QUICK HITS: Breaking Bibi, Incoherent Trump, Wash Post Scandal, and a Heat Wave!
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I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response and all the new followers during our first week. As we march forth, we’ll come up with new ideas, iterate, and hopefully keep creating more delicious, tasty and punchy content for all of you.
Here’s a brand new segment called QUICK HITS. Sometimes the firehouse of fuckery is so overwhelming that it’s best to unleash some quick jabs instead of big left hooks to fight back against all the noise and chaos.
Here are 5 news items worth your time.
BREAKING BIBI
(BIR SULTAN POOL/Pool via REUTERS)
The herpes of Israel, otherwise known as Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, is flaring up again. Bibi just dissolved his war cabinet on Monday a few days after Benny Gantz, the “centrist” opposition party leader, quit the coalition accusing Bibi of failing to bring home the Israeli hostages and achieving “true victory” against Hamas. Earlier today, it was revealed that the IDF accurately predicted Hamas’ plan to invade Southern Israel two weeks before October 7th. That attack killed 1,200 Israelis and in response has instigated the current war/genocide that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Meanwhile, protests against Bibi’s government are increasing with thousands of Israelis participating in peaceful demonstrations in Tel Aviv. The family members of the hostages are rightfully upset because they understand Bibi’s number one priority is prolonging the war to stay in power. The temporary ceasefire in November brought home over 100 Israeli hostages. Since then, Israel has freed 7 hostages and killed at least 3 of them.
Israel’s war has been a complete failure so far. The hostages haven’t returned; potential regional conflicts are escalating, as evidenced by recent activity from Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen; Hamas has not been destroyed; and Israel has become a world pariah due to its brutal occupation of Palestinians. Also, Netanyahu has been cited for war crimes by the ICC and repeatedly crossed President Biden’s red line in Rafah.
Unfortunately, all of these recent trends suggest Netanyahu will simply lean into his existing genocidal coalition which includes extremist settlers Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who explicitly state their desire to kick out Palestinians and claim the land for Israel.
Maybe, just maybe, Democrats will be emboldened in their criticism against Bibi, who is no ally of President Biden, The United States, justice, or peace ahead of the 2024 election. At the very least, there’s still time for Democratic leaders and elected officials to boycott his invitation to address the US Congress. It’s about time to break Bibi for good.
TRUMP IS OLD, DANGEROUS, AND INCOHERENT
(Getty/Chip Somodevilla)
The right-wing media apparatus is working overtime to paint President Biden as a bumbling, old fool, even creating “cheap fake videos” according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre. I don’t want to spend too much time spreading or debunking this misinformation, but if you’re interested in more info click here.
Let’s focus on facts instead, shall we? The GOP nominee for President, Donald Trump, a convicted criminal, has turned 78 years old. Like President Biden, this man is old. (No disrespect to our seniors.) However, unlike President Biden who has a stutter, Trump has been increasingly unhinged in his public and private meetings with constituents and donors.
On Saturday, Trump mocked Biden and said he should take a cognitive test like he did, adding, “I took a cognitive test, and I aced it. Doc Ronny - Doc Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson, congressman from Texas? He was the White House doctor.” The reason no one nodded “yes” is because Trump was referring to Dr. Ronny Jackson and forgot his own doctor’s name. He has also previously mixed up Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi and said he’s running against Obama instead of Biden. Last week at a Las Vegas rally, Trump went off script and mumbled about sharks, boats, and avoiding electrocution. A few days ago he again praised fictional cannibal and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter as a “great guy.” Totally normal, presidential behavior, by the way
Alyssa Farah, who was Trump’s former Comms Director but found a way to fail up as a host of The View, confirmed Bill Barr’s story that Trump threatened to execute his own staff and Americans during his presidency. A reminder Trump’s attorney in front of the Supreme Court argued that the President could be immune from assassinating his rivals.
One would assume this bat-shit news would cause a terrifying, 5-alarm fire and lead the headlines, but it will be forgotten by Wednesday.
Oh, look! President Biden almost tripped!
DEMOCRACY DIES WITH A BRITISH ACCENT
(William Lewis, publisher of The Washington Post. Credit Elliott O’Donovan. Getty Images)
Oh, The Washington Post. We had so much faith in you. After all, you were purchased by a billionaire egomaniac who created a penis-shaped spaceship and runs one of the biggest companies on Earth thanks to the hard work of employees who labor in unsafe warehouses. Of course, democracy was in safe hands as long as you were the stewards.
