Volcanoes are erupting in The Philippines, but on-fire Australia received some welcome rain. The Iran war cries have been called off and The Donald’s military powers are about to be hamstrung by the Senate. Meanwhile, his impeachment trial is starting, and we’re all on Twitter for a front-row seat.
What Could Go Right? No Kings Breaks New Ground
The protests are large, geographically widespread, and persistent.
Emma Varvaloucas
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No Kings Breaks New Ground
Over at The Atlantic, George Packer is trying to continue to love America, and finding it very difficult. If you still believe that the American creed matters—the one that sprouted from the ideals of equality, self-government, and the preservation of our rights—he writes, “you’re holding on in a hard wind.”
I’m sure many of you agree, as we watch the current administration militarize American streets, detain citizens without due process, and overreach its executive power in countless arenas. Soon, we may even be witnesses to a United States-led regime change in Venezuela.
I surely feel the hard winds blowing. But I also see Americans souring on President Trump’s policies, pressuring their representatives to tighten the corkscrews, and occupied with questions of how best to meet this moment. I see an army of lawyers who took it upon themselves to slow or stop the administration’s unlawful moves, and a cadre of advocates doing their best to pick up pieces left behind—like the former USAID staff members who’ve collaborated to find alternate funding for nearly 80 projects that were facing closure. I see federal judges speaking out and whistleblowers, well, blowing whistles.
And, of course, I see the millions who showed up for the No Kings protests on Saturday. Organizer estimates mark it as the largest single-day protest in the US since 1970, and the second-largest in our history. The protests were nonviolent, and thus of little use to an administration looking to denounce them. And they attracted more than just the usual liberal suspects: New research from the Harvard Kennedy School found that the No Kings protests were likely “the most geographically widespread in US history”—reaching deep into Trump country—not to mention, remarkably persistent. “The first eight months of the year have seen more sustained . . . protest than any comparable stretch in Trump’s first term,” note the authors.
Unable to find a No Kings protest to attend here in Athens, I spent time this weekend with Karl Popper’s The Open Society and Its Enemies, the Austrian philosopher’s classic defense of democracy. Its last chapter is devoted to correcting the mistaken idea that history is anything other than what we have decided it to be. There is no grand explanation that will inevitably shepherd the world toward one end or another, no current we can ride that will deposit us on the shore of a predetermined outcome. “Instead of posing as prophets,” Popper writes, “we must become the makers of our fate.”
Which force will prevail—the hard winds or the pillars of resistance? I see myself tempted to weigh the evidence, as if there were a knowable answer.
There isn’t, and it’s the wrong question, anyway. There is only the uncertainty, and the question of what to do with it. Millions of Americans have already made their choice.
P.S. These online publications are keeping me sane in uncertain times, and I think you may find them helpful, too: Sharon McMahon’s The Preamble, The UnPopulist (particularly their new Reconstruction Agenda series), Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Lucid, and Garry Kasparov’s The Next Move.
By the Numbers
107: Countries where the buildout of renewables has cut fossil-fuel imports
$56B: Global investment in green technology so far this year, already surpassing all of 2024
26: Countries that have eliminated trachoma, the leading cause of infectious blindness—Fiji is the latest
~50%: Decline in child poverty in Europe and Central Asia between 2014 and 2024
Quick Hits
🌍 The Paris Agreement has staved off 1.4℃ of warming, new scientific research has found. We’re currently headed for 2.6℃ above pre-industrial levels, instead of previous forecasts of as much as 4℃. That equates to an average of 57 days with the most extreme heat, instead of 114.
📉 The US is on track for the fewest shooting deaths—not including suicides—of any year since 2015, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. Thirty-two states have posted declines greater than 10%, and some—such as South Dakota, New Jersey, Illinois, and Mississippi—greater than 25%.
🔋 The mega-batteries are coming! Countries around the world are massively expanding their battery capacity, reducing fossil fuel reliance and providing residents with clean, reliable power.
🤞 US obesity is declining for the first time since 2013. A new report shows 19 states with an obesity rate at or above 35%, a year-over-year drop from 23.
🥜 Recommendations to introduce peanuts to infants as young as four months have cut the rate of peanut allergies in the US substantially; about 40,000 children have avoided peanut allergies since 2015.
👩⚕️ A new same-day surgery can remove breast cancer and reconstruct the breast. The “total breast reconstruction” is all upside: no wait between surgeries, a shorter hospital stay, and covered by insurance. The immediate boost in self-esteem may even improve survival rates.
📈 Fertility preservation procedures for cancer patients are now covered by insurance in 21 states, and more might follow soon.
👁️ This week in clinical trials: An eye implant to treat functional blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration resulted in meaningful improvement in the vision of 80% of participants. Meanwhile, mRNA Covid-19 vaccines had the unexpected benefit of boosting the effects of immunotherapy for cancer patients.
👀 What we’re watching: At least 30 news organizations have rejected the Pentagon’s press policy that brands reporters a security risk for seeking sensitive information not approved for release. So far, only the conservative outlet One America News has signed on.
💡 Editor’s pick: Instead of making money by sending jobs overseas, one company is deploying an unusual playbook: hiring in America’s rural communities.
TPN Member Originals
(Who are our Members? Get to know them.)
- Feeling desolate? There is a cure for that. | The Atlantic ($) | Arthur C. Brooks
- America needs a mass movement—now | The Atlantic ($) | David Brooks
- The Portland Chicken has a degree in game theory | Lucid | Ruth Ben-Ghiat
- Democrats need to debate ideas, not people | Slow Boring | Matthew Yglesias
- How to flourish in your digital life | Flourishing Friday | Clay Routledge
- She struggled with addiction, then tried a weight loss drug | NYT ($) | Maia Szalavitz
- Advocating a new atomic age with nuclear evangelist Jenifer Avellaneda | Faster, Please! | James Pethokoukis
- The progress agenda | The Roots of Progress ($) | Jason Crawford
- Here’s what will really affect jobs in the age of AI | WaPo ($) | Diane Coyle