Trump's theocracy?

Plus Assange's fight and digital detox tips [View this email in your browser]( [The Week Evening Review]( Trump allies' Christian nationalist push, Assange's extradition hearing, and romantasies   Good evening, Donald Trump hasn't even won the Republican nomination (though, as Rafi Schwartz puts it, he soon will, barring any "unforeseen seismic upheaval in America's political landscape"), but we are already jumping ahead to imagine what a potential second Trump term could look like. Does theocracy await? Meanwhile, Julian Assange faces an extradition hearing that raises concerns about state retaliation. And if you want a break from the big questions, Theara Coleman has the intel for diving into a steamy "romantasy" instead. Summer Meza The Week Digital     Talking Points MAGA faithful plan Christian nationalist future Former President Donald Trump is on track to secure a decisive primary victory and face President Joe Biden in the presidential election. And some of his closest allies are excitedly planning for a potential second term. Under Trump's former Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, the right-wing Center for Renewing America has emerged at the forefront of these preparations, Politico said. The CRA has worked to "elevate Christian nationalism as a focal point" for Trump thanks in large part to Vought, considered a top contender for Trump's potential chief of staff. As Vought wrote in 2021, Christian nationalism is a "rather benign and useful description" for people who want to preserve "our country's Judeo-Christian heritage" and make policy decisions accordingly. Would a second Trump term usher in an era of American theocracy? 'A conduit for all sorts of bad actors'Although a draft document of CRA priorities for a second Trump administration obtained by Politico does include a bullet point for "Christian nationalism," the document is "short on specifics," Vanity Fair said. Instead, it focuses on pushing Trump to "ignore undesirable funding allocations" and "invoke the Insurrection Act on his first day in office." In October, former Trump administration official William Wolfe told "Jesus and Politics" conference attendees that "now is the time to arms again." Wolfe later shared then deleted a post on X calling for ending no-fault divorces, reducing access to contraceptives, ending surrogacy, ending public school sex education, and several other policies designed to "restore the American family." Vought has said he is "proud" to work with Wolfe on "scoping out a sound Christian nationalism." While Trump may represent a danger to American democracy, CRA's overt push is a reminder that the former president also "serves in an additional role as a conduit for all sorts of bad actors," Talking Points Memo said. 'Standard social conservatism'Politico's focus on the specter of Christian nationalism is an attempt to "fearmonger" about his election, The Washington Examiner said. That "socially conservative policy organizations want to enact socially conservative policies" is hardly worth reporting. CRA's purported Christian nationalism is merely a "rehashed version of standard social conservatism" but with more transparency about its guiding beliefs. The linkage between Christian nationalism and broader Trump-infused conservatism extends throughout Republican politics, former Christian nationalist Brad Onishi said to NPR. Several such conservative groups have recently been linking up and "joining in a way that promises, I think, to be quite potent."   Advertisement by Betterment [Betterment is the automated investing app that puts your money to work](   QUOTE OF THE DAY "I launched amid all of that tension … the continued physical and economic insecurity of being underresourced, underhoused, underrepresented, undervalued, which unfortunately is what a lot of Black and brown people and women experience." Victor Glover, one of many Black astronauts featured in the National Geographic documentary "The Space Race," on the pressure he faced carrying out his space missions     In the Spotlight Romantasies are steaming up the publishing world Romantasy, a portmanteau combining "romance" and "fantasy," is a genre so popular that it is pushing the publishing industry in a new direction. Books in this category feature all the hallmarks of fantasy fiction, "such as magic systems, mythology, high stakes and abundant worldbuilding," said The Washington Post. "But the love story is central to the narrative." Romantasy novels include classic romantic tropes like enemies-to-lovers and love triangles, with several steamy sex scenes to boot. The latestThanks to BookTok and a couple of star authors driving sales, the genre is experiencing a massive popularity surge. Author Sarah J. Maas has become synonymous with the success of adult romantasy books. According to her website, her "Throne of Glass," "A Court of Thorns and Roses" and "Crescent City" series have sold over 38 million copies. Her books have been popular since 2012, but Publishers Weekly said sales