The Week Evening Review
A new opposition, the 'Emilia Pérez' debate, and sovereign wealth funds

 
TALKING POINTS

What can Democrats do to oppose Trump?

The Democratic Party has been discombobulated by the Trump administration's "shock and awe" upending of American government. With Republican control of the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, Democrats are left hamstrung by their opposition. But while they "got off to a slow start" in opposing President Donald Trump's dramatic moves, said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to The New Yorker, some of his actions are being challenged in court, showing the Democrats "may be out of power" but are "not powerless." 

The party has been "too timid" in opposing Trump, said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to The Washington Post. He suggests making a public villain out of Elon Musk, the billionaire eviscerating agencies on Trump's behalf. The president is "really good at naming enemies, particular individuals or particular groups." Democrats should do the same.

Combatting 'aggressive presidents'
Democrats are "not helpless," said Princeton University historian Julian E. Zelizer at Foreign Policy. Party leaders can "create effective roadblocks for Trump" if they can maintain unity. In Congress, at least, Republicans have narrow majorities. Any splinters in the GOP have the "potential to quickly bring down a Trump proposal." History shows that opposition unity is an "enormously effective tool in blocking aggressive presidents making bold moves."

"Where are the Democrats?" asked David Corn at Mother Jones. The party should have a "war room" to generate a "nonstop firehose of social media" in opposition to Trump and Musk. Media-savvy elected Democrats like Murphy and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) should be out in front daily, "denouncing and decrying." But all of that takes a boldness that Democrats haven't shown so far. "You cannot win a war you are not fighting."

'Fighting back'
Senate Democrats waged an "all-night talkathon" last week to prevent the confirmation of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, said The New York Times. He was confirmed anyway, but the delaying tactics sent the message that Democrats are "fighting back," said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

Congressional Republicans will probably need Democratic assistance to avoid a government shutdown when funding runs out on March 14. Democrats "may shut down government to keep Trump from gutting it," said New York magazine. But without guarantees that Trump will rein in Musk, the Democratic Party may decide that "bipartisan cooperation becomes an overwhelming negative."

 
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY

'We are committed to owning it, taking it and making sure that Hamas doesn't move back.'

President Donald Trump doubling down on his desire to buy and own Gaza, adding that the U.S. might give the land to "other states in the Middle East to build sections of it," on Air Force One en route to the Super Bowl yesterday

 
 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT

What truly is at stake with the 'Emilia Pérez' debate

With 13 Oscar nominations this year, "Emilia Pérez" is easily one of the most talked-about films of the award season, boasting major Hollywood star power in lead actors Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez and earning an 11-minute standing ovation at its 2024 Cannes Film Festival premiere. The story of a Mexican narco-kingpin who undergoes gender-reassignment surgery and escapes cartel life, "Emilia Pérez" has become a cultural flashpoint thanks to its subject material and the broader political climate into which the film has been released.

'Profoundly retrograde' or 'realistic and relatable'?
Much of the substantive controversy surrounding "Emilia Pérez" has centered on the film's portrayal of trans-ness. It seemed as if writer-director Jacques Audiard was "painting trans women as liars" and people who "can't tell the truth" and "don't know who they are," said critic Reanna Cruz on NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcast. 

Criticism over the film's trans subject matter has not been universal within the trans community. "Emilia Pérez" offers the sort of "complex, flawed trans characters and narratives" that "trans film lovers and critics have been begging to see," said Mey Rude at Out. As a "Mexican-American trans lesbian, I find Emilia is one of the most realistic and relatable trans characters I have ever seen in a movie." The film is a "compelling depiction of a morally complex character" that "puts trans issues at front and center," said Julie River at Out Front Magazine.

'Trivialization' of Mexico?
The other main vector of criticism against "Emilia Pérez" is the film's portrayal of Mexico, depicted as an "inescapably violent and miserable place," said Kyndall Cunningham at Vox. The film turns Mexico's "biggest security crisis into a musical where the protagonist is one of the perpetrators," María Meléndez said at Mexico News Daily. It's a "trivialization" that's "deeply painful."

"I don't know if 'Emilia Pérez' is a good reflection of Mexican culture," said director Audiard at a recent screening of the film. "Because we shot the whole thing in Paris in a studio." But Mexico City native Adriana Paz, who costars in the film, has come to its defense. "I have heard people saying it's offensive to Mexico," Paz said at IndieWire. "I really want to know why, because I didn't feel that way."

 
 

Statistic of the day

100,000: The number of eggs recently stolen from a trailer in Antrim Township, Pennsylvania, prompting a statewide search. "I have never heard of a hundred thousand eggs being stolen," said Pennsylvania State Trooper Megan Frazer. The price of eggs continues to rise nationally as bird flu forces farmers to cull millions of chickens.

 
 
the explainer

What's a sovereign wealth fund?

The federal government is going into business after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week establishing a sovereign wealth fund to, as he stated, "promote the long-term financial health and international leadership" of the U.S. Such funds are usually associated with "great wealth," especially in oil-rich countries like Norway and Saudi Arabia and are generally used by those countries to invest in projects of "strategic interest." The new U.S. fund is either a "feasible idea to invest strategically," said Tuft University's Patrick J. Schena at The Conversation, or a "giant opportunity for waste." 

How do sovereign wealth funds work?
A sovereign wealth fund is a "state-owned investment fund that manages a country's financial assets," said Kiplinger (a sister site of The Week). Countries can take "surplus revenues" from exports, taxes or other sources and invest them, either to "achieve long-term economic stability" or (more controversially) "finance political or diplomatic priorities" that can work as a form of soft global power. 

