Crash Course: Don't believe Steve (Bannon)

And my word, why in heaven's name would you? Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). Don't believe Steve — Bannon, that is. And goodness gracious, why would you? The next potentially explosive hearing before the House Jan. 6 committee will begin just a few hours after you get this newsletter, and only the good Lord knows what we may be hearing. It's certainly possible we'll see some excerpts from last Friday's videotaped testimony by former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who appeared in closed session and either was or was not helpful (depending on whom you believe.) But maybe the committee is saving Cipollone for its grand finale, which may or may not come later this week ... Anyway! One person we won't be hearing from, as [Heather Digby Parton observes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0R-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvZG9udC1iZWxpZXZlLXN0ZXZlLWJhbm5vbi1qdXN0aWNlLWRlcGFydG1lbnQtZXhwb3Nlcy1kZXNwZXJhdGUtcGxveS10by1kZXJhaWwtamFuLTYtaGVhcmluZ3MvVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), is Steve Bannon, the onetime Svengali behind an unlikely presidential candidate named ... OK, I don't need to tell you. Here's Digby: [On] the eve of his trial for contempt of Congress for refusing to abide by a committee subpoena, former Trump campaign chief and current podcaster [Steve Bannon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0QoaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL3RvcGljL3N0ZXZlLWJhbm5vblcDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) [abruptly announced](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZ3VhcmRpYW4uY29tL3VzLW5ld3MvMjAyMi9qdWwvMTAvc3RldmUtYmFubm9uLWRpc2N1c3Npb25zLWphbnVhcnktNi1jb21taXR0ZWUtY2FwaXRvbC1hdHRhY2tXA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) that he was ready to testify after all. He sent a letter to the committee saying that Trump had agreed to waive executive privilege and requested that he be allowed to appear in a live public hearing. (No word on whether he wanted them to remove all the brown M&Ms from the bowl in his dressing room.) Trump confirmed his "waiver" with a typically juvenile extended tweet-like statement:"I will waive Executive Privilege for you, which allows for you to go in and testify truthfully and fairly, as per the request of the Unselect Committee of political Thugs and Hacks, who have allowed no Due Process, no Cross-Examination, and no real Republican members or witnesses to be present or interviewed. It is a partisan Kangaroo Court." Is it OK for us to admit, here at Crash Course Plaza, that we kind of miss Donald Trump's inimitable prose? (Don't answer that. We deny having said it.) As Heather observes, Steve Bannon Does Not Want to Testify: "This is nothing more than a ploy to delay his impending trial, which he has been trying to do since June 30 when he requested that it be moved to October claiming that he can't get a fair hearing because of the committee hearings." Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Why Biden's popularity is collapsing: His limp response to the fall of Roe It's starting to feel possible — not quite likely, but distinctly possible — that Joe Biden will wind up becoming the first incumbent president since Lyndon Johnson to back away from running for re-election because of opposition within his own party. This isn't a pleasant thought for Democrats, to be sure — but does anyone, anywhere, think this presidency is going well? (Except, of course, for not being the presidency of the previous guy, which is no small thing.) Salon's [Amanda Marcotte explores](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0SEaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvYmlkZW5zLWJld2lsZGVyaW5nLXJlYWN0aW9uLXRvLXJvZS1saW1wLXJlc3BvbnNlLXRvLW92ZXJ0dXJuLWV4cGxhaW5zLWhpcy1kcmFzdGljLWRyb3AtaW4tYXBwcm92YWwvVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) the current Biden crisis, which is about utterly blowing it on "the deployment of the wedge issue: A hot button topic that will unify voters on your side while dividing your opposition": For Democrats going into the midterms, [the overturn of Roe v. Wade should have been](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RYaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDYvMjQvdGhlLWVuZC1vZi1yb2Utdi13YWRlLWFtZXJpY2FuLWRlbW9jcmFjeS1pcy1jb2xsYXBzaW5nL1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) a classic wedge issue. The abortion issue doesn't just unify the Democratic base, it creates a wedge between the fundamentalists and the rest of the GOP base that isn't nearly so keen on the politics of prudery. ... The pro-choice view unites Democrats while dividing Republicans. The smart politics for Democrats, then, would be to lean as hard as possible into the abortion fight. It won't just galvanize the Democratic base. It will demoralize the nearly 1-in-4 Republicans who really don't want to think about how unwise it is to keep voting against their own sexual freedoms. Biden isn't doing this. Instead, he's "letting the abortion issue divide Democrats while Republican voters get to ignore their own responsibility for allowing the Roe overturn to happen." The result? That New York Times poll showing that "an astonishing 64% of Democratic voters want someone else to be the presidential nominee in 2024." Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images - Inland cities are facing water supply problems as [lakes evaporate](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0R4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvaW5sYW5kLWNpdGllcy13aWxsLWZhY2Utd2F0ZXItc3VwcGx5LXByb2JsZW1zLWFzLWxha2VzLWV2YXBvcmF0ZS1kdWUtdG8tY2xpbWF0ZS1jaGFuZ2UvVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) due to climate change - Why the Broadway revival of ["Funny Girl" matters](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RJaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvZnVubnktZ2lybC1sZWEtbWljaGVsZS1iZWFuaWUtZmVsZHN0ZWluL1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) — and especially its casting issues - Why did a major grocery chain [pull all its potato salad varieties](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0R7aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvYS1tYWpvci1ncm9jZXJ5LXN0b3JlLWNoYWluLXB1bGxlZC1hbGwtb2YtaXRzLXBvdGF0by1zYWxhZC12YXJpZXRpZXMtb3Zlci1zYWZldHktY29uY2VybnMvVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) off the shelves? - [Pete Buttigieg stands up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvcGV0ZS1idXR0aWdpZWctc2h1dHMtZG93bi1mb3gtbmV3cy1ncmlsbGluZy13aXRoLWRlZmVuc2Utb2Yta2F2YW5hdWdoL1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) for Kavanaugh protesters in Fox News interview - Why in the living heck is the [AFL-CIO supporting an anti-choice Republican](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTIvbW9tZW50LW9mLXRydXRoLWZvci1sYWJvci1hZmwtY2lvLXN0aWxsLWJhY2tpbmctYW4tYW50aS1jaG9pY2UtaW4tbmpfcGFydG5lclcDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) in New Jersey? Well, because Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. "Better Call Saul": Deeper into the grey At first it felt like "Better Call Saul" was something secondary, right? A spinoff of Vince Gilligan's "Breaking Bad," which was and remains one of the greatest dramatic series of the streaming era. But yeesh, there's nothing secondary about this show as it winds down, is there. Here's [Melanie McFarland on "the visual symbolism organizing each episode"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RRaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvYmV0dGVyLWNhbGwtc2F1bC1wb2ludC1hbmQtc2hvb3QtbGFsby1ndXMtZnJpbmcvVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~): Gilligan could have picked up the story directly after[ violent kingpin Lalo (Tony Dalton)](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RNaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMTcvYmV0dGVyLWNhbGwtc2F1bC1sYWxvLXNhbGFtYW5jYS10b255LWRhbHRvbi9XA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) murdered upstanding local attorney Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) in [Kim (Rhea Seehorn)](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0QoaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL3RvcGljL3JoZWFfc2VlaG9yblcDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) and [Jimmy's (Bob Odenkirk)](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RMaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjAvMDIvMjMvYmV0dGVyLWNhbGwtc2F1bC1ib2Itb2Rlbmtpcmstc2Vhc29uLTUtYW1jL1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) apartment, shocking them out of their intimate wind-down over wine and a movie.  Instead, as if to ease us back into this increasingly cruel examination of fate and consequences, he opens with a languid sweep across the sand. Nearly every episode of the season opens this way, a motif that also plays through "Breaking Bad," with the camera doubling as both investigator and witness, scanning a scene before landing on an inanimate object that would be meaningless detritus to most people.But in this show, landscape shots frequently double as warning shots. Earlier in this season, when a camera swept a barren, sandy landscape before diving into the story, [it was later revealed to be the site where Nacho](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDQvMjUvYmV0dGVyLWNhbGwtc2F1bC1taWNoYWVsLW1hbmRvLW5hY2hvL1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) was killed. The sandy stretch opening "Point and