There Are Two Events: Republicans and Cowards through NewsFlicks

The SNAP saga is over for now. Roughly. The Trump management used the federal government shutdown to cancel investment for the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program. The transfer would have left 42 million other people hungry for the vacations. The management was once sued, and misplaced within the decrease courts (because it virtually all the time does), however the Excellent Court docket swooped in and defended Trump’s merciless insurance policies (because it virtually all the time does). The top court docket dominated that Trump may just forget about decrease court docket orders and bring to an end meals help, permitting other people to undergo and starve, pending a complete Excellent Court docket listening to at some later date.

However then, the shutdown ended (extra on that later). On Thursday, Solicitor Normal John Sauer formally withdrew the management’s attraction. Sauer says the brand new finances deal “absolutely price range SNAP during the finish of the fiscal yr.” The brand new deal renders the former proceedings “moot,” that means the court docket does no longer need to come to a decision on whether or not Trump can let thousands and thousands starve.

Disaster avoided? Now not slightly. Whilst the finances deal eliminates the rapid specter of Trump chopping off SNAP for 42 million other people, proceedings about different adjustments Trump desires to make to this system proceed. Earlier than the shutdown, Trump was once poised to extend the paintings necessities for SNAP, a transfer that may churn thousands and thousands of other people out of this system and condemn them to drain tables this iciness. Court cases looking to prevent the ones adjustments are nonetheless pending.

I will be able to by no means perceive why we’re no longer all in a position to agree that we must supply meals help to  hungry other people. We’re the wealthiest country on earth. No one must be hungry (additionally, no person must be homeless, and no person must be not able to obtain hospital therapy). I will be able to by no means perceive why thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of well-fed, taxpaying American citizens suppose that hunger is a suitable result for the screw ups of capitalism.

We don’t are living within the state of nature. We don’t seem to be chimpanzees. Due to advances in agricultural science—issues that will be seen as literal miracles for 99 p.c of human historical past—now we have sufficient meals for everyone. Anticipating the federal government to offer meals help to those that want it isn’t a political place; it’s an ethical one.

And but, we need to combat over the extension of SNAP advantages each and every unmarried yr a Republican is in rate, and maximum years Democrats are. Starvation must be a solved factor in america. However it by no means might be. As a result of unhealthy other people exist and hang energy.

The Unhealthy and the Unsightly

• Google has selected to lend a hand Trump habits unlawful mass deportations. It’s website hosting instrument that permits ICE to make use of facial reputation era to spot immigrant goals, nevertheless it’s taking away instrument that is helping immigrants and activists observe the place ICE is at the prowl.  
• The Excellent Court docket will most probably rule that jail officials can forcibly shave the heads of other people in jail, in violation in their spiritual ideals, with no need to pay damages. That would possibly wonder individuals who suppose the Republican court docket is all about spiritual freedom, however the plaintiff on this case is Rastafarian—and those that were paying consideration know that the court docket’s admire for faith handiest applies to the Jesus crowd.
• The pinnacle of the Boston College Younger Republicans has been bragging on social media about how he referred to as ICE to induce it to apprehend 9 immigrants operating at a automotive wash. All the other people had paintings allows however have been detained and disappeared ahead of they might cross to their lockers to turn their documentation. The BU pupil is from the United Kingdom, through the best way.
• Talking of the United Kingdom, the Impartial Staff Union of Nice Britain has filed a criticism in opposition to Rockstar Video games, makers of the immensely standard Grand Robbery Auto sequence, over alleged union busting. Rockstar fired 30 employees for allegedly sharing “confidential” details about the impending online game in a Discord channel. However the channel was once being utilized by employees and union reps combating for higher prerequisites on the corporate.
• To spherical out our British information section: Trump is threatening to sue the BBC over its modifying of his January 6 coup d’état speech. The BBC apologized and the ones accountable stepped down, nevertheless it hasn’t put extra money in Trump’s wallet, so he’s indignant. If I have been a conspiracy theorist, I’d say there’s a secret plot, hatched through Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon, to verify Nice Britain is solely as shitty as america, in order that other people like me, who handiest talk one language, have one position fewer to move.

Impressed Takes

• Glance, I’m no longer going to jot down a complete factor concerning the Epstein recordsdata simply for the reason that “age of consent” is a complicated felony thought for Megyn Kelly. However as The Country’s Chris Lehmann explains, this must be truly, truly unhealthy for Trump and the cabal of pedo-curious individuals who encompass him.
• This piece in The Country, from former John Fetterman marketing consultant Leah Abrams, truly captures the utter betrayal that’s the Fetterman enjoy.
• Adam Serwer explains the intersection of Dungeons & Dragons, racism, and Elon Musk. It’s an unbelievable piece, and it scratches at one thing that has been some of the biggest disappointments of my grownup lifestyles: the best way “nerd tradition” has been totally co-opted through racists and misogynists. See, when I used to be a child, being into such things as D&D and Celebrity Wars and video video games felt virtually subversive. It was once, for me, a rejection of poisonous masculinity and a chance to search out neighborhood with guys who weren’t at the soccer crew (even if I used to be completely at the soccer crew) and rejected the present “would possibly makes proper” dispositions of adolescent boys. However now, as many of those once-nerds have risen to turn into captains of trade and the purveyors of tradition, I see that the “nerds” have been no higher or other from the “jocks.” They weren’t impressed through a better or deeper admire for ladies or susceptible other people. They sought after to do the entire terrible issues the opposite guys sought after to do; they simply weren’t athletic sufficient to make the soccer crew. There have been indicators: The emotional climax of the film Revenge of the Nerds is a literal rape scene. I didn’t know the way terrible it was once on the time (in equity, I used to be most certainly 8 after I noticed the film). I didn’t consider “males are shit” when I used to be 15, and even 25. However I do now.

