Recommended Reading: What To Expect in 2025
This Week's Recommended Reading on Substack: Jessica Pishko, Justin Glawe, Laura Bassett, Jared Yates Sexton, Taylor Lorenz, John Pavlovitz, and Charlotte Clymer
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This Week's Recommended Reading on Substack:
writes that “As Trump 2.0 looks to expand the incarceration of immigrants, we can expect the treatment of pregnant immigrants in detention also to get worse… Law enforcement agencies have been honing in on pro-Palestinian student protests and describing them as a form of ‘terrorism,’ potentially linked to Hamas… We already know that law enforcement at all levels is shifting quickly to the right, including sympathizing with far-right militia-style groups, whose members perceive themselves to be legitimate law enforcement.”
asks “Do I need to read these stories to find a nugget of capitalistic normalcy in a story about the blood money our private prison industry is clamoring for under the incoming Trump administration, or to grasp the nuance of a town full of Americans who yearn for their neighbors to be deported? Or are the headlines enough to understand exactly what it is I’m looking at? For now, at least, seeing these headlines and passing on reading the stories accompanying them is fine by me. For the moment, I have no interest in trying to understand a party and a people whose primary driving instinct appears to be selfishness and fear.”
writes that “the irony of this whole situation is that Musk, while calling Trump’s supporters too racist for him and apparently silencing some of MAGA’s loudest bigots, wrote an op-ed today in Germany’s newspaper today making the case for the far-right populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is packed with neo-Nazis. Musk also deliberately allowed white supremacists to flourish on his platform and regularly interacts with and boosts Nazi propaganda. He is, by all measures, a neo-Nazi.”
writes that “Carter’s presidency was failed for the same reason that his post-presidency was successful. Because, during his time as the 39th President of the United States, Carter witnessed the country and the presidency change, contort, and ultimately develop into the state we are all enduring now. Fundamentally, Joe Biden’s presidency will be remembered much like Carter’s.”
writes that “though Musk is obviously a thin-skinned weirdo who has a history of operating burner accounts, I do think in this case ‘Adrian’ is likely entirely separate person simply leaning into the controversy to get followers and attention. The account has gained tens of thousands of followers in recent days according to Social Blade. And, the account is verified and eligible for X’s monetization program, meaning the account holder is able to make money based on engagement.”
writes that “You may have given up on a Christianity that resembles Jesus, and I can't blame you. The people claiming his name right now who have the microphone, the platform, the headlines, and the legislative pull—are providing good reason to lose hope, ample cause to imagine Jesus' extinction, great evidence that this thing is devoid of goodness. But there is a quieter, more loving, less self-seeking, less headline grabbing expression of faith in this country, that is everything Jesus said he would be: good news to the poor and the disenfranchised, hope for those feeling tossed by the storms of this life, refuge for the oppressed—and fierce opposition to the wolves who come to devour them.”
writes that “Ramaswamy’s commentary is expressed in a way that’s cringey and distracting—the pop culture references are certainly ham-handed—but he’s not wrong on the overall points. His thesis isn’t the problem. It’s his audience. Mr. Ramaswamy, who has gone all-in on a full MAGA true believer schtick—apparently forgot that Trump’s base have zero interest in hearing hard truths. None. Sir, where do you think you are in the political landscape? Do you need a map and compass? This is the speech you give if you’re the main character in an Aaron Sorkin vehicle, not when you’re working for someone who was just elected on the most xenophobic and racist platform in modern history.”
