Last night we took our dog to the dog park, where we met the second most adorable dog* in the world. The second most adorable dog in the world was a 5-month-old mutt who was apparently a cross between a pit bull and, her owners thought, a French bulldog. I couldn’t get a photo of the pupper because she never slowed down long enough, but she looked a lot like this.
(* Ed. Note: I say “second” because our dog is the most adorable, obviously. Also, all other dogs are the second most adorable dog. It’s a universal tie.)
Today’s articles cover Donald Trump’s weird tweets last night about nazi conspiracy theories and ALLCAPS rants, the DNC “hacking attempt” that wasn’t, the Democrats’ progressive wing, and Richard Nixon.
5 Things to Read Today
💻 Vox: Whoops: the cyberattack on the DNC was a test
Yesterday I mentioned that someone tried to hack the DNC, but it turns out that the phishing attempt was actually a security test being run by a security firm, DigiDems, on behalf of the Michigan Democratic Party. Apparently the Michigan Dems just didn’t bother to let anyone at the DNC know it was happening.
🤯 New York Magazine, Daily Intelligencer: Trump Echoes Neo-Nazi Propaganda About South Africa (That He Heard on Fox News)
Last night Trump tweeted, “I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. ‘South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.’ @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews”
The South Africa land seizures thing is an old white supremacist conspiracy theory. Tucker Carlson, one of Fox News’ talking heads, has been beating the drum on this particular conspiracy theory, because it appears that Tucker Carlson has decided being a nazi on TV is good money. I don’t know if Carlson is personally actually a nazi/white supremacist or if it’s just making him bank, but the result’s the same and he’s a trashmonkey either way, so whatever.
Anyway, because Trump is demented old racist shamble of a man who believes anything he sees on Fox News, and also because he’s desperate to get the conversation off Cohen and Manafort and back on literally anything else, he’s tweeting about the conspiracy theory.
This is yet more definitive proof that we live in the Darkest Timeline.
🤯 The Atlantic: ‘No Collusion—Rigged Witch Hunt!’ Is the New ‘I’m Not a Crook!’
Last night. Midnight. The president of the United States is ALLCAPS tweet-ranting about the federal investigation that he is the subject of.
Look, I know we’re all used to this now, but I need you to stare at that tweet for awhile until it sinks back in exactly how bizarre it is that the president is doing this. It’s. fucking. weird. This is not what a rational mind does.
🇺🇸 Reuters: Inside the progressive movement roiling the Democratic Party
This article is about how the Republicans are attempting to paint the Democrats as under siege and overwhelmed by the wild-eyed ultra-liberal frothing socialists and how the problem with that is that most of y’all actually agree with the policy ideas of the wild-eyed ultra-liberal frothing socialists.
You guys are pretty much in on most of the platform. You think Medicare for All is a decent idea. You want a higher minimum wage. You want some kind of college reform that means students aren’t subject to crushing debt for decades after they graduate. You’re for equal rights for everyone, including the LGBTQ+ movement. You want smart immigration reform, safety for Dreamers, and sensible gun law reforms.
Y’all are pretty liberal, all said and done. Don’t panic. Vote progressive.
📖 Longreads: An Inquiry Into Abuse
Journalist Elon Green does a deep dive into the allegations of spouse abuse against Richard Nixon. Apparently it’s been rumored for decades that Nixon beat his wife, but no one could ever nail anything down enough to report it out. Green is specifically looking at the allegations and how and why no one reported them, and how we’re still kind of ignoring the rumors to this day, even in contexts where they deserve a mention, like biographies.
Also, “Longreads” is not kidding around. Maybe save this one for the lunch hour or this evening. It’s a big read.
Notes & Thoughts 