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WATCH: Congress dedicates national time capsule ahead of America's 250th anniversary
The Time Capsule Act, a 2016 law creating the nonpartisan America250 commission mandated that a time capsule be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, and dug up 250 years later in 2276.
Winners and losers emerge after socialist earthquake rocks NYC primaries
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's socialist slate swept NYC Democratic primaries, defeating incumbents like Reps. Espaillat and Goldman in a major shift.
Broker Wars Are Heating Up as Financial Advisors Think More Like Business Owners
Large national brokerages are offering top financial advisors compensation packages that seem more like acquisitions than hiring incentives.
Federal officials plan to offload some warehouses purchased for immigrant detention
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is retreating from a plan to use warehouses to hold up to 10,000 people on a single site, dropping a key piece of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s $38-billion plan to rapidly expand detention capacity this year.
The AI coding boom is creating workplace paralysis
New AI tools are released near-constantly. Some developers are invigorated, while others feel overwhelmed just trying to keep up.
Chevalier celebrates projected New York primary win
Democratic candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier celebrated her projected win in the Democratic primary in New York's 13th District after defeating incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Chevalier was joined by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani who she was endorsed by.
Bills legend Jim Kelly provides update on condition after stroke
After beating cancer in 2019, Bills legend Jim Kelly revealed that he suffered a setback while recovering from a spring stroke.
Family says they tried to get man mental health help before alleged beating
Kenneth Flagg's family says they tried to get him mental health help hours before prosecutors say he beat a PA inside a hospital. 12 News Investigates obtained new video of the encounter.
England make two changes to face Ghana
England and Ghana have announced their lineups for their second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at 5 p.m. After beating Croatia 4-2 in their opener, Thomas Tuchel made two changes to England’s def...
Back door no more: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry seeks to reopen its south entrance after a century
The museum plans to break ground this year on a $22 million project that will reopen the 133-year-old edifice's south entry and add an indoor cafe with seating on the building's outdoor renovated terrace.
Back door no more: Museum of Science and Industry seeks to reopen its south entrance after a century
The museum plans to break ground this year on a $22 million project that will reopen the 133-year-old edifice's south entry and add an indoor cafe with seating on the building's outdoor renovated terrace.
17 Early Prime Day Lego deals: Save on Botanicals, Icons, and Technics in 2026
Amazon is beating the prices on Lego's website.
Outdoor drinking ‘entertainment zones’ could help grow Downtown Fresno
Fresno has passed an ordinance creating three entertainment zones that would allow outdoor drinking during approved special events, in an effort to revitalize downtown and bring more activity to th…
NASA’s Cold Atom Lab is creating one of the weirdest forms of matter in space
NASA’s upgraded Cold Atom Lab is turning the International Space Station into a frontier for quantum research, creating ultra-cold matter that behaves in astonishing ways. The experiments could unlock new discoveries about the universe while paving the way for powerful future technologies in space and on Earth.
University of Colorado purchases high-rise in Denver's Central Business District
Changes are coming to the University of Colorado Denver after the school purchased a high-rise in the Central Business District, creating opportunities to expand students' career and research experiences.
Santana: Politician Spending Accounts Fuel Banana Republic Politics Across OC
Despite recent grand jury warnings, OC Supervisors tomorrow are ready to vote to keep spending and creating multi-million dollar, taxpayer-funded discretionary spending accounts.
Columbus Partnership CEO out after creating 'bullying' culture, insiders say
Though the Partnership says Hall resigned for family reasons, former employees say the CEO was pressured to leave after cultivating an “untenable” culture.
Can Canadian Organizations Deliver in the Next Era of Business AI? IBM Finds Many May Not Be Ready
As Canadian CEOs accelerate AI adoption to drive productivity and growth, C-suite leaders across Canada warn that governance, oversight and workforce readiness are struggling to keep pace, creating a widening 'control gap.'
Business Monday: Kona Brewing’s historic Kona Pub creating beer garden entrance to make waiting enjoyable
With several renovation phases planned for the entire pub, the first is an estimated $2 million project focusing on the eatery’s curb appeal.
Solopreneur America! - Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
by Raymond J. Keating – America is a nation of entrepreneurs. In particular, one can make the case that America is a nation of solopreneurs. Solopreneurs are one-man or one-woman businesses. The latest Census Bureau data point to there being approximately 36.8 million business firms in the U.S., and 30.4 million of those are nonemployers, […]
Scientists say most people need more protein than current guidelines suggest
A new review suggests that doing more exercise and eating more protein than current minimum recommendations may help people stay stronger, sharper, and more independent as they age. The goal isn't building a beach body—it's extending healthspan and maintaining the ability to fully enjoy life for decades longer.
