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Here’s the highlight reel of last week’s posts and events. Grab a cup of coffee and get ready to catch up on anything you may have missed.
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The Week Ahead: We began the week with Trump turning a dignified transfer ceremony for fallen soldiers into a marketing opportunity for his merch. Lots of prep for the legal proceedings that were underway this week and President Obama’s eulogy for Jesse Jackson rounded out our Sunday night.
A Night Off with Chickens: I got some much-needed sleep during a travel- and delay-heavy week, and you got chicken pictures.
Bye, Girl: On the way out as DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem left us with . . . so many questions. What exactly is the Shield of the Americas? Who and where are the 145,000 children she claims to have located? How does displacing the Coast Guard Commandant from their home in order to live in it yourself “revitalize” the Coast Guard? And then of course there’s the new landlocked Coast Guard training facility in my home state. So many of you commented on the tone of this piece (in a positive way), and I have to admit, when it comes to Noem, my cup of snark runneth over. We will not miss her.
Anthropic Sues the Administration: We looked into the high stakes legal battle between AI company Anthropic and the Trump administration after Anthropic sought guarantees that its AI model, Claude, would not be used for fully autonomous weaponry or domestic mass surveillance. This lawsuit is going to be a big deal, so if you missed this piece earlier in the week, this is a great opportunity to catch up.
The Fate of the First Amendment: The Department of Defense is barring press photographers from its briefings on Iran—reportedly because photos taken of the secretary of defense were unflattering. But this isn’t a one-off, it’s a trajectory. Read here for where we are when it comes to the First Amendment.
Thursday in America: It was the type of day that has become increasingly common, one where we drank from the firehose of news developments. From the “excursion” in Iran to judicial pushback against the administration, it’s the same, critical theme we’ve been exploring ever since Trump’s return to office: Trump’s vision of an all-powerful executive.
Five Questions with Geoff Bennett, PBS NewsHour Co-Anchor & Co-Managing Editor: Geoff joined us to discuss his new book, Black Out Loud, which is delightful and important. And we got a night off from Trump! At its heart, the book is a story about how America can transform itself and be better off for it. He reminds us who we are and who we can be, and it’s perfect for right now.
Live with Retired General Shawn Harris: I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Georgia Democrat and Retired Brigadier General Shawn Harris. He recently beat his Trump-endorsed opponent in the special election for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s vacant seat, but he has a tough runoff ahead of him. Some people think no Democrat can win in the Northwest corner of Georgia. No one is pretending it will be an easy race, but this is a superlative candidate and 2026 is unlike any prior election year. Republicans who selected a different candidate than the Trump-endorsed opponent Harris faces now may switch sides or sit this one out. And with a low percentage of eligible voters turning out in 2024 when MTG won, and lots of enthusiasm in the Harris camp, this is one to watch.
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
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