Ron Charles
@roncharles.bsky.social
I write about books for The Washington Post.
Striking one of his most Orwellian and anti-American poses, Trump called the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol "a day of love."
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
Jan. 6, 2021: A visual archive of the Capitol attack
NPR’s Jan. 6 archive brings together reporting, video, documents and testimony to show what really happened during the Capitol riot. Explore the timeline, cases and evidence behind the attack.
apps.npr.org
January 6, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Striking one of his most Orwellian and anti-American poses, Trump called the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol "a day of love."
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
Least surprising news of the day:
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
The Winners and Losers From 2026’s Mix of Tax and Benefit Cuts
The tax cuts should help some people, but changes to programs such as food stamps will hurt low-income consumers.
www.wsj.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Least surprising news of the day:
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Students beware....
January 5, 2026 at 3:08 AM
Students beware....
A rare note of consistency:
Trump in 2016: “I always said: Take the oil.”
Trump in 2026: "“We are going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground."
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Trump in 2016: “I always said: Take the oil.”
Trump in 2026: "“We are going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground."
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Trump Wants to Unlock Venezuela’s Oil Reserves. A Huge Challenge Awaits.
The president wants to put Venezuela’s viscous crude into play. The problem is the world doesn’t have much appetite for more oil.
www.wsj.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:46 PM
A rare note of consistency:
Trump in 2016: “I always said: Take the oil.”
Trump in 2026: "“We are going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground."
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Trump in 2016: “I always said: Take the oil.”
Trump in 2026: "“We are going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground."
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Reposted by Ron Charles
"No Way To Prevent This," Says Company Spending Billions Of Dollars To Encourage This
December 31, 2025 at 10:39 PM
"No Way To Prevent This," Says Company Spending Billions Of Dollars To Encourage This
Reposted by Ron Charles
Reposted by Ron Charles
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Congratulations to Stephen Macedo & Frances Lee, whose book In Covid's Wake has been recognized as:
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
December 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Journalist Scott Wilson is so close to meeting his goal for the reading group in the Santa Barbara County Jail.
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
Donate to A Reading and Writing Group for Inmates, organized by Scott Wilson
For the past 18 months, I have met weekly with a group of inmates at the Santa Ba… Scott Wilson needs your support for A Reading and Writing Group for Inmates
gofund.me
December 20, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Journalist Scott Wilson is so close to meeting his goal for the reading group in the Santa Barbara County Jail.
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
A publicist who has confused me with the Reverend Doctor Ron Charles — the one who thinks he may have found Noah’s Ark — claims he has the insight and skill to fix my online “keyword gaps, metadata mismatches, category alignment issues, and discoverability obstacles."
Sure…
Sure…
December 8, 2025 at 2:54 AM
A publicist who has confused me with the Reverend Doctor Ron Charles — the one who thinks he may have found Noah’s Ark — claims he has the insight and skill to fix my online “keyword gaps, metadata mismatches, category alignment issues, and discoverability obstacles."
Sure…
Sure…
"The Defense Department’s Law of War Manual specifies: 'Orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.' These are actions that you would expect from the Islamic State or the Russian army — not from the armed forces of a democracy."
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | No wonder Trump is outraged by warnings about illegal orders
There’s a reason lawmakers worry about the military being told to ignore the law.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
"The Defense Department’s Law of War Manual specifies: 'Orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.' These are actions that you would expect from the Islamic State or the Russian army — not from the armed forces of a democracy."
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Sure, the rule would have prevented 4,500 premature deaths, but that second yacht isn't gonna pay for itself! #Priorities
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Trump EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths
The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer defend Biden-era limits on fine-particle pollution, which causes heart and lung disease.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Sure, the rule would have prevented 4,500 premature deaths, but that second yacht isn't gonna pay for itself! #Priorities
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted by Ron Charles
For ways to support the freedom to read in Alabama, check out @readfreelyal.bsky.social's website: www.readfreelyalabama.org
Read Freely Alabama
Read Freely Alabama is a volunteer group of concerned citizens who oppose censorship in our local libraries. As the scale of censorship efforts and attacks on libraries have expanded across the state,...
www.readfreelyalabama.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
For ways to support the freedom to read in Alabama, check out @readfreelyal.bsky.social's website: www.readfreelyalabama.org
It rhymes with creepy: Jeffrey Epstein helped fund "Poetry in America."
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Book Club: A provocative bestseller wins the National Book Award for nonfiction
s2.washingtonpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
It rhymes with creepy: Jeffrey Epstein helped fund "Poetry in America."
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
It’s almost as though the country is designed to favor rich people over ordinary Americans… www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/t...
Who Didn’t Suffer During the Shutdown? People Flying Private.
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:04 PM
It’s almost as though the country is designed to favor rich people over ordinary Americans… www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/t...
“In one of the messages, Epstein flatly asserted that Trump ‘knew about the girls.’” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Epstein Alleged in Emails That Trump Knew of His Conduct
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:53 PM
“In one of the messages, Epstein flatly asserted that Trump ‘knew about the girls.’” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Billionaire “leader” tells tens of millions of Americans running out of food money: “I don’t want to hear about the affordability.”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Trump Dismisses Affordability Concerns, Insists Prices Are Coming Down
The president said the notion that the GOP performed poorly in the recent elections because of the cost of living is a Democratic “con job.”
www.wsj.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Billionaire “leader” tells tens of millions of Americans running out of food money: “I don’t want to hear about the affordability.”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Ron Charles
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
November 4, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
"More than half of the companies that donated to Trump's ballroom are facing or have recently faced federal enforcement actions tied to alleged wrongdoing that includes engaging in unfair labor practices, deceiving consumers and harming the environment."
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
Report: Donors to Trump’s White House ballroom have $279B in federal contracts
The White House ballroom’s donor list contains heavyweights in the tech, financial and defense sectors, including Google, Comcast and Lockheed Martin.
wapo.st
November 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM
"More than half of the companies that donated to Trump's ballroom are facing or have recently faced federal enforcement actions tied to alleged wrongdoing that includes engaging in unfair labor practices, deceiving consumers and harming the environment."
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
My book recommendations this month for CBS Sunday Morning:
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
The Book Report: New fiction and non-fiction (Nov. 2)
YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning
youtu.be
November 3, 2025 at 5:22 PM
My book recommendations this month for CBS Sunday Morning:
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
In today's Halloween edition of the Book Club newsletter, I'm giving away my copy of "The H. P. Lovecraft Experience Deluxe Box Set":
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
October 31, 2025 at 6:34 PM
In today's Halloween edition of the Book Club newsletter, I'm giving away my copy of "The H. P. Lovecraft Experience Deluxe Box Set":
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
This week, I turn my august critical attention to a work of literature called "My Brother's Butt Is Haunted": s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
October 31, 2025 at 6:32 PM
This week, I turn my august critical attention to a work of literature called "My Brother's Butt Is Haunted": s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Happy news leads this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Book Club: Philip Pullman’s imaginary world has become more like our real one
s2.washingtonpost.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Happy news leads this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
WSJ today on Chicago’s savage, crime-infested war zone:
“Visits to the Magnificent Mile are nearly back to prepandemic levels. The area’s crime rate is falling…. And other parts of Chicago’s retail scene have recovered faster.”
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
“Visits to the Magnificent Mile are nearly back to prepandemic levels. The area’s crime rate is falling…. And other parts of Chicago’s retail scene have recovered faster.”
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
The Fight to Restore Chicago’s Magnificent Mile to Its Glory Days
The area’s crime rate is down, and cheaper rents have prompted retailers to lease new space.
www.wsj.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:14 AM
WSJ today on Chicago’s savage, crime-infested war zone:
“Visits to the Magnificent Mile are nearly back to prepandemic levels. The area’s crime rate is falling…. And other parts of Chicago’s retail scene have recovered faster.”
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
“Visits to the Magnificent Mile are nearly back to prepandemic levels. The area’s crime rate is falling…. And other parts of Chicago’s retail scene have recovered faster.”
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
"Insurers have cited the expiration of extra subsidies as a reason for hiking premiums BECAUSE THEY ANTICIPATE HEALTHY PEOPLE DROPPING COVERAGE."
There it is, folks. Once Republicans introduced adverse selection back into the insurance market, it was doomed.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
There it is, folks. Once Republicans introduced adverse selection back into the insurance market, it was doomed.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Average Obamacare premiums are set to rise 30 percent, documents show
The price increases — affecting up to 17 million Americans who buy coverage on the federal marketplace — are by far the largest annual premium increases in recent years.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:42 PM
"Insurers have cited the expiration of extra subsidies as a reason for hiking premiums BECAUSE THEY ANTICIPATE HEALTHY PEOPLE DROPPING COVERAGE."
There it is, folks. Once Republicans introduced adverse selection back into the insurance market, it was doomed.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
There it is, folks. Once Republicans introduced adverse selection back into the insurance market, it was doomed.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
“The water’s been brown for weeks. It’s a drag, but I bet there’s an Ivy-educated lib walking around Bushwick in a really bad mood right now. So it’s totally worth it.” www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/at-...
At Least We Owned the Libs
Sure, it was a huge bummer that they cut funding for fixing the streets in our town. We enjoyed going places. But, overall, it’s worth it for the t...
www.mcsweeneys.net
October 22, 2025 at 2:41 AM
“The water’s been brown for weeks. It’s a drag, but I bet there’s an Ivy-educated lib walking around Bushwick in a really bad mood right now. So it’s totally worth it.” www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/at-...