Trump is making it 100% clear that he is going to ramp up his efforts to use the power of the federal government to harass and punish his critics.

Not because they're supporters of political violence, they are not, but because they have the audacity to openly oppose his policies.

This is a standard format for every budding despot.

Hi again, everyone.

It's now 5 o'clock in New York, a standard format for every budding despot.

Remarkable words being used today to describe the leader of the United States of America,

a nation founded on the notion that this is a country ruled not by a king or a monarch,

but or an autocrat, but by us, by the people.

With every twist and turn of Trump 2.0 so far, we have seen his autocratic instinct shine

through, weaponizing federal agencies, threatening people and politicians he does not like,

aiding his rich friends and allies and silencing his critics, with Jimmy Kimmel being the latest last night.

But an autocrat only succeeds if the people around him, the other people in our country,

succumb to his power grabs, either as a response or in advance. And unfortunately, we're seeing

a heck of a lot of that all across industries as companies and universities and law firms

bow to his wishes over and over and over and over again, despite the handful of folks who are

fighting batting a thousand in court. Contrast that with the

American public taking to the streets, calling out these clearly anti-democratic overreaches,

and Democrats in Congress, despite being in the minority, fighting to hold the Trump administration

accountable with every tool they possess. Senator Chris Murphy there was announcing a brand new bill today.

It's called the No Political Enemies Act.

It aims to protect individuals and organizations from being targeted and prosecuted by the federal

government.

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