The Sunday Morning Wrap-Up

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 missed—links to everything below.

• The Week Ahead: We previewed Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing in the Senate, focusing on the procedural developments we might see, and a detailed review of exactly why Blanche should not be confirmed.

• Coffee with the Contrarians: Norm Eisen and I covered key developments, including Democratic state AG’s efforts to protect the free press with a new lawsuit and DOJ subpoenas sent to NYT reporters.

• Live with Juan Proaño: ICE and the recent shootings: LULAC’s CEO, Juan Proaño, joined us to share his experiences with the family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by ICE in Houston, and we also discussed the preliminary information about another ICE shooting that took place that morning in Maine. LULAC is the nation’s largest and oldest Latino civil rights organization, and it’s been doing yeoman’s work along with other Hispanic civil rights groups. But they shouldn’t have to fight alone. It’s important for all of us to be there with them.

• Judge is a Big No on Trump’s Slush Fund: Judge Kathleen Williams in the Southern District of Florida slammed Donald Trump and his co-plaintiffs in her opinion in Trump v. IRS, the slush fund case. She undid that deal and wrote with precision, aiming to make it stick, hopefully, on appeal. If you missed this post, it’s a good one to catch up on today.

• Maine: On Tuesday, the news from Maine, where ICE shot and killed a young father for no reason, was deeply disturbing. Again. Two brazen ICE shootings in a week, followed by efforts to conceal the facts tells the story.

• The Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Challenge Explained by California AG Rob Bonta: On Monday, twelve state attorneys general filed motions for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a preliminary injunction to stop the merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount from going ahead until the courts can evaluate a request to block the merger, filed in the Northern District of California. California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta joined me Tuesday night to discuss what to expect as the case moves forward, as well as the stakes.

• Todd Blanche’s Senate Confirmation Hearing: There are so many independent reasons to reject Todd Blanche’s nomination to be the next attorney general. We got ready for two days of hearings.

• Live with Harry Litman: Harry Litman joined me to recap the first morning of Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing.

• Mimi Rocah, Preet Bharara, and Me: On Wednesday, everyone had a take on the Blanche confirmation hearing. Preet and Mimi’s were grounded in their experience working with him.

• Mr. Blanche Gets His Hearing: We looked at some of the most telling moments from Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing in the Senate, including Blanche’s slip-up admission of his real role: As we’ve known all along, he’s Donald Trump’s lawyer.

• Trump’s New Election Conspiracy Isn’t About 2020. It’s About November: Trump’s lies during his Thursday night speech do not bear repeating. The important takeaway is understanding what he’s trying to do: He’s searching for a way to legitimize interference in an election he knows his party is going to lose in November. Trump has to try to make it difficult, if not impossible, for us to vote because he knows just how important our votes are. Getting ready to do whatever it takes to vote.

• Counterprogramming Trump — Live with Lauren Groh-Wargo: Lauren understands the flaws in the narrative Trump has been building toward: the narrative that past voter fraud justifies future election interference. She has the deep knowledge and the memory of what’s happened in the past to prepare us for the discussions following Trump’s speech. Refuse to be gaslit.

• Trump’s Election Claims Collapse — Live with Scott MacFarlane: It’s always an honor to join my friend and one of my favorite journalists to discuss the day’s news. If you missed us Friday morning, you can watch at the link.

• Five Questions with Dr. Vin Gupta: We all relied on Vin during Covid. He joined us Friday night for an update on public health in light of all the emerging concerns.

• A Feel-Good Moment: In case you need one after this week.

• Live with Kica Matos on Immigration: I needed to discuss ICE’s actions this week with someone who understands what’s going on and knows what we can do about it, so I turned to Kica Matos, the president of the National Immigration Law Center and the Immigrant Justice Fund. Kica draws a straight line from what this administration is doing to immigrants to Trump’s preparation for taking a more authoritarian stance toward Americans who get in his way. It’s an important conversation you’ll want to go back and watch if you missed us.

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 able, your paid subscription helps me devote the time and resources needed 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