Disrespect: Hip-hop artists like Kendrick Lamar still show up at the Grammys, anchoring the proceedings with unbeatable performances. Yet voters consistently refuse to pick rap albums for the biggest awards. Carl Wilson wonders how long it will be before more rappers follow Jay-Z’s lead and refuse to perform.
Hidden purpose: By talking so much and so publicly about the supposed “negotiations” over the president’s interview with Robert Mueller, the Trump camp is taking advantage of Mueller’s necessary silence to shape perception of the investigation, Samuel W. Buell and Lisa Kern Griffin write.
A blip: Donald Trump’s State of the Union will inevitably generate some irritating cable-news punditry, but whether or not it’s “well-received,” the speech will lose all impact by the end of the week, Jim Newell writes. Such is the nature of an old tradition in the age of Twitter.
Limited: Despite public protests supporting his opposition, Vladimir Putin is not going to face a single challenger of note in his next election. But, as Josh Keating writes, plenty of other events—the “frustrating stalemate” in Ukraine, war in Syria, Donald Trump’s inability (or refusal) to give Putin what he wants—are turning against the Russian leader.
For fun: A politics writer’s trash TV habit.
Only crap,
Rebecca
