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Trump wants power and chaos, not law and order.
Ostensibly, federal officers were sent to Minneapolis to stop welfare fraud. But they aren’t doing anything about those crimes, which were already being investigated and prosecuted by state and federal authorities. Law enforcement officers are trained to deescalate tense situations, but these federal officers are doing the opposite of that. See, for instance, here, here, here, here, and the killing of Renee Good. Also check out The Wall Street Journal’s analysis, “Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings,” with this gift link.
This morning, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. We’ve seen how this works before, in LA, Portland, and Chicago — 1) federal agents create chaos, 2) protests over the chaos ensue, 3) Trump uses the protests as an excuse to grab more power.
When it comes to actual crimes, however, Trump is soft.
Trump pardoned all the J6 Capitol rioters, over 1,500 people, including those who convicted for violence and those with prior criminal records.
In fact, this is a great time to be a criminal in America, as long as you have money or connections. Changpeng Zhao, former CEO of crypto exchange company Binance, was convicted of money laundering in 2023. After Binance helped boost Trump’s cryptocurrency company, World Liberty Financial, Zhao was pardoned by Trump.
Former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández was serving 45 years in prison for helping cartels ship 400 tons of cocaine to the U.S. After a months long campaign using his connections to Republican operatives and Mar-a-Lago insiders, Trump pardoned him.
On the world stage, Trump also ignores the law. On his aspirations to “have” Greenland, he hasn’t even offered legal reasoning to do so. Instead, it’s simply ...
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A tough-on-crime leader would first need to understand what a law is, but Trump fails that test as well. After announcing a 10% cap on credit card interest rates, a reporter asked Trump what would happen if credit card companies don’t comply. “They are in violation of the law,” Trump replied. But federal laws are made by Congress, not Truth Social posts.
And then there’s Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. While many seek justice for the victims of the notorious sex traffickers, Trump has stonewalled attempts to bring all the criminals involved into the light of day. He labeled these efforts a Democrat hoax and accused journalists who asked questions of being fake news. On November 14, 2025, when Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey asked Trump about Epstein, he pointed a finger at her and said, “Quiet! Quiet, piggy.”
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Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of Trump’s most loyal supporters, but he turned on her for voting in favor of releasing the Epstein files. Trump’s DOJ is now in violation of a law passed by Congress requiring the release of all the files it has related to Epstein.
Maxwell was moved to a minimum security prison and is receiving special privileges. That’s not tough on crime.
Some More Good Reads
ProPublica: “We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing”
Reporting Highlights
Chokeholds: We found over 40 cases of agents using chokeholds and other moves that can block breathing. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen.
Former Police Are Appalled: We showed former police and immigration officials videos of incidents. They said agents are out of control. One said it’s “the kind of action which should get you fired.”
Banned Tactics, No Punishment: There is a federal ban on chokeholds and similar tactics. But there is no sign of punishment for officers who’ve used them.
Reason: “Texas A&M Removes Plato from Introductory Philosophy Class”
After a student posted a viral video of an argument with a Texas A&M instructor about the content of an English class, Texas politicians went ballistic. Soon the instructor was suspended and the university president was fired. Last month, the university regents adopted a policy banning courses that "advocate race or gender ideology" and requiring university approval for any exemptions for materials that serve "a necessary educational purpose."
MediaIte: “Professor Fired for Charlie Kirk Post Gets $500,000 From School, Is Reinstated”
Darren Michael, associate professor at Austin Peay State University, has reportedly been reinstated and given $500,000 after being fired over posts about assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Religion in Public: “Calling Charlie Kirk a Martyr is Not Exactly a Unifying Message”
On September 10, 2025, activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. In our view, all political violence is tragic and should be universally condemned. That is no less true for someone who argued that we needed to accept the violent consequences of gun access. But what is interesting about Kirk is the role he played in the conservative movement, which continues to be contested. Whether he was unifying is perhaps less important now than whether his image and legacy is unifying. We’ll take a look here with some new data.
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