Tablet Magazine
Number of the Day from The Scroll
128M
→ That’s how much defense contractors spent in US dollars in 2022 on lobbying Washington for more defense spending. And it looks like they got what they wanted. The Biden administration has requested another $105 billion in supplementary aid for national security on top of the more than $800 billion headed to the Pentagon in FY 2024. The $105 billion aid package includes $30 billion for more matériel for Ukraine and the replenishment of U.S. stockpiles, as well as $149 million for the National Nuclear Security Administration in case of … nuclear emergencies. The bill also includes $10.6 billion for replenishment of U.S. stocks being sent to Israel, $3.4 billion for submarine manufacturers (related to a potential conflict in Taiwan), and $13.6 billion for securing the U.S.-Mexico border. All told, between the supplemental request and the 2024 budget, Stephen Semler, co-founder of think tank Security Policy Reform Institute, estimates that defense contractors will walk away with, wait for it … $559 billion.
Listen to Tablet
Biden Bear Hugs Israel and Ukraine
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss ‘Missouri v. Biden,’ Milei v. Peronists in Argentina, trouble on the Korean peninsula, and whether the Biden administration is getting ready to pull its support from Israel and Ukraine
November 30, 2023
The Tab


Vol. 2, Issue 43: Nov. 17-30 • Reflections on October 7 from Israeli writers, vocational training in America, a Syrian meatball recipe, and more
In the wake of the October 2023 Hamas attacks, Jewish leaders were shocked to read the egregious statement put out by Darren Walker, the President of the Ford Foundation, who declined to acknowledge the massacre of Jews in Israel. They shouldn’t have been—not only because the foundation’s namesake was a notorious antisemite, but because the Ford Foundation is at the center of an elite nonprofit complex fueling this crisis both at home and abroad. In addition to the major nonprofit foundations, the American establishment remains dominant in two other areas of life: elite prep schools and universities, and the “deep state.” It’s not a coincidence that these three sectors—NGOs, higher ed, and the federal bureaucracy—have become the power centers of wokeness. The face of “resistance” may be a young radical, but the funding, strategy, and power are decidedly not.
On Sunday night, Walker issued a second press release. With no explanation given, it was not clear why two statements were released.
“Henry Ford, our founder, was among the twentieth century’s most virulent American antisemites. And yet, to me, our past confers a special obligation to engage, not to retreat—no matter the complications or the consequences.”
Israel’s War and America First
A discussion on how U.S. policies in the Middle East set the stage for the surprise attack on Israel, and what steps Washington should take now to leverage its strengths without getting drawn into another war in the Middle East. Hosted by Tablet Senior Editor of News Jacob Siegel, with Lee Smith and Joe Kent.
WATCH THE RECORDED 1-HR EVENT FROM OCT. 16, 2023 HERE
Listen to Tablet
Michael Lind
See all in Michael Lind →︎

Michael Lind chronicles civilizational shifts and national trends, writing about American politics and culture with a deep understanding of history and appreciation for America's highest ideals.
Newsletter
For Tablet’s unique perspective on the world, sign up for our daily email.
More stories on Artificial Intelligence
Arthur Herman’s How to Win the AI War
Hirsh Chitkara’s The Cyborgs Go To Washington
Walter Russell Mead’s You Are Not Destined To Live In Quiet Times
Jaron Lanier’s OY, A.I.
Rachel Shukert’s Artificial Ignoramus