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Socialists Need to Develop a Constitutional Politics
To win change for working people, the Democratic Socialists of America should expand its vision of how to change our constitutional order. We can smash unaccountable executive and judiciary power even without having to amend the Constitution.
Congressional Dems launch probe into efforts to deport U.S. military members
The Democrats said the apparent collaboration between DHS and the military to deport troops' families "raises both ethical and legal concerns"
Congressional Dems launch probe into efforts to deport U.S. military members
The Democrats said the apparent collaboration between DHS and the military to deport troops' families "raises both ethical and legal concerns"
How Troy Jackson went from Maine logger to the Democratic nominee for Senate
Troy Jackson's path to politics started during his time as a logger in Maine's north woods. Now he's the Democrat challenging five-term Republican Susan Collins for a Senate seat that could determine control of the chamber in November.
A new housing politics is taking shape on the left
Can democratic socialist Nithya Raman make Los Angeles build?
The 9 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2026
With less than three months until Election Day, the general election fight for control of the US Senate is in full swing after a summer of upheaval and decisions in Democratic contests.
Are Democrats having a Tea Party moment? I'm not buying it.
The DSA is having a moment, and little more, but this is not what the Tea Party looked like or sounded like during the midterm elections 16 years ago.
Cancel Thanksgiving? This Democratic candidate is testing limits
Opponent says the 37-year-old frontrunner for Wisconsin's Democratic governor nomination is 'not ready for prime time' ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
Wisconsin, Minnesota primaries are next to feature progressive clash with Democratic establishment
Progressive candidates for governor in Wisconsin and U.S. Senate in Minnesota are making their final pushes ahead of Tuesday’s election
Ben Jones, ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ star-turned-congressman, dies at 84
Ben Jones, who won the hearts of viewers as Cooter Davenport on ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ before winning a seat in Congress as a Democrat in Georgia, has died. He was 84.
Cost of Living Worries Give Democrats Lead Over GOP on Economy
Persistent cost-of-living worries are eroding a crucial GOP asset, giving Democrats an edge ahead of the midterms.
Bernie Sanders demands Democrats ban super PACs from primaries, blasts AIPAC, ‘corrupt system’
Sanders is urging Democratic leaders to ban super PACs from party primaries, citing concerns about outside spending and influence.
Abdul El-Sayed and Barack Obama spoke as Democrats seek to unify following heated Senate primary
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday described a “really warm” conversation with former President Barack Obama as the party seeks to find a path forward following last week’s bruising primary.
California Gov. Newsom visits Michigan in bid to boost Democrats
Potential candidate for president visit UAW local in Oakland County Sunday as he rallies volunteers for canvass launch.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she’s freezing her eggs
The Democratic congresswoman, 36, said she made the decision to undergo the fertility procedure to “feel more in control of my life.”
El-Sayed spoke with Obama as Michigan Democrats look to unite after a bitter Senate primary
“I was grateful for his advice. It was very warm, very inviting, and I know that he knows the critical role that Michigan is going to play,” El-Sayed told NBC’s “Meet the Press."
Trump's immigration crackdown looms over Minnesota's bruising Senate primary
Months later, confrontations between immigration agents and protestors in Minneapolis remain the backdrop to Minnesota's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, which features establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and the more progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
Trump's immigration crackdown looms over Minnesota's bruising Senate primary
The Democratic Senate primary in Minnesota is heating up and immigration has become a central issue
Anti-populism is reshaping American politics
Democrats are winning on data center opposition. So are Republicans.
El-Sayed: Democrats have ‘good-faith differences… but this is the time for us to come together’
Ocasio-Cortez says new age progressives ‘answer to no master’
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Sunday shared support for progressives in the Democratic Party, backing their ability to answer to “no master.” “I think when I see so many of the…
Obama and Abdul El-Sayed Spoke to Discuss Unity After Michigan Senate Primary
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s call with the former president comes as he tries to win over wary Democrats in Michigan’s high-stakes Senate race.
The rise of socialism and the return of history
Why would Democrats stick to their post-World War II political ways if Republicans won't?
Democrats are about to finalize a decision that will reshape their 2028 presidential race
The new calendar for the 2028 primaries that Democrats are poised to approve later this week will dramatically shake up the race for the party’s next presidential nomination.
Group urges Democrats to woo moderate voters with populist policies
A progressive group says messages that target the wealthy and large corporations appeal to a majority of Americans who see the economy as fundamentally rigged.
Why haven't Mississippi Democrats found a governor candidate?
The election for governor in 2027 is a crucial moment for the Mississippi Democratic Party. The problem? The party still doesn't have a candidate.
Pols & Politics: Former Gov. Charlie Baker to headline Dem DA candidate’s fundraiser, snubs GOP hopeful
Charlie Baker is hosting a fundraiser for a Democratic DA candidate while snubbing the GOP challenger. Plus: Spilka responds to criticism of a veteran campaign sign and another Healey endorsement.
