^{Issue 008  ·  June 30th 2026}

This week: A surprising Twist of Fate for Ukraine, the DSA takeover of NYC, and a fun local story on politicians who vote to not accept a recall on their own positions lol. Plus EVENTS in NYC after the 4th, our guest substack on the UFC and the White House. Oh and a dead talking point to boot! And please, let us know your constructive criticism and suggestions by replying!

Re-introducing our guest pieces for UNMUTED. Our first piece is a follow-on to last week’s newsletter, a comparison of the Roman Empire and Trump’s UFC dabbling on the White House lawn, written by Saad Farhad. He’s a self-described communitarian-leaning fiscal conservative. Believes in markets by default, state only where structurally necessary, unions as a a legitimate counterweight to power concentration, social stability built on individual family responsibility. Enjoy!

№ 01

Ukraine might be winning and nobody is paying attention

→ The anti-NATO crowd is saying

Won the battle, not the war. A slogan that bears repeating whenever Ukraine has a positive blip. Yes, the drone strikes are impressive. No, they don't change the fundamentals. Russia still controls roughly 20% of Ukraine. The "Ukraine is winning" narrative crashed in 2022 and 2023, and is being teed up to crash again. The correct play is to leverage Russia's current weakness into a negotiated settlement, no more US commitments (we literally keep doing this - Iran anyone?). Europe should fund European defense. We've been there 80 years. After four years and untold money, the right answer is to lock in a deal while we have leverage, not to keep paying the bill while the foreign policy swamp moves the goalposts.

← The pro-NATO crowd is saying

The last 30 days are structural proof that Ukraine support is WORKING. Russia's gas processing capacity, satellite communications, and refinery throughput just took real, lasting damage. Russian desertions are climbing. Putin is publicly hinting at peace talks for the first time since 2022 - this is a big f*cking deal. THIS is the moment to push, and Trump just confirmed his policy is the opposite. Pulling 5,000 troops from Germany the same week the NATO summit opens signals to Putin that he can wait us out, that the next administration may complete the abandonment, and that the right play for Russia is to drag negotiations until US posture changes again. Four years of cost only makes sense if you secure the win at the end. Walking away during the collapse is the worst version of every option.

№ 02

The DSA Eats the Democrats. Did they taste good?

→ The DSA crowd is saying

We told you what voters want and you didn't believe us. Affordability won, Israel lost. The Democratic establishment has been running the same play (older incumbents, no economic vision, defer to AIPAC) for twenty years while the cost of living ate everyone alive. We have a different theory of the case, and it just got vindicated at the ballot box. Hakeem Jeffries can downplay this as "a handful of primaries" but he's a lot more nervous than he's letting on. The fact that none of these candidates had any prior legislative experience and they still won says everything about what voters are actually rejecting.

← The Never DSA crowd is saying

This is not the future of the Democratic Party. It's the future of a college-educated activist subculture that happens to vote in low-turnout primaries. Avila Chevalier narrowly lost the lower-income majority Black and Latino neighborhoods in the district she now represents. The crowds chanting "You're next" at a Black man who could be the next Speaker of the House aren't building a working-class movement. They're staging a hostile takeover of a party whose actual voters look nothing like them. And the Israel litmus test is going to become a serious general-election problem. And nobody is talking about Micah Lasher in Manhattan (although NY-12 has strong Jewish roots) or Ritchie Torres in the Bronx, both very much not anti-Israel.

№ 03

75% Voted Them Out. They Voted Themselves Back In.

→ The 75% is 75% is saying

How is this not election denial? Voters recalled four of five council members by margins that aren't close. The officials' response was to vote themselves back into office at the next council meeting. Or as we call it, contempt for the electorate. What’s the point of this procedure? Even if they do the election over again, do these politicians expect a different result? And worse: they're still spending public money. Voters did the work. They shouldn't have to drag the AG and a Superior Court judge into a fight that should have ended last month. And if they do, we’re going to get some ugly unintended consequences.

← The Due Process crowd is saying

Process matters, even when the outcome feels obvious. Preciado's actual position is that he's staying in office until a judge rules on the recall's legality. California elections are supposed to be administered by specific authorities under specific procedures - this is a legitimate question to litigate. Voters get to recall. Officials get to contest. Courts get to decide. The fact that the process is slow and ugly is annoying, but "annoying" isn't the same as "wrong." We can’t just set aside rules and procedure because we don’t like to wait.

NYC

Those damn elitists! Whether you attended one or not, you have an opinion on the Ivy League. Gatekeepers? Cultural institutions? Meritocracy? Aristocracy? Good for America or bad? We’ll hash it out with two elitists, one who thinks the Ivy League is the bee’s knees, and the other who would love to see it all burn. Next time at UNMUTED. And if you can’t make it, subscribe here to see ALL of our upcoming events

That’s all for now. See you Space Cowboy…