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| By The Free Press |
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It’s Wednesday, May 27. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Why Trump is his own worst enemy. The J6ers who want millions of dollars of your money. Ben Sasse’s daughter on his parenting rules. Arthur Brooks on the pope’s AI advice. And much more.
But first: The next chapter of The Free Press.
By any standard, we live in the most connected age in human history—AI for everything, social media everywhere, and a device that holds all of human knowledge always in our pockets. And yet, we’ve never been lonelier.
That’s why we’ve launched a new community initiative to bring Free Pressers together, online and in real life, without bots or social media getting in the way. Thousands of paid subscribers have already found their way around our new Forum, where they’re getting job offers and marriage advice, and debating the war in Iran. Introduce yourself and join the conversation.
And that’s just the start. Free Pressers are also signing up for good food and great conversation with other subscribers in cities across three countries. In the first four hours, we had more than 500 reserved seats—and tables will sell out soon. Sign up for a Free Press Supper Club now, or request that we add your city here. Read Bari’s full announcement about what this means, and upgrade your subscription to join the fun:
Now, on to the news.
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MAGA vs. GOP
Ken Paxton’s victory in yesterday’s Republican Senate primary in Texas was, of course, a victory for President Donald Trump as well. A week ago, Trump flexed his political muscles by endorsing the scandal-ridden state attorney general over sitting senator John Cornyn, pretty much guaranteeing Paxton’s victory.
Yet, as our politics editor Mene Ukueberuwa points out in our lead story, promoting Paxton over Cornyn is of a piece with other moves Trump has made since reclaiming the presidency—moves that may satisfy him personally, but are harming the GOP’s chances as the midterms approach. Paxton’s baggage will give his Democratic opponent James Talarico a far better chance of winning than if he had to face Cornyn.
It’s part of a bigger trend: Trump doing things that suit him, but harm his party. Take the funding for his White House ballroom, or his $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Does Trump care that his actions could cost the Republicans their majority in the House, and perhaps even the Senate? And how high a price will his party pay? Those are the questions at the heart of Mene’s piece today:
Speaking of that $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, Tanner Nau asked some of the January 6 rioters whether they were planning to apply for the fund—and how much they thought they deserved. One man who pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding police, and was sentenced in 2023 to four years in prison, told Tanner that he didn’t want any more than his “fair share” of the money. He said $3 million would do it. I know, shocker. Read Tanner’s piece for a window into the mindset of the people the president is prioritizing over the wavering voters he needs come November.
—Joe Nocera
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A Teenage Girl Wanted to Die. Her Parents Said Yes.
Across the West, legalized assisted dying is surging. In Canada, 5 percent of all deaths in 2024 were voluntary, as part of the country’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program. The Free Press’s Rupa Subramanya has covered this important, controversial and, to many, disturbing story from the start. In her latest piece, she reports on one of the most morally complex aspects of the issue: How should a parent react when their son or daughter tells them they want to die? That was the gut-wrenching question faced by the parents of Iris Dekker, a 19-year-old Dutch woman. They talk to Rupa about how loving parents could willingly accede to a child’s right to die, and she investigates the system that is putting more and more parents in that position. Read her report:
And for more on this story—and Rupa’s other reporting on assisted dying—listen to the latest episode of Conversations with Coleman. Rupa and Coleman Hughes are both supporters of the right to die for the terminally ill, but they both have major concerns about the way this issue is being handled in countries across the West.
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