Elon Killed the Budget Deal. Cancer Research for Kids Was Collateral Damage.
Plus: Kash Patel Will Absolutely Investigate The People Named In His Book, says Bannon
Recently in The Bulwark:
BILL KRISTOL & ANDREW EGGER: Worldās Greatest Innovator Canāt Build a Budget Deal
JVL: When You Have Three Presidents, You Have Zero Presidents š
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SAM STEIN: Elon Killed the Budget Deal. Cancer Research for Kids Was Collateral Damage.
THE DECISION BY REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP to scuttle a bipartisan funding deal on Thursday night has left lawmakers scrambling and others anxiously bracing for a government shutdown.
For a host of issue advocates, however, the prevailing mood in Washington, D.C. was one not of chaos but utter devastation.
The initial deal that congressional leaders had agreed to included a number of key priorities that, in the course of hours, were jettisoned by GOP leaders looking to calm Elon Muskās pique and satisfy Donald Trumpās demands. And though the slimmed-down bill that Trump endorsed in its place failed to pass the House, few people expected that the initial deal would make a comebackāmeaning that many of its components were likely gone for good.
GISELLE DONNELLY: Chinaās Getting Ready to Throw Its Weight Around
IN 1981, THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION rolled out the first edition of what would become an annual publication: Soviet Military Power. Written under the aegis of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the 100-page assessment was chock full of vivid paintings of Soviet military hardware and installations and jam-packed with charts and graphs, all presented in a lurid, fire-engine-red design scheme. Thirty-six thousand copies were printed.
š„ PODCASTS AND VIDEOS š§
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Jon Favreau: Funny and Horrible [YouTube]
The Secret Podcast: The Big Debate š
Across the Movie Aisle: Looking Ahead to 2025
Beg to Differ: The Final Beg to Differ
Shield of the Republic: Deterrence Is Cheaper Than War
Bulwark+ Live:
George Conway Explains it All (to Sarah Longwell): Our Two Presidents [YouTube]
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Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
š£Bulwark+ members can now listen to ad-free podcasts on Spotify! Learn more here.
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āļøAlso: Did you know that every podcast has a transcript for B+ members? Yes! If youāre more a reader than a listener/viewer, open any podcast and the transcript button is beneath the player.
SONNY BUNCH: āA Complete Unknownā Review
Thereās something pleasing about a good old-fashioned musical biopic, like throwing on a comfy sweater and listening to a classic album while the dayās cares melt away. People love watching simulations of their favorite musicians singing their classic songs in a way that also allows them to see their heroes as underdogs struggling against either social norms or overbearing authority figures in the business world.
DANIEL N. GULLOTTA: The Ambiguities of āMaryā
CREATING MOVIES INSPIRED BY the Bible is a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. You know the standout successes: Films like The Prince of Egypt and The Ten Commandments are cultural touchstones that have helped shape the way generations of Americans imagine stories from scripture. But for every biblical epic that made it, there are countless others that flopped.
TIM MILLER: Bannon: Kash Patel Will Absolutely Investigate The People Named In His Book
DONALD TRUMPāS NOMINEE FOR FBI director, Kash Patel, is dead serious when it comes to investigating the political enemies who he listed in his book āGovernment Gangsters,ā according to Trumpās on-again-off-again adviser Steve Bannon.
āKash didnāt try to hide the football. Steve Bannon didnāt try,ā Bannon asserted, speaking in the third person during a one-on-one interview with The Bulwark following his speech to Americafest, a yearly gathering of MAGA diehards hosted by Turning Point USA.
šØOVERTIMEšØ
Happy Friday! It isnāt sticking (boo!) but our beginning of Christmas break at the Swift household has turned the Queen City into a snow globe. Admittedly, as a mostly WFH family, it is odd to take weather away from traffic and commuting.
With the holiday next week, you can expect Overtimes as news warrant, but certain newsletters might be shorter than other due to travel.
Shutdown averted! The Democrats bailed out the flailing House GOP, and it appears a shutdown is likely to be avoided. Come January? Speaker Johnson might have a problem on his hands.
Just rememberā¦ As Sarah observes, this is all just a big preview of January and the next years to come.
Tesla recalling almost 700,000 vehicles (!)ā¦ due to tire pressure monitoring system issue (AP)
Come on, Mama Kelceā¦ At least make your loosely-based-on-your-son Hallmark holiday romance flick at least somewhat tethered to reality.
āDonāt Give a Sh*tā: Kyrsten Sinema Gives Wildest Exit Interview (TNR)
Trump Moves to Replace Officialsā¦ Whom New Presidents Traditionally Leave Alone (NYTš)
āļøThe Heisman, a watch, andā¦ JVL, who went on the Heisman Trophy Podcast to discuss a new watch that was given to finalists.
Krypto, take us homeā¦ James Gunnās new Superman looks amazing (and not because thereās Krypto the dog and Gunn went to SLU). Cleveland and Cincinnati were filming locations and you may recognize a few locations if youāre from Ohio.
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