Politics
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October 17, 2025
On this week’s Elie v. U.S., The Nation’s justice correspondent connects the dots between the Supreme Courtroom’s Voting Rights Case and Trump’s whites-only refugee coverage.
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Donald Trump smiles throughout an announcement within the Oval Workplace on October 16, 2025.
(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP by way of Getty Photos)
This can be a preview of Nation Justice Correspondent Elie Mystal’s new weekly publication. Click on right here to obtain this article in your inbox every Friday.
The New York Occasions stories that the Trump administration is contemplating proposals to radically reshape the US refugee system, denying entry to Black and brown refugees the world over whereas opening up the borders for white individuals from South Africa and Europe who declare they’re being politically persecuted. Trump is planning to slash the variety of refugees admitted into the nation annually to 7,500, a drastic lower from the 125,000 let in beneath the insurance policies of the Biden administration final 12 months. Apparently, these few spots are actually reserved for white individuals who espouse Nazi beliefs, as each Trump and Vance have made some extent of defending neo-Nazis in Germany and have been apparently planning to convey them over right here.
None of that is shocking to anyone who has finished the work of truly listening to what Trump and his MAGA supporters have been speaking about for years. The Trump administration is an brazenly white supremacist regime, and so they’ve been appearing prefer it, in each phrase and deed, since he returned to workplace. These individuals are petrified of the browning of America, terrified that white of us will lose their numeric majority on this nation within the coming many years, and petrified of the declining white start price.
Welcoming white refugees is all of a bit. It suits neatly with bombing boats filled with harmless brown individuals, authorizing Gestapo-style techniques by ICE, taking away birthright citizenship from individuals truly born right here, sending within the army to police brown cities, eviscerating the voting rights of non-white individuals, and attempting to show white girls into brood moms by means of the revocation of their reproductive rights. When you consider that America exists for the profit and glory of white of us, and if you happen to consider that non-white of us don’t “deserve” to be right here except they’re working to extend the income of white individuals, then each single factor the Trump administration is doing is sensible. It’s the way you resurrect white supremacist rule over this nation if white supremacy is your one true calling.
I’ve nearly misplaced my capability to be horrified by any of it. It’s not that I’m numb to it. As a substitute, as Django stated: “I’m simply extra used to People.” That is simply what majorities of white of us do. That is what majorities of white of us have at all times finished each time their energy is left unchecked. And the one cause they’re afraid of dropping their majority is that they assume different individuals will do to them what they’ve finished to everyone else, simply as quickly as we get an opportunity.
We received’t, after all. As a result of we’re higher than that.

The Unhealthy and the Ugly
The federal government remains to be shut down. Trump is providing to bail out the nation with $40 billion in federal spending. Wait, no, that’s Argentina.
Florida-man Consultant Cory Mills had a restraining order taken out towards him by his ex-girlfriend. Mills has lengthy been problematic. However so have voters in Florida.
“The Washington Publish Is Working Out Of Readers Prepared To Pay,” stories Forbes. I’m not mentioning this as a plug for the paper. I’m simply placing this right here to remind individuals to unsubscribe from The Washington Publish (and, maybe, subscribe to The Nation as a substitute).
Alleged tried rapist Brett Kavanaugh’s endorsement of racial profiling—in a September shadow docket determination by which he affirmed the federal government’s potential to cease anybody who’s brown and talking Spanish on suspicion of being an immigrant—has Sheriff Joe Arpaio feeling vindicated. He ought to. His racism was each behind and forward of its time.
Talking of Kavanaugh’s racial profiling determination, ProPublica reported that greater than 170 US residents have been detained by ICE. In his determination, Kavanaugh advised that such unlawful kidnappings could be a minor inconvenience, however the precise information present that Kavanaugh was, as traditional, mendacity.
Impressed Takes
Like everyone else, I learn the hell out of this Nation piece in regards to the evolution of the Cybertruck.
In The Nation, Kate Wagner explains why the College of Chicago stopped admitting PhD candidates within the humanities.
Liz Dye, who’s considered one of my favourite authorized writers, takes a deep dive into all of the defects with the Comey indictment.
This podcast makes a very good level about why the No Kings protest (one other one is occurring Saturday) bothers MAGA a lot. Principally, they thought that Black individuals could be on the entrance line of protests—Black individuals they might brutalize whereas whites watched in satisfaction. It’s somewhat completely different when the Trump administration has to beat up anyone’s white grandma.
