CATEGORIES

Intelligencer - The National Interest: Jonathan Chait - Exploiting Violence Trump blames liberals for the attempts on his life. He doesn't care who gets hurt now.

Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. That was true before the first assassination attempt on the former president, on July 13, and it remains true now, after the second attempt, which was foiled at his golf course on September 15. Political violence in general, and assassinating presidential candidates specifically, also poses risks to democracy. There is no contradiction between these ideas whatsoever. Yet Trump’s supporters have responded to both attempts on his life by muddying the waters, exploiting the near tragedies with cynical efforts to redefine critiques of Trump’s authoritarian inclinations as violent provocation.

The D.C. Brief - When some of the biggest donors to conservative causes made explicit their electoral opposition to a second term for Donald Trump way back in February 2023, it came as something of a shock to the Republican orbit.

When some of the biggest donors to conservative causes made explicit their electoral opposition to a second term for Donald Trump way back in February 2023, it came as something of a shock to the Republican orbit. After all, the powerful network organized under the auspices of billionaire industrialist Charles Koch had officially remained neutral in Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns, a sign of how uncomfortable his allies were with the nominee whose positions were so far afield from their own.

Meet the Democracy Defenders - In the minds of many voters, nothing less than American democracy is on the line in 2024.

In the minds of many voters, nothing less than American democracy is on the line in 2024. Some see threats on multiple fronts: foreign interference, artificial intelligence, a polarized electorate. Others are most worried about candidates who have undermined faith in our voting systems. The 11 people on this list-Democrats and Republicans, public officials and private individuals, business leaders and civil rights crusaders-are working to boost voter participation, reverse disenfranchisement, and combat misinformation. Their efforts help not only defend democracy, but also strengthen it.

Party Planning - Putin wants Trump to win, of course, and he's got big ideas about a new world order. Think Yalta-on Fiji

I don’t know which moment in US history former president Donald Trump imagines when he says, “Make America great again.” He has never given a definitive answer in any speech or interview. But I know exactly which moment Vladimir Putin imagines in his own vision for Russian greatness. It is February 1945, when Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill divided the world in Crimea.

What Abortion Bans Do to Doctors - In Idaho and other states, draconian laws are forcing physicians to ignore their training and put patients' lives at risk.

Kylie Cooper has seen all the ways a pregnancy can go terrifyingly, perilously wrong. She is an obstetrician who manages high-risk patients, also known as a maternal-fetal-medicine specialist, or MFM. The awkward hyphenation highlights the duality of the role. Cooper must care for two patients at once: mother and fetus, mom and baby. On good days, she helps women with complicated pregnancies bring home healthy babies. On bad days, she has to tell families that this will not be possible. Sometimes, they ask her to end the pregnancy; prior to the summer of 2022, she was able to do so

US Companies See Record-Low Profits in China Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Slow Growth, Report Says - American companies in China are seeing record-low profits, with business confidence at an all-time low amid U.S.-China tensions and a slowing Chinese economy

American companies in China are seeing record-low profits, with business confidence at an all-time low amid U.S.-China tensions and a slowing Chinese economy, according to a report published Thursday by a U.S. business group.

The Dark Time. - On the Arctic border of Russia and Norway, an espionage war is emerging.

On the Arctic border of Russia and Norway, an espionage war is emerging. The point of contact between NATO and Russia's nuclear stronghold is the small town of Kirkenes. For years, Russia has treated the area as a laboratory, testing intelligence and influence operations before replicating them across Europe.

The Afterlife of Donald Trump - The presidential hopeful contemplates his campaign, his formidable new opponent, and the miracle of his continued existence.

Donald Trump raised his right hand and grabbed hold of it. He bent it backward and forward. I asked if I could take a closer look. These days, the former president and current triple threat-convicted felon, Republican presidential nominee, and recent survivor of an assassination attempt-comes from a place of yes. He waved me over to where he sat on this August afternoon, in a low-to-the-ground chair upholstered in cream brocade fabric in the grand living room at Mar-a-Lago.

