"Two Hundred and Fifty Years After the American Colonists Broke Free of Empire, It's Time for a British Declaration of Independence"

"Iran desperately needs a fresh start. The theocracy symbolised by its assassinated supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has long ago had its day. Many, probably most, Iranians yearn passionately for an open, freer, more prosperous, pluralist, pro-western society. But this destructive, un-thought-through US-Israeli regression into the worst excesses of imperialist vandalism crushes hopes of peaceful change–the only kind that lasts–and hastens a collapse into warring camps. What may emerge is not a reborn, friendly Iran but a fractured country held hostage by a more brutal, paranoid, ever-threatening hardline rump regime embroiled in endless conflict with its people and the west."

Simon Tisdall at The Guardian writes that "Britain's enemy now is Donald Trump."

And Martin Gelin discusses the conclusion by the Varieties of Democracy Institute at Gothenburg University "that the US is hurtling towards autocracy at a faster rate than Hungary and Turkey."

February 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, 1985.

David Avallone and Kewber Baal, Elvira in Horrorland, 2024.

Malcolm Croft. The Little Book of John Lennon, 2020.

Malcolm Croft. The Little Guide to the Beatles, 2019.

Bill Morgan, The Beat Generation in San Francisco: A Literary Guidebook, 2003.

The Little Book of San Francisco, 2022.

Music:

Shirley Caesar and Rev. James Cleveland, The King and Queen of Gospel Volume 1, 2002.

Claude Debussy, Greatest Hits, 2001.

Dixie Hummingbirds, 20th Century Masters--The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Dixie Hummingbirds, 2002.

English Beat, The Beat at the BBC, 2025.

Faces, Early Steps, 2025.

Terry Hall, The Collection, 1992.

Heaven 17, Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17, 1993.

Tina Turner, Simply the Best, 1991.

"They Sense That Behind Them Is the Same Old Democratic Party with the Same Old Elites and the Same Old Cultural Priorities"

"Working-class voters are acutely aware that the professional-dominated educated upper middle class who occupy positions of administrative and cultural power is overwhelmingly Democratic. For the working class, the professional upper middle class may not be the super-rich but they are elites just the same. These voters harbor deep resentment toward the cultural gatekeepers who they feel are telling them how to live their lives, even what to think and say, and incidentally are living a great deal more comfortably than they are."

Ruy Teixeira at The Liberal Patriot argues that Democratic candidates "need a strong dose of cultural populism" along with economic populism.

"So Why Is American Economic Confidence at Its Lowest Point in More Than a Decade?"

"The answer lies in a mix of economic reality and human psychology. On the reality side, Americans are not at all pleased with the high cost of living, particularly for the 'hard' goods and services in modern life, including housing, energy, health care, childcare, education, household goods, and things such as car payments, insurance, and maintenance. Even with decent wages and income and prospective tax cuts, working- and middle-class families do not feel particularly solid when they open their banking apps. A middle-class life that once seemed attainable and sustainable seems out of reach to many younger people and increasingly precarious for more established older Americans. Cheap televisions, ubiquitous phones, endless entertainment, and fast internet won't make up for people's inability to pay their health care premiums or save enough for a down payment on a home or retirement."

John Halpin at The Liberal Patriot argues that "the ideological faction or leader who figures out this economic reality first—and responds genuinely and empathetically to Americans' psychological worries about their finances—will be well positioned for success, at least temporarily."

"To Better Understand How Gender Norms Underlay Social and Political Organization"

"Until this week's latest dump of the Epstein files by Trump's justice department, I hadn't seen the connection between the two. But now it's as clear as day. The abolition of gender studies is a way of further guaranteeing impunity to the elite men whose contempt for and exploitation of women and girls apparently knew no bounds, whether they actually slept with the women on offer or simply shared Epstein's fantasies in order to gain influence or funding."

Joan Wallach Scott at The Guardian argues that gender studies is "a critical tool for examining–in the case of Trump and Epstein–the predations of toxic masculinity."

"That's Not Just an Economic Issue. That's Stability Risk"

"The country is living in a K-shaped economy: two diverging roads, where outcomes for one group accelerate upward while outcomes for another flatten–or quietly deteriorate. The top half is compounding: stable employment, rising asset values, and the confidence that comes from having options. The bottom half is exposed: high sensitivity to inflation, fragile cash flow, rising credit stress, and a feeling that even doing everything 'right' isn't enough."

Josh Tanenbaum at Fortune warns of an America "where the top gets insulated enough to become careless, the bottom gets desperate enough to become combustible, and the middle loses belief that effort translates into progress."

