Elonk Musk

Friday

Cockburn

To Pride or not to Pride?

How are you marking Pride Month? This weekend in the DC area, there are really only two ways to go about it. First, despite concern that the second Trump administration would scythe wholesale through gay rights, America’s capital is hosting World Pride, a two-week-long festival of rainbow-patterned frivolity.  Though there may be fewer corporate sponsors than in the Biden era, DC remains as gay as it ever was. In Northwest, 15th St is painted in rainbow colors and the gay bars are packed to the rafters. In Northeast, a two-day music festival kicks off tonight at the RFK Festival Grounds, headlined by Jennifer Lopez and a nice young man called Troye Sivan.

Thursday

Steve Hsu

America needs talent

Before Donald Trump’s inauguration, Elon Musk caused a huge controversy within the MAGA movement by advocating increased high-skill immigration. As head of the Department of Government Efficiency he wanted, for example, to expand the H-1B visa program, which many Trump supporters are against. The angry debate over the visa issue still rages on social media and both sides tend to talk past each other. The MAGA movement is against any increase in immigration, whether high- or low-skill. Musk has acknowledged that the existing H-1B program was subject to abuse by employers and especially by IT firms that rely on outsourcing: the workers they import are often no better than the Americans they replace.

statue of liberty new york

Monday

Spectator Editorial

Art of the DoGE

No one can accuse Donald Trump of inaction. For once, the US has a government with the urgency of a private corporation. The speed at which the new administration has acted in all kinds of areas has pleasantly surprised Trump’s supporters and flummoxed his opponents. It is hard to grab on to anything and oppose it when the announcements are coming out of the White House at such a speed. As a leader, the Donald Trump of 2025 has already shown himself to be a very different figure to the political ingénu who entered office in 2017. Eight years ago, he came into government knowing little of how it operated, how its machinery can often thwart those who are notionally in power.

DoGe

Friday

Cockburn

Twitter Files triumphant at the Dao Prize

DC’s black tie season is in full swing — so naturally, Cockburn’s penguin suit is already reeking of stale smoke. This week took him to the National Press Club, for the awarding of the inaugural Dao Prize.  The prize, a $100,000 sum for the winner, followed by two lots of $10,000 for the other finalists, was awarded by the National Journalism Center in partnership with the Daofeng and Angela Foundation. The idea was to reward journalism that’s often overlooked by the Pulitzer Prize committee, who rarely if ever honor right-of-center reporting. There were over twenty nominees, from publications such as Breitbart, the Daily Caller and Townhall. And the big prize went to...