The Week Evening Review
GOP pushback to DOGE, Poland's military strength, and Amazon's James Bond deal

 
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION

Why is the GOP suddenly panicking about DOGE?

Despite all the ambiguities surrounding the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency effort, there's little doubt that the Elon Musk-helmed enterprise is among the most consequential features of President Donald Trump's second term so far. Largely undeterred by various legal attempts at constraint, Musk and company have pushed ahead with DOGE's campaign promise of a slash-and-burn rampage through the federal government. Democratic lawmakers have scrambled to form a coherent bulwark of opposition, but lately, a new line of DOGE criticism has emerged from an unlikely source: Republican lawmakers who have begun cautiously raising concerns about how the program is affecting their home districts and constituents.

What did the commentators say?
Capitol Hill conservatives are "growing unnerved" by a sense that DOGE is an "imprecise exercise," said Axios, as "job and funding cuts are now hitting GOP lawmakers' districts and states." All this is occurring amid a "larger conflict" over the White House's legal authority to "bypass Congress on these decisions." While most Republican lawmakers are opting for a "quieter approach" rather than frontal criticisms of Musk and the Trump administration, their anxieties "underscore the clash between shrinking government and parochial interests," said CBS News. 

Congress "can't do anything except complain about it," said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during a press call this week. The comment was a "stark admission" that there's "little the GOP might be able or willing to do" despite party members' growing "discomfort" over DOGE's impact and effects, said Politico. 

Republicans are "particularly uneasy" with how DOGE's cuts have affected veterans who have been "disproportionately affected" by the group's expansive layoffs, said Politico. Although the conservative lawmakers' reactions began as "more muted" than that of their Democratic colleagues, their outcry became more "vocal" in a sign that "blowback to the firings was widespread."

What next?
Republicans have been receiving a "deluge of calls from worried constituents," said CNN, prompting some to begin "testing the waters for what a new era of pushback in a second Trump term looks like." Some GOP lawmakers have resorted to using "back channels" to understand the scope and scale of DOGE's efforts before making any public moves. Ultimately, Republicans are "not without leverage," said Axios. Trump will need to keep "nearly every GOP lawmaker sated" to pass his budget bill later this year.

 
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY

'We are going to follow the law, sir. We will see you in court.'

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) clashing with Trump today during a meeting of governors at the White House after the president threatened the state over an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. "You'd better comply," he said. "Otherwise, you are not getting any federal funding."

 
 
THE EXPLAINER

How Poland became Europe's military power

Centuries after Poland was considered one of the world's great powers, its "winged hussars are back," said The Economist. Last year's Armed Forces Day was celebrated with a display that showed its military is "better trained and equipped than at any other time in the country's history," said The Parliament magazine. 

Poland has become one of the key military players in NATO, allocating 4.12% of its GDP to defense in 2024 — twice the organization's target and more than the U.S. It aims to boost that to 4.7% this year. And it has grown its armed forces from the ninth-biggest in NATO in 2014 to third today, doubling the number of personnel and tripling its spending in real terms to $35 billion. Among European allies, only the U.K., France and Germany spend more. 

How is Poland growing its military strength? 
Since the introduction of the Homeland Defence Act in 2022, Warsaw has bought "hundreds" of tanks, howitzers and rocket systems, said The Economist. "Pride of place" was an estimated $60 billion worth of equipment from the U.S. 

Military personnel numbers have also grown since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. From about 99,000 a decade ago, they hit 116,200 in 2020 before jumping to an estimated 216,000 today. The only countries ahead of them in numbers are the U.S. and Turkey, said the independent Notes from Poland. 

What's driving Poland's military growth? 
There's one clear reason, said The Parliament: Russia's "unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022." Poland shares a border with Belarus, a close Russian ally, and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, leaving it potentially vulnerable. A month after Moscow launched its attack, the Polish government passed the Homeland Defence Act expanding its armed forces. 

Warsaw's relationship with the U.S. has also played a key part, said Politico. Polish politicians hope their military spending spree will make an impression on President Donald Trump, who has frequently called for greater defense spending from NATO. "It's kind of an insurance policy," said Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.

 
 

Statistic of the day

477: The number of iconic luck-bringing cat figurines called maneki-neko ("beckoning cat" in Japanese) reportedly stolen from Gordan Ramsay's new restaurant in London. Each one costs about $5.60, said the chef, with a total loss of approximately $2,714. The new restaurant is one of 80 in Ramsay's global food empire. 

 
 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Amazon's 'Bond' deal could mean a new future for 007

It was announced yesterday that a deal had been reached to give control of the "James Bond" film series to Amazon-MGM, likely opening the doors to a whole new future for Hollywood's most legendary spy. The agreement relinquishes control of the "Bond" IP from the longtime stewards of the franchise.

What are the deal's terms?
The deal was made between Amazon MGM and the Broccoli family, whose patriarch, Albert Broccoli, started the "Bond" film franchise 60 years ago. The two parties "formed a new joint venture to house the 'James Bond' intellectual property rights" under which Amazon MGM Studios will "gain creative control" of the "Bond" franchise, Amazon said in a press release. With this deal, Albert Broccoli's daughter Barbara Broccoli and her stepson Michael Wilson are "stepping down from their creative roles and allowing the new home of the "Bond" franchise to take the lead."

