Reading archive 2025-02-11

What the Democrats’ Musk Whisperer Thinks Now: “We need to make sure that Elon Musk has an allegiance to the Constitution,” Representative Ro Khanna says.

California’s smart and vocal farmers are silent about Trump as he wasted their water | Opinion

‘We’ll all have to go vegan’: Wisconsin dairy farmers fret over immigration crackdown: Business groups warn agriculture sector will collapse without foreign labour

Trumper Who Could Lose Farm Says He Had No 'Time To Research' Before Voting

‘Devastating to my state’: Why Trump’s newest tariff threats promise catastrophe for Kentucky bourbon: Canada is the No. 2 export market for U.S. distillers, after the European Union.

Trump Enrages Christian MAGA By Naming ‘Heretic’ Pastor to White House

Proposal To Stop Minting Pennies Hits Home In Greene County - "Americans for Common Cents, a pro-penny group with Artazn among its backers, stated in a January news release that eliminating the penny will not save the government money. 

"'In fact, such a move would have a significant negative impact on the U.S. Mint’s cost structure. Many overhead expenses at the Mint would remain and would need to be absorbed by other coins, increasing their per-unit costs. Additionally, without the penny, the demand for nickels would rise to fill the gap in small-value transactions,' the news release notes. 

"'Since each nickel costs nearly 14 cents to produce, this shift would drive up overall production expenses for the government. Rather than saving money, eliminating the penny would increase and redistribute financial burdens,' the news release states."

U.S. Travel Association Warns of Economic Tourism Disaster After Thousands of Canadian Tourists Cancel Trips in Protest

Trump’s Gaza proposal frustrates his new Arab American supporters: Whether Trump can keep these new supporters could have implications for key statewide races, but also on the fragile coalition the GOP assembled to gain ground.

Trump administration plans for federal contracts stir worries across Kentucky - "Payments for indirect costs cover items that make basic research possible, Capilouto said, such as building and outfitting labs; research equipment; ventilation, heat and lighting; technology, and graduate students who work in labs."

The Rise of the Selfish Plutocrats: Instead of pursuing philanthropy, many now seek to evade social responsibility. - "In 2021, The Wall Street Journal broke the news that [da Vinci's Salvator Mundi] priceless painting had been kept on private display aboard bin Salman's superyacht, Serene, a 439-foot-long, half-billion-dollar boat that had recently run aground in a navigational accident. A fragile, irreplaceable object of significance to the shared cultural history of all humanity was being kept in a hot, humid environment for the private enjoyment of one royal billionaire and his ultrarich guests. (In another room, Serene was also equipped with state-of-the-art snow machines that could produce four-inch-deep flurries on demand.)"

The Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified: Four IT professionals lay out just how destructive Elon Musk’s incursion into the U.S. government could be. - "DOGE is many things a dismantling of the federal government, a political project to flex power and punish perceived enemies but it is also the logical end point of a strain of thought that's become popular in Silicon Valley during the boom times of Big Tech and easy money: that building software and writing code aren't just dominant skills for the 21st century, but proof of competence in any realm. In a post on X this week, John Shedletsky, a developer and an early employee at the popular gaming platform Roblox, summed up the philosophy nicely: 'Silicon Valley built the modern world. Why shouldn't we run it?'"

‘A Very Christian Concept’: The faith’s mandate is more arduous than J. D. Vance’s account seems to allow.

Tech layoffs reveal the unintended consequences of mass job cuts: After mass layoffs, tech workers lost trust in their employers. Federal employees may soon face the same fate.

D.C. managed to avoid return-to-office chaos over Navy Yard parking shortage: Local and military officials had been sounding the alarm about a potential parking shortage.

An ICE raid gutted a town in Trump’s first term. Now, fear of a repeat.: Tiny O’Neill, Nebraska, is still recovering from the 2018 raid. It forced some businesses to close and left many residents, especially immigrants, reeling.

In the Trump era, renewable energy isn’t green — it’s ‘dominant’: Clean-energy executives are tailoring their pitches for the president and his political allies. - "One trend the groups are planning to emphasize is that congressional districts that favored Trump in the 2020 election have seen three times as much investment as a result of clean-energy tax credits, according to a Washington Post analysis. In addition, over half of all new clean-energy jobs are in Republican-led districts, according to a separate analysis by Climate Power, an environmental advocacy group.

