Seeing North Korea Clearly
Seeing North Korea Clearly
Plus: Will Saletan takes a closer look about what the special counsels wrote about Trump & Biden.
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GARRY KASPAROV: Seeing North Korea Clearly
ON MY SIXTH BIRTHDAY, I woke up to find an enormous globe next to my bed, a gift from my father. It is the best present I have ever received. My favorite stories as a child were the ones my father read to me aloud about the voyages of Marco Polo, Columbus, and Magellan. Our favorite game was to trace the journeys of these great explorers across this globe. These are the last and fondest memories I have of my father, and this love of exploration was his greatest gift to me.
I like to joke to Americans that I was born in the Deep South, right next to Georgia. The punchline is that it’s the deep south of the Soviet Union. But one difference between my hometown of Baku and, say, Atlanta, is that an American child could realistically expect to be able to travel the world. Barred from traveling by poverty and internal restrictions, most kids in the Soviet Union could only see the world in globes. And yet an even worse prison state exists today.
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Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Rep. Dean Phillips: The Pitch [Ad-Free🔐]
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WILL SALETAN: Decision 2024: A ‘Well-Meaning’ Old Man vs. a Corrupt Old Man.
“A SYMPATHETIC WELL-MEANING, ELDERLY MAN with a poor memory.” That’s how Special Counsel Robert Hur describes President Joe Biden in his February 5 report on Biden’s treatment of classified documents. The report clears Biden, finding that his handling of documents didn’t merit prosecution. But Hur’s references to Biden’s memory issues have infuriated Democrats. They worry that any mention of Biden’s mental acuity will hurt him in the 2024 election.
They’re right to worry. But the election won’t be a choice between an old man and a young one. It will be a choice between two old men, each of whom has been investigated by a special counsel. These investigations have exposed two fundamental differences between the candidates. First, Biden is well-meaning, but Trump isn’t, and that’s why Trump, unlike Biden, committed crimes. And second, Biden’s cognitive flaws are small and benign, while Trump’s are enormous and dangerous.
KIM WEHLE: Trump, Indicted for Mishandling Classified Documents, Asks Judge for More Classified Documents.
ON MONDAY, U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE AILEEN CANNON held a closed-door hearing in the classified documents case pending in Florida against Donald J. Trump and two co-defendants, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. Trump—who appointed Cannon to the bench—showed up for the hearing, which was held in a SCIF (a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) for the security of the classified subjects under discussion.
This is the same Donald J. Trump who stole the classified documents in the first place.
Editor’s note: Sign up for Kim’s new “Little Law School” to stay abreast of the complex issues facing America this election cycle.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Ash Wednesday to those who observe, and yes, you can say that! Also, Happy Valentine’s Day! I already celebrated it, but it’s quickly become a new favorite holiday of my twins.
🎵On the Jukebox…🎵 Willow Avalon - Honey Ain't No Sweeter
Let’s rustle up the Space Cowboys! A weird alarm was raised today: “Sources tell CNN the national security threat is a ‘highly concerning and destabilizing’ Russian capability.” Was it that one of America’s two major political parties has handed over the keys to a Putin-loving stooge? No? Apparently Russia is going to launch nukes into outer space to weaponize it, which is basically the plot of Space Cowboys. I’m just glad that Republicans aren’t celebrating Mother Russia’s glorious achievement. There’s still time, sadly.
Mark Warner and Marco Rubio said in a release: “The Senate Intelligence Committee has the intelligence in question, and has been rigorously tracking this issue from the start. We continue to take this matter seriously and are discussing an appropriate response with the administration. In the meantime, we must be cautious about potentially disclosing sources and methods that may be key to preserving a range of options for U.S. action.” Conspiratorial ‘Based’ Mike Lee is already doing what he does best: just asking questions!
A celebration quickly turns to mourning… At the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, one is dead and 10-15 are injured in a mass shooting. The victims are mostly children. A suspected gunman was tackled by a fan.
Action on border security bill would be a great first step… but manufacturers need a deal now, argues Bulwark+ reader and friend of the newsletter Kip Eideberg in The Hill.
What would it take… To convince Americans that the economy is fine? Rogé Karma argues in The Atlantic that “when it comes to prosperity, Americans trust feelings more than facts.”
Feds Crack Down… on Rogue South Philly Drone Pilot (PhillyMag).
I wonder if Salena Zito1 regrets this yet… Michael Beschloss reports that “Republican Senator Roger Marshall (Kansas) says that countries upset by Trump's talk about NATO ‘need to get over it.’ Marshall says, ‘People should take everything he says seriously, but not literally.’”
Mary Trump responds: “It would be extremely helpful if Republicans would give us the formula to determine when to take Donald seriously but not literally, literally but not seriously, both, or neither. FFS.”
Democrats ignore the problem of Biden’s age… at their peril, argues Max Burns at The Hill.
Love in the Time of Cryptography… Most romances today have deep digital footprints. This one didn’t — and to the state, that was a problem. (Wired)
Daddy Died a MAGA… A tough read from Jess Piper. David French reflects: “One of the most dreadful things about this miserable era is the way in which Trumpism became imprinted into the identities and ethos of so very many older Americans. They're spending their final years angry out outraged rather than enjoying time with family and friends. I've seen it with my own eyes, and it's horrible. The total obsession with politics overwhelms everything else.”
Miami Steps Up… in the Watch World (NYT.)
Meanwhile, in Arizona… A teacher with a name you might remember got fired for having an ‘OnlyFans’ account (KVOA).
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She, unfortunately, is responsible for this Trump-enabling excuse.
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