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DC Wrap: Trump lashes out over Iran vote; Great American State Fair begins
A look at the day's biggest stories in national politics
Online violence against women in politics: what shapes political party responses to technology-facilitated gender-based violence?
Political parties have a primary role to play in tackling online violence against women and gender diverse politicians. While the prevalence and impact of TFGBV, such as coordinated disinformation campaigns, deepfake image-based sexual abuse or trolling are well documented, many parties are still building their knowledge on how to respond effectively and have not put in place internal practices and policies that respond to the rapidly evolving, poorly regulated digital ecosystem. About the ReportIn order to promote and protect fair and democratic participation in politics, this ALIGN Report explores what political parties are doing in response to TFGBV and what factors shape their action. The findings, based on existing literature and interviews with gender and politics professionals, indicate there are three sets of factors which donors, civil society and practitioners should consider when designing action to support political parties to respond to TFGBV internally. These are: (1) gender norms; (2) socio-political environment; and (3) internal party factors.Key messagesUnequal gender norms are ubiquitous across politics, shaping expectations of leaders to be strong and assertive, and practices of political parties to uphold masculinist values and sustain cultures of silence. These often lead to weak response to TFGBV against women politicians.The socio-political context can incentivise or disincentivise action, depending on the salience of gender issues, which are increasingly weaponised. Electoral competitiveness, domestic laws (i.e. quota requirements), and even the political system or global normative frameworks influence political will to act.Internal party factors that shape responses will vary across countries and contexts, but include: structures to enforce codes of conduct, policies and reporting mechanisms on (TF)GBV, political ideology, extent of centralisation of leadership, and crucially the meaningful participation of women in decision-making positions, not least through internal women’s wings.Party responses can be seen as a spectrum, with actions falling between active discouragement to address TFGBV to commitment to transform unequal norms and practices within the party.About the ToolkitTogether with the report, this ALIGN toolkit offers gender professionals and others working on democratic strengthening a set of guiding questions and reflection prompts to identify which responses could be most effective and suitable in different contexts. These actions can complement other solutions to TFGBV, such as regulations promoting safety by design. The assessment spans a broad range of factors including: (1) different manifestations of gender norms, (2) the socio-political environment and (3) internal party structures.Key messagesPolitical parties are duty-bound to take action internally to respond to the significant threats posed to women members and candidates, including from their own party colleagues, affiliates and political peers.Existing party approaches to TFGBV can be assessed along a spectrum which ranges from active discouragement and passive acceptance to minimal response and transformative change.To generate effective and context-appropriate solutions to TFGBV, it is important to consider how gender norms shape leadership expectations and internal party practices, while also analysing the impact of the socio-political environment. While actions to support women to stay safe online are very common, codes of conduct and measures to strengthen women’s voice and power in the parties are proposed as most transformative solutions.
Caravan of Care Brings Free Health Services to Goodwill on Dearborn
From dental cleanings to ORCA card help, Evergreen Goodwill's outdoor resource fair on Dearborn aims to meet community needs in one place.
Service meets science: Meet the first graduate of UAB’s Master of Science in AI in Medicine
UAB’s first graduate of the M.S. in AI in Medicine program blends clinical training with artificial intelligence, highlighting how physicians can use AI to reduce burnout, improve patient care and shape the future of healthcare.
Dave And Buster's Entertainment (PLAY) Stock Sees Fair Value Cut After Q1 Analyst Revisions
The fair value estimate for Dave & Buster's Entertainment has been revised from US$18.88 to US$17.00, bringing the price target closer to updated assumptions on comparable sales and earnings. Analysts link this adjustment to a balance of cautious near term expectations after Q1 and ongoing optimism that longer term changes in the business could still support the story if execution improves. Read on to see how this evolving narrative might shape how you track Dave & Buster's Entertainment from...
UK Police hosts campus, health care and public safety leaders for Safer Kentucky Symposium
The University of Kentucky Police Department brought together leaders from private colleges, public universities, health care institutions, public safety agencies, emergency management and student affairs for the Safer Kentucky Symposium, a statewide conversation focused on strengthening safety through communication, coordination and shared responsibility.
Bill Gates: Jeffrey Epstein used billionaire connections to get to me
Bill Gates told Congress that Jeffrey Epstein wormed his way into his life with "veiled threats" to disclose extramarital affairs.
Tickets for top entertainment events at Scotts Bluff Co. Fair go on sale Wednesday
Tickets for the ‘big three’ of the nightly entertainment at the Scotts Bluff County go on sale Wednesday morning. Starting at 9 a.m., you can get your advance tickets for the Truck and Tractor Pull…
Tickets for top entertainment events at Scotts Bluff Co. Fair go on sale Wednesday
Tickets for the ‘big three’ of the nightly entertainment at the Scotts Bluff County go on sale Wednesday morning. Starting at 9 a.m., you can get your advance tickets for the Truck and Tractor Pull…
Lincoln County Fair offers week of family entertainment
STANFORD, Ky. — From rodeo action and demolition derbies to monster trucks and fireworks, organizers say this year’s Lincoln County Fair will offer something for nearly everyone while continuing a […]
The Fitbit Air takes a smarter approach to the AI health dumpster fire
To be fair, the bar for AI consumer health is in hell.
The Fitbit Air takes a smarter approach to the AI health dumpster fire
To be fair, the bar for AI consumer health is in hell.
Priorities for Military Health System: ‘Our mission is readiness’
Keith Bass, assistant secretary of war for health affairs, outlines his strategic priorities for the Military Health System, with funding and staffing at the top of the list to optimize warfighter readiness.
Small Business Resource Fair in Covington connects entrepreneurs with free support and training
By Abigail Wright NKyTribune staff writer Local entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners and students gathered on Monday at the Kenton County Public Library’s Covington branch for the 2026 Small Business Resource Fair, an event designed to connect the region’s business community with free resources, training and networking opportunities. Hosted by the Economic & Community Development Institute...
Mamdani defends criticism of AIPAC after being accused of antisemitism
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday defended his remarks last week sharply denouncing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee after prominent Jewish leaders accused him of antisemitism.
Valve's Steam Machine ships June 29 for $1,049, but you probably won't be able to buy one yet
Valve says it's using a randomized purchase queue to make the experience "less frustrating and more fair."
From an indictment to an alleged affair, Ken Paxton’s controversies hang over his Senate bid
The attorney general has won statewide elections twice since his legal woes began. This time he will be at the top of the ticket, facing a fundraising juggernaut in James Talarico.
Here’s how you can reserve a Steam Machine
Valve’s reservation process is complicated, but fair.
Lonestar, Gabby Barrett included in Appalachian Fair entertainment lineup
GRAY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Appalachian Fair revealed the entertainment lineup for its 100th anniversary year. On Monday, the fair posted on social media with a schedule of artists. Seven artists will…
Community health fair focuses on brain wellness with free screenings
The event will focus on helping attendees better understand their brain, vascular and overall health.
DCCA expands pathway for mental health professionals ahead of July 1 launch
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is preparing for the July 1 implementation of Act 93, which creates new provisional licenses for associate psychologists, associate marriage and family therapists, and associate mental health counselors.
Nonprofit behind new Fairview behavioral health center reworks proposal after neighborhood pushback
The Anchorage Assembly will consider updated grant contract on July 7.
Ha-Seong Kim returns to Braves lineup in series finale
The Atlanta Braves are running it back for the sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers on this Father’s Day Sunday. The only batter on the Braves’ side who’s had experience against the Brewers’ Robert Gasser is Joey Bart, who’ll be batting seventh in the lineup. For the Brewers, Brice Turang has had his fair share of […]
Health fair to provide wellness advice, vaccinations
The Healthways Alliance Community Health Fair 2026 runs from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday and will also feature a special keynote focused on diabetes awareness, education, and healthier living.
Apricot STEM Fair hightlights natural science, artificial intelligence
Event set for June 28 at Los Altos History Museum
Grandstand entertainment returns to Big Fresno Fair in October
Following strong Fairgoer support and attendance in 2025, The Big Fresno Fair is building on its new era of family-friendly Grandstand entertainment with the return of fan favorites and the
Students turn local fishing culture into hands-on science, business project
Crawford School students built crawler harnesses and perch rigs, designed packaging and sold products at local craft fair
Kid-run businesses will take center stage at the Acton Norman Children’s Business Fair
For one day only, kid-run businesses will take center stage at the Acton Norman Children’s Business Fair, allowing young entrepreneurs to showcase their creativity, products, and business skills.
Phoebe to host free men’s health fair in Albany
Event offers free screenings, wellness resources at Albany State University
Marlins' Pete Fairbanks: Notches save No. 10
Marlins' Pete Fairbanks: Notches save No. 10
CT Culture Corner: Shepard Fairey exhibit, Somi concert this week
The artist responsible for Obama's "Hope" poster and the "Obey" graphic comes to New London Museum, Irish dance in Torrington and who wrote the classic "Danny Boy," anyway?
The UMN, M Physicians and Fairview Health Services reach finalized healthcare agreement
On June 12, the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents voted unanimously in collaboration with other governing bodies to approve a new 10-year agreement between the University, M Physicians and Fairview Health Services, a partnership that will continue to support healthcare services and investments across the state. With the current agreement scheduled to expire at...
Sumter Men’s Health Fair aims to connect men with physical, mental, and social wellness resources
A free community health fair in Sumter is taking a holistic approach to men’s wellness by bringing physical health, mental health, and social well-being resources together in one place.
