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America's Immigration Prohibitionism Breeds Cartel Violence, Not Undocumented Immigrants
Stephen Miller is blaming the victims of U.S. laws for an outcome that is the consequence of policies he pushes
 • Nathan Goodman and Molly Rovinski
LibCon2026 Is Coming, July 16–17
Register now and avail yourself of our early-bird special to hear and meet the world's most brilliant and courageous liberal thinkers and activists
 • Berny Belvedere
Constitutional Amendments to Stop America’s Authoritarian Turn Are Doable and Necessary
Americans will back them enthusiastically—so long as they fix governance, not push partisan advantage
 • Andy Craig
1:04:11
Mamdani's 100-Plus Days: Abundance Liberal or Democratic Socialist? A Discussion
The UnPopulist Live featuring Berny Belvedere, Jeremiah Johnson, and Tibita Kaneene
 • Berny Belvedere
Kash Patel Is Talented In One Thing—Trump Sycophancy
Senior Editor Berny Belvedere explains in his debut video (taking the first step to internet stardom) in our early-May video roundup

Recent posts

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How the Chinese Immigrant Experience Shaped Birthright Citizenship
Reviving this history is vital to understanding the 14th Amendment's true intention
 • J. L. Wall
Hungary’s Opposition Used Social Media to Topple the Authoritarian-in-Chief
Politically neutral platforms are a better way than censorship to fight propaganda and disinformation
 • Jacob Mchangama
MAGA Exploits Shooting to Justify Trump's Illegal Ballroom Vanity Project
An orchestrated chorus is trying to discredit objections to a corruption-ridden project that has bulldozed every required procedure
 • Berny Belvedere
1:02:47
Where Will the GOP—and Where Should Democrats—Go After Trump: A Conversation with Jamelle Bouie
The New York Times columnist offers his thoughts on the great MAGA crackup and the rightward shift of centrist Democrats
 • Shikha Dalmia
There Is No Limit to the Trump Administration’s Multifaceted Corruption: An Executive Watch Roundup
Our late-April selection of the president's latest and greatest assaults on the rule of law
 • Executive Watch
Only Liberal Societies Can Handle Alien Life
Its existence will raise confusing and difficult questions for earthlings that authoritarians won’t have the credibility to negotiate
 • Kenneth Silber
The Political Weaponization of Overcriminalization Was Entirely Predictable
We dismantled the safeguards the Framers built against political persecution and are now paying the price
 • Matthew Cavedon
From Res Publica to the United States of Trump
This president's vulgar self-glorification is revolting to a self-governing people and must not stand
 • Andy Craig
50:30
Trump Proved to be Unimaginably Bad for the Free Market Cause: A Conversation with Veronique de Rugy
Watch now (51 mins) | He has done things that Bernie Sanders would never have dared and opened the door to radical leftist interventions
 • Shikha Dalmia
Can Primary Reform Keep Out Extremist Candidates and Depolarize America?
Don't count on it—deeper structural reforms like proportional representation are the real fix
 • Lee Drutman
Will the New Hungarian Prime Minister Use His Victory to Restore Democracy?: A Video Roundup
Our mid-April collection of clips
JD Vance's Devil-May-Care Attitude Is UnAmerican and UnCatholic
He is disrespecting the pope to please a president who violates core tenets of his chosen faith
 • Thomas D. Howes
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Berny Belvedere
LibCon2026 Is Coming, July 16–17
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Andy Craig
Constitutional Amendments to Stop America’s Authoritarian Turn Are Doable and Necessary
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Shikha Dalmia
Where Will the GOP—and Where Should Democrats—Go After Trump: A Conversation with Jamelle Bouie
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Trump's Tariffs Liberated Americans From Their Wallets: A Video Roundup
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Has the Trump Administration Crossed the Rubicon When Lawlessness Makes Lawful Transition Impossible?
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The UnPopulist Presents:

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Defending liberal democracy against authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world.

Reconstruction Agenda

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31:56
Americans Have Never Had Less Recourse for the US Government Violating Rights: A Conversation With Steve Vladeck
Accountability under both state and federal law faces high hurdles, but Congress could fix that
 • Andy Craig
Robust State Constitutionalism Can Protect Rights and Resist Authoritarianism
We need a movement to fully unlock the potential for resistance by states
 • Kathrina Szymborski Wolfkot
Americans Need Legal Remedies Restored Now to Protect Themselves Against Reckless ICE Agents
Congress, state legislatures, and courts can take steps to reopen avenues for litigation unduly closed off
 • Anya A. Bidwell and Marie Miller
All-Party Primaries Can Release Us From Our Partisan Doom-Loop Trap
Our republic is being destroyed by an electoral system that ignores the vast majority of the voting public
 • Danielle Allen
Trump’s Bogus Rationale for Invading Venezuela Is an Impeachable Offense
The Framers would have regarded this president as an out-of-control lunatic in desperate need of reining in by Congress
 • Andy Craig
50:39
What Tools Does Congress Still Retain to Control a Recalcitrant Executive? A Conversation with Josh Chafetz
Eventually, though, Congress needs to fix itself to effectively rein in the president
 • Andy Craig
If Soldiers Become Cops, Americans Will Have Even Less Legal Redress Against Abusive Law Enforcement
This is yet another reason why President Trump should not be allowed to call in the military for fighting crime
 • Anthony Sanders
Founders Would Be Horrified by Congress's Surrender of its Power of the Purse to POTUS
The shutdown is testimony to how a subservient legislature makes governance dysfunctional
 • Molly Reynolds

