Zachary B. Wolf

Trump is picking at Republicans' Obamacare scab and suggesting a new debate on that law when he doesn't have a health care plan and now that Obamacare itself is pretty popular. Anybody else confused? Particularly when there are so many health care relate issues that need attention.

Here's today's https://bit.ly/411Vc18

I looked at some of the historical analogs for Sen. Markwayne Mullin's argument that it's okay to fight on Capitol Hill sometimes because lawmakers used to fight with each other and maybe people should be standing up to bullies with the threat of fisticuffs again.

Turns out that Andrew Jackson's duels haven't aged that well.

And the caning of Charles Sumner was a dark chapter in US history, not something to emulate.

Back before the Civil War, there were a lot of fights in part because antislavery lawmakers literally tried to goad pro slavery lawmakers' warped code of honor.

Analysis: Senator wants to make Americans fight again | CNN Politics Sen. Markwayne Mullin is not ashamed of his challenge to fight a union boss during a Senate hearing Tuesday.

My latest newsletter sprang from the news that Biden, like Trump, is pursuing a deal with China to cut down on fentanyl in the US.

Here's the top -- The current US president, Joe Biden, has spent his first term talking about the need to use American democracy as a counterweight to autocracy in China, among other countries. Biden called out Chinese President Xi Jinping by name in his State of the Union address earlier this year as he slammed autocracies.
“Name me a world leader who’d change places with Xi Jinping. Name me one!” Biden said, ad-libbing in the House chamber in his February address.
How about the former US president, Donald Trump, who is desperately trying to become a world leader once again?
Trump has spoken with clear envy for Xi’s iron-handed ability to extend his presidency for the foreseeable future.
“He’s now president for life,” Trump said during a speech to donors at Mar-a-Lago back in 2018. “I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot some day.”
For all the difference in their rhetoric, however, it’s striking that there is a throughline between Trump’s and Biden’s China policy. Trump amped up US support for Taiwan, which Biden has continued. Trump engineered tariffs on Chinese imports that complicated the US relationship with China. Biden has notably left them in place.

Analysis: Biden on China vs. Trump on China | CNN Politics The current US president, Joe Biden, has spent his first term talking about the need to use American democracy as a counterweight to autocracy in China, among other countries. Biden called out Chinese President Xi Jinping by name in his State of the Union address earlier this year as he slammed auto...

I talked to a number of presidential historians about how the US has acted with regard to Israel in the 75 years since Harry Truman became the first world leader to recognize it… 11 seconds after it’s founding.

Some interesting details, in using the role of the Cold War in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The first time the Soviets used the special “hotline” to call the White House and ease nuclear tensions was because Israel was invading Egypt.

75 years of US support for Israel, briefly explained | CNN Politics President Joe Biden’s promise for the US to “stand with Israel” continues a special relationship that dates back to 1948, when President Harry Truman became the first world leader to recognize the Jewish state, moments after its creation.

Used this map of Alabama by Renée Rigdon for last night. The blue areas show density of the Black population. Alabama diluted the political power of the area known as the Black Belt in all but one district. Not even the conservative-majority US Supreme Court thought it was fair. But rather than accede to the Court’s order that another district with either a Black majority or something close to it, Alabama defied SCOTUS and created another map with 7 safe GOP districts.

Should you vote FOR someone or is it equally important to vote to stop something? That’s the problem for a middle-of-the road unity candidate. It’s hard to see how they don’t make it easier for a candidate like Trump to win. The track record of third party candidates is, um, poor.

This is from the annual financial report of the US, which is clear the country is on an unsustainable path. But you can’t fox it if you aren’t going to look at Medicare, Social Security or defense, which is what the current negotiators have done. There are plenty of blue ribbon panels and serious proposals to incrementally change benefits, incrementally raise taxes and long-term control spending. Probably going to have to do all of those things! The point is we know what to do but none of the leaders are talking seriously about doing them. And those who do, like Boehner and Obama in 2011, get burned.

Here’s a rendition of future US President Andrew Jackson killing a man named Charles Dickinson in a duel on May 30 in 1806. One of multiple duels Jackson demanded during his life, this one started after a horse race gone awry and an insult of Jackson’s wife, who may or may not have been divorced when he married her. Dickinson called Jackson a “worthless scoundrel, a poltroon, and a coward.” This duel is notable because Jackson’s gun jammed he recovers it, a breach of etiquette. I got this image from the Library of Congress, but I also saw it at a Kentucky Historical Society website.

take a long time to make. but totally worth it.

Days after Gen. Douglas MacArthur criticized President Harry Truman’s Korea strategy, in an April of 1951 letter to Congress, Truman relieved him of command.

There were fears of a full on constitutional crisis for a revered general to be publicly at odds with the president.