Worst Argument of the Week

The brain-droppings of Senate Democrats. In particular the brain-droppings of the 8 Democrats who helped the Republicans finish the shutdown, however truly virtually they all, together with management. It’s tough to spot a bunch of other people as singularly spineless as Senate Democrats, except you extend your definition of “other people” to incorporate Trump cupboard appointments.

To place the whole lot within the broadest conceivable context: Senate Democrats refused to provide Republicans the votes they had to fund Donald Trump’s dread priorities except the Republicans agreed to incorporate fundamental protections for federal employees and healthcare subsidies. Republicans refused to compromise and close down the federal government. After 43 days, with Republicans nonetheless refusing to compromise, Democrats gave up the battle, and Republicans were given the whole lot they sought after. The tip.

The arguments for this feckless show vary from “Trump was once too sturdy” to “However the Republicans promised to speak with us one day.” I’ve fought more difficult and longer to shield my lunch cash than those Democrats fought to shield the rustic.

Nonetheless, I way back got here to be expecting Democratic cowardice. What’s truly surprising here’s the political malpractice of all of it. Democratic applicants simply ran the desk in an off-year election. The celebration completed main victories up and down ballots in every single place the rustic. This is the entire political press must be speaking about (that and, you understand, the president’s shut courting with a pedophile). We must be getting tale after tale about how Democrats are “at the march” and that the resistance to Trump is more potent than ever.

As an alternative, we’re being handled to any other week of reports about how the Democrats are susceptible and pathetic. As a result of they are susceptible and pathetic. Now not they all, after all, however greater than sufficient to pull all the undertaking all the way down to their boot-licking degree.

When long run alien archeologists uncover the autumn of The us within the early twenty first century, they’re going to no longer make a difference between Democrats and Republicans. They’ll simply see the variation between the cowards and the brave.

What I Wrote

I wrote about how the Democrats’s love of the Senate filibuster was once the hidden explanation why they caved and gave Republicans the whole lot they sought after. Once I wrote it, Senator Tim Kaine opened his complicit mouth and just about showed the whole lot I mentioned. 

In Information Unrelated to the Present Chaos

Kim Kardashian failed the California bar examination. There’s no disgrace in that. The California bar examination is difficult: Handiest 54.8 p.c of people that took the July 2025 examination handed. Passing the bar isn’t a sign of intelligence or of lawyering talents. As an alternative, like several standardized exams, the check is truly about how excellent you’re at taking standardized exams.

I wouldn’t ordinarily observe one particular person’s struggles with a notoriously onerous check however for the best way Kardashian has approached this actual problem. Kardashian, who does no longer have a bachelor’s stage, additionally didn’t attend regulation faculty. She’s eligible to take a seat for the bar via California’s “Legislation Administrative center Learn about Program.” It permits other people to apprentice themselves to a attorney for plenty of hours, after which attempt to take and cross the check if they are able to hack it. It’s an overly outdated method of changing into a attorney, even if the one particular person I do know of who has ever performed it that method was once Abraham Lincoln. Once more, I impute no disgrace to those that can’t manage to pay for to visit regulation faculty so that they as a substitute attempt to paintings themselves into the career.

However right here’s the object: Kim Kardashian can manage to pay for to visit regulation faculty! Cash isn’t her drawback. She helps to keep operating round social media jabbering about how “dedicated” she is to following her dream, however by some means that dedication doesn’t lengthen to… going to magnificence?

Talking of cash, it’s wildly unclear why Kardashian must turn into a attorney within the first position. She will manage to pay for legal professionals. She will manage to pay for armies of legal professionals. There is not any felony factor she cares about that she can’t rent truly excellent legal professionals to pursue. It’s all nicely and excellent for a wealthy particular person to need to teach themselves, however, once more, Kardashian isn’t prepared to coach herself at any of the actually masses of faculties designed particularly to coach her. The entire thing is that this bizarre self-importance undertaking the place she turns out to need the standing of “being a attorney” with out, you understand, the training in most cases related to that identify. It’d be like if I sought after to turn into an astronaut however didn’t need to be informed all that pesky math and physics stuff. “I performed 1,000 hours of Kerbal Area Program, now let me fly the rocket send.”

As my good friend Joe Patrice explains, all of this is more or less irritating, as a result of Kardashian in truth does excellent issues within the felony area along with her cash and superstar. She has been a stout recommend for legal justice reform and has actually freed other people from jail. I’d take her as a senator any day over, say, Tim Kaine, and I’m no longer joking about that. She doesn’t want to cross a silly check to lend a hand.

There are millions of legal professionals who did cross to regulation faculty, did cross the bar, and do need the similar issues Kardashian desires. However they are able to’t make a excellent residing—one who can pay for his or her large regulation faculty money owed—whilst operating in legal justice reform. I know a few of these other people. They finally end up as insurance coverage legal professionals or financial institution legal professionals or tort legal professionals, as a result of that’s the place the cash is. Kardashian may just rent a few of these other people—at wages that permit them to pay again their money owed—and be a extra righteous drive for excellent than she ever might be with a foolish “Esquire” after her title.
I don’t perceive superstar tradition, and I may just by no means put myself within the psychological headspace of an individual who is known for being well-known. However in case you are a rich particular person studying this, and you’re pondering of changing into a attorney to enroll in the entrance strains within the battle for no matter you care about, my recommendation is “don’t.” Rent the legal professionals. Pay them nicely. Then inform them what you wish to have them to do. That’s the absolute best, best possible use of your money and time. Depart finding out “regulation” to these folks whom… no person desires to peer in a intercourse tape.

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