"A Future Worthy of Our Children and Generations Yet to Come"

"In times of great crisis, the American people came together and chose democracy over authoritarianism, justice over greed, solidarity over division. They understood in the past–and we understand today–that when we stand together, no matter how much money and power the oligarchs have, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish."

Bernie Sanders at The Guardian argues that "[w]e can reverse America's decline."

"Talent Still Calls California Home"

"Recent comparisons to Detroit misunderstand what makes each city remarkable. The Motor City's decline was largely due to companies offshoring innovation to cheaper factories abroad. Los Angeles' challenge is the opposite: an overabundance of innovation that is decentralizing faster than anyone expected. The industry is not dying; it is diversifying."

In a 2025 Los Angeles Times article, Rachel Zaslansky Sheer and Lori Zuker Briller discuss Hollywood as a place and as an industry.

"Nobody Cared"

"It is also a grim judgment on the entire political system. The Supreme Court has effectively rendered the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution moot. Republicans are completely in thrall to Trump and unwilling to exercise the kind of patriotism their party showed when leaders of the GOP broke with Richard Nixon over his crimes. Democrats, with some noble exceptions such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, have been notably reluctant to make corruption an issue, since it seems to have little political traction."

Jeet Heer at The Nation describes Donald Trump "as perhaps the most corrupt elected official in human history."

January 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Bonnie Bader and Sue Cornelison, Martin Luther King Jr.: A Little Golden Book Biography, 2018.

James Ellroy and Glynn Martin, LAPD '53, 2015.

Albert B. Feldstein (ed.), The Invisible MAD, 1975.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Selected Stories, 1962.

Torunn Gronbekk et al, Catwoman Vol. 2: Never Let Them Smell Blood, 2025.

Owen King et al, Self Help, 2025.

Cynthia Von Buhler, Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu, 2025.

The EC Archives: Crime SuspenStories Volume 2, 2024.

Movies:

Barb Wire, 1996.

Music:

Bix Beiderbecke, Volume 1: Singin' the Blues, 1990. 

Chills, Soft Bomb, 1992.

Dr. Feelgood, Stupidity, 1976, 2025.

Ferris Wheel, Can't Break the Habit, 2000.

Roberta Flack, The Best of Roberta Flack, 1981.

Curtis Harding, Face Your Face, 2017.

Edwin Hawkins Singers, Oh Happy Day, 2001.

Human League, Greatest Hits, 1988.

Yoko Ono, Plastic Ono Band, 1970.

Pachelbel, Greatest Hits and Other Baroque Favorites, 2003.

Jimmy Page, Jimmy's Back Pages... the Early Years, 1992.

Sex Pistols, The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle, 1979.

Various, Hang the DJ: Modern Rock 1987, 1996.

Various, Mod Anthems Volume 2, 2016.

Various, Tonite Let's Make Love in London, 1968, 2016.

"Something More Purposeful and Sinister Than Run-of-the-Mill Greed or Gangsterism"

"The resemblances are too many and too strong to deny. Americans who support liberal democracy need to recognize what we're dealing with in order to cope with it, and to recognize something, one must name it. Trump has revealed himself, and we must name what we see."

Jonathan Rauch at The Atlantic calls Donald Trump a fascist.

"The Old Order Is Not Coming Back"

"For a while, the US's allies comforted themselves with the belief that Trump was an aberration who would one day be gone, allowing the old ways to resume. That delusion has also been shattered. When Trump still seemed determined to make good on his Greenland threats, there was no sign of anyone or anything inside the US that would stop him. Over these last 12 months, Trump has demonstrated that the formal restraints designed to hold a US president in check are easily swept away. And if it can happen once, it can happen again. Which means it is not just Trump who is an unreliable ally. Sadly, it is the US itself."

Jonathan Freedland at The Guardian proposes "a new constellation of the European Union plus the UK plus Canada."

"An Optimistic Cultural Renaissance Will Have to Precede Political Reform"

"But now, I wonder if my notion of culture being grounded in music or film has been eclipsed by the culture of the algorithm. For the past 10 years, in books like Move Fast and Break Things and The End of Reality, I have been writing about how a few tech billionaires have built unimagined fortunes by destroying our culture. The technocrats are well-known: Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman. The project of 'disruption' these men championed at the dawn of the digital age has ended with the immiseration of musicians, journalists, and photographers."

Jonathan Taplin at Rolling Stone asks, "Can the Counterculture Rise Again?"

"It's Horror All the Way Down"

"As for Miller's vision, it's horror all the way down. He's not looking to solve for this state of nature. He simply calls it 'the real world,' one whose anarchic rules America just needs to accept and use to its benefit. If Miller has read Hobbes, he's drawing the wrong lesson. Even if he might like the idea of Trump as the Leviathanlike authoritarian come to bring order to the chaos (and Miller's recent, and disputed, invocation of a president’s absolute 'plenary authority' would suggest that that’s the case), this is not how Trump understands his role; otherwise, he would be bolstering international institutions and multilateral relationships rather than trashing whatever and whoever does not serve his glory."

