SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY

Search headlines

Find the stories shaping the conversation.

Search mode
Refine results
Active filters Keyword All time

Results for " POLITICS, " 871 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle

VIDEO: Former Vice President Mike Pence on His New Book, Party Politics, and Texas

Pence discussed his new book, the Republicans and Democrats of today, the Lone Star State, and more.

thetexan.news logo
Jun 16 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • thetexan.news
After a lifetime in politics, a former Maine congressman finds his biggest fight at home

Mike Michaud avoided scandal for nearly 50 years in state and federal politics. So how did he wind up in one in a small northern Maine town?

bangordailynews.com logo
Jun 15 • 1:00 AM EDT • Politics • bangordailynews.com
After a lifetime in politics, a former Maine congressman finds his biggest fight at home

Mike Michaud avoided scandal for nearly 50 years in state and federal politics. So how did he wind up in one in a small northern Maine town?

bangordailynews.com logo
Jun 15 • 1:00 AM EDT • Politics • bangordailynews.com
Politics, Pubs, Parades, and the Parish: Joan Quigley, Part II

Former Assemblywoman Joan Quigley reflects on her legislative accomplishments, including helping pass New Jersey’s DNA evidence law.

insidernj.com logo
Jun 15 • 12:02 AM EDT • Politics • insidernj.com
Trump celebrates his 80th birthday with an Iran deal and UFC cage fights at the White House

President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday by hosting a UFC cage-fighting event on the White House South Lawn while announcing an initial agreement to end the war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, potentially easing oil prices. The spectacle blended politics, entertainment, and diplomacy.

kten.com logo
Jun 14 • 10:46 PM EDT • Entertainment • kten.com
Trump puts himself at center of birthday spectacle

Trump marked his 80th birthday with a UFC fight staged on White House grounds — a spectacle that underscored how he has sought to turn sports, historically an escape from politics, into another front in America's divisions.

washingtonpost.com logo
Jun 14 • 10:40 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Flashpoint June 14, 2026: Cash in politics, Michigan Chronicle's 90th and the Gordie Howe Bridge
clickondetroit.com logo
Jun 14 • 10:00 AM EDT • Politics • clickondetroit.com
DA District 23: Incumbent Adam Panter, Mayor Daniel McClure clash over politics, experience

In Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties, incumbent DA Adam Panter faces a June 16, 2026, GOP primary challenge by McLoud Mayor Daniel McClure.

nondoc.com logo
Jun 13 • 2:26 PM EDT • Politics • nondoc.com
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

anneapplebaum.substack.com logo
Jun 13 • 4:15 AM EDT • Politics • anneapplebaum.substack.com
Todd Young talks World Cup geopolitics, Section 702 — and 2028 - Live Updates

Between World Cup matches, Young weighs a looming surveillance fight and the GOP's next generation of leaders.

politico.com logo
Jun 12 • 7:06 PM EDT • Politics • politico.com
Politics, Pressure, Polymarket: Inside UFC’s $60M White House Spectacle

After many twists and turns, UFC is grappling its Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn of the White House into reality.

frontofficesports.com logo
Jun 12 • 10:55 AM EDT • Politics • frontofficesports.com
Art, not politics, explains the achievement of ‘Death of a Salesman’

Liberals say Arthur Miller’s classic, thriving on Broadway, indicts capitalism. No, it captures human pathos.

washingtonpost.com logo
Jun 12 • 7:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
UFC White House and the Billionaire Alliance Monopolizing US Politics, Sports, and Entertainment

https://youtu.be/lEodBu8wALc?si=hkfmpX0f3prZm1SU

counterpunch.org logo
Jun 12 • 1:56 AM EDT • Entertainment • counterpunch.org
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (20%)
wow
67%
ahah
33%
USA Today columnist says United States has already 'lost' the World Cup because of politics, Donald Trump

USA Today columnist Nancy Armour claims the 2026 FIFA World Cup reveals America as a hateful nation, inaccurately blaming Trump and ticket prices.

foxnews.com logo
Jun 11 • 9:06 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (9%)
wow
50%
ahah
25%
love
25%
The Rock talks politics, says Trump should 'sit down' with Springsteen

In a new Esquire interview, Dwayne Johnson touched on politics and said President Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen \

usatoday.com logo
Jun 11 • 9:53 AM EDT • Politics • usatoday.com
The New Republic of Science

The scientific community functions as a republic—with its own governance of rules and norms, internal politics, and relationships with the states and publics that fund it.

aei.org logo
Jun 11 • 9:25 AM EDT • Science • aei.org
Social Security is Facing a Political Crisis

On Tuesday the Social Security Trustees released their latest report on the system’s finances. The numbers didn’t change much: Unless something is done, the Old Age Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program, Social Security’s official name, will be unable to pay full benefits starting in either 2032 or 2034, depending on some technical issues. That’s not far away: If the Trustees are right, the prospect of a Social Security crisis will loom over the next presidential administration. It’s important to understand, however, the nature of the looming crisis. It won’t be an economic crisis. It won’t even be a serious fiscal crisis. Whatever you may have heard, Social Security isn’t in danger of going bankrupt. What we’re facing, instead, is potential political crisis. Congress and the White House could easily take action to sustain America’s retirement system. But given the current state of our politics, there’s no guarantee that they will. There is a widespread misunderstanding of how Social Security works. While Social Security was designed to look like a pension fund, it isn’t. A pension fund pays benefits out of a stock of assets it has accumulated over time. In contrast, Social Security operates as a government transfer program, like food stamps or Medicaid. Now, unlike food stamps — but like the highway trust fund — Social Security is on paper supported by a dedicated tax, the payroll tax, that is assigned to that program. But I say “on paper” because from an economic point of view assigning the payroll tax to Social Security is just an accounting convention. What matters for the U.S. economy is the overall balance between government spending and government revenue, not the difference between one type of spending and one source of revenue. So there’s no inherent economic significance to the fact that by 2034 payroll tax receipts will be insufficient to cover promised benefits. There is, however, a legislative issue. As long as the Social Security Administration can pay benefits out of payroll taxes and its cash reserve, there’s no need for Congress to vote each year to authorize benefits — they just keep going out until further notice. However, once those resources become insufficient, benefits will fall —by 17 percent according to the Trustees — unless Congress passes new legislation that “tops up” Social Security’s finances. Yet the current administration and Republican party are such extremists that there is a real risk that Social Security will be held hostage on behalf of their goals. If this should come to pass, the hostage-takers will claim that shoring up Social Security is unaffordable. Right on cue, Mike Johnson, the Trump-sycophant Speaker of the House, declared on Monday that “entitlement programs” like Social Security “have to be adjusted and fixed,” and that Republicans will introduce a plan to that effect next year. But this is a ploy, because while the cost of maintaining Social Security benefits at their promised level isn’t trivial, it is in fact affordable. According to the Trustees’ report, the actuarial balance of OASDI up through 2050 — the amount of additional funds it would need to keep paying full benefits for the next 25 years — is 1.06 percent of GDP. To put that number in perspective, the Trump administration proposes increasing military spending next year by $420 billion, equivalent to about 1.4 percent of GDP – without any discussion of whether that’s affordable Yet how did we get to the point where Social Security will need to be topped up? The main answer is that we have an aging population, with a growing ratio of retirees collecting benefits to workers paying into the system: Trump’s anti-immigration policies are making this problem worse. According to the Trustees’ report, lower immigration will deepen Social Security’s financial hole because many immigrants are working-age adults who will pay into the system for decades before they collect benefits. In fact, this problem may be much bigger than the report acknowledges: The report’s baseline assumption is that we’ll have net immigration of almost 1.2 million people a year, and even the pessimistic case assumes 750,000 a year. Meanwhile actual net immigration has already been cut far below that — and may now be negative. Moreover, Social Security is being financially damaged by growing income inequality in America. Payroll taxes are levied only on wages up to $184,500, and they don’t touch capital income. With the distribution of income increasingly shifting from labor to capital, as well as becoming more unequal among wage-earners, revenue from the Social Security payroll tax has been falling as a share of national income. From 1990 to 2024, it fell from 5.02 percent of gross domestic income to 4.46 percent. Which brings me to the question that, these days, we ask about everything: How might Social Security be affected by the advent of AI? A short answer: If, as many of us fear, AI accelerates rising income inequality, it will further reduce the payroll tax receipts that currently pay for Social Security and further endanger its finances. On the other hand, if AI, as its advocates promise, leads to faster economic growth, it will increase the potential tax base that could and should be used to support Social Security and other social insurance programs. But to take advantage of that larger base, we’ll have to get serious about taxing wealth and capital income. Is Social Security in trouble? Yes, but only because of the way its financing is currently structured — a structure that no longer works well because our society and economy have become so unequal. Moreover, Trump’s immigration policies are further endangering its already deteriorating financial condition. So don’t believe Republicans’ gaslighting that it will be necessary to cut Social Security benefits. All that is necessary to preserve Social Security is political will to raise taxes on the wealthy and a sensible immigration policy. MUSICAL CODA Actually 67 under current law.

