The populist right rises (in France)

This week, Eric Kohn and Sam Gregg pilot this two-person ship through four topics. First, they tackle the first round of French presidential elections, where the incumbent Emmanuel Macron will face off in a rematch with Marine Le Pen. What does the rise of Le Pen’s right-wing populism mean for France, and why have the two major political parties lost support so dramatically? Next, Elon Musk is now the largest shareholder in Twitter, prompting a mini-freakout in the Big Tech world. Are Musk’s actions a clear example of the way the market can deal with Big Tech issues better than the heavy hand of government? And why is Musk so hated among the left for finding more effective and fun ways to address their concerns, like climate change and space travel? Next, Eric and Sam take on the continued call to cancel all student-loan debt. Who would really benefit if this happened? (It’s probably not the people you think.) And finally, the right’s fashionable new epithet to hurl at opponents is “groomer.” Maybe it’s not OK to cheapen pedophilia… Subscribe to our podcasts Macron to Face Le Pen for President as French Gravitate Toward Extremes | New York Times In major reversal, Elon Musk is not joining Twitter board | TechCrunch Psaki: Student loan borrowers likely to have to pay debt ‘sometime’ | Politico Biden to delay student loan repayment, again extending pause, as Dems push for forgiveness | USA Today Student Loan Debt Statistics: 2022 | NerdWallet The ‘Groomer’ Accusation Is Counterproductive | David Harsanyi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.