Cut to the News Weekend - February 27-28, 2021
Published: Sat, 02/27/21
Here are my top reads and listens for you today. Enjoy.
Once Upon a Presidency. From populist to dissident
By Joshua Hochschild
Let’s say you’ve long been disaffected with political parties. You don’t trust them. You care about politics, but you don’t see much promise in the standard candidates. Let’s even say you have suspicions the two parties are more interested in their own power than in helping the country. Occasionally you see promising people come forward, challenging the conventions. Maybe your interest is piqued by a Tulsi Gabbard or perhaps by a Ben Carson. Whoever they are, interesting people with interesting ideas show up, and somehow they speak to you. They seem to share some of your interests. But they never get a foothold in the game of national politics. Maybe you don’t understand politics, and these candidates always lose fairly on the merits. But you suspect the deck is stacked against them. They criticize Wall Street, the military-industrial complex, corruption in politics. You’ve heard them called “populists,” but they always end up getting labeled something like “fascist” or “socialist,” and cast aside. American Mind
Lee Harvey Oswald ordered to kill JFK by Soviets, ex-CIA chief claims
By Larry Getlen
Lee Harvey Oswald was a KGB associate who was personally instructed by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to assassinate President Kennedy. Sometime shortly thereafter, the Soviets changed their minds, and Oswald was told to drop the plan. But Oswald, harboring a blinding love for all things USSR, refused. A new book by two former intelligence chiefs — one from the west, one from the east — tosses this tale on the voluminous pile of JFK assassination theories. “Operation Dragon: Inside The Kremlin’s Secret War on America,” (Encounter Books), was written by Ambassador R. James Woolsey, who ran the CIA from 1993-1995, and Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa, a former acting chief of Communist Romania’s espionage service and the “highest-ranking intelligence official from an enemy country ever granted political asylum in the United States” (Pacepa died of COVID earlier this month). New York Post
Why Has the West Been So Successful?
By Ben Shapiro
The Western world has produced some of the most prosperous and most free civilizations on earth. What makes the West exceptional? Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire and author of “The Right Side of History,” explains that the twin pillars of revelation and reason — emanating from ancient Jerusalem and Athens — form the bedrock for Western civilization's unprecedented success. PragerU
Migrants and the Threat to Women’s Rights in Europe
By Ayaan Hirsi Ali
The European debate on immigration, integration and Islam has intensified. In part this is a response to terrorist attacks, the preaching of radical Islam, and the re-emergence of extreme right-wing and populist parties. But the big, underlying change has been the influx of migrants from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. More than 3.7 million people have arrived illegally in Europe since 2009, the majority of whom have applied for asylum. Roughly half arrived in 2015 alone. Two-thirds of the newcomers were male. Around 80% of asylum applicants were under 35. The great majority have come from Muslim-majority countries. One consequence of the large inflow of migrants has been a change in the position of women in Europe. Many Muslim migrants don’t feel or express contempt for women. But some do—enough to drive a trend. The lack of frank debate feeds Islamists and the far right, who would impose illiberal solutions. Wall Street Journal
What were the Capitol rioters thinking?
By Byron York
It's one of the most basic questions of the Capitol riot investigation: What was the rioters' plan? What did they think was going to happen when they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, as Congress certified the results of the Electoral College? There are undoubtedly many answers to the question. Some rioters were physically violent. Others walked into the Capitol after its doors had been forced open. Others stayed outside. And still, others who attended then-President Donald Trump's rally on the Ellipse never went to the Capitol at all. So there were different actions and different motives involved. Still, their cases are critical to understanding the Capitol riot. Washington Examiner
This CPAC ‘golden calf’ Trump statue is spurring backlash of biblical proportions
The 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, kicked off in Orlando, Fla., this week with someone wheeling in a golden statue of Donald Trump. And the inevitable comparisons to the Old Testament story of the Israelites worshiping a false idol in the form of a golden calf spread across social media faster than you can say “Moses.” In fact, “golden calf” and related terms like “Moses” and “CPAC” were soon trending on Friday morning. Here’s a quick Sunday-school refresher on the biblical anecdote. Market Watch
KN95 vs. N95 masks: Experts explain the differences
By Sophie Cannon
The bottom line: wear a mask. However, with so many to choose from, which one should you wear? While in the beginning of the pandemic, masks and face coverings were harder to find, now, almost one full year in, there have been both advances in our mask-knowledge as well as a restock at many retailers. One of those retailers that sells both the KN95 mask and the more commonly discussed N95 mask is WellBefore. Their online store has curated both varieties of the face masks, and is here to share what the difference between the two really is. New York Post
The Equality Act is the Most Astonishingly Radical, Anti-religious Legislation I’ve Seen
By Newt Gingrich
The Equality Act is the most astonishingly radical, anti-religious thing I’ve seen. It is a massive effort on the Democrats’ part. They have 224 co-sponsors. I suspect if their communities of faith knew how bad this bill was, half those members would not come back. We’re going to need a lot of people calling their senators to try to stop this. Gingrich360
Jordan Peterson's Life Advice Will Change Your Future
Dr. Jordan Peterson is one of the most brilliant and influential thinkers of our time. Both Keith and I read and were profoundly impressed with his #1 bestseller 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. I stumbled upon this lecture by Peterson while I was trying to figure out how to help our almost 18-year old son to decide what he wants to do in life. As so many American youngsters, our son has no idea what career path he'd like to pursue. In this excerpt from his lecture to university students, Dr. Peterson, a clinical psychologist, university professor, and best-selling author describes a simple methodology for decision-making on how to set one's life goals and what to do to achieve them. I believe, young people and mature adults alike will find Jordan Peterson's guidance very valuable. Motivation Madness
All my best,
Rebekah Koffler
Editor, White House Dossier and Cut to the News
Author of Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America