paulkrugman.substack.com logo
Jun 11 • 6:34 AM EDT • Politics • paulkrugman.substack.com
Nancy Mace's political career is up in the air after finishing last in South Carolina primary

After a decade of roiling South Carolina and national politics, Rep. Nancy Mace finished a distant fifth in her state's Republican primary for governor.

pbs.org logo
Jun 10 • 1:34 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
From The Daily: For a different kind of politics, vote El-Sayed on August 4

From a policy standpoint, El-Sayed’s broad, sweeping vision is best for all Michiganders. He is the only candidate who is running to pass Medicare for All, and his public health background equips him with the necessary experience and vision to improve the U.S. healthcare system.

michigandaily.com logo
Jun 10 • 12:42 PM EDT • Politics • michigandaily.com
Trump’s AI fund idea is good politics, but bad economics

Plans to share the gains from technology could cause more problems than they solve

ft.com logo
Jun 10 • 12:42 PM EDT • Politics • ft.com
Tickets, travel, politics, the USMNT and more: 100 things to know about the 2026 World Cup

From tickets to the trophy, presidents to prize money and everything in between, this is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know

nytimes.com logo
Jun 9 • 12:14 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Race, politics, sports intersect

Toward the end of the spring semester, I sent a final email to students in my Sports Icons class at Ohio State University’s Lima campus regarding the NAACP’s proposed boycott urging Black football players to avoid attending Power 4 conference schools in Southern states that have redrawn their congressional and local legislative districts. I explained […]

minotdailynews.com logo
Jun 8 • 8:00 PM EDT • Politics • minotdailynews.com
Return of USA Cycling on Inside West Virginia Politics

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) – On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, our guests join Rick Johnson to discuss USA Cycling, Charleston’s Sternwheel Regatta, the Huntington Area D…

wowktv.com logo
Jun 8 • 5:34 PM EDT • Politics • wowktv.com
Federal Hill at War With Itself

GoLocalProv.com is the “go to” local Web experience that breaks the biggest local stories – sports, news, business, weather, news, politics, arts,…

golocalprov.com logo
Jun 8 • 2:30 AM EDT • Business • golocalprov.com
Silicon Valley including Meta has embraced Maga politics, says Nick Clegg

Meta’s former head of global affairs says executives pivoted right in some cases for ‘rather more self-interested’ reasons

theguardian.com logo
Jun 8 • 12:00 AM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Politics, Pubs, Parades, and the Parish: Joan Quigley

Quigley reflects on her upbringing in an Irish-American family in Jersey City, her early involvement in civic activism

insidernj.com logo
Jun 7 • 10:52 PM EDT • Politics • insidernj.com
Politics, public safety collide as feds investigate MARTA security

Two days after President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for Georgia governor called for placing state troopers on MARTA trains, the federal government launched an inquiry into the transit system’s security and safety protocols.

wrdw.com logo
Jun 6 • 4:01 PM EDT • Politics • wrdw.com
Trained in fierce local politics, SF women lead statewide contests

Former supervisors Fiona Ma, Jane Kim, and Malia Cohen and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis are front-runners in their state races.

sfstandard.com logo
Jun 6 • 9:00 AM EDT • Politics • sfstandard.com
Missouri lawmakers didn’t act on data centers; they’re toxic in local politics

While data centers have upended local politics, Missouri lawmakers introduced several bills to regulate them, none crossed the finish line.

kansascity.com logo
Jun 5 • 1:14 PM EDT • Politics • kansascity.com
Bennet, Weiser face off in Colorado Politics, 9NEWS debate

The Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics are hosting the debate in partnership with the University of Denver and 9NEWS. DENVER — Candidates vying to be the next governor of Colorado will face off in debates hosted by The Denver Gazette, Colorado Politics and 9NEWS ahead of the state’s primary elections. Michael Bennet and Phil Weiser […]

coloradopolitics.com logo
Jun 4 • 7:30 PM EDT • Politics • coloradopolitics.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (12%)
wow
71%
love
29%
‘It is unsustainable’: Reform’s billionaire donors inspire panic in Westminster

While huge donations are nothing new in UK politics, some fear electoral finance is distorting democracy itself

theguardian.com logo
Jun 4 • 2:19 PM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Starmer calls for Elon Musk to stop interfering in UK politics

Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday ​said Elon Musk should stop interfering in British politics, after the billionaire X owner posted ‌on his platform about a murder that has triggered a public outcry and protests.

reuters.com logo
Jun 4 • 1:08 PM EDT • Politics • reuters.com
Starmer Calls for Elon Musk to Stop Interfering in UK Politics

By Alistair Smout LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Keir Starmer on ⁠Thursday ⁠said Elon Musk should stop ⁠interfering in British politics, after the billionaire X owner posted on his platform about a murder that has triggered a public outcry and protests. Last year, 18-year-old Henry ...

usnews.com logo
Jun 4 • 1:08 PM EDT • Politics • usnews.com
Politics, public safety collide as feds investigate MARTA security

GOP campaigns embrace probe ahead of early voting, while critics argue the White House is using tragedy for political points.

atlantanewsfirst.com logo
Jun 4 • 10:51 AM EDT • Politics • atlantanewsfirst.com
Visit Warwick Mall for your shopping, dining, and entertainment fun!

WPRI 12 News on WPRI.com is Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts' local news, weather, sports, politics, and investigative journalism source.

wpri.com logo
Jun 4 • 9:09 AM EDT • Entertainment • wpri.com
Iran players admit U.S. politics, war affect World Cup preparations

Iran midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi admitted on Wednesday that preparing for the FIFA World Cup in Turkiye while his country is at war with the primary host nation has been a mental challenge.

espn.com logo
Jun 4 • 6:32 AM EDT • Politics • espn.com
Trump Agitates Brazil’s Politics, Again

President Trump appears ready to lend a hand to a new right-wing ally ahead of a crucial election this year that will be the biggest test for Latin America’s left.

nytimes.com logo
Jun 3 • 5:59 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Steph Ruhle: MASSIVE checks for politics are “only getting bigger”

For billionaires to "write big checks right now, it's like water. When you think about the amount of money in AI, in crypto, even in finance right now, they're writing such giant checks because they know from a Donald Trump presidency you can't just influence politics, you can control it." Stephanie Ruhle breaks down why sums of money injected into politics are only getting larger.

ms.now logo
Jun 2 • 11:00 PM EDT • Politics • ms.now
Why Are Politicians Swearing More?

n American politics, cursing and “four-letter words” are no longer confined to hot mics or hidden behind closed doors. Politicians and pundits are increasingly using so-called “bad words” in speeches, social media posts and campaign ads. Benjamin Bergen, professor of cognitive science and Pamela Ban, associate professor of political science, both from UC San Diego’s School of Social Sciences, examine why swearing among politicians is on the rise and what it reveals about persuasion,

newswise.com logo
Jun 2 • 9:35 PM EDT • Politics • newswise.com
Colorado governor candidates to face off in Colorado Politics, 9NEWS debates

The Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics are hosting both debates in partnership with the University of Denver and 9NEWS. DENVER — Candidates vying to be the next governor of Colorado will face off in debates hosted by The Denver Gazette, Colorado Politics and 9NEWS ahead of the state’s primary elections. Barb Kirkmeyer, Scott Bottoms and […]

coloradopolitics.com logo
Jun 2 • 7:20 PM EDT • Politics • coloradopolitics.com
The work you can't always see: Beer is political, part 2

Recently I published a piece about beer, politics, and the question of who speaks up and who doesn’t. I meant every word of it. I still do. And then my inbox opened up. Cleveland Prost is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe I’ve been writing about beer since 2014. For most of that time, I kept things deliberately light — taproom profiles, new releases, the people behind the pints. Gradually, over years of building this thing, you gave me something I didn’t expect: permission. Permission to go deeper. To say what I actually saw in this industry and what I actually believed about it. That trust isn’t something I take lightly. It’s why that piece existed at all, and it’s why this one does too. I’m not walking anything back. But I want to go further. In that piece, I wrote that beer has never existed outside the system. That immigration policy affects who staffs breweries and harvests ingredients. That labor policy affects taproom workers. That civil rights policy affects who feels safe walking into a taproom. That “beer does not exist in a vacuum. The idea that it does is comforting. It is also false.” I believe that as much now as I did when I wrote it. But one idea came back at me, in different forms, over and over (from reader emails, comments, and conversations): that beer itself isn’t political — that it only becomes political when someone decides to make it that way. That what we’re really seeing is a choice by individuals to inject division into something that doesn’t inherently require it. It’s a comforting idea. It’s also wrong — and I think it’s worth being precise about why. That framing assumes that breweries operate outside the conditions shaping everything else. That politics is something you choose to bring into a room that was, until then, clean and neutral. That if you stay quiet, you stay clear of it. But the room was never neutral. It was never clean. Politics is already in the room. It’s in who walks through the door comfortably and who hesitates. It’s in whether a space can be used for organizing without fear. It’s in whether helping someone quietly might carry consequences you have to think carefully about in advance. It’s in who staffed the brewery, who harvested the grain, who can afford to be a regular. The idea that you opt out of all that by staying quiet is an illusion. You only change how visible your response to it is. This is, I realize, a hard thing to hear if you came to a beer newsletter for something lighter. I wrote recently that “beer, for me, has always felt like a refuge — a third place in an increasingly fractured world.” I meant that. I still do. But a refuge is not an escape from reality. It’s a place to gather strength to face it. Here’s what I actually missed — and what I want to correct. Multiple people in the industry reached out to me. I’m not naming them and I’m not identifying their businesses, because that’s not my call. If and when they want to be loud about what they’re doing, that agency belongs to them. What I can share is the substance of what they said, because it complicated something I presented too cleanly. The overall message: *You don’t know what we all are doing.* And they’re right. I don’t. One example involved a collaboration brewed quietly to support another business facing serious challenges in a whole different region, with proceeds directed toward solidarity, community, and keeping operations afloat. No announcement. It could have been broadcast widely. The point was never publicity. Another example involved logistical support for community efforts: organizing safe transportation, providing space for meetings on otherwise closed days, facilitating gatherings under difficult conditions. All of it happening while balancing real financial pressure and genuine concern for personal safety. None of what they described is a brewer “deciding to make beer political.” It’s people responding to the conditions around them — conditions that are already shaping who feels safe, who has access, who can gather, who needs help, and who has the capacity to offer it. Politics, again, already in the room. Already shaping choices. Whether anyone announced it or not. I’ve spent decades in taprooms, at barrel releases, at festivals, in back offices and brewing floors, talking to the people who built this industry from nothing. I know how much happens that never makes it onto social media. I know the owner who quietly comp’d a tab for someone having a crisis. The brewer who drove an hour to pick up a stranger who needed a safe ride. The taproom that stayed dark on a Tuesday so a community group could use the space without it becoming A Whole Thing. None of that gets a post. Most of it never will. So when I wrote recently about silence — when I said that “silence right now doesn’t feel neutral, it feels like complicity” — I was writing about what I could see. And I was right about what I saw. The public silence of breweries that have the platform, the stability, and frankly the safety to say something and choose not to? That still troubles me. I’m not softening that. But some of what I read as silence is actually something else entirely. It’s people doing the work with their hands instead of their phones. It’s people who are genuinely afraid — not of being canceled, but of real consequences for their families, their employees, their ability to keep the doors open at all. That deserves more than a footnote. It deserves to be named clearly. Here’s the tension I want to sit with honestly: public statements matter. They matter because people can’t rally around something they can’t see. Visibility creates awareness and solidarity. It helps people find each other. It tells someone standing outside your taproom door, uncertain whether they’ll be welcomed inside, something they need to know — or whether it’s even safe for them to be in public at all. That’s not performative. I wrote recently that the craft beer movement “was built on collective defiance. It was built on rejecting consolidation. On pushing back against homogeneity.” I believe that too. And I’ll extend it: breweries should be at least as loud about their values as they are when they drop a new seasonal. Your hazy IPA gets a full rollout — the label art, the tap handle photo, the countdown post. Human dignity deserves the same energy. Be as loud about human rights as you are about your beer. There is no reason those two things should require different levels of courage from you. But visibility isn’t the only form of courage. And not everyone can be visible right now without real consequences — financial, personal, sometimes physical. There are people in this industry doing hard, unglamorous, sometimes risky work in the background, and announcing it would compromise it or paint a target on someone who’s already stretched thin. That’s not silence as complicity. That’s operational discipline under pressure. What I want to push back on — clearly, not gently — is the idea that behind-the-scenes action and public visibility are in competition with each other. The person organizing quietly in the back room and the person posting a statement of solidarity on a Tuesday morning are both doing something real. We need both. We need the quiet infrastructure and we need the visible signal. We need people to know that this industry — at its best, at its most independent, and human — gives a fuck. I closed that piece with a question: “Reactive and fearful? Or clear and values-driven?” That question still stands. But having heard from you, I’d add a corollary: the values-driven path isn’t always the loudest one. Sometimes it’s a phone call and a recipe. Sometimes it’s a room made available on a closed Tuesday. Sometimes it’s a drive across town for someone who needed a safe ride home. All of it is political. All of it was always political. You don’t get to opt out of that — you only get to decide what you do with it. I’ve spent more than a decade writing about this industry because I believe it can be exactly that. I’ve been lucky enough to build an audience that lets me say so plainly. That’s a privilege I intend to use. The work is happening. Some of it you’ll see. Some of it you won’t. Support it either way. Cleveland Prost is a reader-supported publication covering beer and brewing across New York state. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Cleveland Prost is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

clevelandprost.substack.com logo
Jun 2 • 10:13 AM EDT • Politics • clevelandprost.substack.com
World Cup cash grab: How politics, greed fuel FIFA's monopoly

Once a festival of affordable global fandom, the World Cup now is giving FIFA a prime opportunity to reap record profits from soccer fans.

latimes.com logo
Jun 2 • 7:00 AM EDT • Politics • latimes.com
Why Are Politicians Swearing More?

In American In American politics, cursing and “four-letter words” are no longer confined to hot mics or hidden behind closed doors. Politicians and pundits are increasingly using so-called “bad words.

today.ucsd.edu logo
Jun 1 • 8:00 PM EDT • Politics • today.ucsd.edu
12 Sports Extra: Football OTAs Preview

WPRI 12 News on WPRI.com is Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts' local news, weather, sports, politics, and investigative journalism source.

wpri.com logo
Jun 1 • 6:14 PM EDT • Sports • wpri.com
Inside Texas Politics

Every week, we're breaking down the often-confusing world of Texas politics, and talking to some of the biggest newsmakers in the state.

khou.com logo
May 31 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • khou.com
Water, Politics, and Pressure: The future of Corpus Christi's water supply
kiiitv.com logo
May 29 • 11:20 PM EDT • Politics • kiiitv.com
Over half of Great American State Fair performers drop out over politics, threats

Bret Michaels and Martina McBride are the latest artists to pull out of the Great American State Fair concert series organized by Freedom 250 on the National Mall this summer.

washingtonpost.com logo
May 29 • 11:55 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Data centers roil local politics, spark Hermantown residents to reshape government

