superb job of providing the facts wrapped in incisive commentary.
Request for locations to host reader meetings in DC and Boston
Jill and I will be in DC and Boston over the next three weeks. We are looking for someone to host a reader meeting in their home in each location, as follows:
D.C., Tuesday, October 14, at a time convenient for the host.
Boston, Thursday, October 16, at a time convenient for the host.
We are looking for homes that can accommodate 25–30 people (inside, outside, or both).
The format of the meetings is 30 mins meet and greet and 30 mins of remarks and questions.
If you can host the meeting, please write to me at rbhubbell@gmail.com.
If you are interested in attending the meeting, I will post sign-up sheets next week. No need to (and please don’t) email me to say you want to attend. I can’t keep track of individual email requests to attend. Thanks!
Also, Jill and I will be attending the No Kings Day Rally in Concord, MA at the Old North Bridge on October 18, 2025. I will make remarks at the rally and look forward to speaking informally with readers who attend the rally.
Concluding Thoughts
We are more than holding the line against Trump’s autocratic agenda. Many predicted Trump would declare martial law this week, but the reality turned out to be the opposite: A president in hiding to conceal deteriorating health, mocking the American people in the middle of a government shutdown, and congressional Republicans fleeing Washington to delay the disclosure of the Epstein files to protect Trump.
Still, it was a rough week. There is no shame in acknowledging that fact and taking some time to recharge your batteries over the weekend. We are in this for the long term, so we must pace ourselves!
I will host my Weekly Dose of Perspective livestream on Substack on Saturday morning at 9 am Pacific / Noon Eastern. Details on how to tune in are here.
Protest Photos
From a reader in Falmouth, MA:
The photo below shows the Falmouth Bridge Brigade. They have been on the Lunt St Bridge every Friday for 6 months. Thurs of Last week, the local paper did a big article about them. Friday morning, they were visited by the Maine state police and the DOT, telling them they must leave. (There had been complaints that they were distracting drivers.) The Falmouth Bridge Brigade left, but immediately talked to the local ACLU and friendly lawyers. Today they are back!
Below, Minneapolis, MN:
Below, from Franconia, NH:
Below are the messages we displayed today on the I-93 northernmost overpass in Franconia Notch, NH. “Honk 4 Healthcare” and “No Kings” (We’ll expand the latter to “NO KINGS - OCT 18” (or something similar) as soon as we can make more sign panels with numbers.)
Daily Dose of Perspective
The Rosette Nebula is 5,200 light-years from Earth. Its central cavity is caused by stellar winds from young, hot stars in the process of formation.
The Second Law of Holes is, “When you stop digging, you are still in a hole.”
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