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“There are a lot of people on Capitol Hill who recognize that it's a gating function.”

Democrats were already worried about how the Trump administration wields the powerful surveillance tools.

John Phelan was ostensibly ousted from his job due to insufficient progress on the issue, but his replacement submitted a nearly identical proposal.

Donald Trump just named William Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, replacing the outgoing Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte is best known for abusing his administration position to ransack the mortages of Trump’s enemies for fake pretexts to get them prosecuted and jailed. In today’s episode, University of Michigan law professor Leah Litman argues that the office of DNI could be put to even more nefarious and “terrifying” use. Indeed, GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested it may produce a “weaponized” DNI, a striking admission of serious danger ahead. Senator Tom Cotton curtly refused to share his opinion of the choice. And other GOP senators said Pulte is unqualified for the job. Given the DNI’s power, these objections reveal visible consternation. Indeed, MAGA figures fully expect Pulte to be turned loose on the left. Litman discusses what a “weaponized” national security state could look like under Pulte and ponders whether the rule of law can survive this presidency. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.

Derek Davison, Daniel Bessner Danny and Derek speak with Roland Betancourt, Chancellor's Professor of Art History at UC Irvine, about Disneyland and the rise of automation in the US. The post Disneyland: Cold War Factory—With Roland Betancourt appeared first on The Nation.

The post A Low-Income Housing Program Is Pouring Billions Into Housing Many People Can’t Afford appeared first on ProPublica.

Groups of men have been seen emerging from New York sewers, reportedly in search of "valuables" in the sewage. What would those be, exactly?

Your weekly essential midterms update from The Lever newsroom.