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April 18, 2026
Trump's Economy: You're Either an Insider or a Chump - Catherine Rampell
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-economy-insider-trading-pardoning-criminals-chumpsA LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GETTING RICH off the Trump presidency. Donald Trump himself tops the list, of course, but it also includes his kids and in-laws; other grifting nepo-babies; cabinet members (as well as their staff and children), senior aides; and other well-connected friends, investors, and firms.
You know who isn’t on that list?
You.
Yes, you, dear reader—at least assuming you’re not among the small community of courtiers sucking public funds dry. Instead, in virtually every way imaginable, Trump has made it easier for all those insiders to profit and, in turn, rip you off. If you bet on or invest in anything Trump might influence and you don’t have inside information, you’re a chump.
As the expression goes: If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.
The recent rash of curiously well-timed trades in prediction markets is one example of how those who have drawn up chairs to Trump’s banquet table appear to be feasting at public expense.
For example, there was the Polymarket account that banked over half a million dollars by betting on Iran strikes and the, ahem, departure of the ayatollah shortly before our military started dropping bombs. Other ‘lucky’ betting-market accounts, created right before the United States invaded Venezuela, engaged only in Venezuela-related bets, and somehow made perfect predictions every time, the Financial Times reported.
You know who isn’t on that list?
You.
Yes, you, dear reader—at least assuming you’re not among the small community of courtiers sucking public funds dry. Instead, in virtually every way imaginable, Trump has made it easier for all those insiders to profit and, in turn, rip you off. If you bet on or invest in anything Trump might influence and you don’t have inside information, you’re a chump.
As the expression goes: If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.
The recent rash of curiously well-timed trades in prediction markets is one example of how those who have drawn up chairs to Trump’s banquet table appear to be feasting at public expense.
For example, there was the Polymarket account that banked over half a million dollars by betting on Iran strikes and the, ahem, departure of the ayatollah shortly before our military started dropping bombs. Other ‘lucky’ betting-market accounts, created right before the United States invaded Venezuela, engaged only in Venezuela-related bets, and somehow made perfect predictions every time, the Financial Times reported.
when there are no longer cops on the beat, criminals no longer need lawyers to defend them www.ft.com/content/befa...
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2026-04-18T21:33:44.801Z
relatedly: www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-eco...
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2026-04-18T21:34:40.269Z
April 17, 2026
Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett are three of the richest people in the world, but they pay little in income tax relative to their wealth.
In 2021, ProPublica published an investigation built on leaked tax documents that reveal what some of the richest Americans really pay — or don’t. Warren Buffett had a true tax rate of 0.1 percent. Jeff Bezos: 0.98 percent. Michael Bloomberg: 1.3 percent.
Ultra-wealthy Americans have essentially been written out of the tax system. “It’s wrong as a matter of principle. It’s wrong because we need their money. It’s wrong as a matter of fairness. It is wrong for so many reasons,” the law professor Ray Madoff told me.
She’s the author of the new book “The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy,” and she’s interested in helping people understand how broken the American tax system is and how to fix it.
In this conversation, we discuss the techniques the ultra-wealthy use to evade the tax system, why they think “salaries are for suckers” and what tax reform could look like.
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:11 The misleading "progressive tax code" narrative
00:05:12 How the ultra-rich avoid income tax
00:08:01 What ProPublica's leaked tax documents revealed
00:15:37 How different wealth is taxed
00:17:47 The estate tax: theory vs. loopholes
00:22:09 Dynasty trusts and other tax avoidance
00:32:19 Why investment income is taxed lower
00:38:18 The "angel of death loophole" explained
00:44:30 Challenges of a state wealth tax
00:46:47 Federal wealth tax as a constitutional issues
00:49:07 Proposed solutions for tax reform
1:03:22 Book recommendations
Our Tax System Should Make You Furious - The Ezra Klein Show
Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett are three of the richest people in the world, but they pay little in income tax relative to their wealth.
In 2021, ProPublica published an investigation built on leaked tax documents that reveal what some of the richest Americans really pay — or don’t. Warren Buffett had a true tax rate of 0.1 percent. Jeff Bezos: 0.98 percent. Michael Bloomberg: 1.3 percent.
