From my friends at Cornell...

Important from Walter Olson. open.substack.com/pub/theunpopul…

I endorse this line of thinking by Jonathan Rauch & Peter Wehner. Any party-in-exile must not be 'counter-reformation' but a more constructive channel for the grievances that gave rise to Trump. In the short run, though, the answer is to vote for Biden. nytimes.com/2024/04/08/opi…

For anti-Trump Republicans, only one path remains: a party-in-exile. nytimes.com/2024/04/08/opi…

.Jonathan Rauch counsels: “We need to be humble about the power of social programs to alter behavior. But we should also be humble about the power of hard data to test social programs.”

hypertextjournal.substack.com/p/data-in-garb…

Here's an intense conversation with Stephen Bradford Long about America's decades-long, totalitarian-style war of psychic terror against homosexuals...which his generation has just about forgotten. sacredtension.substack.com/p/americas-for…

In his beautiful and touching memoir of his daughter Miranda and her best friend, Ringo, David Frum brings tears and a reminder of Michael Kelly's words: Life goes on, and life is good. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

Senator Chris Murphy Gallup World Happiness Report launch: the most important social media regulation is to require companies to turn off the algorithm for teen users so they can get off the content 'conveyor belt' and explore and discover the virtual world on their own.

Takeaway from World Happiness Report launch Gallup: MASSIVE drop in life satisfaction among young people in the Anglosphere, esp. US and Canada (!). And this does not reflect a decline in objective conditions. More due to pessimism, social media, negative social narratives.

Wherein Corey Nathan and I dive deep into a dark chapter in American history that's being forgotten...and isn't truly over. politicsandreligion.us/e/rauch_experi…

This is clearly what Trump believes; and it also represents what his supporters believe, the values they embrace, what they have given their allegiance to. It's all in the open. Trump won't let them hide.

Great conversation with Emily Stacey, James Davenport, and Aaron Bachhofer about America's long--and not quite over--campaign to erase gay people. open.spotify.com/episode/5YN2vG…

No, 20% of young Americans are NOT Holocaust deniers. That poll you heard so much about is...way, way off. The reason is something new(ish) called opt-in polling. Be careful out there. pewresearch.org/short-reads/20…

Jonathan Haidt and yours truly on whether truth (and sanity) are possible in a polarized age. At UT-Austin last week. Kinda fun being onstage with, like, the smartest man in the world. youtube.com/watch?v=zbSUCK…

Yesterday our team was thrilled to join public intellctuals Jonathan Haidt and Jonathan Rauch for their inspiring talk on 'Creating Knowledge in a Fragmented Age.' Thanks to Civitas Institute for hosting!

Out this week: “America Last: The Right’s Century-Long Romance With Foreign Dictators” by @jacobheilbrunn about the long history that led to today’s bromance with the likes of Putin. One of the smartest books I've read in a while.

politics-prose.com/book/978132409…

amazon.com/America-Last-C…

Question: Is there a bit of a tension in preaching against 'moral decline in America” and supporting for president a morally depraved man of coast-to-coast corruption? Just asking.
politico.com/live-updates/2…

Question #2: Is there a bit of a tension, Mike Johnson, in lamenting declining church membership/shrinking religious ID while at the same time championing a movement that is doing so much to alienate so many from the message of Jesus? Asking for a friend.
politico.com/live-updates/2…

Don't miss 'This Much I Know' Theater J. Brilliant cast, impressive directorial debut by new artistic director Hayley Finn, and a script worthy of Stoppard. edcjcc.org/theater-j/show…

Psychiatrist Sally Satel finds that the American Psychiatric Assn's new gender-affirming care guidelines sweep all questions under the rug. washingtonmonthly.com/2024/02/13/gen…