New Delhi, May 20 -- American courts are not supposed to be venues for performance art. If counter-parties in a lawsuit do not have adverse interests-say, because they answer to the same person-judges balk. So when Donald Trump sued his own administration seeking $10bn in damages, the judge had questions. Rather than address them, on May 18th the president dropped his suit altogether. In exchange he secured a commitment by his own administration to compensate victims of government "lawfare", to the tune of $1.8bn. In maga-speak, that means political allies prosecuted by Democrats: think January 6th rioters, pro-life activists and the like. The scheme is of a piece with the self-dealing and the shakedowns that have defined this presidency....