World News: Wait. Rex wants to say hi

Monday, August 15

What's Rex working on this week? Well, let him tell you.

Today we start with a word from Rex Huppke, one of USA TODAY's columnists, about what's on his mind as we start the work week.

After spending a week riling his base into a frothy lather over the FBI search of his Florida home/gaudy country club, former President Donald Trump can now sit back and proudly reflect on this : "The FBI has bolstered security at its offices across the country in wake of increasing threats to federal law enforcement officers following the search of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate, according to two sources familiar with the activity."

The main gate at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate sits closed on Wednesday morning. The FBI searched the estate on Monday.

Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post

It's only Monday, so who knows what kind of chaos the man who remains the Republican Party's leading choice for president in 2024 will cook up before the week's out?

Until then, I'm working on an exciting illustrated origin story of the character "Dark Brandon," a liberal meme showing President Joe Biden as a powerful superhero, born out of the right's mocking "Let's go Brandon" chants.

And I'm looking back on my Friday column about all the excuses Trump and Co. were drumming up about the search for classified documents at his home and shaking my head at how many more excuses they've ginned up since then.

What Rex has been up to

•	A defense of Domino's Pizza, which Italy has rudely rejected. More for me, please.
•	Alex Jones finally faces consequences. Hateful lies have to come with a cost.
•	Candy corn was already an abomination. Then they made it hot-dog flavored.

As a young conservative, I went to CPAC. I was appalled by what I saw.

By Chris Schlak

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas on Aug. 4, 2022.

LM Otero/AP

When I heard that Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban would speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, I was disturbed. Knowing of Orban's authoritarian actions, which include ruling by decree and stifling press freedom, I needed to know what America's conservative movement is becoming.

To find answers, I attended a CPAC event for the first time.

Some columns to catch up on things

►Polarization is not merely a problem of our failure to recognize the same facts. It is a problem of interpretation, identification and tribalization.

"I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant." Attorney General Merrick Garland says.

Susan Walsh/AP

►Attorney General Merrick Garland seemed largely reactive and rote in dealing with questions over bias or abuse in his department.

►The Taliban are not capable of running a modern government. They do not have the resources or the capacity to regulate Afghanistan's economy or incorporate the rule of law into their government.

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