Before we start: The Bulwark is coming to Phoenix on March 22. Tickets are on sale now.
1. Scratch
A few weeks ago I warned you that there would be days when I’d have to scrub this newsletter. Yesterday was one of them.
I just couldn’t do it.
What broke me for the day was the one-two combination of the United States voting with Belarus, North Korea, and Russia at the U.N. followed by Trump pressuring Romania into allowing Andrew Tate to use our country as a legal sanctuary.
In the grand scheme of things, neither of these developments was important. And yet, they plunged me into a day of despair. Maybe because neither was important? Because this was our country simply choosing to side with evil for no reason—except that we wanted to?1
And I use the word “we” advisedly. These decisions are made in all of our names. No matter how much we deplore then, we own them.
Anyway, that’s why there was no newsletter yesterday. I’m sorry about bailing on you. But also: It’ll happen again. So I’m sorry in advance for that, too.
To make it up to you, Will Saletan sat in for Sarah on The Secret Podcast today. We did a giant, 90 minute show and I think it’s very good and will offer you a lot of value. Will is so thoughtful and kind.
2. Meet Lauren Egan
We have a new member of The Bulwark family: Lauren Egan.
You may have noticed her on Press Pass yesterday and Morning Shots today. Next week she launches her own newsletter, The Opposition.
Lauren’s newsletter will report on what the Democratic party is doing in the wilderness. As you can imagine, this is a subject of some importance. The Democratic party is the only existing vehicle for amassing the political power necessary to resist authoritarianism.2
If liberal democracy is going to survive in American beyond 2028, the Democratic party will be the instrument which saves it.
From the outside it’s hard to see what’s going on inside the party. Lauren’s reporting will be an ongoing series of x-rays to give us visibility.
I’m looking forward to Lauren making me smarter. I suspect her work will make you smarter, too.
Trump Uses Putin-Like Tactics on White House Press Corps
Sam Stein and Lauren Egan break down Karoline Leavitt’s announcement the White House will dictate which news outlets will be able to cover Donald Trump in the press pool.
3. Editors
I hope you’ll indulge me for some story time: Last week I got word that my friend Erich Eichman had retired. You don’t know Erich; there’s no reason you would. But I want to tell you about him.
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