His belated effort to address the cost-of-living crisis is a repudiation of his own core policies and a gift to progressives.
Robert Kuttner
Robert Kuttner is co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect, and professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School. His latest book is Notes for Next Time: Surviving Tyranny, Redeeming America. Follow Bob at his site, robertkuttner.com, and on Twitter.
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Collateral Damage From the Epstein Files: Larry Summers
It’s long past time to jettison Summers as hopelessly contaminated. But there are far more serious reasons to dump Summers than his gross connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
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A Blessing in Disguise?
The Republicans now own the reopening of the government on Trump’s terms, and they have a real problem when it comes to the cost crisis. Whether that helps the Democrats depends entirely on how the Democrats play it.
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The Myth of the Democrats’ Gerontocracy Problem
The Democrats’ problem is not age—it’s corporate and centrist Democrats of all ages. What distinguishes some of the most successful young Democrats is not just their youth but the fact that they are compelling progressive populists.
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Democrats Get Rolled by Their Own
Coming out of last Tuesday’s election blowout, the Democrats were riding high and unified. But on Sunday night, centrist Senate Democrats, with Chuck Schumer’s tacit encouragement, voted to reopen the government on Republican terms.
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Why Does Schumer Keep Trying to Cave?
The Senate Democratic leader and his Gang of Eight keep trying to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. On Thursday, they told their caucus colleagues they had ten votes to reopen the government—in exchange for no real Republican concessions.
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The Wave Election and the Politics of Shutdown
The most remarkable thing about Tuesday’s election was not just the Democratic sweep but how normally it went off. Republicans are now fracturing, and Democrats, almost in spite of themselves, are united.
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Antisemitism Real and Fake
Both kinds are on the rise, and feed on each other. But real antisemitism is growing—and the prime minister of Israel and the military policies of that nation are the prime source of its revival.
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Trump in Court
Trump’s increasingly flagrant efforts to govern as an outright dictator leave us heavily reliant on the Supreme Court. But three key cases coming before the Court, beginning with the tariff case to be argued this Wednesday, may not go so well for him.
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China: The Art of Xi’s Deal
In classic form, President Trump concluded his hollow trade deal with Xi Jinping Thursday—and then changed the subject and the headlines. With no clear plan or rationale, he announced that the U.S. could resume nuclear testing.