Buffalo Science Museum hosts annual Community Health Day event
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Juneteenth was a busy day at the Buffalo Museum of Science, where families attended a free health and wellness fair on Friday. Community Health Day is designed to conne…
What is the Pickaway County Fair entertainment?
The Pickaway County Fair may be known best for its livestock judging, but there is so much more! The entertainment aspects to the fair are worth looking into.
Fresno Fair Expands 2026 Grandstand Entertainment With Rodeo Derby, Monster Trucks
Discover the action-packed lineup at the Big Fresno Fair, including a new Demolition Derby and returning rodeo favorites.
Ben Wikler: My state was a ‘democracy desert.’ This is how we turned it around.
We can do the same for the entire United States. We can start working now to channel political anxiety into rebuilding the foundations of our democracy so that it offers free and fair elections for all candidates of every party.
Carmen Electra reveals why she loves the Prince diss track that 'everyone knows is written about me'
Carmen Electra is looking back on her relationship with Prince, from their brief love affair, to the album they made together in 1993, to the diss track she swears 'everyone knows' was written about her.
Senate Panel to Consider Mark Cruz for Indian Health Service Director Post
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold a nomination hearing on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 10 a.m. EDT to consider Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, for the position of director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) within the Department of Health and Human Services. The White House announced on Monday, […]
Political watchdog fines Newsom for failing to report $5.5M in solicited donations on time
The California Fair Political Practices Commission said most of the violations were for failing to report that Gov. Gavin Newsom and his his staff directed inquiries from companies and foundations to offer help after the Los Angeles wildfires to the California Fire Foundation.
MU Health Care officials cite financial challenges amid layoffs, clinic closures
The MU Board of Curators Public Health Affairs Committee held a meeting on Thursday, one day after it was announced that 74 employees were laid off.
High 5 Entertainment’s hiring fair set for early 2027 jobs
High 5 entertainment venue in Estero is progressing with vertical building. Amenities include a pickleball club, bowling alley, bars, golf courses, and a full-service kitchen with memberships and public access.
Around the Southland: Scientists visit Glenwood Academy for fair prep, and more
News from around the Southland includes items from Glenwood, School District 230, Palos Heights, Orland Park, Tinley Park and more.
UT San Antonio names Corey Pashea vice president for development, health affairs and health system
Beginning Aug. 17, Pashea will lead development efforts supporting the university’s academic health center.
Vice president for development, health affairs and health system named
Corey Pashea, MHS, was named vice president for development, health affairs and health system of UT San Antonio, following a national search. She will begin Aug. 17.
Small Business Owner and Former Cultural Affairs Commissioner Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin Launches Bid for Culver City Council
Small Business Owner, Former Cultural Affairs Commissioner, and longtime community volunteer Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin today declared her candidacy for the Culver City Council. Wisnosky Stehlin is running to be a voice for residents and community members who want strong, collaborative leadership at City Hall. "People come to Culver City because the...
Kill Your Doomerism with Citizen Science
As public institutions are gutted and ecological crises mount, volunteer scientists are creating a model of collective action worth believing in.
Pittsburgh rock favorites added to Canfield Fair lineup
Another act has been added to the Canfield Fair entertainment lineup.
San Diego County Fair brings classic treats, entertainment to Rady Children’s Hospital
The San Diego County Fair brought music, entertainment, and classic fair treats to patients and families at Rady Children’s Hospital, providing a sense of normalcy for those unable to attend …
Rap star Busta Rhymes headlining stacked Choctaw Indian Fair entertainment lineup
The Choctaw Indian Fair is rapidly approaching, and we now have a closer look at what all will be taking place during the event's 76th edition this summer.
Dodgers notes: Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski, Kyle Tucker
Tuesday was as low scoring of an affair as one could as for, as the Dodgers came away with their second 1-0 win since June 5. In what has been an unbelievable offensive stretch since May 12, Shohei Ohtani kept it going as he provided the only offense for either side, blasting a solo home […]
Fairway Bays virtual golf simulation business to open on Father’s Day
Business located in Tioga Town Center.
Business for Good: Coblrshop for Your Vintage Glow-Up
What to do when your Eagle’s Eye cardigan or Rick Owens platform booties need a fix? A Fairmount entrepreneur has a convenient solution.
Sean Combs' prison sentence gets 2 months shorter as release date moves up for third time
Sean Combs' prison release date has been moved up for the third time in four months, shortening his prison sentence by seven weeks.
How States with Health Care Cost Growth Targets Are Using Their Data to Develop Bold New Policy Approaches to Constrain Spending
News article: In a new Health Affairs Forefront article, Michael Bailit, January Angeles, and Rachel Block show how states with health care cost growth targets have
Great New York State Fair Tickets on Sale This Week
Discounted single-day admission tickets for the Great New York State Fair are being offered for a limited time.
