How the Naughty ’90s Set the Stage for Today’s Tragicomedy

Let Kamala Lead • Trump’s Gospel of Grievance • Biden’s Hunter Quandary [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( How the Naughty ’90s Set the Stage for Today’s Tragicomedy Good morning. If you lived through the ’90s, David Friend is about to take you on a walk down memory lane. In a new preface of his book The Naughty Nineties, Molly Jong-Fast [chronicles]( how the “weird, wild, horrible, sexually repressed” scandals of the era—think Murphy Brown, Anita Hill, and “don’t ask, don’t tell”—laid the the foundation for today’s political chaos. “You can’t understand today’s 24/7, scandal-fueled, online-omniscient media without looking at the tabloid-tinged, innuendo-drenched cable news carnival that shaped it,” Jong-Fast writes. “The past is always prologue.” Zooming forward to present, Jong-Fast [asks]( why the Biden administration isn’t utilizing Kamala Harris more to solidify his appeal with Black voters. Meanwhile, Chris Smith [reports]( on how Donald Trump’s fulminations against Hunter Biden and the DOJ may blow up in his face, while Eric Lutz [catches]( the ex-president’s gospel of grievance in Nevada, which he called a “dumping grown” for migrants. Thanks for reading. [Image may contain: Bill Clinton, Anita Hill, Kim Cattrall, Bill Cosby, Art, Collage, Adult, Person, Photography, and Clothing]( [How the Naughty ’90s Set the Stage for Today’s Tragicomedy]( By [Molly Jong-Fast]( [It was the era of Newt Gingrich, Murphy Brown, and the first web browser. But in her introduction to David Friend’s rollicking warts-and-all book The Naughty Nineties, Molly Jong-Fast reveals how the decade was actually chock-full of scandals that laid the groundwork for these off-kilter Trumpian times.]( [Read more button](   [Biden Is Underutilizing Kamala]( By [Molly Jong-Fast]( [Vibes among voters suggest the president is losing Black Americans. His vice president could fix that.]( [Read more button](   [Could Donald Trump’s Revenge Fantasies Come Back to Bite Him?]( By [Chris Smith]( [“Zero-point-zero” voters will care about the legal travails of Hunter Biden, says one Bidenworld insider. What’s more, the former president’s threats to weaponize the justice system against his enemies could help feed fears of Trump as an agent of chaos.]( [Read more button](   [Trump Preaches Gospel of Grievance at Sweltering Post-Conviction Rally]( By [Eric Lutz]( [After being likened to Jesus by Marjorie Taylor Greene, the ex-president claimed Nevada had become a “dumping ground” for migrants and attacked Joe Biden’s asylum ban as “bullshit.”]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast