Adam Keiper
Executive editor, The Bulwark (thebulwark.com) /// Cofounder of The New Atlantis (thenewatlantis.com) and American Purpose (americanpurpose.com).
- NEW from Bill Kristol: "Saudi Arabia was an appropriate destination for Donald Trump's first foreign trip in his second term as president. He chose to visit not a democracy but a despotism; not a free nation but one of the world's most unfree; not a land of tolerance but of repression."
- A #BlueskyLullaby for tonight: Here's the great jazz pianist Keith Jarrett—who turned 80 last week—performing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in 1984. This video has a musical transcription on screen if you want to try to follow along with his insanely creative reharmonizations. See you around.
- NEW: The Republican plans for Medicaid are projected to leave 7.6 million people uninsured. And that's not the only bad news. www.thebulwark.com/p/gop-republ...
- This morning, right-winger Matt Walsh retweeted this AI-generated "squint-to-see-it" image of a swastika. Maybe it was an accident—but lots of folks have since pointed it out and he hasn't deleted it. Remember, Walsh works for Ben Shapiro, who famously clashed with an employee over antisemitism.
- NEW: Laura Loomer insists that she has not become a pay-for-play influencer. But read this: www.thebulwark.com/p/is-laura-l...
- Reporting on what really happened in the showdown at the Library of Congress today. (A widely circulated post here on Bluesky, which I commented on before deleting, said it was a showdown between Library people and DOGE people—turns out the latter were DOJ people.) www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
- Despicable. www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
- Last month, I told my 6-year-old that if she wants to change my mind on something, instead of crying or complaining she should argue her case. I gave her a simple outline: (1) the point, (2) three reasons, (3) repeat point. Folks, she now does this *all* the time. I've created a cute little lawyer.
- A #BlueskyLullaby for tonight: Everybody knows Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer." Famously a piano song, with some fine band arrangements. But holy smokes, this is impressively difficult: Richard Smith playing his own arrangement for solo guitar. See you around. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peh5...
- My colleague Andrew Egger has a smart, funny writeup on the question he asked (and the non-answer he got) at the White House press briefing yesterday: www.thebulwark.com/p/the-bulwar...
