Today’s news starts with the resignation of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman from the military after more than 21 years, citing the “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation” led by the president for his decision to leave the public service.
I very much appreciate your daily newsletter Heather. I feel it is important that your readers know what we in the psychology profession are saying through “Duty to Warn”, which is a document that over 6,000 mental health professionals signed, regarding Donald Trump’s personality disorder and the danger it presents to our country and the world.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), what Trump’s behavior has confirmed that he suffers from, has many levels of severity. He exhibits all symptoms of the most devastating level- Malignant Narcissistic Psychosis. This condition renders him unable to empathize sufficiently enough with others to place the needs of the country or anyone else above his own personal objectives or desires.
The regions of the brain, and the neural pathways involved, are believed to be the same as those that regulate other preferences and biases, including sexual preferences. In other words, the chances of him being able to change this behavior is about the same as those of someone to consciously choose to change sexual preferences. Not likely.
All of his behaviors, including consistent retaliation against those who speak out against him or provide contradictory information since he was inaugurated, are evidence of his condition and danger to society. There is no doubt about this.
The one bright spot of the last year was watching Lt Col Vindman, Ambassador Zelensky, and Fiona Hill testify - three patriots who lived the ideals of America
I will never forget the sight of Lt Col Vindman in his dress uniform the day of the impeachment hearing. I felt a great foreboding as he spoke those now famous words and I was afraid for him. So many dreadful and unjust events have occurred in the last three and a half years, but betraying his trust was one of the worst because it gave us a measure of how far we have fallen.
This may sound naive, but I am surprised that anyone listens to Trump. When he attacks the CDC, they should ignore him and continue with their best recommendations. When Trump threatens public schools, they should ignore him and do what they think best. When Trump threatens Vindman, the military should ignore him and promote Vindman anyway. When Trump pushes states to reopen, they should ignore him and follow the best guidance on quarantines. Everyone should ignore Trump. What’s he going to do, try to fire thousands? Isolate Trump, ignore him, initiate a virtual Article 25. Tune this “effing imbecile” (as Rex Tillerson labeled him) out.
I hear what you are saying. It's hard to ignore him when everything he does and says is right there in our faces over and over again. There is no getting away from it.
What I mean by “ignoring him” is don’t do what he says. When he tells the CDC to change their guidelines for re-opening schools, they should say “no”. When he tells the military to not promote Vindman, the military should promote Vindman, etc. Everyone should refuse his demands.
We all wish that would happen, but its not likely to happen. All agencies in the Executive Branch are led by political appointees that are appointed by Trump. If they ignore him, they will be fired and replaced. Leaders at the state level can ignore him, but there can be consequences.
You bring up an interesting point. For the most part we are actually seeing America function as it should. Especially at the state level. Time and time again we see our governors overriding the president.
My last eleven years of teaching were in a classroom with metal, “movable” walls and no windows. In the 1970’s someone had the big idea to build low-bid public schools with AC and no windows. Our building, in Southern New Jersey, only had classrooms with windows of course on the periphery. How might Betsy DeVos suggest that teachers open the windows when one exists in a metal box? Oh, and trying to practice for a school shooter while being inside of a box was a nightmare too, but I digress. It is beginning to look like calculations are made so that schools are forced to open and the virus will spread and then trump will cancel the election due to the spread. I am grateful to be a retired teacher and I support the educators who refuse to return to the building, or the box, as ever the case may be.
I believe that if given a chance Betsy DeVos and the rest of the administration would dismantle public education. The vibes from this administration and from others within the GOP is that the public should not be educated, only their "betters". Much easier to control the masses if education is not available.
Dismantling public education (and probably all government-funded private education as well) has long been a GOP dream. The opportunity for them to do this is now, and they are seizing it. I completely agree with your assessment.
I also support them not returning. They were dealing with so much to begin with, and then this gets put on their plate with no real plan in place. I’m thankful I have no children, but this is a problem the entire community must work on together, not just parents and teachers.
Thank you for your work and insight! As a teacher, I just feel anxious. Do you have any thoughts about it? I have some friends that say they’ll walk. And there’s those of us that can’t. Some are calling for a national strike. There are parents that will keep their kids home. We spent all this time trying to be careful, to now having very few precautions. And Texas just didn’t fully shut down. So that didn’t help either! Thanks! Get some rest! 💕
I think the idea of a national strike could be very effective...if the majority participated..I am sick of this good for nothing POTUS getting away with All his threats (to remove Federal funds for lack of compliance.). In Many places it is Not safe to re-open the schools...Heath comes First..
