Todd Zwillich

White House reporters, producers, pundits and viewers should be ferocious over this moral emergency:

“Will you pardon the convicted child sex trafficker” has one correct answer, and everyone with intact moral intuitions knows what that is. When Trump failed to say “No, of course not” it should have been a show stopper, not another instance of “Trump being Trump”. WH reporters should be ferocious.

The Trump-Epstein Emergency Isn't in the Files Trump has distorted the political landscape so badly that it's warping the moral intuitions of people and institutions of account.

New from me, covering for @brianbeutler.bsky.social at Off Message:

Trump has us living in a distortion field. He's openly coddling a *child sex trafficker*, apparently so she won’t tell what she knows. We've blown past it instead of sounding the alarm. www.offmessage.net/p/the-5-alar...

Turns out Hegseth forced Adm Holsey out of his command because, at least in part, of friction over the so-called “drug boat” strike campaign.

Mike Johnson works in secret to strip IVF health coverage from defense bill The speaker is working behind closed-doors to remove a provision from the National Defense Authorization Act that would mandate health coverage for in vitro fertilization for all active duty military.

🚨 My first SCOOP for @ms.now: Mike Johnson has secretly been working to tank a provision to mandate IVF coverage for active duty service members from the Defense Reauthorization Bill—even as Trump has pledged to expand access.

Here's what to know 👇

Mark Kelly's Double Tap National security Democrats launched a preemptive strike on Trump's misuse of the military. Weeks later it's paying off in ways even they didn't predict. Or maybe they did.

New from me, covering for @brianbeutler.bsky.social at Off Message

"Maybe it was blind luck that led this group of national security-oriented lawmakers to bait Trump into a debate over war crimes just as the Post was working up a story about potential war crimes"

www.offmessage.net/p/mark-kelly...

Trump Appears to Fight Sleep During Cabinet Meeting

WH Press Sec on Trump's dehumanizing tirade against Somali immigrants, where he called them garbage: "Epic moment"

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...

Yesterday, Trump defended the Saudi Crown Prince in the Oval Office.

He said he had “nothing” to do with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

But I reviewed a call while serving on Trump’s NSC that I believe would be of interest to the Khashoggi family and the American people.

Release the transcript.

For me it was the fact that when the President was asked about releasing a record of the debasement and humiliation of girls and women, he somehow reflexively resorted to language intended to debase and humiliate a woman.

The Trump administration is going to make it harder for the public to learn about wrongdoing by withdrawing protections for whistleblowers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

No. Literally no one, besides perhaps Maxwell, could be remotely seen as forcing him to withhold special favors for Maxwell

What all morally sound people are collectively sure of, is that absent a gross, demonstrable, clear miscarriage of justice, the question "will you pardon this child sex trafficker" has a right answer. Trump appears not to want Maxwell to hear him say "No". The implications are mind blowing. /x

We're in a bizarre, surreal condition of collective knowledge re this part of the Epstein story. "Everyone knows that everyone knows"...is it causing collective inaction? Or is the collective knowledge instead driving what appears to be an overwhelming GOP vote against Trump on Tues? I'm not sure /8

Trump HAS the authority to order Ghislaine Maxwell back to max security in Florida with no special treatment. WHY hasn't he? Trump HAS the power to say he'd never pardon a convicted sex offender. WHY hasn't he? The simplicity and clarity of these questions, is stark. /7

Then, this weekend, Trump, famous for pardoning friends and allies, refuses to say he won't extend clemency to this convicted sex trafficker. He appears to not want Maxwell to hear that her freedom is off the table. It would solve some problems for him if he ruled it out...but he won't. /6

Shortly after, Maxwell was moved from a FL prison to a much more comfortable minimum security facility in TX. No one has acknowledged ordering the transfer, which broke federal rules for sex offenders. A whistleblower reported Maxwell is receiving special comforts like gym time, better food, etc /5

This past summer the Epstein story flared again with reports of a "birthday book"--including Trump--that Maxwell prepared for Epstein. Trump's former personal lawyer, now Deputy AG Todd Blanche, was dispatched to personally sit with this convict and interview her. /4

In July 2020 Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested and charged with 6 counts including child sex trafficking. Weeks later Trump was asked about the arrest of his one-time, long-time friend. Instead of condemning her or her (at the time alleged) crimes, he repeatedly, shockingly, said "I wish her well." /3

In any morally centered context, and to every ethically normal person, the question "Have you ruled out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell" has a right answer: "Absolutely. No person convicted of her crimes will every get a pardon." Instead the President refuses to be heard saying just that. to review/2

I’ve been thinking about this exchange all weekend. Even with everything else, the fact it hasn’t brought politics and the news in general to a screeching halt is surreal. There’s a new book “Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows” about how collective knowledge drives collective action, or inaction. /1

In case after case—Comey, James, Maxwell,Homan, J6, etc—Pam Bondi has shown that she runs DOJ on behalf of Trump, personally. Now that Trump is resigned to releasing the files he fought to bury, the question HAS to be: Has Bondi altered or destroyed records in her possession to protect Trump?

What Trump learned from Hungary The president has long praised Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as a model strongman.

"Like Trump, some of the most prominent players on the American right have talked openly about Orbán providing a blueprint for a Christian nationalist takeover of the federal government." www.msnbc.com/news/news-an...

Convicted Oath Keepers' founder announces militia's relaunch to enforce Trump orders

Rhodes amassed weapons to use on Jan 6 and was convicted of seditious conspiracy. Trump freed him from prison. Now, using Trump’s “invasion” rhetoric, Rhodes urges Trump to use his militia as a private army. www.rawstory.com/amp/stewart-...

It’s clear you don’t listen to the show, and don’t listen to me, very often. But thanks for the input.

If You Can Keep It: The fight over funding the government It happens every year — sometimes even more frequently than that.

Had a lot of fun on @the1a.org with @jwhitepubradio.bsky.social and @toddzwillich.bsky.social. A productive conversation. the1a.org/segments/if-...

Trump's Medicaid cuts will hurt children's hospitals The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.

The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.

Opinion | Stop Acting Like This Is Normal

Kudos to @brianbeutler.bsky.social, somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...

I am, not really. It kind of just asks the big, obvious one.

Great! Has anyone actually asked?

It's easy to see why Fox has no interest asking that question while helping Trump avoid it. But it’s not easy to see why everyone else fell for it.

So why WAS Trump off the air for a week? There is a reason, & it'd be better if people were asking for it instead of tilting at internet culture.