The Friday Brief

January 23, 2025

Inside: ICE Raids and Consequences, Trump’s weak polling hand, courage in the Senate, security clearance follies and how spies happen, Elon’s HeilGate, Hegseth Noir short fiction, the magic of snow in the South, Denmark FTW, Stupid Lawyer Tricks, Chinese AI problems, What I’m Reading, and Scenes From The Home Front.

The Big Picture

The Raids Begin

As I write this, ICE and other Federal agencies are sweeping into cities and beginning immigration raids.

On the same front, a Federal Judge appointed by Ronald Reagan absolutely eviscerated government attorneys on Trump’s absurd order attempting to rewrite the 14th Amendment. For you MAGAe reading this, here’s the black-letter language:

”All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Senior U.S. District Judge Senior John C. Coughenour issued a 2-week restraining order, stopping its implementation for now, saying, "I’ve been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.”