Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing news. In the two days I was away from my keyboard, we learned that Trump has fantasized about having "the kind of generals Hitler had," was directly described as a fascist by his longest serving Chief of Staff John Kelly (a description that has already been confirmed by 13 former Trump administration officials), and that, according to the WSJ (Gift Article) Elon Musk, Trump's biggest current supporter (both financially and on social media), has been having secret conversations with Vladamir Putin. "The discussions, confirmed by several current and former U.S., European and Russian officials, touch on personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions." (Personal topics? "How's the constant lying on your platform going?" ... "Great, thanks. What's new with your mass murder campaign?"). In a normal American era, any of these stories would qualify as an October surprise. In 2024, the surprise will be if a majority of Americans see fascist tendencies and Hitlerian fantasies as disqualifying features for a president. Before coming to a conclusion on that matter, consider that half of Americans saw Donald Trump as a fascist in a poll taken before the John Kelly story. (That said, in the same poll, 22% see Harris as a fascist.) The Harris campaign clearly thinks the threat to democracy is a worthy topic for their closing argument. And it may move some Trump supporters to reconsider their allegiance (or at least stay home on Nov 5th). But don't underestimate the ability of people to normalize even extremely dangerous behaviors and beliefs. As I mentioned last week in Zero Tux Given, "You thought it couldn’t happen here? This is exactly what it look likes." (And just wait until we get to story number 2...) 2Darkness VisibleThe Washington Post's tagline is, Democracy Dies in Darkness. Well, Jeff Bezos just shut out the lights. For the first time in several decades, the newspaper that broke Watergate and is famous for holding the powerful to account, will not make any endorsement for president. I'll let former Post editor Marty Baron chime in on this: "This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty. Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage." Follow the money just took on a whole new meaning. 3Fee Fi FoesSome American traditions are still holding up. The World Series kicks off tonight. The two former neighbors have been big time rivals for a long time. (As a Giants fan, I'll just let them fight it out among themselves.) Yankees vs Dodgers: The World Series’ most frequent rivalry through the years. "In the beginning, the World Series matchup of the Dodgers against the Yankees was a kind of charming intra-city showdown of two New York City boroughs, blue collar Brooklyn, equipped with a neighborhood called Gravesend, against the pretentious Bronx, with the fancy Grand Concourse." 4Weekend WhatsWhat to Doc: Hulu and Disney Plus just debuted a new doc that takes us behind the scenes (and in front of the stage) to celebrate Bruce Springsteen and E-Street Band in Road Diary. For those have SiriusXM, Bruce and the band were guests on Howard Stern this week and you can listen or watch on the app. Here are couple outtakes: If I Should Fall Behind and Brilliant Disguise. 5Extra, ExtraVlad Handing: "He beamed as he clinked a champagne flute with visiting heads of state at a gala dinner. He stood proudly beside the powerful leaders of China and India, who chose his country to hold their own first official meeting in more than five years. And he held court at round table discussions during which he pronounced that the West is facing an irreversible process of decline." NYT (Gift Article): Inside Putin’s Alternate Reality: Warm Embraces and a Veneer of Normalcy. Normalcy is contagious. Navalny widow blasts UN chief Guterres for meeting ‘murderer’ Putin. "It was the third year of the war, and the UN Secretary-General was shaking hands with a murderer." 6Feel Good Friday"The astronauts should have been back two months ago. But their homecoming was stalled by problems with Boeing’s new Starliner astronaut capsule, which came back empty in September because of safety concerns. Then Hurricane Milton interfered, followed by another two weeks of high wind and rough seas." The travel delay of the century is finally over. Read my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store. |