Americans see a diminished attention span is a sign of personal weakness, or even intellectual debasement—but this might be an outdated way of thinking, Franklin Schneider argues:
Month: May 2026
Send the Frigates
European nations “have very good reasons to be furious with the Trump administration”—but assisting the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz may actually be in their best interest, @EliotACohen argues:
****** Checkmate in Iran. Washington can’t reverse or control the consequences of losing this war.
People Who Don’t Like People Are Making All Our Decisions Robotaxis are the beginning.
Gerrymandering Arms Race?
***** NYTimes: A.I. Populism Is Here. And No One Is Ready.
A.I. Populism Is Here. And No One Is Ready. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/magazine/ai-populism-backlash-altman.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
NYTimes: The Barrage of Trump’s Awful Ideas Is Doing Exactly What It’s Supposed To
The Barrage of Trump’s Awful Ideas Is Doing Exactly What It’s Supposed To https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/opinion/trump-autocracy-bad-ideas.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
NYTimes: True Believers Blow Trump’s Mind
True Believers Blow Trump’s Mind https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/opinion/trump-iran-ukraine-true-believers.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
**** The Anti-Social Century
Americans are now spending more time alone than ever, @DKThomp writes. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.
Another Reason the White House Ballroom Is an Eyesore
Trump’s latest justification for building his ballroom is security—but that betrays what the White House has always symbolized, Neil Flanagan argues: