Julia Wong

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Julia Wong

When Hasan Piker was stopped and questioned about his political views by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at Chicago’s O’Hare airport last Sunday, the popular leftwing streamer thought he knew exactly what their motive was. “Obviously the reason for why they’re doing that is, I think, to try to create an environment of fear,” he told his legion of fans on a Twitch stream in which he described his ordeal.

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Julia Wong

The Oval Office meeting of Donald Trump and Nayib Bukele on Monday was a grotesque spectacle. Both men, elected to lead nominally democratic countries, have described themselves as dictators, and they exuded that sense of smug impunity.

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Julia Wong

The rightwing movement against empathy seeks to discredit one of the essential tools for any society – our capacity to recognize and respond to suffering. Composite: The Guardian/Getty ImagesJust over an hour into Elon Musk’s last appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, the billionaire brought up the latest existential threat to trouble him. “We’ve got civilizational suicidal empathy going on,” Musk said. “And it’s like, I believe in empathy.

Feb 21, 2025 | theguardian.com | Julia Wong

Is Donald Trump a feminist? There was a time when anyone asking such a question could reasonably expect to be laughed out of the room. Yet, just three weeks into Trump’s second term, the man responsible for stripping women in the US of the right to an abortion was declared a “feminist kween”, “feminist hero” and “feminist icon” by several prominent feminist writers in the UK. The occasion for these declarations was Trump’s all-out assault on trans rights.

Jan 31, 2025 | theguardian.com | Julia Wong

At the dawn of the second Trump presidency, defiance has given way to compliance. While Donald Trump has rapidly and ruthlessly thrown the federal government into unprecedented chaos, the leaders of the Democratic party have offered up little more than limp banalities and platitudes. “Presidents come and presidents go. Through it all. God is still on the throne,” tweeted the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, at the end of Trump’s first week in office.