The funds can buy "just about anything." For example, China uses one sovereign fund to finance power and transportation projects in Africa. Trump has suggested using the fund to buy TikTok, said CNN.

How would the US fund be financed?
America isn't exactly running budget surpluses these days. Indeed, "it's unclear" how the U.S. might come up with money for a fund, said The New York Times. Trump's team pointed to $5.7 trillion in assets held by the government — a mix of cash, defense stockpiles and other property — as a possible source, but it may be difficult to move those dollars into a fund.

What are the downsides?
"Plenty" of things could go wrong, said The Wall Street Journal. An American sovereign wealth fund might divert capital from the private-sector economy and could "fund political boondoggles and mess with the business decisions of private companies." 

The funds of other countries tend to "enrich a country's rulers and their friends far more than citizens." Malaysia's fund has "channeled billions of dollars" to the prime minister and his cronies. "Corruption is a constant temptation."

What next?
Trump's order gave the Treasury and Commerce Departments 90 days to submit recommendations for "funding mechanisms, investment strategies, fund structure and a governance model" for the fund, said Reuters. Any plan will "likely require approval" from Congress.

 
 

Good day 💰

… for gold. Prices for the metal reached a record high after Trump said he would impose 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, "rattling financial markets," said The Guardian. As investors "rushed for a safe haven for their money," the spot price rose by more than 1% to $2,896, above the record high set last Friday.

 
 

Bad day 💍

… for marital bliss in China. The number of new marriages fell to a record low last year, dropping 20.5% from the previous year, according to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs. Marriages plummeted despite "sweeping government efforts to encourage young people to tie the knot and have babies to halt demographic decline" in the world's second-largest economy, said CNN.

 
 
Picture of the day

C-walk this way

In a nod to her hometown of Compton, tennis legend Serena Williams shows off her Crip walk as Kendrick Lamar, who also hails from the Southern California city, performs his Drake diss track, "Not Like Us," during his half-time performance at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans. 
Stephanie Scarbrough / AP

 
 
Puzzles

Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes sudoku and codewords

 
 
The Week recommends

One great cookbook: 'Six Seasons' 

Too many cookbooks from restaurants or chefs are impassable for the everyday cook. "Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables," by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg, is one of the rare chef books that provides a window into why restaurant food is so delicious along with applicable tools you can exercise in your kitchen.

Season like you mean it
The cooking at the best restaurants tastes good because chefs have acquired tricks and personal styles to bring out the best in their ingredients. McFadden's innovative techniques appear in endless guises across the book, which is organized into six sections that correspond to his framing of the growing seasons: spring, early summer, midsummer, late summer, fall and winter. Each chapter is then divided into subchapters by the vegetables that grow during that season and recipes to illuminate them. 

Cauliflower is roasted and mixed with plums, yogurt and sesame seeds. Fresh corn is tossed with walnuts, scallions, mint, lime and Pecorino Romano. Potatoes are baked, then crushed and fried with garlic, rosemary and thyme.

Able assist
McFadden is a virtuosic cook, but this means nothing to a reader without an agile translator. His co-author, Martha Holmberg, is a veteran food writer who has been entrenched in the recipe world for decades. Her ability to convert technique into practicability is the book's covert weapon.

With Holmberg's sure hand and McFadden's exceptional vegetable prowess, you can cook your way across six seasons, 41 vegetables and nearly 400 pages and never encounter a single recipe that flops.

 
 

Poll watch

Just over half of Americans (51%) think Elon Musk has significant influence in the Trump administration, according to an Economist/YouGov survey. However, the poll of 1,604 adults found only 13% think it's a good thing for Musk to have so much power. 

 
 
INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'Myanmar's scam centers require a global response'
The Washington Post editorial board
Scammer compounds are "run by Chinese criminal syndicates mostly based in Myanmar's lawless border regions," but "so far, little coordinated effort has been made to stop them," says The Washington Post editorial board. Since "no central U.S. agency exists specifically for victims to report cyberscams, there's little reliable data." A "global approach would be even more effective." Since "Americans and Chinese are the primary victims, Washington and Beijing should cooperate to combat the syndicates."

'Guns are not just for conservative white men'
David Yamane at The Hill
The "longstanding diversity of gun owners has accelerated" as "part of a broader shift in the center of gravity of U.S. gun culture," says David Yamane. This is "more diverse and inclusive than America's historic gun culture because, unlike hunting, for example, security is a universal human concern." Guns are "still often associated with a specific image: conservative, rural, white, heterosexual and cis male," but that "stereotype doesn't tell the whole story."

'The enduring magic of reading out loud'
Julia Cho at The Boston Globe
"Reading aloud together feels like an oddly subversive act, given the siren call of screens and scrolling," says Julia Cho. It "forces us to slow down and pay attention. We humbly fumble our words sometimes. We hear beautiful sentences uttered aloud." This "shouldn't be relegated to bedtime with young children." Books "offer us nuance, meaning and things to 'weigh and consider,'" so "perhaps reading them aloud to each other is the act of courage we all need."

 
 
WORD OF THE DAY

lemonading

Generating positive experiences even under challenging circumstances, taken from the adage "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." This approach to life can help build resilience in stressful situations, according to a new study from Oregon State University. 

 
 

Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Rafi Schwartz and Anahi Valenzuela, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images; Raul Arboleda / AFP via Getty Images; Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images; Hachette