“Welcome to the barfing-in-the-neighbors’-bushes hangover of Ukraine’s ‘turning the tide’ exuberance this summer. Actually, the exuberance phase was short-lived, so we’ve been feeling the crapulence since at least mid-July, when President Volodymyr Zelensky axed the popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Days later, he fired Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and, one day after that, Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Andrii Hnatov. Wartime presidents don’t strike down their top military leaders when battlefield developments are coming up roses. … This Sunday, Zelensky slapped sanctions on his own former press secretary, Iulia Mendel, who has become one of his fiercest and most prominent critics. According to a presidential decree, Mendel spreads ‘Russian propaganda’ …. Not only will she face economic restrictions like asset freezes, but internet users within Ukraine will be blocked from accessing her social media accounts.” (09/16/26)
“How could it be, then, that the same party touting its credibility in the fight against big-government economic planning is also led by a president who is offering every American adult a free $5,000? Is this not an example of the very economic interventionism Republicans claim to oppose? This creates a clear bind for the Republicans. Are they for ‘free markets’ or ‘free handouts?'” (09/16/26)
“Hours after singer Ed Sheeran addressed the backlash over rapper Macklemore being ousted from his tour for pro-Palestinian comments onstage, his remaining supporting acts have all quit Sheeran’s tour. … After he put Macklemore’s removal solely on venues and promoters, supporting acts Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, Beoga and Finneas announced that they were withdrawing from Sheeran’s tour to stand in solidarity with Palestinians — meaning the tour now has no openers. Sheeran said upcoming venues contacted him after his shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month, saying they would pull his performances if Macklemore, 43, was not removed as his opening act, because of ‘how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance,’ the singer said.” (09/15/26)
“If the last 18 months are any guide, President Donald Trump is not going to send you $5,000. At last week’s two-night midterm convention in Dallas, he promised every adult citizen a ‘Trump dividend’ should Republicans win both houses of Congress in November. It pushes his running tab of unpaid cash pledges past $13,000 per person. On the first night, he described the payout as a profit-sharing distribution: ‘because our country is making so much money.’ During the second night, Trump morphed it into reparations for surviving Joe Biden’s presidency: ‘We went through hell.’ … Given Trump’s track record of broken promises, the offer itself is the point, not the payout — and it’s aimed squarely at his base. Rather than a proposal meant to persuade midterm swing voters or flip those who lean Democratic, the ‘Trump dividend’ mostly serves as a turnout incentive, gladly offering a payday for a vote on Election Tuesday.” (09/16/26)
