Good morning! I reunited with David Brooks and Robert Siegel, who hosted us for many years on @npr.org, to discuss Trump, authoritarianism and the next phase of American politics. Happy to say it’s my inaugural contribution as a @nytimes.com opinion writer. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...

“Here’s a Shocking Idea: Democrats Don’t All Have to Sound Alike. “Four candidates in wildly different races show the value of being yourself.” A v-important piece by @jilldlawrence.bsky.social. In a diverse country & party, forget about cookie-cutter candidates. www.thebulwark.com/p/shocking-i...

Dem Governors should make clear they “cherish our public health system as a pillar of American greatness and see vaccines as a miraculous human achievement” — unlike their foes who indulge “in juvenile conspiracy theories disparaging ‘deep state’ medical professionals.” Good @gregsargent.bsky.social

An extraordinary and moving account by @jo-ann.bsky.social of how progressive Israelis feel and think about the activities of a government they revile. A rare, penetrating look at liberal Israeli civil society from the inside as it struggles to end to the war. newrepublic.com/article/1995...

“There is no electoral risk to hammering away on Trump’s dictatorial tendencies—and a huge risk to the nation in ignoring them.” Important @perrybaconjr.bsky.social. Connecting the dots about how Trump is aggrandizing his power is deeply important & does not preclude discussions of economic issues.

“The GOP States With Guards Deployed to D.C. Have Urban Murder Rates Way Higher Than D.C.’s.” “New Orleans? Memphis? Baton Rouge? Jackson, Mississippi? Why aren’t their states’ Guards on patrol there?” Great from Harold Meyerson @prospect.org prospect.org/blogs-and-ne...

“The Texas gerrymandering scheme combines…personalist, autocratic leadership and a pattern of gaining and wielding power with little regard for the views of the broader public.” Excellent by @perrybaconjr: Why the GOP’s maneuvers go beyond the usual politics. newrepublic.com/article/1988...

“[I]f behavior that this administration has exhibited in just its first six months continues and is amplified for its full four years, the America you know will be gone. And I don’t know how we will get it back.” Remarkable essay by @thomaslfriedman.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/o...

Trump’s messing with official stats is very bad for everyone. “To be useful, information on a nation’s society & economy must be credible & trustworthy.” Users must know that the data gathering is “not affected by any political or ideological perspective…” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573...

The good news about murder: Homicides are way down. My essay on the need to acknowledge and understand why crime is declining — and how to build on success: What happened, what we can learn and how progressives became crime fighters. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The good news about murder: Homicides are way down. My essay on the need to acknowledge and understand why crime is declining — and how to build on success: What happened, what we can learn and how progressives became crime fighters. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Trump’ problems extend beyond a revolt in his base around Epstein. “He has lost ground with the broader public on issues that once were among his strongest attributes,” writes Dan Balz in a very good analysis. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Lots of middle-of-the road voices long for bi-partisanship. But the GOP in the Senate (except for Collins & Murkowski) just blew up any hope for bi-partisan budget accords. If the GOP makes a budget deal to get 60 votes & then blows it up when they only need 50 votes, good faith bargaining is dead.

The Epstein explosion “allows us to peer into the future of MAGA and see its potential crackup. After Trump is gone, this movement could tear itself apart. Its very existence is premised on a series of fantastical assertions about America and American government.” @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social

“Trump tariff threat piles pressure on Canada to expand trade with Asia.” Headline in Canada’s national newspaper, the @theglobeandmail.com Does Trump really think that pushing our closest ally & friend away from us is in our country’s interest? www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

Really excellent piece by @qjurecic.bsky.social on how the Supreme Court keeps rescuing Trump. “The Trump administration…seems only too happy to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s help. And as far as the White House is concerned, the cost to the rule of law may be a bonus.”

“Be curious, not judgmental” – how Jim Ryan’s slogan is one that "all kinds of people from right to left should welcome" – and what's at stake in Trump vs. Harvard – @ejdionne.bsky.social on @thenation.com podcast bit.ly/4kh0fT

“As former president Joe Biden has often said, ‘Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.’ Today, American values point in one direction: expanding the immigration police state.” Thanks @crampell.bsky.social for this important piece on the dangers of the huge ICE expansion.

Progressives prosper when they answer justified fury with aspiration & battle nostalgia with promise. My essay: The Abundance idea needs work but has taken flight because it recognizes that defending rights, advancing social justice & protecting the planet all require a liberalism that builds.

“With this faith in the future, we will be able to adjourn the councils of despair and rise from the fatigue of darkness to the buoyancy of hope, and we will be able to bring into being this new society and realize the American dream.” — Martin Luther King Jr. #Happy4thofJuly

The market for “big ideas” depends far more on demand than supply, and the Democrats’ craving for the next new thing is intense. Amidst the chaos created by Trump’s antidemocratic power grab, one idea has broken through. My essay on why Abundance took off: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

“In order to truly believe that the Freedom Caucus is going to tank the bill, they’re going to have to actually vote against it. Not hold out, not fold their arms and grumble. Actually vote against it. And we still haven’t seen that.” @ddayen.bsky.social americanprospect.bluelena.io/index.php?ac...

I don’t believe a word any House Republican (except for Massie) says about how awful they find the Senate-passed monstrosity. They always cave to Trump. If that’s what they plan to do again, they should just say nothing and stop embarrassing themselves. The only thing that counts is how they vote.

Here’s the deal: Sen. Murkowski knows this bill will hurt a lot of people. So she wanted amendments to minimize the impact on her state. But a carve-out like that was against Senate rules. So now she has to decide if she’ll vote for a bill that hurts the people of her state.

“Legislation speaks louder than words.” Excellent analysis by @jacobhacker.bsky.social & @patrick-sullivan.bsky.social of the bill before the Senate today that is “the most regressive, least populist policy package in memory.” It’s terrible on tax equity, heath care & hunger.

