Jon Fasman
@jonfasman.bsky.social
Senior culture correspondent, The Economist. Podcaster: "The Intelligence", "Checks and Balance". Ex-DC, Singapore, Atlanta, London, Moscow, Providence. Author: "The Geographer's Library," "The Unpossessed City," "We See It All".
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Kyiv did not sleep once again last night. On the last weekend of the year, the capital should have smelled of mulled wine, cinnamon, chocolate and joy.
Instead, our city was filled with smoke, gunpowder, explosions, screams, and curses.
The Russian attack lasted twelve hours.
Instead, our city was filled with smoke, gunpowder, explosions, screams, and curses.
The Russian attack lasted twelve hours.
December 27, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Kyiv did not sleep once again last night. On the last weekend of the year, the capital should have smelled of mulled wine, cinnamon, chocolate and joy.
Instead, our city was filled with smoke, gunpowder, explosions, screams, and curses.
The Russian attack lasted twelve hours.
Instead, our city was filled with smoke, gunpowder, explosions, screams, and curses.
The Russian attack lasted twelve hours.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
US judge blocks Trump administration from deporting UK anti-disinformation campaigner
US judge blocks Trump administration from deporting UK anti-disinformation campaigner
Imran Ahmed of Center for Countering Digital Hate files complaint against senior Trump allies
A US judge has blocked US authorities from detaining or deporting a British anti-disinformation campaigner who is among five European nationals targeted by the Trump administration because of moves to push back against hate speech and misinformation.
Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), filed a complaint on Thursday against senior Trump allies including the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the attorney general, Pam Bondi, in an attempt to prevent what he says would be an unconstitutional arrest and removal. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 11:36 AM
US judge blocks Trump administration from deporting UK anti-disinformation campaigner
Reposted by Jon Fasman
From Jane Austen’s economic expertise to a history of alcohol, discover the extraordinary stories in our Christmas issue
Our Christmas double issue
A guide to our special edition and its cover
econ.st
December 26, 2025 at 11:40 AM
From Jane Austen’s economic expertise to a history of alcohol, discover the extraordinary stories in our Christmas issue
Reposted by Jon Fasman
In 2025 the Economist Educational Foundation reached more than 500,000 young people. By the end of 2026 it aims to reach 1m, with an emphasis on those from low-income backgrounds. But it needs your help
How the young can make sense of the news
With your help, the Economist Educational Foundation can teach children to think critically
econ.st
December 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM
In 2025 the Economist Educational Foundation reached more than 500,000 young people. By the end of 2026 it aims to reach 1m, with an emphasis on those from low-income backgrounds. But it needs your help
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Xmas quiz.
Today is a public holiday in loads of countries. But in two of them the 25th of December is a public holiday for a reason other than Christmas.
Name them.
Answer at noon. I’ll ignore replies until then.
(And no, I didn’t get either when asked this myself).
Today is a public holiday in loads of countries. But in two of them the 25th of December is a public holiday for a reason other than Christmas.
Name them.
Answer at noon. I’ll ignore replies until then.
(And no, I didn’t get either when asked this myself).
December 25, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Xmas quiz.
Today is a public holiday in loads of countries. But in two of them the 25th of December is a public holiday for a reason other than Christmas.
Name them.
Answer at noon. I’ll ignore replies until then.
(And no, I didn’t get either when asked this myself).
Today is a public holiday in loads of countries. But in two of them the 25th of December is a public holiday for a reason other than Christmas.
Name them.
Answer at noon. I’ll ignore replies until then.
(And no, I didn’t get either when asked this myself).
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Did you forget to order a Christmas present and now it's fuckin' Christmas Eve? Are you boned six ways to Sunday? Fucked beyond belief?
Good news! You can get them an Onion subscription! They'll get a year of papers in the mail AND an emailed PDF certificate to print out instantly. Christmas saved!
Good news! You can get them an Onion subscription! They'll get a year of papers in the mail AND an emailed PDF certificate to print out instantly. Christmas saved!
Join The Onion
Don’t just read the news. Feel it. Be among the first to feel the news.
membership.theonion.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Did you forget to order a Christmas present and now it's fuckin' Christmas Eve? Are you boned six ways to Sunday? Fucked beyond belief?
Good news! You can get them an Onion subscription! They'll get a year of papers in the mail AND an emailed PDF certificate to print out instantly. Christmas saved!
Good news! You can get them an Onion subscription! They'll get a year of papers in the mail AND an emailed PDF certificate to print out instantly. Christmas saved!
