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| By The Free Press |
It’s Wednesday, February 25. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Josh Code’s crash course in snow-cialism. When paradise becomes the front line in a drug war. Tina Brown on how the Epstein revelations are ripping through the British elite. And much more.
But first: Trump mixes patriotism and partisan trolls at the State of the Union.
We are said to be living in a time of dwindling attention spans. But State of the Union addresses are not getting any shorter. Donald Trump beat his own record for the longest State of the Union in American history last night. His address clocked in at 1 hour and 48 minutes. (Let’s hear it for Richard Nixon, who holds the record for the shortest State of the Union—a tight 28 minutes and 55 seconds in 1972.)
So what did Trump do with all that time? Well, quite a lot. He basked in the glory of the Olympic champions of the U.S. men’s hockey team, and even gave goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He attacked what he called the Supreme Court’s “very unfortunate” ruling on tariffs—which he said he hoped would replace income tax. He heralded what he sees as the biggest achievements of his first year in office. He honored American military heroes young and old. He issued a warning to Iran. He goaded Democrats. And much else beyond all that.
But what did it all add up to? For an answer to that question, we turn to Eli Lake. He watched the speech so you didn’t have to. Read his analysis of Trump’s attempt to reset his second term:
And for those of you who weren’t tuned in last night, catch up on The Free Press’s State of the Union livestream, hosted by Will Rahn and Reihan Salam, and featuring analysis from Matt Taibbi, Elliott Abrams, Ruy Teixeira, Brianna Wu, Eliana Johnson, and others.
—Oliver Wiseman
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The Nor’Easter News
This week’s blockbuster blizzard officially dumped nearly 20 inches of snow on New York City, the most in a decade. In response, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a call for emergency snow shovelers, offering up to $30 an hour. The Free Press’s Josh Code signed up—only to discover how messy civic life can be. Read Josh’s account of his day clearing New York’s streets:
Are nor’easters like the one that hit Sunday and Monday a scientific anomaly, or are they getting more prevalent? Some have blamed climate change for more extreme weather. But what’s the truth? For that, we turn to Roger Pielke Jr. Read Roger’s explanation of the shaky science—and reality:
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Tina Brown: An Arrested Ambassador, a Fallen Prince, and Britain’s Epstein Reckoning | ||||
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The Gringo Dream Burns in Puerto Vallarta | ||||
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Confessions of a Former OnlyFans Model | ||||
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