I’m sure it is easy to say that this is what everyone should have expected, but I feel like the conduct has gone well past what people expected. The scary thing is I don’t think it will be easy to do something about this. Half the country thinks everything that is happening is completely justified and completely legal. And in practice that means it is effectively legal. So are there any remaining checks and balances that are functioning?
I don't think there are any checks and balances that are still functioning other than the ones that have served us well to get rid of evil people since thousands of years ago and sooner or later these assholes will be gone. But they will always be replaced by new assholes with the same ambition: to own and rule over a disproportional share of the world.
Unfortunately this behavior has been a part of a portion of the country for a long time and we will be dealing with these people for the rest of our lives. EU, Canada and the rest talk a big talk about making moves to disconnect from the US. It would be nice to have independent democracies that can take up the mantle if things here need time to correct themselves.
I posted something there about good faith journalism, if you're still interested.
60 Minutes in 1990 would have DREAMED of breaking the MN scandal story. I remember them breaking a story like Gasoline pump fraud in the 90s and it didn't do any research other than recording gallons pumped into Gallon Water jugs - but they still posed it as fraud.