“The law-and-order candidate”: Trump has often expressed support for law enforcement, subscribing to the “bad egg” theory of police misconduct that dismisses any larger problems or patterns. But Trump’s love for cops only extends so far, William Saletan observes: When they’re federal law enforcement or intelligence officers investigating his administration, the president has a very different message.
Bannon’s fall: Steve Bannon has been removed from the National Security Council. Reihan Salam argues that maybe it would be best if Bannon quit the administration altogether—he’s been “almost unbelievably bad at scoring political victories for Trump,” with no ability to make any of his ideas a reality. In the meantime, the demotion is the latest indicator that some of the extremist elements of Trump’s administration may be giving way to normal conservatism, Michelle Goldberg writes.
The real meaning of “working class”: According to a recent Washington Post article, local Democratic leaders in Ohio believe the national party is ignoring working-class voters by focusing on the women’s marches, the refugee ban, and transgender bathroom rights. Christina Cauterucci calls the complaint “an error that gravely misrepresents the reality of people’s lives,” and points out that when politicians say “working class,” they really just mean white, U.S.-born men.
A tribute to a comedic legend: Don Rickles, who died today, was fearless, sharp, deft, and a master of insult comedy. There’s good reason why modern comedians revere him, Sam Adams writes.
For fun: Since “President Bannon” jokes apparently drove Trump crazy, here are some other nicknames he’ll hate.
Watching old roasts,
Molly
