Hello and happy Saturday. Whether it was large or small, festive or quiet, full of old traditions or the source of new ones, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We were missing a few faces at our family dinner but enjoyed a nice meal with loved ones.
Our main focus the last few weeks has been on Donald Trump’s transition back to the White House. We’ve opined on the nominees, analyzed his policy proposals, and talked to a few of the people advising him. But elections prompt change, and we’re making a few around here, too. Don’t worry, we’re not giving Elon Musk a look at the books or letting RFK edit our health care coverage. But you might notice a few differences. As we noted Tuesday, we’re winding down our newsletter that kept you updated on Donald Trump’s (and the Biden family’s) legal entanglements. We called it The Collision because we were writing from the intersection of politics and jurisprudence, and well, the whole thing ended up resembling a game of chicken. Now that Trump’s legal proceedings have all but concluded, Sarah will have more time to needle the gang on the Dispatch Podcast and debate David French on Advisory Opinions.
We’re also giving the Dispatch Politics newsletter a breather. Again, don’t worry. That “breather” doesn’t apply to David Drucker, Michael Warren, or Charles Hilu. A newsletter is a great vehicle for providing readers with timely campaign updates and mini-profiles, but there is different work to be done now that election season is over. All three will be reporting, but we’ll publish their work as articles on our site so they can have a little more freedom in scheduling and more space to dive deep into topics. Charles has been making himself at home on Capitol Hill, Mike sat down with Steve Bannon, and David wrote about how Musk—tasked by Trump with finding ways to cut regulation and make the government more efficient—might just be totally fine with keeping an EPA regulation that benefits Tesla.
And just in time for the holidays, we have other goodies for you. We’ve got some new merch, as the cool kids call it, in our store. We’ve got coffee mugs for the podcast fans in your life, including—in response to many, many, many requests—a Remnant mug featuring Jonah’s beloved canines, Zoë and Pippa.
Have you considered giving a friend or two a year of The Dispatch? If you have, why not get yourself a little something extra in the process? We just opened a new membership tier. If you are a paid member and upgrade to our new Premium membership, not only do you get two gift subscriptions to give to your friends, you get ad-free podcasts, access to behind-the-scenes content, and an opportunity to register early for in-person events. If you’re not a member, there’s never been a better time to join. Get yourself an enhanced Dispatch experience, and cross off a couple names on your gift list. Whether you’re thinking of a regular annual membership or Premium, we’re having a little sale for Black Friday: Use the code BLACKFRIDAY to take $25 off.
In my experience, Thanksgiving weekend takes one of two forms: We’re either busy nonstop with family in town and food to cook and shopping to do, or we take the chance to hibernate a bit, picking at leftovers, watching football and holiday movies, and getting in a nap or two. (This year is more of the latter. We’ve already knocked out two holiday classics, Christmas Vacation and Die Hard. And I’m looking forward to those naps.)
Either way, I understand it might not be a big weekend for paying attention to the news or reliving the week that was. So I’m sharing just a few things that you might have missed, pieces that are a little off the dizzying news cycle, while cooking or catching up with family. Enjoy your weekend! And thank you for your support.
To hear left-wing environmentalists tell it, humans are a scourge on planet earth, spewing pollutants into the air and water and contributing to an uptick in extreme weather events. On the other hand, many on the right take the attitude that nature should serve us, without regard for our duty to be good stewards of the planet. Alina Clough argues that there is a better way. She writes, “We can either see ourselves as intruders into a landscape that is better off without us or as a necessary part of it. But we cannot do both. Humans must remember that our existence is no accident; this planet is our home, too. Not only do we belong here, but we have the capacity and the responsibility to actively improve our relationship with nature through careful stewardship and intentional caretaking.”
Many of the pro-democracy activists who’ve been tried and sentenced in Hong Kong recently are also practicing Christians. In Dispatch Faith, Angela Lu Fulton notes that Christian churches ran most of the schools, hospitals, and social services during the British colonization, so it makes sense that Christianity has played an influential role in the protest movement. But China’s crackdown on democracy in the territory has taken its toll on the church. “The exodus of pastors, parishioners, and the next generation of Christian leaders has hit the church hard, especially as free speech tightens,” she writes. “Christians are uncertain about whether they’ll be able to continue worshiping freely in the future, or if they will be forced to meet in house churches like in mainland China.”
Don’t feel bad if you missed this one—we just published it today. Sure, lots of people have looked back on the Mike Judge movie Idiocracy and made comparisons to the current state of our politics. But has anyone used it as a jumping off point for a look at the future of our politics? Well, now Kevin has. He starts off with an apology to Judge. See, he had thought the movie was a little too cynical in its presentation of the American populace. Now, nearly 20 years later, he writes, “Incredible as the fact may be: Mike Judge took far too generous a view of boobus Americanus.” But Kevin is also trying to look on the bright side. If we keep going down this road, the 2028 election is going to be a blast—for journalists. He writes: “It would be something to see the House’s sergeant at arms intone in that grandiose way ‘Ladies and gentlemen! The president of the United States!’ as President Kid Rock pimp-strolled down the ol’ congressional aisle in a lime-green fur coat and coonskin fedora. The problem is that, middle-aged and long-past-his-prime as he is, Kid Rock is still a little too hip and way too literate (he can be a clever wordsmith) for today’s Republican Party.”
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