For anyone who doubts President Trump’s authoritarianleanings, look no further than the Department of Justice headquarters and its new banner with PresidentTrump’s image. It’s a declaration of political control over what should be an independent department.

While similar banners have been hung from other governmentbuildings, the one created for the DOJ is particularly concerning. Since Watergate, efforts have been made to shield the DOJ from White House interference and pressure campaigns. The Trump Administration, however, has nosuch compunctions to follow this path.

Further, if any other president in any other age hung such abanner, the public outcry would have been deafening, with criticism from both sides of the aisle. So, where is the public outrage today? There has been criticism, but not, I think, at the level this act demands.

The full text for the podcast and the Notes can be found at:https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-episode-trumps

NOTES:

(1) “Trump’s New Banner Accidentally Exposes the Truth Aboutthe DOJ,” by Edith Olmsted, The New Republic. February 19,2026. https://newrepublic.com/post/206803/donald-trump-department-justice-banner-face

(2) “New Trump Banner Hung on Justice DepartmentHeadquarters,” by Ashley Ahn, The New York Times. February 19,2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/us/politics/trump-banner-doj.html

(3) “13 controversial redactions from the Epstein files —and what we’re learning about them,” by Aaron Blake, CNN. February11, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/09/politics/redacted-text-jeffrey-epstein-files

(4) “US justice department joins lawsuit to blockCalifornia’s new electoral map,” by Lauren Gambino, The Guardian,November 12, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/13/california-electoral-map-lawsuit-justice-department#:~:text=Trump%20administration-,US%20justice%20department%20joins%20lawsuit%20to%20block%20California’s%20new%20electoral,of%20Californians%20will%20not%20stand.%E2%80%9D

(5) “Presidents Can’t Use the Justice Department as TheirPersonal Law Enforcement Agency” by Lauren Miller Karalunas, BrennanCenter. February 14, 2025. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/presidents-cant-use-justice-department-their-personal-law-enforcement

This is part 2 of The Haitian Refugee Crisis. The Trump Administration, Racism and the Law. We'll be covering one of Trump's actions in 1989 concerning the Central Park 5 and how 1989's racism is still prevalent in 2026.

We'll also explore how the government is trying to force hundreds of thousands of Haitians and others, under TPS protection, to leave the United States. Both Noem and Trump claim it's OK to return. Yet, our own Stated Department has issued extreme Travel Advisories for Haiti and Venezuela.

We'll conclude with two key sections of Judge Reyes' stay, followed by a wrap-up and commentary.

For the full text of the podcast, and Notes, please go to: https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-episode-the-772

NOTES:

(6) “Central Park Five: The true story behind When They See Us,” BBC. June 12, 2019. ⁠https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-48609693⁠

(7) Ibid.

(8) “‘I Didn't Make a Mistake': Trump Declines to Apologize for Racist Video of Obamas,” by Erica L. Green, Isabella Kwai and Zolan Kanno-Young. The New York Times, February 7, 2026. ⁠https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/us/politics/trump-obamas-video-apes-truth-social.html⁠

(9) “Travel Advisory.” US Department of State. ⁠https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/haiti-travel-advisory.html⁠

(10) “Trump says Venezuela safe for Americans; State Dept. warns against travel, by Matthew Hay Brown, Ana Vanessa Herrero and Lori Aratani, The Washington Post, January 30, 2026. ⁠https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/30/trump-reopens-venezuela-airspace/⁠

(11) “Travel Advisory.” US Department of State. ⁠https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/venezuela-travel-advisory.html⁠

(12) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FRITZ EMMANUEL LESLY MIOT, et al., Plaintiffs, v. DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants. Case No. 25-cv-02471 (ACR). ⁠https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/02/02/us/haitians-tps-ruling.html

This is part 2 of The Haitian Refugee Crisis. The Trump Administration, Racism and the Law. We’ll be covering one of Trump’s actions in 1989 concerning the Central Park 5 and how 1989’s racism is still prevalent in 2026.

We’ll also explore how the government is trying to force hundreds of thousands of Haitians and others, under TPS protection, to leave the United States. Both Noem and Trump claim it’s OK to return. Yet, our own Stated Department has issued extreme Travel Advisories for Haiti and Venezuela.

We’ll conclude with two key sections of Judge Reyes' stay, followed by a wrap-up and commentary.

For the full text of the podcast, and Notes, please go to: https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-episode-the-772

NOTES:

(6) “Central Park Five: The true story behind When They See Us,” BBC. June 12, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-48609693

(7) Ibid.

(8) “‘I Didn’t Make a Mistake’: Trump Declines to Apologize for Racist Video of Obamas,” by Erica L. Green, Isabella Kwai and Zolan Kanno-Young. The New York Times, February 7, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/us/politics/trump-obamas-video-apes-truth-social.html

(9) “Travel Advisory.” US Department of State. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/haiti-travel-advisory.html

(10) “Trump says Venezuela safe for Americans; State Dept. warns against travel, by Matthew Hay Brown, Ana Vanessa Herrero and Lori Aratani, The Washington Post, January 30, 2026. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/30/trump-reopens-venezuela-airspace/

(11) “Travel Advisory.” US Department of State. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/venezuela-travel-advisory.html

(12) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FRITZ EMMANUEL LESLY MIOT, et al., Plaintiffs, v. DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants. Case No. 25-cv-02471 (ACR). https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/02/02/us/haitians-tps-ruling.html