Worst Argument of the Week
Politico gained entry to a textual content chain of “younger” Republican leaders (a few of them had been 40) the place they talked like… Republicans discuss after they suppose solely different Republicans are listening. They used racial slurs about non-white individuals and Jews. Denigrated girls and the LGBTQ group. And, as is customary with them nowadays, praised Hitler.
Vice President JD Vance, who as soon as likened Trump to Hitler however now has determined that’s an excellent factor, defended his younger Republican bros. Vance dismissed all of the sexism and bigotry as “edgy jokes” and stated “I refuse to hitch within the pearl clutching.”
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I… don’t personal pearls. As I stated already, I’m now not horrified when white individuals act like white individuals. However giving these individuals license for his or her hate and vitriol is past gross. It’s not a defensible place; it’s only a racist one.
I used to be going to bounce a whole tarantella on Vance’s head, however The Nation’s Joan Walsh beat me to it. I cosign every thing she stated right here. Joan identified that Vance’s spouse, Usha, is Indian, and Vance is defending people who find themselves saying the worst attainable issues about Indian girls like his spouse.
However right here’s the factor, Vance is aware of what Trump is aware of, which can be what Mitt Romney knew and John McCain knew and each different Republican since Richard Nixon has recognized: They can not win with out these individuals. They’ll’t make the numbers work every other means. And so each Republican, each single one, should play good with these hateful neo-Nazis, in the event that they need to win political contests.
Present Challenge

Vance is prepared to throw his spouse beneath the bus to verify there isn’t any distance between him and his base of help. Factor is… so is his spouse. Usha shouldn’t be captured. She’s a accomplice on this. They’ve each determined that they’d quite throw in with the racists and win than stand towards them and lose.
Couldn’t be me. I’ve this factor referred to as “self-respect.” Apparently, it’s a burden in American politics.
What I Wrote
Welp, the Supreme Courtroom appears nearly able to throw out Part 2 of the Voting Rights Act and permit white state legislatures to gerrymander away Black political energy. I spent two-and-a-half hours listening to their oral arguments after which wrote about it so different good individuals don’t must.
I additionally wrote about Trump’s accelerated timeline for taking away meals stamps. I assume the considered individuals having sufficient to eat this Thanksgiving simply angered the ketchup man.
In Information Unrelated to the Present Chaos
When you ever questioned why I don’t stream or have a YouTube channel—and as a substitute simply attempt to do my job and go residence—simply take one take a look at what’s occurring to Hasan Piker proper now.
The favored YouTube character ended up embroiled in controversy when his canine yelped throughout a video. With out extra data, it seemed just like the canine had been outfitted with a shock collar (I consider shock collars are very unhealthy and shouldn’t be used).
Piker later clarified that he doesn’t use a shock collar for his canine. He does use a vibration collar (which is a unique factor) for lengthy walks, however was not utilizing one which day. I’ve not seemed into vibration collars (my canine stays primarily in the home, sitting on my toes, criticizing my sentence construction, and questioning how I can probably be employed as an expert author). I perceive them to be OK, and I take Piker’s clarification at face worth.
After all, I’m a standard, rational particular person. Many usually are not. Piker stories that for the reason that incident, he has obtained dying threats, in addition to threats to kidnap his canine.
I perceive that there’s some huge cash to be made and affect available on the streaming circuit. However, not less than as of now, I simply can’t. Writing on the Web is unhealthy sufficient. However not less than I’ve an editor. At the least I’ve the time and repose to think about the phrases I’m placing out into the world and the way I’m framing them and myself. Streaming is simply… uncooked. Uncovered. And also you’re exposing your self to a gaggle of individuals primed to take every thing you say out of context, together with your enemies looking round in unhealthy religion.
Now if you happen to’ll excuse me, I’ve to go get my canine to cease barking on the squirrels outdoors our window with my most popular coaching strategy of telling her to “shut the hell up.” Then I’ll feed my kids a nutritious meal of pizza and mozzarella sticks. I’ll do all of it whereas ingesting brown liquor and taking part in a online game that entails capturing enemies to dying with a gun. However tens of millions of individuals won’t be watching me and judging me whereas I do this stuff.
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