The Dispatch
@thedispatchmedia.bsky.social
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Slouching Towards Tyranny
On a dark hour for the American right.
thedispatch.com
The underlying assumption, held by leaders across the political spectrum, is that appealing to America’s loftiest ideals for reasons unrelated to partisan advantage is for suckers.
We reject that premise.
From The Dispatch Editors:
thedispatch.com/article/decl...
We reject that premise.
From The Dispatch Editors:
thedispatch.com/article/decl...
"The administration’s National Defense Strategy is heavy on politics and skimps on policy." | Eric S. Edelman
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-national-defense-strategy-europe-china-homeland/
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-national-defense-strategy-europe-china-homeland/
The Allure of Magical Realism
The administration’s National Defense Strategy is heavy on politics and skimps on policy.
thedispatch.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:15 PM
"The administration’s National Defense Strategy is heavy on politics and skimps on policy." | Eric S. Edelman
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-national-defense-strategy-europe-china-homeland/
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-national-defense-strategy-europe-china-homeland/
Will DHS Funding Cause a Shutdown?
Charles Hilu shares the latest:
Charles Hilu shares the latest:
January 29, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Will DHS Funding Cause a Shutdown?
Charles Hilu shares the latest:
Charles Hilu shares the latest:
Will DHS Funding Cause a Shutdown? Plus: FBI raids Fulton County election hub, the Fed holds interest rates stable, and Nicki Minaj is a Trump stan | Morning Dispatch
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/will-dhs-funding-cause-a-shutdown/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/will-dhs-funding-cause-a-shutdown/
January 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Will DHS Funding Cause a Shutdown? Plus: FBI raids Fulton County election hub, the Fed holds interest rates stable, and Nicki Minaj is a Trump stan | Morning Dispatch
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/will-dhs-funding-cause-a-shutdown/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/will-dhs-funding-cause-a-shutdown/
"Firing Kristi Noem would be a simulacrum of accountability." | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/noem-bovino-trump-ice-minnesota-shooting/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/noem-bovino-trump-ice-minnesota-shooting/
January 29, 2026 at 1:30 AM
"Firing Kristi Noem would be a simulacrum of accountability." | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/noem-bovino-trump-ice-minnesota-shooting/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/noem-bovino-trump-ice-minnesota-shooting/
January 28, 2026 at 10:34 PM
"I didn't think [Trump] could actually get control of the border the way he did without Congress to some extent, and that's a really big deal." | Jonah Goldberg on The Dispatch Podcast
January 28, 2026 at 9:13 PM
"I didn't think [Trump] could actually get control of the border the way he did without Congress to some extent, and that's a really big deal." | Jonah Goldberg on The Dispatch Podcast
"Based on existing scientific data, one of these announcements represents a dangerously wrong turn in public health, and the other is at least fine and arguably positive advice well worth following." | Emily Oster
https://thedispatch.com/article/rfk-jr-food-guidelines-vaccine-schedule-health-trust/
https://thedispatch.com/article/rfk-jr-food-guidelines-vaccine-schedule-health-trust/
Let’s Be Honest About Public Health Guidance
How to think about two different sets of recommendations from RFK Jr.
thedispatch.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:00 PM
"Based on existing scientific data, one of these announcements represents a dangerously wrong turn in public health, and the other is at least fine and arguably positive advice well worth following." | Emily Oster
https://thedispatch.com/article/rfk-jr-food-guidelines-vaccine-schedule-health-trust/
https://thedispatch.com/article/rfk-jr-food-guidelines-vaccine-schedule-health-trust/
As Thom Tillis' Senate career winds down, can the North Carolina Republican throw a wrench in the chamber’s gears? | Charles Hilu
https://thedispatch.com/article/thom-tillis-senate-nominees-blocking/
https://thedispatch.com/article/thom-tillis-senate-nominees-blocking/
Thom Tillis and the Power of a Single Senator
As his Senate career winds down, can the North Carolina Republican throw a wrench in the chamber’s gears?
thedispatch.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM
As Thom Tillis' Senate career winds down, can the North Carolina Republican throw a wrench in the chamber’s gears? | Charles Hilu
https://thedispatch.com/article/thom-tillis-senate-nominees-blocking/
https://thedispatch.com/article/thom-tillis-senate-nominees-blocking/
"The residual trust that Europeans had in the United States as a benign, friendly nation, albeit governed by an eccentric and mercurial president, has all but evaporated." | Dalibor Rohac
https://thedispatch.com/article/europe-rebukes-trump-greenland-nato/
https://thedispatch.com/article/europe-rebukes-trump-greenland-nato/
Europe Stood Up to Donald Trump. What Next?
