It’s Friday, March 20. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Yuval Levin on why the filibuster isn’t going anywhere. A new play brings Roald Dahl—and his poisonous politics—to Broadway. Our editors’ picks. And much more.
But first: Suzy Weiss on the rise of the news avoiders.
One of the many reasons I love The Free Press is because I don’t much like the news. Let me explain: I hate when I’m scrolling on Instagram and I’m hit with an infographic, or admonished by a secondhand clothing influencer that it’s very important I pay attention right now. I don’t like how reading too many posts on X makes me feel; or how the lowdown on current events is often accompanied by instructions on how to feel about them, or else screaming heads tell me that whatever is happening is surely a precursor to the end of democracy—or the world. In an algorithmic age, staying informed can come at the cost of sanity. Which is why I love reading our essays and updates, which are sober and to the point, and come straight to my inbox, so I can go about my day.
But there’s a tribe of people, let’s call them the News Avoiders, who don’t want to read the news at all. They’re recovering news junkies—their words—and they spoke to me about why they’re dropping out from the 24-hour news cycle. Of course, no Free Presser should feel inspired to become a total News Avoider, though I’d support at least deleting X on the weekend. But to learn more about the people going the whole way, or as close to it as possible, read my piece below.
—Suzy Weiss
The Bitter Aftertaste of Roald Dahl |
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Roald Dahl is best known for beloved children’s classics like “Matilda” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” But he’s also responsible for some of the most explicitly antisemitic remarks ever made by a celebrated author. In a notorious 1983 interview, Michael Coren exposed Dahl’s views—an encounter now at the center of the new hit Broadway play, “Giant.” “I certainly didn’t believe in canceling writers,” Coren writes, “but . . . I would prefer it if people recognized what a nasty old Jew-hater he’d been.” | | |
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The Filibuster Saves the Senate from Itself |
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Every few years, the Senate’s majority party vows to kill the filibuster—and then backs off. Yuval Levin explains why: The rule protects the most vulnerable members of the majority, who would rather block a single rules change than fight an endless stream of losing partisan battles. Read his full analysis on why, even as some Senate Republicans push to end the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act, reports of its demise remain greatly exaggerated. | | |
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You Can’t Groom an Adult |
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Earlier this week, Daniel Biss, the mayor of Evanston, Illinois, emerged victorious in one of the most closely watched Democratic congressional primaries in the country—just hours after a woman online accused him of “grooming.” The allegation, writes River Page, was nothing more than an “opportunistic political hit job.” But the episode isn’t just a case of #MeToo overreach—it’s also a reflection of the enduring class divides shaping contemporary American politics. | | |
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The Many Faces of Jew-Hate |
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Last week, we launched a weekly newsletter tracking the rise of antisemitism around the world. In this week’s edition, we examine both overt acts of violence against Jews and the more insidious incidents simmering beneath the surface on both sides of the Atlantic. To receive this newsletter in your inbox every Friday, click the button below. | | |
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