2 Democrats competing in congressional primary to represent SW Wisconsin
Two Democratic candidates seek their party’s nomination in Tuesday’s primary election to represent southwest Wisconsin in Washington next year.
Moderate Democrat in Hawaii Defeats Progressive House Challenger
Representative Ed Case beat Jarrett Keohokalole, a younger progressive, in a race that centered on questions of generational change and the state’s skyrocketing cost of living.
Here's why both of New Mexico's senators voted against Todd Blanche for Trump's Atty General
By a one vote margin, 50-49, the United States Senate voted early Saturday morning to approve President Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney and acting attorney general, to be the permanent Attorney General of the United States. Todd’s nomination was opposed by every Democrat and two Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine […]
How Troy Jackson went from Maine logger to Democratic nominee for Senate against Susan Collins
Jackson’s campaign has focused on his ties to Aroostook County, a sprawling, wooded region known as “The County” to Mainers.
How Troy Jackson went from Maine logger to the Democratic nominee for Senate against Susan Collins
Troy Jackson’s path to politics started during his time as a logger in Maine’s north woods
Wirth downplays Social Security disaster talk
Forty-five years ago this week: “As time goes on,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Wirth, of the 2nd Congressional District, “we are finding that the safety net, which was proposed earlier this year, has some very large holes in it,” referring to a recently debated Social Security policy change. Wirth had joined with the majority […]
Fact-Checking 3 Competitive Senate Races in Maine, Michigan and Ohio
Republican attacks have focused on terrorism and illegal immigration, while Democrats have sought to capitalize on the unpopularity of President Trump’s cuts to Medicaid.
Amid Abuse Claims Against Max Miller, This Democrat Thinks He Can Win His Seat
Brian Poindexter, an ironworker, is in the spotlight in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, where Mr. Miller faces multiple calls to step aside.
After a Poisonous Primary, Michigan Democrats Promise to Get Along
The party is racing to get behind Dr. Abdul El-Sayed after a Senate primary that was “spirited,” as Pete Buttigieg diplomatically put it at a unity rally on Friday night, but tensions remain.
Democratic voters who used to back Susan Collins aren’t so sure anymore
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has counted on split-ticket voters to help her win office in a blue state. Some of those supporters are more reluctant to vote for her again.
Data centers are a political issue crossing party lines, driving voters to candidates
Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor Francesca Hong called for a moratorium on data centers. So did Ohio Republican governor hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, as data centers begin to dominate campaigns.
Schumer caves, hands Republicans shutdown win after months of uncertainty
Senate Democrats relented on shutdown threats, with John Thune accusing Chuck Schumer of making a political calculation ahead of midterm elections.
Pearson wins Democratic primary, vows to ‘refuse to be turned around’ by redistricting
Democratic socialist Francesca Hong has former child star, OnlyFans model in senior campaign role: report
An OnlyFans model and sex worker advocate is reportedly serving as deputy campaign manager for Francesca Hong's Wisconsin governor campaign.
Taiwan’s push to dissolve pro-Beijing party triggers political censorship debate
Politicians divided over proposal to ban Chinese Unification Promotion Party after ministry says it jeopardises free and democratic constitutional order.
North Carolina politician says Democrats are coddling criminals
WARNING: Graphic content—State Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-N.C., criticizes soft-on-crime policies on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
Could the last time a Democrat was elected Ohio governor foreshadow this year's election?
Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland was elected governor twenty years ago this November, and recent polls indicate the race for Ohio governor this year is close.
What El-Sayed’s rise reveals about the future of US politics | Altaf Moti
Future Democratic coalitions may depend less on demographic identity alone and more on shared economic interests.
DSA set up table at Mamdani's city-run transit event
The DSA is not officially a political party.
Can Gluesenkamp Perez win over the Democrats who voted against her in Washington’s primary?
Unofficial results present a mixed picture heading toward the November general election.
They’re Battle-Tested Democrats. Do Voters Care?
Haley Stevens and Angie Craig were celebrated by Democrats in 2018. This year, they’ve faced tough primaries.
As an American Jew, my first political loyalty is to American democracy
I’m an American Jew, and my political loyalty is not to Democrats or to Republicans. It is to American democracy. Full stop. That shouldn’t be controversial, but for some people, a Jew saying that their first political loyalty is to American democracy will sound like a statement against Israel. They’ll assume I have rejected my […]
Mississippi Senate race highlights shifting map as Democrats and Republicans battle for majority
Mississippi does not top the list of hotly contested U.S. Senate races this fall
No political saviors: The Tennessee primary election cycle and the politics of maturity
Rep. Justin J. Pearson had nearly every objective measure for political success in his Democratic primary for the 9th Congressional District.
Will Mississippi send a Black Democrat to the US Senate? Scott Colom says don't count him out
Scott Colom is a Black man and a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Mississippi, a state traditionally led by white conservatives. Colom aims to unseat Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a white supporter of President Donald Trump who is seeking her second term.