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"Spokespeople for [Rep. Marjorie Taylor] Greene and 10 other Republican lawmakers with the most new clean-energy jobs in their districts did not respond to requests for comment."

19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS: The move illustrates that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service aides are being asked to fulfill multiple posts at once.

The Chilling Consequences of Going Along With Trump

Trump’s NIH challenges the model that underlies U.S. scientific dominance: The 80-year-old partnership between the federal government and research institutions has made the U.S. the leader in scientific innovation. But now a proposed funding cut threatens the arrangement. - "'At a time of rapid strides in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, brain science, biological imaging, and regenerative biology, and when other nations are expanding their investment in science, America should not drop knowingly and willingly from her lead position on the endless frontier,' Harvard President Alan M. Garber said in a letter to the university community."

The Islamic State has regrouped in Somalia — and has global ambitions: The Post ventured to the front lines of an offensive against the Islamic State in northern Somalia, where foreign fighters are flowing in and cash is flowing out.

Reading archive 2025-02-10

Trump’s tariff tactics are an unpromising foreign policy anomaly: There’s no U.S. precedent for Trump’s tariff use. But it does evoke China’s economic bullying. - "Most countries bullied by Beijing have turned against China and found alternative markets. In a Pew Research Center poll last year, 85 percent of Australians and 71 percent of South Koreans expressed unfavorable views of China. That is a massive turnaround from about a decade ago, before China launched trade wars against those countries. In 2015, Pew found that 57 percent of Australians and 61 percent of South Koreans had a favorable view of China."

The right-wing bubble absorbs D.C.: During Trump’s first term, misinformation was not nearly as rampant as it is today.

Venezuelans backed Trump. Now some worry he’ll deport them.: Venezuelans in the Miami suburb of Doral have been some of Trump’s biggest proponents. Many feel betrayed after he revoked temporary protected status for thousands.

U.S. intelligence, law enforcement candidates face Trump loyalty test: Candidates for top intelligence and law enforcement jobs were asked to give “yes” or “no” responses to questions such as: Was Jan. 6 “an inside job?” - "The questions included: Who were the 'real patriots' on Jan. 6? Who won the 2020 election? Who is your 'real boss?'"

In Idaho, a preview of RFK Jr.’s vaccine-skeptical America: This Idaho health district banned public clinics from distributing the coronavirus vaccine as widespread fear during the pandemic fades from public memory.

Son charged with killing father in front of 2-year-old in D.C. apartment: Police said the father and son had been arguing and that the victim had accused his son of stealing money.

Amtrak agrees to pay $505 million for control of Union Station: The passenger rail company took control of businesses in the station last year through eminent domain.

Jan. 6 defendant also wants pardon for 2022 plot to kill FBI agents: The Tennessee man claims his attempts to attack the FBI were “related” to Jan. 6, so his conviction should be thrown out.

Judge bars publicly naming FBI agents who investigated Jan. 6 cases: An internal battle between the Trump Justice Dept. and its primary investigative arm led to lawsuits by agents who investigated him and the 2021 Capitol riot.

Farmers on the hook for millions after Trump freezes USDA funds: The White House had repeatedly said the funding freeze would not affect benefits that go directly to individuals.

In chaotic Washington blitz, Elon Musk’s ultimate goal becomes clear: Shrink government, control data and — according to one official closely watching the billionaire’s DOGE — replace “the human workforce with machines.”

Attacks on Catholics, Lutherans suggest new Trump approach on religion: Allies of the president are leveling attacks on religious groups, including Catholics and Lutherans, and questioning their efforts to help migrants. - "The White House denied that the administration was going after faith groups, noting that on Thursday, Trump announced the creation of a 'faith office' and a new Justice Department task force to investigate what he called 'anti-Christian' bias. According to FBI statistics of religion-related hate crimes in 2023, 8 percent were against Christians, 60 percent were against Jews and 13 percent were against Muslims."

Defying court orders? Trump, Musk, Vance appear to lay the groundwork.: Vice President JD Vance has been floating such a possibility for years.