This Fall, Hollywood Tries to Balance Box Office With the Ballot Box - Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election in November, Ridley Scott will present his latest big-screen opus.

Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election in November, Ridley Scott will present his latest big-screen opus. “Gladiator II” returns the prodigious filmmaker to ancient Rome for a story about a power, the survival of Rome and the fate of democracy.“Hopefully,” Scott says, “it will be a good omen.” This fall, Hollywood will be trying — with everything from swaggering historical epics like “Gladiator II” to the high-seas adventure of “Moana 2” — to capture the nation’s attention at a time when much of it will be directed at the polls.

A Wonk in Full- Ezra Klein, glowed-up and post-coup, was almost a celebrity at the convention.

Ezra Klein, glowed-up and post-coup, was almost a celebrity at the convention. Ezra Klein, who is known to keep his passions in check, did not have the right credentials to get into the arena. The Secret Service didn't recognize the New York Times' star "Opinion" writer and podcaster, but eventually he was able to figure out how to get in to where he belonged. This was, after all, as much his convention as any journalist's, since its high-energy optimism turned on the fact that President Joe Biden was no longer leading the ticket and, starting early this year, Klein had led the coup drumbeat.

Kamala's Party - Producing Chicago The DNC covered nearly impossible ground to raise up Harris as the new hero.

Producing Chicago The DNC covered nearly impossible ground to raise up Harris as the new hero. At a political convention, power is rendered as geography. The rank and file are stuck in the rafters of the arena; the delegates jostle on the floor. Donors and VIPs are positioned up in a ring of luxury suites, their status-conferring badges and passes flapping from their many lanyards. The staffers toil down in the bowels, harried and molelike, their eyes on their phones. But at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, maybe the most important piece of real estate was a narrow space up metal gangway stairs at the back of the United Center, where Ricky Kirshner worked in front of a bank of a half-dozen flat-screens. The Democrats in the hall were extras in a televised event, and Kirshner was producing the show.

Vote or Die - I'm a Black man in Arizona participating in the most consequential election of my lifetime whether certain white men want me to or not.

You knew some vote-or-die, do-it-to-honor the-sacrifices-of-the-ancestors, you-can't-complain-if-youdon't-participate Black folks. But you also knew scores who didn't trouble themselves with participating at all. Into your 30s you felt somewhere between those philosophical poles, among those who, each election cycle, needed convincing that their vote mattered a good gotdamn.

This Guy Stood Up to Trump - Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, rebuffed Donald Trump's demand to find” votes for him in 2020—and received death threats. Now Trump is back on the ballot, and the pressure is mounting from all sides. Can he once again deliver a fair election?

Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, rebuffed Donald Trump's demand to find” votes for him in 2020—and received death threats. Now Trump is back on the ballot, and the pressure is mounting from all sides. Can he once again deliver a fair election?Brad Raffensperger is rattling off statistics while we wait. It's just after 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, May 21, and the Georgia secretary of state is standing outside a small conference room in an underground bunker on the east side of Atlanta, where he and his staff gather on election days. A couple dozen workers are spread around an open seating area, quietly fielding phone calls and staring at their computer monitors. With its fluorescent lights and gray carpet, the place has the muted feel of a regional sales office. The secretary, though, is energized. As the official in charge of overseeing elections in his state, Raffensperger is always ready to dive into the details.

'Lord, Help Us Make America Great Again' - A close reading of Trump-rally prayers

A week before Christmas, an evangelical minister named Paul Terry stood before thousands of Christians, their heads bowed, in Durham, New Hampshire, and pleaded with God for deliverance. Th e nation was in crisis, he told the Lord— racked with death and addiction, led by wicked men who “rule with imperial disdain.”

California Gov.Gavin Newsom Nudges School Districts to Restrict Student Cellphone Use - California and South Carolina could become the next states to limit cellphone use in schools, with state officials taking up the issue this week.