Podcasts

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1:02:47
Where Will the GOP—and Where Should Democrats—Go After Trump: A Conversation with Jamelle Bouie
The New York Times columnist offers his thoughts on the great MAGA crackup and the rightward shift of centrist Democrats
 • Shikha Dalmia
50:30
Trump Proved to be Unimaginably Bad for the Free Market Cause: A Conversation with Veronique de Rugy
Watch now (51 mins) | He has done things that Bernie Sanders would never have dared and opened the door to radical leftist interventions
 • Shikha Dalmia
47:07
The Case for Impeaching Trump Even if He's Not Convicted: A Conversation with Bill Kristol
Watch now | With the internal guardrails collapsing as Trump becomes more dangerously erratic, it is vital to activate this key constitutional check
 • Andy Craig
A Government Limited by the People Was Hard Won But Easily Lost: A Conversation with Robert Black
The philosophical origins of limited government were in Europe but they reached full fruition in America
 • Samantha Hancox-Li
1:08:42
Not All Trump Voters Love Him but They Regard the Other Side as Out of Touch with Them: A Conversation with Jason Mangone
Identifying opportunities to win them over requires understanding them as they understand themselves
 • Thomas Shull
55:02
Manosphere Men Want a Society That Loves Them For Their Vices: A Conversation With Toby Buckle
They have created narratives about true masculinity that have never existed
 • Aaron Ross Powell
Podcasts
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Zooming In at The UnPopulist
Mamdani's 100-Plus Days: Abundance Liberal or Democratic Socialist? A Discussion
Logo for Reconstruction Agenda
Reconstruction Agenda
Americans Have Never Had Less Recourse for the US Government Violating Rights: A Conversation With Steve Vladeck
Recommendations
View all 23
Liberal Currents
Liberal Currents
Liberal Currents
Slow Boring
Slow Boring
Matthew Yglesias
The Next Move
The Next Move
Garry Kasparov
Executive Functions
Executive Functions
Jack Goldsmith
To the Contrary
To the Contrary
Charlie Sykes
Top posts

Book Reviews

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How the Chinese Immigrant Experience Shaped Birthright Citizenship
Reviving this history is vital to understanding the 14th Amendment's true intention
 • J. L. Wall
The Constitution's Sweeping Pardon Power Is Its Achilles' Heel for Checking an Imperial President
Worse, there are no good fixes in our polarized times for stopping the abuse of this dangerous tool
 • Gabriel Schoenfeld
Dear Liberals: Don’t Forget to Brag About Liberalism
Critical self-appraisals are fine so long as they don’t validate bad-faith attacks on the liberal order
 • Jonathan Rauch
Let’s Not Grant the Postliberal Critique of Market Liberalism
Discontents with liberal modernity are perennial and a spiritual awakening won't cure them
 • Jonathan Rauch
Bernie Sanders Wants to Counter MAGA's Gains With the Working Class by Challenging the Oligarchy
He wants his party to offer a bold social democratic alternative to the neoliberal consensus just as Trump has done on the right
 • Matt McManus
The Neo Right's Multi-Front Revolt Against America
A political theorist traces the intellectual history of the various strains of a movement gone rogue
 • William Galston

World

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Hungary’s Opposition Used Social Media to Topple the Authoritarian-in-Chief
Politically neutral platforms are a better way than censorship to fight propaganda and disinformation
 • Jacob Mchangama
Orbán Lost Spectacularly Because the Hungarian People Simply Stopped Fearing His Authoritarianism
They understood that his corrupt party was selling out the country to serve its own interests
 • Laszlo Gendler
If Orbán Loses Hungary's Election, It Will Dispel the Air of Invincibility Around Strongmen
This would prove that consolidating power does not protect authoritarians from self-destructing, especially when a smart opposition exploits their…
 • Laszlo Gendler
The Leading Realist Theorist Ignores Reality to Depict Putin as the Victim
John Mearsheimer’s analytic framework blinds him to the Russian dictator’s real motives for invading democratic Ukraine
 • Tom G. Palmer
Democrats Should Own Free Trade, Not Just Oppose Trump's Protectionism
Their tactical opposition to the president's tariffs will cost them leadership on this issue
 • Tibita Kaneene
Progressive Jews Are Deeply Distressed by the Rising Antisemitism on Their Own Side
They distrust the right but are pained by the left
 • Jay Michaelson
India Is Embracing China’s Authoritarian Tactics for Digital Surveillance and Control
The country’s undemocratic turn is dangerous not only for its own citizens but also the world as other populist rulers emulate its methods
 • Amal Chandra
Russia Resurrected and Exported a Fascist Ideology to the West
That the Trump administration is targeting ‘enemies within’ instead of Putin shows how much America has already succumbed to it
 • Tom G. Palmer
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