Future astronauts could walk across rocks from deep inside the Moon
A colossal ancient collision may have left some of the Moon’s deepest secrets surprisingly close to future Artemis landing sites. By recreating the impact that formed the giant South Pole-Aitken basin—the Moon’s largest and oldest crater—scientists found that a low-angle strike from a large, iron-cored object blasted material from deep inside the Moon, including mantle rocks.
“Criminal Approach to Politics”: Trump Ally Abelardo de la Espriella Wins Colombian Presidency
Right-wing Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella has clinched a narrow victory in Sunday’s runoff presidential election in Colombia, defeating leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, an ally of current President Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella ran a fearmongering, “tough-on-crime” campaign, promising to build mega-prisons inspired by El Salvador’s authoritarian President Nayib Bukele, to bomb “narcoterrorist camps” and to abandon Petro’s peace efforts. His reported victory is also a win for U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration is waging an intensifying “war on drugs” across Latin America, targeting left-wing leaders like Petro with false allegations and threats of military intervention. “De la Espriella clearly represents a criminal approach to politics: lying, propaganda, coordination and collusion with criminal narcotrafficking, restriction of rights, and money laundering,” says longtime Colombian activist Manuel Rozental. With his victory, says Rozental, “We expect to have military operations and a U.S. intervention within the country. We expect to have human rights abuses. We expect to have militarization. And it’s all for the extraction of resources and the link of drug trafficking to the U.S. government, U.S. interests and global mafia.”
Veteran Middle East CEO says business in the region isn’t retreating—it’s resetting
Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.
T-Beeney Solutions is this week's Aces of Trade
T-Beeney Solutions specializes in landscaping and creating outdoor living spaces.
Ebola Cases Top 1,000 in Congo as Virus Infects Frontline Health Workers
Ebola cases have surpassed 1,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where health workers are becoming infected before anyone realizes they’re treating the deadly virus, exposing a dangerous weakness in efforts to contain one of the world’s fastest-growing outbreaks.
AirPods Pro 3 Return to Record Low $169 Price Ahead of Prime Day
Amazon today has the AirPods Pro 3 available for $169.00 in an early Prime Day sale, down from $249.00. This is an all-time low price on the AirPods Pro 3, beating the previous low by $10. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
I started treating my dad with dementia like a customer
When my father's dementia made communication difficult, I borrowed a lesson from customer service: smile first.
3 team NBA blockbuster trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo gaining momentum
The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors are heating up once again, and the latest reports suggest the race for the two-time MVP may be taking another dramatic turn. For weeks, speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo’s future has dominated NBA headlines off the court.…
4 Surprising Health Benefits of Being an Early Bird
Waking up early may get you the worm, but can it improve your health? Learn how being an early riser may benefit energy, mental health and more.
ZenniHome ex-business partner accuses Bob Worsley of creating LLC ‘without her consent’
After eight long days of investigating, the Navajo Nation Council has paused its public hearing into the ZenniHome scandal until next month. But in subpoenaed testimony from earlier this week, a key witness made a bombshell allegation against her ex-business partner.
You may actually like eating bugs
Volunteers in a new study preferred an insect protein bar over a cereal bar.
This DNA repair gene went rogue and exposed a cancer weakness
Scientists have discovered that a gene normally considered a DNA-protecting "good guy" can become dangerous when cells make too much of it. The gene, EXO1, acts like molecular scissors that help repair DNA, but when overproduced it starts cutting DNA it shouldn't, creating damage linked to cancer.
Sauerkraut diet: Why RFK Jr. eats fermented foods, health benefits
A growing number of men in President Donald Trump's inner circle are eating fermented foods like sauerkraut and yogurt. They can improve gut health.
Sauerkraut diet: Why RFK Jr. eats fermented foods, health benefits
A growing number of men in President Donald Trump's inner circle are eating fermented foods like sauerkraut and yogurt. They can improve gut health.
Growing pains: Nolensville Pike project creates new challenge for longtime businesses
A road closure connected to the Nolensville Pike widening project is creating confusion for customers trying to reach a South Nashville shopping center.
5 Foods Cardiologists Want Men to Eat More Often for Better Heart Health
Cardiologists share 5 foods men should eat more often for better heart health.
USA tops Australia to clinch spot in final 32
SEATTLE — Christian Pulisic’s injury absence didn’t hurt the Americans one bit. The U.S. national soccer team found a way to advance to the knockout round without the injured forward on the field, beating Australia 2-0 Friday for its second straight victory at the largest World Cup in history. “C.P. is a fantastic player — […]
USA tops Australia to clinch spot in final 32
SEATTLE — Christian Pulisic’s injury absence didn’t hurt the Americans one bit. The U.S. national soccer team found a way to advance to the knockout round without the injured forward on the field, beating Australia 2-0 Friday for its second straight victory at the largest World Cup in history. “C.P. is a fantastic player — […]
Unpatchable 'usbliter8' Exploit Breaks Apple A12 and A13 SecureROM Boot Chain
Paradigm Shift’s usbliter8 exploit targets Apple A12 and A13 SecureROM via USB DFU mode, creating an unpatchable hardware risk.
