Jill Lawrence/MSNBC:
Tom Nichols/The Atlantic:
New York Times:
New York Times:
Better headline: Far too many Republicans are willing to consider idiocy.
And that’s more a comment on DeSantis than Newsom.
Wall Street Journal:
From Cliff Schecter:
YouTube Video
Storm Lake Times Pilot (Iowa):
Seeing the erosion of our freedoms makes it hard to celebrate this Fourth of July
The Supreme Court, conservative governors and gerrymandered state legislatures are racing to shrink our fundamental rights and freedoms.
In a 16-year span, George W. Bush and Donald Trump lost the popular vote but won the presidency. That is a system failure. It is not fair or democratic, and it led directly to today’s unbalanced Supreme Court. Five of the six conservative justices were appointed by these two presidents. Getting rid of the Electoral College would take a constitutional amendment, which is always a hard sell. But think of the arguments you could make to both parties. There are over 5 million registered Republicans in California whose votes would finally count. Wyoming’s nearly 23,000 Democrats would also factor in.
Red and blue states are not monolithic. Therefore, we should stop pretending, for example, that there are no injured parties when red states ban abortion or make it easy for teenagers and careless people to buy whatever weapons they want — no permits or instruction required. We should also stop pretending that we are 50 walled-off states, each deciding how many freedoms we should enjoy or how many it gets to restrict. Guns cross state lines. People who need abortions cross state lines. We are in this together, and Congress and the courts should be protecting our rights — not encouraging a free-for-all that leaves some states with far less democracy than others and some Americans feeling far less equal than others.
Tom Nichols/The Atlantic:
Reclaiming Real American Patriotism
This Fourth of July, let’s rescue our love of country from those who have hijacked it.
I was awash in thoughts of lobster rolls and salt water as I neared the dunes. And then that damn tearjerker of a John Denver song about West Virginia came on my car radio.
The song isn’t even really about the Mountain State; it was inspired by locales in Maryland and Massachusetts. But I have been to West Virginia, and I know that it is a beautiful place. I have never wanted to live anywhere but New England, yet every time I hear “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” I understand, even if only for a few minutes, why no one would ever want to live anywhere but West Virginia, too
That’s when I experienced the jolt of a feeling we used to think of as patriotism: the joyful love of country. Patriotism, unlike its ugly half brother, nationalism, is rooted in optimism and confidence; nationalism is a sour inferiority complex, a sullen attachment to blood-and-soil fantasies that is always looking abroad with insecurity and even hatred. Instead, I was taking in the New England shoreline but seeing in my mind the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I felt moved with wonder—and gratitude—for the miracle that is the United States.
How I miss that feeling. Because usually when I think of West Virginia these days, my first thought tends to be: red state. I now see many voters there, and in other states, as my civic opponents. I know that many of them likely hear “Boston” and they, too, think of a place filled with their blue-state enemies. I feel that I’m at a great distance from so many of my fellow citizens, as do they, I’m sure, from people like me. And I hate it.
So they held a peaceful political protest on a day honoring the greatest act of political protest in American history? https://t.co/4W95abIzx9
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) July 4, 2023
New York Times:
Federal Judge Limits Biden Officials’ Contacts With Social Media Sites
The order came in a lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, who claim the administration is trying to silence its critics.
A federal judge in Louisiana on Tuesday restricted the Biden administration from communicating with social media platforms about broad swaths of content online, a ruling that could curtail efforts to combat false and misleading narratives about the coronavirus pandemic and other issues.
The order, which could have significant First Amendment implications, is a major development in a fierce legal fight over the boundaries and limits of speech online.
Worth mentioning that this case was filed in a single judge division in Louisiana in front of a Trump-appointed judge who has previously issued anti-vax decisions. Can add it to the list of forum-shoped cases Republicans are setting up in front of Trump judges. https://t.co/UzSjg8Oz5Y
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) July 4, 2023
New York Times:
Republicans Are Divided on Impeaching Biden as Panel Begins New Inquiry
A vote to send the Homeland Security Committee impeachment articles against President Biden for his border policies has underscored rifts in the G.O.P. about whether to try to remove him, and for what.
A vote last month to send impeachment articles against Mr. Biden for his border policies to the Homeland Security Committee alongside the Judiciary Committee amounted to a stalling tactic by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to quell the urgent calls for action from the hard right. But it has also highlighted the rifts in the House G.O.P. over moving forward and complicating a separate monthslong drive by the panel to prepare an impeachment case against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, for the same offenses.
Neither pursuit appears to have the votes to proceed, and many Republicans are worried that without a stronger case against the president, even trying the move could be disastrous for their party.
Several rank-and-file Republicans from politically competitive districts had balked at the idea of impeaching Mr. Mayorkas, even after Mr. McCarthy endorsed that push. Few believe that the new investigation of Mr. Biden — a hastily arranged effort designed to halt a right-wing attempt to impeach the president outright with no investigation — will yield anything that could persuade them to oust him.
Better headline: Far too many Republicans are willing to consider idiocy.
Bettors on PredictIt now believe Gavin Newsom has a better chance of winning the presidency next year than Ron DeSantis. pic.twitter.com/XwA2svIIXD
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) July 4, 2023
And that’s more a comment on DeSantis than Newsom.
Wall Street Journal:
Why Biden Goes Silent at Some Key Moments
On the mutiny in Russia, Trump’s indictment and at moments during debt-limit talks, the voluble president has been very quiet
William Galston, a former aide to President Bill Clinton, said that Biden knows the dangers of a poorly thought-out remark. “I’m reminded of President George H.W. Bush’s refusal to dance verbally on the demise of the Soviet Union,” he said. “German reunification would have been much harder to achieve without his verbal self-discipline.”
The current president’s strategic silence is also notable because Biden wasn’t always known for verbal restraint, having landed in trouble for gaffes during speeches and fundraisers throughout his career.
From Cliff Schecter:
YouTube Video
Storm Lake Times Pilot (Iowa):
Editorial: No guns in schools
The insurance industry did the Cherokee and Spirit Lake school districts a favor by denying them coverage if they insisted on arming staff. Each of the respective school boards that earlier passed policies that would put guns in staff hands rescinded those policies late last week when they finally acknowledged they would not have insurance protection come July 1.
The superintendents and school board members knew about this hole in their sketchy plans for months but, in Cherokee’s case for certain, tried to shield that information from the public until we reported it from email correspondence.