Editor's note: This is a preview of The 1600, Newsweek's daily newsletter where politics and culture director Carlo Versano makes sense of Beltway politics for people outside the Beltway.
It's taking every bone in my body not to respond to what RFK Jr. said yesterday about his new autism theory, which is that circumcision could be a factor because circumcised babies are given Tylenol. He tossed that gem out at a Cabinet meeting, to which Trump helpfully replied, "There's a tremendous amount of proof or evidence. I would say as a non-doctor, but I've studied this a long time."
Well in that case! As another non-doctor, this is the kind of nonsense that makes me think Trump 2.0 can best be understood as a piece of performance art. Otherwise it's too depressing to think about.
Meanwhile, the Nobel did not go to the president, though if this ceasefire and hostage release holds and acts as an inflection point in the Mideast, he should have a better shot next year (I still wouldn't hold my breath). Tom Friedman, writing in the NYT this morning, makes the point that once the hostages get home, the hard part starts. Trump likes to declare victory and move on, but his second presidency is now tied to the fate of the Israelis and Palestinians whether he likes it or not. Given the great work of his team on this, I really hope he stays engaged on the broader path toward peace. His formula has clearly got us closer than anything since the Oslo deal Clinton made. And I pray Hamas and the Israelis honor the ceasefire and remain scared enough of Trump not to let this (very fragile) landmark accord fall apart. Of course, when it comes to the Middle East, wish in one hand and you-know-what in the other. See which fills up first.
I'm fascinated by how many people have written in on this issue, refusing to give the administration even an ounce of credit. Trump really could save your granny from a house fire and some of you wouldn't even shake his hand. I get it, I guess. The man makes it difficult, but come on folks. Stop falling into the black-and-white thinking trap.
I'm still trying to get better at not defending everything I write. It's a crutch, I know. But I do want to answer a couple questions I got from a number of readers on this.
Are you really suggesting the IDF was intentionally killing children in Gaza?
A. Yes. There is a pretty good body of evidence that Israeli soldiers have intentionally and repeatedly targeted civilians, including journalists and children, in this war. Foreign doctors working in Gaza have testified to treating children with bullet wounds to the head and chest, suggesting sniper fire.
Why don't you mention how the Israelis got such a good deal here? Trump got them nearly everything they wanted.
A. I mean...yes? The Israelis are our allies. Hamas is a terrorist group that provoked a terrible war by massacring civilians. I am glad that our ally got a better deal than the terrorists. It's also not a perfect deal for Israel as Netanyahu had said he wasn't pulling back until Hamas was eradicated. That isn't the case. That's a compromise Trump got from Bibi that no one thought he could.
The other big story from the last 24 hours we haven't touched on is the federal indictment of Tish James, the NY attorney general who brought a sprawling civil fraud case against Trump's business empire. After charging Jim Comey, Trump's DOJ got a grand jury in Virginia to indict a ham sandwich again, charging James with garden-variety mortgage fraud over a home she owns in Norfolk that the government alleges she misrepresented to get better lending terms. The feds say James was able to save a whole $19K -- about the price of a used Kia -- over the life of the loan.
Needless to say, this is about as ticky-tack a case of fraud as one could find. In no normal world would the DOJ prosecute a case like this, especially not against an elected official. Lots of people take mortgages out for second homes which they then rent out, though it isn’t even clear that is what James did here (she has denied the charges). But Trump is in his revenge era, and he wants to send a message that anyone who came after him is fair game, no matter how spurious the underlying allegation. What’s crazy about this to me is that James applied for the mortgage in question in 2020. That’s two years after she was elected on a promise of going after Trump’s business dealings. He was still president at the time! In that situation, knowing who you are dealing with, why wouldn’t you cross every T and dot every I on something like a loan application? If you are prosecuting a case against a former/future president, and that president is known to be the world’s most vengeful man, why would you even give him any opening at all to come after you? People can be so stupid.
Sorry we’re all over the place today. But lastly, I hope you’ll check out the latest 1600 episode on YouTube that just dropped (scroll down to see it). This one is about the tactics ICE is using in its immigration enforcement, with a former cop and agent who mostly defends them. I think he made one of the stronger arguments in defense of ICE, though I still think he’s wrong. But I am curious what you guys think. Tell me in the comments, and have a great weekend.