Mission Impossible?

- July 30, 2013

Breaking News

July 30, 2013

Dear Jolt Reader:

With Jim and the rest of the team about to set sail for the North Sea, we didn't want you to miss out on what National Review has to offer today, or any day this week, even during the Jolt's annual cruise hiatus. So bear with us as we try to pinch hit for Jim (we're calling it "Mission Impossible").

With just a few months under his belt as a congressman, Representative Tom Cotton has already made waves in the House, and is now looking to the Senate as he eyes Senator Mark Pryor's seat in Arkansas, considered one of the weaker Democratic seats the Republicans can pick off. Is Cotton, an Army veteran, the man to do it? Find out here.

Michael Barone reports that it's not just the Republican party experiencing growing pains these days, but also the Democrats. And the fissures in the Democratic party might be even more damaging over the long term.

Thanks to Mitch Daniels, the former governor of Indiana and now president of Purdue University, Indiana children heading back to school this fall won't be reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, a book which ignores major American milestones such as the Gettysburg address, the Wright Brothers, the moon landing, and D-Day. Thank you, Governor Daniels. Read our editorial here and Rich Lowry's column, out today, here.

Meet Matt Bevin, the Kentucky business man who has thrown his hat in the ring to challenge Senator Mitch McConnell in next year's primary. Does he have a chance to take down the Republican leader of the Senate? Katrina Trinko has the details.

Meanwhile, Eliana Johnson remains hot on the trail of the IRS scandal. With the White House's latest excuse that the scandal is "phony," Eliana takes aim at Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and his Sunday morning talk-show appearances (plural) -- a standard PR go to when the administration gets caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

In case you missed it, Jonathan Strong in Washington has the backstory on how Representative Justin Amash's NSA amendment made it to the House floor last week. According to Strong's sources, "leadership aides were enraged" by the vote whipping by the sophomore member.

You saw the pictures this weekend -- millions flocking to "Popacabana" beach in Rio to see Pope Francis. Kathryn Jean Lopez has the inside scoop on the Pope's message to the youth of the world.

And last but not least, John Fund takes on Hollywood, dissecting the political impact of not one, but two Hillary movies set for release before 2016. Is this mainstream-media bias at its worst? John has the answer. We are taking movie-title suggestions via Twitter. So tweet at us @NRO.

This week is the last week Congress is in session before their August recess begins. We'll keep you posted on all the latest developments.

New on NRO today:

CHARLES C. W. COOKE: The 9/11 museum director's revulsion at patriotism is part of a larger collapse in national confidence. Ashamed of Patriotism

RYAN T. ANDERSON: Advocates of same-sex marriage are classifying Biblical teachings as "hate speech." Yes, Threats to Religious Liberty Happen Here

DAVID T. BEITO: Federal targeting and intimidation of conservatives is nothing new The New Deal Witch Hunt

TRAVIS FISHER: Fossil-fuel divestment is not "moral"; it's mad. The Divestment Delusion

WILL ALLEN: A "refugee" from progressivism hoists the conservative banner in the Mountain State. Moonrise in West Virginia

To read more, visit www.nationalreview.com

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