R.I. Democratic challengers find footing with business group's multi-PAC strategy
The conservative political group spends $50K on five Democratic legislative candidates while encouraging anonymous donations.
How a neighborhood in NYC became the center of democratic socialist power
Astoria is the most high-profile example of democratic socialist politicians amassing power, pushing a culture that could foreshadow Democrats’ future
Democrats in Iowa’s competitive 1st, 3rd Districts release first campaign ads of 2026
Iowa Democrats running in two of the country’s most competitive U.S. House districts have released their first television campaign ads of the 2026 general election cycle.
The Most Basic Step of the Ebola Response Is Falling Short
Curbing the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will require stepping up testing.
Lofgren, Whitesides Demand Transparency on OSTP Initiative Funded with NSF Money
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on Historic Michigan Win: “People Are Sick and Tired of This Politics of Hatred”
We speak with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed after his victory in Michigan’s primary race for U.S. Senate sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party. El-Sayed, a former public health official, ran a progressive campaign focused on affordability, Medicare for All, getting money out of politics, and opposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza. He defeated Congressmember Haley Stevens, who was backed by tens of millions in outside spending including by AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby group. “In an era where many of us can’t afford basic things like groceries or rent or healthcare, the idea that your government is sending your tax dollars to buy bombs and tanks for foreign governments seems anathema,” El-Sayed says. “That money could be spent to fix your potholes, rebuild your kid’s school.” El-Sayed says his focus now is on beating Republican nominee Mike Rogers, whom he calls a “bootlicker for Trumpism,” and to present a positive vision for his party that can lead into the next Democratic presidential administration.
House Democrats Demand Answers From Trump’s VA on Vets Struggling to Access Mental Healthcare
A letter from Democratic lawmakers to VA Secretary Doug Collins cites a recent ProPublica investigation that found hundreds of therapists have left the agency and vets often aren’t getting the help they need.
John Fetterman is losing support among his party's voters. High-profile Democrats are emerging as potential challengers
For John Fetterman and Chris Deluzio, it was a moment of unity in front of a large crowd of fired-up Democratic voters. On the eve of the 2022 election,...
Opinion | A political debate that was actually civil
Democratic candidates for the Sixth District offered a glimpse of what politics can be: civil, substantive, and focused on the problems voters actually care about.
EXCLUSIVE: Oversight Project sues to block Maryland Democrats’ redistricting measure backed by Gov Moore
A redistricting lawsuit alleges Maryland officials missed mandatory deadlines for HB 2100 and used a last-minute clause to bypass certification rules.
Democrat says political appointee placed at Interior Inspector General
{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Political appointee placed at Interior IG, Democrat says The Trump administration has installed a former Whi…
Trump-backed incumbent loses primary after super PAC bankrolled by Dems meddled in race
A super PAC bankrolled by a California billionaire and frequent Democratic donor spent $2 million to unseat Andy Ogles over renewable energy policy.
Squad-backed ‘Tennessee Three’ lawmaker wins House primary in newly redrawn district
Squad-backed 'Tennessee Three' lawmaker Justin Pearson won the Democrat primary in Tennessee's redrawn 9th Congressional District after redistricting split the Memphis-area district.
El-Sayed win kicks Democrats’ Midwest ideological battle into high gear — and some Dems fear November fallout
Progressive Democrats scored key wins in Michigan's primary, and now Wisconsin's governor race and Minnesota's senate primary are the next battlegrounds.
Francesca Hong faces scrutiny over ‘cancel Thanksgiving’ post
Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist running for Wisconsin governor, is getting attention for social media posts calling for canceling Thanksgiving and abolishing police.
With support for Israel roiling U.S. politics, Israelis fear a permanent shift
Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary adds to a string of upsets that reflect growing criticism of Israel.
How Abdul El-Sayed rose from political oblivion to progressive breakthrough in Michigan
El-Sayed, 41, has never held elected office and entered the race seven years after losing Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by more than 20 percentage points.
Bennett calls on Pingree, Charles to disclose donors
Maine State Senator and independent candidate for governor Rick Bennett is demanding more transparency in campaign finance, asking opponents Democrat Hannah Pingree and Republicam Bobby Charles to disclose the names of who he said are anonymous donors funding their campaigns.
Costa Welcomes House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar to Central Valley Health Care Roundtable
FRESNO, Calif. - This week, during Affordable Healthcare for Every American Week of Action, Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) welcomed Congressman Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, to the Central Valley for a roundtable hosted by Community Health System to hear directly from local hospitals and health care leaders focused on the federal funding reductions under H.R.1, including changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, as well as the Administration's decision to withhold approximately $867.5 million in federal Medicaid funding from Califor
How Memphis voters feel now after Tennessee split up its majority-Black district
Memphis voters say they’re frustrated with what they felt was a bald move by the Republican-controlled Legislature to eliminate Tennessee’s only Democratic representative in Congress and dilute the will of the majority-Black city.
