Hungary’s hidden blueprint for the post-Trump MAGA movement - The Boston Globe Viktor Orbán’s defeat was a win for democracy. But it’s also a cautionary tale.

A lot has been said about how Hungary's elections are good news for the backlash against the rise of global right-wing populism. But they're also a blueprint for how MAGA can survive after Trump's presidency. My latest: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/17/o...

I support rent control. But the proposed ballot question in Massachusetts is a mistake. - The Boston Globe State legislators should step in with a better version.

I support rent control. But the proposed Massachusetts ballot question, which would impose one of the strictest forms of rent control in the country, is a big mistake.

Here’s why—and what a better path to rent control could look like: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/10/o...

If a chatbot wrote this, would you read it? - The Boston Globe We asked our three writers to say a bit about how they use — or avoid — AI, and what future it might have for our profession.

When more and more journalists feel comfortable turning to AI in lieu of human coworkers, companies will feel more and more emboldened to cut costs by laying off staff, @abdallahfayyad.bsky.social writes.

Read more in #RightLeftCenter:

The crime wave the government keeps ignoring - The Boston Globe White-collar prosecutions have steadily declined over the past three decades. It's not because fewer crimes are taking place.

I wrote about our tough-on-street-crime/soft-on-corporate-crime mentality and why we're in the midst of a white-collar crime wave that way too few people in Washington are taking seriously: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/06/o...

Democrats are going big on tax cuts. It’s a bad idea. - The Boston Globe Middle-class households don’t need tax cuts. They need a government that makes paying taxes worthwhile.

I wrote about why the latest trend among Democrats— major tax cuts for middle and even upper middle class households—is a terrible idea, and not just because the math doesn't add up: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/22/o...

The war in Iran is not an act of self-defense - The Boston Globe The United States and Israel are twisting international law.

I wrote about how the US and Israel are twisting international law and the definition of self-defense to justify catastrophic and illegal wars: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/13/o...

It’s Not Complicated The mainstream media failed the public during the genocide in Gaza. The Key's editor-in-chief shares her vision for what comes next.

The Palestine Festival of Literature has launched an online publication, and the intro essay is worth your time. www.thekeymagazine.com/p/western-jo...

The end of diplomacy - The Boston Globe The US-Israeli strikes on Iran will undermine peace talks across the globe for years to come.

I tell @bostonglobe.com that "it looks like the Trump administration deliberately uses diplomacy as a distraction and as a tool to keep people dangling while preparing for war."

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/06/o...

The end of diplomacy - The Boston Globe The US-Israeli strikes on Iran will undermine peace talks across the globe for years to come.

On Saturday, the US and Israel killed Iran’s leadership while talks were underway. In September, Israel tried to kill Hamas’s negotiators in the middle of ceasefire negotiations.

So I wrote about the US and Israeli war on diplomacy: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/06/o...

A litmus test Democrats should face in the midterms and 2028 - The Boston Globe Failing to break with the official US stance on Israel and Gaza hurt Kamala Harris.

Wrote about why Gaza should be a litmus test for Democrats in the midterms and 2028: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/27/o...

A surprising theory for why some people become criminals A new book argues that your likelihood of being arrested may depend less on who you are than when you are.

Here's a link to my latest piece: globeopinion.substack.com/p/surprising...

Abdallah Fayyad | Substack Ideas Staff Writer at The Boston Globe

I’ll be cross posting some of my Boston Globe articles on Substack and will be launching a (free) newsletter soon. If you’d like to follow me there, you can subscribe at: substack.com/@abdallahfay...

A surprising theory for why some people become criminals - The Boston Globe Robert Sampson's new book argues that your likelihood of being arrested may depend less on who you are than when you are.

I wrote about Robert Sampson’s new book, “Marked by Time,” and how your likelihood to commit a crime has a lot to do with the year you were born—perhaps even more than other contributing factors, including your socioeconomic background or level of self-control. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/16/o...

Last year, the Trump administration terminated nearly $820 million in grants to successful public safety programs.

Meanwhile, Trump is trying to give himself credit for declining crime rates—a trend that's been going on for years.

Trump isn’t actually trying to reduce crime - The Boston Globe The president says he wants to make America safe again, but his administration is undermining programs that aim to do just that.

