Trump — The Lawbreaker Part 2
Abuse of Power in Practice by Mark M. Bello Last week, in Part I of ‘TRUMP THE LAWBREAKER,’ we discussed the erosion of equal justice in America. In Part II, we’ll discuss what that erosion looks like in real time. Not in theory or law school hypotheticals, but in the daily exercise of presidential power. […]
Trump: The Lawbreaker
Part 1: Equal or Selective Justice? by Mark M. Bello Trump 2.0 and the Collapse of the Rule of Law: Justice for Some, Not All The rule of law promises something simple: The same rules apply to everyone and apply the same way. Not sometimes, not when it is convenient, and not only when the […]
‘Good. I’m Glad He’s Dead’
Robert Mueller, Donald Trump, and the Death of Decency by Mark M. Bello By now, you have heard that Robert Mueller, a decorated Marine, lifelong public servant, former FBI Director, and special prosecutor, has passed away. When Donald Trump heard the news, he posted these words: “Good, I’m glad he’s dead,” I’d like to say […]
House Judiciary Committee Hearing Morphs Into Committee on Fingers Crossed, Eyes Closed, and Ears CoveredIs Pam Bondi Smarter than a 1st Grader?
Is Pam Bondi Smarter than a 1st Grader? Note: This commentary was first published in Mark M. Bello’s And Justice for All Substack. It is reprinted here with permission. by Mark M. Bello I sat down to watch an important House Judiciary Committee Hearing, and an elementary school playground catfight broke out. While much of the debacle […]
Echoes of Injustice: Trump and the Legacy of Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo was supposed to be history—but it’s still being used as political theater. Human rights attorney Joshua Colangelo-Bryan joins Lean to the Left to explain how fear, demagoguery, and cruelty continue to shape U.S. policy.
Trump Voters: Is THIS What you Had in Mind?
By Mark M. Bello I previously called out Fox News for its distorted reporting on the killing of Alex Pretti. Now, I’m speaking directly to voters who chose Donald Trump for president in the last election. Some of you admire Trump, loathe Democrats, and actively support a radical right-wing agenda—Project-2025–type governance, centralized executive power, loyalty […]
On MLK Day: Let’s Compare Dignified Leadership With Leadership by Degradation
Trump Could Learn from This King By Mark M. Bello Jan. 19, 2026 Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr.—not as a saint carved in marble, but as a living model of leadership grounded in human dignity. And this matters because dignity is precisely what our current political moment lacks. King believed power without moral […]
Sanity Tries to Restore Itself—and Gets Shoved Out the Door
Will America to Come to its Senses Again? by Mark M. Bello It’s happened before. Every so often, American politics produces moments where citizens must feel they live in some alternative universe. But then . . . A politician tones it down, two opponents speak like adults, or someone once fueled by outrage suddenly […]
When the Government Shots First, Distorts Second, and Covers Its Ass Third
What ICE is and What it is Not By Mark M. Bello When the government kills a citizen it had no lawful reason to stop—and lies before it investigates—the Constitution is already bleeding. Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three, was recently shot and killed by an ICE agent during a […]
Happy New Year Part 3: The Choice
Competence is Still an Option by Mark M. Bello After a year filled with headlines, arguments, and outrage, it’s easy to believe that dysfunction is inevitable — that chaos is just the cost of governing a large, divided country. It isn’t. What Americans experienced in 2025 wasn’t the unavoidable result of hard choices in a […]