Law, Power, and Justice

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NEW YORK TIMES 8/3/24Afternoon news notes


VANCE


Mr. Vance said in 2021, stressing the need to counter what he described as the political ruthlessness of the left. “If we’re going to push back against it, we have to get pretty wild, pretty far out there, and go in directions that a lot of conservatives right now are uncomfortable with.”



For years, Mr. Vance has appeared entirely comfortable in far-out-there corners of his party, embracing thinkers and proposals on the so-called New Right. He has drawn from influences as varied as a monarchist blogger, “postliberal” conservative Catholics and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, according to a review of dozens of speeches, interviews and writings since Mr. Vance formally entered politics and interviews with people close to him.



He has urged Republicans to “seize the endowments” of left-leaning universities, punishing nominal ideological foes through dramatic changes to the tax code, and warmly quotes Richard Nixon’s observation about higher education: “The professors are the enemy.”



Mr. Vance, a leading Republican voice against aid for Ukraine



Christopher Rufo, the conservative activist and an ally of Mr. Vance’s who helped catalyze campaigns on the right against critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion programs



People whom Mr. Vance has cited to explain his worldview or detail who helped shape his thinking include Patrick Deneen, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame who has suggested that conservatives must harness the power of the state to counter “liberal totalitarianism”; Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist for whom Mr. Vance worked; and Curtis Yarvin, a prominent voice on the New Right who has argued that American democracy has devolved to the point that the country needs a monarchical leader.



Mr. Vance recently contributed an admiring blurb for a book co-written by the far-right activist Jack Posobiec, who promoted the “Pizzagate” hoax. He is also listed as the author of a foreword for an upcoming book by Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation



He has highlighted two approaches from Mr. Orban’s Hungary, a North Star across much of the New Right: tightening the state’s grip on universities and offering loans to married couples, to be forgiven if the pair has enough children.



GEORGIA


President Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020, though Mr. Trump has enjoyed a consistent lead in polls there this year.



FTC


Washington insiders prefer the art of subtle pressure. DealBook asked donors, lobbyists and insiders how they would pressure the vice president to replace Khan. Their hypothetical strategies involved highlighting economic studies that question Khan’s policies; enlisting support from organizations of smaller companies; and containing the ire that replacing Khan would provoke from progressive politicians like Senator Elizabeth Warren.



ISRAEL


In this hopeful scenario, the assassination of Mr. Haniyeh could actually improve chances of a cease-fire. It means that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has insisted that Israel will continue to fight in Gaza until it has fully defeated Hamas, could claim victory and bask in an impressive feat of Israeli intelligence and arms, and move on to a cease-fire and the release of the remaining 111 hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7, 39 of them presumed dead, according to Israeli officials.



Many Israeli generals have long wanted to launch a definitive strike against Hezbollah



The assassination of Mr. Shukr in retaliation for the death of 12 youths in a rocket attack on the Golan Heights was a sign that Israel is prepared to get far tougher on the northern front.



If the cease-fire talks on Gaza are at a dead end — and both Israel and Hamas have been regularly putting new obstacles in its way — Mr. Netanyahu has a choice between continued instability and threat in the north or a decisive clash with Hezbollah and, if need be, with Iran and its proxies.
Israel, in that case, would pay a heavy price, but Lebanon and Iran a far heavier one. On his recent visit to Washington, Mr. Netanyahu repeatedly referred to the war in Gaza as really a war against Iran and its proxies, and spoke of continuing until full victory.