Friday Round Up! 1/26/2024

Why consequences matter.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got 83.3 million reasons to be feeling pretty good this weekend. For this of you who have enrolled in my class and read my last lesson, E Jean Carroll’s verdict is an example of “cool trust” in action. It seems that for now, at least, the second lawsuit has been effective in changing Trump’s behavior: Since the jury returned its damages award, Trump has refrained from disparaging Carroll by name on his social media posts. It’s a reminder that when people refuse to obey basic norms of decency, formally enforcing them with hefty consequences can act as a deterrent.

Which brings us to Trump’s criminal cases. Will he face more consequences for his behavior before the election? Renato and I discuss what things look like for the timing of Trump’s January 6 trial in light of his pending appeal of his “absolute immunity claim”:

My articles this week:

• My latest piece for Cafe Insider on the latest threat: “swatting”

Other articles worth reading:

• Tom Nichols in The Atlantic, on how Trump’s supporters don’t hold him to their own standards of “masculinity” (I’m so glad someone is finally saying it!)

Noteworthy clips from this week:

My thoughts on Trump taking the stand in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case:

Upcoming events:

• Zoom Office Hours, Tuesday, January 30, 3-4 p.m. EST. We’ll discuss the latest news and the material on social trust. Zoom link will be sent to paid subscribers at 12 p.m.

• Wine & Fries Happy Hour with George Conway, Sunday, February 11, 8 p.m. EST. This is going to be really fun and informative, especially on the heels of Trump’s Supreme Court argument about disqualification under the Fourteenth Amendment. George is one of my favorite legal analysts and is also one of the funniest people I know. Zoom link will be sent to founding members three hours before the event.

• Guest Speaker Nina Jankowicz, Thursday, February 29, 1:30 p.m. EST. I’m thrilled to have Nina, Vice President of the Center for Information Resilience and author of How to Lose the Information War and How to be a Woman Online, join our class to discuss social media, disinformation, and what we can learn from other countries tackling this problem around the world. Zoom link will be sent to paid subscribers three hours before the discussion, and will be recorded and posted for paid subscribers the following day.

• Guest Speaker Barb McQuade, Thursday, March 28, 4 p.m. EST. Speaking of my favorite legal analysts, I’m thrilled to have Barb be a guest speaker for my class, Preserving Democracy in the (Dis)Information Age. Barb is about to release her book, Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America, and I’m excited to get her perspective on where we are as we head into the 2024 election. Zoom link will be sent to paid subscribers three hours before the discussion, and will be recorded and posted for paid subscribers the following day.

• Freedom Academy Book Club, Date/Time TBA (likely early April).  We’ll be discussing Gun Country: Gun Capitalism, Culture, and Control in Cold War America with author Andrew McKevitt. Drew’s book illuminates how our society became so saturated with guns, and how gun ownership intersects with race, politics, and money.

I hope to see you at office hours next week!