A few weeks ago, Ezra Klein , the influential liberal columnist at the Times , effectively called on Democrats to shut down the government, in an op-ed headlined “Stop Acting Like This Is Normal.” He looked back to March, when Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, rallied enough votes to help keep the government open ahead of a previous funding deadline; the Democratic base howled with rage, but Schumer argued that a shutdown risked weakening checks on President Donald Trump and further empowering Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to slash through federal agencies. Klein agreed that these were reasonable positions at the time, but now, he argued, times have changed. The existing curbs on Trump’s power look weak anyway, and his Presidency has moved out of it

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