Though my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will take me in.
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HALPERIN SAYS: Do this today, please and thank you. You can read this newsletter in full for free, but join your fellow readers who have stepped up to support my work right now!
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2. HOUSE REPUBLICANS GRAPPLE WITH THE DEBT CEILING AND SPENDING CUTS
A. The Washington Post exclusive on some sort of plan to tell Treasury how to pay bills selectively.
B. The Wall Street Journal on the splits within the Republican camp on what spending restraints/cuts to support (and how much).
HALPERIN SAYS: Twin Republican victories (political and substantive) in this pair of 2023 face-offs would require backbone, vision, policy chops, and the capacity to mobilize public opinion – which is why the Democrats are so confident.
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3. THE BIDEN DOCUMENT SAGA
A. (Mostly) privately, Democratic members of Congress and strategists see annoying unforced errors that are an unfortunate circuit breaker on Team Biden’s momentum, as per the Wall Street Journal.
B. (Somewhat) openly, journalists hostile to Trump and disposed to Biden see clear unforced errors and some suspicious elements that will keep the “what did the president know and when did he know it?” vibe going for at least one more week, as (implicitly) per Ruth Marcus’ column.
HALPERIN SAYS: The greatest peril for the White House now is that too many of its natural allies are looking beyond/below the “Biden is not as bad as Trump by a country mile” talking point to body language and known unknowns that are making them antsy and skeptical.
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4. UKRAINE
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday promised to provide tanks and artillery system to Ukraine amid renewed missile attacks by Moscow targeting the Ukrainian capital and other cities.
Sunak’s Downing Street office said in a statement that he made the pledge to provide Challenger 2 tanks and other artillery systems after speaking to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Saturday.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to visit the United Nations to address a high-level meeting of the 193-member General Assembly on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of his country if the security situation permits, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Friday.
HALPERIN SAYS: In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.
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5. SANTOS
A. The New York Times essential reading piece on how widely known the accumulated lies were in Republican circles before November.
B.
HALPERIN SAYS: It still appears that only a criminal prosecution is going to get this guy gone.
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6. THE SPURS GO BIG
A.
B.
HALPERIN SAYS: Welcome to the libertatis cunabula!!