Category: Uncategorized

Politics Trump’s Desperado Mission Has something gone quite wrong or not? In the second century before Christ, Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, the Roman tribune of the plebs, proposed a reactionary program of legal and economic reform to address the republic’s pressing problems, particularly the dispossession of small landowners by the planter class, which had sapped the…

Foreign Affairs The Chinese Honeypot Problem The entrapment and exploitation of American officials by sexual liaisons is a real danger in the new cold war. The U.S. government recently banned American personnel in China, as well as family members and contractors with security clearances, from any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens. The policy…

Foreign Affairs Trump’s Surprising Friendship with Mexico The president has been amigos with Mexican leaders since 2018. Credit: Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images When Trump took office in 2016, bad relations with Mexico seemed preordained. During the campaign, the president had lambasted the country for its role in facilitating illegal immigration to the U.S., famously saying that…

Culture The Highlights Habit Politics or sports—we’re all here for the exciting moments. As a watcher of live sporting events, I plead guilty to preferring the miracle finish to the long slog that precedes the miracle finish. I was reminded of my inexcusable inattentiveness on Monday evening, when the Florida Gators played the Houston Cougars…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a major update late Friday exempting many electronics and electronic components from Trump’s tariff regime. These products, including smartphones, computers, computer parts, TV screens, and integrated circuits will not be subject to reciprocal tariffs, the baseline 10 percent universal tariff, or the 125 percent tariff on Chinese imports. The…

The United States and Iran concluded preliminary talks Saturday on Iran’s nuclear program, with both sides describing the talks as constructive. The talks were held in Oman and were mediated by Badr Al-Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister. The talks were held indirectly over the course of 2.5 hours with Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghachi, and…

Foreign Affairs Today, Romania; Tomorrow, the World Conspiracy theories, history, and anti-establishment ferment collide in Bucharest. Is the Romanian election a preview of our political future?  “I think Georgescu is retarded,” says Alex, a young Romanian who doesn’t mince words on the subject of the recently-barred presidential candidate. “[But] even I voted for Georgescu. The…

Politics Congress Hates Trade Wars—but Doesn’t Mind Real Wars The legislature has allowed presidents to act like kings. Credit: Sergii Figurnyi It’s perhaps no surprise that Donald Trump, a man who says that “tariff” is the most beautiful word in the English language, is a fan of trade wars. During Trump’s first term, he slapped…

Culture The Worst Trade of the Trump Era  Even after two months, no one can explain why Luka Doncic left Dallas. Luka Doncic could no longer hide his tears. Sitting by himself court side in a jam-packed American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday night, the Slovenian hoops wizard struggled to stomach a pre-game…

President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg Friday to discuss resolving the Ukraine war. Earlier the same day, Trump had expressed frustration that the conflict is still raging.  “Russia has to get moving,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Too many people [a]re DYING, thousands a week,…