The U.S. Government Needs a Budget
James Capretta on why Congress needs to set a budget.
Leading The Bulwark…
The U.S. Government Needs a Budget
JAMES C. CAPRETTA: Years of disorderly, undisciplined budgeting have let political leaders of both parties avoid inconvenient questions—and exploded our debt.
🎧 On the Pods… 🎧
Olivia Troye on How Trump's Legacy of Crazy Lives On
On today’s Bulwark podcast, Olivia Troye joins Charlie Sykes to talk about the Republican Accountability Project’s new Democracy Report Card, the anniversary of Trump’s disastrous disinfectant press conference, and how the GOP has absorbed crazy far-right extremists.
For Bulwark+ Members… 🔐
MORNING SHOTS: Kevin McCarthy's Revisionism 🔓
CHARLIE SYKES on what Joe Biden’s poll numbers tell us.
THE TRIAD: The Data Point That Shows America Coming Apart 🔓
JVL: Look deeper into the approval ratings.
From The Bulwark Aggregator…
The Virginia governor’s race will foreshadow the political future – Josh Kraushaar, National Journal
Trump Plots to Ruin GOP Guv Over Election Vendetta – Asawin Suebsaeng and Sam Brodey, The Daily Beast
35 Years Later, Studies Show a Silver Lining From Chernobyl – Sara Harrison, WIRED
McCarthy defends Trump response to deadly Jan. 6 riot – Joseph Choi, The Hill
Liberals want to expand the Supreme Court. Many Democrats disagree. – Marianne Levine, Politico
Census To Release 1st Results That Shift Electoral College, House Seats – Hansi Lo Wang, NPR
As Covid-19 Devastates India, Deaths Go Undercounted – Jeffrey Gettleman, Sameer Yasir, Hari Kumar and Suhasini Raj, The New York Times
In Today’s Bulwark...
National Security Relies on Global Democracy
NICOLE BIBBINS SEDACA AND DAVID J. KRAMER: A new report from Freedom House, the McCain Institute, and CSIS gives a roadmap for Biden’s foreign policy.
The GOP Delenda Est
RICHARD NORTH PATTERSON: The Republican party isn’t interested in governing. It scorns science and denies facts. It can’t be reformed. It can’t be worked with. It must be stopped.
Biden’s Armenian Genocide Declaration Is a Message to Turkey
SHAY KHATIRI: If Turkey wants to be treated as an ally, it has to start acting like one.
‘Fargo’ and the Rise of Frances McDormand
BILL RYAN: Revisiting the Oscar-nominated lead of ‘Nomadland’s’ first Oscar win 25 years later.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was restful and enjoyable. I attended a virtual wedding and learned that there is actually a product called Roast Beef Hash. I love Corned Beef Hash, so I had to buy it. Will report back when I try my can.
While we’re talking about food. Here’s a neat history on Jolt Cola, something an adolescent me thought gave you super powers before a squirt hockey game. Though, if I had my way, Pepsi would bring back Josta, the first mass-marketed energy drink.
Here’s a video biopic of a street food icon in NY that I would definitely try that sells burgers and dogs. One thing I miss about working in a big city is the street vendors. We had one next to our office at TWS on 17th street that was great, and in high school, we had a Sabrett vendor named Emmanuel who kept us hotdog lovers well fed. (Cleveland also had Chicago’s Vienna Beef, and it was a bit of a turf war over which you preferred.) Also, here’s a look at how NY’s $1 pizza slice game works.
But now, please go to your cupboard and get some tinfoil and make a hat, because this video and WIRED article about McDonald’s ice cream machines are going to blow your mind, and you don’t want Ronald McDonald’s spies knowing you know the truth. (Which is that their manufacturer handles their business quite poorly, or well, depending on your perspective.)
W on Kimmel. Of course, I have a soft spot for 43, for whose campaign I worked in 2004, but in this long interview, Bush talks about that former guy, his friendship with Michelle Obama, and his new book about immigrants who made America great, and his hopes for immigration reform.
How Biden is going to have to handle Space Force. It may have begun as farce, but it does serious work other entities used to do.
Meet the new Congressional / Electoral College map. It’s that time of the decade…
The girl in the Kent State photo… Coming up on May 4, we’ll revisit the anniversary of the shooting of students by our government at Kent State University in Ohio. Whenever I would play hockey there, my dad would take me by the memorial there. But in one of the most seen images of the last century, who was the girl in the photo, and what’s her story? Your #LongRead of the day at the Post.
SCOTUS to hear conceal and carry case. At The Reload, my friend and rockstar second amendment journalist Stephen Gutowski outlines what is about to come before the high court:
The Court agreed to hear a case challenging New York’s restrictive gun-carry law. The case, filed by New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and backed by the NRA, argues New York’s refusal to grant gun-carry permits to law-abiding residents on the basis of self-defense violates the Second Amendment. It is the first case dealing with gun carry outside the home to be considered by the Court.
It has pretty big implications. Keep an eye on it.
Good news:
Alaska Airlines has had to ban 500 people from flying on their planes, the article highlights.
The State of Voting Rights Today… Bulwark contributor and legal eagle Kim Wehle will be participating in a town hall with the National Constitution Center tomorrow at noon eastern you should earmark for your calendar. They’ll be talking about all the voting bills being introduced or passed and “the constitutional issues they present, and what the Supreme Court might say.”
1:23:45
What is the cost of lies?
It's not that we'll mistake them for the truth. The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognize the truth at all. What can we do then? What else is left but to abandon even the hope of truth, and content ourselves instead... with stories.
Early this morning in 1986, the disaster at Chernobyl occurred. If you haven’t watched the HBO special, I highly suggest you do.
As a career party man, I’ve thought of this series a lot as it pertains to the GOP.
If you’re not interested in the whole HBO special, some of these pictures from the present are worth remembering.
What is an obscure, newly created Florida company doing with hundreds of millions of Pentagon IP Addresses? The Washington Post reports. I’m sure there will be more, but when we know more is a big question mark.
That’s it for me for today. We’ll see you tomorrow. Drop me a line: swift@thebulwark.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images or Shutterstock. For full credits, please consult the article.