Here are five things that caught my attention!
Nuclear Conflict: A few years back, I worked to build support for the Iran Nuclear Agreement. It was not perfect, but I felt it gave us the best shot at avoiding another war in the Middle East (bad idea) and a nuclear armed Iran (also bad). Trump tore it up without any coherent plan for what to do next. In international diplomacy, you can’t just click “undo” and now we’re living with the results: Iran’s nuclear program has blown through limits that would have been imposed by the original deal, has expanded and accelerated as Tehran has become more aggressive, and the nuclear arms race among those hostile to the U.S. is back on in a big way. This piece from Robin Wright in the New Yorker walks us through the situation the world now faces. It isn’t good.
Proud Dad: I could not be more proud of my son. He is a great Marine but also a great person–committed, dedicated and loyal. It was a tremendous honor to promote him this week to become a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marines Corps.
An accurate warning: Former Democratic Governor Steve Bullock won in a state that consistently voted for Trump. And he lost in one as well. I fear that we now face a relevance gap with voters across the country. We can not lose our focus on real results that impact the lives of the working class. This piece from Governor Bullock lays out some things I think we all need to take seriously.
Embarrassing: For years, KUSI was a quirky but fun local station that did a great job covering local sports and the community. Sadly, they have quickly morphed into a right wing propaganda machine. They took a video of mine about cracking down on polluters to improve air and water quality and made it about masks to avoid COVID. Just another part of what we have to deal with everyday.
Book recommendation: “All the Pretty Horses” won a ton of awards when it came out in the early 1990s. It had been on my list for a while and I finally got around to it and can safely say it was great! Fair warning–Cormac McCarthy has a unique style (similar to Hemingway or Faulkner) that often omits normal punctuation or traditional writing styles. It takes a little bit to get used to, but stick with it–you won’t be disappointed! I haven’t seen the movie (it got bad reviews) but the book is good!