curated citations to news sources
Dispatch: The Coming Tripolar World Order
A new defense strategy could squander America’s post-World War II advantage.
In words and actions, key foreign policy decision-makers within the Trump administration seem to be signaling a shift away from the United States’ global leadership role. If borne out, these changes are likely to usher in a new tripolar international system in which the United States, Communist China, and revanchist Russia divvy up spheres of influence. The result? A more dangerous world for Americans everywhere.
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We will woefully miss the day when the U.S., through maintenance and vigilance, enjoyed an order that upheld free trade and fostered the continued expansion of human liberty. If we wish to remain a superpower, we should choose to act like one.
(Dispatch more…)
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Times of London: India ‘crosses red line’ by joining Russia-Belarus war games
India has sent troops to join Russian-led drills that are rehearsing war with neighbouring NATO countries, as relations between Delhi and Washington continue to unravel.
About 30,000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers are conducting the Zapad exercise, which includes ballistic missile launches and simulated airstrikes, across a broad area of territory from bases east of Moscow and in the Arctic to the Baltic Sea and the western frontier of Belarus, near Poland and Lithuania.
(Times of London more…)
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – September 15, 2025
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“This is the story of a dictator on the rise,” I wrote, “taking control of formerly independent branches of government, and using the power of his office to amass power.”Readers swamped me with questions. So I wrote another post answering them and trying to explain the news, which began breaking at a breathtaking pace.
And so these Letters from an American were born.
Six years later, we are in the midst of Trump’s second term, and the patterns I saw six years ago are slicing to the heart of both the mechanics and the soul of the United States.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
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Bulwark: “Conservatism” Is Now Just a Domination Fetish
From states rights, a rules-based system, and limited government to a boot stamping on a human face—forever.
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Lisa Needham: There are no MAGA heroes
They cannot exist within the modern GOP.
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Even writing about Kirk’s horrific assassination feels fraught. Just as quickly as the embarrassingly laudatory coverage began, conservatives began targeting anyone who wasn’t also uncritically shoveling praise at Kirk’s memory.It isn’t just that conservatives saw Kirk’s death as a convenient cudgel, a way to attack the left. It’s also that they genuinely believe he was a hero and are furious that anyone would suggest otherwise. In their world, he loomed so very large. He put a respectable face on bigotry and freed others to display theirs as well.
But just being popular doesn’t really explain the rush to canonize Kirk. After all, he was a guy who hosted a streaming show and went to college campuses regularly to “debate” students, despite being 31 years old. Yes, he played an instrumental role in Trump’s 2024 win, increasing his share of the youth vote — well, mostly the male youth vote. But there are lots of people who work on campaigns and deliver victories who will never be showered with anything approaching the public glory Kirk is receiving posthumously.
(Lisa Needham more…)
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Christina Pagel: Nationalism on the March
A campaign of coercion and violence in the US is escalating. Plus British leader reactions to the far right rally held this weekend in London.
(Christina Pagel more…)
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Fred Wellman: On political violence
I spent a good part of my adult life in places where political violence was commonplace. I know the price.
…I will leave it to others to discuss his legacy and the hurt that he promulgated against our fellow Americans of color, the LGTBQ community, and his political opponents.
I can hold two thoughts. I don’t believe Charlie Kirk was an American hero and Charlie Kirk should not have been murdered. Those are not mutually exclusive.
I have a reason I feel this way. I actually have several. I want you to understand what’s it is like when violence is the solution.
(Fred Wellman more…)
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Marisa Kabas: Top FEMA official resigns after staffers ousted for negative Charlie Kirk comments
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Jennifer Rubin: Cancel ‘Cancel Culture’
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Two aspects of this official government censorship stand out: the sheer hypocrisy of conflating “glorifying” killing with criticizing Kirk’s own words; and the breathless indignation based on virtually nothing. The group that used to deplore canceling is now canceling whomever it deems insufficiently mournful.
(Jennifer Rubin more…)NY Times: White House Plans Broad Crackdown on Liberal Groups
Some of the highest-ranking officials in the federal government used Charlie Kirk’s podcast, guest-hosted by Vice President JD Vance, to lay out their plans.
Jonathan Larsen: Vance Names Ford Foundation Part of Axles of Evil
Miles Taylor: Trump wants to label Dems as “terrorists.” Here’s what happens next.
After helping lead DHS under Trump, I know how dark this can get.
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NY Times: Maduro Calls U.S. Attack on Boat ‘A Heinous Crime,’ as Trump Announces Another
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Boing Boing: Dan Bongino claims the FBI knew Kirk attacker’s plan, while Kash Patel bungles due process
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Boing Boing: Trump has the law broken to honor a traitor, Confederate General Robert E. Lee
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James Eagle: What America’s buyback bonanza tells us
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What troubles me isn’t the buybacks but what they represent. Georgetown’s Rush Doshi observes that while American firms buy back shares, “competitors in China don’t do buybacks. They invest.”Perhaps that’s the real story. American capitalism excels at generating wealth but sometimes lacks the patience to invest it wisely. In their haste to return cash today, are these companies mortgaging America’s competitive future for this quarter’s stock price?
(James Eagle more…)
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404 Media: $2,000 Shipping: International Sellers Charge Absurd Prices to Avoid Dealing With American Tariffs
Some sellers on eBay and Etsy have jacked up their shipping costs so American buyers won’t buy their products.
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Allison Gill: The Charlie’s Murderers Website Has Been Torpedoed. I Spoke to the Hacker.
The people behind the Charlie’s Murderers website have been forced to change domains and hosting after a hacker corrupted the reporting tool
Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
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