Marcus Brauchli
@mbrauchli.bsky.social
Journalist, investor, traveler, optimist and father. Former WSJ, WashPost. Co-founder North Base Media.
"The promise of AI is nothing more than a corporate attack on human curiosity, contemplation, critical thinking and free will." Great line in a great @chrisrichards.bsky.social review of a great new album. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Review | Rosalía made one of the year’s most demanding pop albums. Listen closely.
Rosalía’s new album, “Lux,” wants to blow your mind. Give it your undivided attention instead.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:45 AM
"The promise of AI is nothing more than a corporate attack on human curiosity, contemplation, critical thinking and free will." Great line in a great @chrisrichards.bsky.social review of a great new album. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Excellent piece on nostalgia as the driving force of the retro-branded Department of War. For aficianados of Tuchman: "Le pantalon rouge c'est la France!"
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-depart...
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-depart...
The “Department of War” Is Designed to Fight American Citizens
How to resolve the tension between “lethal war-fighting warriors” and “no more wars” isolationism.
www.thebulwark.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Excellent piece on nostalgia as the driving force of the retro-branded Department of War. For aficianados of Tuchman: "Le pantalon rouge c'est la France!"
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-depart...
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-depart...
A giant of Washington and politics, in addition to being a friend and counselor at critical moments in my life. RIP, Bob. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/b...
Robert B. Barnett, Washington Master of the Book World Megadeal, Dies at 79
www.nytimes.com
September 27, 2025 at 1:46 AM
A giant of Washington and politics, in addition to being a friend and counselor at critical moments in my life. RIP, Bob. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/b...
A remarkable life. Tess would drive around 1990s Shanghai in an American car with diplomatic plates, calling streets, parks and buildings by the names they bore when they were built in the International Settlement days.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/w...
Tess Johnston, Diplomat Who Helped Preserve ‘Old Shanghai,’ Dies at 93
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
A remarkable life. Tess would drive around 1990s Shanghai in an American car with diplomatic plates, calling streets, parks and buildings by the names they bore when they were built in the International Settlement days.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/w...
A giant of law, human rights and decency, who also dedicated his life to China. So much respect and admiration for him. www.wsj.com/world/china/...
Jerome Cohen, the First American to Practice Law in China, Dies at 95
An expert on China—and a sometime critic—Cohen defended companies and dissidents.
www.wsj.com
September 24, 2025 at 8:23 PM
A giant of law, human rights and decency, who also dedicated his life to China. So much respect and admiration for him. www.wsj.com/world/china/...
Wasn't this how these shows used to be? Not that it's better for viewers, but not that it's not, either.
New: CBS News has changed its interview format in reaction to complaints from DHS. According to a statement from a network spokesperson, Face The Nation will now only broadcast live or live to tape interviews
September 5, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Wasn't this how these shows used to be? Not that it's better for viewers, but not that it's not, either.
The math for AI companies should be simple: whatever you spend on data centers or electricity you should be prepared to spend on content IP. It's no less essential, and over time may prove a differentiator if IP rights are upheld. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
AI firm Anthropic reaches landmark $1.5B copyright deal with book authors
The company behind the chatbot Claude avoided trial over claims it improperly downloaded millions of books.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 5, 2025 at 8:17 PM
The math for AI companies should be simple: whatever you spend on data centers or electricity you should be prepared to spend on content IP. It's no less essential, and over time may prove a differentiator if IP rights are upheld. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Overdue and welcome statement demanding Israel allow journalists access to Gaza and protect them while they do their work. The willingness to face real scrutiny and take criticism is what differentiates democracies from authoritarian states.
mediafreedomcoalition.org/joint-statem...
mediafreedomcoalition.org/joint-statem...
Media Freedom Coalition Statement on Foreign Media Access to Gaza - Media Freedom Coalition
In light of the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, we, the undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition, urge Israel to allow immediate independent foreign media access and protection f...
mediafreedomcoalition.org
August 22, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Overdue and welcome statement demanding Israel allow journalists access to Gaza and protect them while they do their work. The willingness to face real scrutiny and take criticism is what differentiates democracies from authoritarian states.
mediafreedomcoalition.org/joint-statem...
mediafreedomcoalition.org/joint-statem...
Reposted by Marcus Brauchli
972 Magazine continues doing impressive journalism that is likely to make the government where it operates unhappy. Worth reading.
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
Israeli army unit tasked with linking Gaza journalists to Hamas
Treating the media as a battlefield, a secretive intelligence squad scoured Gaza for material to bolster Israeli hasbara — including questionable claims that would justify the killing of Palestinian r...
www.972mag.com
August 17, 2025 at 11:02 PM
972 Magazine continues doing impressive journalism that is likely to make the government where it operates unhappy. Worth reading.
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
Coming tension? Social media prizes virality over veracity. AI's business model is different: it promises factuality. These are separate universes, even with some common ownership.
August 14, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Coming tension? Social media prizes virality over veracity. AI's business model is different: it promises factuality. These are separate universes, even with some common ownership.