Shoot" looks equally as desolate until we hear the watery sighs of the sea joining the windy whoosh, letting us know this is the beach, not the desert. Photo: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television - "Sprinkler system installed in forest as wildfire threatens Yosemite's beloved sequoias," [CNN](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RXaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25uLmNvbS8yMDIyLzA3LzExL3dlYXRoZXIveW9zZW1pdGUtd2FzaGJ1cm4tZmlyZS1zZXF1b2lhLW1vbmRheS9pbmRleC5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "When Kim Kardashian asked Pete Davidson to shower with her," [Insider](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0ReaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5zaWRlci5jb20vdGhlLWthcmRhc2hpYW5zLXNlYXNvbi0yLWtpbS1hc2tzLXBldGUtZGF2aWRzb24tc2hvd2VyLXRvZ2V0aGVyLTIwMjItN1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "Concession workers at Dodger Stadium may strike MLB All-Star Game," [Los Angeles Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0R6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGF0aW1lcy5jb20vc3BvcnRzL2RvZGdlcnMvc3RvcnkvMjAyMi0wNy0xMS9kb2RnZXItc3RhZGl1bS1jb25jZXNzaW9uLXdvcmtlcnMtdGhyZWF0ZW4tdG8tc3RyaWtlLWFsbC1zdGFyLWdhbWVXA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Putin decree offers fast-track Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians," [Axios](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTEvcHV0aW4tZGVjcmVlLWNpdGl6ZW5zaGlwLXVrcmFpbmVXA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "When and where is Manhattanhenge 2022?" [WABC Eyewitness News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hYmM3bnkuY29tL21hbmhhdHRhbmhlbmdlLTIwMjItd2hlbi1pcy1ueWMtc3Vuc2V0LzEyMDQyNzcyL1cDc3BjQgpis0hUzWJGbFR_Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "Home sales fell through at stunning rate in June," [CNET](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RZaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25ldC5jb20vcGVyc29uYWwtZmluYW5jZS9hLXJlY29yZC1udW1iZXItb2YtaG9tZS1zYWxlcy1mZWxsLXRocm91Z2gtaW4tanVuZS9XA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Is NATO's rapid expansion a threat to the survival of the planet? Longtime global affairs columnist Chris Hedges (whose columns for [ScheerPost](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0QXaHR0cHM6Ly9zY2hlZXJwb3N0LmNvbS9XA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) are republished in Salon) has taken a dim view of NATO's involvement in the Ukraine conflict from the beginning — but not because he aims to offer excuses for Vladimir Putin's criminal invasion. It's well worth going back through [our archive](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0QpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL3dyaXRlci9jaHJpc19oZWRnZXNXA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) of pieces by Chris to make sense of his argument, but an awful lot of it gets [distilled in Tuesday's column,](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTIvbmF0b3MtZW5kbGVzcy1leHBhbnNpb24tdGhyZWF0ZW5zLWVuZGxlc3MtLWFuZC1wb3RlbnRpYWwtbnVjbGVhci1ob2xvY2F1c3RXA3NwY0IKYrNIVM1iRmxUf1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) where he argues that the military alliance created to hold back the Soviet Union has now become a self-enlarging war machine, "far beyond the border of Europe and engaging in ceaseless antagonism toward China and Russia": NATO sees the future, as detailed in its "[NATO 2030: Unified for a New Era](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0SWaHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMjIwMzI1MTIzMTE2L2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5hdG8uaW50L25hdG9fc3RhdGljX2ZsMjAxNC9hc3NldHMvcGRmLzIwMjAvMTIvcGRmLzIwMTIwMS1SZWZsZWN0aW9uLUdyb3VwLUZpbmFsLVJlcG9ydC1VbmkucGRmVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~)," as a battle for hegemony with rival states, especially China, and calls for the preparation of prolonged global conflict. ... U.S. and NATO antagonism have turned Russia and China into close allies. Russia, rich in natural resources, including energy, minerals and grains, and China, a manufacturing and technological behemoth, are a potent combination. With the conflict against Russia backfiring and the U.S. losing economic ground to China, Hedges sees the war-makers becoming increasingly cavalier about the prospect of apocalypse: "At no time, including the Cuban missile crisis, have we stood closer to the precipice of nuclear war." Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801 [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkr9lHP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmKzSFTNYkZsVH9SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 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