Live Results: Tennessee midterm primaries
Tennessee’s senior U.S. senator eyes a job change in a state primary on Thursday while Memphis voters will choose their first U.S. House nominees under a new Republican-drawn congressional map that forced their longtime Democratic representative into retirement.
Talarico gains GOP support while unveiling affordability plan
Democratic Senate candidate proposed debt relief, housing aid and tax credits. Paxton’s campaign dismissed the agenda as “half-baked.”
Bernie Sanders hails Michigan result as ‘most extraordinary victory that I can think of in modern American politics’
Abdul El-Sayed has never held elected office and entered the race years after losing the Democratic gubernatorial primary by over 20 percentage points.
Bills sign familiar linebacker after training camp injury
The Bills brought back linebacker Otis Reese IV and placed Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles on injured reserve before Thursday's practice.
US Stand Up for Science movement expands to Europe
A grassroots movement by scientists in the US pushing back against threats to academic freedom is setting up a Swiss outpost to take the movement global. Stand Up for Science started in February 2025 to protest against politically-motivated grant cancellations by the Trump administration. Since then, it has organised numerous rallies by scientists and turned into a broader campaigning organisation, supporting “pro-science” political candidates and attempting to impeach Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the health and human services secretary the group accuses of advancing “quack” science. Now, Stand Up for Science is establishing a Swiss office to take some of its campaigning beyond the US, and its leader is urging European academics to organise similar pro-science groups in case they face similar threats in Europe. There will likely be “spillover” to Europe from what the Trump administration is attempting in the US, said Colette Delawalla, chief executive of Stand Up for Science, who last month returned from a tour of Europe. “Are we going to see a Trump-style scientific [. . .] take over in the same way?” she asked.Delawalla, who is doing a PhD in clinical psychology, said she was driven to help found the organisation after the Trump administration started cancelling health research grants in politically taboo topics, such as transgender people, diversity and HIV, in early 2025. Since then, the administration has introduced several other measures that infringe academic and institutional autonomy.It threatened to cut Harvard University’s federal funding unless the university accepted a “critical mass” of new faculty and students to create “viewpoint diversity.” And this year, it proposed explosive new rules that would allow political appointees at research funders to screen grants to make sure they “advance the president's policy priorities.”US scientists have been at times stunned by the volume of announcements, and the country’s researchers were relatively unprepared. “We sit in front of the fire hose every day,” said Delawalla. For this reason, European scientists need to prepare now for similar assaults. “If you've got a little bit of extra time to start thinking through, and making those preparations and building community and solidarity,” then European researchers will “start five steps ahead of where we were.” She plans to return to Paris in September to share experiences with concerned French academics. Is Le Pen the same?During her European tour, Delawalla said that French academics were beginning to worry about a National Rally (RN) victory in presidential elections next year. She said there were “chilling similarities” between Trump and Marine Le Pen, the RN’s likely candidate. However, so far, the RN hasn’t proposed anything nearly as radical as the Trump administration has carried out. Its current manifesto is all but silent on university and research policy. Le Pen’s 2022 manifesto bemoaned a lack of French R&D spending, including in fundamental research, and promised to modernise labs and strip away grant bureaucracy. The party’s 2024 European election manifesto explicitly supported the Erasmus+ student exchange programme, scientific exchange and joint European technology projects. However, a Le Pen victory next year could see France drastically cut its contribution to the EU, which would hit the budget for science and innovation. Meanwhile, more restrictive immigration policies could hit university recruitment of faculty and students. Climate science denial?As heatwaves and wildfires have ravaged France, the RN has sought to distance itself from previous comments casting doubt on climate science.In the UK, the radical-right party Reform UK, now second in the polls, denied climate research in a draft of its 2024 election manifesto, but its leader, Nigel Farage, then appeared to quietly U-turn and said he was “not arguing the science.” By contrast, Trump has repeatedly and explicitly denied climate change science, in 2025 calling it “the greatest con job.” Like the RN, Reform UK has been light on research and university policy. However, it did say in its 2024 manifesto that universities should suffer “heavy financial penalties” for allowing “political bias or cancel culture” on campus, building on laws brought in by a previous Conservative government. Ahead of September state elections in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, the poll-leading Alternative for Germany has proposed abolishing gender studies and postcolonial studies, and promised money for “critical” climate research and studies of Islam. Starts with rhetoricEven if European radical right parties aren’t currently planning the draconian policy measures of the Trump administration, Delawalla said that academics should not be complacent, and fight even small funding restrictions or anti-science talk from the start. “It starts off with sowing distrust about institutions,” she said. “It starts off with these small things, and then all of a sudden it's there.” There are other, more established science and university advocacy groups in the US aside from Stand Up for Science. But the group stands