This morning in the ‘The New York Times Daily Briefing’, I read: ‘An autumn without in-person school would leave students further behind and leave many parents without child care again.’
In all my 36 years as a public school classroom teacher, never once did I think of myself as a babysitter, glorified or otherwise. This, along with my state’s former governor declaring in his ‘State of the State’ address that the purpose of public schooling was ‘to create an educated workforce’, is an eye opener for me.
If this is how we teachers are viewed in general terms, then a national strike is called for, unequivocally. Teachers are professional educators; our primary purpose is to provide children with not only needed skills to live prosperous lives and be contributing members of society but also with critical thinking skills to analyse and critique that society.
For the sake of their students’ safety and well-being, along with their own, teachers must lead and say ‘no’ to returning to in-person instruction without state-of-the-art protective protocols in place. Period.
I wouldn’t risk my health, that of my own child, or that of other people’s children (and their families) in inadequate and unsafe conditions. Especially not if I am considered primarily as a childcare provider, not an educator.
I'm a teacher as well (KS), and I have a lot of anxiety about returning to school in a month. Our district recently sent out a very biased survey that basically insinuates we'll be back at 100% attendance regardless. We actually had to choose which option - teacher masks, student masks, or visitor masks - is most important in making us feel safe. (!!) I'm very concerned for myself, my two teenagers, and my husband (who is in a high risk group).
Our survey at least let us “strongly disagree” option and comment sections. But I agree it was not really to listen to the teachers, it was a way of giving information to what was about to happen. Praised in March, maligned in July. I haven’t had a break. My team has been working on videos for virtual learning. Which has been way harder than teaching! Do whatever you have to do to stay safe!
Since you are in Kansas I am sure you are well aware of the really awful attacks on your governor, Laura Kelly, who is trying to do the right thing and mandate masks. A small group of my HS friends follow Laura because she went to our high school for 2 years so when this story came out, we were outraged. It is reprehensible, but apparently typical for some of the radicals out there.
Yes, Laura Kelly has a lot of educator support in KS and we've been appalled at the attacks leveled against her. She was really out front on school closures last spring, but our conservative legislature has worked against her at every turn and GOP-dominated county commissions have nearly universally overridden her decisions. It is to our detriment, and the state as a whole will certainly suffer for it. If you can, please pass the word to her that teachers appreciate all she is doing!!
Two reasons- Texas is an “At Will” state. No unions and you can be fired at any time. Second- I’m single, so this is my only income. With what little we’re paid, I struggle to save for retirement. I literally have to have an income. So saying I can’t walk away from this job is well founded. I have the best working conditions with an administration that is trying their hardest to make this all work. But TEA’s Mike Morath is putting us in an impossible situation! Anything under third grade will not be funded for virtual learning. All special education groups must be in person. His in line with DeVos to ramp up private and charter schools.
1. If Trump (and those like him) insists on promoting large gatherings of people...maybe there should be a healthcare tax added on to each event venue (like a cigarette tax) to cover the longevity of our critical healthcare workers.
2. If Russia has “armed” the Taliban and is now “paying” the Taliban...who is the real enemy? Russia or Taliban? And who is sleeping with the enemy at “his pleasure”?
Thanks for allowing me to speak in a safe environment.
I cannot stress the following enough. We have to quit blaming everything on his "mental health." Everything is a well planned attack on America. He is a con man. A manipulative con man. Con men are not dumb. They know exactly what they are doing. Every single Tweet is well thought out in advance to distract us from what's really going on behind the scenes. When he frantically tweets, we know something big is going on. He also projects what is about to happen. It's like going to a fortune teller.
I am not denigrating those in the mental health field. I am however questioning how much personal interaction they've had with con men. I would garner most have had none. Once you've lived and worked with them you see how smart and manipulative they are.
“. . .Reminder of how much we have lost . . . “ this about sums it up. What a vindictive, petty, small man. I would like to hope this foray into playing president ruins his “brand.” But we know what people will overlook to be close to power.
Supreme Court says Manhattan prosecutor may see Trump’s personal financial records
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a New York prosecutor is entitled to see President Trump’s private and business financial records, ending an intense legal battle waged by the president to keep them secret. The court will rule later this morning on subpoenas issued by congressional committees for a broader range of Trump’s financial records.