A plan for a massive data center is roiling local politics in Hermantown. Some residents of the town near Duluth have been fighting the proposed facility for months — and their outrage has some leading an effort to reshape how their local government operates.

mprnews.org logo
May 29 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • mprnews.org
😐 Neutral (25%)
angry
67%
ahah
33%
Traditional Hot-Button Issues Still Dominate Political Talk from the Pulpit

A study finds that when American clergy address politics, it's primarily about abortion, Israel, and homosexuality.

christianitytoday.com logo
May 28 • 1:36 PM EDT • Politics • christianitytoday.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (9%)
wow
48%
love
26%
sad
26%
TIME | Current & Breaking News | National & World Updates

Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news.

time.com logo
May 28 • 12:31 AM EDT • Business • time.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (15%)
wow
58%
ahah
42%
TIME | Current & Breaking News | National & World Updates

Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news.

time.com logo
May 28 • 12:03 AM EDT • Health • time.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (10%)
ahah
56%
wow
44%
Group behind ‘Money Out Of Politics’ campaign submits signatures for Michigan ballot initiative

The group, Michiganders for Money Out of Politics, said its initiative would ban political contributions from some of Michigan’s largest corporations.

wilx.com logo
May 27 • 4:40 PM EDT • Politics • wilx.com
😐 Neutral (10%)
ahah
37%
love
36%
angry
27%
When Two Heated Political Issues Descended on One Swing District Town

Marana, Ariz., is used to placid local politics, but the town, in a congressional district held by Juan Ciscomani, has been convulsed by two national issues, A.I. and immigration detention.

nytimes.com logo
May 27 • 5:01 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Virginia’s newest lawmakers balance politics, family and a fast-paced session

For Virginia’s freshman lawmakers, the first General Assembly session was a crash course in the inner workings of state government.

virginiascope.com logo
May 26 • 11:04 PM EDT • Politics • virginiascope.com
Now that we know Jaxson Dart’s politics, let’s just focus on his football

In this forum, the football is the only thing that matters.

sports.yahoo.com logo
May 26 • 10:47 AM EDT • Politics • sports.yahoo.com
BARTLETT: In U.S. Politics, New Hampshire Is Still the Real Test

New Hampshire - BARTLETT: In U.S. Politics, New Hampshire Is Still the Real Test - NH Journal - Opinion

nhjournal.com logo
May 25 • 8:59 PM EDT • Politics • nhjournal.com
Politics, Pubs, Parades, and the Parish: Senator Bernie Kenny, Part IV

Former Senator Bernie Kenny of Hoboken in this fourth and final edition of Politics, Pubs, Parades, + the Parish ties together Irish heritage

insidernj.com logo
May 25 • 8:38 AM EDT • Politics • insidernj.com
To understand Britain’s new politics, look no further than this Shakespearean saga in Worcestershire

What should be a story of Reform incompetence instead speaks to the broader refusal of Westminster to adapt to multiparty democracy, says assistant Guardian Opinion editor Jason Okundaye

theguardian.com logo
May 25 • 1:00 AM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Politics, ethics and funding: how CSG shapes campus

The University of Michigan’s Central Student Government is a governing body with the ability to impose change on student life and policy.

michigandaily.com logo
May 24 • 5:13 PM EDT • Politics • michigandaily.com
Across the globe, female politicians are increasingly being targeted...

Across the globe, female politicians are increasingly being targeted with sexualized AI-generated content. For women in politics, sexualized deepfakes have become a tool for humiliation,...

facebook.com logo
May 24 • 7:08 AM EDT • Politics • facebook.com
☹️ Negative (-3%)
As influencers rise in politics, some call for tighter regulations on payments

Some campaign finance advocates are concerned that voters could increasingly be influenced by social media posts that they don’t know are sponsored.

latimes.com logo
May 24 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • latimes.com
Bond breakout? Big effects of bad data. Immigration and thermostatic politics & dad-chat is coming for dad-books.