Ultra-wealthy Americans have essentially been written out of the tax system. “It’s wrong as a matter of principle. It’s wrong because we need their money. It’s wrong as a matter of fairness. It is wrong for so many reasons,” the law professor Ray Madoff told me.
She’s the author of the new book “The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy,” and she’s interested in helping people understand how broken the American tax system is and how to fix it.
In this conversation, we discuss the techniques the ultra-wealthy use to evade the tax system, why they think “salaries are for suckers” and what tax reform could look like.
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:11 The misleading "progressive tax code" narrative
00:05:12 How the ultra-rich avoid income tax
00:08:01 What ProPublica's leaked tax documents revealed
00:15:37 How different wealth is taxed
00:17:47 The estate tax: theory vs. loopholes
00:22:09 Dynasty trusts and other tax avoidance
00:32:19 Why investment income is taxed lower
00:38:18 The "angel of death loophole" explained
00:44:30 Challenges of a state wealth tax
00:46:47 Federal wealth tax as a constitutional issues
00:49:07 Proposed solutions for tax reform
1:03:22 Book recommendations
April 15, 2026
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/4/14/federal-clerkships-earlier-timeline/
Conservative Judges' Early Hiring Fuels Two-Track Clerkship System at Harvard Law
Federal judges — particularly those aligned with the conservative legal movement — are increasingly recruiting Harvard Law School students during their first year, accelerating a clerkship hiring process that has traditionally taken place much later in law school.
While most judges continue to follow the “on-plan” timeline, where applications open during the summer after students’ second year, a growing number — disproportionately conservative and often affiliated with the conservative Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies — are hiring months earlier through informal networks.
The shift is a sign of a dual system of clerkship hiring at HLS: one track that is formal, application-based, and largely followed by students applying to work with liberal judges, and another that is earlier, network-driven, and dominated by conservative pipelines.
“The process is bifurcated, and you have a Fed Soc pipeline and a non-Fed Soc pipeline, and the two pipelines are on very different timelines,” HLS student Calvin M. Nickelson said. “The Fed Soc pipeline seems like — what I’ve heard is that it’s very centralized in terms of the control there.”
Under the traditional system, students generally apply after two years of law school grades, often submitting dozens or even hundreds of applications. HLS third-year student Benjamin Kaufman, who applied on-plan, said he submitted applications to more than 100 judges, received a single interview, and ultimately secured a clerkship.
While most judges continue to follow the “on-plan” timeline, where applications open during the summer after students’ second year, a growing number — disproportionately conservative and often affiliated with the conservative Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies — are hiring months earlier through informal networks.
The shift is a sign of a dual system of clerkship hiring at HLS: one track that is formal, application-based, and largely followed by students applying to work with liberal judges, and another that is earlier, network-driven, and dominated by conservative pipelines.
“The process is bifurcated, and you have a Fed Soc pipeline and a non-Fed Soc pipeline, and the two pipelines are on very different timelines,” HLS student Calvin M. Nickelson said. “The Fed Soc pipeline seems like — what I’ve heard is that it’s very centralized in terms of the control there.”
Under the traditional system, students generally apply after two years of law school grades, often submitting dozens or even hundreds of applications. HLS third-year student Benjamin Kaufman, who applied on-plan, said he submitted applications to more than 100 judges, received a single interview, and ultimately secured a clerkship.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/4/14/federal-clerkships-earlier-timeline/
April 14, 2026
BREAKING: DC Circuit votes, 2-1, to end Judge Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into possible violations of his order
Josh Gerstein
@joshgerstein.bsky.social
BREAKING: DC Circuit votes, 2-1, to end Judge Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into possible violations of his orders re Trump Alien Enemies Act deportations.
Maj.: Rao/Walker (Trump), Dissent: Childs (Biden).
Doc: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28040959-aeacadcopn041426/
@joshgerstein.bsky.social
BREAKING: DC Circuit votes, 2-1, to end Judge Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into possible violations of his orders re Trump Alien Enemies Act deportations.
Maj.: Rao/Walker (Trump), Dissent: Childs (Biden).