The damage done to the transatlantic relationship will not be easy to fix.
thedispatch.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:00 PM
"The residual trust that Europeans had in the United States as a benign, friendly nation, albeit governed by an eccentric and mercurial president, has all but evaporated." | Dalibor Rohac
https://thedispatch.com/article/europe-rebukes-trump-greenland-nato/
https://thedispatch.com/article/europe-rebukes-trump-greenland-nato/
"The Trump administration doesn’t care what the truth is in the Alex Pretti killing." | Jonah Goldberg
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-administration-alex-peretti-shooting-reaction-lies/
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-administration-alex-peretti-shooting-reaction-lies/
Worse Than Lying
The Trump administration doesn’t care what the truth is in the Alex Pretti killing.
thedispatch.com
January 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM
"The Trump administration doesn’t care what the truth is in the Alex Pretti killing." | Jonah Goldberg
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-administration-alex-peretti-shooting-reaction-lies/
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-administration-alex-peretti-shooting-reaction-lies/
Dispatch Editorial: As we end the first month of 2026, the governing spirit of the United States is not populism… It is chaos.
https://thedispatch.com/article/the-cost-of-silence/
https://thedispatch.com/article/the-cost-of-silence/
January 28, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Dispatch Editorial: As we end the first month of 2026, the governing spirit of the United States is not populism… It is chaos.
https://thedispatch.com/article/the-cost-of-silence/
https://thedispatch.com/article/the-cost-of-silence/
Why Is Crime Down in America? Plus: Lawmakers call for Noem’s removal, the FAA is blamed for last year’s fatal Washington plane crash, and elephants get contraceptives. | Morning Dispatch
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/why-is-crime-down-in-america/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/why-is-crime-down-in-america/
Why Is Crime Down in America?
Plus: Lawmakers call for Noem’s removal, the FAA is blamed for last year’s fatal Washington plane crash, and elephants get contraceptives.
thedispatch.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Why Is Crime Down in America? Plus: Lawmakers call for Noem’s removal, the FAA is blamed for last year’s fatal Washington plane crash, and elephants get contraceptives. | Morning Dispatch
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/why-is-crime-down-in-america/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/why-is-crime-down-in-america/
"This operation isn’t about finding and detaining the maximum number of illegals. It’s about asserting postliberal dominance over a liberal stronghold." | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/trump-retreat-minneapolis-border-ice-bovino-noem/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/trump-retreat-minneapolis-border-ice-bovino-noem/
January 28, 2026 at 2:00 AM
"This operation isn’t about finding and detaining the maximum number of illegals. It’s about asserting postliberal dominance over a liberal stronghold." | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/trump-retreat-minneapolis-border-ice-bovino-noem/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/trump-retreat-minneapolis-border-ice-bovino-noem/
America needs a conservative party | Jonah Goldberg on The Dispatch Podcast
January 28, 2026 at 1:01 AM
America needs a conservative party | Jonah Goldberg on The Dispatch Podcast
"Blame the victims, blame the gun, blame anything but the incompetents making the policy and the incompetents carrying it out." | Kevin D. Williamson
https://thedispatch.com/article/alex-pretti-ice-pistol-nra/
https://thedispatch.com/article/alex-pretti-ice-pistol-nra/
January 28, 2026 at 12:15 AM
"Blame the victims, blame the gun, blame anything but the incompetents making the policy and the incompetents carrying it out." | Kevin D. Williamson
https://thedispatch.com/article/alex-pretti-ice-pistol-nra/
https://thedispatch.com/article/alex-pretti-ice-pistol-nra/
"What the White House did not provide is an actionable legislative plan to lower the cost of health care for most Americans." | James C. Capretta
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-health-care-plan-status-quo/
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-health-care-plan-status-quo/
Assessing President Trump’s Plan to Lower Health Care Costs
Rising health costs have deep roots and can’t be fixed with superficial changes.
thedispatch.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:00 PM
"What the White House did not provide is an actionable legislative plan to lower the cost of health care for most Americans." | James C. Capretta
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-health-care-plan-status-quo/
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-health-care-plan-status-quo/
"A board designed to force a transition away from Hamas rule now includes states that have had a long investment in Hamas surviving that transition." | John Aziz
https://thedispatch.com/article/board-of-peace-gaza-palestinians-hamas-disarmament/
https://thedispatch.com/article/board-of-peace-gaza-palestinians-hamas-disarmament/
Trump’s Board of Peace and the Limits of Reconstruction
Half-measures toward disarming and replacing Hamas will set the stage for another cycle of war.
