this post was submitted on 06 May 2025
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Veteran 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley reported on Donald Trump’s efforts to strong-arm some of the country’s top law firms into doing his bidding on Sunday night’s episode of the embattled CBS newsmagazine.

Pelley’s segment pulled no punches in describing Trump’s efforts and reminding viewers that Trump is the “first felon” ever to sit in the Oval Office.

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[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 200 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Pretty terrifying honestly.

I'm kind of astonished that even republicans can't see anything wrong with everything happening. Like conservative ideals are one thing but dismantling the rule of law is a whole other thing.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 101 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Uh... What did you think conservatives stood for again? Conservatism has always been about putting wealth in the hands of the few and scapegoating vulnerable people to distract the masses; everything else is camouflage.

[–] 4am@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Capitalism is the entropy lottery, and the more you remove the graphite the more the reaction runs away toward total meltdown

Conservatism is the belief that we should ban pencils because how dare you limit my chances even a little before everything breaks

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 day ago (5 children)

I don't think the majority of conservatives actually want that.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 59 points 1 day ago

They claim they don't want that, but every single one of their positions feeds into one or both of these two results.

If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you. ― Lyndon B. Johnson

[–] ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day ago

The majority of Republicans are fucking morons that have no idea what is going on in the world and have no desire to so long as they have identified which group they are supposed to hate.

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.com 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They just want to hate the people who they fear

Because they're fucking idiots who choose ignorance because thinking is difficult for them

[–] evenglow@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

I wish more people understood this. Fear drives them just hate is an easier emotion that they can handle.

[–] frunch@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What would you say they want, then?

[–] mister_flibble@lemm.ee 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I do suspect there's a pretty decent sized chunk who bought into that "Republicans are good for the economy" line of bullshit DECADES ago and have just spent the intervening time hell bent on not giving anything political even the tiniest iota of thought. These people still fucking suck, as that basically involves waking up every day and choosing to be a completely uninformed moron rather than spend 5 fucking seconds thinking about something they find uninteresting. So some are hateful bigots and some are just so fucking stupid it's a minor miracle they've survived this long without someone to follow them around covering the outlets and safety pinning mittens to their sleeves. Fuck em both.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 22 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I do suspect there’s a pretty decent sized chunk who bought into that “Republicans are good for the economy” line of bullshit DECADES ago and have just spent the intervening time hell bent on not giving anything political even the tiniest iota of thought.

"I've been a conservative because I believe the Regan trickle down economics works."

My old coworker. I literally said "my guy we've had fifty goddamn years to show that is complete bullshit. How many more decades do we need to try it for you to realize it doesn't work?"

As you said, he just spent 0 time thinking about it.

But to be honest, it does work for him in a way... His parents were wealthy and so he has lived his life as a janitor and a doorman and will still be able to retire into a nice house with a ton of inheritance money...

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago

Yeah, it trickles down from rich parents to their kids. That's good enough for him I guess.

[–] evenglow@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Then why did 77 million Republicans vote for Trump and Republicans?

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 67 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

I've lived in several countries and watched conservatives in all of them over half a century. Nothing I have seen has ever changed my view that conservatism is pathological selfishness disguised as a political philosophy. While other political movements agree on making life better for people in general but disagree on how to do it, conservatives indulge their personality disorder, call it politics, and demand to be taken as seriously as those who actually try.

[–] errer@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago

The only reason why Trump’s approval rating has sunk a bit amongst conservatives is that tariffs are directly affecting them. As you said, they are selfishness incarnate.

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[–] blattrules@lemmy.world 116 points 1 day ago (4 children)

This is what every journalist in America needs to be doing right now.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 62 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I would argue it's what every journalist in America should have been doing 8 FUCKING YEARS AGO, but no, they helped create this monster so they could report on it. They are a human/media centipede crossed with an Ouroboros eating it's own shit. Support independent media, not partisan sources in either direction, they're ALL compromised by capital.

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 45 points 1 day ago

OK, but this is also what every journalist needs to be doing right now.

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[–] Bouzou@lemmy.world 101 points 1 day ago

It's insane, because it's not some sassy or hyperbolic report. It's perfectly measured and...logical. A well made report.

