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Fort Bend County Fair Announces 2026 Entertainment Lineup Featuring Sawyer Brown, Pat Green
ROSENBERG, Texas (Covering Katy News) — The Fort Bend County Fair has announced its entertainment lineup for its 90th annual celebration, featuring a mix of Texas country stars, Tejano favorites and nationally recognized performers during Championship BBQ Weekend and the fair's 10-day run. The 2026 Fort Bend County Fair begins with Championship BBQ Weekend on Sept. 18-19, followed by the fair Sept. 25 through Oct. 4. The entertainment schedule opens Friday, Sept. 18, with Tejano group Los Morales, followed by Texas country artist Cole Phillips on Saturday, Sept. 19. Phillips has gained attention for his traditional country sound influenced by classic honky-tonk music. The fair officially opens Friday, Sept. 25, with Tyce Delk, a New Mexico native whose touring schedule has expanded across the country. Country music veterans Sawyer Brown will headline Saturday, Sept. 26. The band, whose career spans more than four decades, remains known for hits including "Some Girls Do," "The Race Is On" and "Thank God for You." Go Tejano Day on Sunday, Sept. 27, will feature Prófugos de Nuevo León, along with performances by Los Rinches and Grupo Zenio. The second week of the fair begins Wednesday, Sept. 30, with Bellville singer-songwriter David Lewis, a recent Texas Country Music Association Male Artist of the Year nominee. Oklahoma Red Dirt artist Josh Meloy will perform Thursday, Oct. 1. Texas country star Pat Green returns to the Fort Bend County Fair stage Friday, Oct. 2. Green, whose career includes three Grammy Award nominations, has sold more than 2 million albums and amassed more than 200 million career streams. He is best known for songs including "Wave on Wave" and "Carry On." Country newcomer Vincent Mason will perform Saturday, Oct. 3. Mason has accumulated more than 500 million career streams and was recently nominated for Academy of Country Music New Male Artist of the Year. The fair concludes Sunday, Oct. 4, with Texas music legend Gary P. Nunn, whose "London Homesick Blues" remains one of the state's most recognizable songs. Weekend visitors also can enjoy performances on Music Row by J Paul Jr. & the Zydeco Nubreeds, Southern County Line, Los Rangerz and Horizon. The Fort Bend County Fair Association, a nonprofit organization, supports youth, agriculture and education. According to the association, it has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships during the past decade and generated $1.4 million through its 2025 youth auctions. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 10. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and select the specific day they plan to attend, as tickets are valid only for the date purchased. Admission includes entry to the fairgrounds, access to the carnival, shopping, exhibits, food vendors and, when scheduled, admission to the rodeo and that day's concert. Season passes and single-day tickets will be available. For tickets and additional information, visit fortbendcountyfair.com or call the Fair Office at 281-342-6171. The address of the Fairgrounds is 4310 Texas 36 S in Rosenberg. 2026 Fort Bend County Fair Entertainment Schedule Championship BBQ Weekend Friday, Sept. 18: Los Morales Saturday, Sept. 19: Cole Phillips Fair Entertainment Friday, Sept. 25: Tyce Delk Saturday, Sept. 26: Sawyer Brown Sunday, Sept. 27 (Go Tejano Day): Prófugos de Nuevo León, Los Rinches and Grupo Zenio Wednesday, Sept. 30: David Lewis Thursday, Oct. 1: Josh Meloy Friday, Oct. 2: Pat Green Saturday, Oct. 3: Vincent Mason Sunday, Oct. 4: Gary P. Nunn × Expand FBCF Fort Bend County Fair 2026 Artist Lineup
East Greenbush exploring moratorium on data center development
If the proposal becomes law, it would place a moratorium on applications for permits, site plans or other land use approvals for data centers.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Heavily Impacted by Xbox Layoffs, Team Morale at Rock Bottom
Over 50 people working on the RPG now gone
Bonnie Tyler dies: 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' singer was 75
Bonnie Tyler, the husky-voiced powerhouse vocalist who delivered memorable and dramatic pop-rock songs including 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' in the 1980s, has died.
The Iran ceasefire was meant to pave the way for a grand nuclear deal. New strikes expose its flaws
The day after President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, opening a 60-day window to negotiate a deal over the country’s nuclear program, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff got on the phone to brief skeptical Republican leaders.
Trump says Iran ceasefire is ‘over,’ so what now?
President Donald Trump said the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran is “over” after a fresh escalation that included attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US retaliatory strikes. CNN’s Kevin Liptak reports on what could happen now.
