The Week's Best Articles From the Washington Monthly
Trump’s Taxes, information wars, Batya’s Rise, the GOP’s cultural war, and much more in this week's roundup.
The Week's Best Articles From the Washington Monthly
Donald Trump Is Raising Your Taxes, and Republicans Won’t Stop Him: Politics Editor Bill Scher analyzes the net effect of the remaining tariffs and the pending budget reconciliation bill, after Trump's rollback.
The Disinformation Is Coming From Inside the House: John Austin, a fellow at the Academy of International Affairs NRW, and Maria Skóra, a policy fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum, on what America can learn from the European Union's approach to combating disinformation.
Who Is Batya Ungar-Sargon?: Editor Nate Weisberg profiles a MAGA rising star and her surprising ideological trajectory.
Trump’s Tariffs Aren’t Economics. They’re a Cultural Purge: Contributor David Atkins gives a scathing interpretation of the 47th president's aims: "None of this is about restoring dignity to labor. It’s about stripping dignity from labor that offers autonomy, safety, or intellectual freedom. It’s about reducing workers of all kinds—whether white-collar, blue-collar, or no-collar—to servitude."
Hegseth’s Dismissal of Admiral Chatfield Makes Us Weaker: Contributor James D. Zirin on the firing of Shoshana Chatfield, a combat veteran in Afghanistan, helicopter pilot, former president of the Naval War College, and the only woman serving on NATO’s military committee.
Is Donald Trump Channeling Liz Truss and Chairman Mao?: "Trump’s grip on the GOP is still firm, but like a Communist dictator, a feckless prime minister, or a vain queen, he’ll find it hard to keep," writes attorney Lloyd Green.
Lebanon's Precarious Future: "The days of Hezbollah threatening Israel’s northern cities or posturing as a regional power might be over, but that doesn’t mean Lebanese who do not share the fundamentalist Shia organization’s ideology are safe," writes Hicham Bou Nassif, professor of International Relations and the Middle East at Claremont McKenna College.
When Billionaire Government Contractors Are Also Media Moguls: Former chief White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter explores the morass of Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg making deals with the president.
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New Washington Monthly Podcast Episode
Ep. 16: A citizen's guide to resisting Trump w/ Timothy Noah: Co-hosts Anne Kim and Garrett Epps speak with journalist Timothy Noah about his recent piece for TNR on the tactics of successful resistance movements.
Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
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The 2025 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing (Submission deadline upcoming!)
The Washington Monthly is pleased to welcome submissions for the 2025 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing.
Are you a book reviewer or reader who appreciates great reviews? Please help us spread the word or enter yourself for a chance to win a $1,000 prize and the admiration of your book-loving friends! Submission deadline is Monday, April 21. You’ll find all the eligibility details and our easy entry form here.
The award, now in its sixth year, honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the longtime and beloved books editor at the Washington Monthly. It celebrates the kind of serious, public-affairs focused book reviews that Kuku loved best—and the talented people who practice this noble craft.
Nonfiction book reviewing is vital journalism that transmits hard-won reporting, research, and ideas to policymakers and citizens who can’t possibly read more than a fraction of the important books published each year. It also contributes to a healthy intellectual life. At a moment when our democratic institutions, our free speech, and the truth itself are all under assault, these goals could hardly be more urgent.
This summer, we will honor two outstanding reviewers, chosen from among ten finalists, for exceptional book reviewing. Our judges give priority to reviews of biographies and works about politics, public affairs, and history—themes central to this magazine’s brand of journalism.
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