Reading archive 2025-02-07

China’s Trump Strategy: Beijing Is Preparing to Take Advantage of Disruption

Layoffs hit contractors and small businesses as Trump cuts take effect: Health centers, after-school programs and independent-living facilities are among those announcing hiring freezes, furloughs and layoffs.

The White House’s wildly inaccurate claims about USAID spending: Eleven out of 12 claims about the agency’s work are misleading, wrong or lack context. - "Polls consistently reveal that Americans believe that it is about 25 percent of the federal budget — and that a majority believe it should be more like 10 percent. In reality, foreign aid is less than 1 percent of the budget.

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"About two-thirds of U.S. foreign assistance funds in fiscal year 2018 were obligated to U.S.-based entities, CRS said. For instance, food aid must be purchased in the United States and by law must be shipped on U.S. carriers. With the exception of some aid given to Israel, all military aid must be used to purchase U.S. military equipment and training — meaning foreign military aid in reality is a jobs program in the United States."

Recall of USAID’s global workforce causes havoc and distress: Employees stationed overseas are struggling to navigate the sudden upheaval, having received little clear information from the Trump administration. - "'You find yourself in a foreign country, in all likelihood a place you moved to despite the terrorism or security risks, and you’re being treated as if you’re somehow an enemy of the state,' one USAID official told The Washington Post. 'That’s not even the worst of it. You know that your career matters far less than the lives of those you were trying to help, and … a lot of them are going to die without American aid.'"

Ultra-efficient AI won’t solve data centers’ climate problem. This might.: Despite DeepSeek’s AI efficiency gains, data centers are still expected to gobble up huge amounts of U.S. electricity.

As Trump wages war against the federal bureaucracy, some workers fight back: Undergirding a fight formed in group texts and between cubicles is a conviction that nonpartisan civil servants provide a necessary check on Trump’s power.

Democrats, don’t save Trump from himself: Republicans have the votes. The minority party ought not give them a single one. - "Clearly, there is no hope of good-faith negotiation with Trump, or with Johnson. Republicans control the House, Senate and White House. Let them pass a 2025 spending bill on their own. Let them raise the debt ceiling on their own. Let them enact Trump’s entire agenda on their own. They have the votes. Democrats ought not give them a single one.

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"In truth, Democrats have almost no ability to stop Trump, but they do have the power, and the obligation, to stand in lockstep opposition to what the president is doing. Some of them might argue that the only way to protect certain programs, and the vulnerable people who need them, is to cut a deal with Trump and Republicans. But Trump has demonstrated abundantly that he will try to use unconstitutional means to kill off those programs regardless of what Congress does."

When the arsonist demands praise for his firefighting skills: Donald Trump is great at creating problems — and then pretending to fix them. - "Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum committed to station 10,000 Mexican troops along the border. Apparently, Trump was unaware that Mexico had already deployed 15,000 troops there, per Mexican defense ministry data, so he declared victory. Likewise, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to spend $1.3 billion on border investments, a commitment the Canadian government announced back in December. Trudeau also offered some meaningless gestures such as a “fentanyl czar” and '24/7 eyes on the border.'"

Don’t Make Small Talk. Think Big Talk.: Discover the rewards of discussing deep things.

The Spies Are Shown the Door: Trump has never understood how the CIA’s people work. But he might know how to make them quit.

Trump Is Inheriting an Environmental Disaster: PFAS could be the rare environmental issue that gets addressed this term. - "PFAS weren't a known concern when the Clean Water Act was created, nor were they on anyone's radar when the Safe Drinking Water Act came into force in 1974. By the '70s, however, 3M knew that a PFAS compound it had invented, and sold to DuPont to make Teflon, was accumulating in employees' blood."

Trump’s Assault on USAID Makes Project 2025 Look Like Child’s Play “I have never seen a government action have such an immediate impact.” - "'It's ridiculous," Andrew Natsios, a former USAID administrator, told me. He ran the organization for the first five years of the George W. Bush administration and describes himself as 'the most conservative administrator in the history of the agency.' Natsios has his share of problems with USAID, including his sense that its staff is often unresponsive to political leadership, a critique that Project 2025 echoes. But Natsios, who's now a professor at Texas A&M University, is aghast at the Trump administration's purge of USAID. (He began our conversation by comparing it to the Russian Revolution.) For days, he's been fielding calls from panicked contacts at the agency. 'They are not reviewing each project,' he said. 'They're eliminating entire bureaus, whole programs, simply deleting them without even looking at what they're doing.'"