Gal Beckerman at The Atlantic writes about "the dog-eat-dog worldview of this administration."

And Rex Huppke at USA Today asks, "We're really doing another year of this?"

"The 'Putinization of US Foreign Policy'"

"Trump's fear of foreign wars seems to be waning. He was clearly thrilled by the drama of the Maduro operation, and the efficiency of the American soldiers who carried it out. For an ageing president, growing more petulant, irascible and incoherent with every day in office–facing diminishing popularity and desperate to distract attention from the Epstein child-trafficking scandal–a tightening embrace of military power is an ominous development."

Julian Borger at The Guardian reacts to Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela.

As does Jan-Werner Müller.

As does Mona Charen at The Bulwark.

2025 Favorites

The Late Adopter selects...

Albums:

Mavis Staples--Sad and Beautiful World (Anti-) 

Tom Meighan--Roadrunner (Townsend) 

Curtis Harding--Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt (Anti-)

Royel Otis--Hickey (Capitol)  

Wet Leg--Moisturizer (Domino) 

Kendrick Lamar--GNX (Interscope)

Dropkick Murphys--For the People (Dummy Luck) 

Franz Ferdinand--The Human Fear (Domino)  

Stereolab--Instant Holograms on Metal Film (Duophonic)

Paul Weller--Find El Dorado (Parlophone)

Songs:

Mavis Staples--'Sad and Beautiful World'

Tom Meighan--'Silver Linings'

Curtis Harding--'There She Goes'

Royel Otis--'Car'

Kendrick Lamar--'Squabble Up'   

Wet Leg--'Liquidize'

Tame Impala--'My Old Ways'

Chills--'Dolphins'

Hives--'The Hives Forever, Forever the Hives'

Paul Weller--'White Line Fever'

December 2025 Acquisitions

Books:
Charles Ardai et al, Heat Seeker: Combustion Vol. 2, 2025.
Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847, 1996.
David Graeber and David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, 2021.

EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1, 2025.

What's the Story: The Little Guide to Oasis, 2025.

Movies:
To Be or Not to Be, 1942.

Music:
Bangs & Talbot, Back to Business, 2022.
Buckingham Nicks, Buckingham Nicks, 1973, 2025.
Mavericks, 20th Century Masters--The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Mavericks, 2001.
Various, Praise Be! Boarding The Gospel Train, In Thrall of The Lord Lux and Ivy Dig the God-Fearing Nation, 2025.

"Revolutions Are Overrated"

"At an unsettling moment in world affairs when the tectonic plates are shifting (to recycle another melodramatic cliche), it's important to stay grounded, to maintain perspective. As 2026 trepidatiously creeps through the door, nursing hangovers from the tumultuous year just ending, try counting the continuities and bridges rather than dwelling on earthquakes and chasms."

Simon Tisdall at The Guardian argues that "[i]n history's bigger picture, Trump is a blotch, an unsightly smear on the canvas."

And Mona Charen at The Bulwark writes that "Somebody Needs to Tell Trump Everybody Is Laughing at Him."

"The Public Wants to See Something Bold"

"It's an argument that began in the progressive wing but is increasingly finding purchase across the party: Be proudly, loudly, without reservations, anti-AI. It's not enough, these pollsters, consultants and elected officials say, to caution, minimally regulate and signal a friendly stance toward tech companies building AI. There is a massive, growing opportunity for Democrats to tap into rising anxiety, fear and anger about the havoc AI could wreak in people's lives, they say, on issues from energy affordability to large-scale job losses, and channel it toward a populist movement—and not doing it, or not doing it strongly enough, will hurt the party."

Calder McHugh at Politico discusses options for Democrats regarding the politics of technology.

November 2025 Acquisitions

Books:
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, The Knives, 2025.
R.K. Gordon, Beowulf, 1992.
Robert Inchausti (Ed.), The Pocket Thomas Merton, 2017.
Nicole Johnson, Pirates of the Caribbean, 2023.
Ziauddin Sardar and Borin Van Loon, Introducing Cultural Studies: A Graphic Guide, 2010.

Movies:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977.
Clueless, 1995.
Ferris Bueler's Day Off, 1986.
Hairspray/Pecker, 2001.
The Harder They Come, 1972.

Music:
Ivy, Traces of You, 2025.
Spinal Tap, The End Continues, 2025.
Mavis Staples, Sad and Beautiful World, 2025
Tame Impala, Deadbeat, 2025.