With somber, black-and-white illustrations, The N.Y. Times is speaking to (and for) history with a full-page editorial, "The President Is Not Above the Law":

The timing: "News reports point to a growing possibility that President Trump may act to cripple or shut down an investigation by the nation’s top law-enforcement agencies into his campaign and administration."

• "Lawmakers need to be preparing now for that possibility because if and when it comes to pass, they will suddenly find themselves on the edge of an abyss, with the Constitution in their hands."
• "Make no mistake: If Mr. Trump takes such drastic action, he will be striking at the foundation of the American government, attempting to set a precedent that a president, alone among American citizens, is above the law. What can seem now like a political sideshow will instantly become a constitutional crisis, and history will come calling."
• "Of course, this president has been known to huff and puff, to bluff and bluster, and he may be doing no more than that now."