Still free to subscribe to this nearly daily newsletter! Greg Mitchell is the author of fourteen books and director of five films for PBS since 2022. In a previous life, he was a longtime editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. His latest film “Woody Guthrie and The Ghost of Tom Joad Today” is now streaming everywhere via PBS.
Couple fun clips from the World Cup this week. First, unique Norway “Viking” celebration after their major upset of Brazil, led by superstar Haaland.
When Belgium players mocked cheater Trump after their win over USA, with his YMCA dance.
With Platner about to leave the race (one hopes) in Maine, the NY Times reports on a few mainstream Dem candidates who might replace him on the ballot, then adds, “More unconventional picks were being bandied about, as well. One Democratic firm in recent days included the actor Patrick Dempsey in a poll (he was viewed favorably by 52 percent of voters in the survey). Others floated the popular liberal historian Heather Cox Richardson, who is based in Maine.” Richardson, of course, is oft-quoted here and has 3 million Substack subscribers.
Journalist Jonathan Alter was among many who endorsed her, writing, “Richardson is progressive but also reasonable, and extremely well-informed on the problems facing her state. Picking her would be the kind of bold stroke that people no longer expect from Democrats. Do it.” Others predicted a landslide if she ran….
Paul Krugman:
Yesterday, soon after he arrived in Ankara for the NATO Summit, Trump reiterated his demand that Denmark hand him control of Greenland. But reactions were subdued. As far as I can tell, our erstwhile allies are now treating Trump as the senile uncle who says crazy, outrageous things, but shouldn’t be taken seriously….Europe’s turn away from Trump also reflects plummeting perceptions of his power. At one time the world feared Trump although it never respected him. The silence that met his renewed demand for Greenland shows that the world no longer takes him seriously.
NYT columnist Thomas Friedman:
Our country is built on written documents — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, to name the most important. So to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, my wife, Ann, hosted a special event at Planet Word, the immersive language museum she founded in Washington to promote literacy. The singer-composer Nolan Williams Jr. led a singalong featuring classic American songs, including, of course, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”
Despite 100-degree heat, a remarkably diverse crowd of 300 people packed the museum’s main hall, and young and old sang together with gusto. There was so much joy and camaraderie in the room — and so many leaving attendees saying to one another how much they wished the entire country could reflect that same harmony every day. So many people asked afterward, “Why aren’t we singing these songs together on the National Mall?”
Which leads — I am sorry to say — to a quite different variation on “This Land Is Your Land” heard on the National Mall later that evening. In my mind, it was the Trump variation, with lyrics that went, “This land is my land, this land is my land / From California to the New York island / From my cryptocurrency to the Qatari 747 / This land belongs to me and mine.”
Upcoming Music Pick
Leonard Cohen’s family has announced first Canada, U.S. and Europe “tribute” tour, led by Leonard’s son Adam and grandson, plus videos and special guests.
From Tunes to Toons
Luckovich:
Boris:
Anderson:
Goris:
Wuerker:
Photo Finish
Fro
m my camera to you: Sunrise, Bodega Bay, CA
LOVE the Viking Row!
You are one of the most skilled photographers! You have a great eye for content and framing. I wish i was 1/10th as good.