If This Isn’t the Trump-Ukraine Smoking Gun, What Is?

The president and his allies maintained it was all good because there was none. It wasn't, but now there is. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       If These Texts Aren't Quid Pro Quo on Trump's Ukraine Dealings, What Would Be?   As president, Donald Trump lives by the principle that if you do something out in the open, people can't as easily process that it's shady. His very public obstruction of justice in the Mueller probe, for instance, didn't compute in the way Nixon's shadowy dealings did when they were brought to light. It's a natural human impulse to assume others—particularly our putative leaders—aren't so shameless they'd commit daylight robbery. Read More           Eric Trump Just Penned One of History's Greatest Philosophical Texts   OK, so we all need a laugh. Eric Trump, The Really Not Smart One, published a column on Thursday in The Hill. (I guess, having divested itself of that execrable propagandist, John Solomon, that publication has decided to go straight to the actual manure pile for content.) Leave aside why anyone would publish anything by Eric Trump. Read More           Joker Is a Bleak, Miserable Origin Story. A Batman Sequel Might Make It Worth Watching.   Controversy and media coverage aside, Joker is a fairly miserable origin story with a bleak, nihilistic outlook on society as a whole. It's about an hour of Joaquin Phoenix—a mentally ill, poverty stricken man—getting beaten down and abused by society, followed by an hour of him using that to justify himself doing absolutely horrible shit. It has very little to say, and its vague message is part of the reason the film has been so polarizing. In the end, Joker has succeeded in sparking chaos and riots in Gotham—a class war of sorts built upon nothing, for no reason. It is a deeply unpleasant movie. You'll walk away depressed, wondering if there's any good left in the world. Read More           Trump's Nickelback Meme Appeared, Disappeared, and Now Somehow Involves Nirvana   Remember how, back in 2017, a couple of misguided commentators fell into the habit of dubbing any five minute span that the newly-inaugurated president Trump passed without figuratively crapping himself the occasion on which he truly "became president?" Well, maybe it finally happened, in the sense that he took one small, inconsequential action that summed up the spirit of very dumb, mean, and deeply conspiratorial presidency: He tweeted a Nickleback meme. Here's everything you need to know about a story that somehow involves the President of the United States, a Canadian rock band, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the bassist from Nirvana. Read More           How to Make a Rob Roy   The Rob Roy is the scotch drinker's Manhattan. Scotch drinkers tend to be no-nonsense people; that's what enjoying the taste of peat does to you. And so while the Manhattan screams bright lights and big city, the Rob Roy has the aura of a more practical drink that's often enjoyed at home. Like the Manhattan, it requires just whiskey, Italian vermouth, and bitters. Unlike the Manhattan, which is made with rye, the Rob Roy demands scotch. Blended scotch is traditional, although feel free to experiment with a prized single malt; the bottle you use can drastically change the character of your Rob Roy, keeping things interesting without a ton of fuss. Drink your Rob Roy in your library, surrounded by old globes and leather-bound books, or next to a roaring fireplace as an October wind blows across the Highland hills outside. If you can swing it. Read More           Adam Sandler Traded His Baggy Basketball Shorts for a Sharp Grey Suit   If there's one thing we've come to rely on in life, it's that Adam Sandler knows how to properly under dress. Some people just throw on a T-shirt and jeans and call it a day. But Sandler has raised under dressing to exciting new heights. Oversized basketball shorts, calf-covering cargo shorts, tees and baggy Aloha shirts that look to have come straight from the clothing hamper—the man's an under dressing Zen master. So imagine our surprise when he showed up last night at a New York Film Festival screening of his new flick Uncut Gems in a...gasp...suit. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2019 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019