Congress was not blocked. The Supreme Court, providing guidelines, sent those two cases back to the lower DC court to resolve. But the high court upheld Congress' investigative powers and right to subpoena information from the Executive Branch, with limits. One committee's request indeed was overly broad, and legal experts had expected that the court would force it to narrow the request.
What's unsatisfying is how much time this will take. That said, a least one House committee wasted many weeks in finally forcing the issue.
In the aggregate, today's rulings make it one of the worst in Trump's life. He now knows that justice is coming. Not as quickly as it should, but it's barrelling toward him. He's truly cornered and facing insurmountable deficits in the polls. What desperate steps will he take to save himself — and at what cost to the nation?
I saw that Deutsche Bank had issued a statement indicating it would comply with the Manhattan DA's (Vance) subpoena. If true, Trump's legal team will have to act fast to block or his finances will become the next toothpaste spill ala two recent books.
They won't be made public by the Manhattan DA. Grand jury records are sealed. On the other hand, if the Manhattan DA, as Bill Colburn above suggests, finds a valid reason to share the records with Congress, we the people just may get a look at them before the election.
But they concluded that Trump etc are NOT immune from subpoenas from Congressional committees but that they should meet a higher standard of justification before being enforced by the courts rather than by political negotiations
I foolishly thought tRump could not go any lower. His disregard for the military is in plain view as he turns his head to reports of Russian bounties on US troops, or bullies and intimidates a decorated service man because he told the truth. This same military is expected to step up and "protect" the president from people on the streets. And added to his distain for the men and women serving the country he adds teachers and students. He just doesn't care about anything. I sure hope he suffers in hell, but if SCOTUS rules to release his taxes, etc, that hell may be right here on earth!
If Vindman was truly told he would face continuing retaliation and intimidation for the remainder of his career, then this points towards a politically-compromised military, which is a huge issue to resolve.
The Trump cabal's interference in things like Eddie Gallagher's court-martial or Brett Crozier's COVID alarm on the USS Theodore Roosevelt has truly disrupted the chain of command (CoC). One would think there would be major pushback from the Pentagon who rely entirely on proper CoC to function.
This is precisely why Sen. Tammy Duckworth's decision to block something like 1,100 military promotions until the Secretary of Defense explains exactly what's going on with Vindeman is so darn interesting. May she succeed in exposing and excising the rot.
Col. Vindman, like so many others who have been fired for their integrity by Trump and his "cohorts", must wait now 6 months to receive their "just desserts" and a full recognition by society of their contribution to the nation. In some ways we all share the shame of Trump in the meantime as this should never be conceivable in our democratic societies.
Trump can "huff and puff and try to blow the house down".....but it is made of brick! Schools are just brick and can be declared open but they are only really alive when they are filled with dedicated teachers and happy smiling young faces eager to learn. Each parent, teacher and pupil will defeat Trump on this by not going to school if they consider that it is dangerous for themselves or others if they go. One person can be bullied and intimidated by force or by law....but when the majority of the population "disobeys" the “diktat”, the dictator falls from his pedestal.
“Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall, no one could put all the pieces together again”
Roll on this afternoon at 16h GMT when the SCOTUS rules on Trumps finances...then we'll see the rats scurrying for cover.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our future President Biden appoints Lieutenant Colonel Vindman to an influential position?
Wonderful idea!
I very much appreciate your daily newsletter Heather. I feel it is important that your readers know what we in the psychology profession are saying through “Duty to Warn”, which is a document that over 6,000 mental health professionals signed, regarding Donald Trump’s personality disorder and the danger it presents to our country and the world.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), what Trump’s behavior has confirmed that he suffers from, has many levels of severity. He exhibits all symptoms of the most devastating level- Malignant Narcissistic Psychosis. This condition renders him unable to empathize sufficiently enough with others to place the needs of the country or anyone else above his own personal objectives or desires.
The regions of the brain, and the neural pathways involved, are believed to be the same as those that regulate other preferences and biases, including sexual preferences. In other words, the chances of him being able to change this behavior is about the same as those of someone to consciously choose to change sexual preferences. Not likely.
All of his behaviors, including consistent retaliation against those who speak out against him or provide contradictory information since he was inaugurated, are evidence of his condition and danger to society. There is no doubt about this.
As a mental health professional, I concur.
As a layperson who has no idea what she’s talking about, even I can concur.
How do you describe the Republican senators who allowed him to continue on this path?
I prefer the common five letter word "whore", with no disrespect to sex workers, who might be offended by the association
Opportunists
Not only malignant but also histerical
The one bright spot of the last year was watching Lt Col Vindman, Ambassador Zelensky, and Fiona Hill testify - three patriots who lived the ideals of America
Ambassador Yovanovitch - hadn't had coffee yet
I will never forget the sight of Lt Col Vindman in his dress uniform the day of the impeachment hearing. I felt a great foreboding as he spoke those now famous words and I was afraid for him. So many dreadful and unjust events have occurred in the last three and a half years, but betraying his trust was one of the worst because it gave us a measure of how far we have fallen.
Yes. And it also showed us an honest man, willing to speak, and believing in the promises of our country. He gave us a tremendous honor.
This may sound naive, but I am surprised that anyone listens to Trump. When he attacks the CDC, they should ignore him and continue with their best recommendations. When Trump threatens public schools, they should ignore him and do what they think best. When Trump threatens Vindman, the military should ignore him and promote Vindman anyway. When Trump pushes states to reopen, they should ignore him and follow the best guidance on quarantines. Everyone should ignore Trump. What’s he going to do, try to fire thousands? Isolate Trump, ignore him, initiate a virtual Article 25. Tune this “effing imbecile” (as Rex Tillerson labeled him) out.
I hear what you are saying. It's hard to ignore him when everything he does and says is right there in our faces over and over again. There is no getting away from it.
What I mean by “ignoring him” is don’t do what he says. When he tells the CDC to change their guidelines for re-opening schools, they should say “no”. When he tells the military to not promote Vindman, the military should promote Vindman, etc. Everyone should refuse his demands.
We all wish that would happen, but its not likely to happen. All agencies in the Executive Branch are led by political appointees that are appointed by Trump. If they ignore him, they will be fired and replaced. Leaders at the state level can ignore him, but there can be consequences.
You bring up an interesting point. For the most part we are actually seeing America function as it should. Especially at the state level. Time and time again we see our governors overriding the president.
Except for South Dakota and Florida and Arizona and...
Yes. I forgot the word *most. Thank you.
Good point. Thank you.
My last eleven years of teaching were in a classroom with metal, “movable” walls and no windows. In the 1970’s someone had the big idea to build low-bid public schools with AC and no windows. Our building, in Southern New Jersey, only had classrooms with windows of course on the periphery. How might Betsy DeVos suggest that teachers open the windows when one exists in a metal box? Oh, and trying to practice for a school shooter while being inside of a box was a nightmare too, but I digress. It is beginning to look like calculations are made so that schools are forced to open and the virus will spread and then trump will cancel the election due to the spread. I am grateful to be a retired teacher and I support the educators who refuse to return to the building, or the box, as ever the case may be.
I believe that if given a chance Betsy DeVos and the rest of the administration would dismantle public education. The vibes from this administration and from others within the GOP is that the public should not be educated, only their "betters". Much easier to control the masses if education is not available.
Dismantling public education (and probably all government-funded private education as well) has long been a GOP dream. The opportunity for them to do this is now, and they are seizing it. I completely agree with your assessment.
I also support them not returning. They were dealing with so much to begin with, and then this gets put on their plate with no real plan in place. I’m thankful I have no children, but this is a problem the entire community must work on together, not just parents and teachers.
Thank you for your work and insight! As a teacher, I just feel anxious. Do you have any thoughts about it? I have some friends that say they’ll walk. And there’s those of us that can’t. Some are calling for a national strike. There are parents that will keep their kids home. We spent all this time trying to be careful, to now having very few precautions. And Texas just didn’t fully shut down. So that didn’t help either! Thanks! Get some rest! 💕
I think the idea of a national strike could be very effective...if the majority participated..I am sick of this good for nothing POTUS getting away with All his threats (to remove Federal funds for lack of compliance.). In Many places it is Not safe to re-open the schools...Heath comes First..
This morning in the ‘The New York Times Daily Briefing’, I read: ‘An autumn without in-person school would leave students further behind and leave many parents without child care again.’
