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Created
Fri, 28/03/2025 - 00:36

During the 2024 election campaign, candidate Donald Trump’s most controversial rally occurred at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A comedian on the program referred to the island of Puerto Rico — and by implication Puerto Ricans — as garbage. He and the Trump campaign were rightfully pilloried and called out for his disgusting bigotry. Little notice was given, however, to another noxious racist moment at the same event. On Trump’s playlist for the rally was the Confederate and White nationalist anthem “Dixie.” Notably, that song was played as Trump loyalist and harsh defender Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) was coming on stage. Donalds is African American and perhaps Trump’s most visible Black sycophant. While Black social media and journalists crucified Trump... Read more

Created
Fri, 28/03/2025 - 00:00

Dear Readers,

Our latest issue is officially out in the world and live online today. Completing an issue of The Believer is a huge undertaking, made possible only by the dedicated work of our very small team of editors and designers. But we feel very lucky that we get to do this work, especially in this day and age. We’re living through a scary time where misinformation has become catastrophically widespread, as we all know. And it’s a small thing, but to work on a magazine that values the truth feels important.

Created
Thu, 27/03/2025 - 23:00

“A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games after four years of experiments in the minor leagues.” — AP

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Dave strikes out looking at a close pitch.

HAL 9000: Strike three. You’re out, Dave.

DAVE: That wasn’t a strike!

HAL 9000: The 9000 series has a perfect operational record, Dave.

DAVE: You need to get your red eye thing checked.

HAL 9000: The 9000 series has perfect twenty-twenty vision. Perhaps you should get your eyesight checked, Dave. Your team’s health care staff can provide an ocular examination for you.

DAVE: Yeah, well—

HAL 9000: This conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

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A checked swing is called a strike.

Created
Thu, 27/03/2025 - 16:14
It’s been a week of grand fiscal statements. Tuesday, it was for Australia as I discussed yesterday – Australian fiscal statement – rising unemployment amidst a moderate fiscal contraction (March 26, 2025). Then yesterday in the UK, the Labour Chancellor delivered the British Government’s – Spring Statement 2025. Both statements come at a time when…
Created
Thu, 27/03/2025 - 12:35

Last week, the government published proposals to change disability benefits across Britain — and chancellor Rachel Reeves set them in stone yesterday in her spring statement. Regardless of the rhetoric being used to describe the changes as a moral crusade, it represents the biggest attack on welfare in a generation, with the scale of the […]