The Tuesday Top Five news articles everyone should be reading
An original essay from News Beat’s Rashed Mian on censoring Briahna Joy Gray
And Ryan Stanco’s “Not for Nothing” on the SCOTUS, Pat Sajak and Hunter’s gun
So I guess the question is…what are you waiting for? Sign up today to become a member and level up to unlock a slew of additional perks!
Max Notes
I had the pleasure of appearing on the Current Affairs podcast this week with friend-of-the-show Nathan Robinson to talk about the PBM story. I have a feeling this one will have a longer shelf life than usual. Even people who work in the healthcare industry have reached out to us to say “what the actual fuck?” The complex and opaque nature of the pharmaceutical supply chain is a story that will only grow in the coming years so I’m glad I finally got it off the page and onto the pod. Hope you dug the episode.
Shifting gears back to politics, this week we dug into unfamiliar territory: Europe. For a continent that’s been around for such a long time, the people there don’t seem to learn from their mistakes. I have to say, they’re acting very…well…American.
I’m not sure where we’re going with the pod next week, but one thing that’s been bugging me is all the misinformation surrounding the ceasefire deal in Gaza. The thrust of the narrative in the mainstream media is that Hamas is the one that hasn’t accepted the terms of the so-called “deal” on the table. But they’ll go so far as to reveal that Hamas spokespeople are balking at the proposal because it doesn’t include a withdrawal from Gaza. Um…if that’s not on the table, what the fuck is the offer then? I’m totally confused. So maybe that. Or maybe not. We’ll see.
In the meantime, check out the chart of the week. If, like me, you were wondering what the Trump conviction means to polling data it appears as though nothing happened. Like, literally nothing. At this point Trump appears to be wholly vindicated in his 5th Avenue murder claim. I’m not sure what else this guy could possibly do to fall out of favor with Republicans. We’re a sick, sick country indeed.
Other things I’m obsessing over…
Proof that Canadians have always been funnier. Half Wits. SCTV.
My youngest and I have a date in September to see James McAvoy cook.
The Federal Reserve remains entirely disconnected from the masses. By design. Why bring down interest rates when the investment accounts of the elite are flourishing in this environment? Look at the takeaways from The Times article… “no rush to cut rates, because the job market is holding up.” So basically they’re waiting until the general public is entirely fucked to take their foot of our necks. Corporate profits are still breaking records, it was proven that oil companies have been colluding to keep gas prices high and mortgage rates are preventing young people from buying and others from relocating. But, hey. Guaranteed returns in fixed income accounts? Keep it coming baby.
From the article:
“Here are some takeaways from the Fed’s decision and Chair Powell’s comments:
• The Fed is in no rush to cut rates, because the job market is holding up. They want more confidence that inflation is coming down.
• In light of that, officials predicted just one cut in 2024, down from a forecast for three previously. Powell suggested that the forecast is not a firm plan, though.
• What will determine what happens next? Powell suggested it hinges on inflation slowing, but that rate cuts could also come if the job market falls apart unexpectedly.
• The overall takeaway here: This is shaping up to be a slog of a summer for Fed policy as officials take a wait-and-see approach and avoid declaring victory early.”
Cuts to social services? No problem. Putting youth programs and early childhood education on the chopping block? Gotta do what you gotta do. Building a massive new complex for law enforcement agencies to get their rocks off? Let’s fucking go! Elect a cop to run the city and that’s what you get.
From the article:
“When announcing the training center, Adams invoked a unified force of ‘bad guys of this city’ without clarifying who or what he meant, but his fearmongering statements echoed similar claims — that organized, professionalized groups were responsible for sowing disorder — used to justify brutal police responses to the 2020 George Floyd uprisings and, more recently, raids on Palestine solidarity encampments at college campuses. Adams’s agenda, meanwhile, exemplifies what abolitionist geographer Ruth Wilson Gilmore calls ‘organized abandonment.’ Gilmore describes a divestment by the state from essential services from poor and working-class communities, leaving opportunities for privatization and extraction, while relying increasingly on extensive policing and carceral solutions to maintain a violently racist order. Attendant myths of marauding and devious criminal enterprises serve as rhetorical cover.”
Oh, that’s all we fucking need. Replaying the CMC.
We send long range missiles to Ukraine, Putin sends warships to Cuba. That’s how the first Cuban missile crisis started. Cuba has enough problems right now. The last thing they need is to be sandwiched between our Cold War big dick contest again. Bad enough Biden hasn’t returned to the (bare minimum) policies of his former boss and the Cuban economy is completely upside down.
From the article:
“The flotilla is part of a ‘friendly’ routine visit between the two countries’ navies, Cuban officials have said. The crew on board are expected to conduct military training exercises during their time in the Caribbean. But analysts have said Moscow’s move is largely calculated to flex naval muscle in the US’s back yard. The detachment comes after escalating tensions between Russia and the US, following President Joe Biden’s decision in May to allow Ukraine to attack Russian targets with American weapons. Russian President Putin has promised retaliation against not only the US, but also other Western allies of Ukraine who also removed restrictions on using their weapons against Moscow.”
Parliamentary elections were held in the European Union last week. It did not go well. Check that. It went very well for the right-wing movement in Europe. Most Americans caught wind of some kind of election in the EU but it’s fair to say that few really understand what it was all about. And with good reason. This stuff is really confusing. Scores of parties under the umbrella of seven coalition parties, 720 members representing 27 nations, two councils, one commission, a bank and court. No one is in charge and everyone is in charge. In this episode we break down the governing structure of the EU and lay out what was at stake in this election.
Here’s a snippet from the pod:
MAX: “So the reality of the parliamentary elections might be much more than people sending a proxy message to their individual leaders. There will likely be real change in European policies toward economic measures, environmental standards and immigration laws. And if we play that out a step further, one can easily see how this accelerates each one of these factors in a negative way. Loosening environmental standards will slow the progress made in the EU toward hitting its IPCC targets. This, in turn, will hasten the degradation of the climate, which will spur more climate refugees. The loss of productive agricultural land to the ravages of climate change will contribute to food shortages, which will have an inflationary impact on food prices. ”
Talk about a blast from the past. So glad they covered this movie, which captured adolescence, small town life and the thrill of victory in a small but profound package.
“Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey qualify for the Little 500 race in Bloomington, Indiana, after rewatching the 1979 coming-of-age comedy-drama ‘Breaking Away’”
“What a breath of fresh air to read this book, which offers essential history, sober analysis and courageous vision on how to take on antisemitism, directly from individuals who have been on the front lines of this work with the new generation of the Jewish Left. Lorber and Burley offer clear eyed lessons from our movements about how to keep Jews and all people safe, and timely alternatives to the failed approach of the pro-Israel American Jewish establishment. This book is a gift.” -Simone Zimmerman, co-founder IfNotNow
“I love and hate episodes like this - thank you for unfucking the topic but by the end, I am filled with anger. I worked in healthcare for over 13 years in two clinic roles before moving into medical marketing. This episode is the first time I heard about PBMs, and I don’t think they are common knowledge among general medical healthcare workers.”
The former TYT producer and Sam Seder’s co-host on The Majority Report is as insightful as anyone on the left. An emerging powerhouse, Vigeland may very well be the face of the future of progressive media.
Progressive Organization of the Week: Reproaction.
“Reproaction is a left-flank culture change organization with deep chops in strategic communications, fearless opposition research, and community organizing, including but not limited to non-violent direct action. We work to increase access to abortion and advance reproductive rights.”