City of Martinez Set to Explore Entertainment Zone
The City of Martinez is set to explore the idea of creating a Downtown Entertainment Zone in subcommittee on Monday, June 22.
Harvard Business Review Brings Back The World’s Dumbest Idea
HBR revives “maximizing shareholder value”—the dumbest idea in the world—treating customers as mere constraints. True value creation for customers, not metrics, wins long-term.
How Jackie Robinson and 7 other UC sports legends changed the world
UC athletes are at the center of America’s story, bringing people together in celebration, setting records, and creating opportunities for the next generation.
How Jackie Robinson and 7 other UC sporting legends changed the world
UC athletes are at the center of America’s story, bringing people together in celebration, setting records, and creating opportunities for the next generation.
Major grocery operator on the hook for $40M over pharmacy monkey business; $6M windfall for whistleblower
One of the largest food retailers in the world—and the fourth biggest in this country—got itself into hot water with the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly cheating on drug prices it charges to federal healthcare programs.
Public health professor completes third Fulbright Scholarship
When Dr. Helda Pinzon-Perez traveled to Uruguay and Paraguay this past semester, she brought more than her expertise in health education – she brought a commitment to expanding research, creating meaningful contributions and fostering collaboration between the two South American countries and the Central Valley. “I am just a venue to facilitate these wonderful opportunities […]
Africa Is Essential To 'Global' Business Education
Rabat Business School's Nicolas Arnaud argues that true internationalization means treating African institutions as knowledge creators – not just emerging-market field trips.
Prediction markets are creating new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical betting by turning politics into a game
Matt Motta, Boston University and Robert Ralston, University of Birmingham
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Bo Bichette's resurgence after slow start highlights buy-low opportunities
Bo Bichette is heating up while Kyle Bradish looks poised for a breakout
AI’s growing appetite for power is a public health issue. Here’s a fix
“AI is creating a new and largely overlooked strain on something fundamental to health,” write Sten H. Vermund and Patricia J. Kissinger.
Researchers found 8 common food additives linked to high blood pressure and heart disease
A major study of more than 112,000 people found that eating foods containing common preservatives may be linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure and heart-related diseases. Researchers tracked participants for up to eight years and discovered that people consuming the highest amounts of certain preservatives had significantly greater risks of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.
Kill Your Doomerism with Citizen Science
As public institutions are gutted and ecological crises mount, volunteer scientists are creating a model of collective action worth believing in.
World Cup watch parties bring excitement and business to Greenville
The FIFA World Cup is uniting soccer fans in Greenville at local watch parties while boosting area businesses and creating a sense of community.
With Protect College Sports Act under scrutiny, NIL deals with 'associated entities' creating confusion
Social sport leagues heating up in Arizona as adults look to connect
Social Sports leagues are becoming a rising sports industry as Arizona adults look for new ways to connect.
When Health Results Raise Questions but Provide Few Answers
Older people are often treated as if their judgment is less valuable, creating the risk of a future where human intelligence is seen as something that depreciates with age.
Texas State, Sky Safety Flight Academy partner to offer Aviation Science degree across San Antonio
Texas State University and Sky Safety Flight Academy are expanding the Aviation Science degree to San Antonio, creating new pathways for pilot training and aviation careers starting Fall 2026.
Lil Nas X shares mental health update
Lil Nas X tells fans he's "doing better and creating freely" after his 2025 arrest and bipolar diagnosis.
Opinion | The Deck Is Stacked Against Healthy Eating
We need the will to push back against corporate interests.
U.S. Business Applications for May 2026: Trend Remains Solid - Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
by Raymond J. Keating – The latest business applications numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau offered a mixed story for May, with the overall trend, however, remaining healthy. Total business applications in May increased by 3.7 percent to 523,971 (seasonally adjusted). At the same time, high-propensity business applications declined slightly – by 0.3 percent to […]
How Argonne’s John Domyancich is creating pathways to science, technology, engineering and math careers
STEM Learning Pathways Manager John Domyancich inspires the next generation of scientists through hands-on learning experiences at Argonne National Laboratory.
5 ways to boost your gut health by eating more fermented foods
Scientists have found that eating fermented foods may lower inflammation, improve blood sugar control and increase the diversity of your gut microbiome.
