Crash Course: Making excuses for dictators is nothing new: "Mr. Republican" and the Nazis

GOP's boy-crush on Putin and Orbán shouldn't be surprising — consider legendary Republican Sen. Robert Taft. [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNWZuOTJ2dGVlZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOGRkb2oxOGU5aS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Making excuses for dictators is nothing new: "Mr. Republican" and the Nazis Readers may be familiar with Rachel Maddow's explosive new podcast, "[Ultra](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdXViMDdoN2I1MC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)." It tells the incredible story of a German spy who infiltrated Congress in 1940-41, inducing two dozen congressmen and senators to spread Nazi propaganda in floor speeches, op-ed columns and constituent mailings. Simultaneously, armed extremist groups began training for a violent takeover of the country. In many ways, the eight-decades-old story is a disturbing forerunner of the Trump era. Contrary to our nostalgic memories of unity, America was deeply divided over the war in Europe, military aid to Britain, and whether fascism was the wave of the future that we might as well submit to. While political division on the eve of entry into the war was not uniformly partisan ([some prominent Democrats](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMDdiYnloc2pxOC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) supported isolationism), the GOP was by far the party that stood for America First and strict noninvolvement in foreign conflict. [Read the rest from Mike Lofgren.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaDBobTlseWxwMi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) Musical chairs and rock'em sock'em: Kevin McCarthy claimed a hard-won victory as speaker After returning from adjournment late Friday night, House Republicans were dead set on putting an end to the days long voting sessions that had yet to tally in favor of [Kevin McCarthy](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOTBiNmN5ZDdmYy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), or anyone else for that matter, as Speaker of the House — so much so that a brawl nearly broke out. [Read the rest from Kelly McClure.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvM29yZTIwYzV6dC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) - You can pry my [paper planner](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbWYxdDVhZGVlYi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) from my cold, cramping hands - "I would drop him like a bag of dirt": House GOPer weighs in on [House floor scuffle](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmFkMG01ZDV5dS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Do [accents](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdmUybWVxdTJhdi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) disappear? - How the [internet](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbGcxNGxlb3Y1aC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) was created by government — not private — innovation - The shutdown caucus really wins: The House power grab was always bigger than [Kevin McCarthy](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNnRzM29nMTF1YS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Can [NATO and the Pentagon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcmJkdm43ZHpheC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) find a diplomatic off-ramp from the Ukraine war? - Here’s everything we know about the investigation into the [University of Idaho murders](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNGVtN29pMWt0by8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - [Trader Joe's](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOThsazk0dXJxMS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) sued for selling dark chocolate allegedly containing lead and cadmium If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbWkyeXhqZ2Z3dy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! Barbara Walters knew we wanted the juice [Barbara Walters](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYXkzOW9zb3o1ei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), who died on Dec. 30 at the age of 93, understood a conversation's most valuable nutrients were in "the juice." That's how she described the texture of an interview, the details that didn't necessarily relate to harder questions we expected her to pose to famous people but told us a lot about them. Only Walters knew how to obtain that nectar in a way that made consuming her interviews feel essential in a broadcast news industry dominated and ruled by men. "'The most important thing is only the hard news question,'" she recalls her colleagues insisting in [a 2014 "Oprah Winfrey's Master Class"Â](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOHQwY3hmNDdyYy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)video. "I don't think so. I think it's important to know what's important to them." [Read the rest from Melanie McFarland.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveWNuMGFqNXllaS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (ABC/Lou Rocco) - "Jordan Peele Bought Corey Feldman’s Auctioned ‘Stand by Me’ Prosthetic Ear," [IndieWire](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZWE2cHM5eGRkcS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Warner Bros. Head Honcho Gets Real About HBO Max And Canceling All Those Projects," [CinemaBlend](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaXh5cGx5YWRjMC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Katie Porter Goes Viral for Reading This Book During Chaotic Speaker Fight," [Newsweek](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYzB4aDNneDZ2Yy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Inventor in Baja is testing a plan to cool the Earth by mimicking a volcanic eruption," [CNBC](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2Qyb3gybGljci8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHdXA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Flies are taking over thanks to climate change — while moths and other pollinators disappear When you think of [flowers](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYWJ5bDkzdWE1ZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) being pollinated, you likely picture a [bee](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdXhzMHVmbzhkMS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) or [butterfly](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMm1tN2tod3VhaS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) doing the work. But many different insects also visit flowers and help plants reproduce, including flies, [wasps](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaXpoM2ltZGJvZy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), beetles, and even certain [mosquitoes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaHllM2doOTRwcy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Some birds and bats also benefit flowering vegetation, acting as the liaison for sexual reproduction, a strange but widespread evolutionary practice. But sadly, climate change is rapidly shifting the relationships between plants and certain bugs. And in Scandinavia, that has meant that flies are taking the place of moths and other more charismatic insects. The takeover of the flies speaks to the biodiverse history of the region that is being lost as the climate warms. [Read the rest from Troy Farah.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZDUxbm9ndmw5NS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTFsOTQ2bjh1bHcmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY7VPsLpj3OiFF1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Getty Images / Enrique Díaz / 7cero) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmO1T7C6Y9zohRdSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2023 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlnTVOP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpjtU-wumPc6IUXUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)