Must-read from Larry Diamond: "We are left with the worst of all possible worlds. Maduro is gone but his predatory dictatorship lives on. There is no sign of a plan to induce this awful regime to negotiate a transfer of power to the democratic coalition." www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-bet...

Why what's been achieved in Gaza is a ceasefire, not a peace deal. There is only one genocidal party to the conflict, and it's Hamas. www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/202...

Frank Fukuyama's incisive analysis of Venezuela. Explains why legality is a side issue (and a dead end for Dems) open.substack.com/pub/persuasi...

Here's a brilliant and also moving analysis of the U.S. shift toward authoritarianism...and the importance of individual acts of resistance. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FeO...

"Next year Europe will have to change its approach and start copying China. It needs to punch back to deter an increasingly hostile America." open.substack.com/pub/billemmo...

"As for Trump, the only things that can be predicted with confidence is that he will continue to call for peace and continue to collude with Putin." open.substack.com/pub/billemmo...

Trump's gift to Putin. 73 percent of Germans say relations with the US are "bad." www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/...

Bill Emmott: "Europe offends Trump in much the same way as Democratic Ukraine offends Putin." billemmott.substack.com/p/trumps-hat...

At RDI's conference in DC, I just heard a retired federal judge, Mark Wolf, say Trump might declare martial law to impede the 2026 elections. He's not predicting, but no one thinks he's crazy to raise it. rdi.org/2025-frontli...

Tim Mak has it about right. www.counteroffensive.news/p/trumps-str...

This is a stunning indictment...not of Letitia James but of DOJ and the Trump administration. Serious prosecutors and lawyers would be hanging their heads in shame. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Rob Shapiro: Trump has made the affordability crisis worse, and opened the door wide for Democrats to mount a populist campaign from the left. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/12/02/a...

Tom Nichols states the obvious...but let's please not forget that the first boat strike, which targeted civilians posing no imminent threat or hostility to the US, was probably as illegal as the second. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

"Conspiracy theories define what it means to be a conservative in America today. It used to be the Reaganite agenda of low taxes, deregulation, individual freedom. But it really is whether you believe in these weird theories that partake of a different reality." www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GDA...

DOGE unleashed chaos in federal agencies. Many are rehiring after firing; key talent is gone. www.brookings.edu/articles/how...

"The serious way in which to understand this American “peace plan” is that it shows that Trump is the weakest president to occupy the White House for 100 years." open.substack.com/pub/billemmo...

I warmly recommend Josh Szeps's detailed analysis of why Tucker Carlson is the most talented and dangerous rhetorician on the right. youtube.com/watch?v=CURq...

This is what it looks like to be laughed out of court. Humiliating for DOJ lawyers--the creme de la creme--to be treated this way. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Worth your time. www.execfunctions.org/p/what-are-w...

Would someone like to tell me why the Algorithm God is showing me ads for butt-enhancing pants? Better yet...don't.

A social issue I never thought about...but should have. Land hoarding! open.substack.com/pub/kenilgun...

It's ironic that gays are called upon to make the case against polygamy, a standard heterosexual concept. Matt Vines does it brilliantly. youtu.be/ZzDh4XfFVN4?...

New poll from Buckley Institute finds the plurality of students support Cuban and Russian style socialism.

Good question. "How about asking Trump to stop spreading antisemitism via his associations and appointments?" www.thebulwark.com/p/right-wing...

This is sick, if accurate (The Counteroffensive is a reputable outlet). Russians are using drones to "safari hunt" civilians in Ukraine. www.counteroffensive.news/p/russias-di...

"The president and vice president should explain to backers and all citizens that the Republican Party has no place for bigots, purveyors of vile conspiracy theories, and sycophants of blood-stained anti-American dictators." Yes, they should. Any minute now. www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/202...

Here are some of the people being summarily executed at sea by the Trump Admin. They're mostly ordinary folks running drugs (to Europe, not the US) as a side gig. Their deaths will have zero effect on drug availability. apnews.com/article/trum...

Congress loses another good member. It's disgraceful that the problem of threats to MCs and judges isn't taken more seriously. leedrutman.substack.com/p/politics-k...

Gov. Pritzker to Trump and DOJ: "Come and get me." www.theunpopulist.net/p/jb-pritzke...

What are Trump and MAGA doing to our government? A rollicking discussion with two top political scientists. Short answer: it's patrimonialism, stupid. www.wbur.org/onpoint/2025...

An urgent plea. The hour is late. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

This is welcome news. Hopefully breaks US curse of one-off nuclear projects that fail to sustain expertise and supply chains. Cost comes down only thru repeatability, and S.K. and China are already building in bulk. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/b...

Let's not lose sight of how abnormal it is for a federal judge to feel that she has to behave this way with a US official. Just amazing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...

The case for viewpoint diversity in academia is stronger than ever...despite claims that it's a "MAGA plot." www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

"This week Trump announced new sanctions that were supposedly aimed at hurting the oil exports that are financing Russia’s war effort, yet they were actually much less potent than Trump claimed." open.substack.com/pub/billemmo...

"Abuses of science, enlightenment, and academic authority discredit the abuser, not the thing abused." www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/202...

Here's a thoughtful and well reported article on what comes after radical gender ideology and medical interventions as first-line treatment for gender dysphoria. www.thenewatlantis.com/publications...

It's not too late to fix this dangerous law...the closest thing in the US to martial law. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/o...

History will record this moment as a travesty of the law. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/tria...

A research scientist stands up for merit and integrity. May many others follow! hxstem.substack.com/p/why-i-no-l...

These outlets agreed to do only Pentagon-approved interviews. The term "lap dog" comes to mind. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

It's not a peace agreement, because Hamas has not agreed. Hamas will not disarm or depart. Israel will go back in. Fighting will resume. Ceasefire is certainly better than alternatives, but celebration of war's end is way premature. www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/202...

A third of Republicans favor threatening to deport US citizens who have been critical of Trump. Two-thirds support DOJ investigating his opponents. www.economist.com/united-state...

“They [MAGA] don't like America. They don't like the people that live in this country. They don't like our customs. They don't like our laws. They don't like our traditions. They don't like our constitution. They don't pull for us. I truly believe this.” Minute 4:30 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxkI...

In case you needed one more thing to be concerned about... www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

"I’ve never seen an arraignment hearing quite like this one. ... Today the Eastern District of Virginia is already on to Letitia James for a crime she also didn’t commit." www.lawfaremedia.org/projects-ser...

Are we all free speech hypocrites? Is the right worse than the left...or vice versa? Scintillating conversation on The Good Fight podcast. yaschamounk.substack.com/p/the-good-f...

Hmm...

Good read from @theunpopulist.net on Trump's anti-constitutional deployments to Portland and other cities. www.theunpopulist.net/p/trump-is-d...