😟🔮 Anne Applebaum: «It Is What I Feared Would Happen»
🤖 AI Summary
- 🚨 Concerns about the current political climate in the United States: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum discusses her 😬 concerns about the current political climate in the United States 🇺🇸, drawing parallels between the 👨⚖️ Trump administration’s actions and historical authoritarian regimes 👑🚫📜 [00:39].
- 🛂 Expansion of ICE: Applebaum discusses the expansion of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the creation of what she describes as a “militarized customs police” 👮, which she views as the first federal police force with broad and undefined powers in the U.S. 🇺🇸 [03:33].
- 🐊⛓️ Administration’s embrace of mass prisons and “alligator Alcatraz”: Applebaum addresses the administration’s embrace of mass prisons 🏢 and the “alligator Alcatraz,” which she sees as a celebration 🎉 of cruelty 😈 and a way to condition Americans to accept the humiliation and pain inflicted on certain groups 😥 [09:07].
- 🤥 “Annihilation of truth” and disinformation: The discussion further delves into the “annihilation of truth” 🚫 and the constant stream 🌊 of disinformation, which Applebaum compares to tactics used in Putin’s Russia 🇷🇺 to confuse people 😵💫 and foster apathy 😞 [18:45].
- 🚀 Elon Musk’s political ambitions: Applebaum shares her thoughts 💭 on Elon Musk’s political ambitions, comparing him to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian general who challenged Putin 🤼 [27:05].
- 🇺🇸🇷🇺 U.S. relationship with Russia and the war in Ukraine: Applebaum discusses the U.S. 🇺🇸 relationship with Russia 🇷🇺 and the war 🕊️ in Ukraine 🇺🇦, expressing concern 😟 that the Trump administration’s actions, such as lifting sanctions and dismantling aid programs, are effectively helping Russia and prolonging the conflict ⏳ [31:27].
- ❓ U.S. strategy towards Iran: The interview concludes with a brief discussion on the U.S. 🇺🇸 strategy towards Iran 🇮🇷, which Applebaum finds unclear 🤔 and potentially counterproductive 🤕 [41:35].
📚 Book Recommendations
- 📖 On Authoritarianism and Democracies:
- 🥀 Twilight of Democracy: 🐍 The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum (The author of the video, directly relevant to her insights).
- 👑🚫📜2️⃣0️⃣ On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder.
- The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder.
- 📰 On Disinformation and Truth:
- The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani.
- Post-Truth by Matthew d’Ancona.
- 🏛️ On US Politics and Institutions:
- 🗳️🏛️☠️ How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
- ⚠️🥴🕹️🌐 The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis (While not directly about authoritarianism, it touches on the undermining of government institutions).
🐦 Tweet
😟🔮 Anne Applebaum: «It Is What I Feared Would Happen»
— Bryan Grounds (@bagrounds) July 13, 2025
🇺🇸 Political Climate | 👮 Immigration and Customs Enforcement | 🏢 Mass Prisons | 🚫 Disinformation | 🚀 Elon Musk | 🇺🇦 War in Ukraine | 🇮🇷 U.S. Iran Strategy | 🤥 Lies@anneapplebaum@SykesCharliehttps://t.co/JpyuqsJCUQ