Today’s socialists are not longing for the days of Jim Crow. But, as Dustin Guastella of Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia argues, neither should they throw out the idea that the 1950s was a great time for the American worker. […]
“Trump should be thrown off the ballot.” Historians convince E.J. Dionne
When the Colorado–14th Amendment ballot case broke, Washington Post columnist and public intellectual E.J. Dionne was skeptical. He was among those who thought that Trump should stay on the ballot in Colorado and let the people decide whether he should […]
Evangelical roundup for February 5, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land Stop equating evangelical Christianity with whiteness More on the Quaker evangelicals serving migrants in Denver. Joel Belz, RIP. John Inazu interviews Michael Wear on spiritual formation and politics. The National Association of Evangelicals is […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Abraham Lincoln’s 1838 speech to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, IL. Yellowstone National Park’s winterkeeper. Darryl Hart and Menckeniana Do we need more Hubert Humphrey liberalism? Lost photos of […]
Movie clip of the day
RIP:
Exploring the office home of Carter G. Woodson, founder of Black History Month
Over at The New York Times, Anna KodĂ©Â takes a deep dive into where Carter G. Woodson did his work. Readers who are interested in the workspaces of authors and intellectuals will find this piece absolutely fascinating. Here is a taste: […]
“And what is the best argument of the other side?”
Writing at The Atlantic, Caitlin Flanagan thinks colleges are lying to students. Colleges are saying professors want to teach students how to think, but professors are actually telling students what to think. Here is a taste of Flanagan’s piece: My […]
The labor market is booming.
More good economic news today. Here is Lauren Kaori Gurley at The Washington Post: The U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs in January, a shockingly strong pickup, even as higher interest rates continue to ripple through the economy. The gains were […]
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: Here are the most popular posts of the last week at The Way of Improvement Leads Home blog: Here are the most popular posts of the last week at The Arena blog:
New poll: Haley trails Trump by 26 in South Carolina
Nikki Haley was a two-term governor of South Carolina, but this does not give her a home-field advantage in the 2024 GOP primary scheduled to take place later this month. A new Monmouth University-Washington Post poll has Trump at 58% […]
David Frum on Trump’s America
Check out Judy Woodruff’s PBS Newshour interview with conservative Trump critic, Atlantic writer, and former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum. Here is a taste: Woodruff: There’s an animosity, a personal nature to the differences that people feel now about […]
Evangelical roundup for February 1, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Can evangelicalism have a constructive vision? A Denver evangelical congregation opens an overnight shelter for migrants. Ryan Burge on “cultural evangelicalism“ Christian college presidents gather: Evangelicals and European elections World Vision’s READ II Project: […]
Ross Douthat on why conservatives are hostile to Taylor Swift
As I wrote last week, “we now live in a world where a narcissistic sociopath wants to be president again and only a global pop superstar can stop him.” Can Taylor Swift influence the 2024 election? It appears that some […]
Have we reached the end of U.S. history?
Here is historian Steven Mintz at Inside Higher Ed: Recently, a leading editor at a major academic press said bluntly that she wasn’t aware of any breakthrough scholars in U.S. history under the age of 50. In response, I mentioned several […]
Mission journalism
Washington Post columnist Perry Bacon Jr. argues that “journalism may never again make money, so it should it focus on mission.” As a news junkie, this saddens me. I am afraid Bacon may be correct in his assessment. But I […]
The exchange of ideas is essential to American democracy. We at Current are trying to do our part.
At Current, we believe that good thinking makes the smooth places rough. Much of our public discourse today, to borrow a line from Columbia University historian Barbara Fields, is “toggling between blurb and melodrama.” It is woefully flat, predictable, and […]
The Washington Post calls on Trump to debate Haley
Haley wants a debate. Trump does not. Here is The Post: The Republican National Committee will not anoint former president Donald Trump as the GOP’s “presumptive nominee” this week in Las Vegas after all. The Trump campaign wanted that formal designation bestowed […]
Trump opposes an immigrant bill that does not yet have a text. Republicans line-up behind him.
The Senate is putting the finishing touches on a bipartisan border policy deal that would also provide aid to Ukraine. We are waiting for the text of the bill. Without a text, no one knows what is in the bill. […]
Two quick thoughts on Joe Biden campaigning in South Carolina over the weekend
Two quick thoughts this morning: Yes, Biden is old. But he does not lack energy: Churches are sacred spaces. They are places where the Gospel–the Good News–is proclaimed. Keep politics and political candidates out of the pulpit:
Travis Kelce has a great game despite the vaccine
11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Not bad. Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl. Over at the “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” blog, Scot Lemieux writes, “Imagine how good he would have been if he […]