Sabrina Haake

After nearly two years of weaponizing the DOJ, featuring official investigations and/or terminations of every career officer who was assigned to investigate Trump’s crimes against the United States, Trump’s DOJ has begun rehabilitating the reputation of former President Richard Nixon.

Even though Nixon was caught engaging in a botched break-in at the Democratic National Committee, illegal wiretapping, and pocketing illegal campaign contributions, more than half a century later, Trump defenders are considering a new spin on the whole scandal: Nixon was the victim of lawfare. Just like Trump.

The only reason Republicans would recast Nixon as a victim is to soften perceptions of Trump’s rampant criminality, set to bite him in the a-- after the midterms. Republican Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia says Nixon was “framed,” and wants to name an aircraft carrier after him, claiming that people are only now free to talk about “what an amazing president he was.” ...

On February 28, 2026, in the middle of the night, Trump released an 8-minute video telling the world that the U.S. had initiated ‘major combat operations’ in Iran. He didn’t pre-sell, pre-plan, or explain the purpose of his war to anyone other than Israel. He didn’t consult allies, or Congress, or Americans. When he attacked Iran, Trump made his disregard for the world’s opinion clear.

Had any real discussion or debate occurred — salivating enthusiasm from a dry drunk ‘war fighter’ doesn’t count — complexities of the Strait of Hormuz, supply logistics, and oil market volatilities would have surfaced. Today Trump’s folly in Iran continues, and the world whose opinion he dismissed is paying the price.

Seven months in, Trump has still not articulated non-contradictory reasons or specific objectives for his war. He can’t even stay on message about it — one hour he’s declaring that we’ve already won, the next he muses about Iran’s “total annihilation,” the next he promises the war will end “very soon.” ...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered his “State of the Forces” address at Quantico Wednesday, where he unveiled a series of military initiatives. Staged in front of Patton-the-movie inspired stars and stripes, Hegseth began by accusing the media of treason for criticizing the war in Iran.

He pulled no punches, encouraging those in attendance to pile on. “It’s your movements and bases that they reveal to the enemy,” he told the assembled troops. “Ultimately, it’s your lives they put directly at risk when they lie about munition stockpiles.”

He did not explain how the media's reporting on diminished stockpiles of weapons endangered the troops, rather than the diminishment itself. ...

On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a climate case that could make or break efforts to stop rising temperatures before they reach the point of no return.

Our planet is hotter than it has ever been, at any time, in the entire history of modern civilization.The six warmest years on record have all been within the last 10, and world scientists agree unequivocally that fossil fuel emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, is the cause.

In assessing whether the world will shift to renewables before much of the planet becomes uninhabitable, timing is everything. The non-political Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report gives only until 2030 to cap global warming at an increase of 1.5°C before climate shifts accelerate to a point that can’t be reversed. The goals of the Paris Treaty, which Trump pulled the U.S. out of because his Democratic predecessors supported it, are also to cap global temperatures at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels....

Sabrina Haake is a political analyst and 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1st and 14th A defense. Subscribe to her free Substack, The Haake Take.

Thursday’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly putting an end to Trump’s White House media ban was lamentable for the speed with which it was issued. An exhausted nation was enjoying a break from Trump’s vitriol dominating every channel but, alas, the reprieve was short-lived.

On September 24, only three days after banned outlets CNN, MSN, and Politico sued, Kelly ordered the White House to ‘immediately return, reinstate, and restore’ their access to the White House. The judge said the banned media outlets had met the legal thresholds for a temporary restraining order, which he put into effect for 14 days. “This is a high bar,” Kelly wrote, “but Plaintiffs have met it.”...