Slightly surprised by how little of the discussion on this platform is about Iran right now. Is the news cycle so short that people have moved on from what might be a generational foreign policy disaster?
Congress?
Be sure to test it rigorously.
Point made. But ouch, those are some strained expressions. www.npr.org/2026/01/29/g...
Simple questions that journalists should ask people about Trump’s America, instead of asking who “handles the border” better or “handles the economy” better: Do you feel safer? Do you feel more prosperous? Do you feel more optimistic? Do you feel more proud to be an American?
Dialogue with China is important, but needs to be handled very carefully. If this reporting is correct, the kind of engagement currently happening on the part of DSA seems reckless and poorly informed. If you are anti-imperialist, be consistently anti-imperialist. www.newsweek.com/mamdani-chin...
Yikes. "China is now convinced that it is unlikely to see a U.S. president more indifferent toward Taiwan and more unlikely to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait than Donald Trump" www.foreignaffairs.com/china/perfec...
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
When national security meets shake-down crony capitalism? www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/t...
Someone forgot the Great Lakes. Don’t forget the Great Lakes!
So much winning for the US these days I’m getting tired of it. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/w...
We thought this was about Venezuelan oil, but maybe it’s about golf course development in Cuba?
It is pretty clear by now that the Trump administration subscribes to a hegemonic spheres of influence foreign policy. That’s wrongheaded and immoral, but even if you want to do it right you can’t alienate every other country in your hemisphere.
ORD is where efficiency goes to die.
Just curious, do we still uncritically accept US government economic statistics?
U.S. Economic Growth Surged in Third Quarter of 2025 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/b...
Just awful to see the news about Brown University. Thinking of friends and colleagues in Providence. Nowhere is spared from the madness of gun violence in this country.
Maybe the great divide in US (and world) politics is now between readers and watchers? open.substack.com/pub/jmarriot...
When it comes to national security concerns and China, there are big, glaring issues and there are smaller, messier ones. This might be a big one. Having (vetted) Chinese grad students in the US would seem to be smaller. Which does the Trump admin focus on? www.propublica.org/article/elon...
Pete Hegseth is decently good looking, reasonably articulate, and undeniably animated. He should leave his current job and go back to being on TV.
“…corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust.” —Kash Patel
Seems like a great time to be doing political purges of US counterintelligence and cyber defense. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/w...
Mindless amateurs or professional nihilists?
When I reported for duty at Naval Station Great Lakes, I never imagined that some day a US President would seek to use it as a base for surveillance and enforcement activity on American soil. Our military was not set up to cater to the whims of a would-be American dictator.
Is this what a new American golden age feels like?
An important read, though only partly new information. (See work by Audrye Wong and Flora Yan.) A messy situation, but what is clear cut is that non-profits must follow the law and all US political parties should reject unlawful foreign interference in elections. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/n...
If it’s unlawful sharing of classified information they’re worried about, some other names come to mind before Bolton.
Yes, drives me crazy, too. Of course, part of the problem is that there is no consensus as to what should really be considered the world’s largest. Tokyo (metro population)? Shanghai (urban population in a single municipal jurisdiction)? Other contender?
"Burns noted it’s important to counter Beijing’s increasingly aggressive economic, diplomatic and military global footprint — but warned that Trump is going about it all wrong, particularly by using tariffs as a cudgel against longtime partners" www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Keeping it light, eh?
