Big Law's Capitulation
Institutions are caving to Trump with gusto: Part 1
One of the hallmarks of states turning towards authoritarianism are institutions bending towards the overt desires and acts of the government. Of those institutions, the three in particular that are capitulating to the Trump administration include law firms, the media, and universities. In the next few issues, I’ll discuss each of these institutions and their current interactions with the administration.
Let’s get into it:
Law Firms
When it comes to using state powers, Trump has yielded the use of executive orders and legal threats to first attack and then bring lawfare under his purview.
Paul Weiss.
Milbank
Skadden Arps
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
These are some of the most powerful law firms to bend the knee to Trump and his demands. Paul Weiss has been around since 1875 and has previously championed civil rights causes. Milbank is the home of MSNBC legal analyst Neal Katyal (it doesn’t surprise me this guy’s firm would bend so easy). And Willkie Farr & Gallagher? They brought on Doug Emhoff — you may know him better as Kamala Harris’ husband — as a partner back in January of this year.
These attacks are ones of retribution and control; many of these law agencies in one vein or another made an unforgiveable sin — investigating Trump.
The threats Trump was lobbing towards them included attorneys being reviewed for suspension of their licenses, termination of federal contracts, and restricting access to federal buildings.
Big Law in this case had (and continues to have) a choice — fight against the administration and challenge these almost certainly illegal actions, or give in.
As they’ve decided to submit, what they’re offering Trump is pro bono work to denounce and undo any “DEI” practices. Alongside this, they’re working on other issues that the Trump admin claims to be addressing, such as assisting our Nation’s veterans, fairness in the Justice System, and cosigning itself to the President’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
Some of those may seem okay, but when you look towards what Trump has done already in each of these issues what you end up seeing so far is — firing government workers (many of them being veterans), dismantling government agencies, attacking and ignoring judicial rulings, and disappearing and detaining US residents because of their free speech.
And now picture these law firms backing up these acts, free of charge.
What are the reasons for this?
It’s hard to pinpoint a single explanation for this level of capitulation, which analysts are have pointed out will not be satiated by a one-time deal.
A lawyer, Ty Cobb, who served under the first administration, put it like this:
“The more of them that cave, the more extortion that that invites.”
A single thought can be that the game has changed since the early Trump years of the first administration. With less pressure, law firms were more welcome to take on performative law cases and even work side-by-side with organizations like the ACLU.
But now their bottom lines are being clearly threatened by a right-wing who are playing for all the marbles. Seemingly, the values these law firms claimed to hold dear can now be discarded if their business could take a hit.
Still, it is also possible that some think they will outwit the Trump administration. That if they give in just enough, they can either blow him off or do the bare minimum to get Trump off their back.
This is obviously a mistake, as Cobb mentions earlier. More appeasement to Trump will lessen the likelihood of breaking from the administration, and encourage more encroachment on Trump’s part.
On the bright side, there are some signs of law firms looking to stand up to Trump and Big Law that sides with him, in one way or another.
We’ll need more of them to take a stand.
US Slop
Liberation Day has come and so to the possible collapse of the economic world order. Trump on Wednesday, levied a number of tariffs against countries and various territories - one mostly uninhabited island that is notably populated by penguins and seals. Markets are plummeting to levels not seen since the 2020 Covid days. In response, tariffs are being announced by other countries, causing further economic turmoil.
If another indicator was necessary, these tariff rates being imposed by Trump are expected to be higher than the Smoot-Hawley era tariffs of the 1930s, which analysts says exacerbated the Great Depression.
To make a horrifying situation even more comical, some have pointed out that the arbitrary and aimlessness application of the tariffs appear to have been done through the assistance of an AI chatbot like ChatGPT.
My early takeaway: Aside from the economic disaster this will cause, it will also provide opportunity for Trump to further consolidate power. As the US slips closers to a self-induced recession, more and more domestic entities will become vulnerable to the whims and discretion of the Trump administration. And then there’s the whole disaster capitalism that follows any economic downturn, where the wealthy gobble up on the cheap anything that is left standing.
This could be in the heartwarming section if I had one this week, but given the disastrous news domestically, we’ll just slot it here. Musk’s Tesla sales continue to plummet, at their lowest levels in three years. Their shares have also tumbled, while China continues to make advancements, recently announcing that they have produced a battery that can almost charge for the duration it takes to fill up a gas tank.
In good news - to a very certain degree - Tufts University has declared its support for their student was detained for writing a student op-ed critical of the state of Israel. On the level compared to universities like Columbia that have rolled out the red-carpet for their students to be run-over by the Trump administration, it’s good to see any pushback on these detentions.
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell says that bigger-than-expected tariffs will translate into higher inflation and slower economic growth — and that the higher inflation could be persistent, not temporary.
Just numerous stories of tourism to America collapsing because of Trump’s belligerence.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is now projecting an GDP contraction of 3.7%.
America is at risk of losing a generation of scientists. - New York Times
Democrats’ win in Wisconsin court race also is a big loss for Elon Musk - AP
Trump Tells Inner Circle That Musk Will Leave Soon - Politico
RFK Jr. fired communications teams in the HHS Department, responsible for sharing health information with the public. - New York Times
World Slop
Leader of France’s far-right National Front Party, Marine Le Pen, was convicted of embezzlement. She also faces a five-year ban from running for office. Her party, which was founded by her father with Nazi collaborators, has found admirers such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hungary’s Viktor Orban. Trump and Musk both attacked the conviction, naturally.
Miscarriages are increasing in Gaza as continued Israeli attacks, forced displacement, and a lack of medication and food take a toll on pregnant women - Drop Site News
Democratic Party Slop
Red flag for Senator Chuck Schumer; new poll commissioned by Data for Progress shows Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez walloping Schumer in a possible primary challenge in 2028 by almost 20 points. The poll found AOC at 55%, while Schumer sat at only 36%. This comes off the heels of reports of House and Senate members backing an AOC challenge to Schumer.
Non-Slop News
Sad news, the great Val Kilmer has passed away. Watch Tombstone, Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, or Heat this weekend to honor his memory.
Knew about law firms capitulations but shocked to learn about the connection to MSNBC and Harris’ husband!!! Rest of Slop was great succinct recap. Thank you Ben!