out because of Delawalla’s refusal to attempt to appear politically bipartisan or conciliatory. “I firmly believe that the US is experiencing fascism,” she said. “We’re not trying to win over the super Maga people,” she said, “and we never have been.” The lesson of the US is that even if universities or other institutions capitulate to government demands, this doesn’t save them from cuts and restrictions. “It doesn’t matter what people do,” she said. Global “pseudoscience”Another aim of Stand Up for Science’s push into Europe is to better coordinate a campaign to protect people in poorer countries from what the group describes as “pseudoscientific exploitation,” trials outside the US used to build a case against things like vaccines. Earlier this year, the group sent an investigator to Guinea-Bissau to investigate a controversial, Danish-run Hepatitis B vaccine project funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The study would have withheld a proven vaccine from newborns, Stand Up for Science argued in a briefing it presented to Congress, risking their health. Significantly, the research group based in Guinea-Bissau, known as Bandim, focuses on the “non-specific effects” of vaccines: impacts on health beyond preventing the target disease. Related articlesEuropean researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationData corner: which fields of health science is the US curbing? The US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to know The suspicion is that the study was funded as part of an attempt to shop around for results that could help build a case against vaccines in the US, said Delawalla. “This is just code for vaccines cause autism,” she said.Bandim has put out a rebuttal of Stand Up for Science’s criticisms, arguing its work has uncovered a number of vaccine side effects, both positive and negative, which need to be taken into account in public health. However, Congressional Democrats took up the Stand Up for Science cause, and in February, Guinea-Bissau said it had permanently halted the study. WatchdogBut for Delawalla, this is not the end of the fight. Kennedy has made a number of health claims that scientists think lack evidence, such as the idea that seed oils cause inflammation, for example. Delawalla worries that more studies could be launched in poorer countries to fish around for evidence to support this agenda. Stand Up for Science is talking to African science organisations to create a kind of “watchdog” to scrutinise any further trials. “Outsourcing the investigation to some of the most vulnerable children in the world who are desperate [. . .] is fundamentally wrong,” she said.
Moderate Democrats Prepare for ‘War’ Against an Ascendant Left
One moderate group says the progressive wins are “deeply troubling” and is planning a $15 million effort against democratic socialism.
Watch: Democratic Senator Proposes a Fix for American Healthcare — Covering All Kids
Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey wants to offer universal healthcare until age 26. He sat down with KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to answer the question: “How Would You Fix It?”
Shifting US politics offers opportunity for Palestinian self-determination
Palestinian advocacy needs to actively engage with changes in attitudes among both Democratic and Republican voters.
Were the primaries a preview for consequential general election?
Colorado’s political future will go the way of this election. Historically, the state has not had both chambers controlled by a supermajority. This election may change that. The primaries suggest how the general election may play out. Democrats had solid voter turnout and unaffiliated voters leaned toward Dems. The party pulled in 404,132 unaffiliateds to […]
With nothing to run on, Republicans return to low road ‘gutter’ politics
Donald Trump's disastrous time in office has left campaigning Republicans with very little to boast about to constituents back home. What they are left with instead is their familiar playbook of culture war scare tactics and divisive distortions to try to scare voters into supporting them. Senator Ted Cruz wasted no time to resort to absurd smears when asked about Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed.
Viewpoint: Europe needs a new scientific contract
The White House's new science strategy should be required reading in the Berlaymont and every European capital.Not because Europe should copy it. Parts of it should concern Europeans deeply. But because it asks the question Europe has so far avoided while steadily losing ground in the global race for technological leadership.Europe already possesses many of the world's finest universities, scientists and research-intensive companies. It produces world-leading research in fields ranging from quantum technologies and biotechnology to climate science. Yet time and again Europe generates the scientific breakthroughs while others build the companies, industries and strategic advantages around them, particularly in digital technologies. Increasingly, we find ourselves regulating technologies whose underlying capabilities were developed elsewhere.This is not primarily a scientific failure. It is an institutional one.The settlement that shaped modern science policy emerged after the Second World War. In Science, the Endless Frontier, Vannevar Bush argued that governments should invest in fundamental research while protecting scientists from political direction. Public investment was justified precisely because no government, university or company could predict where the next transformative discovery would emerge.That scientific contract served liberal democracies extraordinarily well. It underpinned decades of advances in medicine, computing, energy and communications, but the world for which it was designed no longer exists.Artificial intelligence is transforming not only technology but the production of knowledge itself. Advanced chips, computing power, data and scientific instruments have become strategic assets. Scientific knowledge now diffuses globally almost instantly. Competitive advantage increasingly lies not in making discoveries first, but in possessing