The Next Democratic Candidate for President Should Run as a China Hawk

Let’s flip the race to the bottom and reconstruct this country.

The Moral Arc of the Universe Bends Toward Finding Out

Chaos has a nasty habit of rebounding homewards.

Governing by Algorithm: What Smart Cities Are Teaching Us About Power in Liberal Democracies

The current automation of governance is an evolution in the longstanding tension between democratic responsiveness and technocratic executive power.

The Editor’s Chat #12

Note: If you support us on Patreon you can find the episode on that platform. The Editors' Chat is a monthly, freewheeling discussion among the editors of Liberal Currents on a variety of topics from current events to ancient history, social science, and more. It will be live streamed

It Was Fascism All Along

When we emphasize a distinction between conservatism and fascism, we obscure the structural logic that ties the right-wing project together.

Trump vs. the Ayatollbooth (Neon Liberalism #68, with Bret Devereaux)

Last month, Donald Trump started a war—or perhaps a special military operation—with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Join Samantha and military historian Bret Devereaux as they discuss the "uncomfortable frontier arrangement" that previously existed with Iran, why Donald Trump blew it up, and what—maybe—the

Liam Ramos, Kid Prisons, and ICE Flights (Half the Answer #76, with Gillian Brockell)

Delta Airlines brought Liam Ramos back from the child prison in Texas, but they don't seem to want to talk about how they took him there in the first place. Trent and Caitlin debrief with Gillian Brockell about the current status of ICE flights, the fate of the

Too Great for Any One Man

Since the founding generation, there has been a consistent and rational fear that the office of president was too powerful to be constrained by democratic institutions.

The Historically Unpopular War (The Opposition Report #12)

Iran, DHS, corruption, and more.

Abuser Politics: Christian Male Supremacists Want Women to Shut Up

The desire for quiet women—really for silent women—in every public forum is neither about adherence to Biblical truth nor the revelation of natural law.

What the Hell Is Happening in Texas?! (Half the Answer #75, with Gwen Howerton)

What the hell is going on in Texas? Trent and Caitlin welcome Houston culture reporter Gwen Howerton about the Texas senate primaries, censorship in prisons, and the state of LGBTQ+ rights in the Lone Star State. Half the Answer can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on YouTube, on Amazon,

Off and Running (The State of Liberal Currents #1)

To all of our subscribers, I hope this newsletter finds you well. This marks the first State of Liberal Currents, the successor to the old patron newsletter we published rather inconsistently since February of 2020. It is also the first quarter that we began making lurching steps towards becoming a

Overcoming Indifference

On the political disenchantment of Gen Z.

A New Era of International Gangsterism

Trump, Putin, and Xi believe wholeheartedly that the strong do what they will and the weak suffer what they must.

I Worked in Operation Allies Welcome. Americans Must Not Betray Our Afghan Allies.

The government is committing a grave betrayal of people who risked their lives to help it.

neonliberalism

Is Platner the Face of the Democratic Tea Party? (Neon Liberalism #67, with Chance Phillips)

According to all current polling, Graham Platner will be Maine's next senator—despite a Nazi tattoo, a history of controversial social media posts, and an almost-total lack of political experience. To try and understand what this tells us about the direction of the Democratic Party, Chance Phillips recently

"Worse Than the 1970s"

Our world is far more interdependent than it was in the 1970s energy crisis.

The War That Still Haunts the United States

Remembering another war America was unable to extricate themselves from.

Why We Fight

Politics doesn't stop in an authoritarian system and we cannot give up the struggle.

Cringe Is Good, Earnestness Is Strength

On irony poisoning and the importance of being earnest.

halftheanswer

Sharia Socialism in NYC, or Just Smarter Governance? (Half the Answer #74, with Ryan Cooper)

What's happened in New York City since Zohran Mamdani became mayor in January? Has it become a Marxist-Islamic bastion, ruled by a soviet in the succeeding three months? Trent and Caitlin discuss the Sharia Socialism of NYC Mayor Mamdani, plus the naked vice signaling and stove-touching of the

What If Iran Doesn’t Want the War to End Yet?

America is not the sole actor in this war—the enemy always gets a vote.

Fakery Is the Key to the Right’s Cultural and Political Dominance

The Kid Rock alternative halftime show is a symptom of the larger unreality constantly produced by the right.

editorsnotes

Editor's Notes: The Next Settlement on Immigration

Maximizing what we can get from the next opportunity for reform.