Armas Weekend Reader
This week: Pride goes bad, the Biden White House in collapse, Hollywood gives up on China, the worst day of their lives in Uvalde, and 1970s poverty in Northern Ireland. Let’s go —
1) “The changes in the gay activist left’s targets and in their aggression have been building for years now. Long gone are the days of gay pride as a movement that claims it’s for inclusion, acceptance, and self-esteem. While the gay activist movement always fought for a hard shift from traditional, Christian values on things like marriage, these days June 1 marks the start of a month of targeted campaigns to force submission to left-wing policies often far afield from even the radical goals of America’s first gay activists.”
2) “Crises have piled up in ways that have at times made the Biden White House look flat-footed: record inflation, high gas prices, a rise in Covid case numbers — and now a Texas school massacre that is one more horrific reminder that he has been unable to get Congress to pass legislation to curb gun violence. Democratic leaders are at a loss about how he can revive his prospects by November, when midterm elections may cost his party control of Congress.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-white-house-adrift-rcna30121
3) “Any move by Apple, the largest U.S. company by market capitalization, to emphasize production outside China could influence the thinking of other Western companies that have been considering how to reduce dependence on China for manufacturing or key materials. Such consideration has stepped up this year after Beijing refrained from criticizing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and carried out lockdowns in some cities to fight Covid-19.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-looks-to-boost-production-outside-china-11653142077
4) “At least 21 Black staffers have left the White House since late last year or are planning to leave soon. Some of those who remain say it’s no wonder why: They describe a work environment with little support from their superiors and fewer chances for promotion.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/31/biden-white-house-black-staffers-00035931
5) “In less than three years, Chinese executives have gone from rushing toward financing opportunities in Hollywood to steering clear, at the same time that other Western businesses have shifted their perception of China from an attractive growth market of 1.4 billion consumers to a thicket of uncertainty.”
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