The Real Reason for All the Biden Age Talk
Plus: How Marijuana Could Become a Political Issue in 2024.
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BILL KRISTOL & ANDREW EGGER: Should Biden Step Aside?
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NICHOLAS GROSSMAN: The Real Reason for All the Biden Age Talk
JOE BIDEN IS OLD. THIS MAY COME as a surprise to you, but it’s true. He started his presidency at the age of 78, older than Ronald Reagan was when he left the White House. Now Biden is 81, and if re-elected would start his second term at 82. His age was the subject of heated discussion all weekend thanks to the publication last Thursday of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s inappropriate storage of classified documents after his vice presidency. Hur’s announcement clearing Biden of criminal charges included a description of the president—“a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” who didn’t remember what year he left the vice presidency or what year his son Beau died—that sparked days of news and opinion articles, cable news panels, and Sunday-show chatter.
CATHY YOUNG: What Russians Think of Tucker Carlson’s Kiss-up Sitdown with Putin.
TUCKER CARLSON’S TRIP TO RUSSIA for an interview with Vladimir Putin was the subject of extraordinary hype in Moscow, treated by the official media almost like a visit from a head of state. State-controlled news outlets breathlessly chronicled his comings and goings: the visit to the fast-food joint Vkusno i Tochka, rebranded from McDonald’s after the latter pulled out of Russian markets; the trip to the Bolshoi for Spartacus, the iconic Soviet-era revolutionary ballet; the metro ride; and, finally, the departure.
🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Bill Kristol and A.B. Stoddard : Soak Up the Schadenfreude [Ad-Free🔐]
The Focus Group: Congress: The Dumbest It's Ever Been (with Joe Perticone) [Ad-Free🔐]
Bulwark Goes to Hollywood 🎧: How Piracy Persists on the Internet
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DANIEL MCGRAW: How Marijuana Could Become a Political Issue in 2024.
THE RAPID REALIGNMENT ON RECREATIONAL DRUG POLICY over the last few years has gotten less attention than it would have in quieter political times. To the surprise of many observers, the red state of Ohio legalized marijuana in November with an astounding 57 percent in favor. Of the 81 counties in the state that former President Donald Trump won in 2020, 33 voted for legalized marijuana (and 5 more Trump counties were split evenly on the issue). For those who last tuned in to drug politics during the Obama administration, things have gotten a bit twisted.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Why are streetlights turning blue / purple? “Newly purple streetlights might seem innocuous, but they could affect driver and pedestrian safety” writes Karen Kwon in SciAm.
Congrats to the Chiefs! I was pulling for the Niners, but of course a newsletter with this name can’t not love an Overtime Super Bowl.
A day in the life of Taylor Swift… As imagined by right wing conspiracy theorists (McSweeney’s.)
North of the Tension Line… Be sure to sign up for J.F. Riordan’s newsletter! Janet, Charlie’s wife, offers a nice break from <gestures> all of this.
Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn emerges… as wild card in crowded Maryland primary to succeed Sarbanes (Jewish Insider).
How the Internet Swifties… Enjoyed the Taylor Bowl.
The world watched Jon Stewart outgrow The Daily Show... Has the world outgrown Jon Stewart? (Slate)
The Speech of an Insane Man… Donald's mental decline is real, and its contagious, writes Adam Kinzinger.
The 45 most outlandish lines… from Donald Trump's South Carolina speech (Chris Cillizza.)
The Decline of the N.R.A…. What went wrong? (NYT.)
TPUSA mothballs its “ambassador” program… They got a future Congresswoman and a whole bunch of embarrassment (not that they’re capable of that!)
In local news… “An unused rail corridor in the Shenandoah Valley sparks a fight over what’s next” (VA Mercury.)
Why Republican Politicians Do Whatever Trump Says… McKay Coppins at The Atlantic.
How Mark Meadows Became the Least Trusted Man in Washington… Robert Draper has this must-read #longread at the NY Times.
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