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

Ana C. Reyes, a United States District Judge, ordered atemporary stay of a Trump Administration order to strip Temporary Protection Status, also known as TPS, from thousands of Haitian refugees in the United States.

The TPS program was created by Congress to provide a safe and legal haven for nationals from other countries living in the United States who can't return home because of natural and-or human-made disasters, including military conflicts. And as implied by the name, it's a temporary safe harbor with an expiration date. But the Trump Administration wants to shred this legal status, to cut short the end dates, and to start mass deportations.

For the Haitians, the TPS was set to expire on February 3,2026, by an order from Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security--the DHS. Through consultations with other government agencies, theSecretary is charged with making TPS designations. Or in the Trump Administration's case, how to deport hundreds of thousands of Haitians, Venezuelans and other nationals who had previously been afforded protection.

This is also part of the Administration's broader plan to deport as many unprotected foreign nationals from the United States as it can through the offices of ICE and other means

The full text for the podcast and the Notes can be found at:https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-episode-the-b6a

Notes used in Part 1:

(1) ” LDF Sounds Alarm on Trump Administration's Attempt toReinvigorate Pseudo-Scientific Racism and Erase Black People from American History,” Legal Defense Fund. March 29, 2025.https://www.naacpldf.org/press-release/ldf-sounds-alarm-on-trump-administrations-attempt-to-reinvigorate-pseudo-scientific-racism-and-erase-black-people-from-american-history/. Also, please see: “Trump Says Civil Rights Led to White People Being ‘Very Badly Treated',” by Erica L. Green, The New York Times. January 11, 2026.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/us/politics/trump-interview-white-people-discrimination.htmland “Bigoted beliefs, racist ties found among some of President Trump's appointees,” by Cassie Miller, Southern Poverty Law Center. March 6, 2025. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/bigoted-beliefs-racist-ties-found-among-president-trumps-appointees/

(2) “Trump Defends Comments About Immigrants ‘Poisoning theBlood' of America,” by Associated Press, VOA. December 19, 2023. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-defends-comments-about-immigrants-poisoning-the-blood-of-america/7405198.html

(3) “Trump Administration Targets Smithsonian Exhibits inControversial Review,” by Elijah Spencer, The Hilltop. August 25, 2025. https://thehilltoponline.com/2025/08/25/trump-administration-targets-smithsonian-exhibits-in-controversial-review/. The Guardian article, described in the same section, can be found at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/philadelphia-trump-adminstration-lawsuit-slavery-exhibit

(4) “USAID shutdown has led to hundreds of thousands ofdeaths,” by Karen Feldscher, Harvard School of Public Health. November 20, 2025. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/usaid-shutdown-has-led-to-hundreds-of-thousands-of-deaths/

(5) “The Charlottesville rally 5 years later: 'It's whatyou're still trying to forget,' by Debbie Elliot, NPR. August 12, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/12/1116942725/the-charlottesville-rally-5-years-later-its-what-youre-still-trying-to-forget

Ana C. Reyes, a United States District Judge, ordered atemporary stay of a Trump Administration order to strip Temporary Protection Status, also known as TPS, from thousands of Haitian refugees in the United States.

The TPS program was created by Congress to provide a safe and legal haven for nationals from other countries living in the United States who can’t return home because of natural and-or human-made disasters, including military conflicts. And as implied by the name, it’s a temporary safe harbor with an expiration date. But the Trump Administration wants to shred this legal status, to cut short the end dates, and to start mass deportations.

For the Haitians, the TPS was set to expire on February 3,2026, by an order from Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security--the DHS. Through consultations with other government agencies, theSecretary is charged with making TPS designations. Or in the Trump Administration’s case, how to deport hundreds of thousands of Haitians, Venezuelans and other nationals who had previously been afforded protection.

This is also part of the Administration’s broader plan to deport as many unprotected foreign nationals from the United States as it can through the offices of ICE and other means

The full text for the podcast and the Notes can be found at:https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-episode-the-b6a

Notes used in Part 1:

(1) ” LDF Sounds Alarm on Trump Administration’s Attempt toReinvigorate Pseudo-Scientific Racism and Erase Black People from American History,” Legal Defense Fund. March 29, 2025.https://www.naacpldf.org/press-release/ldf-sounds-alarm-on-trump-administrations-attempt-to-reinvigorate-pseudo-scientific-racism-and-erase-black-people-from-american-history/. Also, please see: “Trump Says Civil Rights Led to White People Being ‘Very Badly Treated’,” by Erica L. Green, The New York Times. January 11, 2026.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/us/politics/trump-interview-white-people-discrimination.htmland “Bigoted beliefs, racist ties found among some of President Trump’s appointees,” by Cassie Miller, Southern Poverty Law Center. March 6, 2025. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/bigoted-beliefs-racist-ties-found-among-president-trumps-appointees/

