A Medieval Beast Quiz

Can you identify ancient depictions of modern beasts?

Good Evening:

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Today on #DogShirtTV, I welcomed the estimable Dale Smith, a Canadian journalist, to talk about Justin Trudeau’s ouster, and what happens next. The estimable Eve Gaumond and the estimable Alicia Wanless—both of Canadian nationality and residence—joined in.

Also, Elon Musk called the estimable Holly Berkley Fletcher’s latest video “bizarre,” and we are so very proud of her:

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Scheduling Notice

There is no #DogShirtTV show tomorrow.

I have to hit the road early tomorrow to get to the cabin in the woods in time to meet some delivery folks there and make sure their truck can get through the snow.

We will be back on Friday at the usual time.

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Ending the Trump Cases the Right Way

In my “The Situation” column today, I consider the rapidly approaching conclusion of the criminal cases against Donald Trump, arguing that the hush money sentencing should go forward on Friday for the sake of the historical record. For the same reason, I argue that the Justice Department should drop the cases against Trump’s co-defendants in order to make public the contents of Special Counsel Smith’s final report on the Mar-a-Lago classified documents matter:

The sentencing, and whether it happens, thus has no small spiritual significance. It will define whether Trump enters the White House as a convicted felon or as someone who was charged with—as with his other cases—an indictment prosecutors could not make stick. A conviction, remember, cannot be appealed when a jury delivers its verdict. It can only be appealed when the sentence is handed down. So if the case gets dismissed before the sentencing takes place, Trump will be able truthfully to claim that the case was dismissed before it was completed.

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Today on Lawfare

‘Crime Suppression’ Policing and Excessive Force at the Memphis Police Department

Christy Lopez analyzes how the Memphis Police Department’s use of “crime suppression” policing contributes to patterns of misconduct as documented in a recent report from the the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. Lopez argued that cities can reduce harm by replacing crime suppression policing with problem-solving approaches:

Collectively, these findings reports document the role that suppression policing plays in creating a police culture in which abuse thrives and accountability withers. They explain how suppression policing incentivizes a culture that gives little consideration to whether police conduct violates the law or hurts people and that demands outputs like stops and arrests without stopping to wonder—much less evaluate—whether those outputs lead to desired outcomes such as improved public safety or police legitimacy.

The Grand Finale: Trump Tries to Block His Sentencing and Smith’s Final Report

Roger Parloff chronicles the ongoing efforts by President-elect Donald Trump’s legal team to stop his sentencing in the New York hush-money case and prevent the Department of Justice from releasing the contents of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report:

In the final weeks before the inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump’s attorneys have filed a flurry of petitions in multiple courts, in an effort to achieve two goals. First, he seeks to prevent his sentencing on his 34 felony convictions in the New York hush-money case—currently set for 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 10, 2025—from ever taking place. Second, he wants to block Attorney General Merrick Garland from making public any portion of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Final Report concerning his prosecutions of Trump for election-interference crimes in Washington, D.C., and for willful retention of classified documents and obstruction of justice in the Southern District of Florida.

This article will be updated as developments occur.

Syria’s Communal Diversity and the Challenges of Transition

Ammar Abdulhamid evaluates the challenges facing HTS, or the “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant,” as they seek to form a new government. Abdulhamid highlights how the concerns of different ethnic and religious communities cause mutual distrust, which may make a longer transitional period necessary before the country can hold national elections:

Nonetheless, the HTS-led alliance appears to be more focused on governance than on seeking revenge. Its pursuit of both internal and international legitimacy, coupled with the need for foreign investment to support reconstruction, offers other communities and social groups in Syria some leverage to influence the situation. This leverage could help shape an outcome that is more inclusive and widely accepted.

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Lawfare Daily: Full Stack Policymaking: Eugenia Lostri sits down with Winnona DeSombre Bernsen and Nina Alli to discuss their recent report, “It Takes a Village.” They review insights from several cybersecurity villages and the value they hold for policymakers and the security community:

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A Beast Quiz

In the course of investigating the narwhal, yesterday’s #BeastOfTheDay, we discovered an invaluable archive of images from medieval bestiaries, sorted by manuscript and—usefully—by beast. This resource is, of course, critically important for future #BeastOfTheDay purposes, but also deeply entertaining in its own right. Allow us to demonstrate:

Consider this Beast, from “Der Naturen Bloeme,” an early 14th Century Dutch manuscript.

What about this Beast, from a 13th Century French manuscript?

How about this Beast, from the same manuscript as the last one?

The internet is full of joy and wonder, if you know where to look.

Answers to today’s quiz will appear on tomorrow’s dog shirt.

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In honor of the snow and ice that has overtaken DC, today’s #BeastOfTheDay is a lynx who has absolutely fallen through the ice before, and is not putting up with that shit again. Be like the lynx this winter. Walk carefully. The ice does not show mercy.

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