OpenAI’s Chief Futurist Is Leaving the Company
Joshua Achiam spent nearly nine years at OpenAI researching AI safety and made a memorable appearance in the Musk v. Altman trial.
Fermilab marks 70 years of neutrino science and leads next-generation experiment
As Fermilab commemorates 70 years since the discovery of the neutrino at the Savannah River Site in the United States, the lab also celebrates its multiple generations of pioneering neutrino research. Today, Fermilab is building the next era of neutrino discovery through the development of the world-leading Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment.
These Church Members Disagree on Politics. Together They’re Wiping Out Medical Debt.
Trinity Moravian Church, a politically diverse congregation in Winston-Salem, has been raising money to retire medical debt.
Recapping USA's Run At The 2026 FIFA World Cup
The United States fell short of a quarterfinal berth, but its memorable 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign gave fans plenty to celebrate. Here’s a full tournament recap.
FIFA's red card reversal: Fair play or political interference?
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee suspended US striker Folarin Balogun's one-game red card ban in exchange for a probationary period of one year.The decision was announced after President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked him to review the red card.The suspended red card means Balogun can play in Monday night's win-or-go-home match in Seattle versus Belgium.But the decision has faced harsh criticism from fans and The Union of European Football Associations, which said the red card suspension "crossed a red line."What does the red card debacle tell us about political interference in elite soccer?For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane and Tiffany Vera Castro. Our director is Kai McNamee.It was edited by William Troop and Tinbete Ermyas.Or interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.
From roller rinks to laundromats, this Bywater company builds memorable marketing experiences at big events
"Audiences wanted to touch grass again and build relationships with brands in a more realistic way and not just get hammered by digital trash."
New research traces how ‘forever chemicals’ move through the Great Lakes and into people
The study used more than 40 years of data to map fluctuating PFAS levels across species in the region's food chain.
Next American Sports Pro and QuickBuzz Announce Strategic Partnership to Build a Global Sports & Entertainment Digital Ecosystem
Ten-Year Collaboration Aims to Drive Subscriber Growth, Fan Engagement, and Long-Term Digital InnovationLondon, UK, July 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Next American Sports Pro (NASP), a rapidly expanding sports media and athlete development organization, today announced the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with QuickBuzz to collaborate on creating one of the world's largest integrated sports and entertainment digital ecosystems. The partnership combines NASP's growing spor
What Does the Memorandum of Understanding Signed Between the US and Iran Mean?
Iran maintains that transit through the Strait of Hormuz should be under the control of both Oman and Iran with no international intervention.
Autographed Sports Memorabilia Trends 2026: The Players and Items Worth Chasing This Summer
Today in this blog on Athlon Sports, we will discuss autographed sports memorabilia trends 2026 and the top assets this summer. Dedicated hobbyists are driving immense liquidity into physical assets right now. Tracking major roster shifts yields great results.
A New Report Just Revealed a Widening Gap in Corporate Leadership. It Points to a Massive Opportunity for Startups
Good business is just doing right by people. Customer focus is both a driver of business success and a reflection of morality in action.
Test your pop culture: From Hollywood to the Heartland
Test your Taylor Swift knowledge with this quiz celebrating the pop superstar's headline-making romance with Travis Kelce. Featured this week: wedding details, memorable moments from their love story ...
These church members disagree on politics. Together they’re wiping out medical debt
Some issues, like immigration or student loans, are too divisive to unite Trinity Moravian Church.
Trump hails U.S. exceptionalism before veering into darkly political speech to usher in America 250
While the language was similar to several other speeches Trump has given in recent days, it was notable for being delivered in a national park that commemorates some of America's most prominent presidents.
Tom Brady narrates epic sports video commemorating USA’s 250th birthday
Tom Brady’s legendary football career has been over for several years, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion continues to find new ways to remain in the spotlight. From becoming one of the biggest personalities in sports media to expanding his…
‘Moral and political blindness’: EU lawmaker savages FIFA over Russia - Live Updates
Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius explained why FIFA’s decision to allow Russia to play in the upcoming U-15 World Cup is bad news.
'Mad Max' star Kjell Nilsson, known for playing Lord Humungus, dies at 76
Kjell Nilsson, memorable 'Mad Max' villain, died from kidney disease on Thursday, July 2, 2026. He was 76.
What we know about Trump’s July Fourth fireworks event
President Donald Trump’s celebration for America’s 250th anniversary will culminate Saturday with a record-breaking fireworks show on the National Mall amid scorching temperatures and controversy over his efforts to put himself at the center of the commemoration.
Will Bill Belichick prove everyone wrong during the 2026 season?
The roasting will continue until morale improves, so how will Belichick respond?
