Americans have now spent $135 billion more on gasoline and diesel purchases since March 1 than the same period last year.
Peter Sparding
@psparding.bsky.social
SVP Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) in DC. Working on technological competition, economic security, and transatlantic relations. Previously fellow at GMF. Book “No Better Friend?” on US-German relations (Hurst and OUP).
The Boston Globe right-wing columnist Jeff Jacoby (currently on medical leave) used to defend Columbus, believing he was being judged by modern standards. In 2023, he looked into the matter ... and changed his mind. jeffjacoby.com/27260/i-used...
I used to defend Columbus as 'magnificent.' I don't anymore.
IN 1997 I wrote a column for Columbus Day weekend that opened on a smart-alecky note: "Say," I asked, "is it OK to admire Christopher Columbus again?" Ever since the quincentennial of Columbus's first...
jeffjacoby.com
The two winningest teams of the 2020s are the Dodgers (651 wins) and Brewers (595 wins). One already has 3 titles in that span; now, the other gets their shot.
“This is what crowd out looks like.” - Jason Furman
My first take (from work with @abenewman.bsky.social on the EU-US privacy wars) is that this is likely very stupid. ECJ judges are absolutely political, but are relatively insulated from electoral politics and raison d'etat. US interference makes a strong ruling vs Musk more politically attractive.
emptywheel@emptywheel.bsky.social · 4w agoDOJ is officially trying to veto the Digital Services Act in Europe, intervening to prevent clear fines on Musk. www.justice.gov/opa/pr/unite...
Georgia’s second-largest school district has abruptly banned Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” from school library shelves
Georgia school system abruptly bans Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’
Georgia’s second-largest school district is once again at the center of a political controversy over the appropriateness of school materials.
gpb.org
These are still some of the most amazing graphs ever published in a political science book. From: Edward Tufte. 1978. Political Control of the Economy. Princeton University Press.
A good explainer of one of the problems with a Diesel export ban, namely that it would hit New England states hard. One can assume this would also have consequences for Senate races in Maine and NH.
Ryan Cummings@weakinstrument.bsky.social · 4w ago1/n: Because of record-breaking diesel prices, the Trump Admin is reportedly considering a diesel export ban. There is one part of the country that this would squeeze tremendously, risking physical shortages that would prevent people from heating their homes in winter: New England (PADD 1A).
Lots to absorb in this chart, but look at the changes in Republicans' views of data centers since January. Far more Republicans now see them as bad for the environment, home energy costs and local quality of life. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Takaichi seeks Trump meeting early next week ahead of US-China summit https://asia.nikkei.com/politics/international-relations/takaichi-seeks-trump-meeting-early-next-week-ahead-of-us-china-summit
Takaichi seeks Trump meeting early next week ahead of US-China summit
Japan prime minister hopes to keep Washington engaged on China deterrence
asia.nikkei.com
I think many researchers and analysts could (should?) say the same about a range of issues unrelated to the conflict right now…. if we are honest.
Luke Kawa@ljkawa.bsky.social · last mo.JPMorgan’s commodities team: “For the first time since the start of the Iran conflict, we don’t have a baseline view. We simply don’t know how to model the endgame.”
A Philadelphia family just bought their first home with a $10,000 first-time homebuyer grant funded by a group of Quakers It’s part of the congregation’s racial justice plan to redistribute wealth to Black residents in the Germantown area as a form of reparations
A Philly family bought their first home thanks to reparations from Quakers in Germantown
Green Street Friends Meeting, a Quaker congregation in Germantown, pledged to spend $50,000 a year for 10 years as part of its reparations work. It’s helping Black Philadelphians become homeowners.
inquirer.com
Germany to send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, warns of stepped-up Russian winter attacks www.straitstimes.com/world/europe...
Germany to send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, warns of stepped-up Russian winter attacks
Sept 8 - Germany will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine from its national stocks, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday, warning that Russia was likely to intensify its air campa...
straitstimes.com
This is terrible news, not just for the Smithsonian, but for the country. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/a...
Smithsonian’s Secretary to Resign as Trump Tries to Rule the Institution
In the face of escalating White House attacks about how museums present American history, Lonnie G. Bunch III has announced his decision to depart.
nytimes.com
Happy 72nd Birthday to Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 desegregated the New Orleans public schools. She’s younger than 30 senators and our last two presidents—and only 7 years older than Barack Obama. The past isn’t past.