the infrastructure, capital, engineering capability and institutions required to translate those ideas into products, industries and strategic advantage.The old boundaries between science, industrial policy, national security and geopolitics have largely disappeared. Dual-use technologies now underpin both economic power and military deterrence.The US has recognised this shift. In July, the White House published Science: A New Golden Age, a comprehensive attempt to rethink the relationship between science and national power. The report builds on Bush's legacy, but departs from his framework in important ways. Science is no longer treated simply as the source of future discoveries. It is presented as the foundation of economic resilience, technological leadership and national security. AI, advanced infrastructure and the capacity to build become as important as discovery itself.Yet the report also reveals a striking paradox. The same administration calling for “a new golden age” of US science has simultaneously proposed deep cuts to the federal research enterprise while expanding political influence over the allocation of public research funding. Europe should therefore distinguish between the report's diagnosis and its prescription. The diagnosis, that science has become a strategic asset, is compelling. But the prescription is self-defeating. Long-term technological leadership depends on strong universities, academic freedom and the institutional autonomy that makes scientific discovery possible. This distinction matters. Bush's achievement was never simply to make science serve national strength. It was to establish a division of labour in which governments invested in research without attempting to direct discovery itself. Scientific breakthroughs emerge precisely because researchers retain the freedom to pursue questions whose value cannot yet be demonstrated and whose conclusions cannot be anticipated.Neither China, nor the USAs science becomes more strategically important, the temptation to politicise it inevitably grows. But scientific freedom is not an obstacle to technological leadership, it is an essential precondition.China represents the opposite model. For decades it has integrated science, manufacturing, infrastructure and industrial policy into a single national strategy. Its ability to mobilise resources around critical technologies is formidable. But it does so within an authoritarian system where scientific priorities are increasingly inseparable from political power.Europe should imitate neither model. It should learn from the strategic ambition of the US without importing its growing politicisation of science. And it should learn from China's capacity to build without adopting its concentration of power.Instead, Europe needs a scientific contract of its own. Bush's scientific contract protected the freedom to discover because the defining challenge of the 20th century was producing new knowledge. Europe's next scientific contract must preserve that freedom while ensuring that scientific discoveries can be converted into technological, industrial and strategic capability. Because in a transactional world, Europe's freedom to shape its own future depends on its capacity to build it.Related articlesThe US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to knowEuropean researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationNIH turmoil risks reciprocal EU-US access to health research fundingThis does not mean subordinating free science to competitiveness or industrial policy. On the contrary. Scientific autonomy remains the first principle of Europe's next scientific contract. Governments should not direct scientific discovery. Their responsibility is to ensure that Europe's scientific, industrial, financial and regulatory institutions work together rather than in isolation.Meeting that responsibility requires far more than research funding. European researchers need access to world-class computing infrastructure, advanced laboratories, shared datasets and scientific facilities. Innovative companies need patient capital, testing environments and a genuine single market in which they can scale without facing 27 different regulatory regimes. Public procurement must evolve from purchasing existing technologies to creating markets for new ones. Regulators must become partners in experimentation rather than guardians of yesterday's rules.A connecting architectureEurope does not need to invent the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) model from scratch. Britain's Aria, Germany's Sprind and Wellcome Leap already show that Europe can build institutions capable of taking high-risk, mission-oriented bets while preserving democratic accountability. The challenge now is not to create more isolated initiatives, but to connect them to Europe's broader scientific, industrial and financial system so that breakthrough discoveries can scale.Above all, Europe must stop treating research, innovation, industrial policy, finance and security as separate policy domains. The challenge is no longer to create excellent institutions in each of these fields, but to make them work as one European innovation system. Europe's strength will increasingly depend not on excellence within institutions, but on excellence across them.Europe's ambition should be neither to imitate the US nor to emulate China. It should demonstrate that scientific freedom, democratic legitimacy and technological capability are not competing objectives, but mutually reinforcing strengths. In an age of geopolitical rivalry, Europe's greatest advantage may ultimately be its ability to attract the world's best talent by combining scientific freedom, democratic openness and technological ambition.Bush's scientific contract helped define the 20th century because it protected the freedom to discover. Europe's challenge is not to abandon that achievement but to extend it. The defining task of Europe's next scientific contract is to preserve the freedom to discover while building Europe's capacity to translate scientific discovery into technological power.Kaare Nielsen is founder of Pomus, a Danish think tank on science and innovation.
