Latest posts

  • The Half-Mast Presidency: Selective Empathy as a National Ritual

    The Half-Mast Presidency: Selective Empathy as a National Ritual

    Flags for Some, Not for Others There is nothing quite as American as fighting about flags. We argue about who can kneel before them, who can burn them, whether rainbows belong on them, and now—who gets the honor of lowering them. President Donald Trump ordered U.S. flags lowered nationwide for Charlie Kirk. A right-wing commentator…

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  • Shutdown Theater: Now With More Subsidies and Security Funds!

    Shutdown Theater: Now With More Subsidies and Security Funds!

    Welcome back to Washington, America’s longest-running soap opera, where every September the same plotline airs: Will the government shut down? Will Speaker [insert name here, they rotate faster than NFL quarterbacks] hold the caucus together? Will Chuck Schumer furrow his brows meaningfully? And will anyone, at any point, think about the millions of actual humans…

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  • The Party of Free Speech Wants a Muzzle—As Long as It’s for You

    The Party of Free Speech Wants a Muzzle—As Long as It’s for You

    Ah, yes. The brave defenders of free speech. The warriors against cancel culture. The self-styled martyrs of the “say what you want, snowflake” movement. They’ve spent years assuring us that America needs to be a safe space—for their offensive jokes, for their racist uncle’s Facebook rants, for their senator’s homophobic tweets typed at 3 a.m.…

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  • Trump’s War on the Calendar: Why Four Quarters Are Just Too Many for Capitalism to Handle

    Trump’s War on the Calendar: Why Four Quarters Are Just Too Many for Capitalism to Handle

    Once again Donald J. Trump has logged on to Truth Social, thumb trembling with the divine power of an unpaid intern, to announce that America no longer needs quarterly earnings reports. Semiannual will do just fine, thank you. If this feels familiar, that’s because it is. Trump tried the same thing in 2018, after a…

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  • JD Vance Turns Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Into a Campaign Rally With Tax Audits

    JD Vance Turns Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Into a Campaign Rally With Tax Audits

    When Mourning Means Monetizing Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University. That’s the fact. It happened. A 33-hour manhunt followed. Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. The motive remains under investigation. This should have been the moment for solemnity. Reflection. A funeral, not a fundraiser. Instead, the White House turned it into programming content. Vice…

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  • Hispanic Heritage Month Cancelled Due to Immigration Enforcement: Culture Meets Checkpoint

    Hispanic Heritage Month Cancelled Due to Immigration Enforcement: Culture Meets Checkpoint

    The Month That Wasn’t September 15 used to mark the start of Hispanic Heritage Month—a time for parades, mariachi, food festivals, and school assemblies pretending arroz con pollo is “cultural immersion.” This year, it marked something else entirely: postponements and cancellations. Chicago’s El Grito festival? Cancelled. Sacramento’s celebrations? Postponed. Charlotte’s events? Scrapped. CBS, AP, and…

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