‘When I say it ends’
Six in 10 U.S. voters against a war Trump started, with no real way to stop it. When Congress refused Gerald Ford money for South Vietnam in 1975. & Why does everyone hate “the elites”?
The revolt against the elites
Why does everyone hate them? Hugo Drochon on how so many voters in the West came to feel shut out of power.
Whatever happens …
U.S. federal election monitors at the polls, state officials keeping them outside. A president’s sealed plan for losing, in 1864. & What does Google see in AI that investors seem not to?
Midnight judges
An overnight battle for Poland’s top court, with each side saying the law’s on its side. How America’s third president got rid of 16 judges with life appointments. & The weekend despatch.
The Doha curriculum
The weekend despatch: One American businessman’s explanation to another that a foreign government is bribing him. How the Gulf's rival monarchies are paying to play in Western media. + What’s Elephant 6?
‘Thousands of envelopes with cash’
Arab-led parties’ best result in Knesset history, and a fight over how they got there. When Romanian judges called off a presidential race over intelligence files in 2024. & Why is life so hectic?
Ingenious clockwork
Feature: Why is life so hectic? William E. Scheuerman on how high-speed society makes strongmen appealing—and why they can’t really deliver.
‘The Student List has won’
A remarkable turn of events for democracy in Serbia. A memory for Aleksandar Vučić of crowds in Belgrade chanting “He’s finished!” in 2000. & Is Iran behind the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia?
Early congratulations
Ambassadors in Brasília, hurrying to recognize Sunday’s winner. Lyndon Johnson’s warm wishes, April 1964. & The weekend despatch.
The kingdom and the machine
The weekend despatch: Saudi Arabia’s bid to spring the accused OpenAI eavesdropper—at any price. Foreign powers and the secrets of the AI race. + What’s a lawyer doing in the DJ booth at Berlin’s Berghain?