(2) “Trump Defends Comments About Immigrants ‘Poisoning theBlood’ of America,” by Associated Press, VOA. December 19, 2023. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-defends-comments-about-immigrants-poisoning-the-blood-of-america/7405198.html

(3) “Trump Administration Targets Smithsonian Exhibits inControversial Review,” by Elijah Spencer, The Hilltop. August 25, 2025. https://thehilltoponline.com/2025/08/25/trump-administration-targets-smithsonian-exhibits-in-controversial-review/. The Guardian article, described in the same section, can be found at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/philadelphia-trump-adminstration-lawsuit-slavery-exhibit

(4) “USAID shutdown has led to hundreds of thousands ofdeaths,” by Karen Feldscher, Harvard School of Public Health. November 20, 2025. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/usaid-shutdown-has-led-to-hundreds-of-thousands-of-deaths/

(5) “The Charlottesville rally 5 years later: 'It's whatyou're still trying to forget,’ by Debbie Elliot, NPR. August 12, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/12/1116942725/the-charlottesville-rally-5-years-later-its-what-youre-still-trying-to-forget

President Trump announced a new class of battleship, the“Trump” class. It’s interesting, given this is the president who avoided the draft through a questionable medical situation, bone spurs. But this new identification with a battleship is a quintessential chickenhawk maneuver.

According to Trump, each ship will be the largest battleshipin the history of our country, the largest battleship in the history of the world, ever built. Not exactly, and Trump’s claim is unfounded. The new ships are impressive, but so too arethe old Iowa class battleships.

The building of the new ships also raises questions, thatwe'll cover in the podcast.

And the Notes for the podcast are listed below. You can alsofind the full text for the podcast at the substack site: https://erm76.substack.com/p/trump-battleships-and-greenlandoh

Notes:

(1) “Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump AvoidVietnam?,” by Steve Eder, The New York Times. Dec. 26, 2018.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/us/politics/trump-vietnam-draft-exemption.html

(2) Merriam-Webster.https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken%20hawk

(3) “Trump announcesnew “Trump class” of Navy battleships,” by Kathryn Watson, CBS News. December22, 2025.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-hegseth-announcement-mar-a-lago-shipbuilding/

(4) “Plans unveiledfor US largest battleships, triple the size of Arleigh Burke-class destroyer,”by Fatima Bahtić, NavalToday.com. December 23, 2025.https://www.navaltoday.com/2025/12/23/plans-unveiled-for-us-largest-battleships-triple-the-size-of-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer/

(5) “BattleshipMissouri Memorial.” Ship Characteristics.https://ussmissouri.org/history/the-ship/ship-characteristics

Please note: Anotherdifference between the older and newer ships besides weaponry and electronics, is the Iowa class battleships were heavily armored. This accounts for some of the weight differential. And both the Missouri and the New Jersey, anotherWorld War II battleships, were modernized and served after World War II in other conflicts before being decommissioned/retired.

(6),” Golden Fleet.US Navy.” https://www.goldenfleet.navy.mil/

Also, please see: “Trump-Class Battleship: Railguns,Hypersonic Missiles and 40,000 Tons of Raw U.S. Navy Power,” by Stephen Silver, 19FortyFive. 12/22/25.https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/12/trump-class-battleship-railguns-hypersonic-missiles-and-40000-tons-of-raw-u-s-navy-power/#:~:text=Experts%20Are%20Skeptical&text=Iowa%2DClass%20Battleship.,a%20cool%2Dlooking%20ship.%E2%80%9D

Please note: The new ships would have an edge in a power projection situation. But what country is the US going to try to overawe? And is the cost for this factor justified?

(7) “An Overview of Current U.S. Hypersonic MissileDevelopments,” by Lauren Estrada, Defense and Security Monitor. December 22, 2025.https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/2025/12/22/an-overview-of-current-u-s-hypersonic-

(8) “The Golden Fleet’s Battleship Will Never Sail,”Commentary by Mark F. Cancian, Center for Strategic & InternationalStudies. December 23, 2025.https://www.csis.org/analysis/golden-fleets-battleship-will-never-sail#:~:text=That%20would%20imply%20a%20battleship,much%20as%20an%20aircraft%20carrier.

