News, events, advocacy opportunities, and commentary from the Center for New Liberalism

As the Supreme Court deliberates on the scope of executive tariff powers, the White House has once again bypassed the legislature to impose new taxes on our European allies. American families and businesses are being harmed by rising prices on everything from groceries to construction materials as the administration escalates its trade war. At the Center for New Liberalism, we believe the power to tax belongs in Congress, not the Oval Office.

This week, we released the Senate Tariff & Trade Response Index, evaluating every Senator on their response to the Trump Administration’s economically devastating tariffs and their support for pro-growth trade policies that help families and small businesses. 

Check out our scorecard and see how your Senator ranks: https://cnliberalism.org/senate-tariff-response-index 

Write for Us! We are hosting a writing competition with PPI’s American Identity Project to showcase a New Liberal’s perspective on how we can promote patriotism across the Democratic Party. Essays should be approximately 1,500 words and explore what it means to be an American today. The winning publication will be featured on PPI’s website and the top three essays will receive a cash prize: $750 for 1st place, $500 for 2nd place, $250 for 3rd place. Submissions are due January 31st. 

Welcome Stack | Centrists Should Try Harder to Win Tough Races
Ft. Center for New Liberalism | December 9

“Excitingly, we are joined by a burst of partisan centrist entrepreneurship tackling similar problems, with … innovative incumbent investments like PPI’s stewardship of the grassroots Center for New Liberalism and Third Way's Moderate Venture Fund.”

Throughput | Encampments Aren't Compassionate
By Colin Mortimer, Director of CNL | December 17

“The core objective of any city’s homelessness response should be getting people inside. Everything else depends on that foundation. This means shelters have to actually work.”

Newsweek | Donald Trump’s Patriot Games Spark Hunger Games Comparison
Ft. Jeremiah Johnson, Co-founder of CNL | December 18

“Everybody's saying this is the Hunger Games, but in reality it's just going to be a much s***tier version of a Mr Beast video.”

Smedjan | The return of the Clinton Democrats
Ft. Tobin Stone, Deputy Director of CNL | January 7

“The latter is a classic American political tactic that was an important explanation for Trump's election victory in November 2024. Stone notes that when it comes to the issue of "affordability," the lack of affordable housing is at the center. ”

Throughput | It's Okay That Corporations Own Some Homes
By Colin Mortimer, Director of CNL | January 8

“The issue is that these nice-sounding, populist solutions give lawmakers the impression that they did something to address housing affordability when, at best, they did nothing that will affect the cost of living at all.”

The Dispatch | There Will Be More Renee Goods
By Jeremiah Johnson, Co-founder of CNL | January 9

“This was not an unforeseeable tragedy or a freak accident. It was the inevitable outcome of an immigration enforcement apparatus that has been poorly trained, sheltered from consequences, and empowered to behave recklessly.”

The Nevada Independent | ICE agents vs. transgender athletes -- a tale of two governors
By David Colborne, CNL Member | January 13

“When the government starts investigating female athletes — without telling them or their parents, as happened to an athlete in Utah — for being transgender, will Lombardo’s supporters permit violent, badly trained agents to look for themselves? Or will they and their daughters resist — and end up just like Renee Good?”

The Argument | How liberals lost tech
By Jordan McGillis, San Diego New Liberals | January 22

“In focusing so much on recent history, liberals largely overlook a multidecadal parallel evolution of American politics and Silicon Valley ethos that has resulted in genuine overlaps between important parts of the tech world and the populist right. The compatibility is generational and perhaps even structural in nature.”

Frisinnad Tidskrift
Ft. Joe Huang, NYC New Liberals

“Later, I have lunch with my friend Joe Huang, active in the centrist think tank Center for New Liberalism, in Trump Tower. This is where Trump rode down the gold escalator and declared his presidential candidacy a little over a decade ago.”

Trump’s Plan for Ukraine Ft. Tamar Jacoby

The Trump administration is touting a new 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. Does it have any chance to end the fighting? Tamar Jacoby joins the podcast to discuss the state of the war in Ukraine, what Russia and Ukraine are really after, and why Ukraine is crucial for worldwide liberalism.

Deciding to Win Ft. Simon Bazelon

Democrats lost big in 2024. How can they make sure it doesn't happen again in 2026 and 2028? Simon Bazelon is the lead author of the report Deciding To Win about the direction the Democratic Party should take in the next few years. He joins the podcast to discuss why the Democratic Party needs to moderate, how they should build their platforms, and why he thinks objections to his report have been so weak.

The New Liberal Podcast’s Best Books of 2025, Part 2

It's the annual books episode! Jeremiah breaks down the best books he read in 2025. This year he's covering books about why America can't build things, the attention economy, Russian propaganda, population ethics, colonizing Mars, Chinese authoritarianism, and more!

How Should We Think About Venezuela? ft. Frank Fukuyama

Over the weekend, the US military captured the president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. Francis Fukuyama joins the podcast to talk about the geopolitical context for this mission, what comes next for Venezuela, and what questions you should be asking as the situation develops in Venezuela.

How Should Democrats Talk About ICE? Ft. Matt Yglesias

ICE is rampaging through Minnesota, violating the constitution, and assaulting Americans regularly. Polling shows that the public disapproves - but how should Democrats take advantage of this situation? Matt Yglesias joins the podcast to talk about what's happening - how much should Democrats be talking about ICE, what should they be saying about it, and what should their actual immigration policy be?

How to Resist ICE Ft. Will Stancil

ICE is rampaging through Minnesota and violating people's constitutional rights. Will Stancil joins the podcast to talk about ICE's tactics, what activists on the ground in Minneapolis are doing to resist ICE and protect their neighbors, and why, despite everything, he remains hopeful.

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