Amid War in Mideast, Lingering Questions Over Killing Iran’s Leader Assassinations, like the one the U.S. carried out against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, aren’t illegal under U.S. law. But don’t tell Trump.

Amid War in Mideast, Lingering Questions Over Killing Iran’s Leader

washingtonmonthly.com/2026/04/23/a...

The Price of a Lost Russia: A Correspondent’s Eulogy Marc Bennetts’s new book, “The Descent,” shows how Putin has violently snuffed out the promise of a democratic Russia.

"The Russia I left in 1992 was chaotic, uncertain," writes @markoskounalakis.com, reviewing Marc Bennetts's new book, "The Descent."

"The Russia Bennetts was forced to flee is tragic—a country that had a chance to become an open society. Putin’s iron fist punched that door shut."

RFK Jr. and the Perils of Peptides The Health and Human Services Secretary’s push to deregulate unapproved peptides will inevitably lead to worse health outcomes.

RFK Jr. is rolling back Biden-era regulation of unapproved peptides, meaning that products will no longer have to undergo tests proving they can be safely injected in patients before they hit the market.

His moves will inevitably lead to worse health outcomes, @gooznews.bsky.social writes.

Cancel the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner The White House Correspondents Dinner shouldn't invite a president who is an enemy of free speech. Better no "Nerd Prom" than this one.

An event celebrating the free press should not spotlight Donald Trump, the biggest threat to the free press, @billscher.bsky.social writes.

Cancel the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner The White House Correspondents Dinner shouldn't invite a president who is an enemy of free speech. Better no "Nerd Prom" than this one.

“Cancel the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner”

— my @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social latest

washingtonmonthly.com/2026/04/21/c...

How Amazon’s AI Algorithms Raise the Prices You Pay Amazon can steer market-wide prices without ever colluding—exposing a gap in antitrust law that the FTC is now fighting to close.

Online price swings look like fierce competition. In reality, they’re part of an invisible strategy that steers the entire market upward, writes @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social of the @ilsr.bsky.social.

How Amazon’s AI Algorithms Raise the Prices You Pay Amazon can steer market-wide prices without ever colluding—exposing a gap in antitrust law that the FTC is now fighting to close.

1. Amazon has built powerful pricing algorithms that have learned how to steer prices upward — not just on Amazon, but across the web. I have a new piece on how these algorithms work, and how they help sustain Amazon’s monopoly.

How Much Will That College Cost You? Good Luck Figuring it Out Colleges could standardize financial aid information to make it easier to compare. But they don’t. Here's why that's a problem.

For over a decade, college access groups have lobbied for a bill that would require colleges to standardize financial aid information––making it easier for families to compare offers.

College associations have worked to block it, @merkolodner.bsky.social of the @hechingerreport.org writes.

You Could Have Filed Your Taxes for Free This Year... If the Trump administration really cared about taxpayers, it wouldn’t have killed Direct File, the IRS’s successful free program.

Americans could've filed their taxes for free this year, except that the Trump administration sabotaged Direct File––which offered taxpayers free filing and threatened tax prep industry profits, writes Senior Editor @anne-s-kim.bsky.social.

You could have filed your taxes for free this year... Except that the Trump administration killed Direct File, the IRS's successful free program

The majority of Americans spend an average of $160 to file their taxes.

The Biden Administration’s Direct File program would have eliminated that burden for a lot of taxpayers—except the Trump Administration killed it.

My roundup @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/washingt...

What AI Can’t Do AI may replace narrow technical skills, but the liberal arts equip students with the critical thinking employers increasingly demand.

@wildavsky.bsky.social, author of The Career Arts, shared a piece in @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social about the value of liberal arts, now more than ever:

The U.S.-Europe Rift: How Trump’s Iran War is Making it Worse The Iran war is straining ties between Europe and the U.S., as NATO allies clash over strategy and American global leadership weakens.

From threatening Denmark to belittling NATO, Trump has strained the transatlantic alliance, but his affronts—including berating allies for not joining his Persian Gulf adventure—are speeding a European future without American leadership.

Why Democrats Should Worry About Graham Platner (And Janet Mills) In the fight between Platner and Mills, Democrats seem to face a choice between the reckless and the listless.

"Why Democrats Should Worry About Graham Platner (And Janet Mills)" -- my latest for @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social

washingtonmonthly.com/2026/04/17/w...

Paul Glastris - 2028 Will Be Totally Different Than 2026 with Julie Mason

Editor in Chief @glastris.bsky.social went on The Julie Mason Show to break down the Democratic field for 2028: whose policy hits the mark, who can (or can’t) electrify a crowd, and––crucially––who’s tall.

How Viktor Orbán Got Rolled by His Own Gerrymander Orbán's electoral manipulations created a system so volatile that a modest popular swing wiped out his supermajority. Sound familiar?