United States Announces U.S. Government Members of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council
United States Announces U.S. Government Members of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council Press Release June 16, 2026 Today, at the fifth annual Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF 2026), the United States announced the following inaugural members of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council: U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Vice President Bethany Aquilina Brez Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) Senior Vice President Sarah Witten Assistant Secretary of Commerce, David Fogel Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, Caleb Orr U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Jonathan Henick Launched in Washington, D.C., in April 2026, the U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council serves as the premier bilateral platform to accelerate trade and catalyze private sector investment between the United States and Uzbekistan. The Council is Co-Chaired by Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Ambassador Sergio Gor and Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Council gives American businesses direct access to U.S. government financing, trade promotion, and market development tools to execute large-scale projects in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan holds significant reserves of critical minerals essential to U.S. technology, defense, and energy sectors. The Council provides a direct mechanism to advance U.S. access to these resources through transparent, mutually beneficial partnerships. Through their participation, the American members of the Council will deepen the institutional framework for American commercial engagement in Uzbekistan.
Orkin Invites Students to Imagine Life in 2151 Through National Virtual Insect Science Fair
As Orkin marks 125 years of helping people better understand and manage pests, the company is launching the Orkin Insect 2151 Science Fair. The national virtual competition challenges students ages 14-18 to explore entomology and imagine how insect-inspired ideas could help solve real-world challenges over the next 125 years. Born out of Orkin's 125th anniversary and vision for the future, the competition encourages students to explore how insect science can inspire tomorrow's innovations in way
Emigholz on Jersey Thing: Business Climate Analysis Shows Competitive Struggles with Neighboring States
In a recent interview on Jersey Thing with Eric Scott, NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer Christopher Emigholz said New Jersey’s disappointing ranking
President announces July Fourth festivities to include 'Trump rally'
In a separate post, the president touted the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair, a 16-day expo slated to kick off June 24 and run through July 10
Revised charter aims to give more sports a place on Fairfax County Athletic Council
Changes to membership on the Fairfax County Athletic Council could give a seat at the table to representatives from a wider array of sports. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 9 approved the body's first significant charter change since 2004, slightly adjusting slots on the 23-member council. Approved by supervisors unanimously and without
IBX team wins first place at Google Code for the Cure Hackathon with AI prototype to make prior authorization clearer and fairer
A team of associates from Independence Blue Cross’s (IBX) Advanced Analytics and Data Science department won first place at a recent Google Code for the Cure Hackathon in New York City. The event, run by Google Cloud, brings together teams to build real-world AI solutions to health care challenges. In just four hours, the IBX team designed and built a fully functional prototype that shows how AI can make prior authorization decisions clearer, more consistent, and fair for patients and providers.
Las Cruces library invites students to showcase science fair projects
Las Cruces Public Libraries will host Science Fair Summer from June 22-27 at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library.
Yankees Jose Caballero's pitch clock "routine'' reaches a new level
Caballero claims that umpires are unfairly threatening to call automatic strikes against him despite acting within MLB's pitch-clock rules.
Mind, Body, Soul: Self-Care Is Health care Community Health Day
Ethan Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church invites residents throughout the Miami Valley and surrounding communities to attend its “Mind, Body, Soul: Self-Care Is Healthcare: Community Health Day” on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Ethan Temple SDA Church, 4000 Shiloh Springs Road, Clayton, Ohio 45315.The free community event is designed to promote holistic wellness by addressing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health while connecting individuals and families with valuable healthcare and community resources.The day opens with Morning Worship at 11:00 a.m., featuring guest speaker Alberta Scruggs, a licensed registered dietitian and nutritionist, who will share practical guidance on nutrition, self-care, and healthy living. Following the service, attendees will enjoy refreshments and a light lunch before taking part in the afternoon's health screenings, community resource fair, and wellness-focused activities.From 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., attendees will have access to free health screenings provided through a partnership with Premier Health, along with information and resources from local health and human service organizations.A Community Health Fair from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. will feature representatives from several organizations such as Black Women’s Health Initiative, CareSource, and many more.Recognizing the growing importance of emotional wellness, the event will also feature a Mental Health Panel Discussion from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. led by respected professionals in behavioral health and counseling. The panel will provide an opportunity for open conversation, education, and community engagement around mental health awareness, treatment, and support.In addition to health services and educational opportunities, attendees will receive complimentary lunch bags while supplies last, and school supplies will be distributed to students and families while supplies last.The Community Health Day is open to the public and free of charge. No registration is required.
Summertime science fun on tap for Las Cruces library
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The City of Las Cruces Public Libraries invites students who participated in a school science fair during the 2025–2026 school year to showcase their projects as part …
What can you expect at Neshoba County Fair political speaking?
Mississippi's preeminent political speaking event returns to Philadelphia in June, bringing candidates for the state's highest offices next year.
Odem Area Lions Club hosted a free Star Spangled Health Fair
Joan McKaughan, President of the Lion's Hall said the residents of the rural community don't have enough information on services in their area.
Mass. awards $17.9M grants for worker training, business boost
The Healey-Driscoll administration announced $17.9 million in grants for 1,255 Massachusetts businesses, intending to train, upskill, and retain more than 15,900 workers across the state.
Department of Veterans Affairs stops LGBTQ+ veteran support
Internal VA guidance obtained by The Advocate raises questions about the future of specialized assistance for those who served.
Ohio State Fair 2026 tickets drop to $6.14 for 614 Day flash sale
The Ohio State Fair is offering a 12-hour flash sale on June 14 with tickets priced at just $6.14 for the 2026 event.
Compensation coach explains why email negotiation is a strong strategy
Sara Perelli-Minetti, a former HR leader at Wayfair and Capital One, says candidates should make negotiation requests in writing.
In Retrospect: Poland, Russia, Europe
In April I spent a few days with Zryw, a Polish non-profit organization that recruits young people to enter politics and public life. Their aim is to build a new generation of civic leaders in Poland. I’ve followed their evolution from the beginning; my son is one of the founders. (“Zryw” means “impulse” or “burst of speed” in Polish). Julie Chmielewska, one of Zryw’s leaders, interviewed me at the event. Here is the conversation, lightly edited for grammar and context: Julia Chmielewska: Assuming that culture shapes institutions, could we conclude that some cultures are more prone to authoritarianism? Anne Applebaum: I don’t think so. Every culture, every nation, and every country has the potential for change. When we look at history, we can see that nations do change. Poland has changed, for example, from the 1980s to today. There’s a completely different mentality here than the one I encountered when I first visited, in 1988. The current generation sees the world through a different frame. So no, I don’t believe that certain nations are doomed to authoritarianism, or to anything. Of course, there are political and cultural traditions, but they can always be challenged. JC: So do you think there’s something intrinsic in human nature that pushes people to democracy, freedom? AA: I think there is something in human nature, a deep instinct, that pushes people towards freedom, yes. People who live in authoritarian countries – and I’ve heard this from them over and over again – sooner or later find themselves angered by a feeling of helplessness. They can see the unfairness of crooked courts, irrational political decisions. They naturally dislike the fact that somebody has all the power while they have none. In those circumstances, people who have no political background at all sometimes are politicized just by that frustration. I’m thinking of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, for example, who was a Belarusian housewife, until the circumstances of her husband’s arrest forced her to become a politician. I met a woman who is a Uyghur from China, and who had come to live in Turkey. After several of her family members were arrested, she too was propelled into a political role. These kinds of experiences make people interested in democracy or political reform, even if they thought they didn’t care. I also think that the opposite is true: some people instinctively prefer homogeneity, order, hierarchy. They don’t like the confrontation of opinions or the noise of debate, and they lean towards a single leader or a unified regime. I think that most of modern history is shaped by the clash between those two different sides of human nature. JC: Which force do you find more powerful today? AA: I think they both have a lot of power and there’s no way of predicting who wins. Even in countries that seem very shut off or stuck in an authoritarian system can change. We’ve seen that happen. And vice versa, I think democracies can also begin to fail and slide into authoritarianism. So it’s very important not to be complacent in either direction. JC: I want to go into your history and your experiences. You’ve lived in Russia during a time of incredible change in the late 80s, and then you came back to do research in post-Soviet Russia. AA: I was a student in Russia just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. I then traveled and worked there extensively in the 1990s, and I met people who really were full of hope. They hoped that Russia could become a democracy, or at least a place that guaranteed freedom of speech, freedom of the press. These weren’t ideas that came from Washington. Although now the narrative in the Kremlin is different, I met many people who were working towards exactly that kind of transformation. A friend of mine ran a series of seminars – once a year, and then later several times a year, in cities all over Russia – designed to get people to discuss politics in new ways. She invited young politicians and journalists, as well as foreigners. I went to many of them, in Moscow as well as Volgograd and Novosibirsk. Over two decades, hundreds of people came to these seminars, and all of them wanted Russia to be different. I remain convinced that many Russians still want Russia to be different. It’s just that the old system, in the form of Putin, a representative of that system, returned. The KGB reimposed their power. And this wasn’t because of something to do with culture, this was to do with money and politics, and who was in charge. JC: You’ve partially answered my question... I wanted to ask whether that excitement of the 1990s was an exception from the Russian historical norm which has been rather authoritarian? AA: Of course, if you look at the history of Russia since the 18th century, there have always been liberal groups, reformers and revolutionaries. There were the Decembrists, in the early 19th century, and the rural populists later on, who tried to organize the peasantry. A significant group of liberal Russians appeared at the turn of the 20th