Ron Charles
@roncharles.bsky.social
I write about books for The Washington Post.
www.RonCharlesBooks.com
www.RonCharlesBooks.com
After 20 years, I've been laid off at The Washington Post.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
I’ve Been Laid Off. I’m Not Done.
After 20 years at The Washington Post, I’m suddenly on my own — and still writing about books.
substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:17 PM
After 20 years, I've been laid off at The Washington Post.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Terrifying story about how the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to spy on and intimidate anyone who questions its actions:
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Terrifying story about how the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to spy on and intimidate anyone who questions its actions:
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Good Lord…..
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R), the highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress, said,” We are grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.”
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R), the highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress, said,” We are grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.”
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...
Live updates: Man fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis believed to be U.S. citizen
Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the incident, and Gov. Tim Walz provided few details.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Good Lord…..
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R), the highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress, said,” We are grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.”
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R), the highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress, said,” We are grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.”
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...
"In the annals of political lawfare there’s dumb, and then there’s the criminal subpoena federal prosecutors delivered Friday to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell."
www.wsj.com/opinion/jero...
www.wsj.com/opinion/jero...
Opinion | Lawfare for Dummies, Monetary Edition
DOJ’s criminal subpoena to Fed Chair Jerome Powell is a self-defeating fiasco.
www.wsj.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:29 PM
"In the annals of political lawfare there’s dumb, and then there’s the criminal subpoena federal prosecutors delivered Friday to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell."
www.wsj.com/opinion/jero...
www.wsj.com/opinion/jero...
So hard to decide... Should I work with Copilot for eight minutes to craft an inane reply that sounds like it came from the Borg Queen's middle school son or just write the reply myself?
January 10, 2026 at 2:17 PM
So hard to decide... Should I work with Copilot for eight minutes to craft an inane reply that sounds like it came from the Borg Queen's middle school son or just write the reply myself?
This week, JD Vance lost the 2028 Republican primary for president. No one comes back from shocking the nation’s conscience this deeply.
January 10, 2026 at 1:56 AM
This week, JD Vance lost the 2028 Republican primary for president. No one comes back from shocking the nation’s conscience this deeply.
These days, we’re all suffering.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Pay Falls Slightly to $74.3 Million in 2025
The executive's future at the company has been in question in recent months amid retirement rumors.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:07 PM
These days, we’re all suffering.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
Striking one of his most Orwellian and anti-American poses, Trump called the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol "a day of love."
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
Jan. 6, 2021: A visual archive of the Capitol attack
NPR’s Jan. 6 archive brings together reporting, video, documents and testimony to show what really happened during the Capitol riot. Explore the timeline, cases and evidence behind the attack.
apps.npr.org
January 6, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Striking one of his most Orwellian and anti-American poses, Trump called the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol "a day of love."
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive.
apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/
Least surprising news of the day:
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
The Winners and Losers From 2026’s Mix of Tax and Benefit Cuts
The tax cuts should help some people, but changes to programs such as food stamps will hurt low-income consumers.
www.wsj.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Least surprising news of the day:
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact."
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Students beware....
January 5, 2026 at 3:08 AM
Students beware....
Reposted by Ron Charles
"No Way To Prevent This," Says Company Spending Billions Of Dollars To Encourage This
December 31, 2025 at 10:39 PM
"No Way To Prevent This," Says Company Spending Billions Of Dollars To Encourage This
Reposted by Ron Charles
Reposted by Ron Charles
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Congratulations to Stephen Macedo & Frances Lee, whose book In Covid's Wake has been recognized as:
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
December 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Journalist Scott Wilson is so close to meeting his goal for the reading group in the Santa Barbara County Jail.
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
Donate to A Reading and Writing Group for Inmates, organized by Scott Wilson
For the past 18 months, I have met weekly with a group of inmates at the Santa Ba… Scott Wilson needs your support for A Reading and Writing Group for Inmates
gofund.me
December 20, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Journalist Scott Wilson is so close to meeting his goal for the reading group in the Santa Barbara County Jail.
