Please do take a look at my latest with Luke Zahner for Stars and Stripes.

Some thoughts: "By refusing to articulate a clear alternative to Trump’s militarism, centrist governments in Europe leave space for far-right and nationalist parties to present themselves as the only political forces willing to defend European interests." www.americanprogress.org/article/iran...

The Trump administration’s leaked “peace plan” hands Moscow strategic victories, forces Ukraine to swallow unilateral concessions, and sets the stage for a deadlier future war. Our latest at CAP: www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...

Trump’s new sanctions finally target the heart of Russia’s war machine, but only aggressive, disciplined enforcement will decide whether they actually bite. I walk you through what needs to happen: www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...

International lessons on how to re-build democracy.

My think piece on Trump, Europe, and global re ordering after the trade deal. www.politico.eu/article/us-e...

Putin did more than eat Trump’s lunch in Alaska. He ate Trump for lunch and swallowed him whole. The losers? Ukraine, the EU, NATO, and the United States of America.

The battle of our day is no longer about Democrats versus Republicans or left versus right. The choice right now is democracy or dictatorship. And we're sliding faster than I ever thought possible into the latter. Everyone must choose which side they’re on.

We took a moment to unpack the Anchorage and Washington summits this week - do watch.

This is hardly a light news week, but please do read: Our take at American Progress on Trump's potential Surrender Summit. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...

Firing the chief labor statistician isn’t just a scandal—it echoes the early warning signs from Argentina, Turkey, and the Soviet Union, where gutting independent economic institutions paved the way for autocracy and economic collapse. We’ve seen this movie before. It doesn't end well.

This was an excruciating read. Torture and rape facilitated by the US government. Unconscionable crimes. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

The window is closing to stop Putin: my latest. www.americanprogress.org/article/amer...

Do join!

Some thoughts on what we can expect at next week's NATO summit: hint, Trump may be itching for a fight. www.americanprogress.org/article/nato...

We're going to see quite a split screen today: Millions protesting peacefully in defense of democracy, and a would-be dictator ordering tanks to tear up DC streets to make him feel powerful. It's obvious what the right side is. Be on it.

Israel bombing Iran in the middle of US diplomacy is an astonishing and totally unnecessary escalation and humiliating for Trump who said he was ending wars.

Authoritarians’ early popularity can delay resistance — but that’s when the real damage gets done. My piece for Politico. www.politico.eu/article/demo...

Fourth Circuit opinion: make this go viral. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order....

The same patterns of systemic corruption, democratic backsliding, & economic exploitation that have marred other parts of the world are now happening in the U.S. New from @robertbenson92.bsky.social:

We’re not in a good place.

Examples from abroad serve as prescient warnings that corruption and state capture erode services, impoverish societies, and compromise public safety. www.americanprogress.org/article/how-...

Last week may be remembered as the true, quantifiable beginning of the end of American economic exceptionalism. Terrifying. on.ft.com/4cuKN3T

Rarely have I come across such a perfect crystallization of the difference between American and European thinking—one that I’m increasingly convinced will lead to U.S. disaster. Quote below from the FTs Big Read.

Take a look at our new CAP report on threats to democracy abroad and what lessons can be derived here at home.

Can someone explain to me the absolutely mind boggling silence of elected officials over these state sanctioned kidnappings of U.S. residents.

Unlike the U.S., Beijing doesn’t self-sabotage. Grotesque spectacle. www.google.com/url?q=https:...

Assaults on due process should alarm all of us. The state cannot kidnap legal U.S. residents and hand them over to third-party dictatorships for indefinite detention. What the hell are we doing? time.com/7269604/el-s...

"Should both sides of the Atlantic succumb, the future that unfolds will be unrecognizable to most — a world of barbed, militarized borders, blotted freedoms, and sapped economic and cultural ties." CAP's @robertbenson92.bsky.social for @inkstickmedia.com:

Some thoughts on where we find ourselves: the destroyers are here: read more at inkstickmedia.com/the-destroye...

Russia is a dangerous imperialist autocracy with ambitions far beyond Ukraine. "Negotiating peace" by handing the Kremlin land and leverage isn’t strength—it’s surrender. Appeasement won’t stop Putin; it will invite more war.

Trump didn’t "stand up" to Zelenskyy—he and Vance staged a cowardly ambush and failed. It wasn’t strength; it was a brazen attack of a wartime hero. www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...

Far from keeping us safe, Trump’s fantasy imperialism—rambling about Greenland and Panama—alienates vital partners, spreads lies, and makes America weaker. Delusion isn’t strength; it’s reckless, embarrassing, and dangerous.

So, I'm new here @americanprogress.bsky.social