Even Trump’s Most Loyal Advisors Can’t Defend This

On CNN, Peter Navarro had no explanation for why the U.S. has failed to contain the virus like other nations have. So he went for China and hydroxychloroquine. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       Trump's Advisers Aren't Even Trying to Defend His Pandemic Failure. They're Just Changing the Subject.   One of the few people in the White House who raised any kind of early alarm on COVID-19 was Peter Navarro, the trade adviser, who wrote a memo to Trump in January about the potential threat. His interest may have been tied to his strident anti-China views, but the interest was there. However, everyone in this administration knows that they do not serve the public first—if at all. They serve one man, and perform for an audience of one. To be honest about the state of pandemic at this point would be to admit even the slightest wrongdoing on the president's part, which is entirely unacceptable. And so this is what you get when Navarro goes on CNN, as he did Tuesday morning. Read More           Espadrilles Are The Shoes That Work Hard All Summer. These Are Our 6 Favorite Pairs.   Is there any shoe that encapsulates the "fuck it, we'll do it live" feeling of summer more than the espadrille? Sure, sandals might be the more conventional choice here, but, let's be honest, no one's ever accused the sandal of having, shall we say, a surfeit of sex appeal. The espadrille has been around for a long time, but the style as we know it today likely originated in Spain (though the etymology of the word is French), where espadrilles are still popular. Here are six pairs worth taking a closer look at before you go any further with your summer. Read More           What to Do When Your Mask Is Giving You Acne   All in all, masks are a perfect storm of pimple possibilities, but please, don't let your zits, or fear of getting them, prevent you from wearing a mask (we repeat: wear a mask). Instead, use a multi-pronged approach. Esquire's Grooming Editor Garrett Munce put together a five-step plan for how to treat the blemishes you have, and prevent maskne from popping up in the first place. Read More           I'd Made an Uneasy Peace With My Job As a Sommelier. Then I Lost My Sense of Smell.   New York-based sommelier Amanda Smeltz lost her sense of smell for maybe five or six days in May. Ostensibly, it was a symptom of contracting COVID-19, though she wasn't tested, as she wasn't terribly sick beyond a fever and fatigue. This total blackout of smell was unlike anything she'd ever experienced; it took only twelve hours to set in. With the loss of smell, the temporary loss of the ability to sense wine altogether, and perhaps with it a job, Smeltz was reminded, sharply, that our culture does not teach us what is important outside of the practice of amassing wealth and fancy goods. Or at least, it's not a lesson taught prominently. And even after the pandemic exposed again all the intense economic imbalances involved with wine and restaurants, she doesn't know that our culture will agree to relinquish the tight connection between money and wine. Smeltz writes about her experience, and what it taught her about her industry. Read More           Blake Griffin's Latest Fit Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving All Summer   Over the long weekend, the Pistons' power forward posted up by the beach in one of the least offensive Independence Day fits we've seen in a minute. You cut those shorts yourself, Blake? Damn. In his artfully-frayed not-quite-daisy-dukes and casually undone shirt (courtesy of Tombolo and its partnership with Save the Children) the former de facto mayor of Lob City couldn't look more the picture of perfectly subdued national pride, with nary a star or stripe in sight. Accented by a crisp pair of AF1s and some well-placed subtle gold accessories, Griffin masterfully alludes to the holiday spirit without compromising his personal style in the process. Esquire's Avidan Grossman—and the entire style desk— must stan. Read More           The Best—and Best Looking—Weed Vapes to Try in 2020   Vaping weed doesn't reek. There's no smoke to tear up your throat. And unless you make a spectacle of it, dubbing yourself that guy, it's subtle. Those who vape their cannabis often do so because the dosage is easier to control, and the effects feel less jolting than more traditional means of getting high. To be fair, you do lose that transformative experience of coughing your esophagus out over a poorly wrapped joint or getting so high off of one rip from a communal bong that the stars fall to Earth and the moon waves hello. Hey, sacrifices must be made. We know you just want to vape, but vape smartly. Here are a dozen of the best—and best-looking—weed vaporizers you can get right now. Pair one with quality flower or concentrate (or both) and get to it. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019