{{current_date_full}}

🤳 Want to text me? Join me on Subtext in two steps:
1) Become a Newsweek member 2) Join Subtext here

Good morning,

🎶 Friday Listening: Shawn Smith - Wrapped in My Memory

Trivia: What show uses this song at the end of a shocking, turning point episode in the series? First person to email or text me the answer gets a personal shoutout in Monday's letter. No Googling!

Sometimes a story comes along that is just too perfect for words. Yesterday, the mission commander of Artemis II reported issues accessing his email, as his NASA-issued tablet came installed with two versions of Microsoft Outlook ... and neither one was working. We've all been there, brother. Imagine hurtling through space at 20,000 mph, going farther than any human in the history of mankind... the Blue Marble getting ever smaller in your rearview mirror... and you're still being prompted to "Stay Signed In On This Device?" Life is one big, black comedy if you've got the eyes to see it.

Happy early Easter, and happy belated Passover to all who celebrate. Why is Good Friday not a federal holiday? The markets are closed. Am I the only chump still working? Did you know the Brits get today and Monday off? I know I'm a broken record on this, but my More Holidays presidential campaign would be a winner.

As you can tell, I am procrastinating this morning. We could talk about how Pam Bondi is the latest to learn about the Faustian bargain of Trumpism, which is that even being a total sycophant who does everything the boss asks of you still isn't enough to save your career. We could ask why Pete Hegseth fired the Army chief of staff in the middle of a hot war, taking out one of the few people left in the chain of command who might defy an illegal order. We could once again wonder whether President Trump is purposely trying to kill off any chance the GOP has of holding the senate, with the news that his budget will ask for a massive increase in defense spending, to be partially paid for by cuts to healthcare entitlements. We could ponder how the president's powers of political persuasion disintegrate immediately when they come into contact with immovable events in the physical world, and how that explains why he is so uniquely bad at managing material crises like a pandemic, or a war.

But I am trying to be a little less negative. Trying be the operative word. Over on Subtext, we've been chatting this week about what a common-sense, centrist-ish/center-left political platform would look like in practice. I wanted to do a video essay on this for today before I realized I bit off more than I could chew. It's a rather big topic. But I also think this could be a fun, ongoing project for us this election season. One of the questions I get asked with regularity is some version of: "Hey dumbass, if you're so smart what would you do differently if you were in power?" It's a fair question, and I have some ideas (starting with adding more federal holidays).

Any new political project would have to start with the premise of JUST BE NORMAL. No identity politics. Hire and promote competent, boring, experienced people to execute your agenda. A relentless focus on making life better, and easier, for taxpayers. Moderate on stuff that isn't mission critical, or better yet, just ignore the extremists within your party completely. It's funny to me that the politician who implicitly understands this better than anyone in America right now is Zohran Mamdani, our communist, foreign-born mayor here in NYC. He's not perfect — far from it — but he has a preternatural ability to understand that the job of a politician is to make their constituents' lives just a little bit easier wherever they can. Fill the potholes. Pick up the trash. Test out new ways of delivering childcare. Get in Trump's good graces so he doesn't make your job harder, even if it means defying your base.

Some other big picture ideas:

Ditch the class warfare. It feels good but antagonizing the rich is self-defeating, since they make up the majority of the tax base. You want the rich to be, if not on your side, at least amenable to having their taxes raised further to fund certain key parts of this agenda. Instead, frame everything around the taxpayer, specifically those who work and are providing for their families. What's in the best interest of the median American breadwinner? That is the guidepost. Maybe we even call this Breadwinner Politics.

This doesn't mean you forgo the less fortunate. Part of this platform requires a reminder that the promise of America is predicated on everyone getting a fair shake, and being generous and forgiving of those who are struggling — because we understand that could be us one day, and these are our fellow citizens. That's why we endorse a strong social safety net, including some kind of universal healthcare, as well as a focus on incentivizing more family formation and more children, since we're going to have to hand off this big, messy experiment eventually.

On foreign affairs, we take the good from Trump's original platform before he got coopted by the neocons — a reorientation around doing deals, forging alliances and cooperation within our hemisphere and our backyard — and marry it with an otherwise non-interventionist policy. Reestablish our alliances with Europe, because they are our friends who have been there for us in the past, and we share a common culture. Abandonment of the Middle East and its problems (yes, this includes letting Israel stand on its own two feet). Cede hegemony of Asia and the East to China. There's nothing wrong with going back to a multipolar world.

