In this podcast, Michael Wolff makes the following – not very surprising – claims, starting at minute 23.40s:-

• Trump knows his reign is nearly over.
• He is easily bored and not interested in details, which are the basics of politics and the very work of a president. He reacts badly to them.
• He backs away from stances made complicated by resistance, e. g. taking over Greenland
• He needs the inspiration of the roar of the crowd; his main interest is in performing on TV.
• He doesn’t know or understand the details of the Executive Orders written by Miller.
• This effectively creates a presidential vacuum – filled by Miller, and the architects of Project 2025, who’ve played a long game since 2020.

Elsewhere Miller has been described as a man who couldn’t get confirmed as a dog-catcher but has the power, via deliberately tough ICE actions, to be driving a long-planned culture war that he thinks the Republicans will win. This power and influence is said to be increasing as Trump declines. Hence the killing of innocent citizens.

A Guardian columnist believes there must be – and will be – a reckoning for the state-authorised murder of innocent citizens.

Meanwhile, the 2025 National Security Memo has been updated by a 2026 version. This is described here as 30 Pages of Insanity.

Here’s the inimitable Jon Stewart on the administration’s BS, specifically its hypocritical criticism of guns.

On the Pretti homicide, Stewart says: That’s how they lie when we can see the truth. That’s how they lie when they know we know the truth. So, imagine how they lie when we don’t have the evidence of the truth. [Actually, we know, if we’ve ever watched Katherine Leavitt in action].

But . . . An unexpected tactical retreat . . . The egregious Katherine Leavitt has slightly changed her repulsive tone.

Here’s Jimmy Kimmel with his take on things.

But some not-bad news . . . The Nazi cos-player – Greg Bovino – has been pulled out of Minneapolis. There’s a (rather unflattering) profile of him here.

And Trump, while not admitting any mistake or – god forbid – apologising for anything, is showing signs of planning to withdraw his Stormtroopers. Meanwhile he’s sent to Minneapolis the Deputy Attorney General Tom Blanche, who was his defence lawyer in one of his criminal trials. Blanche has declined to go as far as his boss Kristi Noem in accusing Alex Pretti of being a domestic terrorist who deserved to be killed but has said that a “violent confrontation” took place and is under investigation, though the ICE agents acted “humanely”. So, an open mind, by Trumpian standards.

Finally . . . A couple of quotes:-

• Trump is destroying both the value of the dollar and US soft power.
• Repressive regimes have no problem in killing their people. Witness Iran.

And a cartoon . .