Baton Rouge General's Health Tip of the Week: The return of the flesh-eating screwworm
Sponsored by Baton Rouge General The new world screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite once eradicated from the U.S., is making headlines again. Recently detected in a calf in Texas, the screwworm, which is not a worm at all, is raising concern among public health officials. Female flies lay their eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes […]
2026 World Cup billed as ‘largest entertainment attack surface in history’
As the tournament is underway across North America, Palo Alto Networks warns that temporary supplier ecosystems, vulnerable municipal infrastructure, and geopolitical tensions are creating risks fo...
He Spent a Month Investigating How Susan Collins Keeps Beating Democrats. Here’s What He Found.
Slate's Jim Newell talks about his opus on one senator's seemingly inexplicable success.
Column: Sports unite Carolina, UNC athletics should too
"At a time when sports across the world are creating more unity than division, the deletion of a post meant to stimulate equality is a step in the wrong direction for UNC athletics."
Central Valley business launches summer ice cream truck with free treats
A Central Valley heating and cooling company is offering a sweet way to beat the summer heat with a new community initiative.
Central Florida counselor discusses connection between mental health and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs
Licensed mental health counselor Shantala Boss explores the connection between GLP-1 medications, disordered eating, and body image concerns.
Lance Bass on Having Type 1.5 Diabetes, Being Misdiagnosed, and Taking Control of His Health
In a new interview with Health, the former NSYNC singer opens up about the frustration of incorrectly treating type 2 diabetes for years and how he's currently managing his true diagnosis.
The Wealth Opportunity Hidden In America's Small Business Transition
Millions of small business owners are preparing to exit. Discover why acquisition entrepreneurship is creating a new generation of business buyers.
Modernizing Front Desk Operations In Health And Wellness Practices
An administrative pain-point for patients and practices alike, agentic AI platforms are creating a seamless process to navigate health and wellness.
Modernizing Front Desk Operations In Health And Wellness Practices
An administrative pain-point for patients and practices alike, agentic AI platforms are creating a seamless process to navigate health and wellness.
Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt pushes federal fix for college sports amid NIL chaos
Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt is among lawmakers pushing federal legislation aimed at creating uniform rules for college athletics as lawsuits make it harder for the NCAA to enforce basic regulations.
Police: Man charged with beating father after standoff in Shelbyville
A rural Shelbyville man surrendered after a mental health crisis that took place for much of the day on Monday.
New ASU certificate lets students add AI expertise to any major
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is rapidly transforming nearly every industry, creating a growing need for students to add key technical skills to their major.
Your Big Moment Fades Fast With Just a Single Press Hit — Build This Engine If You Want Coverage (and Profit) That Lasts
Reputation is built through repeated exposure over time, and the companies that treat media as long-term infrastructure consistently outperform the ones treating it like a one-off campaign.
Is Bread Actually Healthy? Here's What Nutrition Experts Say
The nutrition profile of bread depends on which type it is, how you consume it, and what else you’re eating.
Pre-Snap Reads 6/15: Seahawks entering their Barner Era
If all goes according to plan, A.J. and the TE room will be eating this year.
How window-mounted heat pumps can give tenants efficient heating and cooling
Permanently installing a heat pump system in a building is expensive. But new window units can deliver many of the benefits with far less cost and go with renters when they move.
Hurricanes win first Stanley Cup for 20 years
The Carolina Hurricanes win the NHL's Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years by beating the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
Computer science students develop AI platform for use in nursing courses
The faculty-student team is creating a web platform this summer that will allow nursing students to conduct actual conversations with a wide range of AI personas, simulating real interactions with physicians, patients and family members they will experience in the workforce.
Why Accel Entertainment (ACEL) Is Up 9.5% After Beating Revenue Forecasts With 8.5% Growth
Earlier this quarter, Accel Entertainment reported quarterly revenue growth of 8.5% year on year, surpassing analyst expectations even as operating income trends were mixed. This revenue surprise stands out because it reflects resilience in Accel’s local gaming footprint while many consumer discretionary peers also beat sales forecasts. Next, we’ll examine how this stronger-than-expected revenue performance may influence Accel Entertainment’s existing investment narrative and growth...
In Japan, life lessons in healthy eating
The Best Time to Take Vitamin E for Better Skin Health
Looking for the best time to take vitamin E for skin health? Dietitians say timing matters less than what you pair it with.
Eating an apple offers this much fiber
Apples are a fast and tasty snack that pack a nutritious punch.
A dying star could create a new universe instead of a black hole
What if some black holes aren’t black holes at all? A new theoretical study suggests that when a massive star collapses, it might not form a singularity hidden behind an event horizon. Instead, the collapse could trigger the birth of a tiny new universe inside the dying star. Driven by dark energy, this miniature cosmos would expand and push back against gravity, preventing complete collapse and creating an exotic object known as a gravastar.
