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Articles by David Kurtz
How Trump’s Corruption Makes Everything DOJ Does Suspect Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. One of the most pernicious effects of corrupting federal law enforcement is that it undermines public confidence — as it should — in everything the Justice Department does. You can’t have a Justice Department or FBI doing corrupt work with one hand and normal aboveboard work with the other and expect anyone — from citizens to lawyers to judges — to decipher which is which in any given case.
A Disturbing Peek Into Trump’s Kafkaesque Immigration Courts
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Today we begin with a particularly striking example of the bleak inanity of executive branch immigration courts under President Trump, first flagged by Politico’s Kyle Cheney.
A Disturbing Peek Into Trump’s Kafkaesque Immigration Courts
Wrong, Wrong, and Wrong Again Today we begin with a particularly striking example of the bleak inanity of executive branch immigration courts under President Trump, first flagged by Politico's Kyle Cheney. The especially disturbing episode was revealed in an order yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell of Ft. Myers, Florida, who granted a petition for a writ of habeas corpus by a Colombian national whose case was repeatedly botched by an immigration judge.
Trump Admin and Its Allies Throw Up Roadblocks to Prosecuting ICE Agents
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The mostly below-the-radar effort to block Minnesota’s effort to prosecute federal agents for alleged crimes committed during Operation Metro Surge finally burst into public view yesterday. On behalf of Minnesota, state Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Gov.
Trump Admin and Its Allies Throw Up Roadblocks to Prosecuting ICE Agents
The Long Tail of Operation Metro Surge The mostly below-the-radar effort to block Minnesota's effort to prosecute federal agents for alleged crimes committed during Operation Metro Surge finally burst into public view yesterday. On behalf of Minnesota, state Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Gov.
Appeals Court Blocks Trump Scheme on US Attorneys Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling that disqualified Sigal Chattah as the purported top prosecutor in the Nevada United States Attorney’s Office. The ruling deals a blow to the Trump scheme of bypassing Senate confirmation to install poorly qualified loyalists as top federal prosecutors in blue states — a key element of Trump’s campaign of retribution.
Trump DOJ Shamelessly Goes After Judge’s Daughter Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. We know that Donald Trump’s campaign of retribution against anyone he perceives to have wronged him — political foes, investigators, prosecutors, and judges — has no bounds. He abuses his office. He coopts government departments and agencies into his retributive schemes. He seeks vengeance without regard to the facts, the law, or common decency.
CIA Behind Mystery Strikes on Ecuadorian Fishing Boats Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Trump DOJ Pops Up Out of Nowhere to Try to Get Judge Thrown Off the IRS Case Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. All of a sudden the Justice Department wants to be involved in President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS — and it’s gunning to get the judge who imposed sanctions on Trump’s attorneys removed from the case.
New Clues in Mystery Strikes on Ecuadorian Fishing Boats
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Back in June, The Guardian had a confounding story about drone attacks on Ecuadorian fishing boats for which the Trump administration disclaimed any responsibility. Given the administration’s eagerness to distribute and promote snuff films of its strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, its denial can’t be dismissed out of hand.
Trump Uses Press Corps as Decoy to Evade Iran Threat Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. By now, you’ve likely ingested many of the details from the bombshell Washinton Post report on the elaborate security operation and public misinformation campaign to spirit President Trump out of Ankara, Turkey, following last month’s NATO summit in order to avoid a credible threat to his life from Iran.
First at TPM: Judge Orders Immigrant Released After Surreal Journey Through Trump’s Gulag Archipelago Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. This morning I want to focus your attention on another especially Kafkaesque example of the worst of the Trump mass deportation operation combined with — and this is critical — the administration’s lawless behavior in federal courts.
A GOP Primary Loss Couldn’t Have Happened to a Nicer Guy: The Andy Ogles Story Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. It takes a lot to be among the most odious Republican members of this Congress. Let me reacquaint you with Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN). What makes Ogles special is that he managed to be a virulent Islamophobe, Christian nationalist, and fabulist — really the trifecta of qualifications for current House GOPers — and still alienate his fellow Republicans.