California and South Carolina could become the next states to limit cellphone use in schools, with state officials taking up the issue this week. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is sending letters to school districts, urging them to restrict students’ use of smartphones on campus. South Carolina’s State Board of Education took up guidelines to tell local districts to ban cellphone use during class time, but postponed a final vote until next month to take more time to craft the proposal.

Kid of the Year- Madhvi Chittoor - When Madhvi Chittoor of Arvada, Colo., learned at the age of 6 that PFAS forever chemicals are found in all sorts of consumer products, she wanted to warn everyone.

When Madhvi Chittoor of Arvada, Colo., learned at the age of 6 that PFAS forever chemicals are found in all sorts of consumer products, she wanted to warn everyone. So she started with one person: Colorado state senator Lisa Cutter, a strong advocate for the environment. Cutter agreed to meet, and in 2021 she sat down with Madhvi-accompanied by her mom at a Panera.

Prisoners of Putin - the release of more than 20 Russian-held prisoners including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other American citizens

The historic release of more than 20 Russian-held prisoners including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other American citizens-relied on the cooperation of seven countries. At a time of deepening global tensions, the rare moment of collaboration was not just a cause for celebration among the prisoners and their families, but also a significant diplomatic achievement.

Me, Lania - Melania Trump to Tell Her Story in Memoir, "Melania," Scheduled for This Fall —Associated Press.

As a little girl in Slovenia, I had the same dreams as any child: to immigrate to America on a bogus "genius visa," to model acrylic sweaters in a catalogue, and to meet a rich man almost twice my age and enter into a financially advantageous marriage with as little physical contact as possible.

Exit Ghost- Watching Joe Biden say good-bye.

Watching Joe Biden say good-bye. Like a lot of people, I find myself affectionate toward a woman I had little use for 20 minutes ago. The normal amount of excitement about Kamala Harris is the amount that was shown her in 2020 during a bloodless, procedurally banal primary. Harris is a former prosecutor with cop energy, a little remote, and not, in Washington, particularly loved.

But Can She Win? - Early polling already indicates that Harris is more competitive with Trump than Biden was

Early polling already indicates that Harris is more competitive with Trump than Biden was, even as Trump is still favored. (At the end of the Harris campaign’s first week, the gold-standard New York Times–Siena College poll had the race effectively tied, a considerable improvement over Biden’s previous six-point deficit.)

A Global Movement Against The Status Quo - With so many elections in big countries this year, it's a good time to look at how the politics of democracies is shifting.

With so many elections in big countries this year, it's a good time to look at how the politics of democracies is shifting. But this is no simple turn to the left or the right.

Intelligencer - This Old Man - A Conspiracy of Silence

The president’s mental decline was like a dark family secret for many elite supporters.

Growing Pains - Why are governors rejecting funds for kids' summer meals?

The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (EBT), the first new federal food aid initiative in decades, is a permanent extension of Congress’ Covid-era relief that sought to provide extra meals for more than 30 million school kids who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. But more than 10 million children will miss out this summer, according to the USDA. Thirteen other states—Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming—also chose not to enroll. And they all have something else in common: Republican governors.

The First AntiShip Ballistic Missile Attack- Since the outbreak of conflict between Hamas and Israel in October 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of missiles and kamikaze drones at Israeli and U.S. targets in a show of support for Palestine.

The U.S. Navy Destroyer Mason (DDG87) was wrapping up a mission rescuing a tanker from pirates in the Gulf of Aden when the situation sharply escalated. The ship's radar detected at least one-or possibly two-missiles moving toward its position at supersonic speeds, each loaded with well over a half ton of explosives.

The World According to Biden

Inside the President’s efforts to sustain the American century

Guilty on All Counts

A historic verdict for Donald Trump

Claudia Sheinbaum

A first for Mexico

The future is in Judge Merchan's hands

Now that a jury has found Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony charges, nearly everything about what happens next is up to Judge Juan Merchan.

'I am always in the moment'

India's prime minister on his goals, his critics and his 'god-gifted' ability to listen

Company Man

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is getting down to business in a country that feels shortchanged by his election