Authoritarianism watch -- USA

In the last few months people have been debating with themselves whether the United States has lost its constitutional orderand is now in the hands of an authoritarian regime, a police state instead of a democracy. Lots of the discussion focuses on details of Trump and Musk's arbitrary and illegal actions and efforts to use the courts to restrain him.

Most people, I'd guess, have a hard time evaluating the significance of the various conflicts. I recommend two posts. First , from Talking Points Memo, a post by David Kurtz, one of the best people at this sterling source:

Columbia University Is Ground Zero For Trump Extortion

If you still harbored any doubt that President Trump’s ongoing attack on Columbia University – a private institution – is drawn straight from the authoritarian playbook, then the latest development should be clarifying. The Trump administration – specifically the Department of Education, HHS, and GSA – sent a letter yesterday to Columbia attempting to extort an array of concessions in how the university is run before it may consider restoring some $400 million in frozen federal funding. Imposing an arbitrary March 20 deadline, the Trump administration demanded that Columbia complete a laundry list of internal restructurings, policy changes, and submissions to federal authority. Among the most alarming demands: put the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department in what it calls “academic receivership” for at least five years. If Columbia complies by the deadline, then and only then will the Trump administration “open a conversation about immediate and long-term structural reforms” at the university. If it’s not clear, it sure should be: Even if Columbia submits to this extortion letter, it doesn’t get federal funding restored. It merely sets itself up for a later round of bullying, exorbitant demands, and more extortion. The extortion letter came the same day DHS agents executed search warrants at the residences of two Columbia students. “According to the sources, it was part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on individuals it has described as espousing the views of Hamas and threatening the safety of Jewish students,” ABC News reported. This all transpired as Columbia graduate and pro-Palestinian protest leader Mahmoud Khalil remained in federal detention as the Trump administration attempts to deport him even though he’s a legal permanent resident. His lawyers amended their filings as they obtained new information about his detainment. In an interview with NPR, a top DHS official could not articulate what wrongdoing Khalil was being accused of.

The second post is from Brad DeLong, on the attempt to deport Mahmoud Khalil

: Extending the penumbra of some political rights to non-citizens, extending the umbra of full civil rights to non-citizens, tolerating assemblies that turn into disruptions, and siding with causes that wish they were a threat to national security—those are things that a confident nation proud of itself and its liberties is willing to

support. But that is not us now. And that is certainly not the Republican half of us now.

We see here the intention of the Trump Regime to shut down free speech and free thought, especially at universities. Their ambitions are vast.