The hottest Politics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top News Topics

Tyler Cowen on AI’s Great Leap Forward. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 431 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
📰 News Politics
  1. AI just hit an inflection point where systems can write and improve their own code, meaning progress could accelerate far faster than before and many software roles and markets may be disrupted.
  2. Public life is growing more contentious — from immigration debates and protest interruptions to polarizing entertainment moments — showing deep cultural and political divisions.
  3. As technology and politics shift quickly, preserving human habits like open conversation, critical thinking, and defending free expression becomes more important than ever.

Steve Earle

Van Cliburn Punched Me In The Mouth • 158 implied HN points • 09 Oct 24
🎶 Music Politics
  1. Steve Earle believes music has always had a political side, and right now it might be more important than ever. He thinks artists should write about what they feel strongly about, even if those topics are heavy.
  2. Earle points out that in the past, music played a big role in social change. He feels that today's artists have the chance to create impactful songs, especially with current issues in the world.
  3. He also emphasizes the need for empathy in songwriting. When artists connect with their emotions and experiences, they can reach people's hearts better, making them more powerful in conveying their messages.

Some news from us: The Bulwark is growing.

Bulwark+ • 10299 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
📰 News Politics
  1. The Bulwark is expanding its team with new members like Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger.
  2. They are focused on providing valuable content for their audience, not chasing clicks.
  3. The Bulwark leverages Bulwark+ memberships to support their mission of saving democracy.

Doom-Pilled, Women’s Shirts, Gentlemen’s Collective

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 947 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Young liberal women are now much more likely to be childless than their conservative peers, with about 75% of liberal women aged 18–35 childless versus 40% of conservatives as of 2024.
  2. Women’s shirts button on the left because, when buttons were a wealthy fashion in the 17th century, right‑handed servants dressed women and left‑side buttons were easier for them to fasten.
  3. In the U.S. there’s a large age gap in arrests for violent crimes: twenty‑year‑old men are roughly ten times more likely to be arrested than sixty‑year‑old men, indicating a strong age bias in arrest rates.

HS2's gravel nightmare

Odds and Ends of History • 268 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Politics
  1. Britain’s attempt to reform how it builds nuclear plants could be undermined if the country re-aligns its rules with the EU, because European regulations may block or complicate those domestic changes.
  2. The HS2 project and a local council adopted an extreme, complicated solution for a relatively minor gravel problem at Dobbins Lane, creating unnecessary drama and controversy.
  3. A new framework called 'Power Failure' argues we need to rethink how power operates, offering fresh explanations for why governments and institutions often fail to act effectively.
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Democrats may have found their media counterweight to Fox News

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 374 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
📰 News Politics
  1. Small, partisan video outlets on platforms like YouTube are reaching millions with tiny teams, giving Democrats a possible counterweight to Fox News.
  2. Live creators and short-form video are outperforming expensive mainstream productions, and newsrooms are using AI to quickly turn long content into lots of shareable clips.
  3. Media companies are shifting toward “experiences” and new revenue plays — from newsletter sponsorships to sports-betting tie-ins — while the music industry and legacy outlets wrestle with how to handle AI.

Hidden Open Thread 419.5

Astral Codex Ten • 550 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. A paywalled update titled "Hidden Open Thread 419.5" was posted on Feb 05, 2026.
  2. Access requires a paid subscription or sign-in, with direct links provided to subscribe or log in.
  3. The page includes share buttons, previous/next navigation, and engagement numbers, showing it’s part of a series and has reader interaction.

Notes on a Secular Age: the Death of Carnival and the Birth of Modernity

Secretum Secretorum • 303 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Medieval carnival and similar rites worked as a sanctioned anti-structure that temporarily inverted roles, let off social pressure, and renewed communal energy and creativity.
  2. Secularization moved that balancing anti-structure out of public life into private spheres, leaving societies without a shared ritual outlet and making absolute, boundary-free codes and totalizing projects more likely.
  3. The Christian mix of authority and inversion generated a kind of "god-energy" that fueled cultural innovation, and when that ground of belief weakened modernity gained private creativity but lost a public source of regenerative tension.

