TOTAL DICTATOR MOVE

Donald Trump’s hand-picked prosecutor brought criminal charges against James Comey, according to press reports — in a deeply troubling sign for the rule of law in America.

• What does America look like when a president can demand prosecutors bring criminal charges against anyone he wants, shield his allies from investigation, and even push popular comedians off the air when they crack too many jokes at his expense? President Donald Trump seems hell-bent on finding out. Trump’s newly-appointed, profoundly-inexperienced prosecutor in Virginia has reportedly just filed charges against one of Trump’s least-favorite people: Former FBI Director James Comey.

• Comey was charged with one count of making false statements and one count of obstruction of justice, ABC News , CNN and others reported Thursday. The move comes just a few days after Trump complained publicly to his Attorney General Pam Bondi that “nothing is being done” to prosecute his enemies, including Comey.

• Last week, Trump effectively pushed out the respected, career prosecutor who had decided *not* to bring this case. In his place, Trump installed a laughably unqualified loyalist named Lindsey Halligan, who has never prosecuted a case in her life. Halligan, the 36-year-old former Miss Colorado contestant, has a background in insurance law and, just days ago, was in charge of harassing the Smithsonian for “wokeness” on behalf of Trump (you can’t make this stuff up!). Earlier this afternoon, Trump claimed not to be involved (lmao)... but still made sure that quaint ideas like prosecutorial independence are his to discard. “I think I’d be allowed to get involved if I want,” he said.

• An official memo from Eastern District of Virginia attorneys recommended against charging Comey because it would violate ethics rules, blow through DOJ policy, and risk failing in front of a grand jury, according to ABC News. Halligan, however, is charging ahead anyway.

Bringing this case is hardly the same as making it stand up in court.

• While the details of the case have not yet been officially revealed, the investigation into Comey has focused on testimony he gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee about FBI leaks in September, 2020, and whether he might have lied under oath. There’s a complicated trail of details to follow here — and they underscore a big reason why perjury is rarely charged: It’s a tough case to win, because prosecutors have to rebut the possibility of mistakes or bad memory beyond a reasonable doubt.

• “The idea that he lied to Congress is just...pardon me…horseshit,” said Ben Wittes, Editor-in-Chief of Lawfare. You can find Lawfare’s great analysis of Comey, perjury, and Trump’s stomping on the DOJ here.

This case represents a direct assault on the rule of law in America. Trump is attempting to turn the DOJ into a political weapon, and it could take decades more to repair the damage.

WHAT ELSE?

Trump signed a memorandum allowing administration officials to target “left wing” political groups he accuses of fomenting extremism. In an Oval Office appearance, FBI Director Kash Patel pledged to “chase down” left-wing groups “like the domestic terrorists that they are.” Trump named George Soros as a liberal funder who may be targeted.

Federal prosecutors and law enforcement in Texas said that the shooter who allegedly killed a detainee and injured two others at a detention facility in Dallas was targeting ICE personnel in a planned attack. The shooter left writings indicating he did not intend to harm detainees but that “he was targeting ICE agents and ICE personnel,” said Nancy Larson, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Larson also said the suspect “very likely acted alone.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth baffled senior military officers by summoning hundreds of generals and admirals to an emergency meeting at a Marine base near Washington next week. Hegseth gave no reason for the summons, which one senior officer called “weird.” It all comes after Hegseth fired dozens of senior officers, often without cause. Anyone think he’s just getting the whole gang together for one big selfie?

The White House threatened to fire thousands more federal employees if the government shuts down due to a partisan budget impasse on Capitol Hill — effectively turning federal workers into hostages in the shutdown fight. Dem leaders said they won’t be intimidated. Any chance they’ll hit the wrong button and cancel Trump’s federal job? Hey, we can dream.

A top Trump State Department nominee deleted thousands of tweets, including some supporting racist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theories and another claiming Jan. 6 defendants had it worse than Black Americans during Jim Crow. Jeremy Carl, Trump’s nominee to be assistant secretary of state for international organizations, also called for the head of the National Education Association to be executed. This violent rhetoric of the left is really out of control!

Light at the End of the Email…

Amazon agreed to a massive $2.5 billion settlement to resolve charges that it tricked consumers into signing up for Prime memberships then made it hard to cancel. One billion of the settlement will go to civil penalties and $1.5 billion to some 35 million consumers caught in the deception. The case against Amazon was brought by the Biden Administration.

The new fastest car on the planet is Chinese, electric, and clocks in at a zippy 308.4 mph. Move over, Lighting McQueen, and let the Yangwang U9 Xtreme pass.

Check out these polar bears living their best lives, or, at least, the lives they’ve made, at an abandoned Russian polar research station. Paws off my drone, polar bears!

Modern homo sapiens (Hey, that’s us!) may be as much as half a million years older than we thought. New research on an ancient crushed skull suggests humans may have split from Neanderthals 1 million years ago. Gosh we’re old.

Would you like to hear a poem? Sure you would. We could all use one, now and then. Fortunately, “Dial-A-Poem,” John Giorno’s 1960s conceptual art project, is now online.