Reposted by Jon Fasman
In 2023 I became obsessed with videos of dads in cargo shortswaiting in parking lots during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. So when she came to town, I grabbed a camera and headed down to talk to them. I thought it'd be funny. It turned out to be something else entirely.
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs?...
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs?...
I Talked To 50 Dads at the Taylor Swift Eras Tour
YouTube video by DARK WEB | Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 4:54 PM
In 2023 I became obsessed with videos of dads in cargo shortswaiting in parking lots during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. So when she came to town, I grabbed a camera and headed down to talk to them. I thought it'd be funny. It turned out to be something else entirely.
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs?...
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs?...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
So I have the cover story in next month's TNR.
I interviewed the heads of police groups; immigration defense attorneys, ex-judges and ex-prosecutors; former DOJ and DHS officials, and the former head of Border Patrol.
They're all horrified at what we've seen, and they all fear what's coming.
I interviewed the heads of police groups; immigration defense attorneys, ex-judges and ex-prosecutors; former DOJ and DHS officials, and the former head of Border Patrol.
They're all horrified at what we've seen, and they all fear what's coming.
Trump’s Immigration Nightmare: It Is Happening Here
With astonishing speed, the administration has toppled the most cherished pillars of a free society. And the experts agree: It’s all going to get much, much worse.
newrepublic.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:08 PM
So I have the cover story in next month's TNR.
I interviewed the heads of police groups; immigration defense attorneys, ex-judges and ex-prosecutors; former DOJ and DHS officials, and the former head of Border Patrol.
They're all horrified at what we've seen, and they all fear what's coming.
I interviewed the heads of police groups; immigration defense attorneys, ex-judges and ex-prosecutors; former DOJ and DHS officials, and the former head of Border Patrol.
They're all horrified at what we've seen, and they all fear what's coming.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
The fact that overt (as opposed to dog whistle) antisemitism was at least partially taboo on the US right post-WWII, compared to, say, racism, homophobia, and Islamophobia, which were always entirely acceptable, is precisely why antisemitism is how the young right is proving how transgressive it is.
December 23, 2025 at 10:02 PM
The fact that overt (as opposed to dog whistle) antisemitism was at least partially taboo on the US right post-WWII, compared to, say, racism, homophobia, and Islamophobia, which were always entirely acceptable, is precisely why antisemitism is how the young right is proving how transgressive it is.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
In 2023 I became obsessed with videos of dads in cargo shortswaiting in parking lots during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. So when she came to town, I grabbed a camera and headed down to talk to them. I thought it'd be funny. It turned out to be something else entirely.
December 23, 2025 at 9:18 PM
In 2023 I became obsessed with videos of dads in cargo shortswaiting in parking lots during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. So when she came to town, I grabbed a camera and headed down to talk to them. I thought it'd be funny. It turned out to be something else entirely.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
The Cracker Barrel thing was THIS YEAR. We have three more years of this shit. Anybody who makes it to 2028 without looking like Nosferatu will be required by the state to start a skincare brand.
December 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The Cracker Barrel thing was THIS YEAR. We have three more years of this shit. Anybody who makes it to 2028 without looking like Nosferatu will be required by the state to start a skincare brand.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Test your knowledge with @jonfasman.bsky.social's excellent Christmas quiz
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
The Economist news quiz - Christmas special
Fifty questions to test your knowledge of the year's events
www.economist.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Test your knowledge with @jonfasman.bsky.social's excellent Christmas quiz
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
So you’re telling me that when your country welcomes talented people from around the globe, and brings them together in world-class universities, they make discoveries that save lives? Interesting.
UM researchers make breakthrough to treat form of leukemia
www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...
UM researchers make breakthrough to treat form of leukemia
www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...
UM researchers make breakthrough to treat form of leukemia
In part due to research by two University of Michigan researchers, a form of leukemia can be treated more easily through an FDA-approved drug.
www.detroitnews.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:53 AM
So you’re telling me that when your country welcomes talented people from around the globe, and brings them together in world-class universities, they make discoveries that save lives? Interesting.
UM researchers make breakthrough to treat form of leukemia
www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...
UM researchers make breakthrough to treat form of leukemia
www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
"Trump boasts in ... the strategy that, at last, ‘America is strong and respected again”. The problem is that this obviously isn’t true. Countries ... treat it like an angry, incoherent drunk with a bazooka. You say whatever you hope might calm them down, but you certainly don’t respect them."