Scientists discover parrots may actually use names
Parrots may be doing more than just repeating words—they may actually use names. By analyzing hundreds of recordings from pet parrots, researchers found evidence that many birds use specific names to identify particular people, animals, and even individual companions. Some parrots appeared to refer to someone who wasn’t present, while others used names in creative ways, such as saying their own name to grab attention.
Bran flakes could be classed as junk food under new guidelines to promote healthy eating
UK government wants to update nutrition rules to include naturally occurring ‘free sugars’ when determining what is unhealthy
How Eating Walnuts Before Bed Affects Your Sleep Quality
Eating walnuts before bed boosts melatonin, which helps you fall asleep faster and stay awake less. It's a simple way to improve your sleep quality.
In Retrospect: Poland, Russia, Europe
In April I spent a few days with Zryw, a Polish non-profit organization that recruits young people to enter politics and public life. Their aim is to build a new generation of civic leaders in Poland. I’ve followed their evolution from the beginning; my son is one of the founders. (“Zryw” means “impulse” or “burst of speed” in Polish). Julie Chmielewska, one of Zryw’s leaders, interviewed me at the event. Here is the conversation, lightly edited for grammar and context: Julia Chmielewska: Assuming that culture shapes institutions, could we conclude that some cultures are more prone to authoritarianism? Anne Applebaum: I don’t think so. Every culture, every nation, and every country has the potential for change. When we look at history, we can see that nations do change. Poland has changed, for example, from the 1980s to today. There’s a completely different mentality here than the one I encountered when I first visited, in 1988. The current generation sees the world through a different frame. So no, I don’t believe that certain nations are doomed to authoritarianism, or to anything. Of course, there are political and cultural traditions, but they can always be challenged. JC: So do you think there’s something intrinsic in human nature that pushes people to democracy, freedom? AA: I think there is something in human nature, a deep instinct, that pushes people towards freedom, yes. People who live in authoritarian countries – and I’ve heard this from them over and over again – sooner or later find themselves angered by a feeling of helplessness. They can see the unfairness of crooked courts, irrational political decisions. They naturally dislike the fact that somebody has all the power while they have none. In those circumstances, people who have no political background at all sometimes are politicized just by that frustration. I’m thinking of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, for example, who was a Belarusian housewife, until the circumstances of her husband’s arrest forced her to become a politician. I met a woman who is a Uyghur from China, and who had come to live in Turkey. After several of her family members were arrested, she too was propelled into a political role. These kinds of experiences make people interested in democracy or political reform, even if they thought they didn’t care. I also think that the opposite is true: some people instinctively prefer homogeneity, order, hierarchy. They don’t like the confrontation of opinions or the noise of debate, and they lean towards a single leader or a unified regime. I think that most of modern history is shaped by the clash between those two different sides of human nature. JC: Which force do you find more powerful today? AA: I think they both have a lot of power and there’s no way of predicting who wins. Even in countries that seem very shut off or stuck in an authoritarian system can change. We’ve seen that happen. And vice versa, I think democracies can also begin to fail and slide into authoritarianism. So it’s very important not to be complacent in either direction. JC: I want to go into your history and your experiences. You’ve lived in Russia during a time of incredible change in the late 80s, and then you came back to do research in post-Soviet Russia. AA: I was a student in Russia just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. I then traveled and worked there extensively in the 1990s, and I met people who really were full of hope. They hoped that Russia could become a democracy, or at least a place that guaranteed freedom of speech, freedom of the press. These weren’t ideas that came from Washington. Although now the narrative in the Kremlin is different, I met many people who were working towards exactly that kind of transformation. A friend of mine ran a series of seminars – once a year, and then later several times a year, in cities all over Russia – designed to get people to discuss politics in new ways. She invited young politicians and journalists, as well as foreigners. I went to many of them, in Moscow as well as Volgograd and Novosibirsk. Over two decades, hundreds of people came to these seminars, and all of them wanted Russia to be different. I remain convinced that many Russians still want Russia to be different. It’s just that the old system, in the form of Putin, a representative of that system, returned. The KGB reimposed their power. And this wasn’t because of something to do with culture, this was to do with money and politics, and who was in charge. JC: You’ve partially answered my question... I wanted to ask whether that excitement of the 1990s was an exception from the Russian historical norm which has been rather authoritarian? AA: Of course, if you look at the history of Russia since the 18th century, there have always been liberal groups, reformers and revolutionaries. There were the Decembrists, in the early 19th century, and the rural populists later on, who tried to organize the peasantry. A significant group of liberal Russians appeared at the turn of the 20th century, people like the father of the writer Vladimir Nabokov, who was a Russian politician before the revolution. These groups were small in number, but sometimes had a broader significance. The Russian dissident