A combination of prosecutorial bumbling, dumb luck, compliant jurists, and winning the election allowed our new president to avoid a day behind bars.
James D. Zirin
James D. Zirin, author and legal analyst, is a former federal prosecutor in New York’s Southern District. He also hosts the public television talk show and podcast Conversations with Jim Zirin.
Posted inPolitics
Trump’s Imperial Presidency
Peggy Noonan and others see vigor in the president’s flooding the zone.
Posted inPolitics
Trump’s Executive Orders—Making America Hate Again
His flood-the-zone strategy is overwhelming but his setback on birthright citizenship is a good sign.
Posted inPolitics
Donald Trump’s Imperialist Fantasy
His predations toward Canada, Panama, and Denmark can’t work. But Woodrow Wilson showed how to pick up territory the smart way.
Posted inPolitics
Nudging Trump to Do the Right Thing When Possible
Fear surrounds Trump’s second term, justifiably so, but Trump’s mercurial temperament, one-way loyalties, and need for acclaim present an opportunity for some good.
Posted inLaw and Justice
A Trump-Era Question: What is the Meaning of “Rape?”
ABC News settled with Donald Trump over George Stephanopoulos’s on-air use of the R-word. But it likely would have won in court, and its concession to the president-elect set back press freedom.
Posted inMain
As Trump Readies to Return, He Faces a Weaker Russia, China, and Iran.
Biden’s firm but not unequivocal support for Ukraine and Israel helped diminish America’s adversaries. Now, the “America First” president must stay engaged.
Posted inPolitics
Should Democrats Form a Shadow Cabinet?
The party is leaderless but has a great bench. Forming a shadow government, as in the U.K., gives it a kill-many-birds-with-one-stone chance to choose its voice, shape who the media quotes, and allow the next generation of talent to showcase their wares.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Pam Bondi, Trump’s Tigress, Takes Center Stage
Pam Bondi, Trump’s Tigress, Takes Center Stage. The two-term attorney general is almost certain to be confirmed by an incoming Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, but will they even try to probe whether she’ll be independent of Trump and his minions?
Posted inRussia’s War on Ukraine
NATO’s Nervous New World
The 75-year-old alliance has never been bigger or stronger, but Russia’s gains in its brutal war against Ukraine and Trump’s second term are on everyone’s mind from Helsinki to Warsaw. A report from Europe.