It set off a chain of events where MacArthur gave a farewell address in congress. You’ve heard the line about old soldiers fading away. Here’s the printed copy.

But MacArthur did not. He got parades in Washington and New York as he continued to push for attacking China.
Democrats trying to protect Truman held a long series of hearings in the Senate, starting May 3, 1951, but citing the need for state secrets they kept news cameras out and only released sanitized transcripts. Here’s also an image I got from the Library of Congress of MacArthur speaking a year later at the Republican National Convention.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he’s protecting kids from indoctrination and political agendas, but the zeal with which he has pushed expansive efforts to remake the Florida education system also represents an effort to influence young minds.

However you view DeSantis’ motivations, he is getting results.

I looked at what we know about what he's doing in today's ... from taking names of people involved with diversity programs to re-making a Florida public liberal arts school with a private Christian model in mind.

A new partisan era of American education | CNN Politics Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he's protecting kids from indoctrination and political agendas, but the zeal with which he has pushed expansive efforts to remake the Florida education system also represents an effort to influence young minds.

California has the strongest gun laws in the country. But those laws -- in particular the ban on high volume magazines -- are facing challenges after the Supreme Court's new Bruen decision, which set an entirely new standard for state gun laws.

And laws only go so far in a country awash in guns. More guns than people. What's legal in one state can be in any state.

Analysis in from Stephen Gutowski at The Reload and Jennifer Mascia at The Trace.

Why California's 'strong' gun laws are in danger | CNN Politics Those gun laws -- which are under threat thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision -- only go so far in a country awash in guns, where there's almost no action at the federal level, and where there is so much variation in gun laws from state to state and even within states.

The worldwide question of the week: How will future generations pay to care for the current ones?

China's population is declining.
Mass protesters reject a French plan to raise the retirement age.
The US national debt is exploding.

After reading about the major worldwide implications of China's shrinking population, I called William Frey at to learn about what's happening with the population here at home.

(Note: If you're not that interested in demography, skip to the end for what he says about US immigration. That's the major takeaway for Americans and, according to Frey, one key to a stronger American future.)

Analysis: Why it's so important for the US to avoid a shrinking population The worldwide question of the week: How will future generations pay to care for the current ones?

It’s not crazy to think Putin’s nuclear threats will have the effect of forces in the US pushing for more tactical nuclear weapons.

I asked Matt Fuhrmann, who wrote a book about nuclear coercion…

WOLF: Will this current situation lead the US and NATO to rethink whether they should have more access to tactical nuclear weapons?

FUHRMANN: I think probably some people in Washington are already thinking that the United States should be more equipped with a greater number of smaller-yield tactical weapons.

Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, there were debates in Washington about whether the US should develop lower-yield weapons. It was feared that if Russia used one of the lower-yield tactical nuclear weapons that it possesses, the United States doesn't have anything comparable. So if it were going to retaliate, in a nuclear sense, it would have to use a bigger nuclear weapon, which could be seen as an asymmetric response.

There were some generally more hawkish commentators and policy analysts who, even before the Ukraine war, were pushing the United States to develop these lower-yield nuclear weapons. And ironically those arguments will gain weight if Russia continues to make nuclear threats.

Analysis: Russia says it has expanded its nuclear sphere. What to make of its latest threats Here's what one expert had to say about the new rhetoric, including what we know about the so-called tactical nuclear weapons Russia could theoretically use.

The Brookings Institution did a more holistic review of primary candidates from both parties and found that Republicans have embraced Trump and his brand of conservatism far more completely than Democrats have embraced their most progressive ideas.

Most Republican candidates – nearly 60% in the Brookings review – put no mention of Trump or his MAGA and America First mantras on their website. But only 30% of those candidates who didn’t push Trumpism won.

Brookings compared those figures with the percentage of Democrats who embraced the left wing of the party. Most – 72% of Democratic candidates – had no endorsement from left-wing groups and no mention of left-wing issues – anything from Medicare for all to defund the police – on their website. Nearly half of these won their primaries.

A small minority of Democrats, just about 6%, were endorsed by extremely progressive leaders like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders or groups that share his priorities. Half of them won their primaries.

Brookings’ conclusion: “On the Republican side, candidates have embraced Trump – even when he has not embraced them – and done very well in the primaries because of it. On the Democratic side, the impact of Bernie Sanders’ revolution has been smaller, more muted, and less successful in primaries.”

Analysis: The MAGA-fication of the GOP is in overdrive The final 2022 primary elections, conducted Tuesday, saw more clear victories for the "Make America Great Again" wing of the GOP.

Here’s Rep Victor Berger of Wisconsin, the first member of the US Congress and a founder of the Socialist Party in the US. His colleagues wouldn’t seat him in 1919 as he faced a legal conviction under the Espionage Act for his anti-war views. The Supreme Court later overturned the case. Berger was in and out of Congress and ultimately died in a trolley accident. here’s a photo I found at the website.