movement in the 1950s and 1960s actually invented the modern human rights movement. It was their idea to hold the leaders of the Soviet Union accountable for the language they used, to remind them of the treaties they had signed and the promised they had made. They created the Helsinki group, for example, that held Soviet leadership to the language of the Helsinki Treaty, which formally ended the Second World War and which contained guarantees of human rights, at least on paper. That idea spread to Eastern Europe, and similar tactics were used here in Poland. (Benjamin Nathans recently wrote a great book about the Soviet dissidents, To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause) JC: But seemingly, even if they do ever get power, they could never hold on to it. AA: We don’t know, because they have never really had power. But in any case, we also don’t know what will happen in the future. There is no reason to assume that Russia will forever be condemned to totalitarianism. Even during the first fifteen years of Putin’s regime there was some form of democratic politics. Only when the full-scale war began did he bring everything to an end: he shut down all remaining independent organizations and killed his most important opponent, Alexi Navalny. But does that mean he is popular, that he enjoys legitimacy? Even now, we don’t really know what Russians think about him, or about the war. There is no way of doing real polling in Russia because nobody will answer an independent pollster over the phone. JC: Do you think that the flock of young people, especially young men, who fled Russia after the start of the war represent a continuation of liberal movements that refuse to partake in the authoritarian state, or do you think they are moving for the sake of self-preservation – “I don’t want to go to the army, so I leave”? AA: I’m sure it’s both. I actually know many people who left Russia for political reasons either in the very last years before the war, or else just after the war began. JC: And do you see a change in the young generation versus the old one that have fled? AA: It’s hard for me to say because the people who I know were mostly already politicized. I do know some younger people who left, but most of them were already either active in the opposition, or working as journalists. Many of them very self-consciously think of themselves as maintaining Russian culture abroad, just as in the 20th century the Soviet dissidents or the anti-communist White Russians once thought of themselves as people who maintained the true Russian culture, outside of Bolshevik Russia. JC: Let’s move on to Poland. One of your first experiences with Poland was reporting on Margaret Thatcher’s first state visit, in the autumn of 1988. You followed her around the farmers’ market. AA: She was making a symbolic gesture. She wanted to welcome free markets, but the only one she could really visit was the farmers’ market at Hala Mirowska. JC: And I want to talk about this area because today you can look out of any window in that district, Mirów, and see rows and rows of skyscrapers. How does it feel to see a country built from the ground in such a short time, both politically and economically? AA: You know, when you’re living in a period of dramatic change, it’s always hard to know whether the change is positive or negative. The transformation in Poland created winners and losers, as well as new classes of people, new political movements of different kinds. At the time, it sometimes just felt like turbulence. Now, we can look back at the 1990s and early 2000s in Poland and see in retrospect that the country was headed in towards prosperity and European integration. In around 2009 or 2010, I remember speaking to a woman who worked cleaning government offices, and who asked me if her daughter should study in Amsterdam or in London. This seemed to me to be a real transformation, and it happened very fast: within a few years, Poles stopped feeling like second-class Europeans, and a generation of younger Poles appeared who had no qualms about crossing borders. JC: We again live in turbulent times. Do you think we’re heading towards positive outcomes? AA: I can’t make predictions, because everything that happens tomorrow depends on what people do today. Also, history doesn’t have a trajectory. It doesn’t move in a particular direction. You only think it does afterwards. As I said, you can look afterwards at Poland in the 1990s and you could say this was a period of great progress. But not everybody at the time saw that. Sometimes people are very wrong about a given country’s trajectory. I remember people writing about Ukraine in the 1990s, about how dangerous it was that Ukraine was independent, that this was going to be an anti-semitic state, that Ukrainian nationalism was going to come back... and although you can say many bad things about Ukraine, the country made many bad choices, actually it became a pretty tolerant state which now has a Jewish president and until recently a Muslim defense minister. JC: In the 1990s Poland’s and Ukraine’s GDP were roughly similar. Ukraine was even a bit richer. So the starting point was similar for both of these countries, but they’ve turned out very, very differently. Even if we stop in 2014. Why do you think Ukraine “chose East”? Was it external influence? AA: No, I think Ukraine was in a different position. First of all, central and eastern Ukraine had been part of the Soviet Union since the 1920s, and had therefore experienced a longer period of occupation, repression, Sovietization and even Russification. Ukraine did not have, as Poland did, an alternative elite: a large cadre of economists and politicians, who already had some experience in opposition politics and in independent thinking. In Poland, the transformative finance minister, Leszek Balcerowicz, had already thought about how an economy might be decentralized before he took office. We can argue about how successful he was, but at least he was prepared to try something new. In Ukraine, people weren’t prepared. For one, there hadn’t been much space even for an illegal opposition in the previous couple of decades. Ukraine