Science|Business summer reads of 2026
As most people in the European research and innovation policy bubble are going on a well-deserved summer break, we have come up with a list of our favourite books, podcasts and essays from the past year that ask deeper questions about science, technology and politics.BooksPasteur’s Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation, by Donald StokesIf you haven’t read Pasteur’s Quadrant yet, now is the time. In the EU and elsewhere, we’re living through a period of dwindling faith that curiosity-driven research automatically leads to economic growth and technological progress. Pasteur’s Quadrant, published in 1997 by the Princeton academic Donald Stokes, is the most influential critique of the standard “linear model” of R&D: the idea that new discoveries made in ivory-tower labs get neatly passed on for commercialisation by start-ups. In reality, Stokes argues, practical applications often inspire more theorical lines of inquiry. Of course, we have long known that things are more complex than the linear model, but even today, it’s still often assumed in Brussels discourse. The book is a useful corrective, and is being used now to argue for new types of scientific institutions. David MatthewsThe Weaponization of Expertise: How Elites Fuel Populism, by Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis PattersonAre society’s problems solvable by technical expertise alone? “If only the benighted would listen,” say Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis Patterson, two professors at Rutgers Law School who got frustrated with how scientists and politicians handled public health communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the book, they argue that clichéd mantras about scientific evidence and expertise perpetrated by academics, journalists and politicians have harmed public trust in the very institutions they were trying to defend. Paradoxically, slogans such as “we believe in science,” “follow the science” and “defer to the experts” can fuel mistrust in science, experts and democratic institutions. The authors criticise “condescension” and “technocratic paternalism” in the public discourse and make the case for a more nuanced approach to scientific and expert policy advice that rests on humility, doubt, scepticism and open dialogue. “Most complex social questions in fact revolve around values, not the recitation of unambiguous facts,” they say. Florin ZubascuBreakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, by Dan WangIn this book, Dan Wang compares the structural differences between the US and Chinese industrial policies, but raises a very timely question for innovation policy wonks: how can advanced manufacturing know-how contribute to technology-intensive economic growth? Wang says technology has three components: the tools, the blueprints and patents, and the process knowledge. The third component represents the “proficiency gained from practical experience, which isn’t easily communicated and requires years of implementation.” According to Wang, rather than seeing tools and blueprints as the ultimate ends of technological progress, policymakers should see them as milestones in the training of better scientists and manufacturers. Over the past decades, China has amassed “process knowledge” because capital flowed to complex fabrication facilities, while investors in the West have parked their money in capital-light businesses such as digital platforms or chip companies that focus on design. As it turns out, thanks to its oversized focus on manufacturing, China has gained remarkable advantages in the global technology race. Florin ZubascuBaltic: The Future of Europe, by Oliver MoodyWhat can Europe learn from the nine countries surrounding the Baltic Sea? Alongside the familiar stories about Estonia's digital transformation, the book examines how the region has used technology, resilience, education, governance and long-term thinking to respond to geopolitical, economic and security challenges. Innovation policy wonks might find fresh perspectives on how innovation can strengthen defence, societal resilience and Europe's capacity to adapt in an uncertain world. Whether or not you agree with all of Oliver Moody's conclusions, the book is a useful guide to a region that is increasingly shaping European debates on security, competitiveness and technology. Goda NaujokaityteThe Invention of Nature, by Andrea Wulf This book chronicles the wild and adventurous life of natural science pioneer Alexander von Humboldt who at some point in the 19th century seems to have been just about the most famous person in the world. Through scientific expeditions to the Andes Mountains and to the depths of Siberia, von Humboldt contributed a host of discoveries and concepts. During his life he met and formed relationships with historical figures as different as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Simon Bolivar, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles Darwin. He is also claimed to be the person in the world with most things named after him, a list that includes an ocean current, a penguin and a region of the Moon. Still venerated in Germany, with numerous scientific institutions named after him, von Humboldt has slipped out of public consciousness in most of the rest of the world. For anyone not familiar with him, this book does a good job of describing his fascinating life. Ole EllekrogCareless People, by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsYou may have heard this referred to as the book Meta doesn’t want you to read. The 2025 memoir from Sarah Wynn-Williams, former director of global public policy at Meta, then just called Facebook, includes explosive claims about everything from a toxic workplace culture to how the company worked with advertisers to target vulnerable teens, and the lengths it was prepared to go to in order to break into China. It’s a fascinating insight into how and why the tech company gradually shifted its approach to policy, whether in the US, Europe or Asia. Meta has denied the allegations in the book, and last year won an emergency ruling to prevent Wynn-Williams from promoting it. In response, the author is now suing her former employer. If that doesn’t make you want to read it. Martin GreenacrePodcastsThe Europeans: Europe’s anti-ElonThis podcast is a great choice for a light-hearted dose of European policy and culture news. Most of it has little to do with research, innovation and technology, but this particular podcast features an interview with Mastadon’s founder Eugen Rochko. He talks about his experience running an open-source, federated, European-made social media platform, and leaving