Doc: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28040959-aeacadcopn041426/
BREAKING: DC Circuit votes, 2-1, to end Judge Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into possible violations of his orders re Trump Alien Enemies Act deportations. Maj.: Rao/Walker (Trump), Dissent: Childs (Biden). Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28... Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein.bsky.social) 2026-04-14T14:29:11.178Z
DC panel has (again) BLOCKED Judge Boasberg from investigating possible criminal contempt by DOJ and DHS officials, including Judge Bove, in connection with sending Venezuelans to CECOT against his order. (I can't access full ruling yet.) Panel: Judges Rao (Trump) Walker (Trump) & Childs (Obama)
— Roger Parloff (@rparloff.bsky.social) 2026-04-14T14:18:20.646Z
Boasberg again runs into a Trump-majority DC Circuit panel that moves to block him from investigating possible contempt of court around the CECOT deportations.
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) 2026-04-14T14:38:12.135Z
A majority of the DC Circuit previously suggested that contempt likely occurred, so this case is not remotely over yet.
April 10, 2026
https://x.com/jazmineulloa/status/2042244108631060631
How Trump Purged Immigration Judges to Speed Up Deportations
The Trump administration has systematically pressured the nation’s immigration judges, threatening them with disciplinary action if they do not deport more people and firing those seen as insufficiently supportive of the president’s aggressive enforcement agenda, a New York Times investigation has found.
The overhaul of the immigration courts has been far less visible than the militarized deportation raids that President Trump scaled back after public protest. But the effort has helped reshape a hugely consequential, if little-known, corner of the government that the administration is harnessing to advance its mass-deportation policies.
Although they wear robes and are required by law to exercise “independent judgment,” immigration judges are not part of the judicial branch. Instead they work for the Justice Department, under Mr. Trump’s ultimate command, and can be fired. One of their main duties is deciding whether undocumented immigrants should be deported or granted a form of legal status like asylum and be allowed to remain in the country.
So far, the Trump administration has dismissed more than 100 immigration judges out of about 750 in place when Mr. Trump returned to power, an unprecedented purge.
At the same time, the administration has reshaped the immigration bench, announcing the appointments of 143 permanent and temporary judges, including many who previously worked as immigration prosecutors for the Department of Homeland Security or as military lawyers.
The overhaul of the immigration courts has been far less visible than the militarized deportation raids that President Trump scaled back after public protest. But the effort has helped reshape a hugely consequential, if little-known, corner of the government that the administration is harnessing to advance its mass-deportation policies.
Although they wear robes and are required by law to exercise “independent judgment,” immigration judges are not part of the judicial branch. Instead they work for the Justice Department, under Mr. Trump’s ultimate command, and can be fired. One of their main duties is deciding whether undocumented immigrants should be deported or granted a form of legal status like asylum and be allowed to remain in the country.
So far, the Trump administration has dismissed more than 100 immigration judges out of about 750 in place when Mr. Trump returned to power, an unprecedented purge.
At the same time, the administration has reshaped the immigration bench, announcing the appointments of 143 permanent and temporary judges, including many who previously worked as immigration prosecutors for the Department of Homeland Security or as military lawyers.
https://x.com/jazmineulloa/status/2042244108631060631
April 9, 2026
https://www.kake.com/home/pair-of-gop-anti-abortion-bills-draw-vetoes-from-democratic-kansas-governor/article_8645c239-0bea-4e53-a877-e0b316f1fce7.html
Pair of GOP anti-abortion bills draw vetoes from Democratic Kansas governor
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill approved by the Kansas Legislature to maneuver around medical objections and legal challenges to state mandates that patients be provided abortion information layered with junk science.
She vetoed a second bill that could make it easier for women who had an abortion to sue abortion doctors or clinics.
The bills, touted by the lobbying organization Kansans for Life, passed the House and Senate by veto-proof margins and could be the subject of veto override attempts as soon as Thursday, when the Legislature is scheduled to reconvene and close out the 2026 session.
Under House Bill 2729, physicians would be expected to provide patients seeking abortion services with information provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. KDHE’s packet would address informed consent, risks of abortion and the debunked theory of “abortion reversal.” That refers to an experimental treatment that anti-abortion activists contend could stop a drug-induced abortion after administration of mifepristone but before deployment of its companion misoprostol.
