Will Trump be able to reimpose some tariffs, at least for awhile? Probably, yeah. But the age of credibly threatening to slap giant tariffs on allies over Greenland, or for prosecuting a corrupt Trump ally, is probably over, @joshuakeating.bsky.social writes www.vox.com/politics/479...

From Venezuelan oil to the Board of Peace, Trump is constantly looking for new sources of cash he can control. www.vox.com/politics/479...

Don't expect a war to end as quickly this time. www.vox.com/politics/479...

*rubs temples* As I've spent the better part of the day explaining why I don't think Newsom should be the Democratic nominee for president, it pains me to "defend" this, but... The governor of California is legally obligated to proclaim each Feb 6 Reagan Day per a 2010 state law.

Why did the US bomb Somalia more than 100 times last year? www.vox.com/politics/478...

Is the war on terror on auto-pilot? Trump has bombed Somalia more than any other country, across two terms. He barely ever mentions it and it’s unclear how much he’s even involved. www.vox.com/politics/478...

“This is not just an issue for immigrant families,” one expert said. “It's an issue for all families.” www.vox.com/life/478770/...

If you saw the bizarre El Paso airport closure overnight, then saw it was lifted and moved on — it's a lot more insane than that and we still don't really know why it happened www.vox.com/politics/478...

How Britain ended up the new Epstein's Island, via @joshuakeating.bsky.social www.vox.com/politics/478...

Continue to think this @benjysarlin.bsky.social piece is not just insightful about what Trump's GOP rivals should have (and didn't) do, but about the failure mode of so much modern political communication more broadly.

Light blue independence flag, Ricky Martin singing an anti-statehood banger — Bad Bunny’s halftime show highlighted his ties to Puerto Rico’s independence movement www.vox.com/politics/478...

The president falsely accused Haitians in Ohio of eating pets. Now he’s trying to deport them. www.vox.com/politics/478...

Bad Bunny's taking over the US. Does he want Puerto Rico to leave it? Great dive into the singer's ties to the newly-relevant Puerto Rico independence movement, and how his life, music, and activism embodies a generational shift there www.vox.com/politics/478...

Seven years ago yesterday, this ad ran during the Super Bowl.

If you're one of the Washington Post staff laid off (or leaving), feel free to email me at benjy dot sarlin at voxmedia dot com. Would love to hear about what you're interested in.

They wanted fewer wars. He didn’t deliver. www.vox.com/politics/477...

A brief history of First Ladies cashing in, via Alyssa Rosenberg www.vox.com/culture/4775...

One of the truly irritating things about living in the District is that the National Park Service operates all these tiny park parcels all over town (plus some actual national parks) and can't be bothered to maintain them

Last week in Minnesota, I watched ordinary people risk their lives to protect their neighbors. In the process, they not only won a significant—though not final—victory against authoritarianism, they proved virtually every MAGA social theory wrong. (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

It's not obvious whether this is a right-wing hate group or federal law enforcement. It may be impossible to tell. Federal law enforcement refusing to wear ID gives powerful cover for bad actors

No major politician in either party would have tried Trump's Greenland saber-rattling if they were president. But the US will always be an election away from a leader who doesn't share NATO's values and will rip up any prior deals. That's what Carney's speech was about. www.vox.com/today-explai...

Really smart polling find

Imagine, speaking German in the Graubunden Canton of Switzerland

As the saying goes, the buck stops with nonexistent advisors

Excited to announce I’m now a senior editor for policy, politics, and ideas at @vox.com! I’ll be commissioning outside pieces, so email me if you have pitches or writers to recommend. Everything from quick hits off the news to opinion essays to reported features are welcome.

To paraphrase Warren Buffett, it’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming without a bathing suit

In related news, let me know if you or someone you know has any interesting work opportunities!

Should Democrats up their demands this time? And would it benefit Republicans to give them an off-ramp? Read more from @benjysarlin.bsky.social, @admcrlsn.bsky.social and Jim Geraghty: https://wapo.st/3IfewTE

My latest for @washingtonpost.com: An explainer on why A24’s prestige English-dubbed release of China’s NE ZHA 2, the most successful animated feature in history, didn’t hit with American audiences. The answer? Fundamentally different storytelling styles. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Donald Trump is making your coffee more expensive. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Seems less than ideal www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

A good column on how the GOP uses work requirements as a ploy to deny Medicaid benefits to Americans who are eligible. Arkansas enacted a similar policy. “Although the policy dramatically reduced the share of adults with health insurance coverage, it did nothing to boost employment.”

New research from @splitticketvoter.bsky.social suggests Trump made massive gains with naturalized citizens in 2024. Scaring legal immigrants and blowing up the economy seems like a formula for undoing them. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Some pretty dangerous poll findings for Trump lately, especially on the economy www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Are the tariffs affecting you as a consumer, business owner, coffee drinker, etc? Reach out to the Post's letters page thewashingtonpost.formstack.com/forms/tariff...

Don’t assume populism and tariffs are inherently joined. The original populists and progressives were anti-tariff for decades. It’s a big part of how we have that income tax Musk and Trump hate. It could happen again, @tonyannett.bsky.social writes. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Sure seems like Elon was toxic in that Wisconsin race. New state polling here from Blueprint, see their op-ed. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The ghibli thing was terrible and everywhere but it appears to have passed quickly, like omicron

What's easier for Democrats: Getting New York City, California and Philadelphia to build housing and stop bleeding population? Or winning Texas? Cuz thems the choices. -- www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Democrats no longer have the luxury of losing Texas, writes Luke Warford www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The Waltz defense is basically that it has to be some elaborate, currently unarticulated, conspiracy against him because can you imagine someone as competent and smart and cool as Waltz doing something so stupid? Most people don’t even know who this guy is, let alone assume he’s infallible.

The conservative case for embracing “Abundance” via @jamespethokoukis.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Rachel Janfanza on how the pandemic split Gen Z into two different generations, with opposing politics. (A good morning for Post oped.) www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Accepting the premise that Musk is a unique business and engineering genius who singlehandedly turned Tesla into the dominant EV company — they've been getting absolutely routed since he started his big X/AI/DOGE kick and I don't know how they recover www.reuters.com/business/aut...

Ah yes, making me nostalgic for the bad economy law school surge of my youth

The thing about antagonizing other countries for your nationalist base is that they have their own nationalists with their own base www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...