Editors’ Blog

It’s as if four particularly loud-mouthed Republicans knew the extent to which they were being watched.

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Last night TPM Reader ES sent me this Newsweek article on the Ukraine War that he was puzzling about. I read it and found it quite interesting. Let me premise this by anticipating some responses. Yes, Newsweek is trash. By any fair standard the Newsweek most of us grew up with doesn’t exist anymore. The magazine or rather the title is now owned and operated by yet another rightwing cult – the kind that always seems interested in buying publications. So yes, Newsweek is trash. But I decided to read it because I noticed the byline: William Arkin. Arkin is not trash. He’s a longtime national security reporter with a good, if perhaps idiosyncratic, reputation. I note all this simply to say that you shouldn’t dismiss it because of Newsweek’s current and deserved reputation.

How TPM Reader JO finds his joy:

Dahlia Lithwick puzzles over Judiciary Committee Democrats’ “chilling unwillingness to go to the mat” for Ketanji Brown Jackson:

I wanted to make sure you saw Cory Booker bringing Ketanji Brown Jackson to tears yesterday:

All signs continue to point to SCOTUS issuing a ruling this summer that could dismantle Roe, tossing the decision of whether or not individuals can obtain abortions into the salivating hands of Republican state elected officials.

I will note again that we should treat all these reports of troop movements and battles as tentative. Our ability to see what is happening is blurry at best. But I wanted to update you on my post below about Ukrainian counter offensives. At a Pentagon briefing today, reporters heard that Russian forces to the northwest of Kyiv have started building defensive positions. So they don’t seem to be going anywhere. However, to the east, where Russian forces were within 15 to 20 kilometers of the city center are now 55 kilometers away after a counter-offensive by Ukrainian Army forces.

For our annual membership drive, TPM Reader KS shares why TPM is a must read and must-subscribe for him. (Nota Bene: the reference to zero ads is Prime AF. A basic Prime membership has reduced ads but still some ads …)

What does TPM give me that I can’t get anywhere else? Number one, TPM makes good on the promise of no-commercials. Yes I’m paying for it, but that wouldn’t stop the ads on any other news source. This alone tells me something is different here. Reading TPM gives me the feeling that I can predict the weather and the future of the country at the same time. The writers are far above average in having both wit and keen observation. I seek out Nicole Lafond’s person-in-the street writing, and the Weekender and her perspective from ground zero during the pandemic. I crave Josh Kovensky’s insight to Russia and Ukraine. Articles by Kate Riga and others. A whole section on voting rights. The Editor’s Blog. And no, I’m not a podcast listener yet – but might have time after I retire. This is just scratching the surface, there’s so much here.

This is the core portion of a statement just released by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), one of ex-President Trump’s most ardent Big Lie supporters, after Trump pulled his endorsement. It’s an astonishing statement.

President Trump asked me to rescind the 2020 elections, immediately remove Joe Biden from the White House, immediately put President Trump back in the White House, and hold a new special election for the presidency. As a lawyer, I’ve repeatedly advised President Trump that January 6 was the final election contest verdict and neither the U.S. Constitution nor the U.S. Code permit what President Trump asks. Period.

It’s definitional sedition.