It's dizzying.

Tracking Trump's ongoing investigations, civil suits and countersuits There are more than a dozen investigations and lawsuits against former President Trump and his orbit.

Couldn’t get enough of the cactus room today at the

While everyone is wondering what Top Secret documents Trump had squirreled away, I talked to Tom Blanton from the National Security Archive about the major problem of the government keeping too many secrets.

He thinks 70% of classified information doesn’t need to be. It’s often hidden to cover rears at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or the Department Of Defense

This is a good one.



https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/03/politics/us-government-secrets-what-matters/index.html

What's the one thing people should know about secrets?

WHAT MATTERS: If there's one thing that you wanted everyone in the country to know about what our government keeps secret, what would it be?
BLANTON: I would quote Ronald Reagan about the Soviet Union: Trust but verify.
In other words, if the government says it's secret, yeah, most of the time, there's some reasonable reason. But show us what was the real damage.
Right now with the Mar-a-Lago documents, the intelligence community is doing a damage assessment. Did it really damage our national security that he hauled off these souvenirs to his private club in Florida? Were they accessible by any hostile intelligence services? Did anybody else know they were there? That's really still unclear.
What is clear is that former President Trump stole the documents and that people around him, including his lawyer, lied to the government about what was there and what they had.

Analysis: Yes, the government keeps way too many secrets We don't yet know what classified documents and information former President Donald Trump took with him to Mar-a-Lago. Here's what one expert had to say about legitimate secrets versus overclassified cover-ups.

So many of my recent newsletters have focused on education -- dropping test scores, teacher strikes, teacher burnout, college debt, college admissions...

I talked to Frederick Hess, who directs education policy studies at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute.

He pushed back on my question about whether there is a larger and new education crisis in this country. I asked him to weigh in on everything from "The Nation's Report Card" test scores and teacher shortages to the student debt problems.
All of these problems have been brewing, he said.

Hess: We have a number of ongoing concerns in this country. College costs. Student performance has stagnated for a decade before 2019. Our schools are middling internationally even though we spend as much per kid as anywhere in the world. We're worried that we're not getting good value for tuition and higher ed. Teachers feel overburdened. And I think the pandemic absolutely exacerbated and highlighted all these challenges.

But after talking individually about each of these issues, Hess argued it's important to view them distinctly.

Hess: I don't know that it's useful to directly bundle these together, except insofar as they're affected by the pandemic. ... I would be concerned that folks would talk about them as facets of some kind of single unifying crisis, distorting kind of the complexities on the ground and making it harder to solve the individual challenges, each of which requires specific remedies.

Analysis: Crises converge on American education From teacher strikes and a teacher shortage to politics in the classroom and skyrocketing student loan debt, there are many education crises converging. Now new national test score data is being interpreted as proof that remote learning during the pandemic was a failure.

Re: partisanship and US politics and how to fix it... After the Sarah Palin's defeat in the Alaska special election, and with questions about Ranked Choice Voting, take a look at this newsletter I did recently, where Nick Troiano told me there's hard evidence that the ranked choice system leads to less partisan politicians.

These efforts to depolarize the US are well underway | CNN Politics American democracy is changing right now in important and optimistic ways in red and blue states. Here's what one expert had to say about ranked-choice voting, nonpartisan primaries and other efforts to take control of primaries away from political parties.

Actually not as redacted as many feared. But far from open. We went through every line.

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The problem with means testing loan forgiveness, EV credits and everything else. Feels a long time from serious talk by Andrew Yang of UBI and Cory Booker of baby bonds, which would address inequality without dividing society. Good context in here from both Indivar Dutta-Gupta and Mark Goldwein.

Analysis: The frustrating truth about who is excluded from college debt relief The question for a lot of people who didn't go to college, those who already paid off their loans or folks who make more than $125,000 (or more than $250,000 if they're married couples or heads of households) is this: What about me?

In the 2022 election there is before, and there is AD, after Dobbs. Here's the evidence...

#2022

Analysis: This one issue could save Democrats in November The larger lesson of 2022 so far is that a focus on protecting abortion rights from the US Supreme Court and Republican-controlled state governments could, maybe, stop a "red wave" in November.

I talked to Albert Cahn about phones, data, geofence warrants and the new reality for people in states where abortion is illegal.

Analysis: Your phone could be used against you in an abortion case People in states that restrict abortion must consider the trail of evidence they leave behind when they use their phones and computers as they look to obtain medical care. Here's what one expert says about how laws should be changed to protect people's data privacy.

Learned some weird things about the legacy of the first French Revolution in Paris. One cafe where revolutionaries gathered is now where one tries on . The home of revolutionary turned reign of terror ringleader Robespierre is now . .net_