And, yet, here we are in 2024, a few months ahead of consequential elections, and we are discovering that the Post’s new incoming leadership is tainted by allegations of serious unethical conduct. Namely, Will Lewis, the Post’s new CEO, allegedly covered up a phone hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s British newspapers over a dozen years ago. According to NPR’s David Folkenflik, Lewis “intensely pressured” him not to report on the accusations back in December and promised him an exclusive interview in return. Thankfully, Folkenflik refused.
Corruption loves company. Lewis is bringing along another compromised journalist for the ride. He has asked Robert Winnett, his former mentee who worked with him at two British papers, to become the editor of The Washington Post.
Folkenflik’s terrific piece summarizes the tawdry details:
Among the episodes: a six-figure payment for a major scoop; planting a junior reporter in a government job to secure secret documents; and relying on a private investigator who used subterfuge to secure private documents from their computers and phones. The investigator was later arrested.
On Saturday evening, The New York Times disclosed a specific instance in which a former reporter implicated both Lewis and Winnett in reporting that he believed relied on documents that were fraudulently obtained by a private investigator.
As of June 17th, both of these men have yet to publicly comment on the growing scandal. Also, shamelessly, neither have resigned or been asked to quit. It’s good to be a corrupt, mediocre, white man who is friends with shady billionaires. Kudos to The Washington Post reporters who have used their paper to report on their own boss. Hopefully pressure keeps building and these two men are replaced by competent peers unwilling to bend to the whims of petulant billionaires.
HEAT WAVE
(USA Today)
We are currently living the dystopian version of Don’t Look Up as America endures a stunning heat wave across the country. According to the NYT, the Midwest today was hit with extreme levels of heat and humidity. In Cincinnati, the heat index hit 102 degrees. Meanwhile, residents of Maine will be sweating under the sweltering temperature of 90+ degrees.
All of this is to say that none of this is normal. We are living under record-breaking temperatures. It’s almost as if the Earth is unsubtly telling us that there’s devastating climate change which is on the verge of making life unlivable and unsustainable in the only home that we currently have for human beings.
If you didn’t need another reason to vote, I want to remind you that not only will Trump refuse to do anything to protect, you know, life, but he actually said climate change is a hoax created by China. Recently, he promised billionaire donors that he will remove regulations and cut taxes. According to Project 2025, the GOP authoritarian blueprint for a second Trump Administration, the GOP will annihilate the country’s climate policy.
Learn to swim and eat Soylent Green, people. Or, vote accordingly in 2024.
COOL STUFF
Here are some unsolicited recommendations of cool stuff I’m reading, watching, building, or playing. Please add your recommendations in the comments.
X-Men ‘97: I was skeptical of this Disney+ series at first assuming that it was just shameless nostalgia bait, but boy was I wrong! This is the surprise of the year for me. Great characterization, hot, steamy relationships, plot twists, surprise deaths, and a topical story that feels both mature and fun. I thoroughly dug it. They also made Cyclops and Storm cool again.
Acolyte: Meh. It’s just so…meh. Folks, I really wanted to like this series. Really, I did. I assure you I’m not a bitter hater like some of these online middle aged men desperately yearning to recreate their childhood and permanently live frozen in the 80’s where they felt safe and secure and could avoid people of color, women, and queers. Lot of these freaks can’t get over the fact that a vast, diverse Star Wars universe which has Wookies, Jedis, and talking robots could also somehow have Black and Asian Jedis. But, I digress. So far, 3 episodes in, and…I’m on the verge of giving up. I hope Episode 4 turns it around,
I’m finally reading Dune. (Yes, I’m about 60 years late.) I’m loving it. I’m about 475 pages in, and I can’t even begin to imagine how Frank Herbert was able to conjure this ginormous universe. My hats off to him and all fantasy writers. Even after watching the movie, I find myself surprised and immersed by the rich world-building and characters.
I’ve also picked up Euro Whiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project by Hans Kundnani in light of recent elections in Europe which ushered in a wave of far-right, xenophobic parties. Based on what I’ve read of his analysis, I think he has a solid understanding on how Europe’s celebration of its own alleged cosmopolitan civilization runs only skin deep.
Finally, I’m about to finish building the new Lego Cat. I just have to add the tail. My children have been after me to buy a real life cat, but I have allergies. This is the closest they’ll come…for now. I’ll share pictures once I’m done.