News of disease outbreaks can warp our brains in strange and subtle ways
The "behavioural immune system" can drive harsher moral judgement and may even contribute to xenophobia.
Could Matthew Stafford have multiple years left?
“It’s demoralizing,” says Stafford about his back issue
SBA, USDA Sign MOU to Combat Lawfare Against Farmers, Ranchers, and Small Businesses
New Partnership Gives Producers a Direct Line to Report Costly Regulations and Advance Lasting ReformWASHINGTON, July 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to combat lawfare targeting farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and small businesses. The agreement gives America’s producers a direct line to report the regulations and rules driving up costs and impacting pro
US to give Tanzania $1.3 bln under five-year health pact
The United States has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tanzania to invest more than $1.3 billion in its health sector over the next five years, the latest in a series of deals that have caused controversy in some African countries.
Front Row Seat: Goodbye to Duluth
I'm grateful for over four years of memorable experiences as the News Tribune's arts and entertainment reporter.
Happy birthday, USA? At 250, nation may be too divided to celebrate
With President Trump stamping his imprint on the official commemoration, many Americans are struggling with how to separate politics from pageantry.
The Iran MOU is a mess. It still might work
The 14-point “Memorandum of Understanding” is among the oddest international agreements in recent memory. Short on detail, its two pages purport to grant significant up-front American concessions to Iran in exchange for opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was already open before the war President Donald Trump started in February and now hopes to end.
UK business morale slumps as Iran war pushes up costs, survey shows
British business confidence fell to its lowest since 2022 as the Iran war, which pushed up costs, saps expectations for future sales, a survey of accountants showed on Thursday.
Nigel Mansell auctions F1 memorabilia for charity
Motorsport fans will be able to buy pieces of Formula 1 history at the auction.
Godot bans "autonomous AI agent use or vibe coded" contributions
Godot has updated its contribution policy and "take[n] steps" to reduce "demoralizing" AI contributions.
10 reasons Wimbledon still feels like sports’ greatest summer ritual
Every summer, the tennis world turns its attention to the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. The 2026 Championships, Wimbledon has already produced memorable moments in the first round, with established champions, emotional…
FSU Jim Moran Institute celebrates completion of entrepreneurship bootcamp for veterans' families
Florida State University’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship (JMI) celebrated the successful completion of its 2026 Entrepreneurship
July Fourth fun, theater, music on tap this week in Alachua County
There's no shortage of ways in Gainesville and Alachua County to commemorate and celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
Mexico Teenager Gilberto Mora Makes History With Start vs. Ecuador
Gilberto Mora will make history just by stepping on the pitch for Mexico's round of 32 match against Ecuador on Tuesday at Mexico City Stadium.
DC sports fans have a chance to showcase their favorite memorabilia in new exhibit
The D.C. Public Library is calling on sports memorabilia collectors around the region to contribute to an upcoming exhibition.
About a third of U.S. Democrats like political leaders who identify as democratic socialists
Democrats’ views on democratic socialists also differ by race and ethnicity, age, education, income and political engagement.
These Church Members Disagree on Politics. Together They’re Wiping Out Medical Debt.
Trinity Moravian Church, a politically diverse congregation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has been raising money to retire medical debt in the surrounding community.
ESPN Gives Blazers Lower Grade Than Grizzlies After Ja Morant Trade
ESPN had grades for the Ja Morant trade with the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers, and Portland's was lower than what Memphis received.
Grizzlies reportedly trade Ja Morant to Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant, Kris Murray
BYU-Idaho Launches BYUI Live! as New Name for Campus Entertainment
From chart-topping bands and Broadway stars to comedians and inspirational performers, live entertainment has become a valued part of the BYU-Idaho experience. Brigham Young University-Idaho is pleased to announce the rebranding of its long-running Center Stage series as BYUI Live!—a new name that reflects the university's vision to create memorable live entertainment experiences that bring BYU-Idaho students and the surrounding community together.
The Anti-Data-Center Movement Is Reshaping Michigan Politics
Climate activist Will Lawrence cofounded the Sunrise Movement. Now, he has shifted his focus in his attempt to compete for a swing-district seat by calling for a data center moratorium.
‘Color Book’: An exquisite character piece
Strong performances anchor this memorable indie drama
Trump’s Great American State Fair attendees say they haven’t noticed politics overshadowing the celebration
The gloomy, overcast weather on Saturday didn’t disturb visitors who attended the first weekend of President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair, an event commemorating America’s 250th anniversar...
