Deadline Poet / April 8, 2025

Paul, Weiss Caves In Under Trump Pressure

Calvin Trillin
(Michael M. Santiago / Getty)

For decades Paul, Weiss was a model for all
In taking on tough litigation.
So how many hours did they bill themselves
For trashing their own reputation?

Hold the powerful to account by supporting The Nation

The chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration reaches new lows each week.

Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” has wreaked havoc on the world economy and set up yet another constitutional crisis at home. Plainclothes officers continue to abduct university students off the streets. So-called “enemy aliens” are flown abroad to a mega prison against the orders of the courts. And Signalgate promises to be the first of many incompetence scandals that expose the brutal violence at the core of the American empire.

At a time when elite universities, powerful law firms, and influential media outlets are capitulating to Trump’s intimidation, The Nation is more determined than ever before to hold the powerful to account.

In just the last month, we’ve published reporting on how Trump outsources his mass deportation agenda to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to obscure laws to carry out its repressive agenda, and amplified the voices of brave student activists targeted by universities.

We also continue to tell the stories of those who fight back against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in growing protest movements, in town halls across the country, or in critical state elections—like Wisconsin’s recent state Supreme Court race—that provide a model for resisting Trumpism and prove that Musk can’t buy our democracy.

This is the journalism that matters in 2025. But we can’t do this without you. As a reader-supported publication, we rely on the support of generous donors. Please, help make our essential independent journalism possible with a donation today.

In solidarity,

The Editors

The Nation

Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin is The Nation’s “deadline poet.”

More from The Nation

An interfaith prayer vigil for Kilmar Abrego Garcia is held at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2025, during the visit of El Salvador's president.

Trump Could Bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia Home if He Wanted To Trump Could Bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia Home if He Wanted To

As much as Donald Trump wants the public to believe this is in the hands of “the world’s coolest dictator,” he is holding all the cards.

Joan Walsh

Hands Off!

Hands Off! Hands Off!

Signs from the NYC rally and march, April 5, 2025.

OppArt / Steve Brodner

The Faces of the Republican Party

The Faces of the Republican Party The Faces of the Republican Party

A cabinet full of poison apples.

OppArt / Jeff Gates

Workers pack a school bus, riding from one of Central Romana’s sugar cane fields to their company housing, dank shacks that often lack electricity and running water, in El Seibo, Dominican Republic.

The Bitter Taste of Labor Violations The Bitter Taste of Labor Violations

A Trump-aligned company wins a pardon for labor violations in sugar production.

Melissa Ditmore

Bernie Sanders at the Coachella music festival.

Why Bernie Sanders Went to Coachella Why Bernie Sanders Went to Coachella

The senator is building a movement, and he knows young voters are essential to making it work.

John Nichols

Translating the Attack on DEI

Translating the Attack on DEI Translating the Attack on DEI

Trump administration rolls back civil rights.

OppArt / Ruben Bolling