Wrote this last week in DC. Before the weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial. Sometimes the essay arrives before the fact does.

Wrote this essay last week while walking through Washington. Before last night. Before the weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial. Sometimes the metaphor arrives before the fact does.

My latest on Substack. Would love your thoughts.

@carissaveliz.bsky.social's new book PROPHECY (@doubledaybooks.bsky.social) argues that AI predictions aren't really about knowing your future — they're about controlling it. She joins Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other for a conversation that's hard to shake. Link in comments.

Wasn't sure if I should share something this personal, but a dear friend reminded me it's Mental Health Awareness Month. So maybe someone can relate. Or maybe it helps someone understand a loved one a little better. #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #mentalhealth

Jefferson placed a bust of Hamilton across from his own at Monticello. In old age, he'd look at it and say: "Opposed in life as in death." Not enemies. Adversaries.

From the latest on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com/p/stolen-gro...

For 15 years, I didn't put my hand on my heart during the Pledge. Then I started again. Not for the reason you think. Full essay at the link in comments. Free to read.

Most Americans want to make a difference in the lives of others. Most assume they're the only ones who feel that way. Brian Hooks of Stand Together joined TP&R to talk about the collective illusion — and what it looks like when the exhausted majority finally shows up. 🎧 bit.ly/Spotify_Bria...

Today's the day THE QUEEN AND HER PRESIDENTS hits shelves. And it just so happens the luminous @susanpagedc.bsky.social is this week's guest on @goodfaithpolitics.bsky.social, where she got candid about the long road in journalism, her craft, and a lot more you won't find in the book jacket.

No Kings, the Constitution, and the cauterizing of the civic conscience

My latest on Substack. Would love your thoughts if you get a chance to read it. coreysnathan.substack.com/p/the-laughi...

Rajiv Mehta, founder of Mapping Ourselves and member of WEAVE: The Social Fabric Project. "The self is plural." One of the more radically nuanced ideas in a convo full of them. Part of our ongoing WEAVE series. His book Camaraderie is out this summer. 🎧 www.politicsandreligion.us/e/raj-mehta_...

Something a little different. Would love your thoughts if you get a chance to read it. open.substack.com/pub/coreysna...

One is an ancient tyrant who demanded idol worship. The other is from Babylon.

Tribalism isn't a flaw. It's ancient wiring that kept us alive. The problem is it hasn't caught up with civil society. And staying in real conversation across difference isn't natural. It's a decision. Braver Angels' Wilk Wilkinson on the new episode. Link below.

“We don’t need yet another commentary about how uncivil the current occupant of the Oval Office is. But this is the latest painful reminder that those of us who still have some semblance of good will and good faith have work to do.” coreysnathan.substack.com/p/dispatches...

Be water, my friend. New piece on civic renewal, cross-difference conversations, and why a small handful of pub conversations might make all the difference in the world. coreysnathan.substack.com/p/dispatches...

Is America becoming more judgmental? What about other countries? New episode with Jonathan Evans from @pewresearch.org digging into what the data actually shows about how Americans see each other. Good one to sit with. www.politicsandreligion.us/e/jonathanev...

Our vocabulary is being colonized by those whose actions and character render them unqualified to commandeer such valuable words. As Bono once said of Helter Skelter, “This is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles; we’re stealing it back!”

Trump ran on getting OUT of foreign wars. Then launched one without a congressional vote. Some of his voters are noticing the gap. This essay is for them and for anyone trying to talk to them. coreysnathan.substack.com/p/when-the-c...

Many voters supported policies. The question is whether they supported abandoning constitutional limits to achieve them. New essay: When the Constitution Becomes the Obstacle

When the Constitution Becomes the Obstacle The argument: Supporting deportations, tariffs, or cultural pushback is one thing. Supporting the dismantling of constitutional guardrails to achieve those goals is something else. The first step is admitting it. open.substack.com/pub/coreysna...

@jonrauch.bsky.social spent yrs resisting the word "fascism." He used it last month. Rauch isn't a cable news partisan. He wrote the book defending free inquiry from both the left AND right. If he's finally saying it, the ? isn't whether he went too far. It's why so many of us are still hesitating.