Seattle's data center moratorium: symbolic politics, real costs
With its data center moratorium, Seattle just put the whole city on the wrong side of the new digital divide — and its poorest residents will feel it most.
These church members disagree on politics. Together they're wiping out medical debt
Trinity Moravian Church, a politically diverse congregation in Winston-Salem, N. C., has been raising money to retire medical debt in the surrounding community.
These church members disagree on politics. Together they're wiping out medical debt
Trinity Moravian Church, a politically diverse congregation in Winston-Salem, N. C., has been raising money to retire medical debt in the surrounding community.
Biggest offseason question for every West team: Big moves for Lakers, Warriors? Can Spurs trade De'Aaron Fox?
Will LeBron James stay in Los Angeles? What's next for Ja Morant and Kawhi Leonard?
Trump posts new passport rendering — featuring a memorable photo of himself
President Donald Trump unveiled a new rendering of a special commemorative US passport bearing his likeness Friday, debuting a limited-edition passport to mark America’s 250th anniversary this year.
NASA, US Small Business Administration to Announce Partnership
NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will sign a memorandum of agreement during a ceremony at 1 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 29, at NASA Headquarters in
The 124 best tech deals for day three of Prime Day
The deals will keep coming until morale improves.
Meta's reckoning has arrived
After years of layoffs, restructuring, and hard-charging management tactics, Meta's leaders are acknowledging a collapse in employee trust and morale.
Day Two of Competition Highlights Athletes Across Multiple Sports
The second day of competition at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games was cut short due to inclement weather, but not before some memorable moments. Before outdoor events were halted, athletes showcased speed on the track, excitement and enthusiasm at gymnastics, and pride on the football and soccer fields. Even as an athletics athlete from Special Olympics Southern California lost his shoe, he managed to win the race.
Death Row Disability Cases Are Questions of Morality, Not Science
Doctors’ input on how to weigh cognitive disability in death penalty cases can be helpful, but characterizing such judgments as science misrepresents medicine and psychology, says Dr. M. Gregg Bloche of Georgetown Law.
German Ifo business sentiment rises in June
German business morale rose in June, a survey showed on Wednesday, as companies assessed their current situation more positively and expectations were also somewhat less sceptical.
It's not too late to order USA TODAY's 3 Knicks championship page prints
USA TODAY Sports has crafted three championship page prints to commemorative the New York Knicks' first NBA championship in 53 years.
Science Will Not Save the Abortion Pill : The Hastings Center for Bioethics
The facts are not enough. In addition to using evidence, people who support the legal right to abortion must make the moral case for it.
Trump keeps claiming Iran made concessions. Iran keeps denying them
Ever since releasing a memorandum of understanding last week that appeared heavily slanted toward Iran, the Trump administration has kept claiming Tehran agreed to other major concessions in ongoing negotiations.
How CVS Health is helping America celebrate its 250th anniversary
CVS Health is helping people capture, commemorate and share the moments that define this historic milestone.
Are The Minnesota Timberwolves Trading For Ja Morant?
NBA fans are convinced we're going to see a backcourt of Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant next season? The Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the NBA community on Monday night by trading All-Star forward Julius Randle and the 28th pick in this year's draft to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal that ...
Zane’s Trace Commemoration Continues with Parade, Entertainment and Community Spirit - WHIZ - Fox 5 / Marquee Broadcasting
The second day of the Zane’s Trace Commemoration wrapped up with a full schedule of activities, entertainment and family-friendly fun in Putnam. The day began with a parade and a 5K before crowds gathered at Putnam Park to browse vendors and enjoy a variety of performances throughout the afternoon. What was once an event that had faded away has found...
The scale of Trump’s political blunder in Iran is coming into focus
The first major poll conducted since the Trump administration signed a memorandum of understanding shows Americans just want to be done with the Iran war.
2026 World Cup | What should France expect from Iraq?
A year ago, when Graham Arnold was appointed, no one believed he could take Iraq to the World Cup. Morale was at an all-time low after losing 2-1 to Palestine, relinquishing a lead late on. The Lions ...
Why every brand needs to think like an entertainment brand
Brands that adopt entertainment strategies engage audiences more deeply, drive loyalty and stand out in a crowded market by delivering memorable experiences.
Iran MOU signals ‘major shift’ from military to economic, political objectives for Trump: Retired general
Ret. Gen. Jack Keane on Sunday said the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signals a “major shift” in the Trump administration’s approach to foreign policy ideals in the Middle East. “It’s a…
Trump's Iran gamble divides GOP hawks and 'America First' conservatives over what victory looks like
Trump's Iran memorandum of understanding divides GOP as hawks like Cassidy and Cruz clash with allies over whether the deal surrenders leverage.
