Fred Kaplan
@fredmkaplan.bsky.social
Slate's War Stories columnist; author of The Bomb, Dark Territory, The Insurgents, 1959, Daydream Believers, The Wizards of Armageddon, and--most recently--A Capital Calamity (a novel); also jazz critic for Tracking Angle.
My Tracking Angle review of the newly reissued 10-LP boxed set of Miles Davis' "The Complete Live At the Plugged Nickel 1965" (enthralling music, mixed sonics). trackingangle.com/music/the-mi...
The Miles Davis Quintet's Live 10-LP Masterpiece Gets A Second Release
A new vinyl reissue of "The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel"
trackingangle.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:50 PM
My Tracking Angle review of the newly reissued 10-LP boxed set of Miles Davis' "The Complete Live At the Plugged Nickel 1965" (enthralling music, mixed sonics). trackingangle.com/music/the-mi...
The idiocy of Hegseth cutting DoD's ties with Harvard (and, by the way, does he know Gen Caine, the JCS chairman, went to Harvard's Kennedy School?) slate.com/news-and-pol...
Pete Hegseth Is Being Even Dumber Than Usual
The secretary of defense just revealed that he fundamentally misunderstands what war is.
slate.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:17 PM
The idiocy of Hegseth cutting DoD's ties with Harvard (and, by the way, does he know Gen Caine, the JCS chairman, went to Harvard's Kennedy School?) slate.com/news-and-pol...
The real reason Trump let the New START nuclear arms treaty die--and the especially egregious lies he told while doing so. slate.com/news-and-pol...
The Real Reason Trump Wants to Rip Up Our Nuclear Weapons Treaty With Russia
The president's lies have gone nuclear.
slate.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:59 PM
The real reason Trump let the New START nuclear arms treaty die--and the especially egregious lies he told while doing so. slate.com/news-and-pol...
The last US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expires this week. Trump has done nothing about it. What he should do. slate.com/news-and-pol...
For the First Time in Half a Century, We Won’t Have a Nuclear Treaty With Russia. Trump Is Totally Unprepared.
And there's a new dimension to the possible arms race scenarios ahead of us.
slate.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:26 PM
The last US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expires this week. Trump has done nothing about it. What he should do. slate.com/news-and-pol...
If US-Europe relations really do rupture, historians will look back on last week as the breaking point. Here's why. slate.com/news-and-pol...
NATO Is Doing Military Exercises—Without America. That Does Not Mean Anything Good.
The rupture deepens.
slate.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:08 PM
If US-Europe relations really do rupture, historians will look back on last week as the breaking point. Here's why. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Trump's preposterous, going-nowhere Board of Peace. slate.com/news-and-pol...
A Seat on Trump’s “Board of Peace” Costs $1 Billion. Guess Who Gets the Money.
The leaders of China, India, and Russia are among those who haven’t yet responded.
slate.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Trump's preposterous, going-nowhere Board of Peace. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Trump goes TACO on Greenland. Good news, sort of, but it doesn't end--in some ways, it worsens--the crisis for him, the Europeans, and us all. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Our European Allies Just Exposed Trump’s Core Weakness—and Also America’s
The Europeans did something that the president, with some reason, thought they would never do.
slate.com
January 23, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Trump goes TACO on Greenland. Good news, sort of, but it doesn't end--in some ways, it worsens--the crisis for him, the Europeans, and us all. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Two speeches at Davos (Carney's and 'Trump's) and how they point the way to a turbulent new world. slate.com/news-and-pol...
At Davos, Trump’s Speech Stood Out—but Another One Mattered Much More
The Canadian prime minister started to outline what comes next.
slate.com
January 21, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Two speeches at Davos (Carney's and 'Trump's) and how they point the way to a turbulent new world. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Canadian PM Carney's speech at Davos today is THE speech about international politics in our time. Watch! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg4r...
Canada engaging 'with open eyes' as great powers use economic integration as 'weapons,' PM says
YouTube video by CBC News
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Canadian PM Carney's speech at Davos today is THE speech about international politics in our time. Watch! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg4r...
Trump's Greenland obsession marks a new level of madness. What to do about it? slate.com/news-and-pol...
It Might Have Seemed as if Trump Couldn’t Get More Irrational. Greenland Proves He’s Just Getting Started.
The Mad King era is upon us. Will the people with the power to do something about it do anything at all?
slate.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Trump's Greenland obsession marks a new level of madness. What to do about it? slate.com/news-and-pol...
It's time to dismantle the Dept of Homeland Security. slate.com/news-and-pol...