While opponents of abortion rights claimed limited success in disrupting the abortion process, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists declared the approach unsafe and unproven.
She vetoed a second bill that could make it easier for women who had an abortion to sue abortion doctors or clinics.
The bills, touted by the lobbying organization Kansans for Life, passed the House and Senate by veto-proof margins and could be the subject of veto override attempts as soon as Thursday, when the Legislature is scheduled to reconvene and close out the 2026 session.
Under House Bill 2729, physicians would be expected to provide patients seeking abortion services with information provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. KDHE’s packet would address informed consent, risks of abortion and the debunked theory of “abortion reversal.” That refers to an experimental treatment that anti-abortion activists contend could stop a drug-induced abortion after administration of mifepristone but before deployment of its companion misoprostol.
While opponents of abortion rights claimed limited success in disrupting the abortion process, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists declared the approach unsafe and unproven.
https://www.kake.com/home/pair-of-gop-anti-abortion-bills-draw-vetoes-from-democratic-kansas-governor/article_8645c239-0bea-4e53-a877-e0b316f1fce7.html
April 8, 2026
It should be much easier to remove the president from office - Ian Millhiser
Gift Link
Vox
The 25th Amendment is having a moment.
According to a tally by NBC News, over 70 Democratic lawmakers called for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to invoke an obscure constitutional provision that would allow them to temporarily prevent Trump from acting as president, after Trump threatened to wipe out “a whole civilization” in Iran. (Trump has backed away from that threat, at least for now.)
Notably, their call for a 25th Amendment solution was echoed by some voices on the far right, including former US Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, radio host Alex Jones, and MAGA influencer Candace Owens.
It’s not the first time the amendment has come up. There’s been a regular background hum of Trump critics demanding its invocation throughout both his terms in office, which peaked in the days after January 6, 2021, with real conversations in his Cabinet and in congressional leadership about the process.
As a practical matter, Trump is not going anywhere, even if he didn’t command the near-universal loyalty within his party that he currently does. By international standards, it is extremely difficult to remove the president of the United States, and much harder than it is to remove the leaders of many of our peer democracies. And the 25th Amendment is not a viable shortcut around this problem, which is rooted in the fundamental structure of America’s government.
According to a tally by NBC News, over 70 Democratic lawmakers called for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to invoke an obscure constitutional provision that would allow them to temporarily prevent Trump from acting as president, after Trump threatened to wipe out “a whole civilization” in Iran. (Trump has backed away from that threat, at least for now.)
Notably, their call for a 25th Amendment solution was echoed by some voices on the far right, including former US Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, radio host Alex Jones, and MAGA influencer Candace Owens.
It’s not the first time the amendment has come up. There’s been a regular background hum of Trump critics demanding its invocation throughout both his terms in office, which peaked in the days after January 6, 2021, with real conversations in his Cabinet and in congressional leadership about the process.
As a practical matter, Trump is not going anywhere, even if he didn’t command the near-universal loyalty within his party that he currently does. By international standards, it is extremely difficult to remove the president of the United States, and much harder than it is to remove the leaders of many of our peer democracies. And the 25th Amendment is not a viable shortcut around this problem, which is rooted in the fundamental structure of America’s government.
"Let’s cut to the chase: Trump is about as likely to be removed via the 25th Amendment as he is to be deposed by an army of unicorn-riding elves."
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser.bsky.social) 2026-04-08T20:10:22.575Z
www.vox.com/politics/485...
April 8, 2026
https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-04-08/desantis-pushes-redistricting-as-democratic-wins-shake-gop-outlook
DeSantis pushes redistricting as Democratic wins shake GOP outlook
Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling for lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map, which could help the GOP take more seats in the midterms.
But Democrats recently won two state legislature races, sounding the alarm for Republicans’ prospects — and potentially changing the calculus for potential redistricting in Florida.
Brian Nathan flipped a Tampa state Senate seat. And Emily Gregory flipped a House seat a Republican won by 19 points just two years ago. That district includes President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago.
“My opponent put President Trump at the forefront of his messaging,” Gregory said. “The endorsement was on most of his literature. For me, it was about talking about the issues that affect all of us and not one single most famous constituent.”
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, sees a national trend.