That's a very rough, overly simplistic starting point. We can get into the nitty gritty as time allows in the weeks to come. But tell me what you guys think, and don't forget to join the group chat on Subtext if you want to keep the conversation going.

I’ll leave you with the discussion I had this week with Rich Logis, a former Trump true believer who has gone on to launch Leaving MAGA, a support group for others who have become disenchanted with the president and the ways his movement divides us. I enjoyed this one. Find it on the podcast feed and have a great holiday weekend.

Sign up for The 1600 in one click here. 🔔

Carlo Versano is Newsweek's Director of Politics and Culture. He has in-depth knowledge and experience covering a range of topics and stories over a 20-year career in the news business. Carlo joined Newsweek in 2024 after a stint at The Messenger. Before that, he was an Emmy-winning producer at NBC News. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond and the New School. You can get in touch with Carlo by emailing [email protected].

Subscribe to the 1600 Podcast 🔔
YouTube
Apple
Spotify
iHeartRadio

Rich Logis wanted out of MAGA. He tells Carlo how he did it, and how he's helping others do the same.

Watch the newest episode here. ⬅

By Jesus Mesa

President Donald Trump on Thursday ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi, marking the second Cabinet departure in less than a month and signaling a renewed willingness to move quickly on personnel decisions that had troubled him for months.

"Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year," Trump announced on Truth Social, adding that she would transition "to a much-needed and important new job in the private sector."

But Bondi is unlikely to be the last.

I attended the National Capital Planning Commission’s vote on the new White House Ballroom yesterday, which they approved the project, 8 to 1. The only no vote came from Democrat Phil Mendelson, the chair of the DC City Council.

Something I noticed was that there were a lot of empty seats. Keep in mind it was my first time there, but I expected the room to be packed because coverage of the ballroom has been front and center across the country. Even reporters who attended told me the room was much more crowded during previous hearings on this issue months ago.

I even arrived early because the press point of contact told me there was so much interest from the media and the public that we might not be allowed in if we did not get there early. Alas, that did not end up being the case.

Outside, I spotted a single protester, Jon Golinger, a progressive activist with Public Citizen, who told me more than 35,000 people sent public comments against construction of the ballroom.

He printed them all out and told me, “They range from people saying this project is bad, please vote no, to pages of ideas for how to make it better, or passionate poetry in some cases about why watching the demolition of the East Wing was personally painful to some people.”

To watch my full report, click here.

As the World Cup approaches and the 48 teams are now confirmed (sorry Carlo for Italy), we're getting a brutal reminder of who soccer is really for these days.

FIFA just dropped ticket prices for the 2026 final, and they're absolutely obscene. We're talking $10,990 for a seat—the most expensive general admission ticket in World Cup history. This is what happens when a massive tournament lands on U.S. soil and corporate hospitality becomes the priority.

Remember the bid? Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. promised max prices of $1,550 for a ticket in 2018. By this week's public sale, prices jumped again. A corporate suite for England-Panama? $124,800. The math doesn't work unless your name is on a Fortune 500 letterhead.

In 1994, when the US hosted the tournament for the first time, final tickets topped out at $1,500—roughly $3,300 in 2026 dollars. The average ticket cost just $58, with prices ranging from $25 to $475, making it accessible to working families. That inflation-adjusted average of $111 meant you could see three matches for around $300.

Twenty-two years later, the irony is suffocating: FIFA wants to grow soccer in America, yet they're pricing out the very people who could fall in love with the sport. Concerts, games, major events—they're all following the same playbook. Raise prices until only the wealthy can afford them, pack corporate suites with people who don't care about the match and call it success.

It's the same old story. As long as the wealthy keep paying, they don't care if the stadium is full of genuine passion or just platinum credit cards. The tournament kicks off in three months, and we're already watching it become something most of us can only watch on TV.

"I was just talking with the President."

— Tiger Woods to responding officers after he crashed his Range Rover in Florida last week, according to newly released bodycam footage of his arrest.

Newsweek is part of the Trust Project, which focuses on honesty, accuracy and fairness in journalism. Read more about our best practices. To get in touch with our newsroom with suggestions on how to point out possible errors, please contact us at [email protected].