Recent articles
August 14, 2026
The Hyphenated Country, & Trump's Unfriendly Skies
Plus, wildfires in the Northwest are the latest sign our environmental policy isn't built for the long run
kareem.substack.com
August 11, 2026
Houses, Ballrooms, and Data Centers
How America is shaped by the buildings we build.
kareem.substack.com
August 7, 2026
RFK Jr.’s Medical Malpractice, & Trump’s Pay-to-Play Presidency
Plus, the triumph and tragedy of Jesse Owens and the intersecting struggles of Black and Jewish Americans
kareem.substack.com
August 4, 2026
New GOP Slogans: "Ready, Fire, Aim!" & "Republicans Against Head Start"
Plus, lessons in becoming a billionaire: first, inherit a billion dollars
kareem.substack.com
July 31, 2026
Candor, Flattery, & the Unreliable Narrator-in-Chief
Elon Musk, Lindsey Graham, and Dr. Anthony Fauci are three of the most consequential figures of the Trump Era, and each had to find his own way to deal with the President
kareem.substack.com
July 28, 2026
All Things Considered, LeBron Would Rather Be in Philadelphia
Plus, Technology vs. Truth, Speaking for the Dead, & JD Vance Gives New Meaning to the Term Helicopter Parent
kareem.substack.com
July 24, 2026
Anti-Social Media, the High Price of Pardons, & Larry David's History Lessons
Plus Zora Neale Hurston, Nina Simone, and the Pain of Being Misunderstood.
kareem.substack.com
July 21, 2026
Election Integrity Lies, & The High-T Department of War
You say Potatoe, I say Covfefe. Plus, a trip to the Negro Leagues and a song about Jackie Robinson.
kareem.substack.com
July 17, 2026
Trump Stirs Up a Red Scare to Distract From His Iranian Quagmire
The President has no trouble finding flunkies to do his bidding, but he can't control Iran. Plus, New York nurses take a stand against AI.
kareem.substack.com
July 14, 2026
Trump’s Revenge Fantasy, the Press Under Pressure, & Caitlin Clark’s Congress
No one can see into the future, but we can all work to make it better.
kareem.substack.com
July 10, 2026
The Death Penalty, Gun Violence, & Trans Discrimination
All three issues come together in the saga of Charlie Kirk. Plus, the political nature of the Olympics.
kareem.substack.com
July 7, 2026
Trump Cashes In, Sanitizes History, and Pollutes the Planet
Artists from Anton Chekhov to Marvin Gaye Have Watched the Earth Suffer While Politicians Look Away
kareem.substack.com
July 3, 2026
Whose America Will We SAVE?, Donald Trump’s Birthday Grift, & a Questionable "Greatest Living American"
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, and Singer Rhiannon Giddens Are Three Americans I'm Celebrating This Fourth of July
kareem.substack.com
June 30, 2026
Two-Faced Leadership, Blind Justice That Ignores Racism, & A New Political Weapon...Going After the Children
Why don't our Christian politicians, justices, and ministers practice the values they preach?
kareem.substack.com
June 26, 2026
Narcissus in the White House, Gabbard's Guru, & Just How Effective is the F word in Presidential Power Moves?
From Washington to Wimbledon, the people in power are focused on the wrong things
kareem.substack.com
June 23, 2026
Obama's Faith, Trump's Imaginary Friends, & Serena's Wimbledon Return
It's High Noon in America: does our story take us to Higher Ground, or do we drown in the muck of cynicism?
kareem.substack.com
June 19, 2026
Obama's Museum, Trump's War, & the NCAA's Latest Sports Scandal
Can we all agree that athletes shouldn't bet on their own games and politicians shouldn't direct investigations of their political opponents?
kareem.substack.com
June 16, 2026
The Knicks' Triumph, Trump's Octagon of Awful, & the World's First Trillionaire
The NBA and NHL crowned new champions and the World Cup returned to America. But was it enough to distract us from Trump, Musk, and the Epstein files?
kareem.substack.com
June 12, 2026
A Miracle on 33rd Street & the Unbearable Smallness of Trump
The Knicks crush Wemby's dream, Trump runs away from Kristen Welker, and Maine voters must choose between two very flawed Senate candidates
kareem.substack.com
June 9, 2026
A Free Press on the Chopping Block & Ebola as Political Theater
CBS's Scott Pelley and American medicine's moral standing both fall victim to the Trump administration's whims, while nine nuns hope to save the Spurs' chances in the NBA finals
kareem.substack.com
June 6, 2026
Hegseth Redefines Merit, Trump Wants His Face on the Money & Taking the Wrong Picture
What do Harriet Tubman, Black naval officers, and would-be hairstylists have in common in the Age of Trump?
kareem.substack.com
June 2, 2026
Competing Anniversary Celebrations, A Reality Check from 1936, & The Two-Year Blackout
NBA Finals: Spurs vs. Knicks, I am rooting for Wemby
kareem.substack.com
May 26, 2026
From "Maximum Pressure" to Maximum Concessions, Stop Printing Reports and Start Funding Care, & The AI Debt Illusion
Chaos Is Not Diplomacy: The embarrassing reality of Trump’s rushed Iran deal
kareem.substack.com
May 23, 2026
Karl Rove Sounds the Alarm, Why Historic Low Unemployment Feels Like a Brick Wall for Real Workers, & When the Greatest Champions of Our Era Continue to Inspire Us Off the Court
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Why a little trouble is exactly what we need
kareem.substack.com
May 19, 2026
Pulling Back the Curtain on Washington’s Favorite New Casino, When a Virus Isn't Profitable Enough to Cure, & The Art of the Political Confidence Scheme
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Why our worst days might be saving us
kareem.substack.com