The Federalist Daily Briefing for 07/20/2017

Your daily update of new content from The Federalist Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser](. July 20, 2017 [Be Very Worried About The Future Of Free Expression]( By David Harsanyi If you don’t believe political correctness is a threat to free speech, you haven’t been paying attention. [Full article]( [Andy Slavitt Doesn’t Know Anything About Medicaid, Is A Liar, Or Both]( By Christopher Jacobs Former Obama official Andy Slavitt made the bold claim that Republicans were changing their health-care bill ‘not just to gut Medicaid, but to allow states to eliminate it.’ False. [Full article]( [80 Years Ago, Hilaire Belloc Predicted Radical Islam’s Re-Emergence Because Of Secularization]( By Maureen Mullarkey His insight into Islam at a time England was preoccupied—with Hitler, communism abroad, and a fascist movement at home—was exceptional. And penetrating. [Full article]( [Michigan Senate Race Between Kid Rock And Debbie Stabenow Will Be a Toss-Up]( By P. H. Guthrie Robert Ritchie may win election as a ‘bad boy rocker turned occasionally sober grandfather,’ if only to reiterate middle America’s rejection of their corrupt and incompetent governing class. [Full article]( [Sorry, Professor, Speech Is Not Violence, Even To Your Neurons]( By John Staddon These data simply do not support Lisa Barrett’s implausible claim that speech directed at college students can cause them physiological harm. [Full article]( [While Nobody’s Looking, China And India Are Carrying Out A Real-Life ‘Game Of Thrones’]( By Helen Raleigh The Asian version of the conflict between House Lannister and House Stark is playing out over a patch of remote land high in the Himalayas, bordered by China, India, and Bhutan. [Full article]( [How Medical Marijuana Can Help Alleviate Our Pain-Driven Opioid Crisis]( By Nicole Fisher To date, research shows marijuana-based chemical compounds can be everything from anti-inflammatory to neuroprotective, with fewer side effects than pain drugs. [Full article]( [‘Game Of Thrones’ Is The Ugliest Show On Television. That’s Why We Love It]( By Titus Techera In our post-therapeutic culture, we've become obsessed with evil, decay, and corruption. That's why we love 'Game of Thrones.' [Full article]( [‘Cars 3’ Isn’t Woke—It’s Conservative]( By Margot Cleveland I most enjoyed that Hollywood’s nod to girl power in ‘Cars 3’ represented reality, not Lightning McQueen being woke. Well, as much as anthropomorphic cars live in reality. [Full article]( [If Gilead Is Anywhere In The World, It’s Saudi Arabia, Not America]( By Bethany Mandel Gilead is a fictional place. But if it exists, it’s found in a country like Saudi Arabia, where women are trapped under sharia law and punished for wearing miniskirts. [Full article]( [Two Thumbs Up For Claremont McKenna’s Suspensions Of Student Protesters]( By Tom Meyer Hell and fury this is not, but it’s infinitely preferable to the boastful cowardice on display from Middlebury, and may discourage future thuggery. [Full article]( [Why Amazon’s Purchase Of Whole Foods Will Make The Industry Worse]( By Brad Jackson Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is bigger than any meal delivery kit service: it’s a sign that the entire grocery industry is the next the Seattle behemoth is looking to conquer. [Full article]( [America’s Opioid Crisis: Abuse, Trafficking, And Paths To Recovery]( By The Federalist Staff Addiction psychiatrist Sally Satel explains the unintended consequences of painkillers and how we arrived at this drug crisis on Federalist Radio. [Full article]( A FINAL PUSH FOR OBAMACARE REPEAL the White House will greet Republican Senators for a lunch where President Trump will make a final push for Obamacare repeal. Mitch McConnell seems determined to push ahead with a show vote on flat repeal, which will already be a free dead-in-the-water vote given the math involved. Even though Trump has publicly endorsed this strategy, it will almost certainly lead to what McConnell’s fallback position was from the beginning: shoring up insurance markets, with no repeal. Hill sources are making their typical noises about “setting a marker”: “They have been hiding behind him — and hiding behind process arguments — for months now,” this operative added. Said another, this one a veteran McConnell observer: “It’s important to set a marker. If this ends in an insurance bailout, there will be no revisionist history.” Oh, that’s the ticket – that’ll make the difference in 2018. Read more of The Transom by signing up for a [free trial]( today. 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