he Treasury’s currency swap line with the UAE looks suspiciously like corruption. April 26, 2026 washingtonmonthly.com Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, pictured here testifying on his agency’s proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2027 at a Senate Appropriation subcommittee at the Capitol in Washington, April 22, 2026. Credit: Associated Press n April 22, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly…
How the death of middlebrow culture led to Trump’s barbarism
All the cool people hated middle-class suburban culture — but it looks a lot better compared to what came next Published April 19, 2026 9:00AM (EDT) salon.com Those of us of a certain age can remember the middle-class suburban home of the late 1950s and early 1960s. On the coffee table lay a large format book…
The Air Force Tried, but the A-10 Is Too Good to Kill
America’s unsightly but effective Warthog jet is being heavily deployed in the Persian Gulf, decades after the service wanted to retire it. washingtonmonthly.com Still Hogging: An A-10 Warthog in Wisconsin on July 24, 2025. Credit: Associated Press he A-10 Warthog is now in the fight across the southern flank and is hunting and killing fast-attack watercraft…
How Trump fits the “great man” theory of history — sort of
Is Donald Trump the kind of world-historical figure imagined by Hegel? In an upside-down way, yes Published March 28, 2026 6:30AM (EDT) Salon.com Isaw the Emperor — this world-soul [Weltseele] — riding out of the city on reconnaissance. It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point,…
“ICE Is Too Bloated, Politicized, and Corrupt to Continue”
Mike Lofgren, the author, budget expert, and Monthly contributing writer, explains why a new Congress couldn’t simply fix Immigration and Customs Enforcement. by David Masciotra March 26, 2026 washingtonmonthly.com ICE agents and other federal law enforcement in North Minneapolis, United States, on January 14, 2026. Credit: Associated Press he actions of ICE continue to horrify decent Americans. Committing…
Asymmetric War in Iran: How Trump and the U.S. Are Being Played
We’re depleting our big, expensive, Cold War-inspired defensive weapons on Iran’s cheap drones, and if Tehran expands its underwater drone program, look out. March 19, 2026 washingtonmonthly.com Affordable Arsenal: Iran’s drones can be rapidly rebuilt, even in wartime. Pictured here, Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, left, who was killed in airstrikes carried out by the U.S. and…
Why the Iran war was inevitable
There were many reasons behind Trump’s decision to attack — but none of them were about US national security Published March 14, 2026 11:23AM (EDT) salon.com Fire breaks out at the Shahran oil depot in Tehran after U.S. and Israeli attacks, March 8, 2026. (Hassan Ghaedi/Anadolu via Getty Images) Iwas off by three days. I had…