The Ruthless Persecution of Anthony Fauci Is the Story of Our Time Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The targeting of Anthony Fauci stands as a textbook case of retribution by the Trump administration using, in tandem with Republicans on Capitol Hill, what has become a well-worn and ruthless feedback loop that has ensnared other former officials and targets of the president’s ire.
Reflecting Pool Turns Into Quicksand for Jeanine Pirro Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. While most of the reflecting pool coverage focuses on the reality TV-style palace intrigue among the ridiculous personas of Donald Trump, Jeanine Pirro, and Doug Burgum, pay attention to how hard the former criminal defendants in the now-dismissed “vandalism” cases push for court-ordered consequences for the misbegotten prosecutions.
REVEALED: The Scope of ICE’s Surveillance of Its Online Critics Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. About a month ago, it emerged from upstate New York that the Department of Homeland Security was targeting online critics of ICE by trying to force them to sign a heretofore unheard of “Warning Notice” admitting that their criticisms were unlawful. Now the Wall Street Journal reports that those cases are just the tip of the iceberg of a larger DHS surveillance program targeting social media users nationwide.
Faux Deal Ends Faux Fight Over Blanche Nomination Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Trump is Lucy. GOP senators are the football. D.C. political reporters are Charlie Brown. For a decade now, the illusion that Republican senators in whole or in part would rise up against the outrages of the Trump presidencies has animated political reporting even as the Senate GOP conference has chronically failed to rise to the occasion.
Forget the Blanche Nom, Trump Now Wants His $1.776B Slush Fund Back! Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. In a social media post this morning, President Trump threw all of toys in the air and declared that he still thinks the “anti-weaponization” slush fund was the way to go after all. While ostensibly calling for Todd Blanche to be confirmed as attorney general, Trump lost the thread and resumed defending his $1.776 billion slush fund, which would siphon money to Jan.
Is John Cornyn Playing Us All For Fools in the Todd Blanche Nomination Fight? Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. I harbor a growing suspicion that a collective hoodwinking is going on in the Senate confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general. It’s hard to argue that the delay of today’s crucial Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Blanche’s nomination isn’t a pretty big deal (even though he could still remain on as acting attorney general for the balance of Trump’s term). But when you look closely at what Sen.
Juicy and Hilarious New Details About Trump’s Crusade Against Comey Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. In new court filings last evening, James Comey unloaded a triple shotgun blast at the bogus “86 47” seashells prosecution against him. I’ll get into the trio of filings — which include a cameo by Sammy the Bull Gravano and juicy details about President Trump’s intense personal interest in the case as relayed through internal Secret Service communications — in a moment. I promise.
Another ICE Protester Prosecution Bites the Dust Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. More than a year after arresting him, the Trump Justice Department moved Monday to drop the criminal case against California labor leader David Huerta arising from his June 2025 protest of an ICE raid in Los Angeles. Huerta, who suffered a head injury during his arrest, was engaged in protest at the peak of tensions in the city over ICE raids.
Another Abrego Garcia: Man Unlawfully Deported Twice Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. A new court order Friday in federal court in south Texas, first flagged by Politico’s Kyle Cheney, reveals that another Salvadoran national has been unlawfully deported twice by the Trump administration in the past eight months in violation of separate orders by a federal judge and an immigration judge.
A Huge Win for the NYT In Air Force One Subpoena Debacle Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The responsibility for the Trump DOJ’s unlawful use of subpoenas as a tool of retribution against NYT reporters — for writing about the deficiencies of President Trump’s beloved new Air Force One — falls most heavily on two men: acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, both of whom are awaiting Senate confirmation for promotion to higher offices.
What’s Really Behind Trump’s Corrupt US Attorney Scheme Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. A new and ironic development in the first-of-its-kind legal challenge to President Trump’s U.S. attorney scheme gives me a chance to pull back the lens a bit to show the full scope of the corruption involved and why it matters.