it all behind. The conversation, which starts 14 minutes in, gently encourages us to reflect on what kind of technology we, as Europeans, want to make. Goda NaujokaityteSolarpunk and how we escape dystopiaNew technologies are very often taken from science fiction. Alberto Santos-Dumont, inventor the airship, was inspired as a child by the adventure stories of Jules Verne. OpenAI’s attempt to build a personal assistant with the voice of Scarlett Johansson was lifted from the 2013 film Her, completely ignoring the movie’s cautionary message. So if we want better tech, we need to imagine it first. Unfortunately, the state of current sci-fi is relentlessly dystopian, giving inventors precious few ideas or hope. However, a new genre, Solarpunk, which envisages a technologically advanced but ecologically harmonious future, is now taking off. The actual tech the genre imagines, such as permaculture, renewable energy or community repair workshops, while nice, isn’t all that inspiring or ambitious. But it’s a first step towards rescuing sci-fi from its pessimistic Blade Runner rut. David MatthewsEveryday AbundanceLaunched in June, Everyday Abundance is a podcast that tells the stories of the inventions we now take so for granted that we barely given them a second thought. For example, the washing machine, which liberated women from a lifetime “bent over washtubs and washboards.” Or modern dentistry, which ended the reality that “tooth pain was simply part of human life.” Historians of technology, Virginia Postrel and Charles C Mann are very much on the optimistic end of the spectrum when it comes to the capacity of invention to improve human life. Here, they set out their case: if it wasn’t for progress, you might be hunched over a washtub with toothache rather than reading these words. David Matthews‘We will not know what we lost’: Conservation fallout a year after USAID shutdownSince his return to the White House, Donald Trump has been on a mission to undermine science. He slashed jobs at federal agencies, terminated grants in some research areas, took unprecedented control over university affairs and, within hours of his inauguration, suspended the US Agency for International Development. While its initial focus was to administer health and food aid around the world, it had since expanded to conservation projects. The result? Some of these projects were stopped abruptly. In this Mongabay podcast, environmental reporter Michelle Nijhuis tells the story of the EcoGuard conservation programme in Liberia, whose local patrols had helped protect rainforests, monitor endangered wildlife and track illegal threats. From one day to the next, these were left without salaries. Luckily, she notes, the initiative was able to get emergency funding from international NGOs, but its future remains “incredibly uncertain.” Juliette PortalaEssaysThe Mars Delusion, by Henry WismayerWhy is humankind so fixated on establishing a colony on Mars? asks London-based writer Henry Wismayer. From space evangelists promoting Martian settlement as an insurance policy, to billionaire Jeff Bezos, who said humans should settle on Mars “because it’s cool,” the mission is not running short of advocates. However, in this essay, Wismayer reminds us that some critics expect any future Mars pioneer to end up “irradiated, sick, mad and dead.” Scientists have already looked into the possible effects of prolonged exposure to Martian gravity, and it’s not pretty: muscle shrinking, bones weakening, changes to the central nervous system and other biological modifications to make us all reconsider the journey. “Some researchers have forecast that the future settler, after generations of evolutionary conditioning, will look less like an Übermensch and more like ET,” Wismayer writes. Juliette Portala
Democratic voters are looking to turn the page on establishment-backed politicians
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Newsom heading to Michigan to boost Democrats on heels of El-Sayed win
The trip will also allow Newsom to build support in a critical swing state as he gears up for a possible presidential run in 2028.
Georgia gubernatorial candidates pitch competing plans at business forum
ATHENS — Georgia’s two candidates for governor showcased their competing plans for healthcare, jobs and other top issues at a business-focused gathering Wednesday. Gov. Brian Kemp also gave his full-throated support to fellow Republican Rick Jackson, saying Jackson was the most likely candidate to continue his business-friendly policies. The Democrat in the race, former Atlanta […]
GOP lawmakers keep trying to defang voters in their own states
The big headline out of Tuesday’s primaries was the slim victory of former public health official Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary — proof that progressives are ascendant in the party, even in a key swing state.
After Michigan Loss, AIPAC Weighs a Second Effort to Defeat El-Sayed
The pro-Israel organization spent $32 million in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. It might try again in the general election.
Scandal Leaves North Carolina G.O.P. With No Candidate and Little Time
Representative Chuck Edwards’s decision to drop his re-election bid amid sexual harassment charges came as a Democratic farmer, Jamie Ager, was already making inroads.
Abdul El-Sayed’s Next Big Challenge
He called out Democrats. Now he needs to bring them together.
Bottoms, Jackson offer competing visions on data centers, Medicaid expansion at business luncheon
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson took the stage at an Athens event center to pitch their policies to a crowd of over 1,000 members of the state’s business community.
Progressive Victory in Michigan Senate Primary Deepens Democratic Divide
Abdul El-Sayed showed the far left can win a battleground state, but the fight for control of the party is far from over.
A Democratic Socialist Disparaged Thanksgiving. Will Voters Forgive Her?
“Cancel Thanksgiving,” she wrote. “VDay” brings out “the worst of humanity,” she mused. Francesca Hong’s old social media posts get a fresh look ahead of Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor.
Pa. House Democrats introduce measure to bar corporations from political contributions
A new legislative proposal would bar corporations from contributing to political campaigns in Pennsylvania.
This chaplain may become first trans person elected to Michigan legislature
Joanna Whaley is favored to win the heavily Democratic district in November.
Takeaways from Tuesday's elections in Michigan and more
Democrats need to rack up as many wins as possible to take back the U.S. Senate, so the party has little room for error.