The Republican National Convention (RNC) kicked off on Monday with a song as old as time: "It's the economy, stupid." That quote, which traces back to the early 1990s, came from Democratic strategist James Carville, an adviser on Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. But in a testament to the staying power of that message, and its resonance across political parties, it reappeared tonight in MAGA form: "Make America Wealthy Again." A noble goal. Can the Republican Party deliver? It would be hard to answer that based on Monday's program alone, which—as is typical for national political con...
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In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman grapple with the current political climate in the U.S. after the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump over the weekend. 01:44—Trump's Assassination attempt 27:06—President Joe Biden's press conference 43:07—Republican National Convention begins today 52:08—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podcast: "Donald Trump Bloodied in Assassination Attempt," by Eric Boehm "Assassination Attempt," by Liz Wolfe "Trump's Defiance of an Assassin's Bullet ...
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More than two decades ago, Natalie Burke, a legal immigrant from Jamaica, was convicted of transporting and selling marijuana in Arizona. Although that is now a legal business in her state, and despite a pardon that Burke received from Arizona's governor last year, her life has been thrown into limbo by the federal government's determination to deport her based on her drug record. That attempt to exile Burke, which led to a year and a half of immigration detention and years of stress, has caused ongoing anxiety that may have contributed to a stroke she suffered while fighting to stay in the co...
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When then-candidate Donald Trump announced that Mike Pence would be his running mate in 2016, the rationale was clear. Pence, a Midwestern former governor known for his love of Jesus and free markets, would lend credibility with religious voters and traditional conservatives to the otherwise unorthodox nominee. The choice was meant to shore up support among a constituency seen at the time as not yet sold on the former real estate mogul and reality TV star. The former president's pick of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance in 2024 reflects the sad reality that none of those considerations are relevant any lon...
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President Joe Biden's condemnation of political violence Sunday night following the attempted assassination of his Republican rival, Donald Trump, listed a number of recent such incidents, but it also included the curious case of the alleged plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. "We cannot—we must not go down this road in America," Biden said. "We've traveled it before throughout our history. Violence has never been the answer, whether it's with members of Congress in both parties being targeted in the shot, or a violent mob attacking the Capitol on January 6th, or a brutal...
Reason
A consensus is swiftly forming among Republican politicians, activists, and media figures that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump can be blamed on the heated, occasionally violent anti-Trump rhetoric deployed by President Joe Biden, leading Democrats, and mainstream media pundits. This is a deeply cynical and misguided tactic—and Republicans are well aware of it, since they have rightly criticized their political opponents for doing the exact same thing. "Today is not just some isolated incident," wrote Sen. J.D. Vance (R–Ohio), Trump's pick for vice president, on X (...
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Less than 48 hours after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump received a bit of good news—which could have positive downstream effects for the rest of us, as well. In 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith brought a 42-count indictment over Trump's "willful retention" of classified documents he was no longer allowed to possess after leaving office. Trump's attorneys have argued, among other things, that Smith was improperly appointed to his position. On Monday, Judge Aileen Cannon of the U.S. District Court for Southern Florida agreed and dismissed the case. U.S. Attorne...
Reason
I hadn't heard of the app NGL until recently. But that's not surprising. The anonymous questions app seems to be largely popular among teens. Bark, the maker of parental content-monitoring software, calls NGL "a recipe for drama" and cyberbullying. But it seems like a fairly standard social media offering, allowing users to post questions or prompts and receive anonymous responses. Now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered NGL to ban users under age 18. That Slippery Slope Again The FTC and the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office say NGL "unfairly" marketed the app to minors. "NGL...
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Bullets: At a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening, a gunman tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Trump survived the attack. A bullet apparently grazed his ear, bloodying him. Unfortunately, a member of the audience—50-year-old firefighter and father Corey Comperatore who was reportedly shielding the bodies of his family members also in attendance—was killed, and two others were critically injured but look likely to survive. The gunman was killed immediately by law enforcement snipers. The authorities have identified him as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crook...
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Famously molding the Republican Party in his populist image, Donald Trump's defining reach-the-people moment undoubtedly came with his response to the attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. He rose to his feet to pump his fist, prompting the crowd to break into a chant of "USA! USA!" The moment was captured in images, including iconic photos by A.P. photographer Evan Vucci that recorded blood streaming down the former president's face as the stars and stripes flew above. It was strong stuff that likely cemented the once and, perhaps, future president's bond with voters of...
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