was also in many ways still emerging from colonial occupation. For the previous couple of centuries, many of the most capable Ukrainians had moved to Russia, and the first generation of leaders in independent Ukraine tended to be former Soviet apparatchiks. They didn’t immediately seek to become closer to western Europe. Instead, they looked for some kind of economic and political “third way” and an accomodation with Russia. Ukraine became stuck in this position, half-in, half-out and became pretty profoundly corrupt. JC: The Polish alternative elite had a vision of where they wanted the country to go. I think the general perception now is that this vision ends with the next election, right? Is this a natural process of gaining power? AA: Their vision, and it was shared by the time by politicians who now call themselves both left and right, was that Poland should join the EU and NATO, as fast as possible. My husband (Radek Sikorski) was in the very first government that said it wanted to join NATO. At the time this was taken very badly in Washington: the demand for NATO membership absolutely came from Poland, not from the US. But even then, in the early 1990s, many Poles already understood that the Russian sphere of influence would grow once again, that it was important to become part of the transatlantic alliance and an integrated Europe as fast as possible: NATO, the EU, the Council of Europe, all of the trading and security alliances. That consensus lasted through several different governments and over many years, even governments containing former communists. For twenty years, right, left and center disagreed about many things, but they all agreed on the direction that the country should go. In retrospect, that consensus created the basis for prosperity in Poland. JC: And regarding the Polish-Ukrainian relations. We know that antagonisms, e.g. the myth of Wołyń [a massacre of Poles that took place in what is now Western Ukraine, in 1943] are increasingly used in Polish political discourse today. In Ukraine, nationalist historians make heroes out of UPA, the Ukrainian revolutionary army, which is held responsible for this tragedy. Where do you see a start for burying the hatchet? Is the reconciliation of our nations possible? AA: So here’s a strange thing: For more than a decade after they both gained independence, Poland and Ukraine participated in a number of projects that were designed to solve exactly these kinds of Polish-Ukrainian differences. Books were published that were jointly written by Polish and Ukrainian historians, monuments were built. These projects were successful: If you’d asked me this question in 2010, I would have said that there are no real historical issues between Poland and Ukraine, that the two countries had mostly reconciled. For a number of reasons, this began to shift. In Poland, children and grandchildren of victims of the Wołyń massacre felt their tragedy hadn’t been fully recognized. In Ukraine, nationalist groups wanted the UPA partisans who had fought against the Soviet Union recognized for their heroism, despite the fact that some in this broad and not well-defined group were also linked to Wołyń. In both eastern Poland and western Ukraine, the memory of the ethnic cleansing that took place there in the late 1940s - Poles were moved West, Ukrainians East - to accomodate new borders has left feelings of displacement and bitterness. The wave of Ukrainian immigration, which started before the war, may have provoked some of this. But don’t underestimate the role played by Russia, which has always wanted to create discord between Poland and Ukraine, and pumps out propaganda to that effect in both countries. Vandalism on both sides of the border, damage done to cemeteries and monuments, is sometimes carried out by provacateurs working for Russia, just to create bad feelings. The Polish-Ukrainian conflict also hides a different reality: although there are real grievances and bad memories, the truth is that the biggest tragedies both nations experienced in the twentieth century were inflicted by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. That should unite these two countries, not divide them. JC: This week (19.04.2026 – Ed.) in Hungary we saw that using historical narratives to create grievance has no longer worked. Are you optimistic about the direction after Orban’s loss? AA: The Hungarian election was really important because it shows that people can actually resist powerful, dominant propaganda. The ruling party Fidesz controlled all of the TV, 90% of the newspapers, the constitutional court, the bureaucracy... and yet people had the nerve to vote against it and resist it. It’s also an important election because Hungary created a huge network of well-funded think tanks and foundations that were funding other far right groups and projects. So that loss is going to have a knock-on effect in other places too, maybe even in Poland. JC: What you’ve said about resisting propaganda reminds me of one of the interviews you did about talking to Russians in the post-Soviet era who claimed that people knew that the system was lying. Why do people choose to believe in these regimes anyway? AA: Because it’s useful. Stephen Kotkin, an American historian, once described how people would learn how to “speak Bolshevik”: It was just a language that you needed to use in order to get by in society. If you didn’t talk the way the regime wanted you to talk, then you might have problems, or lose your job, or your kids would not get into university. It was a way of getting along. Communist Poland was similar, at least in the early years. When I was writing a book about the Sovietization of Eastern Europe after World War II, I met a lot of people who wanted to talk a lot about the war, when many of them had done really heroic things. But almost nobody wanted to talk about the decade afterwards, between 1945 and 1956. This was when you had the short period of terror, violence and Polish Stalinism. To stay safe, people felt the need to just go along with what others were saying, or stay out of politics, or use communist jargon without necessarily believing it. I don’t judge them