New Attack Launched Against Trump’s Corrupt US Attorney Scheme Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Eighteen months in, President Trump’s strategy to circumvent the Senate on the appointment of U.S. attorneys does not yet seem to have sunken in as one of the defining elements of bringing the Justice Department to heel under the White House.
Conceding Major Screwups, DOJ Pauses NYT Subpoenas Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The Trump administration’s Air Force One leak investigation targeting the New York Times is encountering severe turbulence already. In an overnight filing, the Trump DOJ admitted to serious errors in how it has handled the case so far — and in a huge concession that it attempts to mask as reasonableness it has put on hold for two weeks all of the subpoenas aimed at NYT reporters.
The Lawless Trifecta of Trump’s Mass Deportation Apparatus Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. President Trump’s mass deportation operation continues to embody all of the worst elements of his second presidency: the retribution, the destruction, and the corruption, a lawless trifecta that subjugates immigrants while eroding the rights of American citizens. The first handful of items in today’s Morning Memo captures different aspects of the lawlessness as manifested in developments from just the past few days.
In Major Shift, Trump Admin Prioritizes Fight Against ‘Left-Wing Terror’ Over Islamic Extremism Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
What Happened Outside the Blanche Hearing Was More Important Than What Happened Inside Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Perhaps never before has a nominee for attorney general come before the Senate with as clear of a track record already doing the job as Todd Blanche. But it turns out that GOP senators — the only ones who can block Blanche’s confirmation — don’t need to look that far back to assess his work.
What Price for the Soul of Democracy? Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Writing about politics every day inevitably leads to an internal mental landscape full of regrets, self-recrimination, and second-guessing about how you covered the news, what you skipped that you shouldn’t have, and what you plain got wrong.
The federal cover-up of three Minnesota shootings finally unravels
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The Federal Cover-up of Three Minnesota Shootings Finally Unravels Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The first hints that the Trump administration might be softening its position of refusing to cooperate with Minnesota’s investigations into the three shootings by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge emerged on June 22.
Trump Shoots Messenger for Exposing His Risky New Air Force One Fiasco Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Just 18 months into Trump II, the president feels the confidence and swagger to demand that grand jury subpoenas be served immediately upon the nation’s leading newspaper for reporting that his beloved new Qatari-gifted Air Force One doesn’t haven the same defensive capabilities as the older models.
Grim New Details of Fatal ICE Shooting Make It Even Worse Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The ICE shooting of an unarmed immigrant in Houston — who had lived in the United States for nearly 35 years, raised a family, and had no known prior run-ins with the law — has turned from deeply troubling to acutely tragic as new details of the Tuesday incident have emerged. The most dismaying new news is that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not the target of the traffic stop that ended in his shooting death.
E. Jean Carroll on the Verge of Forcing $5M From Trump
Time to Pay Up, Bub President Trump's last-ditch bid to avoid having to cough up $5 million to pay the judgement that E. Jean Carroll won against him for sexual abuse and defamation was rejected by an appeals court. The late-evening denial by the Second Circuit came after the trial judge earlier in the day ordered the court clerk to disburse to Carroll the money Trump had deposited with the court, plus some $800,000 in accrued interest. In an accompanying opinion, U.S. District Judge Lewis A.
Trump Admin Lobs Wild New Threats at States Over Election Rules Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
ICE Takes on New Role in Suppressing Online Dissent Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. This story has been percolating in local media since last month — credit to Syracuse.com, which appears to be the lead dog on this story — but it just hit the national radar over the last 24 hours or so.
It Doesn’t Have to be Like This Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Many thanks to the eminently capable Sarah Posner for standing in for me here the past two weeks while I was on vacation in Copenhagen. You outdid yourselves with recommendations, tips, and dos/donts for Copenhagen and the surrounding area. Copenhagen’s food scene remains vibrant, and we ate extremely well, but thanks to you, we landed in some gems we otherwise would not have encountered.
Trump’s Iran ‘Deal’ Doesn’t Measure Up To Obama’s and He Knows It Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Amid all the justified criticism of his flimsy deal to end his reckless and unlawful war against Iran, nothing seems to get under President Trump’s skin quite like unfavorable comparisons to President Obama’s deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump famously pulled the plug on the JCPOA in one of the worst disasters of his first term, so the comparison is more than apt.
