The Edgy Optimist

If Trump Does It, Does That Mean It’s Wrong?

As the 2020 pandemic was unfolding, I wrote a piece with the deliberately provocative title, “If Trump says it, does that mean it’s not true?” Now, as…

Oct 24 • 

Zachary Karabell

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Popcorn Politics

After two weeks in Western and Central Europe, it’s clear to me that many people around the world are misreading the endless obsession with American…

Oct 10 • 

Zachary Karabell

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September 2025

Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and American Hysteria

The past decade has seen a rising intolerance of free speech, on the left with what has loosely been called “woke” and on the right in its backlash…

Sep 22 • 

Zachary Karabell

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The Virtues of Discontent

In a Gallup poll released this week, American support for capitalism reached its lowest point since the survey began, with only 54% having a positive…

Sep 10 • 

Zachary Karabell

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August 2025

The Scandal is What's Legal...

Last week, the Trump administration nominated E. J. Antoni, chief economist of the Heritage Foundation, to be the new commissioner of the Bureau of…

Aug 18 • 

Zachary Karabell

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The Trade War is Over

On April 2, Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on almost every country in the world, with 10% tariffs across the board and additional rates…

Aug 1 • 

Zachary Karabell

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July 2025

A Contented Summer of Europe’s Discontent

One of the subplots of the wavering support of the United States for Ukraine has been whether the European Union can possibly fill whatever void is left…

Jul 16 • 

Zachary Karabell

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One Big Beautiful Country

As Washington consumes itself with the One Big Beautiful Bill and as the Second Season of the Trump Show launches a fragrance line of perfumes and…

Jul 3 • 

Zachary Karabell

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June 2025

Getting Real

The 12-day air war between Israel and Iran, with a brief cameo bombing by the United States on three of Iran’s nuclear enrichment and weapons sites…

Jun 25 • 

Zachary Karabell

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Déjà vu All Over Again

Today’s reaction to the federal militarization of law enforcement against protests in Los Angeles is portrayed as a classic first step in a fascist…

Jun 13 • 

Zachary Karabell

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There’s A Lot Of Money Out There

The latest episodes of the Second Season of the Trump revolve around how much power the executive branch has and how much it should have.

Jun 6 • 

Zachary Karabell

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May 2025

It's Not About The Plane

Far too often, the stories that dominate our discussions are not the ones that will matter most over the arc of time. The drama of “if it bleeds, it…

May 19 • 

Zachary Karabell

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