The hottest Politics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top News Topics

Hidden Open Thread 424.5

Astral Codex Ten • 481 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. A paywalled, subscriber-only thread titled "Hidden Open Thread 424.5" is dated March 12, 2026.
  2. The page prompts readers to subscribe and also offers a sign-in option for existing paid subscribers.
  3. Visible engagement indicators (the numbers 5 and 109) and a share option suggest some level of interaction on the thread.

The Epstein Conspiracy Wasn’t What We Suspected

Michael Shellenberger • 1151 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. The available evidence does not support the claim that Epstein ran a government-backed sex blackmail operation; his photos, emails, and meetings point more toward amateur methods and personal exploitation than a coordinated intelligence kompromat scheme.
  2. Epstein primarily used charm, money, sex, and financial services to build ties with powerful people and to serve his own interests, acting as a fixer or contractor rather than a controlled agent of intelligence agencies.
  3. Belief in a broad intelligence conspiracy was driven by motivated reasoning, moral panic, and weak sourcing, so conclusions should be cautious and open to new evidence rather than jumping to grand explanations.

How My Reporting Made Me a Target of the British Labour Party

The DisInformation Chronicle • 400 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. Internal CCDH documents show Imran Ahmed and his group weren’t just creating checks on social media but were actively planning to undermine and “kill” Musk’s Twitter.
  2. A whistleblower provided dozens of internal emails and papers revealing hidden political ties, secret funding, and operatives working in both London and Washington.
  3. The leaked reporting led to real-world consequences — the State Department moved to deport Ahmed and his lawyers began tracking and targeting journalists who published the documents.

This Week in Canada: Death Is a High-Volume Business

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 264 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. Canada's government-run assisted-suicide program is operating quickly and at high volume. A 2024 report notes some people received MAID the same day they requested it.
  2. Alcohol consumption is falling, with Canadians averaging about eight beers per week. Marijuana sales are overtaking booze in popularity.
  3. Synagogues have been targeted in terrifying attacks, creating a new normal of fear for worshippers. Congregations now face heightened concerns about safety.

The internet turned us into crappy, unpaid detectives

The Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (of Vooza) | Sent every Tuesday • 926 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. The internet has turned a lot of us into amateur sleuths who chase clues and conspiracy theories like a game, trading real investigation for quick dopamine hits.
  2. That game-like digging legitimizes fringe claims and pulls people down rabbit holes of false or exaggerated ideas, making them feel righteous even when they’re wrong.
  3. All that attention on sexy mysteries diverts scrutiny from boring but consequential abuses of power and corruption that happen in plain sight, which would actually benefit from real investigation.
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Reform has a point (about this one, very specific thing)

Odds and Ends of History • 201 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🎙 Podcasts Politics
  1. Changing how political control works in the Civil Service could have real benefits and is worth a calm, open debate instead of instant rejection.
  2. A local playground being unusable for kids for two years shows how everyday public services can get stuck and cause real frustration for communities.
  3. Text and data mining sits at the heart of the ongoing AI vs copyright debate, and we need clear rules that balance innovation with protecting creators' rights.

America This Week, 4 PM Monday ET: The Last Show

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 1676 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Politics
  1. The show is ending its Monday live segments and moving to a new schedule with taped Friday episodes.
  2. One co‑host quit after learning of other changes, so the show is temporarily paused while they decide what to do next.
  3. The hosts plan to rethink the format and consult readers before choosing a replacement, and their farewell episode probed how people can stay sane amid overflowing, unresolved news.

What I'm reading about A.I. economic doom and Trump's War on Iran. Plus: a great twisty documentary and a good new crime thriller

Read Max • 447 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. A high-profile A.I. report recently rattled markets and sparked intense debate about the economic risks and real-world consequences of advanced AI.
  2. A twisty, gripping true-crime documentary about fraud and confirmation bias is highlighted, and the director’s new crime thriller is also recommended.
  3. The newsletter curates books, films, and music, asks readers to take a short survey, and encourages subscriptions and reader recommendations.