In all my 36 years as a public school classroom teacher, never once did I think of myself as a babysitter, glorified or otherwise. This, along with my state’s former governor declaring in his ‘State of the State’ address that the purpose of public schooling was ‘to create an educated workforce’, is an eye opener for me.
If this is how we teachers are viewed in general terms, then a national strike is called for, unequivocally. Teachers are professional educators; our primary purpose is to provide children with not only needed skills to live prosperous lives and be contributing members of society but also with critical thinking skills to analyse and critique that society.
For the sake of their students’ safety and well-being, along with their own, teachers must lead and say ‘no’ to returning to in-person instruction without state-of-the-art protective protocols in place. Period.
I wouldn’t risk my health, that of my own child, or that of other people’s children (and their families) in inadequate and unsafe conditions. Especially not if I am considered primarily as a childcare provider, not an educator.
spelling error...health...
Truth be known the only way to take them down is a general strike. Hit them where it hurts via us, their servants.
I'm a teacher as well (KS), and I have a lot of anxiety about returning to school in a month. Our district recently sent out a very biased survey that basically insinuates we'll be back at 100% attendance regardless. We actually had to choose which option - teacher masks, student masks, or visitor masks - is most important in making us feel safe. (!!) I'm very concerned for myself, my two teenagers, and my husband (who is in a high risk group).
Was there anywhere to say the PRESIDENT makes you feel unsafe?
Our survey at least let us “strongly disagree” option and comment sections. But I agree it was not really to listen to the teachers, it was a way of giving information to what was about to happen. Praised in March, maligned in July. I haven’t had a break. My team has been working on videos for virtual learning. Which has been way harder than teaching! Do whatever you have to do to stay safe!
Since you are in Kansas I am sure you are well aware of the really awful attacks on your governor, Laura Kelly, who is trying to do the right thing and mandate masks. A small group of my HS friends follow Laura because she went to our high school for 2 years so when this story came out, we were outraged. It is reprehensible, but apparently typical for some of the radicals out there.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/04/us/anderson-county-review-laura-kelly-holocaust-cartoon.html
Yes, Laura Kelly has a lot of educator support in KS and we've been appalled at the attacks leveled against her. She was really out front on school closures last spring, but our conservative legislature has worked against her at every turn and GOP-dominated county commissions have nearly universally overridden her decisions. It is to our detriment, and the state as a whole will certainly suffer for it. If you can, please pass the word to her that teachers appreciate all she is doing!!
My thoughts? Ya'll need to strike plain and simple.
I understand why you feel you "can't" sometimes you have to get past that "can't" and do what's right for the common good.
Two reasons- Texas is an “At Will” state. No unions and you can be fired at any time. Second- I’m single, so this is my only income. With what little we’re paid, I struggle to save for retirement. I literally have to have an income. So saying I can’t walk away from this job is well founded. I have the best working conditions with an administration that is trying their hardest to make this all work. But TEA’s Mike Morath is putting us in an impossible situation! Anything under third grade will not be funded for virtual learning. All special education groups must be in person. His in line with DeVos to ramp up private and charter schools.
I understand. Tough choice.
My FarOut thoughts:
1. If Trump (and those like him) insists on promoting large gatherings of people...maybe there should be a healthcare tax added on to each event venue (like a cigarette tax) to cover the longevity of our critical healthcare workers.
2. If Russia has “armed” the Taliban and is now “paying” the Taliban...who is the real enemy? Russia or Taliban? And who is sleeping with the enemy at “his pleasure”?
Thanks for allowing me to speak in a safe environment.
I cannot stress the following enough. We have to quit blaming everything on his "mental health." Everything is a well planned attack on America. He is a con man. A manipulative con man. Con men are not dumb. They know exactly what they are doing. Every single Tweet is well thought out in advance to distract us from what's really going on behind the scenes. When he frantically tweets, we know something big is going on. He also projects what is about to happen. It's like going to a fortune teller.
I’ve always said his main job is being a distraction. With him and his stunts out in front, no one looks at what is going on behind him.
Yes. A front man.
I am not denigrating those in the mental health field. I am however questioning how much personal interaction they've had with con men. I would garner most have had none. Once you've lived and worked with them you see how smart and manipulative they are.
Manipulative con man and malignant narcissist are not mutually exclusive terms. At all.
