Temperature today: 80C This is one of the days when Trump seems inept and cowardly, doing malicious things but only being partly effective, and then retreating when the pushback comes.

The protests in LA seem to have died down, or news of them has. It is clear that this situation was created by the administration from start to finish, and currently leaving little or nothing for the National Guard and Marines to actually do, if indeed they are at the scene.

Numerous reports confirmed that the first group of National Guardsmen, about 300, were initially (and illegally) deployed without food, water, fuel and sleeping accommodations. Military folks term this “Russian logistics” and it’s not a compliment. The Guard got to stand around and hear angry citizens telling them that they were not needed and needed to consider their choices very carefully.

The rhetoric from the administration is both evil and idiotic. It does not seem to be catching on: the whole country has not been put on alert to watch while LA burns, and many people have been saying loud and clear that the administration has no credibility.

At the same time, there are plenty of warnings that the authoritarian push continues, and we need to be clear and emphatic about preventing that.