Trump says that he wants to bring crime down. But his administration is undermining crime prevention policies that actually work. One example? The dramatic cuts to reentry programs that help former prisoners find housing, jobs, and health care. My latest: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/09/o...

We have the power to stop this - The Boston Globe The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is state-sanctioned chaos. The antidote is nonviolent chaos from the bottom up.

Wrote about how the answer to Trump's state-sanctioned chaos is more chaos—this time, from the bottom up.

Minnesotans are setting a good example for the rest of the country to follow: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/29/o...

2026 will be a rocky new year for Trump - The Boston Globe Seeing the end of his reign on the horizon could make the president more erratic than ever.

Wrote about how Trump will likely become even more erratic and unpredictable this year — and for the remainder of his presidency: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/04/o...

The shameful Faneuil Hall immigration crackdown - The Boston Globe Plucking people out of the line for their citizenship oaths sends a message: The federal government can’t be trusted.

The Trump administration isn’t just cracking down on illegal immigration; it’s also attacking legal immigration by undermining the process, writes @abdallahfayyad.bsky.social.

The shameful Faneuil Hall immigration crackdown - The Boston Globe Plucking people out of the line for their citizenship oaths sends a message: The federal government can’t be trusted.

Last week, at Faneuil Hall—America's so-called Cradle of Liberty—immigrants showed up to their naturalization ceremony. But instead of taking the oath of allegiance, they were plucked out of line by immigration officers.

I wrote about it here: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/11/o...

Three takeaways for Boston from NYC’s congestion pricing scheme - The Boston Globe After a year of the first American program of its kind, there’s enough data to recommend the idea.

Time to bring congestion pricing to Boston: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/05/o...

Three takeaways for Boston from NYC’s congestion pricing scheme - The Boston Globe After a year of the first American program of its kind, there’s enough data to recommend the idea.

Congestion pricing in NYC has worked and has become popular. Cities like Boston should follow.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/05/o...

My latest cover story for Boston Globe Ideas is about how Trump is exploiting an unresolved question that lies at the heart of the National Guard: Who controls it, and when? www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/30/o...

How to make streets feel safer without adding police - The Boston Globe Urban planning and good city management can change your state of mind.

Law enforcement isn’t the only tool for reducing crime — or making people feel safe, @abdallahfayyad.bsky.social writes. By focusing on streetscapes, city governments can do a lot to close the gap between crime statistics and the public’s overall perception of crime.

Zohran Mamdani and the politics of trying - The Boston Globe Voters are tired of hearing politicians talk about what they can’t do. The newly elected mayor of New York has offered something different.

Wrote about Zohran Mamdani and the politics of trying—something Democrats can learn from, even if they live in places that aren’t as progressive as NYC: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/05/o...

Zohran Mamdani and the politics of trying - The Boston Globe Voters are tired of hearing politicians talk about what they can’t do. The newly elected mayor of New York has offered something different.

Voters want to hear about how we can get to a brighter future, @abdallahfayyad.bsky.social writes. And that vision doesn’t tend to come from candidates who keep lecturing people on what’s not possible.

LIVE SOON: “Say More” live with Shirley Leung and Abdallah Fayyad Starting Nov 5 at 12:00 PM EST

Tune in to a live episode of #SayMore with @leungboston.bsky.social and @abdallahfayyad.bsky.social as they discuss Michelle Wu, Zohran Mamdani, and the mayor’s races in Boston and New York tomorrow at 12 p.m. on our Substack:

What if we are misremembering the civil rights movement? - The Boston Globe Harvard professor Brandon M. Terry offers a new way of thinking about what the leaders of that period achieved, what they lost, and why we should still have hope.

Spoke with Brandon M. Terry about his new book, "Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope," which points out the flaws in how we memorialize the civil rights movement and offers a new interpretation of that period: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/28/o...

Thank you!

I’m back at the Boston Globe, writing for the Ideas section. My first piece is about how we can still lose our freedom even if legal protections like the First Amendment remain intact: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/19/o...

Why voters keep shrugging off Trump’s corruption Americans say they despise corruption. So why is Trump still president?

So why is it that no level of corruption in the Trump administration — no matter how brazen or how high up it goes, from Tom Homan, the White House border czar, to other members of Trump’s Cabinet — seems to ever stick?

More from @abdallahfayyad.bsky.social: