Reading archive 2025-09-15

The Beginning of the End of NATO: This is when the world finds out whether the United States remains committed to Europe’s defense.

Russia Is Losing the War—Just Not to Ukraine: A war meant to catalyze national revival has instead become a case study in national self-harm. [ed. note: a hopeful read]

Will Israel Destroy Trump’s Greatest Foreign-Policy Achievement?: The Abraham Accords rested on a commitment that the Israeli settler right wants to break.

The Era of Step-on-a-Rake Capitalism: Trumponomics isn’t about economics. It’s about creating pain and demanding tribute. - "Some of his initiatives are pure Ronald Reagan, such as his corporate-income tax cuts and deregulation efforts targeted at oil and gas. Some of his interventions would impress a Democratic Socialists of America chapter, such as demanding a public stake in Intel, requesting 15 percent of revenues from Nvidia's chip sales to China, and securing a 'golden share' of U.S. Steel to retain veto power over its decision making. As for the rest of Trump's economic policy, it is a hodgepodge of 19th-century mercantilism, developing-world authoritarianism, and extremely online weirdness. The U.S. tariff rate stands near a 100-year high. When Trump isn't firing the statisticians who calculate unemployment, he's waging war against the independent central bank or posting about the fierce urgency of corporate-logo design."

The Influencer FBI: The skill set required to succeed online may not always translate to effective law enforcement. - "Patel has presided over a bureau that is strapped for resources and hemorrhaging expertise. According to a recent analysis by the Cato Institute, roughly one in five FBI agents has been shifted from their previous position to aiding ICE with immigration enforcement, a change that can't help but affect the FBI's ability to carry out other crucial work. It's far too early to say whether this shake-up will turn out to have degraded the bureau's ability to find Kirk's killer, or to have prevented the shooting from occurring in the first place. But the agency is not in fighting form."

This centuries-old pest is thriving like never before: A rat census is the first step in combatting them.

AI extremists are peddling science fiction: AI realism embraces humility and a basic truth: Technologies succeed when they improve lives.

Who was arrested in Trump’s D.C. crime emergency? We analyzed 1,273 records.: Arrests involving federal officers occurred in all eight city wards, but have been concentrated in the city’s poorest, least White and most crime-riddled neighborhoods. - "In some recent instances in D.C., stops initiated for nonviolent offenses recovered weapons from people who previously committed armed violent crimes, court records show. Federal officers patrolling Congress Heights spotted an Audi with tinted windows and without a front tag. They reported finding a stolen gun in the car, whose driver had been released last year from prison after being convicted of murder."

Boosted by summits in Alaska and China, Putin moves against Europe, Ukraine: Russia has been emboldened in its strategy of splitting the U.S. from Europe while pushing ever harder to gain a military victory in Ukraine.

Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ wins two Emmys after cancellation: The show received the award for outstanding talk series just two months after it was canceled.

Why is TikTok dangerous? Consider this scenario.: The White House is weighing another reprieve. Every day the app continues operating is a threat. - "Imagine the following scenario. China decides to attack Taiwan, and, fearing the United States will come to Taiwan’s aid, launches preemptive strikes against American targets overseas. In the United States, Chinese operators launch drone attacks from secret bases located on more than 380,000 acres of farmland China has purchased. As the government considers its options, the 170 million American TikTok users open their feeds to thousands of bots disguised as people, rattling off anti-American propaganda; encouraging young students desperate for meaning to fight their own government; and spreading disinformation at such a rapid rate that it is impossible to discern fact from fiction."

Poland calls for NATO-backed no-fly zone over Ukraine: Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said shielding Ukraine from Russian drone attacks would protect the rest of Europe, too, amid concerns over the war’s spread.

This new fee proposal could upend American innovation: The Trump administration should scrap a proposal that would squeeze patent holders. - "Large corporations with global operations might be able to absorb the cost. A two-person start-up in Omaha or Cleveland probably wouldn’t. Saddling them with higher patent taxes would indicate to entrepreneurs that America no longer has their back. The new levy would pile onto innovators without improving patent quality or reducing application backlogs. This proposal presents a shortsighted revenue grab that undermines the trust and predictability innovators depend on." [ed. note: patents currently require a single flat fee; Commerce Department proposal would annually charge 5% of patent's assessed value]

Things felt off at this year’s Emmy Awards: ″The Studio" won, “The Bear” lost, and everyone carefully avoided mentioning what “Adolescence” was actually about.

As federal workforce shrinks, these Washingtonians are boosting their resumes with AI skills: Decimation and dissatisfaction in the local labor pool sparked this experiment through the public library system.