President Trump announced a new class of battleship, the “Trump” class. It's interesting, given this is the president who avoided the draft through a questionable medical situation, bone spurs. But this new identification with a battleship is a quintessential chickenhawk maneuver.

According to Trump, each ship will be the largest battleship in the history of our country, the largest battleship in the history of the world, ever built. Not exactly, and Trump's claim is unfounded. The new ships are impressive, but so too are the old Iowa class battleships.

The building of the new ships also raises questions, that we'll cover in the podcast.

And the Notes for the podcast are listed below. You can also find the full text for the podcast at the substack site: https://erm76.substack.com/p/trump-battleships-and-greenlandoh

Notes:

(1) “Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?,” by Steve Eder, The New York Times. Dec. 26, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/us/politics/trump-vietnam-draft-exemption.html

(2) Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken%20hawk

(3) “Trump announces new “Trump class” of Navy battleships,” by Kathryn Watson, CBS News. December 22, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-hegseth-announcement-mar-a-lago-shipbuilding/

(4) “Plans unveiled for US largest battleships, triple the size of Arleigh Burke-class destroyer,” by Fatima Bahtić, NavalToday.com. December 23, 2025. https://www.navaltoday.com/2025/12/23/plans-unveiled-for-us-largest-battleships-triple-the-size-of-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer/

(5) “Battleship Missouri Memorial.” Ship Characteristics. https://ussmissouri.org/history/the-ship/ship-characteristics

Please note: Another difference between the older and newer ships besides weaponry and electronics, is the Iowa class battleships were heavily armored. This accounts for some of the weight differential. And both the Missouri and the New Jersey, another World War II battleships, were modernized and served after World War II in other conflicts before being decommissioned/retired.

(6),” Golden Fleet. US Navy.” https://www.goldenfleet.navy.mil/

Also, please see: “Trump-Class Battleship: Railguns, Hypersonic Missiles and 40,000 Tons of Raw U.S. Navy Power,” by Stephen Silver, 19FortyFive. 12/22/25. https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/12/trump-class-battleship-railguns-hypersonic-missiles-and-40000-tons-of-raw-u-s-navy-power/#:~:text=Experts%20Are%20Skeptical&text=Iowa%2DClass%20Battleship.,a%20cool%2Dlooking%20ship.%E2%80%9D

Please note: The new ships would have an edge in a power projection situation. But what country is the US going to try to overawe? And is the cost for this factor justified?

(7) “An Overview of Current U.S. Hypersonic Missile Developments,” by Lauren Estrada, Defense and Security Monitor. December 22, 2025. https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/2025/12/22/an-overview-of-current-u-s-hypersonic-

(8) “The Golden Fleet's Battleship Will Never Sail,” Commentary by Mark F. Cancian, Center for Strategic & International Studies. December 23, 2025. https://www.csis.org/analysis/golden-fleets-battleship-will-never-sail#:~:text=That%20would%20imply%20a%20battleship,much%20as%20an%20aircraft%20carrier.

The Trump Administration has managed to pillage and plunder the American ethos in less than a year. The goal? The President wants to redefine it in his own image.

And the damage created by Trump's assault may take years to repair. In some cases, it may be beyond saving. For example, can you remove the river of gold paint in the White House without damaging the underlying structures? While a paint issue obviously doesn't equal the other decisions that may directly affect someone's life, it makes a point. The White House is supposed to be our house…the people's house. But given how Trump has remade it to fit his perception, particularly the destruction of the East Wing to make way for a ballroom, we can't turn the page back to restore the building.

This is a podcast of an original post: https://erm76.substack.com/p/the-plundering-of-the-american-ethos

The Notes are listed on the same site and are listed below.

(1) BUCK v. BELL(1927). No. 292. Argued: April 22, 1927 Decided: May 02, 1927. ⁠https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/274/200.html⁠

(2) “10 key numbers that sum up Trump's first 100 days,” by Rachel Treisman, NPR. April 29, 2025.⁠ https://www.npr.org/2025/04/29/nx-s1-5379554/trump-100-days-numbers-laws-immigration⁠

(3) “Are Trump's Actions Truly Unprecedented? We Asked 35 Historians,” by Francesca Paris, Alicia Parlapiano and Josh Katz, The New York Times. April 30, 2025. ⁠https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/30/upshot/presidential-history-survey.ht⁠