Hello there, I’m Patrick Caldwell, a new deputy editor at the magazine, helming the Friday guest spot this week, with today’s top news and a little bonus music trivia for those of you who scroll down to the end.

Texas’s abortion ban is here to stay, at least for now. Late Thursday night, a three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals turned down the Biden administration’s request to stay the law while its constitutionality is assessed. I’m sure you’ll be shocked, but it was the judges appointed by Donald Trump and George W. Bush who denied the stay, while a judge appointed by Bill Clinton ruled against Texas. Oral arguments are scheduled in the Fifth Circuit for the first week of December, but it’s likely the federal government will appeal, asking for a stay, meaning the Supreme Court will have yet another chance to weigh in again soon.

Steve Bannon could be in trouble. The ex-Trump guru is expected to be held in contempt next Tuesday by the January 6 House panel. Bannon has refused to adhere to a subpoena from Congress.

Column of the day: Over at The Atlantic, Ronald Brownstein looks back at the massive Democratic losses in the 1966 midterms after passing LBJ’s Great Society programs. “The Democrats’ bitter disappointment,” he writes, “is a cautionary tale.… The lesson of history is that it is extremely difficult for presidents to translate legislative success in their first year into political success in the midterm elections of their second year.”

A longread for the weekend: Don’t expect too much Washington news with Congress out of session. Kick off the weekend by reading an excellent investigation from this week’s New Yorker by Rachel Poser, examining undercover stings on drug stash houses that should qualify for entrapment but don’t clear that high legal bar. The most fascinating part of it all? The tactic entered mainstream policing in the 1970s following cases such as Miranda that gave defendants greater rights. “Gary T. Marx, a sociologist and an expert on undercover policing, observed that law enforcement changed its methods in response. ‘As the police use of coercion has been restricted, their use of deception has increased,’ he wrote in 1982.”

This morning at NewRepublic.com, we got a plethora of stories to keep you occupied through the weekend. Mary Trump (yes, that fellow’s niece) writes about the latest dangerous insanity spewing from the former president. Molly Osberg explores how service workers have been tasked with protecting public health as the people responsible for vaccine mandates. “Is it any wonder they are quitting in droves?” she asks. Meanwhile, say goodbye to your thick sweaters and hot cider, as Liza Featherstone writes that climate change is killing autumn. “The culture of fall has been a celebration of abundance,” Featherstone writes, “and we now live in a world of terrifying scarcity.” Natalie Shure examines Katie Couric’s bungled editing of her Ruth Bader Ginsburg interview. 

Finally, be sure to read Jo Livingstone’s stellar preview of Successionahead of the show’s return for a third season on Sunday. Jo argues that the creators, “in an admirable move, turned the evil way up on this season, sacrificing the likability of their characters for the stickier pleasures of their nasty sides.” Sounds delightful! 

Happy weekend,

Patrick Caldwell, deputy editor

Yesterday’s political history question: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson irritated the French last month about its loss of the Australia submarine deal by saying, “Prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break.” What did France do on this day in history to irritate Britain even more? (Hint: Halley’s Comet flew by shortly before.)

Answer: France’s Norman army beat the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, killing their monarch, King Harold II, and conquering the nation.

Today’s political history question: There haven’t been many close Supreme Court confirmations over the past century. Brett Kavanaugh’s 50–48 margin was the narrowest successful vote on a justice since 1881. During that same period, Amy Coney Barrett’s 52–48 vote is the second closest, which tied her with this other Supreme Court justice who was confirmed on this day in … an unnamed year at some point in the twentieth century. (Can’t make it too easy on you!)

Bonus pop music and politics question: If you’ve read TNR in recent weeks, you might have noticed that I’m a bit of a Prince fanatic. This week marked the fortieth anniversary of his classic album Controversy. (His estate released a demo of “Do Me Baby” that is worth a listen.) Despite that album including songs titled “Sexuality” and “Jack U Off,” it wasn’t until three years later that Prince released a dirty ditty that shocked one public figure, leading to the creation of parental advisory stickers on cassettes and CDs. What famous political spouse got upset about which particular Prince song?