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Lots of folks who swore that Trump would never ever go so far as to actively side with Russia over Ukraine are having “emergency” meetings and podcasts to discuss what today’s disgraceful Oval Office behavior means. Those conversations are for their own way forward to cope with the reality The Bulwark has been clear eyed about, and warned about. As a reader of The Bulwark, you already were able to see around this corner when a lot of pundits couldn’t or wouldn’t.

See around the next one with Professors Eliot Cohen and Eric Edelman, who recorded a special episode of Shield of the Republic just for you. Who better a former State Department counselor and former dean of SAIS and a former 2x ambassador and under secretary of defense, among other things? It’s a must listen:

A CASUAL OBSERVER OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION might conclude that the biggest problem facing our military is that some service members are transgender. That seems to be the implication of the administration’s rushed new policy to kick out trans service members on the grounds that they are, by definition, “incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.” But on the list of things I dealt with during twenty years in the Air Force, including as a squadron commander and deputy group commander, dealing with trans airmen was far down the list.

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IT HAS BEEN TWELVE YEARS SINCE Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie published her last novel, the much-acclaimed Americanah. She’s not exactly been idle during the interim. Americanah made her a literary celebrity, and her celebrity made her a cultural power station: She published three essays as standalone books, released a children’s book, and got to hear her own voice on a Beyoncé song thanks to the singer’s decision to sample one of her TED Talks. Adichie also found herself at the center of two different controversies during this period—the first concerning comments she made about trans women, the second regarding a feud between her and a former student. Of course, that covers only what happened during her nine-to-five; since Americanah’s release, she has also welcomed three children into the world. Perhaps for some, there are decades in which centuries happen.

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Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.

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Our 🎥YouTube offerings are the free-versions of shows, and they do have ads.

✍️Also: Did you know that every podcast has a transcript for B+ members? Yes! If you’re more a reader than a listener/viewer, open any podcast and the transcript button is beneath the player.

IT WAS SEVEN YEARS AGO, during the first Trump administration, that Frances McDormand won an Oscar for Best Actress. She asked every woman nominated for any award that night to stand, pointedly noted that “we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed,” and urged Hollywood’s powerbrokers to follow up.

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BRADY CORBET AND SEAN BAKER, the directors, respectively, of The Brutalist and Anora are using their awards campaigns to raise awareness of the financial condition of indie film. We should listen to them: Independent cinema is in trouble. The state of the industry is so dire that accurate descriptions would normally be dismissed as hyperbole. But it really is that bad right now.

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Happy Friday. Many of you are newish here, and we are immensely glad that you are. So you might not be familiar with this story.

Take a look at this picture. And if you don’t know the backstory of the picture, and why it made all of us very happy (it wasn’t the hats, but those too!), you should read this Will Selber story. Some of Afghanistan’s best people? They’re here now.

And a lot of you helped with families like that when Will asked for your help. Thank you. For those who joined in recent months, we’re a great place for analysis, but sometimes we really can come together to make a real difference for folks.

Army Deleting Online Content… Related to Women, Minorities Using Key Words Like ‘Respect’ and ‘Dignity’ (Steve Beynon, Military.com)

D.C. showing signs… of economic strain amid federal government cuts (WaPo)

Policing paradise: The unseen struggles of federal land law enforcement (Kathleen Dias, Police1)

Did Russia Invade Ukraine? Is Putin a Dictator? The Atlantic Asked Every Republican Member of Congress… and got few straight answers.🎁

Russ Vought Got His Trauma — But Not the Villains He Imagined (EmptyWheel)

Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy… was a shameful moment for America (Anthony L. Fisher, MSNBC)

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