Headwaters: July 25–August 1, 2026

The weekly roundup of what we’ve done at Liberal Currents includes an important look at the internal displacement of transgender people in the United States seeking security from oppression.

(This is the first weekly roundup, which we're calling "Headwaters," that we have done. And, it is now possible to subscribe only to these weekly roundups, which will be sent on Sundays.)

Articles:

• “Prairieland: A Tactical and Strategic Analysis,” Samantha Hancox-Li: Great evils require effective remedies.
• “The Corporate Power Reset,” Seth Morgan: Legislation in Hawaii and Montana shows how pro-democracy advocates can fight back against Citizens United.
• “The American Transgender Refugee Crisis,” Silvaria Lysandra Zemaitis: If this were occurring abroad, to an ethnic minority, we would call it ethnic cleansing.
• “Betting Alone,” Justin Briley: Sports betting is destroying an important part of the American social fabric.
• “The New Vandals,” Alan Elrod: Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" offends right-wingers' notion that only white men make history.

Podcasts:

• “Sovereign Citizens with Badges?” (Neon Liberalism #84, with Jessica Pishko): So-called "constitutional sheriffs" are spreading across the country.
• “Lindsey Graham: ‘Corporal,’ Senator, Hypocrite” (Half the Answer #96, with Maya Rupert): The life and works of the man who occupied the most racist seat in American history.
• “You Can't Decommodify Housing If You Have No Housing” (The Editors' Chat #16): Politics can consume communities.
• “Gender and Gender Anxiety” (Neon Liberalism #83, with Katherine Cross): So much of our politics today is driven by gender.

Editors’ Notes:

• “This Is Your Brain on Strategy”: Activism is a strategic field of action, as is persuasion.
• “What Price Would You Pay for an Open Society?”: Freedom of movement is one of the most basic freedoms there is.

Videos and shorts:

• “Enlarging SCOTUS Without Creating a Court Arms Race”: Adam Gurri on the typical response to calls for more justices.
• “‘The Rise and Fall of Rational Control’ and ‘Violent Saviors’: An Appraisal”: Guillaume Attia on what makes these books by Harvey Mansfield and William Easterly, respectively, worthwhile.

What we’re reading elsewhere:

• Megan Wachspress, on Prairieland and activism: “Strategic conversations are entirely valid and indeed necessary, but they are internal conversations.”
• Paul Krugman, on our MAGA right politicians: “They behave as if they were courtiers to Kim Jong Un.”
• Adam Serwer, on manospheric inspiration for the GOP: “Republicans want to make you feel insecure about your masculinity so that you vote Republican.”