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 80 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Jesus Christ. What subject, other than abject flattery, is Trump not sensitive about? No matter what they do, any story that's based remotely on fact is gonna piss that fragile little man off, so why not just have at him?

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[–] knightmare1147@lemmy.world 74 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I love this. It's kind of a rule of the internet that if you tell it to stop doing something it'll just make everyone more determined. I want to see every group that interacts with the administration be so resolute to give them shit.

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[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 73 points 1 day ago

This is real journalism, which has become increasingly rare these days. Everything else is just PR.

Glad legacy media still has a few balls left

[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 52 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Extortion of law firms. What the fucking hell scared these businesses so much? Just stopping federal contracts with them?

And with that threat looming overhead, how do they not have the motivation to quietly resist? You want to talk about respecting the law and fighting back - that's who needs to do it.

Except they bent the knee anyway. We know they're just as complicit in the Regimes acts now.

And that's just one issue.

[–] Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee 22 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It’s a shit spot to be in, as basically all of them work cases in federal court. If your lawyers are physically prevented entry to federal property because some orange buffoon bans the entire firm by the stroke of a pen, that law firm is completely impotent and unable to argue in federal cases, even those that don’t end up in a courtroom. Judges chambers, pre-trial motions, informal meetings, etc all are impossible or vastly more difficult.

It was a very targeted and deliberate move to put these firms in a lose:lose scenario - give an absurd amount of pro-bono work to your abuser, or wither and die as your clients are forced to move to another firm:

The orders threatened to bar attorneys from where they work, courthouses and federal agencies and cancel the contracts of law firm clients. For example, an aerospace company could lose its federal contracts if it stayed with the firm. A senior partner at one firm told us the president's orders were, quote, "diabolical." "Intended to bankrupt [us]."

[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 13 points 22 hours ago

Man that's such a small detail I glossed over, that they can bar them from courthouses.

[–] Malek061@lemmy.world 21 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

A lot of cowards in powerful positions.

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[–] makyo@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I never realized until Trump came along how strong the urge to lick boots is in humanity - because if anyone is in exactly the right position with the capabilities and know how it these high-powered firms. And yet they'd rather supplicate themselves? Pathetic.

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[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 9 points 21 hours ago

Lawyers and law firms lean very very heavily on relationships. Far too much honestly. Who your lawyer knows really shouldn't matter when it comes to legel matters, but often it means more than the law. So being in the sights of the leader of the republican party really reduces the image of a lawyer with connections. Thus it is very very bad for business.

[–] RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 40 points 1 day ago (25 children)

Trump is the biggest piece of shit America has ever produced.

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[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 32 points 23 hours ago

They hurt TRUMPS FEELINGS? DEPORT THEM!

-Fuck Your Feelings Conservatives!

[–] pelley@lemmy.world 23 points 23 hours ago

Good on Pelley.

[–] courval@lemmy.world 22 points 10 hours ago

Make no mistake, the only reason we're seeing this in the media now is because big business is getting hit. Mostly a shot in the foot with tariffs but let's keep those boycotts up!

[–] laranis@lemmy.zip 21 points 16 hours ago

Only nine years too late.

Still, hope this marks the start of a trend.

[–] Chocrates@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Anyone have a link to th video?

[–] xorollo@leminal.space 24 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-orders-target-law-firms-some-lawyers-say-that-threatens-rule-of-law-60-minutes-transcript/

I suspect it's this one. Looks like 60 minutes posts their show online on their website.

Edit-- turns out they also publish the show as a podcast (which I prefer)

60 Minutes

https://antennapod.org/deeplink/subscribe/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.megaphone.fm%2FCBS5826355202&title=60+Minutes

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago

That pesky first amendment comes back to bite again!

[–] demizerone@lemmy.world 14 points 16 hours ago

I hate 60 minutes but watched that on YouTube. Anything to piss on trumps shallow ego.

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 12 points 1 day ago

My only hope at this point is that, by firing most of NOAA, they somehow miss or are otherwise unprepared for a freak hurricane that blows right through DC while congress is in session and Trump is doing a photo op while signing a new bullshit order.

[–] boaratio@lemmy.world 11 points 22 hours ago

As I always say, that'll teach'm.

60 Minutes finally found their spine? They’ve been barely tolerable for a while now with poor reporting. Looks like getting attacked personally was what it took to hit back with actual accuracy.

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