The Blatant Lie of Germany’s Elite

In Germany’s recent parliamentary elections, the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) placed second, earning the party committee chairmanships. But last week, in what Heather Mac Donald calls an “anti-democratic coup,” other parties in Parliament voted down the chairmanships, denying the AfD a say in shaping legislation, despite its winning nearly 21 percent of the vote.

The rationale? Earlier this month, Germany’s domestic spy agency designated the AfD a right-wing extremist party, based on comments the party’s representatives have made: that Germans have a cultural history tied to their ethnic and national identity; that this history and identity deserve to be protected; and that unlimited illegal migration threatens national cohesion.

“Ten million of Germany’s voters have again been disenfranchised in the elite’s desperate attempt to preserve the status quo,” Mac Donald writes. “That elite’s claim to represent democracy against fascism is now long past being a silly pose. It is a blatant lie.”

Read her piece here.

Why doesn’t the most densely populated, economically vital region in the U.S. have reliable high-speed rail? Politics, the popularity of road and air travel, and an aging rail infrastructure, writes Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Eric Kober. He unpacks a pair of competing plans to improve service along the Northeast Corridor—and explains why neither may be politically feasible.

The Connect NEC 2035 plan calls for $117 billion (and likely more, accounting for inflation) in long-overdue upgrades but lacks funding and coordination. A proposal from NYU’s Transit Costs Project offers a more efficient $17 billion overhaul, but it would require legal, institutional, and political reorganizations that seem unlikely.

“Train travel won’t attract more riders until it becomes faster, more frequent, and more reliable,” Kober writes. “And that won’t happen without major investment and reorganization of services.”

New York City’s next mayor should push for the repeal of laws that effectively codify the city’s sanctuary status, writes Paul Dreyer. That would make it easier to deport unlawful immigrants convicted of crimes. “Notifying ICE when a migrant is charged with a criminal offense allows federal authorities to prioritize the removal of those who may pose a greater threat to public safety,” he writes. “Such a policy would signal that New York remains a city of refuge for peaceable residents, while refusing to tolerate unlawful behavior by those in the country illegally.”

Governor Ron DeSantis promised in his reelection campaign that Florida would be “where woke goes to die.” Whether his promise holds may depend on the fate of Santa Ono’s nomination to lead the University of Florida.

After speaking with insiders and poring over Ono’s extensive record, Christopher Rufo warns that the new nominee would undermine DeSantis’s commitment to merit in higher education. Ono, Rufo writes, “has expressed support for seemingly every left-wing fad, from ‘systemic racism’ and ‘climate justice’ to DEI and affirmative action.” These commitments are at odds with Florida’s academic reforms—and threaten to make the Sunshine State a “place where woke can live again.”

House Republicans have passed their massive tax bill—titled, in a nod to President Trump, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Now it heads to the Senate for consideration and adjustment.

And adjustment is needed, argues Manhattan Institute Fellow Robert VerBruggen. “As written, the bill extends the tax cuts enacted in 2017 at considerable cost, adds numerous gimmicks to the tax code, and only partially addresses the damage to the budget with spending cuts,” he writes. Worst of all, it will add about $3 trillion to the national debt.

The Senate still has a chance to chart a more fiscally responsible course—but only if Republicans can keep their fractious coalition together.

“With all of the unidentified people who just walked into the US during the last administration, hopefully the FBI won’t relax at all on actual terrorism.”

Photo credits: Omer Messinger / Stringer / Getty Images News via Getty Images