What does it mean for 'Bond'?
Broccoli and her stepson had "extraordinary control over the "Bond" franchise, personally steering the films" in certain directions, said IndieWire. More than anything, they were the "arbiters of 'what is a James Bond film,' navigating Bond's post-Cold War reinvention with Pierce Brosnan in the '90s and selecting Daniel Craig as his replacement in 2005."

Now that Amazon and its owner, Jeff Bezos, are at the helm, there's the "possibility of more "Bond" projects than ever. But at what cost?" said IndieWire. It's "hard not to think that 'Bond' has sold out," given that for the Broccolis, each "'Bond' film was a bespoke product of a family business." 

The deal is part of the "transition from movies to content, from curated popcorn to popcorn sold by the yard," said Variety. There's now potential, too, for the franchise to be spun off into a larger saga. 

Amazon and Bezos wanted the "Bond" IP so badly that they paid a lofty sum. They purchased MGM for $8.5 billion in 2022, said Deadline, but it "took another $1 billion to ensure that they could fully steer and exploit" the "Bond" franchise.

 
 

Good day ☄️

… for our planet. The recently discovered Asteroid 2024 YR4 now has almost zero chance of hitting Earth in 2032. The probability of impact peaked at 3.1% two days ago before dropping to only a 0.28% chance, according to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It's "clearly headed for zero, as we expected," Paul Chodas, the center's director, said to The Washington Post.

 
 

Bad day 🎣

… for doomsayers. The oarfish, a rare deep-sea creature "regarded as a harbinger of doom," recently washed up on a beach in the Canary Islands, said the Independent. The eel-like fish typically inhabits a deep water region where light cannot penetrate and is often called a doomsday fish because of its superstitious reputation as a natural disaster predictor in Japanese folklore.

 
 
Picture of the day

Cheeky monkey

A veterinarian holds a critically endangered Kalimantan orangutan, born at Bandung Zoo in West Java, Indonesia, in December.
Septianjar Muharam / Xinhua / Alamy Live News

 
 
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

Unforeseen events bring up a lot of questions for travelers, including whether or not it's safe to visit the affected area and the best way to help a devastated community. This is what to know if your trip gets interrupted or potentially postponed by a natural disaster.

What happens if you get caught in a natural disaster while traveling?
Should you find yourself in a disaster, stay informed and heed warnings and evacuation orders. You can sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, aka STEP, prior to leaving on an international trip. Keep tabs on everyone in your group and "always make a point of moving as a unit," said Thrillist. 

What do you do if you have a trip planned to an affected area?
You do not want to get in the way of recovery efforts or be a burden on the infrastructure. Call the hotel you booked, and ask for their on-the-ground assessment. You can also check with "local guides or other connections" to "advise on what the situation is like," said Outside. 

Is it ethical to visit an area affected by a natural disaster?
It's one thing to visit a place that was hit by a natural disaster and another to travel there specifically to see the destruction. Be respectful by avoiding disaster zones and refraining from taking photos of destroyed homes or property. Eat at locally owned establishments, "tip generously," and "stay at hotels that assisted evacuees," said Condé Nast Traveler. You can also look for volunteer opportunities, like distributing supplies or preparing meals.

 
 

Poll watch

Over half of Americans (54%) say the government's system of checks and balances is not working well, according to a Quinnipiac survey. The poll of 1,039 people found that Democrats were far more critical of the system, with 80% saying the checks and balances aren't working well compared to 34% of Republicans.

 
 
INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'Family separation leaves lifelong scars'
Nahid Fattahi at The Progressive
Mass deportation is "framed as law and order, yet rarely do we discuss its profound human toll not just on those deported but on the children and communities they leave behind," says Nahid Fattahi. Family separation is "not a momentary crisis; it's a trauma that lingers." Undocumented immigrants are "often dehumanized, criminalized and reduced to statistics." We "rarely acknowledge them for who they truly are: parents seeking safety, families striving for a better future, individuals fleeing violence."

'After 10,000 years, let's bury the plow'
Dana Milbank at The Washington Post
It's "nothing short of revolutionary that, in our time, the plow is heading toward extinction or something close to it," says Dana Milbank. The "demise of the plow and other tools that turn the soil is a rare good-news story in these depressing times for Planet Earth." Modern "tillage had become an ecological disaster, killing all that was alive in the soil while worsening erosion and runoff." This is a "boon to flora and fauna throughout the ecosystem."

'Two-and-a-half cheers for Trump's new trade approach'
Alan Tonelson at The American Conservative
There's "so much to like" about Trump's "reciprocal tariff blueprint, it's hard to know where to begin," says Alan Tonelson. But it "does raise some knotty issues that the new administration should address." The "trade law system has always been too slow-moving, was too reactive and worked in far too piecemeal a way." On "paper, high-enough American tariffs should be able to offset the major damage inflicted on U.S.-based producers by this foreign gimmickry."

 
 
WORD OF THE DAY

smellscape

An area of a museum that uses scent to create an immersive experience. Researchers in London and Slovenia, working with curators from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, have used electronic equipment and "trained human sniffers" to investigate the smell of mummified bodies and found them to be "woody," "spicy" and "sweet," said Sky News.

 
 

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

Image credits, from top: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images; Wojtek Radwanski / Getty Images; Tristan Fewings / Getty Images for EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Universal Pictures; AaronP / Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images