Yes, Senator: In Trump's America, We Are All Afraid

A quick note to GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski

Good morning. On the menu today:

• The Lede

• Fournier Flurries

• A sales pitch

New York Times photo

We feel for you, Senator Murkowski.

It must be scary to serve under a party leader capable of turning the full power of the presidency against you and unleashing waves of angry, potentially violent, supporters upon you.

“We are all afraid,” you told a conference in Anchorage. “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”

You’re right, senator. It’s not right. If you are scared — a member of President Trump’s own party with a family legacy in Alaska politics — can you imagine what it’s like to be a Democrat?

Or a reporter?

Or an immigrant?

Or a child of an immigrant?

Or a non-white person?

Or a woman?

Or a married gay couple?

Or a transgender man or woman?

Or a person on the autism spectrum?

Or a small business person dependent on imports?

Or a starving child dependent on U.S. assistance?

Or a Ukrainian?

Or a federal employee?

Or a college president?

Or a judge?

Or a lawyer?

Or anybody else whose lives and livelihoods our president threatens at a whim?

Yes, Senator. We should all be afraid

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Legendary AP reporter Harry Rosenthal teaching a mentee how to write for food.

In case you missed something worthwhile from me this week:

In Defense of Autism:

• RFK’s reductive take on what makes my son special.

Welcome to Our Miserable Reality:

• Trump’s end game spelled out in three headlines.

The Era of Great Change is Imminent:

• But the duopoly can’t lead us through it.

Liars, Deniers, and Electronic Killers:

• One day’s immigration headlines.

It’s Worse Than You Think:

• Second-most popular column on Convulsions since the January launch.

Substack Live with Matt Lewis:

• Catching up with an old friend from the beat.

First They Came for Harvard, Then They Came for Your Church:

• The unintended consequences of bad policy.

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