Commentary Magazine – April 2024 Opinion Preview

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Commentary Magazine (March 15, 2024) The latest issue features ‘The Elite War On The American Middle Class…And How To End It’; The Big Lies about Israel’s Big Bombs…

The Elite War on the American Middle Class—and How to End It

by Christine Rosen

Being middle class in America used to mean something—something socially transformative, something even revolutionary. The American middle class represented a form of national social order never before seen on this earth—cultural domination not by the very rich and very educated, or the political domination either by tyrants or the mob, but by a mass of people, relatively well-to-do, who felt themselves fortunate in their circumstances. That was what made the American middle class different from the French or English bourgeoisie. Its members believed, and the country believed, that they were the nation’s backbone, its true governing class, and its moral compass.

The Four Questions of 2024

by Matthew Continetti

President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump squared off four years ago and are on track for the first major-party rematch since 1892. Biden and Trump are the oldest presidential candidates in history, and each man has an established political brand. Biden first won federal office in 1972, and it’s been over a decade since the GOP nominated someone other than Donald Trump. The 2024 election is like all the SIRIUS XM oldies stations—Classic Vinyl, Classic Rewind, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Radio—rolled into one.

The Hateful Candace Owens

by Christine Rosen

If you had never heard of Candace Owens until recently, you aren’t alone. Less than a decade ago, she was an unknown college dropout working as a marketing professional in New York, writing pieces for her company’s website about the “bat-s—t crazy antics of the Republican Tea Party.” Then, suddenly, she claimed to have experienced a political conversion. She told the libertarian political commentator Dave Rubin in 2017, “I became a conservative overnight. . . . I realized that liberals were actually the racists. Liberals were actually the trolls.”

Research Preview: Science Magazine – March 15, 2024

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Science Magazine – March 15, 2024: The new issue features ‘Fast Moving Magma’ – A large diking event preceded Iceland’s recent eruptive episodes…

Efforts to screen kids for type 1 diabetes multiply

Blood tests can detect the disease process early, avoiding complications and aiding treatment

‘Damning’ FDA inspection report undermines Alzheimer’s drug

Inspectors faulted analyses of clinical trial samples by Hoau-Yan Wang for drug developer Cassava Sciences

Seafloor fiber-optic cables become sensor stations

“Smart cables” will detect earthquakes, tsunamis, and global warming

‘I’m not Tony’: Anthony Fauci’s heir vows new direction at NIAID

Jeanne Marrazzo, an HIV prevention researcher, sees need for more “holistic” approach to community health problems

News: Putin Seeks 5th Term In Russia Elections, Japan-Ukraine Military Support

The Globalist (March 15, 2024): We discuss this weekend’s presidential election in Russia, which will grant Vladimir Putin another six-year term.

Plus: US efforts to involve Japan in providing additional military support to Ukraine, the future of government in the Netherlands and theatre news.

The New York Times — Friday, March 15, 2024

Schumer Urges New Leadership in Israel, Calling Netanyahu an Obstacle to Peace

The top Senate Democrat, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, spoke from the Senate floor to condemn Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for elections to replace him.

Germany Looks to Stop the Far Right From Assuming Power

Mainstream parties are changing laws to protect government institutions. Critics say the changes risk undermining democracy.

Snakes in the Grass — and Under the Piano, by the Pool and in the Prison

Business is good for snake catchers in Australia, as the period of brumation, a sort of hibernation for reptiles, is shrinking — a result of the warming earth.

The New York Times — Thursday, March 14, 2024

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Inside the Blunders That Plunged the College Admission Season Into Disarray

The Education Department was supposed to make applying for federal financial aid easier. Instead, it got worse.

House Passes Bill to Force TikTok Sale From Chinese Owner or Ban the App

The legislation received wide bipartisan support, with both Republicans and Democrats showing an eagerness to appear tough on China.

They Sell Candy Instead of Going to School. New York Isn’t Stopping Them.

Letting children work in the train system during school hours breaks several laws and rules. But a series of agencies said it was not their place to stop the practice.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – March 14, 2024

Volume 627 Issue 8003

Nature Magazine – March 13, 2024: The latest issue cover features ‘Burning Question’ – How drought conditions are driving overnight fires in North America…

A better way to charge a quantum battery

Batteries that store photons in atoms or molecules could retain their efficiency with wireless charging.

Geologists reject the Anthropocene as Earth’s new epoch — after 15 years of debate

But some are now challenging the vote, saying there were ‘procedural irregularities’.


Will these reprogrammed elephant cells ever make a mammoth?

The de-extinction company Colossal is the first to convert elephant cells to an embryonic state, but using them to make mammoths won’t be easy, say researchers.

The New York Times — Wednesday, March 13, 2024

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Special Counsel Who Investigated Biden Offers Fierce Defense of Report

At a hearing, Republicans peppered Robert K. Hur about his justifications for not charging the president, and Democrats rebuked him for broad assertions about Mr. Biden’s memory.

Trump Courts Black Voters Even as He Traffics in Stereotypes

The former president traffics in stereotypes about Black Americans, yet he is counting on them, and aggressively courting them, in seeking to return to the White House.

Jamming’: How Electronic Warfare Is Reshaping Ukraine’s Battlefields

Drones have become a critical weapon for both sides, but a lack of coordination among troops has put Ukraine at a disadvantage.

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – March 18, 2024

A skier skis from snow onto grass.

The New Yorker (March 11, 2024): The new issue‘s cover features Peter de Sève’s “Downhill” – The artist depicts carving up the slopes, straight into spring.

Among the A.I. Doomsayers

A large robotic foot hovers above a figure.

Some people think machine intelligence will transform humanity for the better. Others fear it may destroy us. Who will decide our fate?

By Andrew Marant

Katja Grace’s apartment, in West Berkeley, is in an old machinist’s factory, with pitched roofs and windows at odd angles. It has terra-cotta floors and no central heating, which can create the impression that you’ve stepped out of the California sunshine and into a duskier place, somewhere long ago or far away. Yet there are also some quietly futuristic touches. High-capacity air purifiers thrumming in the corners. Nonperishables stacked in the pantry. A sleek white machine that does lab-quality RNA tests. The sorts of objects that could portend a future of tech-enabled ease, or one of constant vigilance.

Have the Liberal Arts Gone Conservative?

A column with a pencil tip.

The classical-education movement seeks to fundamentally reorient schooling in America. Its emphasis on morality and civics has also primed it for partisan takeover.

News: Rise Of The Far-Right In Portugal Elections, Cease-Fire Talks In Gaza

The Globalist (March 11, 2024): We get the latest results from Portugal’s elections and ask what’s next for the nation’s government as the far-right gains ground.

Plus: we discuss the likelihood of a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza before Ramadan, get the headlines from the Balkans and find out who wins big at the 2024 Academy Awards.

The New York Times — Monday, March 11, 2024

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Wyoming Banned Abortion. She Opened an Abortion Clinic Anyway.

The only abortion clinic left in the state has been protested and set on fire, rebuilt and opened as Wyoming grapples with what it means to be conservative in a post-Roe nation.

With Haiti in Chaos, a Humanitarian Crisis Is Rapidly Unfolding

As gangs have united in concerted attacks against the state, the prime minister is stranded in Puerto Rico, and food, water, fuel and medical care are in short supply.

As Israel’s Ties to Arab Countries Fray, a Strained Lifeline Remains

The United Arab Emirates has maintained its links to Israel throughout the war in Gaza, but the relationship, built on a U.S.-brokered deal, is under pressure as anger against Israel grows.

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