From Lawfare, Jack Goldsmith on the Trump onslaught on international law and institutions. Thread: "This thread explains the Trump-Russia conspiracy (#Russiagate) in ten tweets. The theory & facts of the scandal aren't complicated". Donald Trump's self-defeating Obama obsession: At some point, the president will provoke a genuine constitutional emergency. Why is Donald Trump so obsessed with surveillance? Because he does it himself — he once wrote that he knew of a conservative senator who had "spent more than a few nights with his twenty-something girlfriend at a hotel I own." White House installs political aides at Cabinet agencies to be Trump's eyes and ears. Jeffrey Toobin on the courts and President Trump's words.
Donald Trump sees himself in Andrew Jackson: The president deserves the Jackson legacy, but not for the reasons he'd like (and more). Trump's military nostalgia is influenced by the war movies of his youth. So far, Trump has been mercifully incompetent. Trump still hasn't done very much. How much is Donald Trump's travel and protection costing, anyway? Trump’s visits to Mar-a-Lago are stretching Palm Beach’s budget and locals’ patience. There will never be a pivot: We have 3.8 years of this acting out left — it's time for everyone to give up on the fantasy that Trump is going to turn into an adult someday.
What happens when a president doesn't like to read? We're already finding out. Books can take you places Donald Trump doesn't want you to go. The Onion struggles to lampoon Trump: At a headline pitch meeting, the writers of the satirical newspaper try to stay away from low-hanging fruit. Meet the world's most tremendous Trump impersonator: "I've never had an impersonation evolve so much — and he's 70 years old! It's crazy".