Orbán's electoral manipulations created a system so volatile that a modest popular swing wiped out his supermajority, @stevenhill1776.bsky.social writes.

The Arc de Trump—A Monstrosity in the Making Trump’s planned “Arc de Trump” near Arlington reflects a long tradition of strongmen using monuments to project power.

The president's proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery is pure Trump, writes @jimzirin.bsky.social.

What AI Can’t Do AI may replace narrow technical skills, but the liberal arts equip students with the critical thinking employers increasingly demand.

The case for the liberal arts just got a lot stronger, writes @wildavsky.bsky.social.

Good News from Hungarians, Astronauts, and the Pope Not all headlines are grim: Hungary ousts Viktor Orbán, Artemis II inspires, and Pope Leo pushes back on Trump.

Strongmen are weaker. Integrity endures. Peace is popular. Some good news from @jonathanalter.bsky.social.

JD Vance Is the Most Mistreated Vice President Since ... Well, The Last Two Vice President JD Vance’s humiliations in Budapest and Islamabad raise the question: Why did Trump set him up to fail?

The vice president’s humiliations in Budapest and Islamabad raise the question: Why did Trump set him up to fail? Politics Editor @billscher.bsky.social writes.

washingtonmonthly.com/2026/04/14/j...

Chiles v. Salazar: A New Frontier of Speech In its ruling on Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, the Supreme Court recast mental health care as protected expression.

In its 8–1 ruling on Colorado's conversion therapy ban, the Supreme Court placed mental health care and medical regulation in the First Amendment's line of fire.

JD Vance Is the Most Mistreated Vice President Since ... Well, The Last Two Vice President JD Vance’s humiliations in Budapest and Islamabad raise the question: Why did Trump set him up to fail?

“JD Vance Is the Most Mistreated Vice President Since … Well, The Last Two”

My latest for @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social

washingtonmonthly.com/2026/04/14/j...

Washington Monthly's 2025 College Guide and RankingsWashington Monthly's 2025 College Guide and Rankings A college degree is costly, to both students and taxpayers. Here’s the only list that shows which institutions provide good value to both.

If you know someone navigating a college decision process, tell them to check out the Washington Monthly College Rankings to see how their options stack up for return on investment

washingtonmonthly.com/2025-college...

The Mystery of the Joan Little Case Following her 1975 murder trial, Joan Little became the first woman acquitted for using deadly force to resist sexual assault.

A Black woman claimed self-defense after killing her jailer. Her 1975 high-profile trial shook the American South, writes @jimzirin.bsky.social.

Half a Loaf From the Center for American Progress CAP’s health care proposal is full of sound ideas that won't deliver immediate relief. Here's a simple plan that would.

The Center for American Progress offered its initial election year foray into health care policy prescriptions last week, and it's full of sound ideas that won’t deliver immediate relief, writes
@gooznews.bsky.social, who offers a winning alternative.

Trump’s Budget: Cruelty, Contempt, and Endless Debt The Trump administration’s new fiscal blueprint is DOA in Congress, but it’s nonetheless revealing about priorities.

The administration’s new fiscal blueprint is DOA in Congress, but it nonetheless reflects the administration’s values—of contempt for Congress and American taxpayers, writes Senior Editor @anne-s-kim.bsky.social.

Trump's budget: Cruelty, contempt, and endless debt The administration's new fiscal blueprint is DOA in Congress, but it's nonetheless revealing.

Trump's proposed 2027 budget is DOA in Congress.

But it still says a lot about the administration's priorities and values - none of it good.

Me on this plus the state of higher ed, and the latest @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/washingt...

Employers Are Moving Beyond Educational Pedigree. It’s Time We All Do A growing number of employers are ditching degree requirements, opening new career paths for workers without a four-year college degree.

Young people can thrive if we acknowledge that four-year college degrees aren’t for everyone, writes Ryan Stowers.

The Miracle and Mystery of Artemis II A NASA-led mission that showcases competence and collective purpose—launched, improbably, under a government that rewards neither.

Artemis II: How in the world could such a monumental display of valor and skill happen under the Trump administration?

How Democrats Can Win on Education Again Democrats can rebuild trust on education by combining the best of centrist and progressive ideas to improve K-12 outcomes.

Centrist and progressive Democrats can’t stop fighting over how to fix America’s crisis-ridden K-12 schools. If they would compromise and combine forces, they could trounce Republicans, who have given up even trying to improve public education, @thomastoch.bsky.social writes.

Trump Believes in “Madman Theory.” But He’s Actually a Madman Trump frames chaos as “madman theory.” The results suggest something far less controlled and far more dangerous.

Before Trump embraced "Madman Theory," Nixon used it when negotiating with North Vietnam.

It didn't work for Nixon either.

More from me in @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social washingtonmonthly.com/2026/04/08/t...