Trump and Putin share a craving for status. That’s why they both want to destroy Europe | Henry Farrell and Sergey Radchenko
Liberal democracies view Putin’s Russia as a bully – and Trump’s US as an angry drunk with a bazooka. The response is pure venom, say Henry Farrell and Sergey Radchenko of Johns Hopkins
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:22 PM
"Trump boasts in ... the strategy that, at last, ‘America is strong and respected again”. The problem is that this obviously isn’t true. Countries ... treat it like an angry, incoherent drunk with a bazooka. You say whatever you hope might calm them down, but you certainly don’t respect them."
Reposted by Jon Fasman
This is as easy a test of your belief in the American system as is conceivable: Should this be an acceptable argument from a president?
December 23, 2025 at 11:59 AM
This is as easy a test of your belief in the American system as is conceivable: Should this be an acceptable argument from a president?
www.the-independent.com/news/world/m... I’m getting really sick of strangers telling me where home is (it’s New York), and of the implication that all of our diasporic history and achievements amount to a mistake that can now be corrected.
Israeli foreign minister urges Jews to ‘come home’ after Bondi Beach massacre
Israeli leaders warn of rising antisemitism abroad following attack that killed 15 at Hanukkah event in Sydney
www.the-independent.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:47 PM
www.the-independent.com/news/world/m... I’m getting really sick of strangers telling me where home is (it’s New York), and of the implication that all of our diasporic history and achievements amount to a mistake that can now be corrected.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Damn. Somebody displaying some actual political instincts that show why people voted for them in the first place.
NEWS: Bill Clinton is demanding full transparency from the Trump DOJ on the Epstein files.
Clinton’s spokesman says the DOJ’s selective release suggests someone is being protected.
He calls on Trump to direct Bondi to immediately release all remaining materials referencing Clinton.
Clinton’s spokesman says the DOJ’s selective release suggests someone is being protected.
He calls on Trump to direct Bondi to immediately release all remaining materials referencing Clinton.
December 22, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Damn. Somebody displaying some actual political instincts that show why people voted for them in the first place.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
It’s really hard to read this stuff from Weiss and not come away with the view that she thinks someone convicted of a violent criminal offense (which without dispute is horrific) is worthy of being raped and tortured in CECOT.
The full Weiss memo is dogshit
-who cares if administration figures “regret” sending people to CECOT
-who cares about the criminal histories of the people we sent to CECOT, we sent them to a torture prison
—who cares about the “debate” over the legality of sending people to a torture prison
-who cares if administration figures “regret” sending people to CECOT
-who cares about the criminal histories of the people we sent to CECOT, we sent them to a torture prison
—who cares about the “debate” over the legality of sending people to a torture prison
December 22, 2025 at 8:32 PM
It’s really hard to read this stuff from Weiss and not come away with the view that she thinks someone convicted of a violent criminal offense (which without dispute is horrific) is worthy of being raped and tortured in CECOT.
“What Weiss’s standard effectively does is turn “opportunity to comment” into “permission to publish.”
If refusing to comment is enough to kill a story, then the government now has veto power over journalism.
That’s what CBS normalized last night — and it should scare everyone.
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
That’s what CBS normalized last night — and it should scare everyone.
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
CBS Pulled a “60 Minutes” Story Because the White House Refused to Comment — That’s a Veto on Journalism
Pulling a finished investigation because the administration refused to comment isn’t journalism. It’s submission.
open.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:33 PM
“What Weiss’s standard effectively does is turn “opportunity to comment” into “permission to publish.”
Reposted by Jon Fasman
The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office
Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.
Reposted by Jon Fasman
From the right-wing Manhattan Institute's focus group of Gen Z conservatives -- just jaw-dropping stuff. We have a very sick society. www.city-journal.org/article/manh...
December 19, 2025 at 6:46 PM
From the right-wing Manhattan Institute's focus group of Gen Z conservatives -- just jaw-dropping stuff. We have a very sick society. www.city-journal.org/article/manh...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
Have a go at The Economist's mildly festive cryptic crossword, produced by many visible hands:
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
December 20, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Have a go at The Economist's mildly festive cryptic crossword, produced by many visible hands:
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Jon Fasman
It was such a joy to celebrate Hanukkah with Mandy, Kathryn and their son, Gideon. As Jewish New Yorkers across our city prepare to light candles and mark the seventh night today, I wish you and your families a Hanukkah full of light and love.
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
Happy Hanukkah
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
youtu.be
December 20, 2025 at 1:58 PM
It was such a joy to celebrate Hanukkah with Mandy, Kathryn and their son, Gideon. As Jewish New Yorkers across our city prepare to light candles and mark the seventh night today, I wish you and your families a Hanukkah full of light and love.
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
