Excerpt: Although I’m new to Memphis, I’ve been reporting on the criminal justice system for more than a decade and have spent time in cities with a lot of law enforcement. I’ve also lived in an authoritarian country overseas, yet I’ve never experienced a police presence like this. Some Memphians critical of the surge liken the city to a war zone, with helicopters circling over neighborhoods, National Guard officers patrolling downtown, and unmarked law enforcement vehicles in the streets. Immigrant citizens carry their US passports, lest they be detained. One volunteer I spoke with compared the vibe to 1930s Germany.

Excerpt: Observers around the world were puzzled by almost everything regarding the very Americanized draw. The ridiculous musical acts, ending with the Village People. The presence of Aaron Judge, Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal and Wayne Gretzky to draw the names of countries — apparently a Mexican athlete wasn’t deemed worthy. The choice of Rio Ferdinand as the master of ceremonies (“He never won a f—ing thing with England,” a friend chimed in from London). And, most of all, the ongoing suck-up to Trump.
In an extremely self-important video, FIFA told us why peace is important: so that people can play football. And because Trump won’t win the Nobel Peace Prize, Infantino unilaterally made up a FIFA Peace Prize — theoretically to be presented annually. Shockingly, the inaugural edition was awarded to Trump.

Excerpt: If you live in the city, you probably notice the obvious homeless. The ones who are loud or odd or dischordant or obviously homeless looking. …. But let me tell you. There are a LOT of other homeless people. The “secret homeless.”…

Excerpt: The first judge to hear a challenge to Trump’s order, federal Judge John Coughenour, concluded it was plainly illegal. “I have difficulty understanding how a member of the bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order. It just boggles my mind.”

“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades,” he continued. “I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.”

Coughenour is no “radical liberal.” He was appointed to the bench by conservative Republican President Ronald Reagan. But any reasonable judge would reach the same conclusion — and many did, including judges of the Ninth and First Circuits.

Disturbingly, however, the Supreme Court may validate this “blatantly unconstitutional order.” Under Supreme Court rules, at least four justices must vote to take up a lower court ruling. So at least four decided Trump’s incredible claims were sound enough to put on the Supreme Court docket.

Excerpt: Visitor No. 1 was Vinny Corletta, a former teacher of English and language arts, also from Astoria, who had lined up in the snow before the museum opened. Mamdani’s rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment is just a few blocks away, and Corletta wanted to talk to him, before he moves into Gracie Mansion, about building more family housing. “I want to know that these two-bedroom, three-bedroom apartments or condos are being built,” he said, as opposed to big buildings crammed with studios and one-bedrooms, like the one Mamdani lives in. “I want to see, like, where it’s earmarked and located, that schools are going to be in those places, how many seats they’re expecting.” He added, “Something that’s real, that I can follow up on and track and trace.” When Corletta emerged from his three-minute meeting, he pronounced himself satisfied. “It was amazing,” he said. “He was really taking notes.”