Have you perhaps thought some unkind thoughts about Gavin Newsom in the last, oh, 20-odd years? The governor of California is aware. He knows you think he’s too slick; he knows you’re wondering how he could lead the nation when the Golden State is still a hotbed of income inequality, homelessness, and people who say “hella.” Still, he makes the case for himself in a new profile by Joe Hagan. The story is stuffed with rich detail and quotes like this on whether Newsom considers himself part of the establishment: “Well, I’m not. I’m not. I mean, I’ve been at this awhile. To the extent I’m established, in that context—but I’m notoriously a disrupter at heart. I’ve never been for the status quo. Quite the contrary. I have a record that consistently challenges the status quo, and I tend to take risks to a degree that few elected officials do.” Read the whole thing, then decide whether you’re going to take him at his word.
Elsewhere, I review Tom Cruise’s new movie (the TL;DR: bad, but in a sort of interesting way?); the White House tells Savannah Walsh, with a straight face, that Trump’s new ads are “not political;” and Chris Murphy takes us inside the party VF threw to toast to our new cover star, Florence Pugh. (Well, technically he takes you inside; I was actually there too.) More tomorrow!
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