Trump and Musk are building a new spoils system  —  A basic democratic norm is that laws are implemented as they are written.  Another norm is that the implementation of the law be even-handed, applied equally to all groups.  The idea that some groups would become less eligible for public support …

How Do You Like the Trade War Now?  —  Trump is furious that Canada won't take his tariffs lying down.  —  President Trump wanted a trade war with the world, and Americans are getting it, good and hard.  Stock prices continued to decline on Tuesday amid the latest Canada-U.S. tariff tit-for-tat.

Education Department Fires 1,300 Workers, Gutting Its Staff  —  The layoffs mean that the department will now have a work force of about half the size it did when President Trump took office.  —  The Education Department announced on Tuesday that it was firing more than 1,300 workers …

Trump official tasked with defending DOGE cuts posted fashion influencer videos from her office  —  As the Office of Personnel Management oversaw the layoffs of thousands of federal workers and pressed others to justify their positions, the agency's chief spokesperson repeatedly used her office …

Johns Hopkins Plans Staff Layoffs After $800 Million Grant Cuts  —  Local and international health research efforts are already winding down as the university braces for even more potential cuts  —  The Trump administration has terminated $800 million in grants to Johns Hopkins University …

Trump, Perkins Coie and John Adams  —  The President breaks a bedrock legal principle by targeting the law firm for representing clients he doesn't like.  —  Tap For Sound  —  As he campaigned for a second term, Donald Trump often said his retribution against opponents would be “success.”

Why I Left the Washington Post  —  Owner Jeff Bezos wants to transform the Opinions section of the paper, where I worked for forty years.  After the publisher killed my column disagreeing with that move—it appears here in full—I decided to quit.  —  I walked into the Washington Post building …

New CNN poll: Americans are negative on Trump's handling of economy  —  Americans are not impressed with President Donald Trump's stewardship of the economy, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, putting him underwater on the nation's top issue even as he sees ratings among the best …

E.P.A. Plans to Close All Environmental Justice Offices  —  An internal memo directs the closure of offices designed to ease the heavy pollution faced by poor and minority communities.  —  The Trump administration intends to eliminate Environmental Protection Agency offices responsible …

The Mahmoud Khalil arrest is also what cronyism looks like  —  The administration's explanations are a cover: Trump is using his power to shield allies and punish opponents.  —  Just now  —  What is Mahmoud Khalil alleged to have done?  —  The Trump administration has yet to offer a particularly satisfying answer to that question.

Inflation rate hits 2.8% in February, less than expected  —  WATCH NOW  —  Prices for goods and services moved up less than expected in February, providing some relief as consumers and businesses worry about the looming impact tariffs might have on inflation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.

Rahm Emanuel Is Gearing Up to Run for President  —  The former Chicago mayor is already on the hustings, finding new ways to attack Trumpism from the center.  —  Rahm Wants to Run.  —  Yes, that Rahm.  And, yes, for that office — the presidency.  —  “I've only been back two months …

Musk Seeks to Put $100 Million Directly Into Trump Political Operation  —  Elon Musk has signaled he wants to make some donations not just to his own super PAC, which is called America PAC and has spent heavily on President Trump in the past, but to an outside entity.

Justice Department office that prosecutes public corruption slashed in size, sources say  —  Only a fraction of the Public Integrity Section's employees — roughly a half dozen — will remain in an office that, until recently, had dozens of employees.  —  The Trump Administration is slashing …

DOGE Privacy Act Requests  —  U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is encouraging all U.S. citizens to join him this week in filing formal demands for access to their personal data obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk.  —  The U.S. District Court for the District …

A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Lose  —  Especially when you're running a country  —  A note to subscribers: I've taken my weekend primer on Social Security out from behind the paywall, partly in response to popular demand but also because it's relevant to today's post.  —  This will, I hope, be a fairly short post.

‘I feel utter anger’: From Canada to Europe, a movement to boycott US goods is spreading  —  Tesla sales are falling and apps and online groups are springing up to help consumers choose non-US items  —  The renowned German classical violinist Christian Tetzlaff was blunt in explaining …