It’s Time to Dismantle the Department of Homeland Security
Even Republicans used to know that this was a mistake.
slate.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:42 PM
It's time to dismantle the Dept of Homeland Security. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Why Hegseth's crusade against Mark Kelly is even dumber than it seems. slate.com/news-and-pol...
The Defense Department’s Case Against Mark Kelly Is Even Dumber Than It Sounds
At the same time, it’s still having its intended effect.
slate.com
January 13, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Why Hegseth's crusade against Mark Kelly is even dumber than it seems. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Why Trump is talking again about grabbing Greenland. Why the world is taking him seriously. Why it's still a daft idea. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Trump Is Talking About Taking Over Greenland. The World Is Taking Him Seriously.
U.S. allies worldwide are alarmed by Trump’s unabashedly imperialist turn.
slate.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Why Trump is talking again about grabbing Greenland. Why the world is taking him seriously. Why it's still a daft idea. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Who's running Venezuela--and who's running US foreign policy? slate.com/news-and-pol...
It Remains Unclear Who’s Running Venezuela—and Who’s Actually Running U.S. Foreign Policy
There is a clear lack of strategy right now.
slate.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Who's running Venezuela--and who's running US foreign policy? slate.com/news-and-pol...
Re Trump's press conference on the nabbing of Maduro: never has a president been so unabashedly imperialist about his motives in foreign policy (at least not in public). slate.com/news-and-pol...
It’s Painfully Clear What Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is All About
Rarely has an American president been so blatant about his motives.
slate.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Re Trump's press conference on the nabbing of Maduro: never has a president been so unabashedly imperialist about his motives in foreign policy (at least not in public). slate.com/news-and-pol...
Why the "Trump-class battleship" is a bad idea, even apart from the megalomania of Trump's naming it after himself. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Trump Wants to Introduce New Battleships Named After Him. Oh Boy.
There's good news and bad news here.
slate.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Why the "Trump-class battleship" is a bad idea, even apart from the megalomania of Trump's naming it after himself. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Why the latest Ukraine "peace" talks failed (hint: it's not Zelensky's fault). slate.com/news-and-pol...
Trump Is Ignoring the Biggest Obstacle to Peace in Ukraine
The president doesn’t seem to understand that making peace is not a one-off gesture.
slate.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Why the latest Ukraine "peace" talks failed (hint: it's not Zelensky's fault). slate.com/news-and-pol...
The leaked Pentagon report that says DoD is spending its trillion-dollar-budget on, mainly, the wrong things. slate.com/news-and-pol...
This Report Should Be Setting Off Alarm Bells in the Pentagon
The people running the U.S. military should be sweating right now.
slate.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:48 PM
The leaked Pentagon report that says DoD is spending its trillion-dollar-budget on, mainly, the wrong things. slate.com/news-and-pol...
He says drug prices down 400, 500, even 600% - “numbers nobody had ever imagined.” Indeed.
December 18, 2025 at 2:14 AM
He says drug prices down 400, 500, even 600% - “numbers nobody had ever imagined.” Indeed.
Also how do network execs feel about turning over prime time air to a blatant campaign speech?
December 18, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Also how do network execs feel about turning over prime time air to a blatant campaign speech?
Big question: are people going to go for this, given (a) his subterranean ratings, (b) prices are high. and (c) the fact that he sounds loony.
December 18, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Big question: are people going to go for this, given (a) his subterranean ratings, (b) prices are high. and (c) the fact that he sounds loony.
Is ISIS making a comeback? Actually, it never went away. slate.com/news-and-pol...
The Reason ISIS Is Suddenly Back in the News
An expert shares his perspective.
slate.com
December 17, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Is ISIS making a comeback? Actually, it never went away. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Was the seizure of a Venezuelan tanker a "dramatic escalation" to war? Not necessarily. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Tanker Seizure May Not Be What It Seems
The latest move has its roots in Biden-era policy.
slate.com
December 11, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Was the seizure of a Venezuelan tanker a "dramatic escalation" to war? Not necessarily. slate.com/news-and-pol...
I’m on @BrianLehrer show on @WNYC at 10am today (Dec 11) to talk about Trump and Europe, Ukraine, Venezuela, etc.
December 11, 2025 at 2:21 PM
I’m on @BrianLehrer show on @WNYC at 10am today (Dec 11) to talk about Trump and Europe, Ukraine, Venezuela, etc.
The real meaning of Trump's National Security Strategy. slate.com/news-and-pol...
The Best Way to View Trump’s Alarming New National Security Strategy
It’s an unserious document—but it can tell us a few things about how Trump sees the world.
slate.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:13 PM
The real meaning of Trump's National Security Strategy. slate.com/news-and-pol...