‘It may portend something more ominous’

‘Jeff Bezos needs to speak up’

Jonathan Chait at The Atlantic

FBI agents “searched the home of the Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson,” but “journalists are supposed to enjoy legal protections from raids,” says Jonathan Chait. If the “government could treat them as criminals for acquiring nonpublic information, their work — protected by the First Amendment — would become impossible.” The “question that has hung over” the Post since owner Jeff Bezos’ “heel turn has been whether he is still willing to protect the paper from a president who yearns to subdue it.”

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‘Texas A&M just decided an ancient philosopher is too woke to teach’

Sara Pequeño at USA Today

Plato’s “Symposium” is “apparently too focused on gender to be taught in a Texas A&M University classroom,” says Sara Pequeño. While “university leaders swear they aren’t going to stop teaching Plato altogether, it sure seems like not being able to teach one of the philosopher’s most famous works is detrimental to the learning experience.” For a “group constantly whining about the rise of ‘cancel culture,’ it sure seems like the desire to silence differing opinions is a uniquely Republican one.”

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‘An unreliable America is making Japan turn to drumstick diplomacy’

Leo Lewis at the Financial Times

A recent “duet featuring Sanae Takaichi (on drums) and Lee Jae Myung (also on drums) was lacking in polish,” says Leo Lewis. Japan’s prime minister and South Korea’s president “bore distinct signs of rustiness,” but as a “piece of made-for-meme drumstick diplomacy, and an index of a new strain of middle power pragmatism in a crumbling global order, not a beat was missed.” Global leaders “should consider this a lesson in how to keep some sort of rhythm going.”

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‘Restore constitutional monarchy to honor lost Iranian lives’

Faezeh Alavi at The Jerusalem Post

Amid “headlines regarding the Iranian uprising, internet shutdowns, and an unconfirmed but extremely high death toll, one voice is conspicuously missing from the global conversation: ‘Long Live the Shah,’” says Faezeh Alavi. The “irony is that this slogan has been chanted in almost every city that joined the protests across Iran,” so why is the “world obsessed with refusing to talk about it?” Given the “media’s current approach, few outlets are interested in covering the reality.”

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