The Senate is racing to pass “a stand alone in history—a reconciliation bill that drives up poverty and the number of people uninsured, while increasing deficits and debt.” @centeronbudget.bsky.social How many GOP Senators who will vote for it think this is a good idea? www.cbpp.org/press/statem...

If the Supreme Court thinks universal injunctions are unconstitutional, to wait until *now* to say that, in this of all cases, with this of all presidents, is a devastating indictment of both its impartiality and its prudence.

Sotomayor: Trump knew his birthright citizenship order was unconstitutional, so he went after the universal injunctions. "The gamesmanship in this request is apparent and the Government makes no attempt to hide it. Yet, shamefully, this Court plays along." www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

The Roberts court folds to Trump Justice Sotomayor in dissent: “The rule of law is not a given in this Nation, nor any other. It is a precept of our democracy that will endure only if those brave enough in every branch fight for its survival. Today, the Court abdicates its vital role in that effort”

The bill is Big but not Beautiful to most voters. Republicans in swing states and districts need to note opposition from 73% of Independents and — most politically troubling for them — 53-43% opposition from white men without college degrees who are, as Sahil says, “the heart of Trump’s base.”

[email protected] cites political scientists Adam Bonica & Jake Grumbach to offer post-2024 tips to Dems: 1. Be interesting; 2. Run against the political establishment and the wealthy; 3. Find compelling candidates; 4. Focus on occasional voters. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The bill is Big but not Beautiful to most voters. Republicans in swing states and districts need to note opposition from 73% of Independents and — most politically troubling for them — 53-43% opposition from white men without college degrees who are, as Sahil says, “the heart of Trump’s base.”

Melissa Hortman’s life & the shootings in Minnesota bring home the contrast between an effective, serious & democratic politics & the danger of movements so certain of their own righteousness that they overturn all the rules, norms & obligations that undergird political decency My column

Melissa Hortman’s life & the shootings in Minnesota bring home the contrast between an effective, serious & democratic politics & the danger of movements so certain of their own righteousness that they overturn all the rules, norms & obligations that undergird political decency My column

Melissa Hortman, the former Minnesota House speaker felled by an assassin’s bullet, understood what democracy looks like. She achieved far more using democracy’s humble but ultimately exhilarating tools than any violent fanatic ever will. My column www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Melissa Hortman, the former Minnesota House speaker felled by an assassin’s bullet, understood what democracy looks like. She achieved far more using democracy’s humble but ultimately exhilarating tools than any violent fanatic ever will. My column www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Trump invites electoral backlash abroad but Europe’s far right is far from dead. My @brookings.edu report on this year’s elections. Trump’s policies galvanized centrist & progressive forces in key contests but the nationalist right remains a potent force. www.brookings.edu/articles/tru...

A Comprehensive Accounting of Trump’s Culture of Corruption “Historically, when corruption becomes the norm in a country, economic growth suffers and living standards stagnate. Under Mr. Trump, the United States is sliding down that slope” Good for you @NYTimesOpinion www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/o...

Trump invites electoral backlash abroad but Europe’s far right is far from dead. My @brookings.edu report on this year’s elections. Trump’s policies galvanized centrist & progressive forces in key contests but the nationalist right remains a potent force. www.brookings.edu/articles/tru...

When @ejdionne.bsky.social joined @lawrenceodonnell.msnbc.com on @msnbc.com tonight, he was introduced as a member of Crimson Courage! We don’t actually have members, but we’ll make a special case for E.J., who moderated our webinar last week. Thanks for the shout-out, gentlemen!

There’s a deal for you: CBO today estimated the GOP’s big mess of a bill would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade while increasing the number of people without health insurance by 10.9 million by 2034 because of Medicaid & ACA cuts. Talk about the worst of all worlds!

As the Senate takes up what we can call the Big Incoherent Mess Act, consider that it is a wildly redistributionist bill (from lower income Americans to the rich) and at odds with itself as phony deficit hawks pile on new debt. My essay:

Exactly -intellectual bankruptcy, policy incoherence & political vacuousness -- and harmful to people and the future of the country.

So much for a new, "populist" Republican Party. So much for the GOP as a brave band of fiscally prudent, anti-deficit hawks. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is a declaration of intellectual bankruptcy, policy incoherence & political vacuousness. My essay @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/1958...

So much for a new, "populist" Republican Party. So much for the GOP as a brave band of fiscally prudent, anti-deficit hawks. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is a declaration of intellectual bankruptcy, policy incoherence & political vacuousness. My essay @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/1958...

A wonderful family birthday gift: I got to see the extraordinary jazz pianist Bill Charlap at Dizzy’s Club in NYC last night. I also had the chance to tell him what a blessing it is to watch and hear someone who takes such joy in his craft—and shares it. Check out his great trio billcharlap.com/home

“How to Take Medicaid from Millions of Americans, in Less Than 72 Hours” Of course the GOP wants to pass its bill fast: They want to avoid public focus on the damage it would do to health coverage, writes @citizencohn.bsky.social. He also shares important history. www.thebulwark.com/p/how-to-tak...

The party of pronatalism & motherhood medals escalates its war on children “The GOP’s budget bill slashes the safety net to fund regressive tax cuts.” This transfers wealth not just from poor to rich but also from young to old. Smart take @crampell.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

"Targeting food and health care for the least advantaged is unconscionable — especially in light of how many Republicans involved in this demolition project profess to be devout Christians," E.J. Dionne Jr. writes. wapo.st/4djixl5

“A Plane From Qatar? C’mon, Man.” “The American people should make their disgust known: There is no room for this kind of flagrant disregard of the Constitution in the skies above or in digital wallets down below.”