“Tackiness and tyranny go hand in hand.” ~ Paul Krugman, NYTimes, Oct 24, 2025
Trump is Dragging Us Down to His Level
The op-ed weighs against what seems to be ‘politics’ in the Trump era, capsulized in the closing: “If your political opponents represent ultimate evil, then the only morality left is the morality of victory. The only true sin is the sin of defeat.” Is that really what we’ve come to? How do we draw back?
David French, New York Times International Edition, reprinted in e-Kathimerini, Oct 21, 2025
Andrew Ross Sorkin Talks Trump, Crypto and Economic Crashes
New York Times financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin talks with host Jon Lovett about our weird economy under Trump 2.0. They discuss big business's refusal to stand up to Trump, the prospect of a crypto-crash big enough to tank the U.S. economy, and why this moment is eerily similar to the stock market crash that kicked off the Great Depression, which Sorkin writes about in his new book 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How It Shattered a Nation.
Lovett or Leave It, Crooked Media, 21 Oct, 2025
The new right pines for a story that would vindicate its reactionary rage
Conservative writer-editor Helen Andrews argued in an essay that the entry of women into the workforce, professions and governance has led to the erosion of America’s greatness. It’s drawn a hail of counter arguments. One of the best is this thoughtful rebuttal that notes we each are a mix of rational and emotional responses. And it’s that mix that leads to advances in society. Gift article.
David French, The New York Times, Oct 22, 2025
3rd Quarter Fundraising for US House and Senate
An easy-to-scroll, up-to-date spreadsheet of money raised July, August and September by all candidates for Senate and House. Included are incumbents and non-incumbents, by state and CD. Alphabetical. Easy navigation instructions are in the very short intro text. Mind, this grouping does NOT include candidates who filed after 30 September, nor the ones still mulling over a run.
The Downballot, 23 Oct, 2025
The Little State That Could Save Democracy
Harvard law professor Larry Lessig is helping defend a Maine ballot initiative that bans super PACs, backed by a stunning 75% of voters. If he wins, this case could crack Citizens United wide open and bring campaign finance reform to the entire country, ending dark money’s grip on American politics. Video, 43 min.
John Avlon, How to Fix It on The Bulwark, Oct 26, 2025
The Power of the Purse
Former Office of Management and Budget director, Shalanda Young, breaks down the efforts to undermine Congress’s funding authority, the lawsuits challenging them, and the impact of these actions on Americans’ daily lives, in the age of Trump 2.0. Video, 1 hour.
Brennan Center for Justice, NYU, Oct 28, 2025
Would U.S. Generals Obey Illegal Trump Orders?
The Atlantic’s David Frum reflects on the new Trump administration’s pattern of “politicized stupidity.” Then, he speaks with his Atlantic colleague Tom Nichols, an expert on civil-military relations and a longtime scholar of U.S. defense policy, about President Donald Trump’s efforts to turn the military into a personal instrument of power.
The David Frum Show, The Atlantic, Oct 29, 2025