Students who don't use AI chatbots for schoolwork are scoring better grades than those who do, according to a new report. It's some of the widest-ranging evidence yet that the technology could be hurting young people's learning. bloom.bg/4gHVbZY 📷: Jean-François Fort / Getty Images
I hereby declare the "learn to code" era officially dead: Big declines in the number of people studying computer science in the last year or two 📉 Chart from this week’s edition of our newsletter on AI and the labour market www.ft.com/content/9183...
President Donald Trump’s defense and trade policies are prompting the Philippines to look beyond its longstanding alliance with the US.
Philippines Looks Beyond US Ties as Trump Tests Alliances
President Donald Trump’s defense and trade policies are prompting the Philippines to look beyond its longstanding alliance with the US and build ties with non-traditional partners, Manila’s top diplomat said.
bloom.bg
EXCLUSIVE: The White House pressured U.S. space companies to skip French President Emmanuel Macron’s space summit in Paris next week. It's a surprise move that left company executives confused about what they should do.
White House pushes companies to ditch Macron’s space summit
More than 120 countries are attending the symposium in Paris.
politico.com
Our new Michigan survey has 55% of likely voters saying a Trump endorsement makes them less likely to support a candidate (vs. 27% more likely). That is hard for Republicans to overcome. ippsr.msu.edu/news/msu-pol...
MSU Poll Shows Democrats Lead, Republicans Coalesce Behind Rogers | Institute for Public Policy and Social Research
ippsr.msu.edu
Upper-income Republicans are just as likely as lower-income Republicans (61% vs. 62%) to say the term "working class" describes them well. That's not the case among Democrats. Fascinating chart from new @pewresearch.org analysis: www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party swept three special elections, in a test of whether voters supported his tough stance against President Trump's trade war. One Liberal lawmaker described the election results as a “message” to the U.S.
Canadian special elections indicate voters backing Carney’s stand against Trump
Prime Minister Mark Carney had vowed to match U.S. tariffs "dollar for dollar," unlike other longtime U.S. partners who had raced to cut deals when faced with tariff threats.
washingtonpost.com
NEW‼️🇺🇸 With the #midterms tilting in the @democrats.org favor, there's a chance that the US Congress will once again act as a stronger counterweight to Donald Trump’s presidency, writes @psparding.bsky.social It may even have an impact on US foreign policy, too. ip-quarterly.com/en/will-us-c...
Will the US Congress Reassert Its Powers?
With the midterms tilting in the Democrats’ favor, there is a chance that Congress will once again act as a stronger counterweight to Donald Trump’s presidency.
ip-quarterly.com
Much recommend this by @psparding.bsky.social ! It’s only two months now before the midterms on November 3 … will change be coming to America? And US foreign policy?
Internationale Politik Quarterly@ipq.bsky.social · 2mo agoNEW‼️🇺🇸 With the #midterms tilting in the @democrats.org favor, there's a chance that the US Congress will once again act as a stronger counterweight to Donald Trump’s presidency, writes @psparding.bsky.social It may even have an impact on US foreign policy, too. ip-quarterly.com/en/will-us-c...
Star Editorial Board: We cannot assume Americans will make better choices in future elections. We cannot count on things going back to the way they were.
23% drop in student visas to US in 2025 57% drop from India alone catastrophic for research and learning, here and abroad www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Related: "To be clear, the administration is trying hard to protect U.S. sovereignty. But it is trampling all over foreign sovereignty in the way it is pressing against domestic regulations abroad and trying to coerce other governments to follow U.S. security policies."
Is There No Going Back on Trade? What Is the Path Forward? A Response to Lighthizer
Former U.S. Trade Rep. Bob Lighthizer has a new essay in Foreign Affairs, and I have some thoughts. I'm going to start with his brief big picture points on the direction of U.S. trade policy, and then...
ielp.worldtradelaw.net
I have a piece in WPR today about a peeve I am constantly peeving about here—the U.S’s fundamentally asymmetric view of sovereignty. Hope you find it of interest. www.worldpoliticsreview.com/us-soveriegn...
America’s Regard for Sovereignty Is a One-Way Street
The Trump administration invokes sovereignty to resist international law while using its power to violate the sovereignty of others.
worldpoliticsreview.com