Waiting for...

Hope

In “Waiting for Godot,” Samuel Beckett described two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait endlessly by a tree for a mysterious figure named Godot. But he never arrives.

Well out here in California, we might all feel a bit like those guys as we wait for the ballots to be counted from our latest primary election.

Beckett was concerned with existentialism, the meaninglessness of life, and the futility of hope.

These ideas may be familiar to us, but I, for one, reject the futility of hope.

There are many critics of California’s primary system, which allows the top two vote-getters to move forward to compete in the general election in November.

But at least in theory, this process reduces the stranglehold the two-party system has on our politics and promotes something more akin to a parliamentary process where multiple factions of the parties get to face off and compete for votes.

Of course, in reality obscene amounts of money distort the process, and the role of campaign advertising paid for by special interests can overwhelm voters as they try to make their choices, but I still think it is better than party primaries.

At least this way minority interests get an airing.

That said, the outcome in California will almost certainly be the Democrat Becerra v. the Republican Hilton. And that in all likelihood would have been the result of party primaries as well.

So this essay was supposed to be about hope, but I guess most of us out here are just sitting back and waiting for that particular item to arrive, just like Godot.

HEADLINES:

• House votes to rebuke Trump over war with Iran (NBC)

• Iran war live: No progress on negotiations with the US – Araghchi (Al Jazeera)

• Iranian strikes in Kuwait kill 1, injure 63 as shaky ceasefire with U.S. is further tested (NBC)Yes, Russia Is Losing the War in Ukraine (Bulwark)

• Senate Republicans axe $1bn for Trump’s new White House ballroom (BBC)

• In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform early Thursday, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that prices are falling "across the board." But the biggest thing on his mind appeared to be this week’s primary elections in California. [HuffPost]

• Tense governor’s race in California unsettled as vote-counting continues (Guardian)

• Takeaways from the primary elections in California, Iowa and elsewhere (CNN)

• Yes, Russia Is Losing the War in Ukraine (Bulwark)

• The end of Trump’s ‘weaponisation’ fund is another sign Republicans are fighting back (BBC)

• Trump diverts millions from National Park visitor fees to D.C. fountains and fireworks (WP)

• From festering infections to untreated cancer, ICE detainees across the US describe medical neglect (AP)

• nfighting between the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has led the CIA to pull back from key intelligence assessments. (Reuters)

• Trump Endorses Right-Wing Presidential Candidate in Colombia (NYT)

• EU plots long game against US digital supremacy (Politico)

• China’s Economy Is Taking Everyone Down (Atlantic)

• New forecasts lay out 2 rocky paths for global economy (Axios)

• Disney Finds Its Spine (Slate)

• Bari Weiss praises — and blames — Scott Pelley in a CBS News meeting after firing him (BI)

• U.S. Support for LGBTQ+ Issues Remains Down From Peak (Gallup)

• China has approved the world’s first invasive brain-computer chip—here’s what’s next (MIT)

• No, AI Is Not Conscious (Atlantic)

• Scientists Find Way to Supercharge Dangerous Computer ‘Worms’ With A.I. (NYT)

• lack Neighborhood Demolished To Make Room For Nothing In Particular (Onion)