Immigration Enforcement Concerns - The report highlights concerns about ICE targeting students and hardworking individuals, moving away from focusing on the "worst of the worst" as initially promised [1] - A baseball coach intervened when ICE agents questioned young players about their origins during practice [2][4] - The incident raised concerns about potential violations of constitutional rights, specifically the Fourth and Fifth Amendments [6] Community Impact - The baseball practice, usually attended by 20 to 25 kids, experienced a significant drop in attendance after the incident, with only one kid showing up [12][13] - The coach relocated the practice to protect the kids, but the children and parents were shaken up [4] - Bystanders' lack of intervention during the incident was noted, with the coach expressing disappointment in their obedience to authority [11] Academy Achievements - The Harlem Baseball Hitting Academy has a 22-year history of graduating 400 African-American and Latino kids from colleges like Stanford, Princeton, and Harvard [8] - The academy has produced 45 major league draft picks [12]

FBI Leadership & Political Influence - The appointment of Cash Patel and Dan Bonino as leaders within the FBI is considered extraordinary due to their partisan backgrounds [4][12] - Concerns exist regarding the FBI's use of polygraphs to assess employee loyalty to Patel, raising questions about the work environment [6] - There's a perceived blurring of the line between the White House and the Department of Justice/FBI, violating established norms [8][9] - The FBI's leadership is suspected of promoting inexperienced agents and potentially forcing out those deemed disloyal to Donald Trump [8] Potential for Election Interference - There's a fear that a segment of FBI agents, driven by their political beliefs, could be manipulated to influence elections [11] - The FBI could potentially impact election outcomes by opening spurious investigations or ignoring legitimate ones [12] Erosion of Trust & Institutional Norms - The American people's trust in the FBI's apolitical use of force is potentially eroding [2] - Violating established norms within the FBI undermines the foundations of the institution [9] - The FBI is allegedly ignoring worthy investigations and opening spurious investigations [10]

Joining me now is Lukan Ahmed Way, distinguished professor of democracy at the University of Toronto and the author of numerous books including Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism and Joyce Vance, former United States Attorney, co-host of the Sisters-in-law podcast and an MSNBC contributor. Welcome to you both. Luka, I think I'm we're getting a commission from University of Toronto.Uh this this show we had uh we had Jason Stanley on at at 10:00. You have studied how ...

Judicial Nomination Concerns - The report raises concerns about a judicial nominee's unwillingness to condemn past actions and answer constitutional questions, suggesting a potential lack of commitment to upholding legal principles [2][3][5][8] - The nominee's refusal to rule out a third term for a president and his ambiguous stance on the January 6th insurrection are highlighted as particularly troubling [3][5] - The report suggests a decline in the importance of nominees' statements during confirmation processes, implying that votes are often predetermined along partisan lines [9] Political Polarization and Constitutional Principles - The analysis points to a shift in the political landscape, where adherence to constitutional norms appears to be weakening within a specific political party [14][15] - The report criticizes the apparent abandonment of previously held principles by some members, driven by loyalty or fear [16][18] - The report emphasizes the importance of holding elected officials accountable for their actions and reminding them of their constitutional duties [16][18] Erosion of Standards - The report suggests that previously established "red lines" are being disregarded, raising concerns about the integrity of government officials [1][2][8] - The report highlights the importance of senators upholding standards and questioning nominees on critical issues [13] - The report suggests a shift in what is considered acceptable, potentially normalizing actions that were previously seen as unacceptable [12][14]

Judicial nominee Emil Bove wouldn’t directly answer if President Donald Trump could serve a third term in office under the Constitution, instead telling lawmakers in written questions it would be “improper” to comment on the issue https://t.co/fDPS4j2Gel ...

The last word with Lawrence O'Donnell starts right now. Hey, Lawrence. Hey, Jen.You have just taught me everything I know about Shawn Duffy. And in in all of the things that we've got to deal with here, I haven't gotten to him. And I know people are familiar with him.And I have no idea why cuz uh reality television is of course one of the poisons that doesn't come my way. And so I watch road rules for you. I can brief you on it anytime.Well, below deck sailing yacht. Okay. that that's the only one uh I I've ...

And the rule of law itself is now, according to many experts, quite clearly under siege. We're at an early point in the term. People have noticed. People are fighting back. The president of the United States is not king. What we're seeing is this administration continue to run a foul of the law. This is against the Constitution. A king unbound by laws, who rules by decree. It's going against our rights as people and especially as American citizens. What's it going to take for us to wake up? The American peo ...

This week, Americans mark 249 years since a group of colonists outraged by a distant government's abuse of power declared their intention to form a new nation. One founded on liberty, equality, and the radical idea at the time that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed. We celebrate July 4th with fireworks and flags. But the deeper meaning of this day, of this remarkable experiment, is not about triumph. It's about aspiration. The Declaration of Independence certainly did not give ...

[Music] thank you today I'm going to tell you that what most people think about democracy is wrong the prevailing folk theory of democracy goes something like this in a democracy the people are always right the majority determines what's right and wrong and politicians should always just carry out the will of the people and I think we've all been brought up with this very simplistic notion about how our democracy is supposed to work um and the problem it's not true we're about to discuss whether democracies ...

Political Climate & National Sentiment - A new poll indicates that 34% of Americans believe democracy is under serious threat and view politically motivated violence as a major problem [1] - There is a rising distrust in democracy, with concerns about the rule of law and the Constitution [3] - The nation faces a test of citizenship, questioning the willingness to call issues fairly [4] - Polling suggests that one in five Americans are open to replacing Donald Trump with the king of England [5] Historical & Philosophical Perspectives - The United States is founded on an ideal, not ethnicity [5] - Democracy is hard because it requires participation and responsibility from everyone [6] - Democracy is meant to protect against the rule of the strong [7] - The American experiment requires continuous effort to live up to the declaration that all are created equal [8] Future Outlook - The country may be moving away from its founding ideals [9] - There is optimism that the nation can change course if enough people decide to do the right thing [9]