century, people like the father of the writer Vladimir Nabokov, who was a Russian politician before the revolution. These groups were small in number, but sometimes had a broader significance. The Russian dissident movement in the 1950s and 1960s actually invented the modern human rights movement. It was their idea to hold the leaders of the Soviet Union accountable for the language they used, to remind them of the treaties they had signed and the promised they had made. They created the Helsinki group, for example, that held Soviet leadership to the language of the Helsinki Treaty, which formally ended the Second World War and which contained guarantees of human rights, at least on paper. That idea spread to Eastern Europe, and similar tactics were used here in Poland. (Benjamin Nathans recently wrote a great book about the Soviet dissidents, To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause) JC: But seemingly, even if they do ever get power, they could never hold on to it. AA: We don’t know, because they have never really had power. But in any case, we also don’t know what will happen in the future. There is no reason to assume that Russia will forever be condemned to totalitarianism. Even during the first fifteen years of Putin’s regime there was some form of democratic politics. Only when the full-scale war began did he bring everything to an end: he shut down all remaining independent organizations and killed his most important opponent, Alexi Navalny. But does that mean he is popular, that he enjoys legitimacy? Even now, we don’t really know what Russians think about him, or about the war. There is no way of doing real polling in Russia because nobody will answer an independent pollster over the phone. JC: Do you think that the flock of young people, especially young men, who fled Russia after the start of the war represent a continuation of liberal movements that refuse to partake in the authoritarian state, or do you think they are moving for the sake of self-preservation – “I don’t want to go to the army, so I leave”? AA: I’m sure it’s both. I actually know many people who left Russia for political reasons either in the very last years before the war, or else just after the war began. JC: And do you see a change in the young generation versus the old one that have fled? AA: It’s hard for me to say because the people who I know were mostly already politicized. I do know some younger people who left, but most of them were already either active in the opposition, or working as journalists. Many of them very self-consciously think of themselves as maintaining Russian culture abroad, just as in the 20th century the Soviet dissidents or the anti-communist White Russians once thought of themselves as people who maintained the true Russian culture, outside of Bolshevik Russia. JC: Let’s move on to Poland. One of your first experiences with Poland was reporting on Margaret Thatcher’s first state visit, in the autumn of 1988. You followed her around the farmers’ market. AA: She was making a symbolic gesture. She wanted to welcome free markets, but the only one she could really visit was the farmers’ market at Hala Mirowska. JC: And I want to talk about this area because today you can look out of any window in that district, Mirów, and see rows and rows of skyscrapers. How does it feel to see a country built from the ground in such a short time, both politically and economically? AA: You know, when you’re living in a period of dramatic change, it’s always hard to know whether the change is positive or negative. The transformation in Poland created winners and losers, as well as new classes of people, new political movements of different kinds. At the time, it sometimes just felt like turbulence. Now, we can look back at the 1990s and early 2000s in Poland and see in retrospect that the country was headed in towards prosperity and European integration. In around 2009 or 2010, I remember speaking to a woman who worked cleaning government offices, and who asked me if her daughter should study in Amsterdam or in London. This seemed to me to be a real transformation, and it happened very fast: within a few years, Poles stopped feeling like second-class Europeans, and a generation of younger Poles appeared who had no qualms about crossing borders. JC: We again live in turbulent times. Do you think we’re heading towards positive outcomes? AA: I can’t make predictions, because everything that happens tomorrow depends on what people do today. Also, history doesn’t have a trajectory. It doesn’t move in a particular direction. You only think it does afterwards. As I said, you can look afterwards at Poland in the 1990s and you could say this was a period of great progress. But not everybody at the time saw that. Sometimes people are very wrong about a given country’s trajectory. I remember people writing about Ukraine in the 1990s, about how dangerous it was that Ukraine was independent, that this was going to be an anti-semitic state, that Ukrainian nationalism was going to come back... and although you can say many bad things about Ukraine, the country made many bad choices, actually it became a pretty tolerant state which now has a Jewish president and until recently a Muslim defense minister. JC: In the 1990s Poland’s and Ukraine’s GDP were roughly similar. Ukraine was even a bit richer. So the starting point was similar for both of these countries, but they’ve turned out very, very differently. Even if we stop in 2014. Why do you think Ukraine “chose East”? Was it external influence? AA: No, I think Ukraine was in a different position. First of all, central and eastern Ukraine had been part of the Soviet Union since the 1920s, and had therefore experienced a longer period of occupation, repression, Sovietization and even Russification. Ukraine did not have, as Poland did, an alternative elite: a large cadre of economists and politicians, who already had some experience in opposition politics and in independent thinking. In Poland, the transformative finance minister, Leszek Balcerowicz, had already thought about how an economy might be decentralized before he took office. We can argue about how successful he was, but at least he was prepared to try something new. In