Snapshot · The Bulwark Podcast
John Dickerson argued that JD Vance's attempt to rehabilitate Nixon ignores the 'smoking gun' tape in which Nixon himself ordered the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation.
Where this was said
At 12:35 · chapter starts 9:05
Tim Miller recounts the surreal spectacle of JD Vance delivering carefully prepared remarks at the Nixon Foundation claiming Nixon is enjoying a renaissance and that Watergate would barely register as news today. John Dickerson's mother Nancy covered the Nixon White House for NBC, giving him a personal thread into the era — including Nixon's late-night, drink-fueled call to her expressing love for the Mall protesters, shortly before his famous midnight visit to the Lincoln Memorial. Dickerson then dissects the political logic of Vance's Nixon rehabilitation: it connects the administration's grievances about presidential power to a grievance with popular cultural resonance, framing critics as 'ninnies' or 'nattering nabobs' in the elite-versus-real-America framing. The problem, Dickerson argues with cutting precision, is that the smoking-gun tape is Nixon's own voice — there is no deep state to blame when the president is literally caught on recording ordering the CIA to obstruct justice. He and Miller also note the historical absurdity of claiming a 'deep state' victimized Nixon when the CIA and DOJ were in fact complicit in the coverup. [1] — John Dickerson "JD Vance's argument that Watergate would be a 12-hour news story today is a deliberate strategy to connect present grievances about preside…" 11:25
JD Vance's argument that Watergate would be a 12-hour news story today is a deliberate strategy to connect present grievances about presidential power to a popular grievance. The problem: Nixon's own voice on the smoking-gun tape makes the 'deep state victim' narrative impossible.
The US government is actively doing critical minerals deals worth ~$9 billion with at least 14 companies that have financial ties to Trump or Lutnick.
A New York Times report documents 14 companies with Trump or Lutnick financial ties winning roughly $9 billion in critical minerals deals. The Kazakhstan tungsten deal — where both Trump and Lutnick family announced lucrative connections shortly after a Trump-Lutnick-Kazakh summit — is the template.
The total value of critical minerals deals benefiting Trump-connected companies stands at approximately $9 billion.
Joel de la Garza noted that the CISO role is a relatively recent invention, with Steve Katz widely credited as the first-ever CISO.
Superficial adoption of electricity gave factories only 6% efficiency gains; fully redesigning factories around it delivered a 3x productivity improvement that powered 20th-century US growth.
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
The CIA supply plane that blew open the scandal was flying at only 2,500 feet in broad daylight when it was shot down on October 5, 1986.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.