Reading archive 2025-02-06

Press Secretary Reveals Startling Truth of Elon Musk’s Full Power: Elon Musk is fully running unsupervised around the government.

'Counterintelligence disaster' from Trump's latest order to the CIA: NYT

Gutting USAID threatens billions of dollars for U.S. farms, businesses: U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo, including American farms dealing in rice, wheat and soybeans purchased as food aid. - "Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, said the funding freeze created further stress for the state’s farmers as they grapple with rising costs, low commodity prices and the potential impacts of tariffs."

Musk’s DOGE agents access sensitive personnel data, alarming security officials: The highly restricted data includes personally identifiable information for millions of federal employees maintained by the Office of Personnel Management. - "The two OPM officials said the level of access granted to DOGE agents means they could copy the social security numbers, phone numbers and personnel files for millions of federal employees. 

"'They could put a new file in someone’s record, they could modify an existing record,' one said. 'They could delete that record out of the database. They could export all that data about people who are currently or formerly employed by the government, they could export it to some nongovernment server, or to their own PC, or to a Google Drive. Or to a foreign country.'"

Justice Dept. says no immediate plans to release names of Jan. 6 FBI agents: The twin lawsuits were filed anonymously in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by FBI agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.

Murder trial begins for D.C. rowhouse owner charged in fire that killed 2: Federal and D.C. prosecutors charged James Walker, owner of a Northwest rowhouse that erupted in flames, with murder and civil violations.

The game theory of Trump's tariff threats: Why he’s picking on Canada and Mexico — and why he’s playing a dangerous game.

Virginia lawmakers call on Youngkin to talk to Trump about federal workers: Efforts by the new Trump administration to slash and relocate the federal work force, as well as cut federal spending, could have a dramatic impact on Virginia.

Trump’s crackdown on federal workforce alarms military families: The administration’s blunt exercise of power has proved uniquely disruptive for the numerous government personnel who do remote work to accommodate their spouses’ military careers.

Federal workers: Here’s how to lock down your communications: Tips and apps that can help everyone talk about sensitive topics safely.

DOGE aims to cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Where would you start? - "'The real money is in Social Security, Medicare, defense, veterans and interest, which few people want to touch,' said Brian Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a center-right think tank. 'Anyone can point out easy, small examples of government waste, and — as bad as they are — they’re essentially budget dust in the grand scheme of our soaring deficits.'"

Elon Musk Wants What He Can’t Have: Wikipedia: Musk and other right-wing tech figures have been on a campaign to delegitimize the digital encyclopedia. What happens if they succeed?

How Trump Lost His Trade War: When the U.S. breaks its treaties, only China wins. - "The United States has suspended its threats against Canada and Mexico in return for border-enforcement measures that Canada and Mexico either were doing anyway or had done before without making much difference in the flow of drugs.

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"But the president has made clear that so-called friendship with the United States does not ensure anything for America's partners: not trade access, not the security of treaties, not even their territorial integrity and national independence. 

"Friend-shoring imagined extending trade with American allies. Trump-shoring means that today's ally can become tomorrow's enemy, without cause or even warning.

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"A lesson of Trump's trade war that all the world will hear: Countries such as Canada, Mexico, and Denmark that commit to the United States risk their security and dignity in the age of Trump. Countries such as Vietnam and Thailand that carefully navigate between the two great economic powers without making undue commitments maximize their security and their dignity. 

"To reward non-aligned countries and punish U.S.-aligned ones might seem a reckless, even a perverse, choice by a U.S. president. But that's the president Americans have, and the choice he has made for them."

Pay Attention to the FBI: That’s a whole other crisis brewing. - "It’s really hard to see where they’re going, because Elon Musk is not proceeding from an accurate map of reality.

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"What he is saying by pardoning these J6 rioters is that If you are on my side, I will come protect you. And I think that will send a clear message to FBI personnel that there are whole categories of people and therefore potential criminal activity that they should not touch, because it gets into the president, his influence, his circle of friends. I think that is just a potentially ruinous development for the rule of law in the United States."