Thank you for opening your Chartbook email. Anna Airy, A Shell Forge at a National Projectile Factory, Hackney Marshes, London, 1918 Bond breakout - John Authers Across the developed markets, bond markets are staging a slow-motion car wreck. Looking at the drastic moves in the US, Japan, the UK and France, Barclays’ Ajay Rajadhyaksha commented: “Last week, long bonds broke. Not in one country. In all of them. Simultaneously. Four countries. Four different political systems. Four different central banks. But the same trade — “get me out of duration!”” Each country has its own contributing political problems, but the uniformity of the shift out of long-term bonds with high duration makes clear that something broader is afoot. For Rajadhyaksha, it is “simple and uncomfortable.” The developed​ world “has too much debt, too little fiscal discipline, and no political appetite for fixing either.” If there’s a trigger, it has been the Iran war and the resulting shock to oil supply. Source: Bloomberg G7 countries are now borrowing at rates that were enjoyed by EM in the early 2020s For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Trade between China and Russia has grown in recent years For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Big effects of bad data A decade ago nearly nine in ten Americans, when approached, agreed to fill out the Current Population Survey, which is administered to about 60,000 households each month and asks about, among other things, employment. Fewer than seven in ten do so now (see chart 1). For the Consumer Expenditure Survey, which tries to capture 3,700 households monthly, the response rate is down from 68% to 40%. … When the information becomes less reliable, investment decisions get more difficult to make. Some may be delayed, creating a potential drag on the economy. A new working paper by Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University, Erica Groshen, former head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) now at Cornell University, and Duncan Hobbs and Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute, a think-tank, hazards an estimate. Preserving trust in “the integrity and quality of official statistics”, the authors claim, generates economic benefits of about $25 for every $1 spent on the BLS, the agency with an annual budget of $700m that is responsible for many of these data. To arrive at their conclusion the quartet analysed an ignoble episode in the BLS’s recent history. On August 1st 2025 Donald Trump sacked Erika McEntarfer, appointed as the agency’s commissioner by his predecessor, Joe Biden. The president alleged, without evidence, that the BLS’s steep downward revision to recent jobs numbers had been “RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad”. In fact, it was the wanton dismissal that looked bad in the eyes of many observers. In the following seven days there was a 50% leap, relative to the week before, in the average value of the index of Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU), which tracks the number of articles mentioning such uncertainty that are published daily in American newspapers. This was a discernible jump even when compared to the chaos caused by Mr Trump’s trade war in April 2025 and his real one in Iran in the past two months (see chart 2). Based on Mr Bloom’s earlier study with other colleagues of the EPU’s impact on business investment, industrial production and employment, the authors estimate that the jump reduced American GDP by over $100bn (0.3%) and non-farm payrolls by 168,000 (0.1%). Source: The Economist Immigration and thermostatic politics (Sarah O’Connor in the FT) A strange thing happened a year and a half ago. No sooner had Americans elected Donald Trump as president on an explicitly anti-immigration platform than US public opinion began to swing much more favourably towards immigration. … to political scientists who study “thermostatic” politics, this development is no surprise at all. Public opinion often moves against the prevailing party, especially if they are perceived to have gone “too far” in one direction. The phenomenon was first explored in the 1990s with reference to fiscal policy, but in recent years it has been particularly evident in the realm of immigration policy. While these swings in opinion polls can make it seem as if people don’t know their own minds, they can be a useful democratic check on governments by sending bright flashing warning lights when policies stray too far from the public’s comfort zone. The problem comes when politicians misinterpret those signals. When people tell pollsters they want less immigration, or think it is bad for the country overall (or the converse), they are often expressing an opinion about how things appear to be going in that moment relative to their preferences, rather than a deep shift in their underlying views. According to Alexander Kustov, a political scientist, most Americans’ views are quite stable and moderate: they support immigration that is controlled and in the national interest, and oppose flows that are disorderly or under-enforced. In the US, he argues the Trump administration over-interpreted dissatisfaction with high immigration under Joe Biden, and implemented policies that went too far for many voters. “People don’t necessarily change their idea about their ideal immigration policy, but they can react to what the government is currently doing,” he told me. “A lot of people are not happy with what the Trump administration are doing — right now we’re not talking about border enforcement, we’re talking about people not just getting harassed, but killed.” But similarly, he added, pro-immigration advocates would be making a mistake to interpret the recent, more favourable swing towards immigration as a deep-seated ideological shift in attitudes. The recent history of UK immigration policy offers another cautionary tale. After the 2016 Brexit referendum, public concern about immigration fell. This was partly because net migration statistics declined, but also because people felt a sense of catharsis and control, says Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a think-tank. By 2019, the public ranked immigration as only the ninth biggest issue of concern, according to Ipsos polling. But when the Conservative government liberalised visa routes for students and care workers between 2019 and 2022, that helped net migration to surge. And so, too, did public concern. Today’s Labour government has implemented another sharply restrictive turn in immigration policy. As Kustov and researcher Caitlyn Yates argue, thermostatic public opinion should be a useful check on politicians. Instead it seems to have helped to magnify the pendulum swing in the UK. The government over-interprets and overreacts to a change in public opinion, which reacts in turn, prompting a sudden swing the other way. Source: Financial Times HEY READERS, THANK YOU for opening the Chartbook email. I hope it brightens your day. I enjoy putting out the newsletter, but tbh, what keeps this flow going is the generosity of those readers who clicked the subscription button. If you are persuaded to click, please consider the annual subscription of $50. It is both better value for you and a much better deal for me, as it involves only one credit card charge. Why feed the payments companies if we don’t have to. Subscribe Anna Airy, Shop for Machining 15-Inch Shells: Singer Manufacturing Company, Clydebank, Glasgow, 1918 Racing for a vaccine … we have been here before! The deadly Ebola outbreak in two African countries driven by a virus species with no vaccine has triggered an urgent search for a potential jab, in a test of troubled global efforts to avert threats posed by emerging diseases. A World Health Organization advisory group is due to would meet on Tuesday to recommend candidate jabs to prioritise for clinical trials, the global health body said. It will assess data including an analysis by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), which was set up after failures in the international response to a previous Ebola crisis. The latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has infected hundreds of people and killed more than 80, health authorities say. Cepi’s reaction will be a crucial indicator of its progress towards its wider goal of producing vaccines for pandemic threats in just 100 days, despite steep cuts to international health funding. “If there was ever a time that we could show the world why Cepi is needed and show the world why the 100-day mission is needed, it’s now,” Nicole Lurie, the organisation’s executive director for preparedness and response, told the FT. “We’re happy to accept that responsibility, but obviously we need help from partners — particularly financial help in the long run.” DR Congo and Uganda would make the final decision on whether to press ahead with any vaccine candidates endorsed for clinical trials by the WHO experts, the global health body said. “Other ethical and community acceptability issues will be considered,” said the WHO, which declared the latest outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday. “This will be important to make sure that the trial, if it happens, will be adequately communicated to the population.” Lurie said Cepi had provided information from a survey of research teams and companies working on drugs that might be effective against the Bundibugyo virus behind the outbreak. The organisation hoped soon to announce partners in the quest for a jab, she added, although she declined to give a timescale for when one might be developed. Cepi’s Nicole Laurie said global health bodies were ‘getting some live-fire drills’ with hantavirus and the latest Ebola outbreak. The hunt for a vaccine should be helped by scientific advances including the use of artificial intelligence to find drugs active against viruses, Lurie said. Existing jabs against the Zaire Ebola virus responsible for many previous outbreaks might provide a basis for tackling the Bundibugyo species, she added. “We’ll see how far and how fast we can get,” Lurie said, adding that Cepi had done preliminary work recently on a possible jab for the rat-borne hantavirus responsible for a recent fatal outbreak on a cruise ship. “Both with hantavirus and now with Ebola, [we] are getting some live-fire drills.” Source: Michael Peel in the Financial Times Dad-chat is coming for dad-books. (By Pamela Paul and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg in the WSJ) They were the go-to gifts for Father’s Day: a book about some little-known chapter of World War II, the sweeping narrative of a shipwreck, perhaps the latest presidential biography. These days, dad books are a dying breed. Nonfiction book sales have been in decline for the past four years, and are now the most challenged segment of the print book market. Publishers say certain types of books still fare well—including celebrity memoirs and religious titles. But in recent years, print sales in such categories as biography, current affairs and business and economics—what publishers refer to as “serious nonfiction” and which tend to resonate especially with men—have fallen considerably. Sales of nonfiction print titles were down nearly 8% through May 9 this year, and sales of books about politics and current affairs were down 19%, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. Publishing has long been subject to cyclical changes, with trends in format and genre taking over bookshelves in grand sweeps. (Remember the adult coloring-book craze? Or the stratospheric rise of romantasy?) But many in publishing believe the decline in serious nonfiction is more existential. “The trend couldn’t be clearer,” said Jonathan Karp, the former chief executive of Simon & Schuster and publisher of the new Simon Six imprint. “This is a sea change and people should wake up and realize we’re living in a new world.” One culprit for the shift: a new media diet for fans of more serious nonfiction. … Sixty-two percent of men and 54% of women consumed a podcast in the prior month, according to a recent survey by Edison Research at SSRS, up from 46% and 39%, respectively, in 2023. “When we have internal meetings to talk about this problem, it always comes around to podcasts,” said Jonathan Burnham, president and publisher of the Harper Group at HarperCollins Publishers. “The man who wants to read American history is now tuning into one of the many good podcasts about history that lends the quiet attention to a serious subject he’s looking for. It makes the idea of sitting down with a 700-page Ron Chernow book less appealing. You’ve scratched that itch.” Source: Wall Street Journal Remarkable report by Novara from the nationalist rally in London in mid May. Anna Airy, Leopard Moth and Plums, 1915 If you’ve scrolled this far, you know you want to click: Subscribe

adamtooze.substack.com logo
May 23 • 6:45 AM EDT • Politics • adamtooze.substack.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (6%)
wow
51%
ahah
49%
The D.N.C. Chairman, Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund and More Politics News

He has focused on internal politics, building a loyal base despite tactical disputes.

nytimes.com logo
May 22 • 5:07 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Meet DFP Spring Fellow, Nicholas Gonzalez, Northwestern University -

Nicholas R. Gonzalez is a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Political Science at Northwestern University. His subfield is American politics, with research interests spanning political behavior, urban politics, and the intersections of race, class, [...]

politicalsciencenow.com logo
May 22 • 10:00 AM EDT • Politics • politicalsciencenow.com
Visiting Voices: Spencer Cox and Jake Auchincloss, Cherelle Parker, Ken Burns, and more

Throughout the academic year, dozens of public figures from the worlds of politics, civil society, and academia speak at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, part of Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. Read what some of them had to say.

hks.harvard.edu logo
May 22 • 7:02 AM EDT • Politics • hks.harvard.edu
Shane Dillon: Politics, Faith, and Lawn Chairs

Shane Dillon, former AAS president and talented campaign manager for local politicians, sees Amherst as a place where he explored faith, queerness, and politics.

amherststudent.com logo
May 22 • 12:16 AM EDT • Politics • amherststudent.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (12%)
ahah
39%
love
39%
wow
22%
The Seattle Times | Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

seattletimes.com logo
May 21 • 10:01 PM EDT • Entertainment • seattletimes.com
Next on Native Bidaské: How U.S. Politics and Voting Rights Today Are Impacting Native Americans with Gwen Carr

In this episode of Native Bidaské, host Levi Rickert talks with political strategist Gwen Carr about how U.S. politics, voting rights, and elections are impacting Native Americans right now. They break down: Gwen shares her perspective as an Indigenous woman with more than 30 years in politics, including work in the Clinton administration, the DNC, […]

nativenewsonline.net logo
May 21 • 8:49 PM EDT • Politics • nativenewsonline.net
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (0%)
love
60%
ahah
20%
wow
20%
DNC's 2024 election autopsy criticizes Kamala Harris while sidestepping controversial elements of the campaign

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” the report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

pbs.org logo
May 21 • 2:10 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Peru's F-16 dispute: defense ties depend on politics, not just weapons

Peru's decision to move forward with the purchase of U.S.-made F-16 fighter aircraft is more than a military procurement story.

upi.com logo
May 21 • 9:23 AM EDT • Politics • upi.com
Bezos Wades Into Politics, and Mamdani Was Waiting for Him

