Mid-Week Tabs

Steven L. Taylor · Wednesday, March 18, 2026 · 5 comments

Paul Krugman: No, America is Not Respected.
By Scott Lemieux at LGM: The Peale of Trump.
Jonathan Bernstein at Good Politics/Bad Politics: Trump? Nothing Clever. I really endorse this argument.
Vis Axios: Hegseth’s “no quarter” Iran talk alarms legal experts.
Via Variety: ‘CBS Evening News’ Viewership Drops Below 4 Million After Tony Dokoupil’s Colorful Start.
Via the AP: College Republicans sue University of Florida’s president over deactivation of its chapter.
From Jason Stanford at The Experiment: The Sound of Music Was a True Story (So Why Have We Memory-Holed It?). I am guessing the answer is that it is an age thing. I have always known it was based on a true story, but I am also old enough to remember when The Sound of Music (like The Wizard of Oz) used to be one of those movies that seemed to be an annual event on broadcast TV.
Christian nationalism on display:

Pete Hegseth's pastor, Doug Wilson, says here that, in an ideal society, processions in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary would be banned, along with eucharistic processions.

Hegseth recently invited him to D.C. to talk to his troops. pic.twitter.com/uclK87oyox
— Christine Niles (@ChristineNiles1) March 13, 2026

Christian nationalism on display, part II:

Former Trump administration official William Wolfe admits that he and his fellow Christian nationalists intend to gain power and impose their morality upon everyone: "Frankly, yes, we are going to impose it upon you. If you don't like it, I'm sorry." https://t.co/aVTXKOlZWd pic.twitter.com/BNqw8ADlE8
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) March 17, 2026

Comments

Joe says:

Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 11:20

processions in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary would be banned, along with eucharistic processions.

It never ceases to amaze how any stripe of Christian can advocate seriously for a “Christian” government or prayer in schools without asking what type of Christian government or what type of prayers.


1
Jay L. Gischer says:

Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 11:54

Christian Nationalism (which appears to be Protestant) and the Catholic version of it which appears to be called Catholic integralism share the following ideas in common, it seems:

Ecumenicalism is liberalism.

Liberalism is communism.

Communism is evil.

Evil must be destroyed.

Scott says:

Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 12:33

Then again, this happens:

Sailors aboard USS Gerald R. Ford reportedly lost their beds amid fire

More than 600 service members and crew members aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford are without a bed after a fire aboard the ship Thursday, The New York Times reported.

The fire took upwards of 30 hours to douse, according to the publication, and it damaged sailors’ sleeping arrangements so badly that they’re having to sleep on floors and tables.

The Navy announced Thursday that the world’s largest aircraft carrier experienced a non-combat fire that originated in the main laundry room, but the service did not provide further information as to the source of the fire.

“There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational,” read a post by the Navy on X.

The Ford is currently stationed in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury.
…
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby recently told lawmakers that he anticipated the carrier would reach an 11-month extended deployment mark, inching it closer toward becoming the longest at-sea U.S. Navy deployment ever.

Scott says:

Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 12:41

@Scott: There’s more:

US carrier Ford to go to port temporarily after fire

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, the 18th day of the war with Tehran.

The carrier, America’s newest and the world’s largest, is currently located in the Red Sea. It is expected to temporarily go to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, the two officials said.
…
After the fire initially broke out, the U.S. military had said that there was no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant and the aircraft carrier was fully operational

Not by any definition of fully operational.


1
Scott F. says:

Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 13:17

I really like the premise of Bernstein’s #CleverFallacy tag. The same as calling out editorial Sanewashing, it asks some accountability from the press to resist their urge to make something coherent, strategic, or intentional out of the ramblings of our Mad King.

I suspect it must be challenging for people professionally predisposed to trying to make sense of the world’s news to not explain what Trump must have meant. But, they aren’t doing their readers any favors while masking Trump’s deficiencies.

American news consumers are left with either propagandists hellbent to misinform regarding Trump to further their own interests or genuine news analysts feeling compelled to analyze stuff from Trump’s mouth that is little more than babbling.

Neither of these are good for the informed electorate prerequisite to a functioning democracy.


2

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