Reading archive 2025-02-05

Republicans quiet as Trump and Musk take the ax to federal agencies: The new administration launched one of its most brazen challenges to Congress’s authority. Many lawmakers offered little pushback.

Greenland bans foreign political funding as Trump seeks control: Its government said the law aims to protect the Danish territory’s “political integrity” and must be seen in light of the geopolitical interests in Greenland.

How Trump could feel the ‘pain’ on his tariffs: Trump says economic pain from his tariffs is “THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID,” but Americans don’t seem to agree.

Trump ordered workers back to the office. They ask, where, exactly?: The clock is ticking for federal workers to return to in-person work, but many say there simply isn’t enough space in their offices.

Another Politician Blames Fall of Rome on Homosexuality

A Penetrating Inquiry – The Suda on Kinaidia (NSFW!)

Welcome to the era of Trump Trad: This president’s aesthetic combines classical architecture and cartoonish virility with WWE alternative reality.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be ... abolished?: With Israel’s Netanyahu alongside, Trump adds Gaza to his list of colonial ambitions.

Elon Musk has your Social Security number. It’s as scary as it sounds.: There is no legitimate reason for the ‘DOGE’ to have access to the federal payment system.

Only in Washington could this fiscal vandalism be called tax ‘relief’: The $10,000 cap on state and local taxes is bad enough. Raising it would just rub SALT in the wound. - "Before 2017, the unlimited SALT deduction made it politically easier to implement the blue model of governance: high taxes to fund Democratic regimes that are substantially funded by contributions from public employees unions. To those unions, state and local tax revenue do not trickle down, they flow down like rivers."

U.S. government officials privately warn Musk’s blitz appears illegal: The billionaire’s DOGE team has launched an all-out assault on federal agencies, triggering numerous legal objections.

D.C. Council expels Trayon White over allegations he took bribes: It was the first time the body has taken that step in its half-century history. White remains eligible to run in a special election to fill his seat.

A tragedy reveals D.C. has run out of sky: National will always be essential but safety demands that air traffic be spread across the region. - "National Airport, built on a small stretch of land that is hemmed in by development on one side and the river on the other, was designed to handle 15 million passengers a year. Today, about 25 million come and go through the airport. And more than 100 helicopters a day fly around and under arriving and departing passenger jets, ferrying VIPs and military officers."

America Can’t Just Unpause USAID: The speed with which the Trump administration took the agency apart will be felt for years to come.

CIA reportedly offers buyouts to entire workforce in latest Trump-era purge: The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts on Tuesday, citing aim to bring agency in line with Trump priorities, US media report

Dear Mr. Vice President, Please Take Off Your Apple Watch: An Open Letter To JD Vance From A Former CIA Officer On The Counterintelligence Risks Of Smartwatches

One Response to Trump’s Tariffs: Trade That Excludes the U.S.: A growing number of countries, including American allies, are striking trade deals as the Trump administration erects a higher fence around its global commerce.

There Is No Going Back - "And so the president’s opponents, whoever they are, cannot expect a return to the Constitution as it was. Whatever comes next, should the country weather this attempted hijacking, will need to be a fundamental rethinking of what this system is and what we want out of it."

The New Rasputins: Anti-science mysticism is enabling autocracy around the globe. - "The philosophers of the Enlightenment, whose belief in the possibility of law-based democratic states gave us both the American and French Revolutions, railed against what they called obscurantism: darkness, obfuscation, irrationality. But the prophets of what we might now call the New Obscurantism offer exactly those things: magical solutions, an aura of spirituality, superstition, and the cultivation of fear. Among their number are health quacks and influencers who have developed political ambitions; fans of the quasi-religious QAnon movement and its Pizzagate-esque spin-offs; and members of various political parties, all over Europe, that are pro-Russia and anti-vaccine and, in some cases, promoters of mystical nationalism as well. Strange overlaps are everywhere. Both the left-wing German politician Sahra Wagenknecht and the right-wing Alternative for Germany party promote vaccine and climate-change skepticism, blood-and-soil nationalism, and withdrawal of German support for Ukraine. All across Central Europe, a fascination with runes and folk magic aligns with both right-wing xenophobia and left-wing paganism. Spiritual leaders are becoming political, and political actors have veered into the occult. Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who has become an apologist for Russian aggression, has claimed that he was attacked by a demon that left 'claw marks' on his body."

