Evening Roundup, June 17
Featuring Katherine Stewart, Alex Vindman & Jen Rubin, Brian O'Neill, Jesse Lee & Jen Rubin, Meredith Blake, Nick Anderson, Jared Bernstein & Bobby Kogan
Spiritual warfare and the roots of political violence
By Katherine Stewart
American democracy is under attack from an authoritarian movement.
Trump, Israel, Iran, and Ukraine: Alex Vindman on the State of American Foreign Relations
With the war in Ukraine in its third year and the conflict in the Middle East expanding as Israel attacks Tehran, Alex Vindman joins Jen to discuss where these hostilities stand today, why Trump is enamored with Putin, and how the “appearance of strength” he desires is undercut by the short-sightedness of his foreign policy.
The world’s trust In the United States Is fading
By Brian O’Neill
Accountability is no longer expected from America.
The Big, Beautiful Tax Hike: Jesse Lee on the GOP Tax Bill
Jesse Lee joins Jen Rubin to discuss Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” The GOP-backed budget would mean higher taxes for working people and deep cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and clean energy—hitting red states hardest. Democrats have held the line before. How can they ramp up the pressure now?
From 'Fortunate Son' to 'Y.M.C.A.', Trump is oblivious to the irony of his song choices
If you watched any of Trump’s big boy birthday parade on Saturday, you might have heard something strange.
The other parade
Nick Anderson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist whose cartoons have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and elsewhere. Find him on Substack at nickanderson.substack.com.
Let’s Do Lunch! 06/17
Let’s Do Lunch! with Jared Bernstein and special guest Bobby Kogan! Join us every Tuesday at 12pm ET to get all your burning econ questions answered!
Everything felt so much better Saturday, having participated in a really uplifting protest event, and reading all about the big gatherings that happened all over the country. And now reading all of the things that he’s managed to do since then, it does feel hopeless. But I’m committed to going on and doing everything I can. I can’t wait for the next big event to go to.
Trump's desire to project the image of a strongman after Saturday's humiliation by saber rattling at Iran is completely fracturing his base. He's caught between how badly he wants to help Israel with bunker buster bombs and the need to keep his base united ahead of the mid-terms. I love this for him.