Weekend Report: What's happening?

Government websites go dark, LGBTQ scrubbed, purge at FBI. Trumps tariffs go into effect, market plummets. Democrats being pressured by activists to fight harder.

So much is happening so fast and furious, and all of it is bad. The chaos in the Trump administration seems to know no bounds, as Elon Musk’s associates have locked employees out of computer systems; government websites that share vital public health information went missing or dark; LGBTQ people are being erased from all official documents, including for public health and including studies on HIV over decades; and purges continue among government employees as Trump fires top FBI officials and may purge hundreds of agents.

Today, 25% tariffs on all goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10% tariffs on all imports from China will take effect. The potential damage to the economy is already being felt as the market plunged yesterday. Prices on fruits and vegetables, lumber and cement, and energy, are expected to soar. And Trump could cause massive damage to the Mexican economy that will reverberate in the U.S.

Democrats are being criticized for being muted even as they made some noise. They get their fire—as they did over Trump’s spending freeze—only to recede once again. The weekend’s drama requires them to continually highlight the seriousness of the moment and make noise in new and different ways that grab attention.