To international historians in the 2050s, the major geopolitical story of our time will be entirely obvious: the oligarchic and institutional self-destruction of the United States and its displacement by China as the global number one.

This is like Jeffrey Epstein lecturing us on feminism.

Entirely obvious: bsky.app/profile/davi...

I think we are now learning that when #Trump announces a ceasefire or a peace deal or whatever, we simply shouldn’t believe him.

It's possible that convening a conference about a MAGA delusion is not a great use of State Department resources. Seems like every day Marco is trying to demonstrate that he is simply a political tool and has no judgment, character, or integrity.

Congratulations!

'It takes intelligence to get things spectacularly wrong. An essay on our undoing.' What Makes Humans Stupid - by David C. Krakauer #intelligence nautil.us/what-makes-h...

The Graham Platner fiasco proves that the Democrat Party is far too tolerant of sexual predators. by Matt Gaetz, Roy Moore, Pete Hegseth, Jim Jordan, Dennis Hastert, Blake Farenthold, Trent Franks, Herman Cain, Cory Mills, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Donald J. Trump

Brilliant battlefield achievements are meaningless if they fail to produce the desired political results, writes columnist @stephenwalt.bsky.social.

If a US president wanted to make millions of people around the world hate America, personally interfering in the #WorldCup officiating process would be perfect. So naturally #Trump did just that.

"Jazz is America’s greatest artistic gift to the world...If it had done nothing else, this would suffice" [Yes, I mercifully excised that part about Kenny G]

I don’t need an Independence Day message from Donald Trump. The day he pardoned the first J6 insurrectionist, he forfeited any claim to patriotism.

Celebrating the 4th in Olympic National Park! A metaphor for America—the trees are majestic, but it’s the forest as a whole that endures, in a cooperative web of birth, growth, death, decay, and rebirth.

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “Washington was beloved by many for giving away power he could have kept. Trump is reviled by many for snatching power he isn’t entitled to,” our columnist Maureen Dowd writes. “One famously wouldn’t tell a lie. The other famously can’t stop telling lies.”

Really unfortunate that the U.S. government doesn’t have a cabinet secretary or even an entire department dedicated to diplomacy. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/u...

2/2 Sample, from WaPo, of why this will be so much fun: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

It’s all hands on deck for those who want to preserve democracy and have something resembling fair elections in the US. Trump says the quiet part out loud, saying his proposed changes would “guarantee us the midterms.” Understated NYT summary. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

I just tried to drive around Trump’s fair and check it out. It is walled off with barricades and fencing blocking any views. I couldn’t see an entrance. The Smithsonian Folk Life celebrations were always open and easily accessible. newrepublic.com/article/2125... via @newrepublic.com

Looking for a meaningful way to celebrate America 250 on July 4? Take a free, short, nonpartisan HarvardX online course on the U.S. Constitution: bit.ly/FreeCourseHa... (click “audit” for free version)

Nepotism and grift in the name of diplomacy www.ft.com/content/f35b... via @ft

I’m getting the distinct impression that a majority of Supreme Court Justices think rich people should run the country because They Know What’s Best for the rest of us. Alternatively, they’re just deeply corrupt.

Not a big soccer/football fan and I think FIFA is a deeply problematic organization, but I watched France v. Sweden and wow—Mbappe is exceptionally good at what he does. Fully lives up to his reputation.

The Supreme Court closed out its term with some blockbuster rulings that denied Trump some of the power he's demanded. But don't be fooled. This is still the same old MAGA Court, as it continues to shift the country far to the right. Guest contributor @importantmeagan.bsky.social connects the dots.

Thou shalt expand and reform the Supreme Court. Thou shalt only support candidates who promise to do so. Can I get an amen?

The campaign finance decision is a major blow to democracy in America.

Trump and Bibi’s war will push 33 million people into poverty. Let that sink in. A war for no reason that accomplished nothing will ruin the lives of 33 million people around the world, far from the war zone. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/b...

The reflecting pool debacle is a marvelous illustration of the interconnection between autocracy, illiberalism and incompetence. Trump broke the pool. Lied abt it. Said it was violent outside agitators. Now he’s created a vast security perimeter to prevent people from getting near it.

When we all need more reasons to inspire hope and joy, here it is Mel Brooks is 100 today. 1913 more to go. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... @djrothkopf.bsky.social @alonpinkas.bsky.social

Just 10 people have already poured $617 MILLION into this year’s midterm elections. In the entire 2008 presidential cycle, the last election before Citizens United, total billionaire spending was $16 million. This is not sustainable. We need to get Big Money out of our democracy.

Some of the greatest music of all time was played and recorded on this weekend…👇

Wow, Dubowitz has gone full Trump, complete with bizarre, insane midnight ravings on Twitter.

The claim that the United States either has or is within reach of a reliable first-strike capability rests on dubious, even dangerous, assumptions, writes columnist @stephenwalt.bsky.social.

My new piece on the US-Iran deal warns that it contains none of the strict nuclear limits and in-depth monitoring of the Obama-era deal, and gives away much of the leverage that would have been needed to get them in the follow-on talks. Remarkable incompetence. nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-...

Good to see this reversal of Secretary Hegseth's ill-fated policy: "The Army, Navy and Air Force are once again requiring flu shots for basic trainees." abcnews.com/Health/milit...

Is it too much to demand a President of the United States who is intelligent, ethical, mentally healthy, recognizes that the job is public service and focuses on making lives better?

read this one quick before it's outdated by the next thing trump does www.dailykos.com/stories/2026...

If Hegseth truly believed in “meritocracy” within the US defense establishment, he would resign immediately. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/u...

Could not agree more! Not only did Hillary beat the Orange Atrocity by 2.8 MILLION votes, but Al Gore got 543,895 MORE votes than Bush! The Electoral College allows candidates who received less votes to win the presidency. ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Daily, we're approaching something closer to bi-partisan consensus that current government of Israel is a direct and persistent threat to U.S. national interests. This is not a view promoted by anti-Israel activists but is rather made undeniable by the actions, arrogance and inhumanity of Bibi & Co.

If Trump is looking for a quick boost in his popularity (and he needs one), firing Hegseth (and blaming him for the Iran debacle) would be a smart move. And lord knows Hegseth has given him plenty of reasons, such as the recent flu outbreak at an Air Force training facility.

Bingo of bingos

First Rough Draft of History dept.

so we all agree that trump lost a war that he started, right?

Q: WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED THIS? A: Anyone who respects science and isn’t a pompous ideologue. Which is why Hegseth missed it. Scores Fall Ill at Air Force Base After Hegseth Makes Flu Vaccine Optional www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...

>renames it to the Department of War >names himself the Secretary of War >fights one war >loses

This is not part of the agreement. He is making this up. Iran agrees to give up NOTHING on their nuclear program in this deal.

The war on Iran was the right idea and USA just needed to bomb harder. That's the wrongheaded conclusion Bret Stephens comes to, continuing a Vietnam War-like tradition of refusing to learn from experience or evidence www.nytimes.com/2026/06/16/o...

Trump announced an Iran peace deal. If it feels familiar, that is because we have seen this before. A UK trade deal, now frozen. Two Gaza ceasefires, both collapsed. The Iran deal follows the same architecture. Announce, declare victory, defer the hard parts.

Although still unparalleled in its parsimony & explanatory power, the Dennis Green Unified Theory Of American Politics ("They are who we thought they were") is getting a real run for its money lately from the George Carlin Unified Theory Of American Politics: