Markets Churn, Monuments Rise: Trump’s Day of Power and Scrutiny

Heather Cox Richardson links Paul Krugman’s claim that people close to Trump traded on national secrets to a broader pattern of power and risk, citing a sharp, pre-announcement spike in S&P 500 and oil futures tied to a false Iran‑war update. The piece then traces Trump’s ambitious Washington remodeling, energy policy shifts, ICE deployments at airports amid DHS funding talks, and the Save America Act’s voter‑restrictive aims, while noting Florida’s special election and Pentagon troop movements to the Middle East as indicators of a presidency using government for wealth and power alongside governance strain.