Time for some courage in the climate fight too

The Crucial Years • 2471 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Politics
  1. Big business and financial leaders have largely pulled back from climate leadership after political pushback, but public funds and big investors could still use their financial power to force change.
  2. Divesting from fossil fuels is both a moral choice and a smart financial move, since renewables and batteries are cheaper and funds that shunned fossil stocks have often seen better returns; staying invested has cost taxpayers billions.
  3. Scientists warn the window to avoid dangerous warming is smaller than we thought and tipping points are real, so governments must speed up the clean-energy shift by scaling renewables, storage, and other clean technologies already proving they work.

War: What Is It Good For? Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 431 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. The strikes on Iran and the killing of Khamenei risk a wider, messy conflict and could hurt the president politically, and they also play into bigger strategic competition with China.
  2. Western obituaries often downplayed Khamenei’s violent record while many Iranian Americans celebrated his death, highlighting a sharp divide in how his legacy is seen.
  3. The Pentagon’s clash with Anthropic is a proxy battle over who controls powerful AI — a fight between national security needs and company safety limits that could leave everyone worse off.

Episode 189 Pt I

Disaffected Newsletter • 499 implied HN points • 17 Sep 24
🎙 Podcasts Politics
  1. There were technical issues that caused half an hour of the show to be lost, including important debate analysis. The hosts plan to redo it and offer more content soon.
  2. Residents in Springfield, Ohio, are expressing concerns about a large influx of Haitian immigrants and how it affects their community.
  3. A guest discusses the issues of responsibility among gay men concerning health risks linked to promiscuity. The conversation highlights the need for awareness and personal accountability.

TGIF: Sorry for all the typos .Sent from my iPhone.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1562 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. A longtime TGIF contributor was revealed to be part of Jeffrey Epstein’s email circle and has been suspended for one edition and hit with a $5,000,000 fine, though she says she’ll return.
  2. The Department of Justice released about three million pages of Epstein-related documents, including emails, and the revelations are still causing fallout and public scrutiny.
  3. The newsletter has temporary hosts for this edition and is promoting live events and a subscription paywall to access full reporting.

An ocean away

Wrong Side of History • 484 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. British and other Europeans feel more cultural kinship with each other than with Americans. Visiting the U.S. can feel oddly alien despite its friendliness.
  2. Everyday American life differs in obvious ways — tipping norms, urban safety, higher gun ownership and stronger religious belief — which mark it as a Western outlier.
  3. American politics and public life are shaped by a distinctive liberal founding and a strong emphasis on personal freedoms like free speech, which shapes how people vote and behave.

Coleman Hughes: Scott Adams Made Me a Better Thinker

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 3157 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Reducing a public figure to their most controversial statements misses the broader lessons they offered about persuasion and communication.
  2. Bold, simplistic claims can be an intentional persuasive tactic because they provoke attention and emotional reactions that reinforce support, even if they’re technically wrong.
  3. Seeing political messages through a persuasion lens helps you think more clearly by focusing on motives, effects, and how audiences react instead of taking words literally.

Post-debate analysis

Disaffected Newsletter • 439 implied HN points • 18 Sep 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Politics
  1. There was a technical issue during the show that caused a segment to be lost. They decided to redo it and create a shorter version of the show.
  2. The show included a live chat and was available on platforms like YouTube, Rumble, and Twitter.
  3. The Disaffected Newsletter is supported by its readers, offering options for free or paid subscriptions.

In Response to an Epstein Comment

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 5489 implied HN points • 20 Dec 25
đź“° News Politics
  1. Publishing photos or lists that put powerful people next to criminal allegations doesn’t prove those people were involved; you need context and direct evidence to show any real overlap.
  2. Assembling connections or 'contacts' can suggest a conspiracy even when there’s no proven link to wrongdoing, so such compilations can be misleading without further proof.
  3. To establish a criminal 'ring' investigators must show direct ties to the crimes—like victim complaints, documents, or corroborating evidence—rather than relying on friendships or casual associations.

