Economists say the DOGE purge of federal workers could trigger local recessions, and how bad it gets depends on the scale of the layoffs, which is still unknown. / CNBC An explainer on how the billions in cuts that DOGE's public ledger claims to have uncovered are riddled with
The White House and the Treasury will restrict DOGE's taxpayer access to read-only, anonymized data—the same as what academic researchers and IRS IT professionals can see. / The Washington Post [+] See also: Finally, my tax dollars are being used to uncover publicly available government information. / McSweeney'
Five trends that will shape urban Africa in 2025—e.g., the Addis Ababa model. / The Week in Africa William Shoki: Elon Musk's opinions about South Africa want to reinforce the idea that black political power is threatening. / Africa Is a Country How to understand President Trump best?
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is charged with leading a plot to overthrow the government. / Reuters Argentina's president tries to deflect criticism after a cryptocurrency he endorsed on X collapses, erasing $4 billion in value. / The Wall Street Journal [+] President Trump suggests Kyiv is to blame for Russia&
Scientists worry about the politicization of vital statistics. / Undark Magazine Connecting the dots between Vice President Vance's recent "Nazi apologia" and his artificial-intelligence boosterism. / Forever Wars See also: Thanks to under-moderated social platforms, anyone can write their own Mein Kampf now. / Garbage Day "
Even as a decline in illegal border crossings is a gift for Trump, it makes it harder for ICE to put up the arrest and deportation numbers it wants. / The Washington Post [+] More journalists were killed in 2024 than ever before, and Israel was responsible for two-thirds of those
A central aspect of negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war is that the US would provide Ukraine with post-war security in exchange for access to rare earth minerals. / Reuters See also: "Even now, most Ukrainians see continuing to fight as incomparably better than the terror of Russian
Historians say the United States is on the cusp of "competitive authoritarianism." / Foreign Affairs Chris Geidner: Trump and Musk are trying to sell America on being an authoritarian state, "but they can't do it unless we allow them to do so." / LAWdork The State
The playbook on how to win influence over President Trump is well known—and it still works. / Wake Up to Politics Law professors explain what happens if the White House ignores the courts. / NPR Benjamin Wittes: How effective can judges be in this task? Courts, after all, don't
M. Gessen explains the five categories of arguments people use when they engage in "anticipatory obedience." / The New York Times [+] Spencer Ackerman: Regarding Palestinians, Donald Trump is "a fulfillment of longstanding currents in American history." / Forever Wars A trend forecaster plots the chart between Brat Summer
