Bourbon, Collateral Damage in Trump’s Trade War
Daniel McGraw on how Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul's state is hurting because of that former guy's "easy to win" trade war.
Leading The Bulwark…
Bourbon, Collateral Damage in Trump’s Trade War
DANIEL MCGRAW: Kentucky’s greatest export is having a rough time thanks to European tariffs enacted during Trump’s trade war over steel and aluminum.
🎧 On the Pods… 🎧
Editor’s Note: Charlie is on vacation this week, enjoying the vaxxed life. He’ll return soon. In the meantime, we’ll have guest hosts each day.
JVL and Sarah Dissect the GOP Donor Retreat
On today’s Bulwark podcast, JVL and Sarah Longwell, co-hosts of The Secret Podcast sit in for Charlie Sykes to break down the GOP Donor Retreat in Florida, how the GOP actually did an autopsy on 2020 (but not what you think), and the latest with Matt Gaetz.
If you want to hear more of Sarah and JVL chat each week, their Secret Podcast is available to members of Bulwark+.
For Bulwark+ Members… 🔐
MORNING SHOTS: The Insurrection Is the Message. And Republicans Are All Still Onboard. 🔓
TIM MILLER: Inside the Republican donor retreat.
THE TRIAD: White Supremacy in Virginia 🔓
JVL on the past and present.
From The Bulwark Aggregator…
Chamber of Commerce getting squeezed on all sides – Josh Kraushaar, National Journal
Here’s How Fox News and Trump Ended Up on Flip Sides of the Free Speech Fight – David R. Lurie, The Daily Beast
The World Needs the Not-for-Profit AstraZeneca Vaccine, Minus the AstraZeneca Drama – Stephanie Baker and Suzi Ring, Bloomberg Businessweek
How an online ‘Lego’ gamer infiltrated the White House press corps – Christopher Cadelago, Politico
Iran calls Natanz atomic site blackout ‘nuclear terrorism’ – Jon Gambrell, AP
How a Defeated Trump Is Making a Muddle of the G.O.P. – Jonathan Martin and Nicholas Fandos, The New York Times
Welcoming Our New Robot Overlords – Adam Elkus, The New Atlantis
In Today’s Bulwark...
Why We Must Rein in Amazon—and How
RICHARD NORTH PATTERSON: The web behemoth’s anti-competitive, anti-union conduct is coming under increasing scrutiny.
Shaping Reasonable People
THOMAS KOENIG: Reviving truth-seeking and trust in American higher education.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Monday! I’m preparing for shot #2 on Wednesday, and hoping I don’t get hit by a dumpster on Thursday. Like in One Night at McCool’s. (A movie I doubt any of you have ever seen.)
If you have, email me, so we can talk about how great of a flick it is.
Ramadan Kareem! To all who observe. My very kind and generous neighbors popped by with some dates as as gift, and I’m trying to get the twins to like them. But I have to feed them actual dinner first.
What is Cuomo thinking? This NYTimes item highlights how shortsighted he is on nuclear power and climate change. Cutting off your nose to spite your face.
James Carville on Conversations. Bill Kristol and James Carville? As good and as spicy as you’d expect. Tune in:
Lin Wood's attempted takeover of the SC GOP… My friend Jeff Quinton has this analysis of what’s going on in the Palmetto State.
Speaking of South Carolina… Here’s Nikki Haley:
A profile in courage, right there.
John Boehner on the rise of ideologues…
How the White Castle gets made. Tip of the hat to reader Michael Trosino for sharing with me this new History Channel series about fast food. Including my favorite chain: White Castle. Apparently, they’re also doing a series about the “food that built America” including fellow Clevelander Vernon Stouffer. I don’t watch much TV, but that seems like something I’ll tune into.
Homeless at the Holiday Inn. At The Economist, a long read about how the pandemic hit the homeless population of the United Kingdom. Well worth your time.
Local waste on bikes. The pandemic plays into this, sure, but our local transit agency in Washington has spent a lot of money on something they can’t seem to deliver.
Police shootings. If you’ve been watching the news, and if so, God Love Ya (as President Biden would say) you’ve seen the recent spate of police-involved shootings or violence. Whether it’s in Minnesota, or what we discovered in Virginia recently.
A few years ago, I wrote an item at The Weekly Standard about why we shouldn’t want the NRA (which was off its rocker, though not to the degree it is now, at the time) to become the ACLU of guns. I still stand by it.
While the NRA is going through an embarrassing and possibly dubious bankruptcy proceeding to escape the clutches of the New York Attorney General, people are wondering: why isn’t the NRA standing up for Caron Nazario?
And my answer, in the article, is that this is wishing for an NRA that doesn’t exist. (Not that the one that currently does is one we should want, either.)
People should be standing up for Caron Nazario. But the NRA spent all of this money from the #2A rubes on weddings for Wayne LaPierre’s assistant, mosquito treatment, and a bunch of shady other things that we’re finding out. Not to mention, their bonkers NRAtv propaganda experiment where Fox News Contributor Dan Bongino and Newsmax’s Grant Stinchfield—failed Congressional candidates both—got their start.
It’s anyone’s guess about what happens with the NRA’s bankruptcy case. But they were, at least of the time of writing in 2017, the least nutty #2A organization. Will another emerge of their bankruptcy causes them to break up on re-entry. Who knows.
But the more we find out, the more this gun-owner is rooting for the bankruptcy to fail. They are corrupt as hell and a new organization should emerge to replace them.
That’s it for me for today. Drop me a line if you have any questions, comments, or concerns: swift@thebulwark.com.
See you tomorrow.
—30—
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.
