Opinion: President Trump, under siege

Also: Where are the Republicans who like democracy more than they hate Democrats? View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, December 6, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist “We’ve seen indications that Mueller is getting close to the end here,” says Susan Hennessey, of the Lawfare blog, about Robert Mueller’s investigation. “That’s either good news for the president because this is all about to wrap up, or it’s really bad news for the president because it’s all about to come crashing down.” What are those indications? They include the latest flurry of legal proceedings involving people central to the investigation, like Michael Flynn, Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort. Hennessey predicts that the investigation will likely wrap up by early spring. If that’s right, much of the news in the next few months will be dominated by Russia. And I think that’s one reason why congressional Republicans seem more willing to defy Trump — as they have in recent days on [Yemen]( [a few judicial nominations]( and [Jamal Khashoggi’s murder](. “The Trump White House is very much under siege,” [Mikhaila Fogel and Benjamin Wittes]( write in an Atlantic piece that walks through the White House’s problems. For more on the Russia investigation, [listen to the new episode of “The Argument”]( podcast. It includes the interview with Hennessey that’s quoted above, as well as a debate among Ross Douthat, Michelle Goldberg and me over whether Trump’s behavior means he deserves to be removed from office. Ross says no. Michelle and I say, “[Dayenu!]( Wisconsin. Republican legislators in Wisconsin yesterday approved a naked partisan power grab, removing authority from the governor’s office for the simple reason that the new governor will be a Democrat. It’s ugly stuff, and I think it’s crucial that other Republicans try to halt the bill. (The governor, Scott Walker, has yet to sign it, and the bill is likely to be challenged in court.) One prominent Republican businessman in Wisconsin, Sheldon Lubar, spoke out against it, as [Meg Jones of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported](. “We rely on norms of mutual toleration and forbearance to ensure the peaceful transfer of power. Violating that compact undermines democracy,” the political scientist [Brendan Nyhan]( wrote yesterday. “Scholars of democratic erosion know how dangerous this situation can be.” To paraphrase [Seth Masket]( another political scientist: Where are the Republicans who like democracy more than they hate Democrats? Elsewhere, [Jamil Smith of Rolling Stone]( calls the Wisconsin move “a declaration that only Republicans are allowed to run things, even when the voters say otherwise, and that any challenges to their power are invalid.” [HuffPost’s Igor Bobic]( points out that top Republicans — including Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan — have mostly been silent. The full Opinion report from The Times follows, including my colleague [Thomas Edsall]( on the connection between campaign finance and inequality. The Argument [Is Trump a Traitor?]( And unpacking the Russia investigation with Lawfare’s Susan Hennessey [Renewed Hope for Peace in Yemen]( [Saudi-led coalition forces on patrol in Yemen earlier this year.]( Saudi-led coalition forces on patrol in Yemen earlier this year. Nariman El-Mofty/Associated Press By MARTIN GRIFFITHS Representatives of the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement are sitting down to talk in Sweden and offering us hope for restarting the peace process in their country. Op-Ed Columnist [Trump Gets It All Wrong]( By GAIL COLLINS Beware of busloads of voters with phony mustaches. The Yellow Vests Op-Ed Columnist [France’s Combustible Climate Politics]( By BRET STEPHENS Climate policy should be about solving problems, not salving consciences. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT [France Is Shaken by Protests No One Saw Coming]( By AGNÈS C. POIRIER Traditional politics have been decimated. What’s left behind is worryingly unstable. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT [Paris Burning]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The popular “yellow vests” movement has backed French President Emmanuel Macron into a corner. [How to Fill a Supreme Court Vacancy]( [President Bush and Barbara Bush with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at his swearing-in ceremony in 1991.]( President Bush and Barbara Bush with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at his swearing-in ceremony in 1991. Dirck Halstead/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images By LINDA GREENHOUSE George H.W. Bush was by turns conciliatory and confrontational. The combative approach put Clarence Thomas on the court. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [Citizens United Is Still Doing the Dirty Work]( By THOMAS B. EDSALL When does the “appearance of influence or access” just become plain old corruption? [Michael Flynn, Witness for the Prosecution]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The special counsel says President Trump’s former national security adviser has provided “substantial assistance” and deserves a light sentence. ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. [Putin Must Be Punished]( [A portrait of President Vladimir Putin was carried at a celebration of the anniversary of the annexation of the Crimea by the Russian Federation, in Sevastopol.]( A portrait of President Vladimir Putin was carried at a celebration of the anniversary of the annexation of the Crimea by the Russian Federation, in Sevastopol. Max Vetrov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By PETRO POROSHENKO Russia can’t be allowed to get away with its brazen aggression against Ukraine. The West needs to act. More in Opinion [Is Harvard Whitewashing a Russian Oligarch’s Fortune?]( By ANN MARLOWE Len Blavatnik made billions as a Kremlin insider. Now he’s writing huge checks to the university. [Trump Shrugs Off Criminal Justice Reform]( By MICHELLE COTTLE Even presidential and bipartisan support may not be enough to overcome Mitch McConnell. [Yes, You Should Walk Your Cat]( By DAVID GRIMM Today’s indoor cat is a tiger robbed of his dominion, a Lamborghini left idling in the garage. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT [Wisconsin Is About to Make a Huge Mistake]( By DAN KAUFMAN The lame duck, heavily gerrymandered Republican Legislature plans to vote on Tuesday to limit the powers of the incoming governor and attorney general, who are — surprise — Democrats. We’ve got more newsletters! You might like Frank Bruni’s newsletter.  Go beyond the headlines and behind the curtain with Frank Bruni’s candid reflections on politics, culture, higher education and more every week. [Sign up for Frank Bruni’s email.](  ADVERTISEMENT letters [Trade War With China: Not So ‘Easy to Win’]( Readers discuss President Trump’s changing stances — threats to truce and back to threats — and the complexity of trade negotiations. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback). FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018