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I tend to steer this newsletter away from the dark, growing world of conspiracy theories, in part because I want to focus on reality-based coverage (I know, quaint, right?), and in part because I want to avoid even dipping a toe (or any other appendage) into the slimy, swampy, grim, bleak world of the dark fantasies and crazy-making theories that drive these stories. I get nauseated enough covering the regular news. But we're going to have to go there. A Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theory deployed and spread by the MAGA crowd has come back to divide the movement and haunt Donald Trump. MAGA and its alternate news universe has long been promised a list of Epstein's clients and connections that would supposedly prove some evil truth about democrats and elites. But in a very public U-Turn, they're being told the list won't be released, or there's not a list, or to stop worrying about the list, or list, what list? It's fair to wonder if Trump's name is on the list if one exists. It's also fair to be dubious that Trump’s name on some Epstein list would damage his standing with his base. But the debate over the list itself has become a raging war among Trump supporters who peddle in myths, many of whom currently occupy high positions in the administration. OK, I'm feeling that gross feeling building up. I'm going to step away and aggressively scrub myself with a bleach-dipped wire brush and let David French take over in the NYT (Gift Article): MAGA Is Tearing Itself Apart Over Jeffrey Epstein. "The Epstein story mattered so much in MAGA circles because it was a key element in their indictment of America’s so-called ruling class. Trump’s appeal to the Republican base isn’t just rooted in his supporters’ extraordinary affection for the man; it’s also rooted in their almost indescribably dark view of the American government. Why are they so keen to burn it all down? Well, if you believe your government is populated by people so depraved that they’d participate in and cover up the systematic sexual abuse of children, then you wouldn’t just want them out of office; you’d want them prosecuted, imprisoned and maybe even executed. And you’d want all the power you’d need to make that happen. And if you believe that the ruling elites would abuse children, then they’d certainly be the kind of people who’d gin up a Russia hoax or try to steal an election in 2020."
+ The Atlantic (Gift Article): Conspiracy Theorists Are Turning on the President. "This is undeniably a turning point for the highly online among Trump’s base. The story of the client list had effectively morphed into a more palatable and plausible version of the QAnon conspiracy theory. As does QAnon, it features a secret ring of evildoers, though it doesn’t have certain ostentatious elements of that conspiracy (no harvesting blood). But both theories encourage people to disbelieve everything the government tells them. Until now, Trump and his appointees were positioned as exceptions to that rule—the deal was that if they got back into power, they would reveal all."
+ Dan Pfeiffer (paywall) on why this controversy is different than all the other controversies, none of which seem to even make a dent. "The scandals that hurt aren’t the ones that make your opponents hate you more — they’re the ones that make your fans question why they love you."
+ All this comes with the usual caveat that it is a fool's errand to underestimate how much part of Trump's base loves him. WaPo: How the Trump shooting supercharged beliefs in a divine right of MAGA. "Trump has long claimed that God was on his movement’s side, and attendees at Trump rallies have routinely described the events in spiritual terms. But after the assassination attempt, many of his followers — and most notably Trump himself — more explicitly cast him as a divine instrument." (I wish I had a divine instrument to delete this story from my brain.)
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Blood in the Water
"Alissa managed to keep both kids on the countertop, one hand on each, still trying to reassure them. As the house came undone, she grabbed one in each arm. This is the part that will forever haunt me. If I or anyone else had been closer to them, we would have helped her. We would have grabbed one of the kids. But we didn’t know that we were about to be plunged into the water. We simply didn’t know. Alissa remembers two things after she and her children hit the water. She heard Clay coughing. And she heard Rosemary saying 'Mama.'" An absolutely stunning first-person account of what it was like for a family to experience the ravaging Guadalupe flood. Texas Monthly: The River House Broke. We Rushed in the River.
