Gady Epstein
@gadyepstein.bsky.social
A longform editor at The Economist. Views expressed may be the opposite of my employer’s
Cronkite wept
Here's the clip of Tony Dokoupil ending tonight's broadcast by absolutely gushing over "ultimate Florida Man" Marco Rubio.
January 7, 2026 at 5:12 AM
Cronkite wept
Right, if 40% of people hold a reprehensible belief, it’s time to hit the diners and empathize with them in their natural habitat
This is just Kleinism; if enough people hold a reprehensible belief (and if enough of them are important) you are, definitionally, not permitted to treat it as reprehensible.
i love how like the Reason crowd find this depressing despite the fact that even the Manhattan Institute polls finding that most young Republicans hold genuinely reprehensible beliefs
January 6, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Right, if 40% of people hold a reprehensible belief, it’s time to hit the diners and empathize with them in their natural habitat
Reposted by Gady Epstein
i love how like the Reason crowd find this depressing despite the fact that even the Manhattan Institute polls finding that most young Republicans hold genuinely reprehensible beliefs
You gotta get those numbers up; those are rookie numbers in this racket
January 6, 2026 at 4:20 PM
i love how like the Reason crowd find this depressing despite the fact that even the Manhattan Institute polls finding that most young Republicans hold genuinely reprehensible beliefs
Reposted by Gady Epstein
Curtis Yarvin has written a very long screed in defense of his post in which he said, “Hitler spoke the truth.”
A sampling of select portions is below and includes, in reference to Jewish people, the words:
“The only way to tell is the name and the nose.”
A sampling of select portions is below and includes, in reference to Jewish people, the words:
“The only way to tell is the name and the nose.”
January 6, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Curtis Yarvin has written a very long screed in defense of his post in which he said, “Hitler spoke the truth.”
A sampling of select portions is below and includes, in reference to Jewish people, the words:
“The only way to tell is the name and the nose.”
A sampling of select portions is below and includes, in reference to Jewish people, the words:
“The only way to tell is the name and the nose.”
lol this is incredibly on brand
Bari Weiss's Free Press website ran this screed by Matt Taibbi defending his lawsuit against a book author.
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
Matt Taibbi: To Protect Free Speech, I’m Suing the Man Who Defamed Me
There’s a difference between censorship, which prevents speech, and seeking restitution for a harmful lie already in print. That's why I'm suing the man who defamed me, writes Matt Taibbi.
www.thefp.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:31 AM
lol this is incredibly on brand
Really liked this piece, made me appreciate even more The Last Jedi aka the best movie of the sequel trilogy
helloooo while I did spend the holidays proper with loved ones I spent much of “the holidays” working and published a few pieces that turned out pretty well I think, starting with this Star Wars blog just after Christmas
kotaku.com/star-wars-la...
kotaku.com/star-wars-la...
Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Most Famous Line Is Still Misunderstood
The real duel of the fates is between me and everyone who keeps taking this quote out of context
kotaku.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Really liked this piece, made me appreciate even more The Last Jedi aka the best movie of the sequel trilogy
Reposted by Gady Epstein
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 3:02 AM
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
So hard to pinpoint but 1996 saw a confluence of the Gingrich shutdown, Limbaugh at his peak and the start of Fox News
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
January 5, 2026 at 12:54 AM
So hard to pinpoint but 1996 saw a confluence of the Gingrich shutdown, Limbaugh at his peak and the start of Fox News
I’ve literally seen only the airplane scene from this show but yes this
Just realized that Bari Weiss is doing The Newsroom but from the right
January 4, 2026 at 2:34 AM
I’ve literally seen only the airplane scene from this show but yes this
Very good read, found the comparison points with Noriega helpful
January 3, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Very good read, found the comparison points with Noriega helpful
Well Elliot Abrams IS an expert on human rights under Latin American dictators
January 3, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Well Elliot Abrams IS an expert on human rights under Latin American dictators
“Dumb Nuremberg” is awesome but I feel like best saved for something else down the road
If Maduro is in custody my expectation is the admin will try to hold Dumb Nuremberg. They'll make it a judicial referendum on fentanyl and try to blame Maduro for the deaths from the opiate crisis.
January 3, 2026 at 5:53 PM
“Dumb Nuremberg” is awesome but I feel like best saved for something else down the road
Read this thread. A terrible injustice, willfully perpetrated
THREAD. Every year, I tell the story of Ezell Gilbert. It's the story of one of the most remarkable cases in U.S. history, and you’ve probably never heard of it. The story of what the U.S. government did to him is vital for understanding the current moment we are in.
January 3, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Read this thread. A terrible injustice, willfully perpetrated
Oh he read “On Smarm”
January 1, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Oh he read “On Smarm”
A sibling to “and yet you participate in society”
The socialist has nice clothes: well, well, well so much for solidarity with poor people!
The socialist wears a barrel and suspenders: hahaha behold the failures of socialism!
The socialist wears a barrel and suspenders: hahaha behold the failures of socialism!
January 1, 2026 at 7:38 PM
A sibling to “and yet you participate in society”
Reposted by Gady Epstein
Came across a joint publication by the Anti Defamation League and an Israeli think tank called the Reut Institute from January 2017 which worried that pushing anti BDS measures in the United States and Europe could spark backlash on the basis that it (plainly and obviously) violated free speech.
December 30, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Came across a joint publication by the Anti Defamation League and an Israeli think tank called the Reut Institute from January 2017 which worried that pushing anti BDS measures in the United States and Europe could spark backlash on the basis that it (plainly and obviously) violated free speech.
Wait is Hamilton is bad and cringe or is refusing to perform Hamilton bad and cringe? Hard to keep track
“Is Trump destroying social trust by constantly doing illegal things like renaming the Kennedy Center after himself?
No, it’s the libs who oppose Trump’s crimes that are responsible.”
Kat is the perfect type of simpleton to work for Bari Weiss
No, it’s the libs who oppose Trump’s crimes that are responsible.”
Kat is the perfect type of simpleton to work for Bari Weiss
December 31, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Wait is Hamilton is bad and cringe or is refusing to perform Hamilton bad and cringe? Hard to keep track
This is some peak Doctor Who dialogue
December 31, 2025 at 5:53 PM
This is some peak Doctor Who dialogue
A searing and righteous read
As it happens, I have experience with high-level government demands to stop an explosive, accurate story from running, and I also have experience with 60 Minutes spiking a story I was involved in, so I have thoughts about the travesty at CBS. If you want some journalism anecdotes, here are a lot:
Watching Bari Weiss Murder Investigative Journalism at CBS
Notes from someone who's withstood White House demands to stop an explosive story—and who once even had a 60 Minutes piece spiked
www.forever-wars.com
December 30, 2025 at 9:59 PM
A searing and righteous read
A (very typical) story in two parts
December 30, 2025 at 9:08 PM
A (very typical) story in two parts
New theory of journalism for you @bgrueskin.bsky.social
December 30, 2025 at 6:46 PM
New theory of journalism for you @bgrueskin.bsky.social
The rest of OP’s argument here is no better: in short, that moral shaming doesn’t work in today’s politics/culture and is thus useless. By that reasoning nothing should ever be boycotted. (Of course there are other reasons to boycott besides shame but even on its own terms this is wrongheaded)
This is not hard. Artists are not responsible for ensuring the Kennedy Center remains relevant and successful. The center’s board is responsible for that, in a fiduciary way. All of this energy being directed at artists should be re-directed at the board.
December 30, 2025 at 5:47 PM
The rest of OP’s argument here is no better: in short, that moral shaming doesn’t work in today’s politics/culture and is thus useless. By that reasoning nothing should ever be boycotted. (Of course there are other reasons to boycott besides shame but even on its own terms this is wrongheaded)
Reposted by Gady Epstein
This is not hard. Artists are not responsible for ensuring the Kennedy Center remains relevant and successful. The center’s board is responsible for that, in a fiduciary way. All of this energy being directed at artists should be re-directed at the board.
December 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This is not hard. Artists are not responsible for ensuring the Kennedy Center remains relevant and successful. The center’s board is responsible for that, in a fiduciary way. All of this energy being directed at artists should be re-directed at the board.
This combined with gutting consumer protections (in US at least) means a lot more scammed, destitute elderly
unstoppable force (US/UK boomer need for care labour) vs immovable object (the global g20 rage against immigrant labour)
The largest generation in U.S. history is in their 70s now. And Stephen Miller’s podcaster wife thinks it’s suspicious that there’s a huge surge in home health aides.
December 30, 2025 at 12:31 AM
This combined with gutting consumer protections (in US at least) means a lot more scammed, destitute elderly
Was a delight to edit this wonderful tale by Leo Mirani about an object cynically conceived by Brits in India becoming something meaningful to Jains in America over the course of a century (and somewhere in the middle there Howard Hughes owned it)
The long, strange journey of a temple from profane to sacred
How an object made to sell tea, then used to promote gambling, finally became holy
www.economist.com
December 30, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Was a delight to edit this wonderful tale by Leo Mirani about an object cynically conceived by Brits in India becoming something meaningful to Jains in America over the course of a century (and somewhere in the middle there Howard Hughes owned it)