The latest on Trump’s weaponization of the DOJ, briefly explained

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is going after his enemies.

What’s happening? It’s a long list from this week alone: 

• On Sunday, we learned that the DOJ is investigating Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell in an attempt to coerce an interest rate cut.
• On Tuesday, a push to investigate the widow of Renee Good, 37, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent last week, resulted in a flurry of resignations by career DOJ officials.
• Today, the FBI raided a reporter’s home in Virginia and seized multiple devices; we also learned that all six congressional Democrats who appeared in a video reminding members of the military they can refuse unlawful orders are now under investigation.

As disparate as those headlines are, there’s a common thread: Under Trump, the DOJ — traditionally independent from the White House — is taking extraordinary steps to quash dissent and compel obedience.

Why does this matter? The Logoff has previously covered the dire economic implications of Trump’s Fed power grab; many of the others are best seen as attacks on free expression. They each matter on their own terms, but the big picture is that the Trump administration is weaponizing the DOJ at an alarming rate.

As my colleague Ian Millhiser reports, there’s also a second element: DOJ overreach is vandalizing the department’s credibility in court, potentially in a way that will last well after Trump’s time in office.

What’s the context? None of this behavior, I should stress, is new. Trump’s DOJ has been behaving egregiously since last year; lowlights, as far as the rule of law is concerned, include his (thus far unsuccessful) attempts at prosecuting former FBI director James Comey and New York state Attorney General Letitia James. 

But Trump clearly wants more: On Monday, we also learned that the president is increasingly frustrated with his attorney general, Pam Bondi, for not doing more to advance his priorities — including just this kind of weaponization.

And with that, it’s time to log off…

I come with reassuring news: You probably don’t have as much plastic in your body as you think. 

Specifically, researchers are now challenging the accuracy of a number of high-profile studies that found rising levels of microplastics in our brains, arteries, and elsewhere, as Vox reported yesterday in collaboration with The Guardian and Climate Desk.

That isn’t to say microplastics aren’t a problem or something to be aware of — but they’re maybe not something to panic about, either. Have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!