Here’s your Sunday morning wrap-up! Make sure you didn’t miss out on any of last week’s columns before we start the new week. Grab your coffee—or something more substantial, if necessary.
The Week Ahead: This column starts out, “It’s hard to predict the week ahead when the President of the United States lets loose with a social media tirade on a Saturday night that you could be forgiven for mistaking as a text message, intended for his attorney general.” That turned out to be an apt assessment for the brutal week we’ve been through. Trump has indicted his former FBI Director, an exercise in revenge. “This is not a garden-variety crisis,” I wrote to you. That continues to be the case.
The Pentagon’s Attack on Free Speech Doesn’t Have To Work: Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air. The First Amendment has prevailed—for now. It will be up to us to keep it that way. “Welcome, one and all, to The Late Show. I’m your host Stephen Colbert,” Colbert began his program last Thursday night, “but tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel.”
Ignore The Distractions: Before Jim Comey’s indictment, but when it and others seemed to be in the offing, Trump forced out his own pick to be U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. Understanding what happened there is essential to our assessment of what followed. “If Trump’s ability to control the Justice Department isn’t checked in this moment, we’ve hit a dangerous red line for democracy. We cannot afford to let this moment pass without raising our voices and continuing to do so.”
Condemning Crimes—Unless They’re Your Own: Jim Comey stands indicted. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan reportedly took $50,000 in cash in a CAVA bag in exchange for his promise he’d steer government contracts to businessmen FBI undercover agents. He got a pass. Reportedly, it’s all on tape, too. Upon taking over the Justice Department, the Trump administration killed the investigation. Friends get a break, enemies get hammered. That, by the way, is how dictators work.
Coffee with the Contrarians: Jen Rubin and I got together on Thursday to discuss the implications of the week’s news.
Developments: A midweek check-in on the state of the Republic: This midweek catch-up post covers one of the week’s most undercovered stories: Trump’s anti-Antifa executive order. Make sure you read this one about Trump’s efforts to outlaw anyone who would protest against his administration.
Chaos at DOJ, Substack Live with Bill Kristol: Putting aside politics to talk democracy, Bill Kristol and I had a great chat about what matters the most right now.
Trump Gets His Indictment: The Jim Comey indictment, explained.
Substack Live with Preet Bharara: My former U.S. Attorney colleague in the Southern District of New York (and current podcast co-host), Preet Bharara, and I work through the Comey indictment and what it means for both Comey and the country in a really important conversation.
Five Questions with Voting Activist Hannah Fried: Hannah runs an organization called All Voting is Local, a key player in the fight to keep our elections fair. Hannah has real chops for this work. She was the National Director and Deputy General Counsel for Voter Protection on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. This is a don’t miss Five Questions that helps us understand what the real challenges are, what the ground game for 2026 will look like, and what we can all be doing to help.
These are complicated legal times, and it’s easy for the truth to get lost in the chaos. Civil Discourse doesn’t just track today’s headlines—it connects them to the legal and political history that explains why they matter. We won’t forget what’s at stake, or let Trump and his allies rewrite the past. You can subscribe to Civil Discourse for free and get clear analysis that helps you see the whole picture, delivered straight to your inbox. If you’re in a position to, your paid subscription helps me devote the time and resources it takes to write the newsletter. That means everyone has access to information they can share with friends and family—a constructive act we can all participate in right now, helping more Americans understand how critical this moment is.
We’re in this together,
Joyce
