TLP Week in Review, 2/4-2/10
TLP Week in Review, 2/4-2/10
Your weekly summary of what we've been up to here at The Liberal Patriot.
What We’re Reading (and Watching and Listening To…)
“How Trump is already damaging U.S. national interests”: The Washington Post editorial board notes that “this country’s role in the world will be on the ballot” in this November’s election—perhaps more than any time since the debate over American membership in the League of Nations after World War I. With adversaries like Vladimir Putin already holding out hope that second Trump presidency will deliver benefits—and allies in Europe hedging against it—“Mr. Trump has already created a more dangerous world, in which the power and principles of the United States are seen not as constants but as variables.”
“Why MAGA Loves Russia and Hates Ukraine”: New York Times columnist David French excoriates Republicans for their willingness “to hand authoritarian Russia a historic military victory rather than supply further aid to a democratic ally.” He argues that Republicans have pursued this approach because “in a particular bespoke reality of the MAGA universe, in which Ukraine is a pernicious villain, Putin is a flawed hero and Russia should have crushed Ukraine long ago…MAGA is once again dragging the G.O.P. into its bespoke reality, and the consequences could be catastrophic for Ukraine, Europe and the future of American security.”
Beneath the Rubble: Documenting Devastation and Loss in Mariupol: A joint report by Human Rights Watch, SITU, and Truth Hounds details Russia’s crimes in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, seized by Russian troops after a devastating siege during the first months of Moscow’s war against Ukraine that left more than 10,000 dead—at minimum. “As Russian occupying forces clear away the rubble, building a new city in Russia’s image between mass graves and the Sea of Azov, questions of accountability abound.”
Climate Uncertainty and Risk: Rethinking Our Response: Georgia Tech climate scientist Judith Curry's book provides exactly what it says on the tin: a sober assessment of climate uncertainty and risk based on the empirical data and a deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of models used in this area. On an issue where emotions run high, this is a remarkably calm and level-headed book.
Compassion: Pianist-composer Vijay Iyer, double bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey have an outta-site new record on ECM that grabs you by the headphones and doesn’t let go. A superb jazz trio for people who love the genre—and for those who don’t.
“Burning Down the House”: Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams snarls and growls her way through her band’s excellent cover of this Talking Heads classic.
What We’ve Posted
“The Working-Class Imperative for Labour and Democrats” by the Progressive Policy Institute’s Claire Ainsley.
“The Disappearing Democratic Coalition” by TLP politics editor Ruy Teixeira.
“Is Political Advertising Obsolete?” by TLP executive editor John Halpin.
“The Case Against Neo-Isolationism” by TLP editor-at-large Brian Katulis and Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Steven A. Cook.
“How the New Left Damaged Democrats in the 1960s and 1970s” by TLP contributor Jeff Bloodworth.
Ruy’s Science-Fiction Pulp Cover of the Week
Just one more thing…
Everyone check your backyard to make sure there aren’t any inert nuclear missiles lying around, as was the case for one Bellevue, Washington resident who acquired a Cold War-vintage AIR-2 Genie air-to-air missile at a neighbor’s estate sale.