Love this well-produced explainer video from @kyla.bsky.social and Dynamo. I'd recommend Howard Lutnick watch it. youtu.be/O5ba2hf_C3s?...
What 'Made In America' ACTUALLY Looks Like
YouTube video by Business Explains The World
youtu.be
August 13, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Love this well-produced explainer video from @kyla.bsky.social and Dynamo. I'd recommend Howard Lutnick watch it. youtu.be/O5ba2hf_C3s?...
Reposted by Marcus Brauchli
Interesting gambit by Washington Post, with a ticker of stories from other sources across bottom of the homepage. Is this an A/B test?
August 11, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Interesting gambit by Washington Post, with a ticker of stories from other sources across bottom of the homepage. Is this an A/B test?
Another similarity: both countries are run by leaders with no track record of success in business.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
The U.S. Marches Toward State Capitalism With American Characteristics
President Trump is imitating the Chinese Communist Party by extending political control ever deeper into the economy.
www.wsj.com
August 11, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Another similarity: both countries are run by leaders with no track record of success in business.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
Interesting gambit by Washington Post, with a ticker of stories from other sources across bottom of the homepage. Is this an A/B test?
August 11, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Interesting gambit by Washington Post, with a ticker of stories from other sources across bottom of the homepage. Is this an A/B test?
Trump one-ups Clinton's wag-the-dog moment with a classic, "look over here!" distraction strategy. No more thinking about Epstein in D.C.
Breaking News: President Trump said he was taking control of the police in Washington, D.C., and deploying 800 National Guard troops there in response to “out of control” crime — even though violent crime in the city has fallen. Follow live updates. nyti.ms/3H9yVcu
August 11, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Trump one-ups Clinton's wag-the-dog moment with a classic, "look over here!" distraction strategy. No more thinking about Epstein in D.C.
It's an obvious point but unlike social media platforms like Meta, which value engagement over factuality, AI platforms should value accuracy and factuality. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
New chatbot on Trump’s Truth Social platform keeps contradicting him
An “answer engine” on Trump’s social media site says the 2020 election wasn’t stolen, tariffs aren’t boosting the stock market and Barack Obama is seen favorably.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 10, 2025 at 11:11 PM
It's an obvious point but unlike social media platforms like Meta, which value engagement over factuality, AI platforms should value accuracy and factuality. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Marcus Brauchli
Reposted by Marcus Brauchli
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
July 27, 2025 at 9:01 PM
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
One of the greatest political satirists of our lives. Listen to his songs.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97
www.nytimes.com
July 28, 2025 at 1:29 AM
One of the greatest political satirists of our lives. Listen to his songs.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
Nothing surprising about the new US stance and yet it is shockingly short sighted.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
Japan, after 101 tough days, learns a hard lesson about U.S. alliance
Japan thought it had a special relationship with the U.S. Now, Tokyo is finding that its security alliance counts for little as it struggles to cut a trade deal.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 13, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Nothing surprising about the new US stance and yet it is shockingly short sighted.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
This powerful account of the Assad regime's systematic killing of opponents is essential reading. Human rights, democracy and justice matter. www.wsj.com/world/middle...
A Syrian Death Factory Gives Up Its Secrets
Under the Assad regime, Saydnaya prison became a mass-killing machine; ‘a symbol of shame for the whole world.’
www.wsj.com
July 10, 2025 at 12:08 AM
This powerful account of the Assad regime's systematic killing of opponents is essential reading. Human rights, democracy and justice matter. www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Worth reading.
Nothing could be more perilous to American democracy than going to war under Donald Trump, Robert Kagan writes.
American Democracy Might Not Survive a War With Iran
The United States is well down the road to dictatorship. Imagine what Trump would do with a state of war.
bit.ly
June 22, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Worth reading.
Key fact as the U.S. again makes noises about tariffs: China accounts for around 48 per cent of the world’s mined antimony, controls 98.8 per cent of refined gallium production, and is responsible for 59.2 per cent of refined germanium output.
Explainer | How dependent is America’s arsenal on China’s critical mineral supply?
Beijing has leveraged its dominance in critical mineral production and refining as a key negotiating point in trade wars.
www.scmp.com
June 2, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Key fact as the U.S. again makes noises about tariffs: China accounts for around 48 per cent of the world’s mined antimony, controls 98.8 per cent of refined gallium production, and is responsible for 59.2 per cent of refined germanium output.
If like to see a graphic that depicts in some way the cascading economic benefit of refugee scientists from WWII--the companies, profits and numbers they have employed or do employ today.
If any of you know have access to Marco Rubio’s office, please tape this to his front door — preferably before he drives away a generation of talent for this country ⤵️
mailchi.mp/standcolumbi...
mailchi.mp/standcolumbi...
June 1, 2025 at 12:54 PM
If like to see a graphic that depicts in some way the cascading economic benefit of refugee scientists from WWII--the companies, profits and numbers they have employed or do employ today.