Tag: Andrew Sullivan

Moderated by Deborah Rhode, the event probed the success of Trump’s presidential campaign, criticisms of contemporary feminism and flaws in the #MeToo movement against sexual assault. Rhode opened the debate by asking Sullivan to expound on his views on the Donald Trump’s presidency and the United States’ current political climate. Sommers agreed that Trump has gained support among religious groups such as evangelical Christians in spite of actions that are often seem incompatible with their teachings, citing an article she read investigating evangelical leaders supporting Trump, in which a minister described Trump’s transgressions as “the way of President Trump seeking God.” According to Sullivan, Trump has tapped into legitimate concerns for many American citizens that have been dismissed in elite circles. She added that Hillary Clinton’s campaign incorrectly assumed she would automatically capture a majority of the women’s vote, and that the Democratic party may have also alienated some of their voter base by focusing on identity politics. The discussion shifted to gender issues when Rhode asked the speakers about their views on feminism and the #MeToo moment. Sullivan said that the view held by many modern day feminists that gender is a social construction has been exaggerated. “I really do think of myself as a feminist,” Sullivan said. “I believe that women and everyone will be helped by truth.” Rhode countered, saying Sommers’ claims of one-sided teaching didn’t match Rhode’s experiences with the Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies department at Stanford, where she said different points of views are explored. Rhode responded to Sommers’ view on contemporary feminism with statistics that contradicted Sommers’ claims. “For quite a while, I thought that this could bring women and men across the political spectrum together,” Sommers said.

Today in 5 Lines After threatening to veto a $1.3 trillion spending bill Friday morning, President Trump signed the measure, averting a government shutdown and funding the government through September. Trump campaign officials reportedly encouraged young adviser George Papadopoulos to accept an interview with a Russian news agency before the 2016 election. The Trump administration announced sanctions against an Iranian hacker network for its involvement in “one of the largest state-sponsored hacking campaigns” ever prosecuted by the United States. Former Georgia Governor and U.S. Senator Zell Miller died at age 86. More than 500,000 protesters are expected to be in Washington, D.C. on Saturday for the March for Our Lives, an anti-gun-violence rally. The demonstration is one of 800 sister events planned around the world. Today on The Atlantic Who Is John Bolton? : President Trump’s new national-security adviser once advocated for war with North Korea. (Jodi Kantor, The New York Times) Visualized Where Are Tomorrow’s Protests?