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Gonna Get Worse Before It Gets Better
The big weekend news came late Friday when a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a key element of the Trump administration’s policy of mass detention of migrants.
While the ruling from the uber-conservative appeals court wasn’t unexpected and is surely headed to the Supreme Court for final resolution, I wanted to take this opportunity to briefly explain why the particular unilateral policy change at issue has...

This excerpt is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
A key law that protects free speech online is celebrating its 30th birthday under withering fire from critics on both sides of the political aisle.
Even in stable times, rolling back protection would be foolhardy and harmful. In a moment when the Executive Branch and federal agencies seek to censor speech online, it could be a nail in democracy’s coffin....

Hello it’s the weekend. This is The Weekender ☕️
In the 12 hours since a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes was posted on President Trump’s Truth Social account, the White House’s story has swung wildly. 

On Jan. 6, 2026, a group of election conspiracy theorists released a report detailing allegations that the 2020 presidential results in Georgia’s Fulton County were “falsely padded” with questionable ballots. A little over three weeks later, FBI agents...