Standing up
“Why are leaders in the media, law and finance failing to stand up more forcefully to what many inside these industries say are abuses of presidential power?” asks a New York Times article.
“Resisting government coercion is often a matter of collective action: Companies are much more likely to succeed if they stand together, rather than fight on their own.”
“Over the past few generations, however, the culture and ethos of the American business elite has changed,” the Times says. “A once cohesive establishment has broken down, making collective action rarer and much harder to achieve. Competition among companies has become increasingly cutthroat. Chief executives are often more concerned with their share price than their company’s long-term health, much less any genteel sense of obligation to a vague greater good. The civic organizations that once bonded corporate leaders to one another have been hollowed out or disappeared altogether.”
“The sheer number of American elites willing to acquiesce to the destruction of democratic institutions is demoralizing,” says Adam Serwer in The Atlantic.
“But it’s worth noting that many ordinary people seem to be made of sterner stuff. ICE detainees such as the Palestinian-rights activist Mahmoud Khalil, for example, have continued to speak publicly about the administration’s abuses. These are people who stand to lose their homes, their freedom, their families, and they are showing more courage than people who have summer homes and trust funds. Protesters continue to show up in the streets, risking being brutalized by armed agents of the state. In Washington, D.C., citizens called to serve on grand juries have refused to indict people accused by the Trump administration of political crimes.”
Also in the news
Moldova pro-EU party wins parliamentary election mired in claims of Russian interference
AP: What to know about the Gaza peace plan agreed to by Trump, Netanyahu
Full text of Trump’s 20-point ‘comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict’
No deal in sight as federal government shutdown nears
Trump administration opens more land for coal mining, offers $625 million to boost coal-fired power plants
Oregon sues to block Trump from deploying the state’s National Guard in Portland
Missouri governor signs Trump-backed plan to help Republicans win another U.S. House seat
Louisiana governor asks for National Guard deployment to New Orleans, other cities
California governor signs bill creating AI safety measures
YouTube to pay $24.5 million to settle lawsuit Trump brought over suspension of his account after 2021 Capitol riot
Video game maker Electronic Arts to be acquired for $52.5 billion in biggest-ever private equity buyout
WPost personal finance columnist: What to do if federal government shutdown freezes your paycheck
WSJ: Timeline of key moments in U.S. capitalism
KFF: States targeting ultraprocessed foods in bipartisan push
KFF: In hepatitis B vaccine debate, CDC panel sidesteps a key exposure risk