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
Help him out!
gofund.me/6a54276ae
A publicist who has confused me with the Reverend Doctor Ron Charles — the one who thinks he may have found Noah’s Ark — claims he has the insight and skill to fix my online “keyword gaps, metadata mismatches, category alignment issues, and discoverability obstacles."
Sure…
Sure…
December 8, 2025 at 2:54 AM
A publicist who has confused me with the Reverend Doctor Ron Charles — the one who thinks he may have found Noah’s Ark — claims he has the insight and skill to fix my online “keyword gaps, metadata mismatches, category alignment issues, and discoverability obstacles."
Sure…
Sure…
"The Defense Department’s Law of War Manual specifies: 'Orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.' These are actions that you would expect from the Islamic State or the Russian army — not from the armed forces of a democracy."
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | No wonder Trump is outraged by warnings about illegal orders
There’s a reason lawmakers worry about the military being told to ignore the law.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
"The Defense Department’s Law of War Manual specifies: 'Orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.' These are actions that you would expect from the Islamic State or the Russian army — not from the armed forces of a democracy."
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Until now.....
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Sure, the rule would have prevented 4,500 premature deaths, but that second yacht isn't gonna pay for itself! #Priorities
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Trump EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths
The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer defend Biden-era limits on fine-particle pollution, which causes heart and lung disease.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Sure, the rule would have prevented 4,500 premature deaths, but that second yacht isn't gonna pay for itself! #Priorities
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted by Ron Charles
For ways to support the freedom to read in Alabama, check out @readfreelyal.bsky.social's website: www.readfreelyalabama.org
Read Freely Alabama
Read Freely Alabama is a volunteer group of concerned citizens who oppose censorship in our local libraries. As the scale of censorship efforts and attacks on libraries have expanded across the state,...
www.readfreelyalabama.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
For ways to support the freedom to read in Alabama, check out @readfreelyal.bsky.social's website: www.readfreelyalabama.org
It rhymes with creepy: Jeffrey Epstein helped fund "Poetry in America."
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Book Club: A provocative bestseller wins the National Book Award for nonfiction
s2.washingtonpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
It rhymes with creepy: Jeffrey Epstein helped fund "Poetry in America."
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter:
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
It’s almost as though the country is designed to favor rich people over ordinary Americans… www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/t...
Who Didn’t Suffer During the Shutdown? People Flying Private.
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:04 PM
It’s almost as though the country is designed to favor rich people over ordinary Americans… www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/t...
Billionaire “leader” tells tens of millions of Americans running out of food money: “I don’t want to hear about the affordability.”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Trump Dismisses Affordability Concerns, Insists Prices Are Coming Down
The president said the notion that the GOP performed poorly in the recent elections because of the cost of living is a Democratic “con job.”
www.wsj.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Billionaire “leader” tells tens of millions of Americans running out of food money: “I don’t want to hear about the affordability.”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Ron Charles
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
November 4, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
"More than half of the companies that donated to Trump's ballroom are facing or have recently faced federal enforcement actions tied to alleged wrongdoing that includes engaging in unfair labor practices, deceiving consumers and harming the environment."
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
Report: Donors to Trump’s White House ballroom have $279B in federal contracts
The White House ballroom’s donor list contains heavyweights in the tech, financial and defense sectors, including Google, Comcast and Lockheed Martin.
wapo.st
November 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM
"More than half of the companies that donated to Trump's ballroom are facing or have recently faced federal enforcement actions tied to alleged wrongdoing that includes engaging in unfair labor practices, deceiving consumers and harming the environment."
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
wapo.st/4hD7dm0
My book recommendations this month for CBS Sunday Morning:
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
The Book Report: New fiction and non-fiction (Nov. 2)
YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning
youtu.be
November 3, 2025 at 5:22 PM
My book recommendations this month for CBS Sunday Morning:
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...
In today's Halloween edition of the Book Club newsletter, I'm giving away my copy of "The H. P. Lovecraft Experience Deluxe Box Set":
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
October 31, 2025 at 6:34 PM
In today's Halloween edition of the Book Club newsletter, I'm giving away my copy of "The H. P. Lovecraft Experience Deluxe Box Set":
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...