🏒 FACEOFF 🏒

The end of the Gibbs era.

Before we had children, we liked watching TV. Not cable news or anything like that, but I liked watching shows. The Americans, The Blacklist, 24, The Office, Parks & Rec, How I Met Your Mother, etc. But one of my favorites was NCIS. I’m a sucker for Donald P. Bellasario joints. (Especially Airwolf.)

The show has been a massive success, and even has spinoffs. It’s just a good-hearted show, and even though it’s filmed in California and it’s kind of obvious that it’s not D.C., I always appreciated the attempts, even when poorly done, at representing the D.C. area. After our kids were born, I sort of lost touch with the show.

Over the weekend, I read that Gibbs, portrayed by Mark Harmon, was leaving the show. So, I dropped in to watch his last official episode. (He remains an executive producer and may pop back from time to time.)

18 years is a long time for a character on a show… and it is quite a show. Now it carries on without its lead. I’m glad I checked back in to see the Gibbs goodbye. He’ll be missed.

Leading The Bulwark…

Here Come the Fights Over Religious Exemptions to Vaccine Mandates

DANIEL N. GULLOTTA: Law, morality, and faith.

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🎧 On the Pod… 🎧

Will Saletan: The Vaccination Culture War

After its embrace of the unvaccinated and the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, the GOP can no longer claim it's the party of law and order. Do the Democrats have it in them to take on that role? Will Saletan joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

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MORNING SHOTS: Militias with Badges 🔓

CHARLIE SYKES: Here come the sheriffs of MAGA-town.

THE TRIAD: The End of the Desert Storm Age 🔐

JVL: We didn't know it then, but Operation Desert Storm was the turning point.

ATMA: Ridley Scott's Best Movies 🔐

On this week’s special bonus episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa discuss their favorite Ridley Scott movies. With over 40 years of films under his belt, there are a great number to choose from: what made the cut?

From The Bulwark Aggregator…

• Biden quietly deciding how to restart student loan payments - Michael Stratford, Politico

• Jan. 6 panel lays out criminal contempt case against Bannon - Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

• Ad exaggerates potential impact of Biden estate-tax plan - Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post

• Build Back Better Is a Jobs Program. Why Won’t Democrats Call It That? - Farah Stockman, Politico

• Americans Want Racial Diversity More Than Ever Before - J.D. Tuccille, Reason

• QAnon Celeb Tries to Leave Q Behind to Run for Congress in Arizona - Will Sommer, The Daily Beast

• Virginia’s Election Is Breaking the Rules - Gabriel Debenedetti, Intelligencer

In Today’s Bulwark...

China’s New Missile Demands Better Defenses

SHAY KHATIRI: Sometimes the best offense is a good defense.

Steve Bannon Out in the Open

THOMAS LECAQUE AND J.L. TOMLIN: The erstwhile Trump adviser is refusing to talk to the Jan. 6 committee, but most of his energetic anti-democratic activities are in plain sight.

ATMA: Is Netflix's Handling of Dave Chappelle a Controversy or a Nontroversy?

On this episode, Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman ask whether Dave Chappelle, his new special, and the way Netflix has handled internal and external fallout from its airing, are controversies, or nontroversies.

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🚨OVERTIME 🚨

Join me tonight! I’ll be going on LPTV to talk with Rick Wilson and Tara Setmayer about the news of the day.

White Flag with Joe Walsh. A new podcast with our friend, former Rep. Joe Walsh you definitely should check out.

Joe Walsh @WalshFreedom

Excited to share what I’ve been working on: Today we launch White Flag with Joe Walsh, focused on forging common ground across the divide. First 2 eps include @AndrewYang, @RealDLHughley. Hope you’ll join me on this journey. Take a listen, leave 5 stars! 🙏🏻podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whi…‎White Flag with Joe Walsh on Apple PodcastsIt’s never easy to talk with people who don’t agree with you; and yet, problems cannot be solved without the search for common ground. Joe Walsh is a former U.S. Congressman, a former Presidential candidate, a radio host, and a man whose personal mission is to LISTEN. With WHITE FLAG with JOE WALSH,…podcasts.apple.com

October 19th 2021

49 Retweets224 Likes

The future of computing. I think it’s here.

A great Colin Powell story. Worth a minute of your time. RIP.

The final stage of COVID denialism. It’s here.

Jonathan Chait @jonathanchait

The creepy final stage of covid denialism Conservatives Are Starting to Say Covid Is a Positive GoodThe creepy final stage of denial.nymag.com

October 19th 2021

21 Retweets49 Likes

How the American Right fell in love with Hungary. At the Times, a long read from Elisabeth Zerofsky.

MATT LABASH ALERT: On how our anger problem is making him angry. Subscribe today, if you haven’t.

Our QAnon fellow countrymen and women are still at it…

“We’re from Indiana and we’re gonna move!” It’s an old joke from Jim Gaffigan, but the opposite is true today, The Wall Street Journal reports.

How Mitch McConnell created an unregulated THC market. Whoopsie.

What’s the solution to zebras on the loose? Naturally, more zebras.

That’s it for me for today. We’ll see you back here tomorrow. Tech support questions? Email support@substack.com. Questions for me? Drop me a line: swift@thebulwark.com

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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.