for it, and I wouldn’t describe all of those people as collaborators. It’s easy to feel moral certainty in retrospect, because we know that communism ended. But if you were living in 1949, it might not have been clear to you that communism was going to end. In very repressive societies, maybe about 10% of people who are really evil – collaborators, torturers. Maybe 10% of people are really brave and who find ways to resist. And then around 80% of people have kids, they have parents, they have to have jobs and they’ve had to get through it somehow. Strange though it may sound, I’ve found that the work I did on that book is now very useful in explaining some of what’s going on in the United States today. There are plenty of members of the Republican Party in Congress who know perfectly well that Donald Trump says many things that aren’t true. But they avoid criticizing him because it’s inconvenient, because they would get in trouble, because someone would attack them on the internet. So actually you don’t even need mass terror to get people to conform. JC: Is Gen Z reinventing agency? AA: We’ll see. In any generation you can find groups of people who want agency. If you live in a society that’s unfair, for example where a tiny number of people have captured most of the wealth, then at a certain point people rebel. This is always easier for younger people, who have you have less to lose. The question now is how the internet will affect the relationships between citizens and the state, and how it will change organizations. The “Twitter revolutions” people spoke about as early as 2008-9, mass protests organized online, have often proved to be very superficial. Although you can easily join something just by clicking, the work of creating a real movement requires physical participation. Successful mass movements of the past, for example the Civil Rights movement in the United States, were built by people who had spent many years together. They had participated in non-violent workshops together. They practiced and prepared. Just using the you can get everybody to show up at a certain moment, but then when the protest is broken up, nothing happens. It’s also true that the repressive regimes have more recently learned how to use the internet to undermine leaders and movements. Most of all, they now understand how to make people cynical. The form of propaganda that most modern authoritarians use - and I think the Russians really pioneered this - deploys sneering cynicism. Instead of praising the rulers, the regime propagandists mock the opposition movement leadership for being supposedly corrupt or sexually degenerate, with the goal of undermining any kind of idealism. JC: MAGA grew on the internet? AA: MAGA is a real grassroots movement. They had symbols, red hats, they showed up at rallies. But you’re right that the cynicism, the sarcasm and the distrust that the movement embodies came originally from the internet, and this is different. Fifty years ago, most European political parties had a social base in real organizations, in trade unions for Social Democrats, in church groups for Christian Democrats. As people stopped going to church and as the trade unions became smaller, the social base of these parties disappeared. Now people who wouldn’t have known one another in the past meet on the internet and create new movements, many of which don’t last. JC: Is history ending? Going in stale circles? AA: History never ends. In truth, human beings want contradictory things at the same time: order and freedom, stability and change. These things are never resolved, and when a society swings too far in one direction, people always push it the other way. But each time that happens, the result is different. Certainly it is true that we are now in a period when old philosophers and ideas from the 1930s are undergoing a revival. Carl Schmitt, who was a philosopher who was very influential on the Nazis, is back as an influence on both the far left and the far right, once again inspiring people to think that all politics has to be existential, that all politics is about defining and defeating enemies. In the US, some are also bringing back dominionism, the idea that we need a Christian and not a secular state. It’s also true that we are living through a more fundamental shift. The old left-right divide, which was mostly about the size of the state, is much less important now. Instead, we are arguing about more fundamental things: what are our rights, what protects our freedom. Or how much power do we want to give small elites, versus how much power to give ordinary people. In America a small group of very wealthy people now control information, because they control the social media platforms and AI, which means they determine what people will read and learn. Finding a way to preserve preserve zones of autonomy and independent thinking, this is going to be the main task for the next generation. JC: What is the one book that a person interested in Central Europe should read? AA: You could read my book “Iron Curtain: the Crushing of Eastern Europe” which tells the story of how the Soviet Union imposed its culture on the region. Or read Tim Snyder’s history of the region, “The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus 1569-1999.” And everyone should read “The Captive Mind” by Czesław Miłosz, which describes exactly the phenomenon we were talking about: why do people collaborate? I joined Scott Galloway and the brilliant Fiona Hill in a discussion about the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the future of global power, and what these conflicts reveal about America's role in the world. Scott told us that this was the 400th edition of his podcast, which is quite a number: My friend Francesco Chiamulera runs a brilliant series of literary events, Una Colline di Libri, A Hill of Books, in the Prosecco Hills, a region of vineyards and elegant hill towns in the Veneto, north of Venice. We did an event in Vittorio Veneto and also drove and biked around the countryside. Buy Autocracy Inc Buy Iron Curtain Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
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