'The U.S. has fallen into Iran's trap'

'Weakness invites war with Iran'

Seth Cropsey in The Wall Street Journal

Iran has used the war its Hamas allies ignited in Gaza to "accomplish a primary strategic objective — dividing the U.S. and Israel," says Seth Cropsey. President Joe Biden responded to Israel's Rafah push by pausing some military shipments to Israel, accelerating a "potential rupture with the Jewish state that overwhelmingly benefits America's enemies." Iran can't "conquer Israel," but it can turn world opinion against Israel and the U.S. by exploiting Biden's weakness to "slow down the war."  

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'Biden is counting on abortion to help him win. That's risky.'

Melissa Gira Grant in The New Republic

The consensus is that the overturning of Roe v. Wade is a "gift for Biden and a potential landmine" for his election rival, Donald Trump, says Melissa Gira Grant. The theory is that Biden can "benefit from the Dobbs decision by condemning Republicans for helping to overturn Roe," and Trump will help by taking credit for ending Roe, turning away moderates. But polls suggest Dobbs didn't change voters' abortion views as much as campaigns think.

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'Flying is getting more turbulent. Airlines better buckle up.'

Lara Williams at Bloomberg

It's not yet clear what caused the violent turbulence that left one person with a heart condition dead on a Singapore Airlines flight, says Lara Williams. Monsoon season might have contributed. "But we'd be foolish to ignore the role that the climate crisis is playing in making air travel choppier." Wind shears within jet streams are increasing and worsening severe turbulence as the atmosphere warms. New aircraft should be designed with that in mind. Meanwhile, "buckle up."

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'The raiding of Red Lobster'

Luke Goldstein at The American Prospect

"Endless Shrimp" didn't bankrupt Red Lobster, says Luke Goldstein. The promotion was a "disaster," but losses only totaled $11 million. Red Lobster is investigating whether majority shareholder and seafood supplier Thai Union Group pushed the deal to boost its own sales. But the "fiasco was a minor speed bump amid a series of poor business decisions," including the sale of Red Lobster's "most valuable asset" — its real estate — by a previous private equity owner, Golden Gate Capital.

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