Aaron Blake

1 week ago | aol.com | Aaron Blake

If there was a telling recent moment when it comes to how ugly our political discourse has become, it might well have been the brutal 2022 hammer attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul. Soon after the attack on the then-82-year-old man, misinformation flowed about Paul Pelosi and the attacker, David DePape. But it wasn’t just right-wing influencers leading the charge; it was also the likes of then-former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and a coterie of prominent Republicans.

1 week ago | aol.com | Aaron Blake

It’s now been 10 years since Donald Trump rode down that golden escalator and launched his 2016 presidential campaign. And plenty of people – raising my hand here – initially dismissed him as a passing novelty. Little did we know at the time that this man would not only become president (twice), but would completely flip the political script in our country. Regardless of what happens from here, Trump has changed the course of our politics, in multiple ways. So what are the biggest ones?

2 weeks ago | aol.com | Aaron Blake

When the Trump Justice Department took the extraordinary step of arresting a local judge seven weeks ago, plenty feared what it could portend. Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan’s case will play out in the weeks and months to come – she’s pleaded not guilty to obstructing the arrest of an undocumented immigrant – but arresting judges and public officials isn’t something to undertake lightly. Critics warned of the chilling effect it could lead to and the precedent it would set.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Aaron Blake

One of the problems with making a series of brazen and hyperbolic claims is that it can be hard to keep everyone on your team on the same page. And few Trump administration claims have been as brazen as the idea that the Venezuelan government has engineered an invasion of gang members into the United States. This claim forms the basis of the administration’s controversial efforts to rapidly deport a bunch of people it claimed were members of the gang Tren de Aragua – without due process.

2 weeks ago | cnn.com | Aaron Blake

Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on June 9 in New York City. Federal agents are arresting immigrants during mandatory check-ins, as ICE ramps up enforcement following immigration court hearings. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images CNN  —  There is an emerging conventional wisdom about the increasingly aggressive Trump administration deportations and troop mobilizations that underlie the scenes in Los Angeles.