It’s Thursday, July 23. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Eli Lake on the Trump administration’s latest First Amendment faux pas. Matt Taibbi on how the government controls your feed. Alex Berenson on why the cyclospora panic is more media fever than public-health crisis. And much more.
But first: Is #MeToo back?
In a matter of months, Cheyenne Hunt, a lawyer, influencer, and progressive activist, has become the face of a new #MeToo movement. The 29-year-old Democratic activist—who uses her online platform to find and help victims of sexual misconduct—was involved in two of the biggest political takedowns this year, claiming both Graham Platner’s and Eric Swalwell’s scalps.
Now Hunt plans to build on that success with a new nonprofit, Reckoning Action, and has named new targets: three Republican lawmakers. Many have called Hunt’s work “revolutionary.” But not everyone’s on board. Some, like Democratic heavyweight James Carville, worry that the same miscarriages of justice that happened with 2017’s first #MeToo will appear again. And Gloria Allred, the famed attorney who’s represented multiple Harvey Weinstein victims, warns that this brave new world, where people can fire off accusations with a simple social media post, may come back to bite some women. Can Hunt deliver the reckoning she promises while avoiding the excesses of the first wave of #MeToo? That’s the question at the heart of Olivia Reingold’s profile of Hunt. Don’t miss it.
—The Editors
A parasite called cyclospora is ravaging the country, causing hundreds of cases of diarrhea and sending many Americans to the hospital. The FDA attributed the outbreak to Taylor Farms lettuce, sparking produce boycotts across the nation. But the real controversy, argues Alex Berenson, is far more sinister than a batch of bad greens. The cyclospora panic is only the latest example of a legacy media narrative that, as he writes, “turns out to be full of watery (and sometimes explosive) reporting.”
Remember when the Trump administration claimed to care about the First Amendment? It feels like a while ago now. Eli Lake discusses in his piece today a showdown between the government and The New York Times. Last week, the Justice Department subpoenaed not just the phone records of Times reporters but those of their spouses and one journalist’s mother. Don’t miss Eli’s take on the Trump administration’s latest attack on free speech.
Eli goes deeper on all things censorship on a new special installment of Breaking History, featuring investigative journalist and friend of The Free Press Matt Taibbi. Eli and Matt dive into the censorship-industrial complex and tell the story of how the government controls your media diet without you realizing it.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani promised during his campaign to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister ever set foot in the city. Earlier this week, he announced what has always been obvious: that he does not have the authority to do so. But the problems with Mamdani’s shocking statement go much deeper than that. It was, writes Douglas Murray, “a tightly packed set of casuistry and lies.” Read Douglas’s full takedown.
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS
THE NEWS
President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant for each ship Iranian shoots at in the Strait of Hormuz. The threat comes at an especially tense moment in the conflict, as the U.S. prepares to bury four service members who were killed by Iranian strikes this month.
The White House announced Wednesday that President Trump has signed a 30-year nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that will create a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom. The deal opens the door for uranium enrichment, which is a key step in developing a nuclear weapon.
The House passed a bill limiting Congressional stock trading by a 232–198 margin. Most Democrats opposed the legislation, citing its light restrictions and the inclusion of a voter ID provision.
President Trump reportedly wants FIFA president Gianni Infantino to serve as the United Nations’ secretary-general. The suggestion, coming just weeks after Infantino granted Trump’s request to reverse Folarin Balogun’s red card during a World Cup match, will likely raise questions about corruption among his critics.
New York City landlords sued the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, seeking to overturn a rent-freeze policy that affects one million apartments. The complaint accused Mayor Zohran Mamdani of pressuring the panel, despite its status as an independent governing body. (For more on the rent-freeze battle, read landlord Matt Miller’s excellent piece.)
An independent autopsy found an undetermined cause and manner of death for Mississippi teen Nolan Wells. Wells was found dead two days after a July 4 outing to an island with friends, who returned without him. His case remains a mystery.
The Louvre reopened the Apollo Gallery to the public for the first time since thieves stole $102 million worth of crown jewels last October. While visitors will be able to walk through the room again, it will not display any exhibitions; instead it will serve as a ceremonial space, as it did in the 17th century.
I don't get the quid pro quo nature of Donald Trump's latest pronouncement on Iran! One bridge for one ship is complete horseshit! These evil bastards have just killed four American service members. How many bridges or power plants is an American life worth to Trump? It's time to destroy all the bridges and power plants that we can reach in Iran and bring the country to its knees. If we're not willing to do that, then Trump should just fold his tent and bring our troops home the way Biden did in Afghanistan! Maybe the IDF will finish the job in Iran and we can chalk up another failure that cost American lives to little or no avail! There once was a time in our history when we didn't start wars, we finished them. Now we just tend to waste American lives.
So The NY Times can slander the President, but the President can’t slander or sue The NY Times? So hypocritical is our media today.