Ukraine, people weren’t prepared. For one, there hadn’t been much space even for an illegal opposition in the previous couple of decades. Ukraine was also in many ways still emerging from colonial occupation. For the previous couple of centuries, many of the most capable Ukrainians had moved to Russia, and the first generation of leaders in independent Ukraine tended to be former Soviet apparatchiks. They didn’t immediately seek to become closer to western Europe. Instead, they looked for some kind of economic and political “third way” and an accomodation with Russia. Ukraine became stuck in this position, half-in, half-out and became pretty profoundly corrupt. JC: The Polish alternative elite had a vision of where they wanted the country to go. I think the general perception now is that this vision ends with the next election, right? Is this a natural process of gaining power? AA: Their vision, and it was shared by the time by politicians who now call themselves both left and right, was that Poland should join the EU and NATO, as fast as possible. My husband (Radek Sikorski) was in the very first government that said it wanted to join NATO. At the time this was taken very badly in Washington: the demand for NATO membership absolutely came from Poland, not from the US. But even then, in the early 1990s, many Poles already understood that the Russian sphere of influence would grow once again, that it was important to become part of the transatlantic alliance and an integrated Europe as fast as possible: NATO, the EU, the Council of Europe, all of the trading and security alliances. That consensus lasted through several different governments and over many years, even governments containing former communists. For twenty years, right, left and center disagreed about many things, but they all agreed on the direction that the country should go. In retrospect, that consensus created the basis for prosperity in Poland. JC: And regarding the Polish-Ukrainian relations. We know that antagonisms, e.g. the myth of Wołyń [a massacre of Poles that took place in what is now Western Ukraine, in 1943] are increasingly used in Polish political discourse today. In Ukraine, nationalist historians make heroes out of UPA, the Ukrainian revolutionary army, which is held responsible for this tragedy. Where do you see a start for burying the hatchet? Is the reconciliation of our nations possible? AA: So here’s a strange thing: For more than a decade after they both gained independence, Poland and Ukraine participated in a number of projects that were designed to solve exactly these kinds of Polish-Ukrainian differences. Books were published that were jointly written by Polish and Ukrainian historians, monuments were built. These projects were successful: If you’d asked me this question in 2010, I would have said that there are no real historical issues between Poland and Ukraine, that the two countries had mostly reconciled. For a number of reasons, this began to shift. In Poland, children and grandchildren of victims of the Wołyń massacre felt their tragedy hadn’t been fully recognized. In Ukraine, nationalist groups wanted the UPA partisans who had fought against the Soviet Union recognized for their heroism, despite the fact that some in this broad and not well-defined group were also linked to Wołyń. In both eastern Poland and western Ukraine, the memory of the ethnic cleansing that took place there in the late 1940s - Poles were moved West, Ukrainians East - to accomodate new borders has left feelings of displacement and bitterness. The wave of Ukrainian immigration, which started before the war, may have provoked some of this. But don’t underestimate the role played by Russia, which has always wanted to create discord between Poland and Ukraine, and pumps out propaganda to that effect in both countries. Vandalism on both sides of the border, damage done to cemeteries and monuments, is sometimes carried out by provacateurs working for Russia, just to create bad feelings. The Polish-Ukrainian conflict also hides a different reality: although there are real grievances and bad memories, the truth is that the biggest tragedies both nations experienced in the twentieth century were inflicted by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. That should unite these two countries, not divide them. JC: This week (19.04.2026 – Ed.) in Hungary we saw that using historical narratives to create grievance has no longer worked. Are you optimistic about the direction after Orban’s loss? AA: The Hungarian election was really important because it shows that people can actually resist powerful, dominant propaganda. The ruling party Fidesz controlled all of the TV, 90% of the newspapers, the constitutional court, the bureaucracy... and yet people had the nerve to vote against it and resist it. It’s also an important election because Hungary created a huge network of well-funded think tanks and foundations that were funding other far right groups and projects. So that loss is going to have a knock-on effect in other places too, maybe even in Poland. JC: What you’ve said about resisting propaganda reminds me of one of the interviews you did about talking to Russians in the post-Soviet era who claimed that people knew that the system was lying. Why do people choose to believe in these regimes anyway? AA: Because it’s useful. Stephen Kotkin, an American historian, once described how people would learn how to “speak Bolshevik”: It was just a language that you needed to use in order to get by in society. If you didn’t talk the way the regime wanted you to talk, then you might have problems, or lose your job, or your kids would not get into university. It was a way of getting along. Communist Poland was similar, at least in the early years. When I was writing a book about the Sovietization of Eastern Europe after World War II, I met a lot of people who wanted to talk a lot about the war, when many of them had done really heroic things. But almost nobody wanted to talk about the decade afterwards, between 1945 and 1956. This was when you had the short period of terror, violence and Polish Stalinism. To stay safe, people felt the need to just go along with what others were saying, or stay out of politics, or use