Trump 2028 Campaign Begins

Plus our usual cartoons, new music from The Boss and Brandi and review of new Bob.

Greg Mitchell has authored more than a dozen books (see most of them here) and directed four recent PBS films. His latest, “The Atomic Bowl: Football at Ground Zero—and Nuclear Peril Today” has been airing over PBS stations and now streaming for free (key links to watch now and more), and a companion book is available. And subscribing to this newsletter is still FREE.

Stephen last night:

Worst fears realized, as Steve Bannon told interviewer yesterday:

“Well he’s gonna get a third term. Trump is gonna be president in ‘28 and people ought to just get accommodated with that. At the appropriate time we’ll lay out what the plan is, but there’s a plan and President Trump will be the president in ‘28.”

Asked, what about the constitution? Bannon: “He’s a vehicle of divine providence.” Leading to, perhaps, this:

Andy Borowitz, meanwhile jokes: “Mike Johnson has no comment after Trump demolishes his home.”

Baier market: Bari Weiss is considering Fox tool (often falsely referred to as “their only real journalist”) Bret Baier as new top anchor.

Things look Bleak, indeed, from new New Yorker article:

One study, published last year, found that fifty-eight per cent of students at two Midwestern universities had so much trouble interpreting the opening paragraphs of “Bleak House,” by Charles Dickens, that “they would not be able to read the novel on their own.” And these were English majors.

Fleeing to my world of music, we’ve posted about upcoming Dylan “bootleg” on his earliest recordings and now here’s fine review from Uncut.

A shiver goes through you when Dylan opens his November 1963 Carnegie Hall concert with the public debut of “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. Imagine hearing that for the first time. The entire show plays out over Discs 7 and 8. The setlist is incredible, his performance impeccable. “Masters Of War” and “The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll” are devastating and there’s a luminous version of “Lay Down Your Weary Tune” and a hypnotic nine-minute “Percy’s Song”. This is the sound of Dylan not so much capturing or seizing the moment as Dylan becoming the moment itself. Almost unbelievably, he was still only 22 years old.

In other news, Wilco and Billy Bragg will finally perform the songs of their Grammy-winning, Woody Guthrie project “Mermaid Avenue” together, live for one night only on June 26, 2026, in North Adams, MA.⁠

Today’s the day the Bruce bio-pic was released (last night in many places), along with his electric “Nebraska” album, and here’s the best cut from it, just posted, “Atlantic City.”

Another cut from new Brandi Carlile lp also released, “Human.”

From Tunes to Toons

Clay Bennett:

Mike Lukovich:

Matt Wuerker:

Japan encounters first female Prime Minister:

Photo Finish

My new feature, from my camera to you, today: “Midnight in Venice”