Glory days

Disaffected Newsletter • 1998 implied HN points • 15 Aug 24
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Some older people are still stuck in the past, thinking their youth and ideas from the 1960s still represent today's reality.
  2. Many friends love to share nostalgic stories about their past activism, but they sometimes seem more about reliving glory than promoting understanding.
  3. People who change their political views often feel pushed away by their former friends, showing that kindness fades when faced with disagreement.

The Epstein Tapes, Part II. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 445 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. Newly released law‑enforcement footage from the Jeffrey Epstein investigations shows searches, depositions, and sting operations, and the revelations are still producing fallout like resignations and public apologies.
  2. Fear and uncertainty about AI are roiling markets — a viral essay scared investors and sparked big losses — while tests show some popular AI models can make alarming choices in war simulations, raising safety and governance worries.
  3. Political and cultural tensions are mounting: the administration looks low on new policy ideas, public figures and athletes are getting politicized, and controversies over appointments, intelligence secrecy, and tech decisions (like Starlink) are fueling broader friction.

Happy Thanksgiving

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 6983 implied HN points • 27 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Upbeat songs and cheerful artists often get politicized when politicians use their music, and that can change how people judge the songs.
  2. Public backlash is uneven and sometimes unfair — saying you don’t want to be political or making happy music can draw heavy criticism.
  3. Take a real break today: enjoy food, rest, and a little gratitude, and let yourself unplug from the daily grind.

It's Okay If You Didn't Bring Down Any Fascist Regimes Today

OK Doomer • 293 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. You can’t single‑handedly overthrow oppressive systems or stop every injustice, so feeling powerless doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
  2. It’s okay to just live and take care of yourself; small acts of kindness and survival still matter and can help others.
  3. Big change usually needs mass collective risk most people can’t take, so set boundaries, do what you can, and don’t shoulder unrealistic expectations.

The three most common hallucinations

Sasha's 'Newsletter' • 4517 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. The drama triangle—victim, rescuer, persecutor—is a common psychological 'hallucination' people slip into to avoid responsibility, creating a false, frantic certainty instead of clear insight.
  2. Those roles can sometimes match helpful behavior, but real skill is noticing when you’re acting out a role, owning uncomfortable feelings, and choosing nuanced, responsible responses instead of theatrical reactions.
  3. Drama is contagious and often deliberately stoked by people or politics, so protect yourself by listening calmly, withdrawing when needed, or using tactics like grey rocking to avoid getting pulled into choreographed conflicts.

Matt Goodwin's ideas are a dead end

Odds and Ends of History • 2010 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Warnings that demographic shifts will make a group a minority are often stated without explaining clearly why that would be bad.
  2. Demographics aren’t destiny — people and communities change, assimilate, and adopt new identities and values across generations.
  3. A more productive approach is civic nationalism: base belonging on shared values and institutions rather than on birthplace or ethnicity, and promote integration instead of segregation.

Nobody in Britain is going to see the new Melania movie – I've crunched the data to prove it

Odds and Ends of History • 2010 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Pre-sale ticketing at Vue across 878 screenings (70,765 seats) shows just 1,160 bookings, roughly 1.6% of available seats and about 1.8% filled per screening.
  2. Most bookings are concentrated in the opening weekend with sales trailing off sharply after, indicating limited broader interest.
  3. Some seat markings may be system quirks or reserved wheelchair seats so the true number sold could be even lower, and overall the film looks unlikely to be a UK box-office hit.

Stop Asking Olympians How They Feel About America

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 983 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. When athletes voice mixed feelings about U.S. policies they often face sharp public and political attacks, as happened with a recent skier and the president.
  2. Asking Olympians to weigh in on national politics creates predictable controversy and shifts attention away from the sport itself.
  3. The episode also underscores that we live in a country where people can criticize leaders and be criticized in return, and then carry on with their lives.

A Tale of Two Halftime Shows

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1038 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. The Super Bowl halftime is one of the rare national events people watch live together, so whatever happens there carries outsized cultural weight.
  2. Bad Bunny’s halftime leaned into localism and community, recreating a small Puerto Rican town with colorful, multigenerational, human-scale moments.
  3. That joyful, local approach stood in sharp contrast to more sterile or grievance-driven presentations, like the grayscale Turning Point USA-style shows or industrial, cube-lit productions.

