The Week Ahead by Joyce Vance

 

The Week Ahead: The celebration of President’s Day was subdued with Donald Trump in office. We discussed whether DOJ would try again to indict the six Congress members who made a video advising members of the military they didn’t have to follow illegal orders (they haven’t yet but could still try); upcoming SCOTUS decisions days; and the Epstein Files.

Context Matters: Trump Administration Summons Secretaries of State: State officials don’t work for Trump. So why has his administration summoned state election officials to a meeting in advance of the midterms? The context makes it clear that this is about Trump’s continued push to “nationalize” elections.

Seizing the Moment: I took a break from the newsletter for some family time with my husband and our amazing daughter. (If you want to recreate the Five Spice Duck Breast she made for us, the recipe is here.)

Stephen Colbert and the First Amendment: Trump is clearly no fan of the First Amendment. His administration’s continued attempts to weaken it via the FCC, a historically independent agency that no longer operates as such under Brendan Carr, are the context for CBS’s decision not to air a segment on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with Texas Democrat James Talarico. We explore why this matters more than ever.

Live with Katie Phang and Mary Trump: Ahead of next week’s State of the Union address, Katie, Mary, and I discussed where we are as a country. Listen in to hear our takes on what is really happening with the “draw-down” in Minneapolis, developments at DOJ (or is it Trump’s personal law firm?), and ways to handle “triple Trumpers” along with other thoughts about the midterms.

Arresting Andrew: With Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest in connection with the Epstein Files, the country with a king shows us that it still subscribes to the belief that no man is above the law—and we in the US can use the reminder of what accountability for public officials looks like.

Live with Former Ohio Governor John Kasich: The newsletter is called Civil Discourse for a reason. Former Ohio Governor John Kasich and I disagree on a lot of issues. So I valued the opportunity to sit down with him, air both sides of an argument, and then see where we could find common ground, which we did in the rule of law and the importance of country over party. If you missed us live, I hope you’ll listen in to this interesting conversation.

Five Questions with Nils Lofgren: Musician Nils Lofgren joined us to share his new protest song, “No Kings, No Hate, No Fear.” In addition to being a songwriter, Nils is a guitarist and member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. The song he wrote with his wife, Amy, is the “street anthem for freedom’s gladiators,” we all need for the next No Kings marches.

The Context You Need to Understand the Supreme Court’s Tariffs Decision: SCOTUS is finally pumping the brakes on the runaway presidency. Read here for a preliminary breakdown of what the holding in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, the tariffs case, means and why it is so important.

The Pernicious Myth of Voter ID Laws: Explained by Stacey Abrams & Joyce Vance: The legendary Stacey Abrams and I work through the explanation of what’s wrong with the push for ID rules, in light of Donald Trump’s determination to make it more difficult for people to vote. Please listen or watch along—next time a friend or neighbor asks, “What’s wrong with needing to show your ID to vote?” you’ll be prepared to respond.

And a bonus article: I wrote my monthly column for Cafe this week. It’s about the importance of remembering what this administration did in Minneapolis, even as they claim (I’m a skeptic) that they’re leaving. “We cannot afford to forget Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and the other people and incidents, even, perhaps especially, those we do not have names or faces to attach to because of the sheer volume. 

When a government shoots and kills its own citizens—citizens exercising essential constitutional rights lawfully and in public, we must not forget. When that government lies about what happened, demonizes the victims, calls them terrorists, and opens an investigation into one of their family members instead of the law enforcement agent who pulled the trigger, we cannot afford to look away. 

If we do, if what happened in Minneapolis becomes just one more horror to be tossed with the rest of the trash at the end of its news cycle, we will forever lose a big, significant piece of what it means to be an American.” Read it here.

These are complicated legal times, and it’s easy for the truth to get lost in the chaos. Civil Discourse doesn’t just track today’s headlines—it connects them to the legal and political history that explains why they matter. We won’t forget what’s at stake or let Trump and his allies rewrite the past. 

You can subscribe to Civil Discourse for free and get clear analysis that helps you see the whole picture, delivered straight to your inbox. If you’re in a position to, your paid subscription helps me devote the time and resources it takes to write the newsletter. That means everyone has access to information they can share with friends and family—a constructive act we can all participate in right now, helping more Americans understand how critical this moment is.

We’re in this together,

Joyce Vance