Politics
When a president settles his own lawsuit to create a fund for allies, fundamental questions about justice arise
Donald Trump’s suit against the IRS and the settlement creating a $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to compensate his allies raise important moral and constitutional issues.
Where will money for the ‘Anti‑Weaponization Fund’ come from? This man has been warning of Judgment Fund abuse for years
The Judgment Fund’s likely use as a slush fund to pay Trump allies comes after more than a decade of repeated warnings by one scholar that the pot of taxpayer money was vulnerable to political misuse.
Trump’s Cabinet dramatically changed American foreign policy while the president made noise – a scholar of presidential rhetoric explains
The president’s barrage of pronouncements on foreign policy mean his Cabinet members’ statements on foreign policy have become more reliable indicators of administration positions.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson disagreed about the American Revolution’s meaning even as they lay dying
The founding generation in America was not of one mind. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson differed on crucial ideas, but exemplify the capacity for people to disagree and yet work for a common cause.
For the first time in a decade, the next election could be less secure than the one preceding it
The federal task force that defends US elections has been largely absent this election cycle, and the threat-sharing hub it relied on has been defunded.
Why the Iran war is breaking the US‑European strategic alliance
European leaders are learning they cannot rely on Washington, and that the US will act against their interests and at their economic expense.
Is a united European voice possible in the age of Trump, Putin and far‑right politics? Germany’s new leader intends to find out
Henry Kissinger once mused ‘Who do I call if I want to speak to Europe?’ The question now might be, would Washington bother to dial if there were?
As the Kremlin eyes a thaw with the White House, Russia’s pro‑war hawks aren’t too happy
A majority of Russians are in favor of peace talks, but a very vocal minority eye US overtures with suspicion and contempt.
The ‘drug threat’ that justified the US ouster of Maduro won’t be fixed by his arrest
There is no evidence that US intervention in Venezuela will lead to a meaningful reduction in drugs flowing into the United States.
Trump’s anti‑Venezuela actions lack strategy, justifiable targets and legal authorization
President Trump OK’d a naval buildup in the Caribbean, strikes on boats in international waters and covert operations in Venezuela. A military analyst can’t see a coherent strategy or objective.