Also of interest today:
House Armed Services Committee
Full Committee Hearing: “Department of Defense Authorities and Roles Related to Civilian Law Enforcement”
Thursday, July 9, 2020 (1:00PM ET – Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium/Virtual – Open)
Witnesses:
The Honorable Dr. Mark T. Esper
Secretary of Defense
U.S. Department of Defense
General Mark A. Milley
Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Hmmm.
I know, busy day.
“. . .Reminder of how much we have lost . . . “ this about sums it up. What a vindictive, petty, small man. I would like to hope this foray into playing president ruins his “brand.” But we know what people will overlook to be close to power.
How many times per week do we hear the phrase “Today President Trump threatened...”?
Supreme Court says Manhattan prosecutor may see Trump’s personal financial records
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a New York prosecutor is entitled to see President Trump’s private and business financial records, ending an intense legal battle waged by the president to keep them secret. The court will rule later this morning on subpoenas issued by congressional committees for a broader range of Trump’s financial records.
This just in from the Washington Post
Congress did not fare as well - still blocked.
That's ok, the NY Prosecutor will find a valid reason to share those records with Congress. They will all get the information they need.
I Hope so....
Congress was not blocked. The Supreme Court, providing guidelines, sent those two cases back to the lower DC court to resolve. But the high court upheld Congress' investigative powers and right to subpoena information from the Executive Branch, with limits. One committee's request indeed was overly broad, and legal experts had expected that the court would force it to narrow the request.
What's unsatisfying is how much time this will take. That said, a least one House committee wasted many weeks in finally forcing the issue.
In the aggregate, today's rulings make it one of the worst in Trump's life. He now knows that justice is coming. Not as quickly as it should, but it's barrelling toward him. He's truly cornered and facing insurmountable deficits in the polls. What desperate steps will he take to save himself — and at what cost to the nation?
That's ok. More damage will be done at the SDNY level.
I saw that Deutsche Bank had issued a statement indicating it would comply with the Manhattan DA's (Vance) subpoena. If true, Trump's legal team will have to act fast to block or his finances will become the next toothpaste spill ala two recent books.
They won't be made public by the Manhattan DA. Grand jury records are sealed. On the other hand, if the Manhattan DA, as Bill Colburn above suggests, finds a valid reason to share the records with Congress, we the people just may get a look at them before the election.
I don't see how he blocks, given the Supreme Court has ordered the information released per the valid subpoena, but one never knows.
But they concluded that Trump etc are NOT immune from subpoenas from Congressional committees but that they should meet a higher standard of justification before being enforced by the courts rather than by political negotiations
I foolishly thought tRump could not go any lower. His disregard for the military is in plain view as he turns his head to reports of Russian bounties on US troops, or bullies and intimidates a decorated service man because he told the truth. This same military is expected to step up and "protect" the president from people on the streets. And added to his distain for the men and women serving the country he adds teachers and students. He just doesn't care about anything. I sure hope he suffers in hell, but if SCOTUS rules to release his taxes, etc, that hell may be right here on earth!
If Vindman was truly told he would face continuing retaliation and intimidation for the remainder of his career, then this points towards a politically-compromised military, which is a huge issue to resolve.
The Trump cabal's interference in things like Eddie Gallagher's court-martial or Brett Crozier's COVID alarm on the USS Theodore Roosevelt has truly disrupted the chain of command (CoC). One would think there would be major pushback from the Pentagon who rely entirely on proper CoC to function.
This is precisely why Sen. Tammy Duckworth's decision to block something like 1,100 military promotions until the Secretary of Defense explains exactly what's going on with Vindeman is so darn interesting. May she succeed in exposing and excising the rot.
Col. Vindman, like so many others who have been fired for their integrity by Trump and his "cohorts", must wait now 6 months to receive their "just desserts" and a full recognition by society of their contribution to the nation. In some ways we all share the shame of Trump in the meantime as this should never be conceivable in our democratic societies.
Trump can "huff and puff and try to blow the house down".....but it is made of brick! Schools are just brick and can be declared open but they are only really alive when they are filled with dedicated teachers and happy smiling young faces eager to learn. Each parent, teacher and pupil will defeat Trump on this by not going to school if they consider that it is dangerous for themselves or others if they go. One person can be bullied and intimidated by force or by law....but when the majority of the population "disobeys" the “diktat”, the dictator falls from his pedestal.
“Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall, no one could put all the pieces together again”
Roll on this afternoon at 16h GMT when the SCOTUS rules on Trumps finances...then we'll see the rats scurrying for cover.