Wait? What?: 5 reads from the week

Adding some focus to the firehose of news

Happy Saturday, all.

I was talking to a colleague this week, and recalling that, if covering the first Trump administration was like drinking from five firehoses, then covering Trump 2.0 has been like drinking from 10 firehoses.

Between the pace of action at the quasi-governmental Department of Government Efficiency, developments on the foreign policy front, Senate confirmation votes, and the blizzard of state-level litigation challenging the new(ish) White House’s executive orders. there’s been just an epic amount of stuff to keep up with.

I am reminded, of course, that this is President Donald Trump’s style, and that sorting sound from substance remains one of the great challenges of intelligently conveying what this White House is doing and what it means.

It won’t surprise you to learn that I’ve been looking at it through a state-level lens. The White House’s executive orders, especially those touching on federal funding, have broad implications for state government. And because state government touches people the most directly, that’s where I’ve tried to direct my energy at the day job.