It’s Tuesday, June 2. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Our new series celebrating great Americans. Why the Iran negotiations are stuck. Why Ferrari is making a car no one wants. Why Britain’s ban on Hasan Piker is a mistake. And much more.
But first: Jewish history is hard to find at the British Museum.
Last week, the British Museum—one of the finest museums in the world and an institution with a commitment to “all fields of human knowledge” and “open debate”—postponed a lecture on ancient Israel and Judea because some 25 attendees planned to disrupt it. The decision, writes federal judge Roy K. Altman, violates the most basic principles of free expression. “We don’t close our banks just because some people might rob them. The solution to rule violators is to punish and deter them, not encourage them with victory.”
But the museum’s problems with Jewish history began long before that event. When Altman visited the museum a few years ago, he found artifacts attesting to Jewish indigeneity in Israel displayed without mention of the Jewish connection to the land, some labeled with anachronistic references to Palestine. Read Altman’s deep dive into how one of the world’s great museums is subordinating free inquiry and historical truth to political pressure.
In a second story on free expression and the United Kingdom today, we tackle the decision by the UK government to deny entry to anti-Israel American commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur. The two Hamas apologists and their defenders blamed Israel for the ban. It’s an absurd if unsurprising claim that only goes to show that censorship like this is self-defeating. Read our full take in our latest editorial.
—The Editors
Yesterday we announced the launch of our Great Americans series. With just a month to go until the 250th, we’re bringing you a rundown of some of the greatest Americans to have lived. As we explained in the launch essay, we’re not proposing a definitive list of the country’s greatest patriots. We’re doing something simpler, and more personal: Every weekday between now and July 4, we’re bringing you a writer we love, writing about a great American they love. Leading off: Joseph Epstein—a great in his own right—on the baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax.
Masculinity Is the First Battleground of the Texas Senate Race |
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Last week, after Texas attorney general Ken Paxton triumphed in the Republican Senate primary, Democrats posted a photo of their candidate, Texas state representative James Talarico, gearing up for the competition. The photo—which featured Talarico in a Texas flag shirt eating some local barbecue—triggered instant, very personal attacks from Republicans. It is a taste of things to come, writes Audrey Fahlberg. She reports on what is set to be a very ugly Senate race, and why this fall’s midterms could be one of the most bruising election cycles in memory. | | |
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Why the Iran Negotiations Are Stuck |
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The fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has now lasted longer than the major hostilities at the start of the war. Now, the conflict is stuck in a holding pattern. Almost every day starts with the promise of a deal, then ends in disappointment. Why is the standoff lasting so long? And what, if anything, will end it? Aaron MacLean breaks down the stalemate in his latest column. | | |
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Why Ferrari Is Making a Car No One Wants |
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The Free Press doesn’t generally write about the release of new cars. We don’t have an automobile column. But the introduction of a $640,000 electric Ferrari last week caught our attention. Why? Because it was very ugly—and universally panned. How can a company famous for making beautiful sports cars end up making something no one wants? We asked writer and racecar driver Jack Baruth. The answer, it turns out, is a parable about something bigger than cars. | | |
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