Thailand vill locka färre men mer lönsamma turister
Thailand vill öka turismens värde snarare än antalet besökare. Det var huvudbudskapet när Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2026 samlade den internationella reseindustrin i Chonburi den 10–12 juni. Under temat ”Healing is the New Luxury” presenterade Thailand en strategi med fokus på välmående, hållbarhet och upplevelsebaserat resande. Mässan samlade 429 internationella köpare, 428 thailändska utställare och fler än 60 internationella medier. Totalt genomfördes över 15 400 förbokade affärsmöten.
Broadview Six Seek Special Counsel to Probe Trump DOJ Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. In a flurry of new filings overnight, attorneys for the Broadview Six continued to press their advantage in seeking a full accounting for the Trump DOJ’s misconduct and subsequent alleged cover-up in the now-dismissed case against ICE protesters.
Trump Ballroom Costs Balloon and Taxpayers Foot Half the Bill Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. President Trump’s oft-repeated claims that no public monies will be involved in his vanity ballroom project appear to be untrue, according to a new Washington Post report that also reveals the cost of the project has ballooned. The newspaper obtained copies of detailed project summaries prepared for the White House by its contractor, Virginia-based Clark Construction.
Now’s the Time to Prepare for the Great Post-Trump Renewal
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. In typically shitty Trump fashion, he mounted a late bid to fight the removal of his name from D.C.’s Kennedy Center, blew the court-ordered deadline Friday for taking it down, and mostly shielded his loss from public view with a tarp. But before the new deadline of noon Saturday, the center notified the court that the work was completed.
Now’s the Time to Prepare for the Great Post-Trump Renewal
David Kurtz Mon, June 15, 2026 at 2:54 PM UTC 7 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Trump's name was removed from D.C.'s Kennedy Center after a court-ordered deadline was missed, marking the first step in a long process to erase his influence from American public life. Federal courts have been slow to confront Trump's rapid actions, with judges now questioning their own decisions that allowed his administration to move forward with projects.
TPM Live: David Kurtz and Chris Geidner on the Trump Admin’s Anti-Trans Crusade
The Trump administration’s unrelenting anti-trans crusade has many familiar Trump II elements: performative cruelty; using the powers of the state to bully a vulnerable, marginalized, disfavored group; and outrageous misconduct in pursuit of poisonous policy objectives. I was joined by Chris Geidner, publisher of the Law Dork newsletter and the leading American journalist covering these issues, to talk about this sweeping assault on transgender Americans. Available for iOS and Android
Judge Blocks Anti-Weaponization Slush Fund Original
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — In a major blow to President Trump’s anti-weaponization slush fund, a federal judge in Virginia issued a preliminary injunction blocking the fund. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema gave the administration a week to file a declaration, under penalty of perjury, that the fund is not going forward. Brinkema issued her ruling from the bench after a brief Friday hearing in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.
Trump DOJ Hit With a Wild Series of Bench Slaps Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The judicial branch’s response to the Trump rampage has been slow but as The Atlantic’s Quinta Jurecic suggests, there are signs that it’s gathering steam. The more judges that dispense with the government’s presumption of regularity, the wider the door opens to investigating irregularities.
The Broadview Six Fallout Spreads to Other Cases Original
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. The prosecutorial misconduct with the grand jury in the Broadview Six case is threatening otherwise unrelated cases handled by the same prosecutor, Sheri Mecklenburg.
David Kurtz goes live after hearing to block Trump's slush fund
The essential political news roundup from David Kurtz and the team at TPM. The essential political news roundup from David Kurtz and the team at TPM.
LIVE: Judge Declines to Block Trump Slush Fund
I was just in DC federal court, where Judge Richard Leon declined to block President Trump’s $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” — but in a way that might actually have some teeth. I’ll be live on Substack at 6 p.m. ET to talk about what went down and why it might be a pyrrhic victory for the administration. See you there.
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