Gustavo Arellano's father crossed into the U.S. in the trunk of a Chevy. Eventually became a citizen. Never missed an election. @gustavoarellano.bsky.social has spent 25 years covering immigration. New episode of TP&R -- and it's a good one. www.politicsandreligion.us/e/gustavo-ar...

If it’s Talarico vs Paxton in TX, it’ll be one to watch. Otherwise, it’s fools gold for Dems.

"The image of God in me loves the image of God in you." That was @lisasharper.bsky.social's prayer before walking into a classroom with a student who showed her no respect. Pastor Amy Schenkel brought it into our conversation as a kind of floor, the minimum viable posture for any hard relationship.

Abigail Spanberger just launched her presidential campaign. Wow, what a welcome contrast.

New episode: The Election Whisperer 🎙️ @katieharbath.bsky.social spent a decade inside Facebook managing elections globally. No playbooks. Just impossible trade-offs where every option had major downsides.

America used to be described as an idea. Lately it’s described more like a variable. Carney’s comments made that clearer and Tocqueville explains why the response has to be civic, not just electoral. Essay: coreysnathan.substack.com/p/after-the-...

Tocqueville warned that democracy decays not through sudden tyranny but gradual withdrawal. What if we’re watching that withdrawal at scale? New essay: After the Pleasant Fiction. coreysnathan.substack.com/p/after-the-...

Kazadi Katambwa’s career arc is wild. He started as a runner delivering tapes across LA and ended up working on campaigns for Dunkirk, Inception, Mad Max and more. We got deep into how trailers actually get made and why the best ones trust the audience. Really loved this conversation.

How do we practice connection across difference without surrendering moral clarity? Photographer John Noltner argues that proximity changes everything. “It's hard to hate somebody up close.” New TP&R episode: www.politicsandreligion.us/e/johnnoltne...

Anonymity doesn’t just change how we speak. It changes who we are allowed to see as human. New essay: Anonymity and the Collapse of the Thou A culture trained to dehumanize eventually turns lethal. coreysnathan.substack.com

The most dangerous historical mistake isn’t forgetting the past. It’s remembering it in a way that lets us claim righteousness while excusing harm. This essay asks where we actually belong in the stories we tell about ourselves. coreysnathan.substack.com/p/cosplaying...

Trust and taste do not age out. They compound. Debi Struzan and Dana Flowers Mitchell on Trailer Geeks and Teaser Gods Episode 137 Trust the Taste

A new essay on sports, ritual, memory, and shared attention. A Ballgame. A Ritual. And What We Carry Forward coreysnathan.substack.com

New TP&R episode is live. Talked with @mattklewis.bsky.social about the ten year anniversary of Too Dumb to Fail and how populism, media incentives, and tribalism reshaped American politics. Worth the full listen: www.politicsandreligion.us/e/mattlewis2026 @coreysnathan.bsky.social

I’ve been thinking a lot about how scripted our public conversations have become, how rarely we actually listen anymore, and what that costs us as human beings. I wrote about it on the latest Substack. 👉 bit.ly/1-11-26_Subs...

“Please don’t explain Venezuela to Venezuelans. Listen to them.” Powerful reminder from today’s episode with Lori Adams-Brown. www.politicsandreligion.us/e/loriadamsb...

New TP&R episode with @walshfreedom.bsky.social, recorded weeks ago but released today as many return from the holidays. It’s about character, silence, and what democracy asks of us when things get uncomfortable. 🎧 How We Argue — and Why It Matters www.politicsandreligion.us/e/joewalsh_2026/

January 6th Was—and Still Is—a Big Deal What That Day Revealed—and the Civic Disease We Let Fester bit.ly/49lcAT0

Waking up to breaking news out of Venezuela and renewed questions about power and constitutional limits. Five years after January 6, I published an essay this morning about what that day revealed—and what we chose to do with it afterward. Not a hot take. An invitation to read. bit.ly/49lcAT0

This essay grew out of a question a friend asked me over dinner: “Do you feel more Jewish or more Christian?” It led me through history, faith, and the limits of choosing who we are. If you have time and space today, I’d be grateful for your reading. coreysnathan.substack.com/p/more-jewis...