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On Saturday, DHS agents killed Alex Pretti, a VA nurse who tried to help a woman they’d just pushed to the ground. By Sunday, the Trump administration had initiated an at least tactical retreat from Minneapolis.
In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:
* The silver lining of Pretti’s death, in providing proof of concept that civil disobedience requires risk and sacrifice—but it does work;
* Whether the political blowback will be fierce enough to dissuade Trump from ordering more pretextual, citywide occupations by masked paramilitaries;
* What Democrats can demand in the ensuing fight over Homeland Security funding, and whether they’ll have greater tolerance for a prolonged shutdown this time.
Then, Trump isn’t just retreating in Minnesota. He also pulled a TACO on Greenland, after allies asserted he’d wrecked the post-war order, and bond markets started revolting. What lessons, if any, lie in that episode? What more should foreign leaders (public and non-governmental) do to limit Trump’s abuses? And to what extent can Democrats partner with the international community to cordon Trump?
All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.
Further reading:
* Matt on the turning point in Minnesota.
* Brian on the folly of House Democratic support for funding DHS.
* How Alex Pretti might help decent Americans reclaim the meaning of masculinity from the far right.