Jonathan Freedland

New #ThatSaid📌 podcast with @michaelzeldin.bsky.social #MSWMedia

Guest: @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social

Listen: redcircle.com/shows/962832...

An Unholy update featuring military analyst Amos Harel now up linktr.ee/unholypod

An emergency update episode of Unholy, featuring Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel, is on the way

‘I could see myself stepping into that void’: Gavin Newsom on fighting Trump and running in 2028

And you can hear my conversation with California governor Gavin Newsom here, in the latest episode of the Politics Weekly America podcast open.spotify.com/episode/5ceZ...

‘Trump’s not enough. And he knows he’s not enough’: California governor Gavin Newsom on populism, ‘purity tests’ and whether he’ll run for the presidency He’s the Democratic politician with movie-star looks and a picture-perfect family, dogged by accusations of being a smooth‑talking elitist. Can he really unite the American left and win the most power...

I spoke to California governor Gavin Newsom on his upbringing, Trump - and running for president www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Paths of Resistance | Joshua Hammer Those who challenged the Nazi regime knew they were almost certainly doomed to failure. What roused them from complacency to defiance?

Great review by Joshua Hammer of @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social (superb) Traitors Circle & other resistance books, including: “What does it take to rouse oneself from complacency to engagement… Why hazard imprisonment/death when passivity & silence offer safer course?” So many resonances today

For the latest Politics Weekly America @ohheyjenna.bsky.social is in the chair, discussing the life and legacy of Jesse Jackson - with PWA regular @neonflag.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/4JIq...

Thank you, Gerry

Without drawing facile comparisons to the present, @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social has written a superb account of civilian opposition to an authoritarian regime even in the darkest of times. Thrillingly written, chilling reality of dissenters to the Nazi regime & the man who betrayed them. Excellent

Trump, Musk and now UK billionaire Jim Ratcliffe – they are the enablers, making racists feel great again | Jonathan Freedland With their profile and vile words, these malign provocateurs are tearing down decency’s guardrails, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

Latest column is on Ratcliffe, Musk, the unhappiness of the super-rich - and going backwards on racism. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump dismantles the arts and tries to rewrite history

How Donald Trump is putting his stamp on Washington and beyond. Latest Politics Weekly America is a conversation with David Smith open.spotify.com/episode/6IrU...

‘To read now of his achievements, as a Labour government struggles for direction and coherence, is a bittersweet experience.’ By @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social

‘The effect of airing these details, like quoting Brown’s onetime opponents, is to encourage the reader to acknowledge Brown’s flaws while seeing how vastly outweighed they are by the rest of his record.’ 1/

Snippet from the linked article: ‘As one former adviser notes, "It's very important that Labour people don't assume that action on poverty happens automatically because their lot is in power: last time it happened because Labour had a chancellor who was hell-bent that it should."’

Some senior Labour people should be forced to stare at this passage for a few hours

Whatever people want to say about Gordon Brown, we owe him a lot.

Gordon Brown by James Macintyre review – a very different kind of politician A new biography reveals Brown to be a man of exceptional vision and probity – what a contrast with today’s politics

With fortuitous timing, here's my review of an illuminating new biography of a Labour prime minister www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...

Excellent, incisive analysis

This article is well worth putting aside a few minutes to read.
#Epstein
#Mandelson
#Starmer

The Epstein files, which contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, his Mar-a-Lago estate and other related terms, seem set to bring down a national leader who is not mentioned by Epstein even once.

There’s one argument Starmer could make to save his skin – but he won’t dare do it | Jonathan Freedland Among those focusing on what the PM knew about Peter Mandelson are many who themselves knew plenty and chose to ignore it, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

Brilliant analysis as usual from @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"That raises much larger, and darker, questions than “How long has Starmer got?” Put simply, why did the pain and torment endured by so many women and girls register only fleetingly? What is it about the suffering of women at the hands of rich and powerful men that made it so forgettable?"

There’s one argument Starmer could make to save his skin – but he won’t dare do it | Jonathan Freedland It’s right to focus on what the PM knew about Peter Mandelson, but many pointing the finger also knew and chose to ignore it, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

On Epstein, Mandelson and Starmer - and the argument that the PM won't make. Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The US Congress is set to grill a president over the Epstein files. No, not Donald Trump but Bill - and Hillary - Clinton. How’s that likely to play out? Latest Politics Weekly America is a conversation with former federal prosecutor @politico.com’s Ankush Khardori open.spotify.com/episode/4ysW...

Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland: Two Jews on the news discuss all that is Unholy The hosts of the 'Unholy' podcast review five years of their collaborative effort to debate the subjects and issues that affect them as a Jewish Israeli and a Diaspora Jew

Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland: Two Jews on the news discuss all that is Unholy
- informative & stimulating podcast, listening since Covid times
@jonathanfreedland.bsky.social
www.timesofisrael.com/yonit-levi-a...

Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland: Two Jews on the news discuss all that is Unholy The hosts of the 'Unholy' podcast review five years of their collaborative effort to debate the subjects and issues that affect them as a Jewish Israeli and a Diaspora Jew

The Unholy podcast is now five years old. To mark the occasion, @timesofisrael.com generously hosted Yonit and me on their What Matters Now podcast www.timesofisrael.com/yonit-levi-a...

That’s a very good idea. Colleagues and I shall confer!

It is beyond naive for Democrats – and Europe – to think Trump’s retreats are real. He never backs down for long | Jonathan Freedland Whether it’s Minneapolis or Greenland, the US president will do just enough to get through a damaging news cycle, then carry on as before, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

Don’t be fooled by Trump's promises on de-escalation in Minneapolis - or anything else. With Trump, what might look like a full retreat is almost always a mere tactical withdrawal, designed to buy time. Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It is beyond naive for Democrats – and Europe – to think Trump’s retreats are real. He never backs down for long | Jonathan Freedland Whether it’s Minneapolis or Greenland, the US president will do just enough to get through a damaging news cycle, then carry on as before, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

“Remember, it’s only ever a pause. The instant the pressure eases, normal service resumes… you resist until he retreats and, when he does, you don’t relax – you push even harder” @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Another really good piece & a useful counterweight to the (IMO) overdone idea that 'TACO' or, linked, that Trump is just a skilled negotiator who makes maximalist demands as a tactic, then settles for something less so that the other party thinks they have got off lightly.

It is beyond naive for Democrats – and Europe – to think Trump’s retreats are real. He never backs down for long | Jonathan Freedland Whether it’s Minneapolis or Greenland, the US president will do just enough to get through a damaging news cycle, then carry on as before, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

Don’t be fooled by Trump's promises on de-escalation in Minneapolis - or anything else. With Trump, what might look like a full retreat is almost always a mere tactical withdrawal, designed to buy time. Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...