Crash Course: Beto O'Rourke's political comeback starts now

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. Written by [Brett Bachman](. Beto O'Rourke's political comeback starts now It appears the path of former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke's political comeback runs through Austin. Democratic operatives told Axios Sunday that [O'Rourke plans to announce a run for governor later this year]( — after new polling showed current Gov. Greg Abbott losing support amid a hard-right turn. O'Rourke officially denied the report through a spokesperson — "No decision has been made," his former chief of staff said — but party insiders apparently have the impression that he's made up his mind after a series of phone calls with local and national figures seeking advice. "We hope that [O'Rourke] is going to run," Gilberto Hinojosa, the state chair of the Democratic Party, told Axios. "We think he'll be our strongest candidate. We think he can beat Abbott, because he's vulnerable." (Photo via Getty Images) Muhammad Ali docuseries is a knockout The story of Muhammad Ali has been told and re-told so many times that it's become hard to say something new about the man — but that's exactly what Ken Burns has done with "Muhammad Ali," [Salon television critic Melanie McFarland writes](. It's not exactly that Burns has any new information — Ali's high-profile life played out live on television for several decades — but the docuseries does accomplish a certain amount of freshness by telling the story of Ali through a historical lens, placing his subject firmly in the societal turmoil and moral contradictions of his time. "This four-night journey does these things with a broader sweep, tremendous care and a spirit that is not only fair and clear-eyed, but somehow undeniably loving, particularly with regard to the former champion's declining health in the years leading up to his death in 2016," McFarland writes. "Regardless of how much you know about Ali, the spell remains, as the title of the final "round" declares. You'll be glad to fall under it." You can [read the full review here](. (Photo courtesy of Michael Gaffney) - Mike Pence preparing for potential 2024 run — [despite Trump's parallel White House ambitions]( - Fascism makes a comeback — [but nothing about its methods is especially new]( - Neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan: "[We're pushed strongly in the direction of over-diagnosing]( - "Swampy operatives" [gave Kevin McCarthy a "MAGA makeover"]( to attract Trump supporters - Living with my ex-husband — as friends —[taught me I am better at relationships]( than I thought 'Lining the body bags up': [Hear a GOP governor's chilling warning]( to the unvaccinated - Tori Amos' "Strange Little Girls" [is a quietly triumphant covers collection]( endures 20 years on - Anti-mask FL GOP bookkeeper dies of COVID — [leaving party without access to finance software]( - Our [endless demands on Simone Biles]( - "Your way’s not working": [CNN's Jake Tapper hits Mississippi governor]( over state's COVID crisis - For 100 years, Henry Bain's sauce was only served to members of a private club. [Make your own at home today]( - Trump actively [recruiting senators to 'depose' Mitch McConnell]( the GOP leader: report - As the culture war engulfs their schools, [kids say adults aren't listening to them at all]( - And, finally, [5 tips for baking with rye flour]( according to an expert pastry chef Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. Scared white men are dangerous White men in America have for more than two centuries suffered from "irrational fears and deep-seated insecurity," [Salon contributor Joe Hayden writes]( — and the consequences are becoming increasingly dire. You can see this in all manner of escalating trends: raging airline passengers, conspiratorial pushback to COVID-19 safety measures and even Fox News' recent flirtation with the racist "Great Replacement" theory. But what's there to do about it? "First, it's important to stand up to bullies and not reward their tantrums," Hayden advises. Second, we need to encourage people to participate in the political process but to do so peacefully. Once someone starts rejecting data or debate in favor of physical force ... it's time for the responsible adults to intervene and to remind him and other babies that violence and threats sabotage our democracy and won't be tolerated, because even bluffs are corrosive and inspire other copycats." "And, third, we should treat these performances with the ridicule they deserve. They often issue from overcompensating man-boys who feel ignored and unappreciated. But there should be a social price for bad behavior, and mockery is a fitting response." (Photo via Getty Images) - "[The Myth of the Productive Commute]( Culture Study Substack newsletter - "[Elizabeth Holmes’s Last Pitch]( New York Magazine - "[Prince Andrew Is ‘Stressed’ and ‘Worried,’ and the Palace Questions His ‘Wall of Silence]( The Daily Beast - "[Dancing Through New York in a Summer of Joy and Grief]( The New York Times - "[Peter Thiel Gamed Silicon Valley, Donald Trump, and Democracy to Make Billions, Tax-Free]( Bloomberg Texas abortion ban architects have bigger plans Women's reproductive health advocates have been warning for years that laws like Texas' recent near-total abortion ban were only the beginning. Still, many were stunned by the candid nature of a [recent amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court]( by one of the architects of Texas' law. It argued for a complete reversal not just of Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 ruling that established pre-viability abortions as a constitutional right, but also of a related 1992 ruling in the case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey. But that's not all: the document even went so far as to target separate cases entirely, including Lawrence v. Texas, a 2003 ruling that overturned state sodomy laws used to criminalize homosexuality, and the 2015 marriage equality ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. The authors suggested that the high court "[shouldn't] hesitate to write an opinion that leaves those decisions hanging by a thread. Lawrence and Obergefell, while far less hazardous to human life, are just as lawless as Roe." The legal document shocked many opponents of the Texas law, who said the rulings would represent a lasting blow to the separation of church and state. "Make no mistake, the goal is to force extreme, outdated, religious-driven values on all of us through the courts," Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow tweeted. "They're coming after women's bodily autonomy and LGBTQ rights." Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. West StreetWilmington, DE 19801 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](