Dirty politics, dirty soda and dirty Mormon wives
A young neighbor's entrepreneurial enterprise leads to an astounding television show that helps explain our national morass.
Best Clint Eastwood Movies Ranked - and 1992 Western Takes Number 1 Spot
Clint Eastwood has made many memorable movies during his career, but one film stands out.
Karl Rove analyzes political fallout from US-Iran deal, public opinion of the conflict
Fox News contributor Karl Rove joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss the political implications of the Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) and the potential impact of U.S. public opinion of the deal.
Where do Iran’s political factions stand on the US peace deal?
Iran's rival political camps are locking horns over a memorandum of understanding with the US.
X offers to exceed Meta's employee snack offerings in talent war
Meta said it'll be improving its snack-filled office kitchens to improve employee morale. Elon Musk's X says it can match that.
More than 1 billion barrels of oil have gone missing
The good news: The Strait of Hormuz is open again, after Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding this week.
Bath House Cultural Center celebrates Juneteenth with food and live entertainment
Bath House Cultural Center. Photo by Renee Umsted. To commemorate the freedom of Black Americans on June 19, 1865, the Bath House Cultural Center will present "Juneteenth: Liberation in Motion!" on June 19 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event will
READ IT: The full text of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding:
Trump releases memorandum of understanding with Iran designed to permanently block Tehran's path to nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.
Obama Center launch brings Democratic political glitterati to Chicago ahead of crucial elections
Political elites, White House alums, donors and business leaders will converge on Chicago on Thursday to commemorate the launch of the Obama Presidential Center.
ICYMI—Hagerty JoinsMornings With Maria on FOX Business to Discuss the Proposed Peace Deal with Iran
Washington—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Banking Committees, joined Mornings With Maria on FOX Business to discuss the president’s interim memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran, the CLARITY Act and Reconciliation 3.0. *Click the photo above or here to watch* Partial Transcript Hagerty on the U.S.-Iran MOU: I just want […]
The 14-point US-Iran peace plan, annotated
The memorandum of understanding, MOU, between the US and Iran aims to expand on the ceasefire and get traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
‘I don’t think Donald Trump can even sell this deal’: Sen. Warner reacts to the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding
Why Trump’s secret and vague MOU is stirring a political storm
The text of President Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran — when it is finally published — may not dispel his critics’ fears of a bad deal.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth addresses morale after layoffs, AI shift
Meta recently faced layoffs and AI shifts. CTO Andrew Bosworth acknowledged low morale, though he said it was worse during Cambridge Analytica.
Faith's role in U.S. politics 'requires humility,' not certainty, says Sen. Warnock
Michel Martin speaks with Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia about his new book, "The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America."
Trump's Iran agreement raises a basic question: Is it actually a deal?
Trump hails Iran memorandum as normalizing relations, but officials say core issues like sanctions relief and nuclear concessions remain for future talks.
Miguel Rojas' pinch-hit homer lifts Dodgers past Rays
LOS ANGELES — The crowd of 53,911 at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium has seen its share of dramatic moments over the years, but on Monday night, Miguel Rojas added another memorable chapter to his growing collection of clutch performances.
Atom Computing and Phasecraft Partner on Material Science Algorithms
Neutral-atom quantum hardware developer Atom Computing and quantum software specialist Phasecraft have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on application-focused algorithms. The partnership aims to adapt Phasecraft’s hardware-optimized software to
How morals influence food, health decisions
Olin’s Sydney Scott researches why consumers act the way they do in the grocery aisle – and the doctor’s office.
Visitors' viral World Cup videos show what really makes America great
International soccer fans discovering the wonders of America, from spacious skies to chicken fried steak, is giving the U.S. a much-needed morale (and PR) boost.
No country should have to build its digital health future alone – now none of them will
WHO/Europe and Healthcare Denmark have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate cooperation on digital health, health data, artificial intelligence (AI) and health system innovation in the 53 countries of the WHO European Region.
Mapped: Where data centers are facing bans and moratoriums
Many Americans are resisting data centers across the country. Now, some lawmakers are responding with temporary moratoriums and outright bans.
Western Conference Playoff Team Eyeing Ja Morant, Kyrie Irving
As trade rumors swirl, one Western Conference team has shown interest in Kyrie Irving and Ja Morant ahead of the NBA Draft.
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
THE WORLD CUP IS UNDERWAY! 🤩
On the latest episode of The S Word* we reflect on the Footballing Fiesta in Mexico, the USMNT's opener v Paraguay, and why US fans should be backed to make this World Cup Memorable!