Opinion: Samantha Bee won’t be getting a pardon

Also: The economics and geopolitics of this month’s World Cup. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, June 1, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist First, on the latest Trumpian chaos: My colleague [Michelle Goldberg]( examines the Dinesh D’Souza pardon, and The Times’s [editorial board]( looks at the burgeoning trade war. [CNN’s Peggy Drexler]( and [Slate’s Sam Adams]( both note that Samantha Bee’s use of a slur to describe Ivanka Trump wasn’t just crude; it also drowned out Bee’s worthy outrage about the Trump administration’s mistreatment of immigrant children. The World Cup is coming. Even if you’re not a sports fan, you’re soon likely to hear a lot of conversation about the World Cup. The tournament — the world’s most-watched sporting event — starts this month (June 14). And there are plenty of intriguing themes, even for people who don’t care much about the results: Russia is hosting the tournament, four years after it also hosted an Olympics. That’s not a coincidence. “It’s a colorful distraction and a way to fulfill the kleptocratic mandate: privatize the profits, nationalize the costs,” [Garry Kasparov, the chess champion, writes for ESPN](. Careful readers may have noticed that I’ve so far avoided mentioning what sport is played at the World Cup. It was my attempt to steer clear of the whole debate around calling the game soccer or football. Most of the world, of course, calls it football. But the United States isn’t the only outlier. Australia and Japan — who are both in the tournament — also use a word like soccer, as [this Brilliant Maps post shows](. This year’s tournament is missing some of the usual teams. Traditional powerhouses Italy and Holland both failed to qualify, as did — [in excruciating fashion]( — the United States. Still, don’t confuse a setback with a trend, [Andrés Martinez has advised in The Los Angeles Times](. “Given our sheer numbers, our demographics and our organizational prowess at the youth level, eventual success seems likely, regardless of whether American audiences really care,” he writes. You know who else won’t be in Russia for the tournament? Many of the announcers calling the games for Fox Sports. They’ll be watching the event on television themselves and broadcasting from a studio in Los Angeles. “It’s not an advantage at all. You’re limited in what you get to see,” [said Aly Wagner]( who will be one of the broadcasters. As for the teams themselves, there is no strong favorite this year. Brazil, Germany (the defending champion), France, Spain and Argentina have the best odds. If you want to root for a team that’s never won before, [Belgium]( and [Colombia]( are both getting some attention. Finally, if you’re interested in commentary about the social, political and economic issues related to the tournament, [you can sign up for the Opinion section’s World Cup newsletter, called Offsides.]( Also from The Times: [Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch]( says this World Cup and the next one, which will be held in Qatar, will be an important moment for people to stand up for L.G.B.T. rights. The Cup’s organizers claim to stand up for human rights, but both Russia and Qatar routinely violate such rights. The full Opinion report follows. Dinesh D’Souza Gets a Pardon [Dinesh D’Souza? Really?]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD There’s a pattern emerging for Trump’s pardons — he’s using them as a weapon. Op-Ed Columnist [Donald Trump Presents: ‘Celebrity Impunity’]( By MICHELLE GOLDBERG Dinesh D’Souza does not deserve a presidential pardon. On Trump’s Trade War [America Declares War on Its Friends]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD A trade war, that is. [Trump’s ‘National Security’ Tariffs Hurt National Security]( By JENNIFER A. HILLMAN The Trump administration is sacrificing real national security concerns for short-term economic gains. Op-Ed Columnist [Oh, What a Stupid Trade War (Very Slightly Wonkish)]( By PAUL KRUGMAN Trump has no idea what he’s getting into Op-Ed Columnist [The Trade War Begins]( By PATRICK CHAPPATTE The Trump administration announced tariffs on steel and aluminum, targeting some of the United States’s closest allies. From Our Columnists Op-Ed Columnist [The Plot Against Health Care]( By PAUL KRUGMAN Republicans will try to kill Obamacare while they still can. Op-Ed Columnist [One Down, but 49 States Still Allow Child Brides]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF Thousands of underage American girls are married each year, often to their rapists — and it’s perfectly legal. Op-Ed Columnist [One Reform to Save America]( By DAVID BROOKS Ease negative partisanship with a different way to elect our government. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. ADVERTISEMENT In Case You Missed It [Will FIFA Force Russia to Make the World Cup Friendly to L.G.B.T. People?]( By MINKY WORDEN If FIFA fails to enforce its own rules, corporate sponsors should act. More in Opinion [What Happens When Abortion Is Banned?]( By MICHELLE OBERMAN It turns out that the outcome isn’t what anyone is looking for. [What Happens When a Journalist Comes Back From the Dead]( By JULIA IOFFE Thanks to Arkady Babchenko’s stunt, dismissing fake news just became a whole lot harder in Russia. [Country Music Is Singin’ a Pro-L.G.B.T. Tune]( By ROBERT P. JONES For many artists and fans, pro-L.G.B.T. lyrics exist comfortably within a new country worldview. Gray Matter [Do You Like Your Name?]( By ARTHUR C. BROOKS Mine is Arthur. Let’s just say I’m not thrilled about it. Sporting [Ovechkin, Babchenko and the Politics of Russian Hockey]( By KEITH GESSEN Are they all related? Yes. No. Maybe. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback). ADVERTISEMENT Letters [Trump’s Response to the ‘Roseanne’ Furor: Where’s My Apology?]( Readers criticize the president but also lament the loss of a show offering “a front-row view of a conservative America that is often ignored.” SIGN UP FOR THE OP-DOCS NEWSLETTER Find out about new [Op-Docs]( read discussions with filmmakers and learn more about upcoming events. FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. 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