We begin today’s roundup with The New York Times and its critical reminder that there are still families separated as a result of Trump’s draconian border policies:
While family separations have slipped from the spotlight — allowing Mr. Trump to enjoy his morning executive time without enduring televised images of sobbing migrant children — the crisis itself is far from over. Hundreds of children remain separated from their parents. Many of those who have been reunited bear the scars of trauma. Migrant families continue to be rounded up into government detention centers, though now at least they are being held together.
With its zero-tolerance barbarism, the Trump administration managed to do an impressive amount of damage in a very short time. In the six weeks the policy was in effect, more than 2,600 children were taken from their parents, with zero thought or planning for how the families might eventually be reunited.
Natasha Bertrand at The Atlantic writes about Trump’s targets:
Bruce Ohr. Lisa Page. Andrew Weissmann. Andrew McCabe. President Donald Trump has relentlessly attacked these FBI and Justice Department officials as dishonest “Democrats” engaged in a partisan “witch hunt” led by the special counsel determined to tie his campaign to Russia. But Trump’s attacks have also served to highlight another thread among these officials and others who have investigated his campaign: their extensive experience in probing money laundering and organized crime, particularly as they pertain to Russia.
Eugene Robison writes about racism underlying Trump’s passport policy against Hispanic Americans near the border:
If the government had specific evidence that an individual’s birth certificate was falsified, then we could have a debate about the right thing to do. But this administration is assuming that a person of a certain ethnicity, recorded as being born in a certain part of the country and meeting other unspecified criteria, is de facto not a citizen — and has the burden of proving otherwise.
At this point, the Trump administration has the burden of proving this is anything other than vile, unadulterated racism.
Here’s Catherine Rampell’s take on Jeff Sessions at The Washington Post:
If Republican lawmakers had any spine left, they would pass legislation to protect Mueller from being dismissed without cause. Or they could signal that having Mueller fired or otherwise interfering with his investigation would constitute criminal obstruction of justice warranting impeachment.
Under such circumstances, Sessions could, would and should go. We’d no longer need to rely on him to prevent the leader of the free world from killing an ongoing investigation involving his own campaign, family and finances.
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has refused to bring the bill protecting Mueller to the floor.
Sam Stein reminds us that no, not all campaigns would have acted as illegally and immorally as the Trump campaign has and gives the rundown of when Al Gore’s campaign received a stolen briefing book:
At the Gore campaign offices, news trickled in slowly. Though Daley had talked with Downey, campaign manager Donna Brazile was largely unaware, focusing her efforts on debate prep and the actual day-to-day of the election. “ We immediately got the lawyers involved,” she recalled. “It was so quick. It wasn’t like we even had a conversation about it.”
USA Today explains the absurdity of the proposal to have the federal government buy guns for schools:
The Department of Education would act as arms dealer, dispensing cash for guns.
As ludicrous as this might sound, it has not been rejected out of hand by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who once famously suggested some K-12 campuses might need guns to ward off grizzly bear attacks. […]
The answer to America's gun violence epidemic rests mainly in keeping high-powered weapons out of the hands of deranged people — not introducing more guns into classrooms, or urging students to buy bulletproof backpacks.
The Wild West answer that teachers should pack heat — articulated by President Donald Trump after the killing of 17 students and faculty in February at a high school in Parkland, Florida — has no basis in research or fact.
On a final note, in case you missed it, make sure to read Neera Tanden’s piece on the GOP’s culture of corruption:
Our new research shows that more than 70 percent of the public want our government to take a more active role in solving the greatest issues confronting our nation. At the same time, more than 85 percent also say the federal government primarily serves the interests of large corporations, the wealthy, and campaign contributors. [...] What’s clear is that the public is fed up with the status quo in Washington, and that this anger is transforming our politics. In many campaigns, we’re seeing that incumbency in Congress is a hindrance, not a help. Democratic candidates have successfully rallied support while rejecting donations from corporate political action committees — from Conor Lamb’s shocking win in Pennsylvania to Beto O’Rourke’s surging momentum in his race to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas.
That is why, moving forward, bold political reforms must be central to the Democratic Party’s platform.