Cardinal Dolan’s Exit Interview. De-escalation in Minneapolis. Allie Beth Stuckey Responds to Hillary Clinton. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 449 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
📰 News Politics
  1. Timothy Cardinal Dolan is retiring after 17 years as a blunt, influential voice for the American Catholic Church, and he’s been active in political and religious debates, notably speaking out on rising antisemitism.
  2. Big political announcements often don’t change outcomes: promises to disband the Department of Education haven’t come to pass, and ICE’s reported pullback in Minnesota coincided with local actions that still enabled federal immigration enforcement.
  3. Technology is shaking institutions and norms: AI and stolen exams have undermined the integrity of top high school math contests, while tech stocks and Bitcoin have fallen as markets rethink risky, growth-focused assets.

26 Useful Concepts for 2026

The Prism • 1313 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. The information ecosystem is overflowing with AI-made and attention-seeking content, so what you see online is biased and truth is harder and costlier to find.
  2. Understanding human psychology—like how naming problems helps, boredom fuels creativity, and small challenges build resilience—lets you steer your life toward meaning and better choices.
  3. Systemic incentives in tech, academia, and politics reward short-term attention and easy optics, which produces propaganda, shallow fixes, and persistent bad behaviours even when they’re wrong.

‘Charlie began taking in a lot of harmful ideological messages’

Wrong Side of History • 622 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26
📰 News Politics
  1. The British state is portrayed as mixing authoritarian impulses with farcical incompetence, prioritising ideological conformity and community appeasement over honesty and effectiveness.
  2. A government-backed Prevent programme and related materials treat questioning mass immigration as a dangerous or extremist mindset, framing research or debate as risky and pushing counselling or referrals for youths who engage with those ideas.
  3. Institutional priorities like hitting diversity targets and managing 'community relations' are producing practical harms and contradictions — from bad hiring decisions and police deference to reduced opportunities and inconsistent restrictions for teenagers.

It's Getting Harder And Harder To Preserve Our Mental Sovereignty

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2007 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Powerful actors use AI and algorithms to harvest personal data and create personalized information bubbles that subtly manipulate what we see and think.
  2. That capability lets governments and corporations surveil, steer political views, and channel dissent into harmless directions, weakening real democratic resistance.
  3. To protect our mental freedom we need to strengthen inner resources like critical thinking, creativity, self-inquiry, and emotional healing so propaganda and tech manipulation find no purchase.

My Joe Rogan Experience

Injecting Freedom • 82 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🎙 Podcasts Politics
  1. A guest appearance on a popular podcast was used to bring a debate about vaccines to a huge audience and encourage people to listen and decide for themselves.
  2. A personal shift in perspective happened after COVID — someone who once mocked critics began questioning standard views on vaccines and became open to re-evaluating beliefs.
  3. The argument centers on promoting data-driven reality and public discussion about whether vaccines are treated as ordinary products or something closer to unquestioned faith, and it asks for audience engagement and support.

Weekend thoughts.

Today's Edition Newsletter • 9021 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Politics
  1. Many prominent Americans are willing to abandon what is right and surrender to Trump for personal gain.
  2. Politicians and business leaders who normalize Trump's harmful agenda are disappointing.
  3. It's important to stay engaged, uphold dignity, and set a good example for future generations in the face of threats to democracy.

I'm joining a fellowship at the Mercatus Centre.

The Common Reader • 7123 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. The writer is starting a two-year fellowship at the Mercatus Centre in the USA, focusing on literature and liberal values. They aim to understand how great literature connects with ideas of human flourishing.
  2. They plan to explore how classical liberal thinkers and literature, like those by Adam Smith and J.S. Mill, can inform our understanding of society and individualism. They want to study the relationship between literature and liberal ideas.
  3. The writer believes in a revival of interest in the humanities and wants to encourage deeper reading of great works. They see this as essential for understanding life and happiness in today's culture.

The Empire Has Accidentally Caused The Rebirth Of Real Counterculture In The West

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 8782 implied HN points • 04 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. There's a new real counterculture forming in the West, especially seen at events like the Glastonbury Festival. Artists and fans are openly supporting movements like Palestine and really standing up to the establishment.
  2. For a long time, people in pop culture have acted rebellious but didn't challenge real power. Now, artists are risking censure and backlash from the government because they are speaking out about important social issues.
  3. Young people today feel frustrated and disillusioned, which is driving them to express their defiance. With social media, they see injustices firsthand, making it easier for them to rally together for impactful change.

