The Distraction Index

This week saw significant constitutional challenges emerge across multiple fronts: the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey on charges including false statements and obstruction raises questions about prosecutorial independence and the politicization of justice; Trump's executive order advancing TikTok ownership with allied control concentrates unprecedented power over a major communications platform; the White House's threats of mass federal employee firings to coerce a spending deal represent executive overreach into legislative processes; and ICE's continued courthouse arrests in California despite state law restrictions signal escalating federal-state conflicts over constitutional authority. These developments compete for attention against secondary policy disputes including school funding disputes over transgender policies, government contracts with private AI companies, new tariff announcements, and confusion surrounding migrant enforcement procedures. The constitutional questions raised by prosecutorial targeting, platform control consolidation, coercive executive tactics, and federal-state legal conflicts represent the substantive governance issues requiring sustained scrutiny this week.