Reading archive 2025-02-04

Md. FBI site pick had flaws but no conflict of interest, report finds: The inspector general report comes after critics alleged a problematic process and conflict of interest in the selection of a suburban Maryland home for the FBI.

Last of 5 teens convicted in Reggie Brown killing gets maximum sentence: Judge Kendra D. Briggs sentenced the 14-year-old girl to secure detention with the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation until age 21.

The Downstream Effects of India’s Green Revolution: In Punjab, decades of monocropping have taken a toll on water resources and the health of farm communities.

Did Trump cave on his Canada and Mexico tariffs?: Some of the purported concessions were things the countries had already done before Trump’s tariffs threat, but it’s complicated.

I’m a former federal worker. You should be, too.: I quit my government job under the first Trump administration. I don’t regret it.

Lawsuit accuses author Neil Gaiman of rape, says wife trafficked nanny: A former nanny has filed a lawsuit accusing Gaiman of sexual assault and Amanda Palmer of “procuring” her to be abused.

Why Bill Gates buried a headline in his memoir’s epilogue: The Microsoft founder discusses “Source Code,” the first in a planned three-volume autobiography.

Federal layoffs ‘likely’ if too few employees choose to quit, memo says: Workers have until Thursday to decide whether to take an offer to resign now and be paid through the end of September.

Ukraine welcomes Trump offer to trade its minerals for military support: Ukraine previously offered access to its rare earth minerals in hopes of keeping the Trump administration engaged in its fight with Russia. - "Zelensky said he told Trump in their meeting last year that Ukraine’s resources risked going to American adversaries, such as Iran and North Korea, if Russia got control of the deposits."

China displays multiple weapons in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs: Beijing announces tariffs on U.S. goods, restrictions on mineral exports and investigation of Google.

Democrats have become the party of permissiveness. That’s ballot box poison. A narrow definition of “kitchen table” issues does Democrats no favors. - "Clinton and Obama, the only two Democratic presidents to be reelected since Franklin D. Roosevelt, took stances that were in the mainstream of political sentiment, and both were willing to confront allied interest groups demanding fidelity and orthodoxy to out-of-touch positions despite the attendant criticism. In demonstrating that strength, they made voters comfortable electing and returning them to the Oval Office."

Can anyone stop President Musk?: A Republic, if you can keep it. - "Does that sound like liberal hysteria? Okay, here’s Brian Riedl, an economist who works for the conservative Manhattan Institute, and before that, the Heritage Foundation and Republican Senator Rob Portman: 'I see a lot of people want to throw out 230 years of constitutional government and replace it with an authoritarian dictator because they have big feelings about the budget and can’t be bothered to work through Congress.'"

Reading archive 2025-02-03 pt 2

Criminal records of Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump include rape, domestic violence

A Taliban highway could lead to the future. But it’s stuck in the past.: Taliban officials have a plan to turn one of the country’s remotest corners into a global trade hub by linking the Afghan heartland with China.

Are conservatives being ‘de-banked’?: Trump is threatening the financial regulatory system to help his crypto backers in Silicon Valley.

Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Design From Scratch: How to craft a landscape design that benefits wildlife, from blank slate to thriving habitat

The Democrats Show Why They Lost

The Tasks of an Anti-Trump Coalition: Avoid progressive pieties and rebuild an effective democratic majority - "The best-organized Democratic interest groups want to fight Trump on the worst possible issues; the Democrats who want to fight on smarter issues tend to be less organized to fight. Until that conundrum is solved, Democrats are disabled and Trump is empowered.

...

"Trump's project to brand drug cartels as international terrorist organizations has legal implications that Trump supporters refuse to consider. Right now, the cartels have powerful incentives not to commit violence against U.S. citizens or on U.S. territory. Yet Trump is poised on the verge of actions that could change the cartels' calculus and import Mexico's criminal violence north of the border on a huge scale.

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"His plans to foster voter-ID laws and gerrymandering to disenfranchise Democrats will collide with the new reality of American politics that these measures will harm his prospects more than his opponents': Trump does best among the most disaffiliated Americans, whereas Democrats are widening their lead among those Americans who follow politics closely and vote most often."