From Intellectual Dark Web to Crank Central
Plus: A Guide to the Trump Hush-Money Trial
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BILL KRISTOL & BENJAMIN PARKER: Bigotry and Flattery Fuel Trump's Campaign
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CATHY YOUNG: From Intellectual Dark Web to Crank Central
AMID THE RECENT CONTROVERSY about Ben Shapiroās Daily Wire website finally dropping conspiracy theorist and antisemitic ranter Candace Owens, one minor but fascinating detail went unnoticed: Six years ago, both Shapiro and Owens had cameos in a much-ballyhooed New York Times Magazine article that introduced the world to the āIntellectual Dark Webāāmathematician Eric Weinsteinās semi-facetious label for an informal network of authors, journalists, and academics who saw themselves as āhereticsā and ārenegadesā in rebellion against the establishment. Shapiro, then an anti-Trump conservative, was briefly discussed as an IDW figure; Owens, then a rising āblack conservativeā activist/provocateur whom some in the IDW saw as a potential ally, was held up as a warning against embracing ācranks, grifters and bigots.ā (In those days, Owens was not yet talking about āJewish gangsā in Hollywood, but she was already claiming that immigrants are stealing jobs from black Americans and comparing celebrities who support the Democratic party to plantation slaves.)
š„ PODCASTS AND VIDEOS š§
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Bill Kristol: Pure Oligarchic Greed [Ad-Freeš]
The Focus Group: RFK Jr.: The Most Insider Outsider (with Astead Herndon) [Ad-Freeš]
Bulwark Goes to Hollywood š§: The Best and the Worst of Streaming 2023
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PHILIP ROTNER: A Guide to the Trump Hush-Money Trial
DONALD TRUMP APPEARS to be in full panic mode over the rapidly approaching trial of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggās criminal case against him. Bragg has charged Trump with 34 counts of āfalsifying business records.ā The trial is scheduled to begin next Monday, April 15.
Trumpās manic outburst over Easter weekend, seemingly triggered by the approach of the trial, dialed up the crazy to a level unusual even for him.
šØOVERTIMEšØ
Happy Monday! Itās not only the Great American Eclipse here in the Center of the World (according to WSJ), itās also opening day. Weāre about to switch from WMJIās golden oldies to the dulcet tones of Tom Hamilton. More about the eclipse in tomorrowās Morning Shots.
Not a cultā¦ Hereās what the House GOP Judiciary posted during the eclipse. Iām not going to share the campaign video that itās from, but it is definitely an instance of Jim Jordanās Committee staff breaking House rules. The Ethics manual reads: āOfficial resources of the House must, as a general rule, be used for the performance of official business of the House, and hence those resources may not be used for campaign or political purposes.ā These people are supposedly experts on law. At least they were when I worked there.
šµOn the Jukeboxšµā¦ Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Moonshadow (Live, 1971)
The Madness Ends Tonightā¦ Who do you have: UCONN or Purdue? Hereās the update on where we are in the Overtime Madness bracket: In first place we have Joe Hlavka, and in second, we have Max Motherway, a longtime friend and OG Bulwarker. In third, Brad Tenney, fourth, Vytas Radze, and in fifth, we have W.P. Bowmann and Braeden Jackson. Good luck to all in contention!
Winners and prizes announced tomorrow, so if youāre in the hunt, please email me so I can reach out.
āI was a right-wing nut,ā in the eyes of some, he said, recalling his earlier years in politics. āThe problem is, they moved the wing on me.ā
āSen. Lee Schoenbeck
Read more about Schoenbeck inā¦ From fringe to foreground: āLoose cannonā lawmaker departs as leading legislative voice (South Dakota Searchlight).
No Showers, No Sleepā¦ Van Life Isnāt as Cool as Instagram Makes It Seem (WSJ).
Another watch substack? Yes, from our friend and Bulwark contributor Alec Dent.
Trumpism Is Emptying Churchesā¦ Argues Francis Wilkinson in Bloomberg.
Christ and cancel cultureā¦ As I was driving around Geauga County, I spotted a church that looked likeā¦ A rustic lodge. Turns out, its founder, a Scot, was recently cancelled by the far right for saying itās OK to attend a non-straight wedding of a family member. (Christianity Today)
Keep it Juicyā¦ Johnsonville with a good message for the beginnings of summer.
Will Saletan needs your vote! To win a Webby for The Corruption of Lindsey Graham. Weāre up against competitors with big audiences, so please take a minute to vote, even if weāre up.
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