Sex Differences Don't Go Away Just Because You Want Them To

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 6969 implied HN points • 03 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Men and women are becoming closer in education and job success, yet their political views are growing further apart. This shows that while they might achieve similar status, their perspectives on the world can still differ significantly.
  2. There are real differences in how boys and girls are raised and behave, influenced by both biology and society. These differences can shape their personality traits and preferences, affecting how they view and interact with the world.
  3. In wealthier and more equal societies, men and women's differences in behavior and personality can become more pronounced. This suggests that just creating equality isn't enough; understanding and acknowledging differences is also important for harmony.

El Salvador Update

Cremieux Recueil • 628 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Politics
  1. A harsh, large-scale anti-gang campaign has sharply cut murders and made public life feel much safer, and most Salvadorans approve despite mistakes and heavy‑handed policing.
  2. Improved security hasn’t yet produced rapid economic growth—poverty and visible class segregation remain, and it’s unclear how the government will turn safety into higher incomes.
  3. There are real trade-offs and risks: civil‑liberty abuses and wrongful detentions occurred, petty crime could reemerge without stronger state capacity, and social problems like obesity and inequality persist.

Dissecting A Modern Vaccine Propaganda Piece

The Forgotten Side of Medicine • 8824 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Politics
  1. The author dissects a modern vaccine propaganda piece and reveals tactics used to defend unchallenged arguments.
  2. Peter Hotez is highlighted as drawing the ire of the vaccine safety community by defending the vaccine narrative and attacking critics.
  3. Hotez's suggestions to silence opposition and his rhetoric are critiqued for their implications on free speech and public debate.

The First Lady Really Doesn’t Care. Do U?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 421 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. The documentary is visually lavish and full of staged, glamorous moments, but it stays tight-lipped and offers little real insight into the First Lady's inner life.
  2. The film's release was wrapped in big-money deals and controversy, with Amazon spending heavily to acquire and promote it and a director who has a troubled past, drawing extra scrutiny.
  3. Much of the attention felt performative and press-driven, with reports of chaotic production, contested ticket sales, and premiere audiences dominated by reporters rather than regular viewers.

‘They Messed with the Wrong City.’ Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 454 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
📰 News Politics
  1. Protests in Minneapolis have mounted fierce local resistance to federal deportation operations after the killing of Alex Pretti, and residents think that pressure may force a policy turnaround.
  2. The return of the final hostage from Gaza ends an 843-day effort to ‘bring them home,’ leaving survivors and families with a complicated mix of relief and grief and tough questions about what comes next.
  3. AI is already shaping religious life—many sermons may be co-written with machines—which raises real questions about whether and how AI should participate in spiritual practice.

My Valentine’s Day in Prison

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 236 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Being in prison means you're constantly aware of what you're missing because you're separated from your family.
  2. Even with little money, materials, or crafting skills, people in prison try to keep holidays and family bonds alive through small, heartfelt gestures like handmade cards.
  3. A conviction and prison sentence following an undercover sting can abruptly separate someone from their spouse and young children, showing how legal consequences disrupt family life.

Subscriber Writing, December 2025

Freddie deBoer • 1392 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. A bimonthly roundup highlights a wide variety of subscriber writing across politics, culture, personal essays, fiction, science, and technology.
  2. It works as a discovery platform that helps readers find new work and helps writers grow their audiences, with an emphasis on leaving kind, supportive comments.
  3. The feature is an ongoing, open opportunity for contributors, and non-subscribers can join to be considered and reach more readers.

Hands up, who likes me?

Wrong Side of History • 479 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Threatening suicide is often used as a way to negotiate or emotionally manipulate others, and it’s common among teenagers and in online culture where dramatic disclosure brings attention.
  2. Some psychologists view suicidal behaviour as a costly signal — a bargaining tactic that pressures others to change, which helps explain why many attempts are survivable and chosen for leverage.
  3. Cultural and religious norms shape how suicide threats are treated: some societies historically used them to force outcomes, while others condemn them, creating very different incentives.

