This Is Altogether a Remarkable Political Document

It is a loyalty oath to a government of witchcraft. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       The Republican Platform Is a Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of Unreason   On Sunday, the country was in receipt of the final proof that the Republican National Convention, due to kick off tonight from various bunkers, hideouts, and undisclosed locations here and around the globe, is going to be a profound test of whether or not the American republic has been rendered a vapid puppet show by the malignant moment through which it is now passing—a moment which is, in itself, the product of four decades of malignant moments that we all were asked to tolerate and applaud. Meeting in Charlotte, the RNC's platform committee announced that, this year, there will be no party platform, per se. Instead, the convention will be dedicated to acts of fealty to El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago. It is giving him his own private North Korea. And it is a remarkable political document, as Charles P. Pierce unpacks. Read More           It Goes Down in Nicholas Braun's DMs   For a little while, at least, Nicholas Braun was living the socially distanced life you'd expect—if you can expect anything these days—from a successful young man in his early 30s. That is, until he jokingly released a viral song about antibodies that captured the collective anxiety of dating in quarantine—and got him a music deal with Atlantic. Oh, and then he was nominated for his first Emmy for playing the beloved Cousin Greg on HBO's Succession. Esquire's Matt Miller caught up with Braun over Zoom, and the Succession star discussed dating in quarantine, his viral song, his Emmy nomination for Cousin Greg, and what's next for his critically acclaimed HBO show. Read More           Is It a Shirt? Is It a Jacket? Who Cares?! Just Buy the Damn Thing.   If you have no idea what you should be wearing right now, the shacket is the all-purpose lightweight layer that'll solve all those pesky wardrobe problems in a cinch. (As for the rest of the very real problems you've been lugging around with you for way longer than this season: You're on your own, guy. Even a solid shacket can't help you unpack that crippling fear of commitment.) The shacket is beefier than your standard button-down but still looks very shirt-like, which means it's particularly conducive to the type of strategic layering we've all been looking forward to embracing with reckless abandon. No matter what you call it, it's the piece you should be wearing day in and day out as soon as the weather outside cools down. And if you're still on the fence about committing to the style (you really should speak to someone, man), we've rounded up more than 20 versions—including the one Coop himself is partial to—to help convince you to take the leap. A little faith, people. A little faith. Read More           The Tao of Robert De Niro's 'Fuck 'Em'   "This guy should not be president, period," Robert De Niro says, his face hardened with that familiar look of torment and tenacity for which he's become so recognizable. "And when you say that," Brian Stelter replies, "folks on Fox come after you–I remember the Tony's, when you got up there and cursed–" "Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em." This interview was back in September, almost a year ago now, six months before the deadly coronavirus tore into our lives, causing so much suffering–and political contention–around the country. Since then, fits of rage like this have become about as regular an occurrence as birthday parties on Zoom. Today, when the negligence of the Trump administration has warped our existence into an isolated, lonely echo-chamber devoid of human contact and community, almost every news interview seems as incensed as this one. But something about De Niro's righteous anger that Sunday morning clung to Esquire's Dom Nero, filling him up from a deep, deep well. He used to meditate when he was in college. He used a common mantra that he'd found online, "sol hum." It helped him settle his thoughts and focus his breathing. Today he uses a new mantra: "Fuck 'em." Here's why he thinks it might work for you, too. Read More           Kellyanne Conway Says She's Leaving the Trump White House, and Why Wouldn't We Believe Her?   On Sunday, Kellyanne Conway announced that she's leaving the Trump White House to focus on her family. We'll have to take her word for it, not that that's been a wise move throughout her tenure. It's not just dumb bullshit about the inauguration crowd that Conway has been pushing these four years. Here, Politics Editor Jack Holmes reflects on it all, from the 'Bowling Green Massacre' to defending family separation. Read More           How NXIVM Seduced Hollywood Stars and America's Most Powerful Elite Into a Barbaric 'Sex Cult'   In 2017, a New York Times exposé inspired a justice department investigation that took down an American multi-level marketing scheme turned 'sex cult' known as NXIVM. The organization had been operating for nearly two decades under the guise of offering self-help deprogramming to heiresses, Hollywood actors and powerful CEOs. But, after one survivor came forward to the New York Times, NXIVM had finally been exposed for what it was—a barbaric organization that abused its members emotionally and physically. The Vow, which premiered on HBO last night, is a 9-part true-crime deep dive on the origin and downfall of NXIVM, the cult founded by Keith Raniere, who served as the group's spiritual guru and leader. Here's everything we know about the group, the documentary, and why you should dive in now. 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