Trump and his Repubican supporters are openly taking bribes, arresting judges whose actions they don’t like, building registries of Jews and autistic people, threatening to deport American citizens, some born here, putting people in concentration camps, dismantling America’s scientific and economic leadership, rewriting American history to erase Black contributions, and that’s just some damage done in their first three months. Gosh, I can’t wait to see what they get up to in May!

Here’s something I saw walking the dog this morning. The flowers are coming in at the park. The goslings are not far behind.

Responding to Trump, America’s allies are rushing to cut deals with China and remilitarizing, says Ian Welsh. “Even Japan, the most loyal of vassals, has noted that you can’t make a deal with Trump, because blackmailers always come back for more.” The outcome will be ugly for the U.S. and for Americans.

Rowling is playing edgelord from the comfort of a life so far removed from reality that the truth is just a speck in the distance. After years spent tarnishing her brand with rampant trans-exclusionary takes, she’s assured that her writing won’t define her legacy; her flagrant cowardice will.

— After J.K. Rowling’s transphobic gloating, it’s time to leave Harry Potter behind for good, by Coleman Spilde at Salon

The Very American Roots of Trumpism: Trump isn’t a freak or an outlier. He’s part of the long American tradition of illiberalism that includes Andrew Jackson, Jim Crow, Joseph McCarthy and Eisenhower’s Operation Wetback — Ezra Klein

‘Who’s our leader?’ In El Cajon, Rep. Sara Jacobs faces hundreds of residents eager to oppose Trump — San Diego Union-Tribune

Something I saw while walking the dog.

I cannot bear to throw away an empty cardboard box if it looks like a good box.

While I was walking the dog a few days ago, a car rolled up next to us and a young man rolled down his window and shouted, “THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL DOG!”

Minnie has been insufferably vain ever since.

One day more than 20 years ago, a friend was coming down from Los Angeles, about two hours away, to visit. We were going to meet up downtown. Until that day, we would have decided on a specific time and location to meet. That day, we agreed my friend would text me when he was about a half-hour out from downtown and I’d hop in my car and we’d figure out a place to meet on the fly.

This is perfectly ordinary behavior today, but at that time it felt like we were living in the future.