thedispatch.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:30 PM
"A board designed to force a transition away from Hamas rule now includes states that have had a long investment in Hamas surviving that transition." | John Aziz
https://thedispatch.com/article/board-of-peace-gaza-palestinians-hamas-disarmament/
https://thedispatch.com/article/board-of-peace-gaza-palestinians-hamas-disarmament/
Tread on Me: Alex Pretti and the end of conservatism | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
January 27, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Tread on Me: Alex Pretti and the end of conservatism | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
“My race is really going to be a test to see whether a normal, Texas conservative Republican can still get elected in the primary. I think it’s important that I win,” John Cornyn told The Dispatch | David M. Drucker
https://thedispatch.com/article/john-cornyn-texas-primary-ken-paxton-wesley-hunt/
https://thedispatch.com/article/john-cornyn-texas-primary-ken-paxton-wesley-hunt/
January 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM
“My race is really going to be a test to see whether a normal, Texas conservative Republican can still get elected in the primary. I think it’s important that I win,” John Cornyn told The Dispatch | David M. Drucker
https://thedispatch.com/article/john-cornyn-texas-primary-ken-paxton-wesley-hunt/
https://thedispatch.com/article/john-cornyn-texas-primary-ken-paxton-wesley-hunt/
Congratulations to Gemma for being last week’s Dispawtcher of the Week, and thank you to Dispatch Member Wendy Loreti for your submission.
Submit nominations by filling out the submission link in the G-File! Reminder: You must be a Dispatch member to participate.
Submit nominations by filling out the submission link in the G-File! Reminder: You must be a Dispatch member to participate.
January 27, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Congratulations to Gemma for being last week’s Dispawtcher of the Week, and thank you to Dispatch Member Wendy Loreti for your submission.
Submit nominations by filling out the submission link in the G-File! Reminder: You must be a Dispatch member to participate.
Submit nominations by filling out the submission link in the G-File! Reminder: You must be a Dispatch member to participate.
How the Trump administration has surrendered foreign policy tools for facilitating democracy | Grayson Logue
https://thedispatch.com/article/soft-power-pro-democracy-tools-state-department/
https://thedispatch.com/article/soft-power-pro-democracy-tools-state-department/
January 27, 2026 at 4:15 PM
How the Trump administration has surrendered foreign policy tools for facilitating democracy | Grayson Logue
https://thedispatch.com/article/soft-power-pro-democracy-tools-state-department/
https://thedispatch.com/article/soft-power-pro-democracy-tools-state-department/
The Fatal Shooting of Alex Pretti, and the Aftermath | Plus: Israel recovers the final hostage body, and the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln arrives in the Middle East. | Morning Dispatch
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/the-fatal-shooting-of-alex-pretti-and-the-aftermath/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/the-fatal-shooting-of-alex-pretti-and-the-aftermath/
January 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM
The Fatal Shooting of Alex Pretti, and the Aftermath | Plus: Israel recovers the final hostage body, and the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln arrives in the Middle East. | Morning Dispatch
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/the-fatal-shooting-of-alex-pretti-and-the-aftermath/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/morning/the-fatal-shooting-of-alex-pretti-and-the-aftermath/
"There is no doubt—zero—that the White House would have aggressively hidden the truth about Pretti’s death if bystanders hadn’t captured it." | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/alex-pretti-shooting-minneapolis-trump-noem-bovino/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/alex-pretti-shooting-minneapolis-trump-noem-bovino/
January 27, 2026 at 1:13 AM
"There is no doubt—zero—that the White House would have aggressively hidden the truth about Pretti’s death if bystanders hadn’t captured it." | Nick Catoggio in Boiling Frogs
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/alex-pretti-shooting-minneapolis-trump-noem-bovino/
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/alex-pretti-shooting-minneapolis-trump-noem-bovino/
Congress isn't acting like Congress | Jonah Goldberg on The Dispatch Podcast
January 27, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Congress isn't acting like Congress | Jonah Goldberg on The Dispatch Podcast
The Pro-Life Movement Finally Pushes Back Against Trump: Abortion opponents recoil at the president's call for ‘flexibility’ on taxpayer-funded abortion and inaction on Biden abortion pill rules | John McCormack
https://thedispatch.com/article/march-for-life-jd-vance-donald-trump-abortion/
https://thedispatch.com/article/march-for-life-jd-vance-donald-trump-abortion/
January 26, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The Pro-Life Movement Finally Pushes Back Against Trump: Abortion opponents recoil at the president's call for ‘flexibility’ on taxpayer-funded abortion and inaction on Biden abortion pill rules | John McCormack
https://thedispatch.com/article/march-for-life-jd-vance-donald-trump-abortion/
https://thedispatch.com/article/march-for-life-jd-vance-donald-trump-abortion/