Plus, Trump’s endorsement efforts ahead of GOP primaries jeopardize his agenda in the Senate, and Raúl Castro is indicted.

wsj.com logo
May 21 • 7:06 AM EDT • Politics • wsj.com
Exclusive: Why Adnan Sami Doesn't Care About Getting 'Pulled Into Politics' After Meeting RSS Chief

Adnan Sami said, "So the politics, it doesn't bother me anymore."

ndtv.com logo
May 21 • 2:03 AM EDT • Politics • ndtv.com
2020 election misinformation continues to ripple through Wisconsin politics - Wausau Pilot & Review

by Henry Redman, Wisconsin Examiner May 20, 2026 As the long tail of the 2020 presidential election continues to reverberate through Wisconsin politics, a

wausaupilotandreview.com logo
May 20 • 7:02 PM EDT • Politics • wausaupilotandreview.com
Executives Want Boards to Focus More on Politics, AI Integration

Corporate executives highlighted a few asks of their boards in a new survey: focus more on the country’s political environment, incorporate AI, and link their pay to non-financial metrics.

news.bloomberglaw.com logo
May 20 • 1:04 PM EDT • Politics • news.bloomberglaw.com
Hollywood’s new political agenda: Save Hollywood

Long a force in presidential politics, the industry is entering the midterms with a more urgent and self-interested agenda.

politico.com logo
May 20 • 8:55 AM EDT • Politics • politico.com
The Latino Electorate: Shaping Texas Politics

Abstract Excerpted From: Armand J. Avila, The Latino Electorate: Shaping Texas Politics, 41 Chicana/o-Latina/o Law Review 1 (2025) (134 Footnotes) (Full Document). Texas is incredibly diverse, with one survey ranking the state second in diversity among all states in the country based on various racial, socioeconomic, cultural, and household metrics....

racism.org logo
May 20 • 7:33 AM EDT • Politics • racism.org
Jack Davis, the most feared and loathed man in San Francisco politics, dies at 79

How a kid who grew up in a Pennsylvania funeral parlor went from gay rights activist to S.F. political kingmaker

missionlocal.org logo
May 19 • 9:20 PM EDT • Politics • missionlocal.org
Taylor Bishop soars toward political career thanks to MSU internships

When Taylor Bishop (Class of 2026) came to Morehead State University from nearly three hours away in Greensburg, he found two things that put him on a clear path to college graduation and his future career. The first was his interest in history growing up, which expanded into political science after he started taking classes at MSU. "I really got interested in politics when I got to Morehead State," Bishop said. "It was like learning a language that I'd never known, and I fell in love with it instantly." The second key factor that shaped much of Bishop's college experience was taking his First-Year Seminar with instructor Rebecca Wright. Wright is also the coordinator of internships for MSU's Center for Career Development & Experiential Education and gave Bishop some important advice. For more information on gaining real-world experience like education abroad and internships at Morehead State University, contact the Center for Career Development & Experiential Education at careerservices@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-2233. To learn more about MSU's Department of History, Philosophy, Politics, Global Studies and Legal Studies programs, contact hgpl@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-2655. "You need to get internships wherever you can so it can get you wherever you want." Bishop took those words to heart and for much of his undergraduate career, he benefited from several meaningful experiences outside of the classroom that expanded both his knowledge and his confidence to succeed.

moreheadstate.edu logo
May 19 • 3:38 PM EDT • Politics • moreheadstate.edu
😐 Neutral (0%)
Data center politics and Kirk Bangstad’s attention-seeking run for governor (with Emily Mills!)

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he and the publication joined Civic Media, where he is currently a Contributing Editor. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle […]

civicmedia.us logo
May 19 • 10:26 AM EDT • Politics • civicmedia.us
Northwestern professors navigate politics, pedagogy in Trump-era classrooms

As history Prof. Michael Allen lectured about the Vietnam War in his American Wars class this quarter, he drew a connection between South Vietnamese police tactics and present-day immigration enforcement in the U.S.: that police force can alienate civilians rather than winning them over. He said this comparison was not meant to tell students what...

dailynorthwestern.com logo
May 19 • 2:46 AM EDT • Politics • dailynorthwestern.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
Fund Drive Special Programming: Disinformation, Political Manipulation, Identity Politics, and the Growing threats facing American Democracy

Host Davey D welcomed Jamelle Bouie to Hard Knock Radio for an in depth conversation about disinformation, political manipulation, identity politics, and the growing threats facing American democracy. Bouie, one of the nation’s most prominent political commentators, is a columnist for The New York Times and is widely known for connecting current political events to … Continued

kpfa.org logo
May 18 • 7:00 PM EDT • Politics • kpfa.org
The ugly reality of racial politics in today’s Republican Party

The GOP is increasingly embracing racial politics, with many of its members either expressing racist views or playing along by ignoring them, as evidenced by the recent Supreme Court ruling that di…

thehill.com logo
May 18 • 9:30 AM EDT • Politics • thehill.com
No Place for Politics in Therapy?

Personal Perspective: Some people claim that the psychotherapy room is no place for politics, but is it even possible to keep the political out of the room?

psychologytoday.com logo
May 18 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • psychologytoday.com
Chicago power families: Who holds influence now

These 14 families wield influence across Chicago and Illinois through business, politics, philanthropy, sports and civic institutions.

chicagobusiness.com logo
May 18 • 6:35 AM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com
🙂 Positive (40%)
wow
100%
After 20 years in Louisiana politics, Sen. Bill Cassidy was undone by one vote. Here’s why.

Voting to convict Trump of impeachment was a vote he could not come back from in the Republican Party.

nola.com logo
May 18 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • nola.com
Louder than noise: Noam Bettan let music, not politics, define his performance

Israelis can take pride in Bettan, who represented the country with professionalism and restraint, blocking out all the outside noise to deliver a stellar performance.

jpost.com logo
May 18 • 1:54 AM EDT • Politics • jpost.com
😐 Neutral (9%)
Kalshi Referral Code SBWIRE | Get $10 Bonus for NBA, Politics Trading & More This Week

Sign up with Kalshi referral code SBWIRE, trade $10 and get $10 in credit. Trade the NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, MLB, politics, crypto and more.

chiefswire.usatoday.com logo
May 18 • 12:50 AM EDT • Politics • chiefswire.usatoday.com
Politics, Pubs, Parades, and the Parish: Senator Bernie Kenny, Part III

Former Senator Bernie Kenny of Hoboken in this third edition of Politics, Pubs, Parades, + the Parish shares advice.

insidernj.com logo
May 18 • 12:07 AM EDT • Politics • insidernj.com
A prayer festival calls for more religion in politics, not less

A prayer festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC was partially organized and funded by the federal government. Its evangelical Christian messaging and call for more religion in politics not less, aligns with the Trump administration's fusion of faith and governance. NPR's Emily Feng went to the event to understand the audience for this approach, and she spoke with author Eric Metaxas, a speaker at the Rededicate 250 festival.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 Henry Larson, with audio engineering by It was edited by Sarah Robbins and Daniel Burke.Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

npr.org logo
May 17 • 6:45 PM EDT • Politics • npr.org
High-Signal Publisher
😐 Neutral (24%)
ahah
67%
love
33%
Kalshi Referral Code SBWIRE | Get $10 Bonus for NBA, Politics Trading & More This Week

Sign up with Kalshi referral code SBWIRE, trade $10 and get $10 in credit. Trade the NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, MLB, politics, crypto and more.

chiefswire.usatoday.com logo
May 17 • 2:01 PM EDT • Politics • chiefswire.usatoday.com
Kalshi Referral Code SBWIRE | Get $10 Bonus for NBA, Politics Trading & More This Week

Sign up with Kalshi referral code SBWIRE, trade $10 and get $10 in credit. Trade the NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, MLB, politics, crypto and more.

chiefswire.usatoday.com logo
May 17 • 10:00 AM EDT • Politics • chiefswire.usatoday.com
Kalshi Referral Code SBWIRE | Get $10 Bonus for NBA, Politics Trading & More This Week

Sign up with Kalshi referral code SBWIRE, trade $10 and get $10 in credit. Trade the NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, MLB, politics, crypto and more.

chiefswire.usatoday.com logo
May 16 • 10:05 AM EDT • Politics • chiefswire.usatoday.com
Even Trump Is Trapped by Gas Prices

The price of gas is the most powerful number in US politics, prediction markets are a tax on suckers, and the great wealth transfer includes $570 billion in classic cars.

bloomberg.com logo
May 16 • 4:00 AM EDT • Politics • bloomberg.com
New Hawaiian law limits corporate spending on politics, other states work to follow suit

Hawaii’s Democratic Governor on Thursday signed into law a bill to stop corporations and "dark money" groups from spending unlimited amounts of money on politics.

ktvu.com logo
May 15 • 9:06 PM EDT • Politics • ktvu.com
Rubio: Iran won’t be able to leverage US politics into forcing ‘bad’ deal on Trump

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said Iran attempting to use U.S. politics, specifically rising energy prices and its impact on Americans, will not pressure President Trump and lead him i…

thehill.com logo
May 15 • 4:57 PM EDT • Politics • thehill.com
Chartbook 449: Voldemort on Threadneedle street. The Bank of England and the "haunted house" of English politics.