Flurry of Weekend Shootings, Violence Shows Fourth Estate in Disarray

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4595 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
đź“° News Politics
  1. A sudden cluster of deadly attacks over the weekend — including a mass shooting in Australia, a campus shooting in Providence, and a high-profile double homicide — made for an unusually violent, chaotic period.
  2. Media, politicians, and social platforms rushed to blame and interpret events before facts were confirmed, turning reporting into a partisan battle instead of clear information-gathering.
  3. Real-time news cycles and social media amplify rumors and mistakes, forcing the public to sort through conflicting claims to find what’s actually true.

London’s Bonfire of the Vanities

Wrong Side of History • 650 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. High-profile police shootings quickly become emotional and political symbols, with victims often being sanctified and public pressure mounting before all facts are known.
  2. In this incident, armed officers were following an SUV linked to a recent gang shooting, and an officer fired a single fatal shot after the vehicle moved toward them.
  3. These events fuel mutual fear and grievance: police worry about legal and reputational fallout, while activists use them to mobilise, spreading confrontational, American-style race politics to London.

Noam Chomsky's wife responds to Epstein controversy

Aaron Mate • 1131 implied HN points • 08 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. Noam Chomsky suffered a severe stroke and cannot speak or engage publicly, so his wife has been caring for him and has issued the explanation about their contacts with Jeffrey Epstein.
  2. They describe their interactions with Epstein as professional and social—meetings, dinners, a lunch at his ranch, visits to apartments, a $20,000 payment for a linguistic prize, and Epstein’s help resolving a financial issue—while saying they never visited his island, never saw criminal behavior or underage people, and had no investments or account access with him.
  3. They acknowledge Epstein manipulated them, admit Noam’s overly trusting nature led to poor judgment and a failure to research his background, apologize for that lapse, and express unrestricted solidarity with Epstein’s victims.

The World of Today

Some Unpleasant Arithmetic • 9 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Many recent high-profile films focus on democratic backsliding and show what life looks like under repression, violence, and systemic injustice. They trace stages from sporadic repression to organized, everyday authoritarian control.
  2. Democratic erosion is usually slow and driven by factors like polarization, rising inequality, economic shocks, globalization, and new information ecosystems that spread conspiracies and hollow out institutions. These forces weaken courts, media, and civil society while keeping a democratic façade.
  3. Protecting democracy depends on clear public narratives and political will: awareness, elite commitment, and active pushback matter, and elite complacency or complicity is a central danger. Without people and leaders recognizing the threat, backsliding can continue.

Science, Medicine, Values, and Politics

Heterodox STEM • 78 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🔬 Science Politics
  1. Science and medicine are not value-free — they are shaped by epistemic goals (truth and rigor), community norms (openness and skepticism), and broader societal values that influence research priorities and ethics.
  2. Ideological and political pressures from both the left and the right can politicize research, erode expert credibility, and slow innovation, producing polarization, cancel culture, and counter-movements that harm honest scientific debate.
  3. Protecting scientific integrity requires independence, transparency, responsibility, and a clear separation between political aims and epistemic methods, with nonpartisan vigilance to preserve public trust and sound decision-making.

Open Thread 422.5

Astral Codex Ten • 481 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Open Thread 422.5 is an open-thread entry published on Feb 26, 2026.
  2. The content is paywalled and requires a paid subscription or signing in to read.
  3. The entry shows modest engagement (3 comments and 74 interactions) and provides links to subscribe or sign in.

Transcript - America This Week, Jan 30, 2026: “Marriage Advice From Matt and Walter, and Minnesota”

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 1215 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🎙 Podcasts Politics
  1. The episode will include marriage advice and a segment focused on Minnesota.
  2. They plan to examine a self-annihilating cultural trend and argue that Brave New World is unexpectedly relevant to current times.
  3. The two hosts record from different locations—one abroad with positive impressions of the place, and the other in Washington, D.C., joking about strained diplomatic vibes across from the White House.