of her new and backlisted titles increased 86% in the 2022 fiscal year for Bloomsbury Publishing, driven by interest from TikTok. The publisher released Maas' latest book, "House of Flame and Shadow," earlier this month and has plans to release six more. Maas' achievements drove industry demand. Entangled Publishing created Red Tower, an imprint focused on new adult romantasies, and its star author is Rebecca Yarros, whose latest novel, "Iron Flame," has been an early smash hit. Yarros was also catapulted into bestseller status after TikTok went crazy for the first book in her sultry dragon series, "Fourth Wing." The reactionPart of the genre's appeal comes down to its "bold heroines" and "strong yet nuanced female characters," Bloomsbury's Kathleen Farrar said to The Guardian. "These stories have attracted huge numbers of female readers who may previously not have felt particularly welcome in the fantasy market." While some dismiss romantasy titles as smut or "fairy porn," others argue that critics should not reduce the work of authors like Maas to steamy sex scenes. Her books give readers a "safe place to project the traumas, tragedies and triumphs of their own lives," Maureen Lee Lenker said in Entertainment Weekly.     Statistic of the day 6'2": The difference in height between the world's tallest man and the world's shortest woman, who recently reunited in California after their last meeting in 2018. Turkey's Sultan Kosen stands at 8 feet 3 inches, or about 99.6 inches, while India's Jyoti Amge is just 2 feet 1 inch, or about 25.2 inches. The Independent     Today's Big Question What's at stake in Assange's extradition fight? After more than a decade in detention and exile, Julian Assange may be on the verge of prosecution for spilling American secrets. The WikiLeaks founder, imprisoned in the U.K. since 2019, this week faced an extradition hearing in a British court. U.S. lawyers told a judge that Assange's "bid to solicit, steal and indiscriminately publish classified U.S. government documents" put lives at risk. Assange, they said, went far beyond the bounds of journalism by encouraging leaker Chelsea Manning to steal the secret files that were published in 2010. But Assange's defenders said the American espionage charges are a form of "state retaliation" after being embarrassed by the disclosures, BBC said. WikiLeaks released top-secret files on Guantanamo detainees and a video depicting the U.S. military killing Iraqi civilians and Reuters journalists from an Apache helicopter. "Mr. Assange was exposing serious criminality," said one Assange lawyer. What did the commentators say?The charges against Assange are an "iniquitous threat to journalism, with global implications," The Guardian said in an editorial. "Journalists sometimes depend on whistleblowers." A successful prosecution could be a "death blow" to investigative reporting that reveals secrets the public has a right to know. "Even Julian Assange's critics should defend him," Thomas Fazi said at UnHerd. WikiLeaks exposed mass surveillance programs, corruption and civilian massacres. Those revelations proved that "nominally democratic states are willing to bend and even break the law to silence those who threaten the status quo." WikiLeaks "did some good in its early years," The Economist said in 2019. But the decision to publish more than 250,000 cables "was malicious." Most of the messages revealed no misdeeds but put America's diplomatic sources at risk. "Neither journalists nor activists have carte blanche to break the law in exercising their First Amendment rights." What next?The British government decided in 2022 that Assange could be extradited, CBS News said. Assange is seeking the right to appeal that decision to the European Court of Human Rights. No ruling came at the end of Wednesday's hearing, and the judges "could take weeks to consider" their decision. "If the court's decision goes against Assange, he must be extradited within 28 days," CNN said. If convicted, he faces up to 175 years in prison. Assange's wife, though, said his health is precarious. "His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison," Stella Assange said. "If he is extradited, he will die."     Poll watch Just one in 10 Europeans still believe Ukraine can defeat Russia, according to a new poll from the European Council on Foreign Relations. The poll surveyed public opinion in 12 European Union countries and found that Ukraine's faltering counteroffensive contributed to the poor outlook. Despite this, overall support for Ukraine's effort remains high.     INSTANT OPINION Today's best commentary 'Would you expect a firefighter to run into a burning building to save a frozen embryo?'Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles TimesThe Alabama Supreme Court just ruled that "frozen human embryos are people too" in the most ridiculous example yet of the anti-abortion right's "religious worship of the union of egg and sperm," says Robin Abcarian. A frozen embryo is a "tiny blob of undifferentiated cells," not an "extrauterine" child. Alabama has already criminalized abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now, fertility centers face legal peril too, as the state "slides toward theocracy." 