“These flips in Florida were our 29th and 30th flip of this election cycle already,” Williams said. “State legislative candidates are defying odds across the country, because they're laser focused on affordability.”
But Democrats recently won two state legislature races, sounding the alarm for Republicans’ prospects — and potentially changing the calculus for potential redistricting in Florida.
Brian Nathan flipped a Tampa state Senate seat. And Emily Gregory flipped a House seat a Republican won by 19 points just two years ago. That district includes President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago.
“My opponent put President Trump at the forefront of his messaging,” Gregory said. “The endorsement was on most of his literature. For me, it was about talking about the issues that affect all of us and not one single most famous constituent.”
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, sees a national trend.
“These flips in Florida were our 29th and 30th flip of this election cycle already,” Williams said. “State legislative candidates are defying odds across the country, because they're laser focused on affordability.”
https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-04-08/desantis-pushes-redistricting-as-democratic-wins-shake-gop-outlook
April 8, 2026
https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-04-08/desantis-pushes-redistricting-as-democratic-wins-shake-gop-outlook
DeSantis pushes redistricting as Democratic wins shake GOP outlook
Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling for lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map, which could help the GOP take more seats in the midterms.
But Democrats recently won two state legislature races, sounding the alarm for Republicans’ prospects — and potentially changing the calculus for potential redistricting in Florida.
Brian Nathan flipped a Tampa state Senate seat. And Emily Gregory flipped a House seat a Republican won by 19 points just two years ago. That district includes President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago.
“My opponent put President Trump at the forefront of his messaging,” Gregory said. “The endorsement was on most of his literature. For me, it was about talking about the issues that affect all of us and not one single most famous constituent.”
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, sees a national trend.
“These flips in Florida were our 29th and 30th flip of this election cycle already,” Williams said. “State legislative candidates are defying odds across the country, because they're laser focused on affordability.”
But Democrats recently won two state legislature races, sounding the alarm for Republicans’ prospects — and potentially changing the calculus for potential redistricting in Florida.
Brian Nathan flipped a Tampa state Senate seat. And Emily Gregory flipped a House seat a Republican won by 19 points just two years ago. That district includes President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago.
“My opponent put President Trump at the forefront of his messaging,” Gregory said. “The endorsement was on most of his literature. For me, it was about talking about the issues that affect all of us and not one single most famous constituent.”
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, sees a national trend.
“These flips in Florida were our 29th and 30th flip of this election cycle already,” Williams said. “State legislative candidates are defying odds across the country, because they're laser focused on affordability.”
https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-04-08/desantis-pushes-redistricting-as-democratic-wins-shake-gop-outlook
April 8, 2026
Don’t look now, but Democrats could actually take the Senate in the midterms.
For the first time, prediction markets now favor Democrats to win the Senate majority in November, a potentially seismic event in American politics. The party’s rising odds come as President Donald Trump’s approval rating drops to the lowest levels of his second term so far, with the Iran war becoming increasingly unpopular and gas prices continuing to rise. In this video, we first rank Democrats’ best pickup opportunities and examine the new path that has opened up for the party in recent months. Finally, we review the three key questions that could decide the majority come November.
0:00 Prediction markets’ big change
1:44 The implications of a Dem Senate
2:56 Tier one: The must wins
4:49 Tier two: Light red states
8:24 Tier three: Dark red states
10:14 The wild cards
11:18 The three big questions
The 6 Races That Could Flip the Senate in 2026
Don’t look now, but Democrats could actually take the Senate in the midterms.
For the first time, prediction markets now favor Democrats to win the Senate majority in November, a potentially seismic event in American politics. The party’s rising odds come as President Donald Trump’s approval rating drops to the lowest levels of his second term so far, with the Iran war becoming increasingly unpopular and gas prices continuing to rise. In this video, we first rank Democrats’ best pickup opportunities and examine the new path that has opened up for the party in recent months. Finally, we review the three key questions that could decide the majority come November.
0:00 Prediction markets’ big change
1:44 The implications of a Dem Senate
2:56 Tier one: The must wins
4:49 Tier two: Light red states
8:24 Tier three: Dark red states
10:14 The wild cards
11:18 The three big questions
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