How Prigozhin’s Putsch Propped up Putin
How Prigozhin’s Putsch Propped up Putin
Plus: With Affirmative Action Gone, We Should Focus Admissions Policies on Poverty
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SONNY BUNCH: Scorsese for the Critics, Marty for the Masses and In review: ‘Past Lives’ and ‘The Bear’
SECRET POD🎧: The Rage and Joy of MAGA America 🔐
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ARCH PUDDINGTON AND DAVID J. KRAMER: Prigozhin’s Putsch Propped up Putin.
THE PROPOSITION THAT THE ABORTIVE mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin will result in a more vulnerable and weakened Vladimir Putin is appealing to those of us hoping for a quick victory for Ukraine and possibly even regime change in Moscow. After all, as we were reminded by the Arab Spring movements in 2011 that led to the downfall of several longstanding authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, such regimes seem stable—until they’re not.
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BRENT ORRELL: With Affirmative Action Gone, We Should Focus Admissions Policies on Poverty.
IF HISTORY IS ANY GUIDE, THE Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard won’t mark the end of the struggle over the constitutionality of race-conscious policies. It won’t even mark the beginning of the end. Most likely, it will just be another in a long series of inflection points. To borrow from one of the more amusing lines from Justice Antonin Scalia’s analysis of the “Lemon test” that used to govern religious freedom jurisprudence, race-conscious policies are like a character in a horror movie: no matter how many times courts (and voters) drive their stakes through its heart, it keeps coming back.
Some of this is ideological stubbornness. Institutions of higher learning and a large swath of corporate America want what they want in terms of racially diverse campuses and workforces. And what they want isn’t always bad and is sometimes necessary to ensure that systems, companies, and technologies that touch all types of people have a diversity that reflects the country. The nation’s history of slavery and racial discrimination will never be “over” in a final sense, and affirmative action has been useful in helping find remedies for aspects of this legacy, including the way it has mitigated the worst aspects of human tribalism.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Friday! Just as a reminder: There was no TNB last night. Some weeks this summer, we’re taking off and enjoying those hot summer nights.
🎵On the Jukebox🎵… Tom Petty’s Wildflowers.
Sadly, in local news… An Afghan refugee and former interpreter was murdered in Washington, D.C. while driving his Lyft trying to provide for his family. There is a GoFundMe set up and it’s almost at its goal. Please join me in helping them reach it.
Over in TwitterLand… Elon Musk is suing a law firm for $90 million because, well, he’s mad that Twitter paid the bill before he took over.
In the “Free State of Florida…” Gov. DeSantis signs a likely unconstitutional law in his latest act of performative cruelty. The law would ban, in Florida, driver’s licenses issued to individuals who are in the United States illegally.
The Freedom Caucus… Can’t get MTG to return their calls.
Who controls the National Guard? A Covidiocy case brought by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott has potentially created serious chaos. Thanks, Gov. Jade Helm.
Here’s the latest on what we gave Ukraine: Including, controversially, cluster munitions. As Melinda Haring notes: “Ukrainians have said they will not use them in civilian areas and they will track where they're used when it's time for de-mining.”
Disbarment for Rudy? A D.C. panel recommended that today for his actions regarding the 2020 election, and what is Rudy doing? Throwing a party called “Rudy Palooza.”
“He can kiss my big medical butt." That quote was reported by Fox News as former HHS Secretary and Representative Tom Price in a story they published about his alleged refusal to endorse Trump’s 2024 bid. Shortly after the story ran, somebody close to Price threw cold water on the story, claiming the story was false. Fox has retracted the story.
Jim Caviezel’s ‘Sound Of Freedom’… is a Superhero Movie for Dads With Brainworms.
According to former WH doc and Rep. Ronny Jackson… The biggest problem facing the government is… the government enforcing the law? (And is Don Jr. asleep?)
Youngkin Admin caves… To The Daily Wire, deleting resources for LGBT teens, including suicide prevention program links.
Inside the Moms for “Liberty” summit… Olivia Little of MediaMatters went and found “big money and even bigger conspiracies.”
The rage and joy… of MAGA America. Read David French at the NYT.
Today in 1993… Cincinnati Red Tom Browning was fined $500 for leaving the stadium to hang out across the street with fans at Wrigley on a rooftop. This photo alone was worth $500, in my opinion.
And now, your weekly moment of Zen: Tucker Carlson’s Twitter views are collapsing.
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