The One and the Many

The Fry Corner • 21522 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Groups of people can behave in predictable ways, even if individuals within those groups act randomly. This means we can anticipate the behavior of a crowd better than that of a single person.
  2. Statistics play a big role in predicting risks and behaviors. For example, actuarial tables help insurance companies set rates based on the likelihood of certain events, regardless of the reasons behind those probabilities.
  3. There is often a disconnect between how we view groups of people versus individuals. While we might feel negatively about humanity as a whole, we tend to appreciate and trust the individuals we meet in our daily lives.

Is the Epstein Fallout Spiraling Out of Control? Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 588 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. The Epstein files’ release is triggering broad reputational fallout where people with only loose ties are being punished, and guilt by association is blurring the line between true enablers and innocent bystanders.
  2. Marco Rubio pulled off an unexpected diplomatic win in Europe by sharply criticizing its failures yet still earning applause, showing his message landed because many there feel they have few good options left.
  3. AI has advanced so quickly that humans may soon no longer be the smartest things on Earth, a change that raises urgent questions about what roles people will keep and how society should adapt.

He Was Always A Fraud

Steady • 39643 implied HN points • 27 Sep 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Politics
  1. Donald Trump has been identified as a fraud and con man.
  2. Legal threats are mounting against Trump, particularly in New York.
  3. Trump's history of deceit and manipulation could have lasting consequences for his business and political career.

Your Review: Joan of Arc

Astral Codex Ten • 18307 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
đź’ľ History Politics
  1. Joan of Arc was a young girl who claimed she received messages from God, urging her to save France from English rule. She inspired others to follow her and fought in key battles.
  2. Despite facing a powerful enemy, she helped turn the tide for France, leading to the crowning of Charles VII as king. Her charisma and leadership rallied troops and boosted morale.
  3. After being captured, Joan was tried and executed for her beliefs. Over time, many came to see her as a martyr and a saint, highlighting the impact of her life and death on history.

The Looming War with Iran. Brendan Carr’s Free Speech Hypocrisy. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 477 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. The U.S. is positioned to strike Iran even as last-minute diplomacy continues, while widespread mourning for protest victims inside Iran could fuel more unrest and make a military conflict more dangerous and drawn-out.
  2. Foreign governments are flooding Washington with lobbyists under the current administration, creating a boom in overseas influence and raising questions about oversight and transparency.
  3. The FCC chair who once defended free speech is now backing efforts to silence critics of the president, revealing a partisan shift and hypocrisy around speech enforcement.

Racket is Hiring

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 1892 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. A news outlet is hiring general assignment reporters and columnists who have subject-matter or geographic expertise.
  2. Candidates should have strong reporting skills—good writing, phone reporting, public-records research, and source development—and experience covering beats like Washington politics, defense/intelligence, immigration and law enforcement, regional state politics, or tech and finance is preferred.
  3. Editing or video experience and backgrounds in fields like law, medicine, or academia are helpful. Citizen journalists and independents are welcome, and applicants should submit a brief cover letter, resume, and writing samples.

Doomscroll: Trevor Paglen

Joshua Citarella's Newsletter • 437 implied HN points • 02 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Trevor Paglen discusses how art connects technology and politics, showing us what can often be hidden or ignored. His work helps us think about the important issues behind new tech.
  2. He talks about 'psyops capitalism', where media creates content based on user behavior, which can shape our views and experiences.
  3. Paglen compares early UFO stories to today's social media disinformation, highlighting how misinformation has always been a part of our society.

Monthly Roundup #38: January 2026

Don't Worry About the Vase • 1747 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
đź“° News Politics
  1. A proposed California wealth tax that taxes billionaires and illiquid startup equity could drive founders and tech companies out of the state and seriously damage the startup ecosystem.
  2. Saying a large share of taxes just pays interest is misleading; the right things to watch are debt-to-GDP and whether interest rates exceed nominal growth — interest costs are manageable now but the primary deficit is too large.
  3. Burnout isn’t just working too hard but specific mismatches like being always on, lacking control, or losing a sense of mission, and it needs early, targeted fixes like real rest, autonomy, novelty, or clearer goals.