Imagine the scene: In some Harry Potter version of 21st-century London, a group of deathless UK Treasury officials gathered from across the last century huddle over warm pints and glasses of Chardonnay. Around the table there are officials from the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1970s, 2022 and today. Inevitably, in May 2026, the subject of conversation is the disintegration of the current Labour government. Despite its huge majority in parliament, it has been reduced to tatters by catastrophic local election result. These exposed the fact that rather than having a government with a clear popular majority, the UK is like most other modern societies divided into 5 segments each of which commands between 26 and 16 percent of the vote. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leadership at Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street - where the Prime Minister and the Chancellor (Treasury Secretary) work - seem paralyzed. They are caught between mounting discontent over unfairness and the cost of living, and tough fiscal strictures that push them into making unpopular spending decisions. In the London pub, the Treasury officials from across the ages, can barely hide their satisfaction at the latest display of democratic politics caught in the vice-grip of financial logic. “Remember the mur d’argent and the banker’s ramp?” “Just like yesterday!” There are smirks around the table. Then the representative of 2026 pipes up: “One thing you have to say about the current lot (referring to the latest hapless Labour government), you don’t have to teach them about the bond market!” There is a murmur of ascent from the Treasury Mandarins. The trauma of the fiscal crisis of September-October 2022 sits deep. Back then, in the final stages of Tory decay, a ‘mini budget’ that challenged fiscal orthodoxy led to a brief but fierce panic in one of the oldest government bond markets in the world (aka gilt market). Now all you have to do is to mention the “bond market” to hush debate. [ Paul Mason@paulmasonnews In the name of public service, and as ex-economics editor of BBC Newsnight, I offer to do a zoom call, tonight, with any Labour MP who wants to understand why bond markets do not "fall into line" with governments. 1/ 3:57 PM · May 12, 2026 · 466K Views 224 Replies · 674 Reposts · 3.93K Likes ](https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/2054229532404519082?s=20) “And the funny thing is”, the young man in the huddle continues, “they don’t even want to talk about … ”. There is a sudden hush. Significant looks are exchanged around the table. About? One of the senior figures puts down his glass with a decisive “clink”. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has entered their thoughts. Meanwhile, a few miles away in a grubby pub in Bloomsbury, two conspirators from the camp of Critical Macrofinance huddle over cans of low-alcohol IPA. They look at each other and blurt out loud: “The Bank!” “Everyone in the bloody Labour party is talking about the bond market. But why aren’t they even mentioning … the Bank of England!?” “Why is no one talking about Voldemort?” In Paul Mason’s blogpost, after much chest-thumping about basic fiscal logic, the basic point about the Bank of England is buried in the fine print at #3 in his list of suggestions as to what a radical Labour government might actually be able to do! [ Conflict & Democracy Down with the bond market! Down with gravity! It may seem unfair to focus on Labour MP Paula Barker for her off-the-cuff assertion that the bond market would have to “fall in line” with Andy Burnham, should he replace Keir Starmer as prime minister. But Burnham himself told the New Statesman that Labour had to “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets… Read more 2 days ago · 100 likes · 3 comments · Paul Mason ](https://htsf.substack.com/p/down-with-the-bond-market-down-with?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) Back in Bloomsbury they shake their heads and ask: “Didn’t we learn anything from the Eurozone crisis?” Meanwhile, as if summoned to the conversation by some higher force, the “pink pages” announce: “The days of ultra-cheap government borrowing have come to an end” and Martin “Whizzard” Wolf publishes the graph of the season Look at the UK in 2026, perilously positioned on the upper edge of the pack. No wonder no one in London needs any lessons about the “bond market”. But, look again. Imagine how they feel in Rome. What is London’s nightmare in 2026? The nightmare is that you end up like Italy in the early 2010s during the Eurozone crisis. Once comfortably situated in the middle of the pack, watching with horror as your ten-year yields explode to 7 percent and “spreads” become a national nightmare. One of the largest economies in Europe, a founding member of the euro, stigmatized. But the message of the Italian experience is ambiguous. After all, the stigma didn’t last. In 2026, Italy borrows at rates lower not only than the UK but the US. The US, which, as everyone knows, enjoys the “exorbitant privilege” of being the issuer of reserve, safe asets. What kind of magic is this? How did Italy, in the space of fifteen years, go from being good, to bad and back again? Which brings us back to our dissident friends in their Bloombury boozer and their memories of the Eurozone crisis. Italy never was Britain - with its ongoing fiscal deficits. Without interest payments, on primary balance, from 2000 to 2020 Italy ran a tight fiscal ship. Even in 2008 it barely went into deficit and when it was being put on the rack in the early 20210s its primary surplus matched that of austere Germany. So, what happened? How did it end up stigmatized? Of course Italian politics didn’t help. Berlusconi was at the helm and he had legal issues. But amongst friends in the Bloomsbury pub, Berlusconi is a sideshow, the name we whisper to each other is “Trichet”. From 2004 to 2011 the ECB was headed by Jean-Claude Trichet, ex of the French Treasury, more German than the Germans. After 2009 as the news of the Greek fiscal disaster broke, the European bond markets wento into panic mode and Trichet began a brutal game of cat and mouse. Between 2009 and 2011, Trichet intervened in the bond market to help, only when he thought he had compliance with austerity. When he thought they were uncooperative, he withdrew. In the summer of 2011, he even made direct suggestions to his Italian counterparts in Rome, as to how Italy should be governed. It was this cat and mouse game that drove the bond markets crazy and exposed Italy to a violent squeeze. When Mario Draghi took over the ECB at the end of 2011 and declared “whatever it takes”, the pressure on Italy, gradually eased. It is that starring role that has made Draghi into the towering figure in European politics that he remains today. So now you see why voices in London hush when it comes to the Bank of England. “The bond market” isn’t an irresistible objective force like the weather or an avalanche. It can appear like that. But that depends on the way it is being handled, or not handled by the central bank. Which is why the silence about the Bank of England in London right now is so significant. If you think this all sounds a bit fishy, coming from a left-liberal Keynesian like myself, well, let me introduce you to Robin Brooks, who, to put it mildly, plays on a different quidditch team to me. Here, from the position of a fiscal hawk is Robin’s celebratory account of the Bank of England’s role since 2022; In October 2022, at the height of the bond market blow-up in the UK, something incredible happened. Governor Andrew Bailey told British pension funds the Bank of England would end its support program for the country’s fragile gilt market, drawing a line under how much help the central bank was willing to give to exposed pension funds and - implicitly - the government. By the end of that week, Kwasi Kwarteng - the finance minister - had resigned. Prime Minister Liz Truss would soon follow. This episode is so incredible because it contrasts with what happened in the Euro zone earlier that year. Bond markets in Spain and Italy were under pressure amid high inflation and rising interest rates. In the middle of this, Mario Draghi - Italy’s Prime Minister - resigned, compounding pressure on bond markets of high-debt countries on the Euro periphery. Unlike the Bank of England, the ECB caved. It bought Italian and Spanish government bonds in an effort to cap yields and introduced a new tool that signaled to markets it might do such caps more frequently going forward. Faced with pressure on bond markets, the ECB capitulated to political pressure from high-debt countries like Italy and Spain. The Bank of England stood its ground and toppled the Truss government. This kind of thing has long-lasting consequences. It means markets price a higher probability of yield caps in the Euro zone, which keeps Italian and Spanish yields artificially low, while markets feel free to push up UK yields without fear of central bank intervention. As I flagged in yesterday’s post, this means you really can’t compare UK yields to those of other high-debt countries. The UK looks worse, but only because its central bank isn’t interfering with markets. There’s more to this than just that 2022 episode. The Bank of England has also been much more aggressive in its quantitative tightening (QT) than other central banks. If one motivation for quantitative easing (QE) is to lower bond yields - especially longer-dated ones - then it stands to reason QT pushes yields up. The left chart above shows a four-quarter moving average of UK government debt issuance (black line) in percent of GDP and which sectors absorb this issuance, including the Bank of England (blue bars). The right chart above compares the Bank of England’s accumulation or run-off of government bonds (blue line) with that of other central banks, where this blue line is the same as the blue bars in the left chart. The Bank of England was quicker and more aggressive than other central banks in downsizing its bond holdings, so UK yields will have risen more than elsewhere also for this reason, not just because of Governor Andrew Bailey’s remarks in October 2022. Back in October 2025, after a conversation in New York with friends in British politics, my sense of dysphoria was such that I raised the issue of the Bank of England openly in the FT Since 2008, the UK has slid into a deep economic and political predicament. Growth has stagnated to a degree far worse even than in the 1970s. The Tory leadership’s wager on the Brexit referendum spectacularly backfired, leaving the UK isolated from Europe and at the mercy of its special relationship with the US, many of whose political class regard the UK as a basket case. After years of austerity, the Labour party lurched to the left and then back to the centre. The Tory party has been eclipsed by the populist nationalism of Reform. Any British government should be worrying first and foremost about how to restart growth. Instead, Keir Starmer is beset by shades of the gilt market panic triggered by the Liz Truss government in 2022. The debt level is higher than in recent years, but there is no cause for panic. UK debt is at far from critical levels and of long duration. Whether you want to “take back control” or launch progressive economic policy, a democracy dogged by fear of bond market vigilantes is unhealthy. In a country that is a monetary sovereign, this climate points to one thing: a disconnect between the government and the central bank. Since 1997, the independence of the Bank of England has become a sacred cow. But independence is what you make of it. And in the wake of the gilt market crisis of September 2022, relations between the Bank of England and the UK government need a reset. In normal times, there is no doubt that an inflation-targeting independent central bank can serve a country well. But since 2008, the UK and other advanced economies have not had the luxury of such simple problems. To their credit, central bankers around the world have not stood on orthodoxy. After 2008, the US Federal Reserve rescued the global banking system and, through quantitative easing, it stabilised the Treasury market in the face of huge deficits. In Europe, things were trickier. Both the Bank of England under Mervyn King and Jean-Claude Trichet’s European Central Bank played cat and mouse with national governments. This was a high stakes wager that between 2010 and 2012 escalated bond market tension and triggered a disastrous turn to austerity. Shaken by the impact of those shocks, their successors, Mark Carney and Mario Draghi adopted a more protective stance (assuming you were not the government of Greece). Recall that Draghi’s legendary slogan, “Whatever it takes”, was uttered to face down the City of London’s bond vigilantes. In 2015, Draghi launched QE — financial repression by another name. In 2016, Carney used the authority of the Bank of England to stabilise markets following the vote for Brexit, an exemplary demonstration of how central banks can underpin democratic choice, even when those choices are wrong headed. All these were independent central bankers steeped in the best practice of the 1990s, who recognised that historic crises demanded radical action. It was the price surge of 2021-2023 that poisoned the atmosphere. Though the shock came mainly from the supply side, central banks ended up in the dock. Nowhere more so than in the UK. The Bank of England reacted with aggressive normalisation. Faced with a cost of living crisis, the governor called for workers to accept real wage cuts. In early 2022, as gas prices were at record levels and Russia’s army was poised to invade Ukraine, the Bank adopted a stringent programme of quantitative tightening, elevating interest rates. When the Truss government got itself in trouble, the Bank took almost a week to come to the rescue. Rather than enacting a charade of normality, it is time to recognise that in 2025 the UK faces a period of historic transition. To meet this challenge, what is needed is a new concordat with the Bank. This should not ignore inflationary pressures or the long-run trajectory of debt, but should affirm the priority of reviving investment-led growth. One could follow Donald Trump in demanding interest rate cuts. The Bank could shadow the ECB in its commitment to capping Eurozone yields. But the top priority should be to lay the ghost of September 2022. The Bank’s slowing of QT last month was a concession. An immediate and complete end would send the right signal. Such a concordat will not by itself restore sanity to politics, solve the housing problem or rebuild the NHS. But it would help to lift the fear of bond market crisis, which is paralysing the effort by democratic politicians to answer the fundamental questions facing the nation. Now, that call for a new concordat between government and Bank of Englands seems more urgent than ever. The problem is that in October 2025, Starmer still had some authority. Today the government is in tatters. And when you are the “under the harrow” - to echo a phrase of Montagu Norman’s from the 1920s - it is the worst possible time to consider institutional change. To make general arguments at a time of crisis can only seem like special pleading rather than a general argument for long-term change. The same, unfortunately, is also true for the other basic institutional reform that Britain urgently needs i.e. the abolition of the out-dated first past the post electoral system and its replacement by a moderated form of proportional representation. And thirdly - whilst we are saying the quiet parts out loud - Britain needs to reopen the question of EU membership. What the local election results of 2026 show is that this remains a key issue. And what they also show is that there is a clear majority that would favor a return. Until these basic features of Britain’s political economy are addressed the country will carry on its politics as though in a haunted house, governed by governments that lack actual majorities, conjuring up false constraints whilst ignoring the real ones. This one is for DG and MI. I love writing the newsletter. If you enjoy it too and fancy buying me a coffee once a month, you know what to do. Click below! Subscribe

