A Tabloid Twist

Mandates Trigger Republican Meltdown • Conservative Outlet The Dispatch • DeSantis’ Public Health War [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( A Tabloid Twist Good morning from the Hive newsroom! Joe Biden’s push to increase vaccinations has Republicans melting down, [writes]( Eric Lutz, with Greg Abbott, of all people, declaring he’ll defend Texans’ “right to choose,” [notes]( Bess Levin. Meanwhile, Charlotte Klein [finds]( Ron DeSantis continuing to use his power to help COVID spread more easily in Florida. On the media front, famed New York Post gossip columnist Richard Johnson [tells]( Joe Pompeo that he’s ditching retirement to dish for the Daily News. “I hope it will be like the old days of Page Six,” Johnson says. And Caleb Ecarma [reports]( how conservative news site The Dispatch is trying to look “beyond Trump” even as the ex-president refuses to exit the political fray. Thanks for reading! [“Like the Old Days of Page Six”: Richard Johnson Is Getting Back in the Gossip Game]( By [Joe Pompeo]( [In a throwback to the tabloid wars of yore, the famed (and feared) former New York Post scribe is ditching retirement to dish for the Daily News. “I’m ready to get back to work,” Johnson says.]( [Read more button]( [“Some Friends Would Like to See Us Fail”: Conservative News Outlet The Dispatch Is Banking on a “Post-Trump” Media Moment]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [The right-leaning site, along with the Never Trumpers at The Bulwark, are navigating a tricky political climate in which the 45th president still dominates the GOP, Democrats are in power, and debates over abortion and Afghanistan may shatter any alliance with the left.]( [Read more button]( [Texas Governor Greg Abbott Pulls Ahead in Race to Determine Biggest GOP Asshole]( By [Bess Levin]( [Abbott has declared he’ll defend Texans’ “right to choose” not to get vaccinated, after signing a law effectively banning abortion.]( [Read more button]( [Biden’s COVID Vaccination Strategy Triggers Full-Scale Republican Meltdown]( By [Eric Lutz]( [The right-wing backlash to new mitigation efforts is as predictable as it is aggravating, with GOP politicians and pundits ranting about “tyranny” and “totalitarianism.”]( [Read more button]( [Florida Governor Celebrates Ban on School Mask Mandates as More Kids Die From COVID]( By [Charlotte Klein]( [Ron DeSantis’ war on public health continues as back-to-school season brings alarming statistics in Florida and elsewhere.]( [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]( [Condé Nast Spotlight | The breaking news and top stories everyone is talking about. All in one place. The most popular stories from Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, Architectural Digest and more. STAY INFORMED]( [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](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2021 Condé Nast