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Trump Eyes China Arms Sales. We Toast the 5th: A Video Roundup
Our mid-October collection of clips

New in The UnPopulist

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Liberal Freedom Requires Agency But Also Self Mastery: Ezra Klein and Danielle Allen at LibCon2026
Liberal societies need not just good institutions but also a clearer vision of their ends
The Trumps Keep Cashing In on the Presidency With a Putin-Linked Oligarch Paying for Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding: An Executive Watch Roundup
Our early-October selection of the president’s latest and greatest assaults on the rule of law
 • Executive Watch
A Catholic Theologian Signs Up for Mass Cruelty
Yet another thinker puts his faith in the service of monstrous deportation policies
 • Gabriel Schoenfeld
The Supreme Court Just Consigned Migrants to Cruelty Far Beyond Their Crimes
Letting the administration deport them for now to nasty third-country dictatorships should shock our conscience
 • Linda Chavez
Trump Is Reshaping IRS Rules to Defund Minority Programs and Empower Churches
His motto is to use state power against his enemies and help his friends in the nonprofit world
 • Robert Tracinski
54:25
Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko
The agency has gone rogue and cannot be reformed
 • Shikha Dalmia
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable
 • Andy Craig
The ‘Charming’ MAGA Coalition Backing Vance: A Video Roundup
Our late-September collection of clips
Stephen Miller Is Paying Monstrous Dictators to Admit Expelled Immigrants
A Democratic Congress needs to urgently investigate this abuse of taxpayer dollars that were actually meant for refugees
 • Greg Sargent
The DSA’s Extreme Platform Is Bad for Liberalism and Democrats
Its ‘socialism’ is not a cure for fascism—it’s just another form of authoritarianism
 • Matt Johnson
A Scheme to Pack and Unpack the Supreme Court Will Backfire Badly
It will sap precious political capital from more worthy reforms and lead to greater political polarization
 • Gregg Nunziata
At Five, We Are More Necessary Than We Ever Wanted to Be
On our milestone birthday, we’re doubling down on the fight for liberal democracy
 • Shikha Dalmia

The UnPopulist Presents:

The UnPopulist Video
Short clips, medium-length vids, and longform video essays from The UnPopulist
Executive Watch
Tracking presidential abuses of power
 • Executive Watch
The UnPopulist
The UnPopulist
Defending liberal democracy against authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world.

Podcasts

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54:25
Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko
The agency has gone rogue and cannot be reformed
 • Shikha Dalmia
54:30
Liberals Need to Loosen Up to Play the Social Media Game Against Authoritarians: A Conversation with Renée DiResta
Their need to stay on message makes them less effective communicators
 • Berny Belvedere
35:34
Is Trump's Populist Coalition Shrinking?: Zooming In With Andy Craig and Tom Shull
ISMA's new survey suggests that the president's use of extralegal power is losing its appeal to even his most committed supporters
 • Andy Craig and Thomas Shull
1:09:06
Dismantling the Legacies of Illiberalism Haunting the US: Zooming In With Jamelle Bouie, David French, Danielle Allen
'Is a utopian liberalism possible?' A LibCon2026 podcast
 • Aaron Ross Powell
49:42
Fixing America's Negative Polarization With Proportional Representation: A Conversation With Lee Drutman
Presidentialism plus single-member districts is a bad combination that incentivizes leaders to consolidate power by fueling division.
 • Andy Craig
58:01
Trump Has Not Turned Americans Against Immigrants: A Conversation with Greg Sargent
The administration’s cruelty has deeply disturbed the country, opening the door for reforms with more legal pathways
 • Shikha Dalmia
Recommendations
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Project Liberal
Project Liberal
Joshua Reed Eakle
Liberal Currents
Liberal Currents
Liberal Currents
Notes from the Middleground
Notes from the Middleground
Damon Linker
Liberalism.org
Liberalism.org
Liberalism.org
Persuasion
Persuasion
Yascha Mounk
The latest from
Andy Craig
A Democratic Senate Should Adopt Secret Impeachment Ballots on a Priority Basis
User's avatar
Shikha Dalmia
Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko
User's avatar
Berny Belvedere
Liberals Need to Loosen Up to Play the Social Media Game Against Authoritarians: A Conversation with Renée DiResta
User's avatar
Landry Ayres
The Revolution Is Dead, God Save King Trump: A Video Roundup
User's avatar
Birch Smith
Has the Trump Administration Crossed the Rubicon When Lawlessness Makes Lawful Transition Impossible?
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Book Reviews

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A Former Right-Winger’s Guide on How to Defeat Her Old Side
Democrats will ignore Sarah Longwell’s communication advice at their peril
 • Paul Crider
Can Elite Rule Be Reconciled with Democracy?
A liberal theorist offers an intriguing if imperfect framework for an age-old question
 • Matt McManus
Liberal Societies Need Grand Stories About Themselves
An interesting new book by a former Economist writer says that would jolt individuals out of their ennui
 • Jonathan Rauch
Does Immigration Lead to ‘Democratic Drain’ and Illiberalism in Native Countries?
A fascinating book by a political scientist says yes—but, in fact, there is strong evidence for the opposite case, too
 • Stan Veuger
Universities' Best Defense Against Censorship in the Public Square Is Free Inquiry
In their otherwise valuable new book, two prominent professors acknowledge the need for diverse viewpoints on campuses but don't offer a cure for…
 • Jonathan Marks
How the Chinese Immigrant Experience Shaped Birthright Citizenship
Reviving this history is vital to understanding the 14th Amendment's true intention
 • J. L. Wall
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