“(John) Lauro is Donald Trump’s lead attorney in the most important trial the former president faces — the one that will resolve whether he is guilty of masterminding a coup against the government and people of the United States. In federal court, Lauro began talking trash in a loud and aggressive manner. He sounded like he was on a cable show, not standing before the bar of justice. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who next year will become one of the most famous American jurists in American history (even though the trial will not be televised), brought Lauro up short. Twice, she told him to ‘turn down the temperature.’ Lauro finally comprehended that in this courtroom—in front of this judge— properly ‘representing’ Trump will mean more than channeling his indignation. So he complied. But it was too late.” (Jonathan Alter/Old Goats)
“The collapse of the Soviet Union sparked the creation of new informal practices across all of its former republics. Soviet-style corruption, in the form of blat (favors) and reiderstvo (corporate raiding), and newer informal practices, enabled the transition to independence. Like other parts of the former Soviet periphery, in Kyrgyzstan Soviet-era practices and ideas were internalized even as independence bloomed. But in response to weak rule of law, and the forces of capitalism, informal practices took on new forms in Kyrgyzstan in light of its own unique circumstances. The Soviet imperial legacy can be seen especially in these locally developed informal practices. The recently emerged concept of ‘kusturizatsia’ in Kyrgyzstan is one such example. Kusturizatsia, a term derived from the word for ‘vomiting’ in Kyrgyz, is used to refer to those who damage the state through corrupt practices and economic crimes (such as stealing from the state budget or not paying taxes), and are then forced to pay compensation to the state when they are discovered.When corrupt practices are detected, the perpetrators (mainly influential politicians and prominent businessmen) are given time to voluntarily pay compensation for the damage to the state, otherwise they face possible detention. Thus, kusturizatsia is essentially the legalization of corrupt activities by prominent businessmen and politicians.” (Aksana Ismailbekova/The Diplomat)
If Biden Falters, Dems Have Prepped the Bench (Vanity Fair)
“In the pages of The Nation, The Washington Post, Slate, and elsewhere, they argue that the song carries a reactionary, right-wing message. They cite lyrics that demonize overweight people who spend their food stamps on junk food. They take aim at one line that obliquely references Jeffrey Epstein and jump to the conclusion that Anthony is a Q-Anon/MAGA nutjob. And they note that right-wing bomb throwers like Matt Walsh, Kari Lake, and Marjorie Taylor Greene are promoting the song. They have a point. The trope of the lazy welfare cheat has been a staple of blame-the-victim, anti-government rhetoric for decades. And right-wing politicians and influencers do have a nasty habit of donning the mantle of working-class crusader while serving the rich and powerful.But here’s what I believe liberal critics are missing when they focus on the song’s discordant notes: People are working ‘overtime hours for bullshit pay.’ There are ‘folks in the street with nothing to eat.’ And working- and middle-class taxpayers are getting squeezed, because neither party is willing to raise taxes on the rich.” (Erica Etelson/The Nation)
“As a longtime critic of her record and the relentless self-promotion that has obscured it, I wouldn’t for a moment underestimate Haley. She has world-class political skills and an instinct for the main chance that has served her well — it dates back at least to the 2010 gubernatorial campaign in which this Mark Sanford and Sarah Palin protégée exploited nasty smears accusing her of sexual infidelity to transform herself into the victim and vanquisher of the ex-Democratic ‘good old boys’ who had dominated the state GOP for years. Similarly, in 2015 she got massive favorable press around the world for taking down a Confederate flag at the statehouse after a white-supremacist massacre at a Charleston church made such a step no longer controversial (a previous Republican governor had proposed taking down the flag 20 years earlier). She has managed to make that ‘courageous’ stand the only thing that national political observers remember about her governorship, instead of more characteristic moments such as her rejection of any corporate investment in her state that might involve ‘union jobs.’” (Ed Kilgore/Intelligencer)
“In the aftermath of Ohio voters strongly rejecting an effort by state Republicans to make it harder for voters to amend the state constitution, there has been a little bit of buzz about Ohio potentially returning to the 2024 presidential battlefield. Back in 2016, I wrote a book about Ohio’s longstanding bellwether status titled The Bellwether. For decades prior to that election, no state voted more often for the presidential winner, and no state more consistently reflected the national popular vote than Ohio. But the 2016 election saw a national political realignment that pushed much of the Industrial North toward the Republicans. This had the effect of ending Ohio’s bellwether reputation …” (Sabatos Crystal Ball)
“That August 2007 day was the zenith of Rep. George Santos’s brief and long-hidden past as a drag performer in Brazil, when the future New York Republican congressman lived a life that was often jarringly at odds with his current politics. In the United States, as an openly gay member of a party now targeting the type of show he once performed, Santos has backed hard-line policies that many in the LGBTQ community find discriminatory. He has supported a Florida law that bars educators from discussing sexual orientation in early elementary education. He has co-sponsored a bill that separates the sexes based on ‘immutable biological differences.’ He has criticized same-sex parents, calling them the ‘flavor of the decade.’” (WashPost)
“Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Roman forum from more than 2,000 years ago at the site of an unknown city. A team of researchers made the discovery at the archaeological site La Cabañeta in the municipality of El Burgo de Ebro in northeastern Spain. The site is home to the remains of a city founded by the Romans on the banks of the Ebro River in the last third of the second century B.C. whose ancient name remains unknown. The city, which was originally set up as a military camp, had a short life since evidence indicates that it was destroyed during a conflict known as the Sertorian Wars in the 70s of the first century B.C.” (Newsweek)
“In broad terms, in Europe we are witnessing a shift to the east. The war in Ukraine will have untold consequences, while the rise of Poland as a leading economy will eventually make it a net contributor to the EU. The future of accountable, democratic government in Europe is now being determined not just in Paris and Berlin but also in Warsaw, Kyiv and Prague. So, as (The Soros Foundation) retools the way it works globally, we are shifting our priorities in Europe accordingly. Yes, this means we will be exiting some areas of work as we focus on today’s challenges, as well as those we will face tomorrow. And yes, we will also be reducing our headcount significantly, seeking to ensure more money goes out to where it’s most needed. But this isn’t any kind of a retreat.” (Alex Soros)
“Anti-Japan sentiment has spiked in China following the release of treated Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. Beijing last week blocked the import of fish from Japan, citing contamination concerns. In response, Japan has hinted it may seek an intervention from the World Trade Organization. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recorded himself eating fish caught in his country Wednesday in an effort to prove that it was safe to consume.” (Jenna Moon/semafor)
“Clubs everywhere have been hit hard, thanks to a cost of living crisis that has made going out a luxury. But if certain corners of Club Twitter are to be believed, something else is posing a threat to nightlife: ketamine, or more specifically, an overabundance of it. ‘There is far too much ket on dancefloors in the uk imo,’ wrote salute, a Manchester-based DJ, in a tweet that has been liked almost 2,000 times. ‘It sucks seeing people kind of just standing around like zombies and not dancing.’” (VICE)
“I first met Charap in the summer of 2017, not long after the book came out, and in the midst of a maelstrom of anger at Russia for its interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. Robert Mueller had been appointed as special counsel for the Justice Department, Donald Trump had labelled the investigation a hoax, and Congress was in the process of passing a bipartisan sanctions bill against Russia. Charap was as angry as anyone else about the interference, but he thought the sanctions proposed in the bill were a mistake. ‘The idea of sticks in international relations is not just for beating other countries,’ he told me at the time. ‘It’s for achieving a better outcome.’ He used the example of the long-standing Iran sanctions, which had finally compelled Iran to come to the negotiating table and vastly limit its nuclear program. The sanctions on Russia, he went on, were not like that. ‘Sanctions are only effective at changing another country’s behavior if they can be rolled back,’ he said. ‘And, because of the measures in this current bill, it’s going to be nearly impossible for any President to relieve them.’” (Keith Gessen/TNY)
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has illuminated—and partly triggered—today’s scramble by the great powers to shape global political alignments, coalitions, and groupings. Military aid, economic sanctions, United Nations votes, summit diplomacy, and alliance-signaling are the stuff of 21st-century world politics, and foreign-policy success or failure hinges on one’s ability to get large coalitions of states on one’s side. For Russia, its war against Ukraine is fueled by grievances about the encroachment of NATO and U.S. hegemony, while China sees the war as an opportunity to build support for a post-Western international order. Meanwhile, the global south has emerged as a loose and diverse grouping, and many countries are trying to stay on the sidelines as they hedge their geopolitical bets, draw on older principles of nonalignment, and navigate appeals from both sides. More of the world lives outside the G-7 than inside it, so the ability of the leading democracies to protect their equities and shape global rules and institutions depends more than ever on building coalitions.” ( G. John Ikenberry/FP)
“Politico, the organ of Beltway conventional wisdom, noted that the Ramaswamy annoyed virtually everyone involved (with the notable exception of Trump, who would soon go on to say that he would consider him as his vice president) but was turning heads all the same: Even if everyone on the stage hated him, viewers were curious—googling him more than a million times in the ensuing hours. The New York Times called it his ‘breakout’ moment on its organ of conventional wisdom, the Daily podcast. Numerous outlets listed him as one of the debate’s ‘winners.’ (For what it’s worth, Donald Trump did too.) In the week that followed, attention once reserved for DeSantis swung his way, a sure sign of palpable Vivekmentum. It’s far too soon to say what Ramaswamy’s political future will look like. He may very well be a force in GOP politics for years, if not decades to come—he’s only 38 years old, after all. It’s easy to see him sharing a ticket with Trump, should the latter win the party’s nomination. At the very least, it seems safe to say that Ramaswamy embodies the next, post-Trump generation of Republican politics: dark, conspiratorial, profoundly online, and deeply annoying.” (Alex Shephard/TNR)