'Trump's GOP is a confederacy of fakers'Thomas L. Friedman in The New York TimesFormer President Donald Trump's Republican Party will stoop to "any form of crow eating, bootlicking, backtracking and backstabbing to stay in his good graces," however "un-American his demand," says Thomas L. Friedman. "Trump decides to just dump Ukraine? Bye-bye, Zelensky." Trump dislikes a bipartisan "grand bargain on immigration reform? Gone." The GOP is stuck in a "doom loop" of "performing for Trump" to get clicks, donations and votes. "It is all fake." The trouble is that our enemies are real. 'The House should find a way to vote on supporting our allies'National Review editorial boardHouse Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) "doesn't dare" bring up the $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, says the National Review editorial board. Passing it without funding to secure the U.S.-Mexico border "would cause a revolt among the GOP's fiercest opponents of Ukraine aid." But Johnson has to get it done. Failure, "as Russia gains the upper hand in Ukraine" and Israel defends itself "against its terrorist enemies," would fuel the image of Republican "dysfunction."     Picture of the day River view A boy peeks from the water in a flooded area due to the overflowing Batanghari River in Muaro Jambi, Indonesia Antara Foto / Wahdi Septiawan / Reuters   Advertisement by Betterment [Betterment is the automated investing app that puts your money to work](   Good day ♟️ … for an 8-year-old chess prodigy. Ashwath Kaushik of Singapore has just become the youngest chess player to beat a grandmaster. After a three-hour game, Kaushik beat 37-year-old Polish grandmaster Jacek Stopa, breaking a record set only days before. Beating the grandmaster felt amazing, and it is "in classical [chess] so I feel very proud of myself," Kaushik told The Star.     Bad day 👃 … for Cape Town. The South African city was hit by a foul stench wafting from a ship carrying 19,000 cattle from Brazil to Iraq that docked in the harbor. Animal welfare groups blamed the "unimaginable" stench on the conditions the animals were in on the vessel, criticizing the practice of live exports.     Puzzles [Daily crossword]( Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes [sudoku]( and [codewords](. [Play here](     The Explainer [Addicted to screens? 3 tips for a digital detox.Â]( Many of us spend much of our time vacillating between screens, at work and in our personal lives. Technology is not inherently bad, but it may be time for a break when it becomes disruptive. Here are some tips for a successful digital detox. Stay in controlA key to fixing our relationships with devices is first to adjust how we think about our agency, Oliver Burkeman, the author of the time-management book "Four Thousand Weeks," said to The New York Times. It is important to remember the "idea of distraction as starting inside us and not simply being a case of evil Silicon Valley companies stealing away our focus," Burkeman said. Set realistic goalsA digital detox can be anything you want, CNET said. It can be "refraining from using any type of technology, disconnecting from social media or just limiting daily screen time." For some of us, laptop and phone screens are integral to our workday, so completely disconnecting is not ideal. "Instead, you can opt to set screen time limits on your free time," CNET said. Go old schoolIt can be helpful to revert to old-school entertainment, organization and communication methods. It can "absolutely be helpful to downgrade from a smartphone if that is possible," social worker Jennifer Kelman said to Everyday Health. She said she relies on simple phones that cannot support apps with her children. "They have a simple call or text feature, and that's it," she said. [Read more](     WORD OF THE DAY trendbait A type of slang that Gen Z "tryhards" (people who try very hard to succeed) make up online in the hopes of going viral, Vox's Rebecca Jennings said. Jennings coined the term to describe Gen Z words like "microcheating," "beige flag" and "girl dinner."     In the morning Tomorrow, you can read about why drug cartels are targeting Montana, peruse the day's top newspaper headlines, and more. Thanks for reading, Summer     Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Harold Maass, Scott Hocker, Justin Klawans, Kelsee Majette, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz, Anahi Valenzuela and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek. Image credits, from top: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images; Jorm Sangsorn / Getty Images; Guy Smallman / Getty Images; Westend61 / Getty Images   © Future US, Inc • [theweek.com]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Privacy Policy]( The Week is published by Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.