This Week in Canada: The Tragedy of Tumbler Ridge

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 185 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
📰 News Politics
  1. A mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge killed eight people and injured 27, but the motive remains unclear and claims that the 18-year-old shooter was medically transitioned are unconfirmed by health authorities.
  2. U.S. lawmakers are siding with Canada over tariffs, and discussions of tariff relief are gaining momentum.
  3. Political tensions are rising, with renewed talk of Alberta separatism reportedly getting help from the U.S., and public attention turning to past political moments like the 'Shawinigan Handshake'.

What happened to J.K. Rowling?

The Path Not Taken • 1388 implied HN points • 08 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. A once-liberal critic who defended the right to dissent has shifted to a more hardline, single-issue stance on transgender matters, and their tone and language have become less respectful.
  2. An intense single-issue focus frames the debate in Manichean terms and forces people to pick sides. This approach sidelines other important public priorities like climate change and social inequality.
  3. As the campaign won legal and media support it also grew more militant and began to align with conservative or authoritarian tendencies, which has alienated some earlier sympathizers.

How Sydney Sweeney Lost The Culture War

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 2239 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Sydney Sweeney's latest movie flopped badly, making only over $1 million, which is really disappointing for any film.
  2. She has been involved in cultural controversies, notably after a GQ interview, and is now reportedly feuding with her co-star Zendaya from Euphoria.
  3. There's a big question about whether leaning into culture war politics will hurt her career in the long run.

The Weekend Press: On ‘Melania,’ and Chugging Milk with RFK Jr.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 384 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Ancient myths and ritual stories still matter because they help people make sense of life and death, while modern obsessions with reversing aging often miss that moral wisdom.
  2. Celebrity and political figures increasingly become fodder for performative media spectacles, turning serious debates into quirky, chaotic controversies.
  3. Popular TV exposes cultural contradictions: shows can brand themselves as progressive while promoting traditional fantasies, and fandoms often react in unpredictable, overheated ways.

Thinking Points, January 9, 2024

uTobian • 7763 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. We are living in apocalyptic times.
  2. 15% Grade 3 Adverse Event Rate from Pfizer and Moderna Covid shots is calibrated to cause maximum harm without being pulled from the market.
  3. All existing ideologies have failed in the face of the current crisis.

Is Melania The Worst Film Ever Made?

Slack Tide by Matt Labash • 412 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. The Melania documentary is widely panned and many viewers call it one of the worst films they’ve seen because it’s boring, lifeless, and unintentionally funny.
  2. It feels like a bought, clumsy PR piece — a cobbled-together vanity film financed and scripted to flatter Melania and backed by sketchy people.
  3. Melania is portrayed as shallow and inauthentic: the voiceovers sound robotic, scenes are staged with endless shoe close-ups, and the film’s sympathetic lines clash with her husband’s actions.

Just Don't Be a Pussy

Freddie deBoer • 6714 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. People in media often avoid expressing their true opinions because they fear being judged. This leads to a culture of silence and repressed ideas.
  2. The pressure to show loyalty to certain social groups can prevent meaningful conversations about important issues. It’s better to just focus on the ideas being discussed.
  3. Being afraid to associate with unpopular opinions can weaken the industry. Instead of worrying about perceptions, it's important to engage openly with different viewpoints.

MLK at 95.

Today's Edition Newsletter • 7272 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Politics
  1. Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for civil rights and spoke for the oppressed.
  2. Recent actions by some political figures show disregard for marginalized communities.
  3. Dr. King's message of justice and equality is still relevant today.

The Night Whitney Houston Died

Sarah Kendzior’s Newsletter • 5691 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Politics
  1. Whitney Houston and other 1980s artists shaped American culture, making it feel eternal to many, even as the country faced challenges.
  2. The night Whitney Houston died was significant for many around the world, showing the impact of her music transcending borders and cultures.
  3. The juxtaposition of Whitney Houston's death with the tragedies in Gaza on Superbowl Sunday highlights the importance of raising our voices against inhumane actions and standing up for values, patriotism, and humanity.

All Our Elections are Stolen. It is Why Nothing Works Without Money Printing

Welcome to Absurdistan • 5208 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Politics
  1. The post discusses how elections are being manipulated through various techniques like multiple voter IDs, dead people voting, and ineligible ballots being cast.
  2. There is a focus on the impact of cheating in elections, stating that it can make the country ungovernable and lead to financial instability.
  3. The role of money printing in sustaining the economy is highlighted, suggesting that policies like climate regulation and diversity initiatives may have negative economic impacts.