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Donald Trump’s arrest is ugly but it’s also democracy in action
Donald Trump’s arrest is ugly but it’s also democracy in action, Margaret Sullivan, The Guardian
The spectacle, the lies, the whining – all predictable, and in some ways, meaningless. What matters is that, in a democracy, laws matter and they should apply to everyone.[...]

...Trump is at a huge advantage in the justice system. With his array of lawyers, his deep pockets, his cult following, the federal judges he appointed, his ability to sway public opinion and his immense political power, he is light years from being a singled-out victim.

So yes, it’s heartening to see some modicum of the rule of law holding sway in Trump’s latest arrest. It’s encouraging to see the myriad ways that the legal system is beginning to catch up to him in New York, in Georgia and in Washington.

But justice for the lawless Trump has been far too long in coming. And who knows whether he really will be held responsible in the long run, or whether he’ll find a way, as usual, to escape accountability.
The Mystery Of The Bedminster Documents
The Mystery Of The Bedminster Documents, Josh Kovensky, Talking Points Memo
The Trump indictment was chock-full with cameos by Mar-a-Lago employees, including military-grade Diet Coke valet Walt Nauta, discussing how and where to move boxes of records that included classified information, and one now-infamous photo of a bathroom (and shower) filled to the ceiling with stacks of boxes.

But prosecutors alleged in the indictment that the records didn’t only stay in Mar-a-Lago’s chandelier-bedecked bathrooms, ballrooms, and storage rooms. They claim in the document to know of at least two episodes in which Trump moved “boxes” to his estate and golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Trump brandished classified records at Bedminster, prosecutors say, including a supposed invasion plan of Iran and a map. CBS reported last week that Trump attorneys had told the DOJ that they couldn’t find the Iran invasion plan.

Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor who has also defended national security cases, told TPM that “we don’t know what happened with that document, but you can bet that they’ll be talking about it at trial.”
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L.G.B.T.Q. Americans Could Become a ‘New Class of Political Refugees’
L.G.B.T.Q. Americans Could Become a ‘New Class of Political Refugees’, Charles M. Blow, The New York Times
According to research by the Clark University professor Abbie Goldberg published in January by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, which surveyed 113 parents in Florida who are L.G.B.T.Q. in the wake of the passage of Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law, “56 percent of parents considered moving out of Florida and 16.5 percent have taken steps to move out of Florida.”

The study found that some respondents were already saving money and looking for jobs and houses elsewhere. But the fight-or-flight dilemma that these families face is fraught because, as the study points out, “many felt conflicted,” noting that “they loved their families, friends and communities.” They’re being pushed to choose between the comfort of their chosen tribe and the safety of their families — something no one should have to do. It’s a predicament underscoring that anti-trans laws aren’t noble, but wicked; they don’t protect, they prey.

And as the study notes, for some families with L.G.B.T.Q. members, “moving was currently impossible,” as they were “caring for older family members or other dependents or had jobs that they could not find elsewhere.” As Goldberg has explained: “For L.G.B.T.Q.+ parents without the means to move or send their children to private schools”— where, hopefully, they wouldn’t have to be silent about their families — the stress that anti-L.G.B.T.Q. legislation creates “will be significant.” Uprooting and moving to get away from political persecution is a privileged option that’s just not feasible for everyone, at least in the short term.
Trump’s political fight is his legal fight
Trump’s political fight is his legal fight, Philip Bump, The Washington Post
But perhaps because the public case against Trump is so robust or perhaps because Trump would be inclined to respond to any indictment in the same way, he finds it useful to use the indictment not as a moment to hunker down and defend himself but to bolster his political position. He followed the arraignment on Tuesday with a campaign-style stop at a Cuban restaurant in Miami and then closed out that day with his campaign-style speech. It is not a normal approach.

That’s because there’s another way in which this entirely unprecedented situation is unprecedented: Trump’s freedom may be contingent not on the success of his trial but of his campaign.

This isn’t normally the case, even for elected officials. There are no boundaries in place to block the indictment or incarceration of sitting mayors or members of Congress or state legislators. It’s only at the presidential level where there exist prohibitions against indictment or prosecution.
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Conservatives’ budget plan renews battle over seniors’ benefits
Conservatives’ budget plan renews battle over seniors’ benefits, David Lerman, Roll Call
The plan offered by the 175-member Republican Study Committee would gradually raise the age at which future retirees can start claiming full Social Security benefits from 67 to 69, a politically fraught proposal that's all but certain to appear in Democratic campaign ads.

The document also proposes a "premium support" plan that would subsidize private insurance options that compete with traditional Medicare. That would be similar to budget plans proposed by Rep. Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., during his tenure in Congress that were panned by Democrats and some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump.

While House Republicans have yet to produce a fiscal 2024 budget resolution, the RSC blueprint offers a wish list of conservative priorities that could influence the appropriations process. Chairman Kevin Hern of Oklahoma said House leadership has promised his plan would get a floor vote.
Hoping to Avert Nuclear Crisis, U.S. Seeks Informal Agreement With Iran
Hoping to Avert Nuclear Crisis, U.S. Seeks Informal Agreement With Iran, Michael Crowley, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman, The New York Times
Iran would agree under a new pact — which two Israeli officials called “imminent” — not to enrich uranium beyond its current production level of 60 percent purity. That is close to but short of the 90 percent purity needed to fashion a nuclear weapon, a level that the United States has warned would force a severe response.

Iran would also halt lethal attacks on American contractors in Syria and Iraq by its proxies in the region, expand its cooperation with international nuclear inspectors, and refrain from selling ballistic missiles to Russia, Iranian officials said.

In return, Iran would expect the United States to avoid tightening sanctions already choking its economy; to not seize oil-bearing foreign tankers, as it most recently did in April; and to not seek new punitive resolutions at the United Nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency against Iran for its nuclear activity.

“None of this is aimed at reaching a groundbreaking agreement,” said Ali Vaez, the Iran director for the International Crisis Group, a conflict prevention organization. Instead, he said, the goal is to “put a lid on any activity that basically crosses a red line or puts either party in a position to retaliate in a way that destabilizes the status quo.”

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