adamtooze.substack.com logo
May 15 • 3:04 AM EDT • Politics • adamtooze.substack.com
Bomani Jones on Jordan, LeBron, Politics, and Why Sports Are Never Just Sports

In this new episode Maury sits down with the brilliant ‪@righttimebomani‬ to explore the powerful intersection of sports and culture. The conversation serves as a moving tribute to Maury’s father, the legendary Shirley Povich, a titan of sports journalism who utilized his iconic column to challenge the status quo and break social barriers. Together, Maury […]

flatheadbeacon.com logo
May 14 • 3:52 PM EDT • Politics • flatheadbeacon.com
Gavin Newsom Beats The Drum For Nationwide Entertainment Industry Incentives, And Dances Around His Presidential Aspirations

Throughout his decades in politics, Gavin Newsom has been called everything under the California sun by friends and foes alike, but there is one moniker the two-term Golden State governor embraces, th...

yahoo.com logo
May 14 • 11:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Gilts Become ‘Half-Hour Trade’ on Politics, HSBC’s Kettner Says

(Bloomberg) -- The UK’s fractious politics is making investors wary of long-term wagers in the country’s gilt markets, according to HSBC Holdings Plc’s Max Kettner.Most Read from BloombergAmbani’s Cola War With Coke, Pepsi Spurs Fridge Bonanza in IndiaNvidia’s CEO Joins Trump in China With AI in the SpotlightInside a Year of Chaos and Conflict at Kevin Hart’s Media CompanyMamdani Scraps Property Tax Hike, Counts Second-Home Revenue“I’d love to buy them because obviously long-end yields are so en

finance.yahoo.com logo
May 13 • 6:32 AM EDT • Politics • finance.yahoo.com
Gilts Become ‘Half-Hour Trade’ on Politics, HSBC’s Kettner Says

The UK’s fractious politics is making investors wary of long-term wagers in the country’s gilt markets, according to HSBC Holdings Plc’s Max Kettner.

bloomberg.com logo
May 13 • 6:32 AM EDT • Politics • bloomberg.com