communist jargon without necessarily believing it. I don’t judge them for it, and I wouldn’t describe all of those people as collaborators. It’s easy to feel moral certainty in retrospect, because we know that communism ended. But if you were living in 1949, it might not have been clear to you that communism was going to end. In very repressive societies, maybe about 10% of people who are really evil – collaborators, torturers. Maybe 10% of people are really brave and who find ways to resist. And then around 80% of people have kids, they have parents, they have to have jobs and they’ve had to get through it somehow. Strange though it may sound, I’ve found that the work I did on that book is now very useful in explaining some of what’s going on in the United States today. There are plenty of members of the Republican Party in Congress who know perfectly well that Donald Trump says many things that aren’t true. But they avoid criticizing him because it’s inconvenient, because they would get in trouble, because someone would attack them on the internet. So actually you don’t even need mass terror to get people to conform. JC: Is Gen Z reinventing agency? AA: We’ll see. In any generation you can find groups of people who want agency. If you live in a society that’s unfair, for example where a tiny number of people have captured most of the wealth, then at a certain point people rebel. This is always easier for younger people, who have you have less to lose. The question now is how the internet will affect the relationships between citizens and the state, and how it will change organizations. The “Twitter revolutions” people spoke about as early as 2008-9, mass protests organized online, have often proved to be very superficial. Although you can easily join something just by clicking, the work of creating a real movement requires physical participation. Successful mass movements of the past, for example the Civil Rights movement in the United States, were built by people who had spent many years together. They had participated in non-violent workshops together. They practiced and prepared. Just using the you can get everybody to show up at a certain moment, but then when the protest is broken up, nothing happens. It’s also true that the repressive regimes have more recently learned how to use the internet to undermine leaders and movements. Most of all, they now understand how to make people cynical. The form of propaganda that most modern authoritarians use - and I think the Russians really pioneered this - deploys sneering cynicism. Instead of praising the rulers, the regime propagandists mock the opposition movement leadership for being supposedly corrupt or sexually degenerate, with the goal of undermining any kind of idealism. JC: MAGA grew on the internet? AA: MAGA is a real grassroots movement. They had symbols, red hats, they showed up at rallies. But you’re right that the cynicism, the sarcasm and the distrust that the movement embodies came originally from the internet, and this is different. Fifty years ago, most European political parties had a social base in real organizations, in trade unions for Social Democrats, in church groups for Christian Democrats. As people stopped going to church and as the trade unions became smaller, the social base of these parties disappeared. Now people who wouldn’t have known one another in the past meet on the internet and create new movements, many of which don’t last. JC: Is history ending? Going in stale circles? AA: History never ends. In truth, human beings want contradictory things at the same time: order and freedom, stability and change. These things are never resolved, and when a society swings too far in one direction, people always push it the other way. But each time that happens, the result is different. Certainly it is true that we are now in a period when old philosophers and ideas from the 1930s are undergoing a revival. Carl Schmitt, who was a philosopher who was very influential on the Nazis, is back as an influence on both the far left and the far right, once again inspiring people to think that all politics has to be existential, that all politics is about defining and defeating enemies. In the US, some are also bringing back dominionism, the idea that we need a Christian and not a secular state. It’s also true that we are living through a more fundamental shift. The old left-right divide, which was mostly about the size of the state, is much less important now. Instead, we are arguing about more fundamental things: what are our rights, what protects our freedom. Or how much power do we want to give small elites, versus how much power to give ordinary people. In America a small group of very wealthy people now control information, because they control the social media platforms and AI, which means they determine what people will read and learn. Finding a way to preserve preserve zones of autonomy and independent thinking, this is going to be the main task for the next generation. JC: What is the one book that a person interested in Central Europe should read? AA: You could read my book “Iron Curtain: the Crushing of Eastern Europe” which tells the story of how the Soviet Union imposed its culture on the region. Or read Tim Snyder’s history of the region, “The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus 1569-1999.” And everyone should read “The Captive Mind” by Czesław Miłosz, which describes exactly the phenomenon we were talking about: why do people collaborate? I joined Scott Galloway and the brilliant Fiona Hill in a discussion about the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the future of global power, and what these conflicts reveal about America's role in the world. Scott told us that this was the 400th edition of his podcast, which is quite a number: My friend Francesco Chiamulera runs a brilliant series of literary events, Una Colline di Libri, A Hill of Books, in the Prosecco Hills, a region of vineyards and elegant hill towns in the Veneto, north of Venice. We did an event in Vittorio Veneto and also drove and biked around the countryside. Buy Autocracy Inc Buy Iron Curtain Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
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