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Military Might (or Might Not)
I have a friend who occupied very high positions in the Pentagon, and I once asked him how long it would take for new technologies to begin to level the military playing field that has been dominated by the US for decades. He said, "Maybe 20 or 30 years." That was about 20 years ago. Dexter Filkins in The New Yorker: Is the U.S. Ready for the Next War? "While the future of warfare is being invented in places like Ukraine, U.S. officials are looking on with a growing sense of urgency. For decades, the American armed forces have relied on highly sophisticated, super-expensive weapons, like nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and stealth fighters, which take years to design and cost billions of dollars to produce. (The country’s failures in Iraq and Afghanistan were not for a lack of technical prowess.) Since the end of the Cold War, these munitions have given the U.S. near-total dominance on land, sea, and air. But now the technological shifts that have stymied the Russian invasion of Ukraine are threatening to undermine America’s global military preëminence."
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Sometimes the Grass Really is Greener
With a remarkable turnaround from his devastating loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open, Jannik Sinner won their rematch in the Wimbledon Championship, solidifying what is emerging as one of the great rivalries in sports. The rivalry is not just notable because the two of them have raised the level of tennis, it's notable because they're good friends and treat each other with extreme kindness and respect. It's not the first time this has happened in tennis, but Sinner and Alcaraz are proof that ferocious winners can also be incredibly gracious people. And we really need that reminder in today's cultural and political climate. After losing the match, Alcaraz said of the rivalry, "It’s becoming better and better. I think it’s great for us, and it is great for tennis." It's great beyond tennis, too.
+ While the men's tennis game has two clear leaders, the women's side is refreshingly wide open. Iga Swiatek became the eighth consecutive first-time women's champion at Wimbledon. And she did it in decisive fashion, beating Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0.
+ In unrelated (in every way) sports news: Trump Steals Soccer Champions’ Spotlight, Gets Booed by Fans.
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Extra, Extra
Surprise! In a continuation of his recent turnaround on the issue, Trump announces weapons for Ukraine and threatens Russia with tariffs. "We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need because Putin really surprised a lot of people," Trump said. "He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening." (Editor's note: Putin surprised one person.)
+ Don't Jump to My Defense: "Many of these people came to work at Federal Programs to defend aspects of our constitutional system. How could they participate in the project of tearing it down?" Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit.
+ Rosie Outlook: "Employers have long had response plans for extreme weather, active shooters, and other workplace emergencies. Now, some are quietly preparing for immigration raids, too — even if they believe everyone on their payroll is legally permitted to work in the US." Meanwhile, Trump Thinks He Can Take Away Citizenship From Anyone He Doesn’t Like. "Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship."
+ Hunger Aims: "Ms. Bialecki started as a volunteer [at the Easthampton Community Center and Food Pantry] 25 years ago and has managed the operation for the last 17. She’s the only paid employee; she works every day except Christmas and makes $32,400 a year. She had planned to retire, but has stayed on to help everyone through what now seems like the unraveling of the country’s defenses against unnecessary illness and hunger." The excellent Tracy Kidder in the NYT (Gift Article): A New Era of Hunger Has Begun. "Cutting SNAP will dramatically increase the pressure on food banks. Their pantries represent a model of decency, of coherent community efforts on behalf of people in need."
+ There's an Old Sheriff in Town: "Last year, 1,260 people were killed by law enforcement—the highest level since data-crunching organizations began keeping track a decade ago. A major factor driving the upward trend is surprising: Sheriff’s departments that generally patrol more rural slices of America are killing more civilians." WSJ (Gift Article): The Rapid Rise of Killings by Police in Rural America.
+ Grok Bottom: "On Friday, independent AI researcher Simon Willison documented that xAI's new Grok 4 model searches for Elon Musk's opinions on X (formerly Twitter) when asked about controversial topics." New Grok AI model surprises experts by checking Elon Musk’s views before answering.
+ Island Fever: "The reality-TV sensation has shattered viewership records and taken over sports bars—and defied conventional wisdom about who watches reality dating shows." GQ: