Eric Lutz

2 weeks ago | vanityfair.com | Eric Lutz

Having already cowed Columbia University, Donald Trump is upping the pressure on other institutions to bend to his demands. The administration said Thursday that it would withhold more than $500 million in federal funding from Brown University as part of its crusade to crack down on student protests and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The same day, the White House issued a set of demands to Harvard University, and threatened to pull $9 billion in federal funding if they weren’t met.

2 weeks ago | vanityfair.fr | Eric Lutz

Lors de son premier mandat, Donald Trump avait fait montre d’un amour si grand pour les tarifs douaniers qu’il s'était donné le sobriquet de « Tariff Man », et il ne faisait mystère à personne qu’il comptait pousser le curseur encore plus loin pour son second mandat. « Tarif, c’est l’un des plus beaux mots que j’aie jamais entendus », claironnait-il lors de sa campagne.

2 weeks ago | vanityfair.com | Eric Lutz

Donald Trump dubbed himself “Tariff Man” in his first term and was clear he had even bigger plans in his second. “‘Tariff’...is one of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard,” he said during his campaign. Economists, and even some Republicans, cautioned that tariffs are not a magic wand, and waving them around as he vowed to would raise prices for American consumers and potentially trigger a recession. But he didn’t back off: “Tariffs are the greatest thing ever invented,” he insisted.

3 weeks ago | vanityfair.com | Eric Lutz

It’s a low bar, but Tuesday was the best day for Democrats since Donald Trump stormed back to power. It began with Cory Booker continuing to hold the floor and, eventually, surpassing the segregationist Strom Thurmond for the longest Senate speech in history—railing against the president’s assault on democracy for more than 25 hours straight.

3 weeks ago | vanityfair.com | Eric Lutz

The Trump administration has premised its mass deportation campaign on removing “criminals” and “terrorists” from the country—and insists that the public should simply trust them to execute the expulsions without due process or court oversight. But two recent cases underscore the dangers of the extraordinary power this regime has claimed.