Kurt Andersen

This weekend’s episode of The Real Idiocracy: Charlamagne Tha God calmly tells GOP chair Lara Trump on her Fox News show that real conservatives are about to use her father-in-law-law’s Epstein scandal to depose him and retake the GOP, prompting an unhinged late-night Trump rant.

How much do I loathe this smiling generic GOP normie—ex Fed/Treasury technocrat, b-school economics teacher, Bush-McCain-Romney minion—who’s agreed to be Trump’s designated liar/propagandist trying to delegitimize government statistics? Like Dr. Faustus, Dr. Hassett is hellbound.

Dan Osborn: Connecting with Working People Podcast Episode · The Bulwark Podcast · 08/01/2025 · 55m

Strongly, highly, enthusiastically recommend you listen to this A+ interview by @timmiller.bsky.social of
@osbornforne.bsky.social, the fantastic independent populist candidate for U.S. Senate in my home state of Nebraska. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

NYC congestion pricing impacts in just its first four months: astounding. Sensible (slightly radical!) new government policy can work wonders.

Oh yeah, this too: 𝗳𝗲𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗬𝗖 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
NYPD stats: www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/...

Different story today: better.

If I’d been the @nytimess.com editor in charge of this headline about the dangerously peevish president moving nuclear missiles closer to Russia and firing the statistician in charge of job stats, would’ve picked a stronger word—Reckless? Rash? Tantrumy? Unhinged? Mad?—than Volatile.

He’ll need to get a lot more floridly psychotic than that before 2/3 of both houses of this Congress would declare him “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

They are bad. He is mad and bad.

He’s a madman, unhinged. Working so hard to turn America into a shithole banana republic as fast as he can.

Opinion | I’m a Therapist. ChatGPT Is Eerily Effective.

The best piece I’ve read about the uncanny humanoid utility of AI chatbots as assistants/ collaborators. (My six months using Claude have been surprising and illuminating.) Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/o...

Lots fewer new jobs in July--but also 258,000 fewer in May and June than we thought. And in addition to the *prospect* of high tariffs increasing unemployment, now the tariffs are here, about to make inflation go up more too. Stagflation! Trump's reviving his heyday, Making America the 1970s Again.

Arab States Call for Hamas to Disarm Amid Push for a Palestinian State

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/w...

Pretty big deal. All 22 Arab League nations (+ 39 EU & other countiesj call for Hamas to disarm, release hostages, and a Palestinian Authority/UN “international force“ to take over Gaza, en route to an independent state. If Trump breaks with Netanyahu on this, could be Israel & Hamas alone against.

Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American history museum A temporary placard, on display since 2021, described the president's historic impeachments. Officials said the exhibit was restored to an earlier version following a review of legacy content.

Jesus. Lonnie Bunch, the head of the Smithsonian Institution, which is not part of the executive branch, caved to Trump and changed the National Museum of American History impeachment exhibit to pretend as if Trump’s two didn’t happen. Appalling shameful cowardice. Gift link: wapo.st/3HhfyxU

So @governor.ny.gov, just wondering: what “unconscionable” policies can you imagine, aside from the starvation of Palestinian children (and other civilians) by Israel, for which you’d decline to condemn a government?

“In her statement, Ms. Hochul did not explicitly condemn the Israeli government.”

In the last few months almost every @washingtonpost.com I made a point of reading left. Philip Bump, Josh Dawsey, Glenn Kessler, Caroline Kitchener, Ashley Parker, Alexandra Petri, Jennifer Rubin, Catherine Rampell, Eric Wemple. Is Ron Charles the only one left? As if the bosses want me to cancel.

Bessent: Trump Has 'Backdoor to Privatizing Social Security' Scott Bessent, Trump's Treasury Secretary, said at a Breitbart event that the 'Big Beautiful Bill' creates a "backdoor to privatizing social security."

OMG so good. At a Breitbart event in D.C. the Treasury Secretary just bragged the Republican-passed, Trump-signed budget bill includes "at the end of the day...a backdoor for privatizing Social Security.” A perfect :05 clip to replay from now through next November! www.mediaite.com/politics/tru...

“When Fascism comes to America,” people started saying in the 1930s, “it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

A vending machine stocked with pens, paper pads, library bags, and other practical material for writing at the library.

If only every library had a stationery vending machine like the Stabi in Berlin does.

Repeat them in proper context because so many non-MAGA, non- news-engaged people, some who voted for him and some who didn’t, aren’t aware of his demented daily outbursts.

In a First, Leading Israeli Rights Groups Accuse Israel of Gaza Genocide

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...

In late 2023 I got into a fight with a friend at a party for casually calling the war in Gaza genocide. And though I’ve continually condemned Israel’s excessive inexcusable inhumanity, I’ve refrained from calling it genocide. But after the last several months? Call it what it is.

In late 2023
got into a fight with a friend at for casually calling the Gaza war genocide. And though I’ve continually condemned Israel’s excessive inexcusable inhumanity, I’ve refrained from calling it genocide. But after the last several months? Call it what it is. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...

Prosecute Beyoncé! Another week, another failed attempt to change the subject from Epstein. He just keeps recycling his old lies and fantasies and BS, threatening famous black people or famous women or both.

So panicked. So impotent So pathetic.

Trump’s problem with Secret Service protection? Some agent is always there watching him cheat at golf.

Real life in Scotland today, AI in South Park last week.

Maybe we’re entering a golden age of hyper-realistic fiction.

(((Harry Enten))) on X: "Trump's drop w/ indies is his biggest danger sign. There seems to be no bottom. He owns the worst net approval w/ indies 6 months into a presidency (-29 pt), beating his own record. Wave adios to the GOP House majority if his net approval on inflation w/ indies (-45 pt!) holds https://t.co/X4y7Qmv4mR" / X Trump's drop w/ indies is his biggest danger sign. There seems to be no bottom. He owns the worst net approval w/ indies 6 months into a presidency (-29 pt), beating his own record. Wave adios to the GOP House majority if his net approval on inflation w/ indies (-45 pt!) holds https://t.co/X4y7Qmv4mR

👏🏻👍🏻🙏🏻
Amazing polling! Trump’s approval among the 40% or more of Americans who consider themselves Independent is cratering with historic speed to historic depths.

Because the Republican-leaning half of Independents are the sane, non-MAGA-cult half of Trump voters. x.com/forecasteren...

AtlasIntel We develop big data solutions that empower decision-making, strategic planning, and risk management.

atlasintel.org/polls/genera...

Large new survey by highly rated AtlasIntel: wow.

On how they’d vote in the midterms—people prefer Democrats by 51-43%, and a remarkable 62-25% by Independents.

And on 10 of 13 issues, Dems more trusted by big margins, split on taxes. GOP more trusted only on crime and defense.

Lara Trump in 2018 and now. Interesting how a pact with the devil can dramatically change the way people look.