The Morning: The rise of a new centrism

Plus, the death of Iran's president, Chinese social media and Taylor Swift versus the Beatles.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 20, 2024 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We're covering "neopopulism" — as well as the death of Iran's president, Chinese social media and Taylor Swift versus the Beatles. Hakeem Jeffries, left, and Speaker Mike Johnson.  Kenny Holston/The New York Times A flurry of bipartisanship Washington, you often hear, is a place so polarized that our leaders barely get anything done. But that notion is not exactly consistent with the past few years. Consider these major political stories: President Biden — who had already maintained many of Donald Trump's trade policies — announced last week that he was expanding tariffs on Chinese-made goods. House Democrats this month rescued the House speaker, a Republican whom far-right members of his party wanted to topple after he helped pass a bipartisan foreign aid package. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive leader, has worked on legislation with several conservative Senate Republicans, including Josh Hawley and J.D. Vance. Vance, for his part, recently praised Lina Khan — the chair of the Federal Trade Commission who is one of the most progressive members of the Biden administration — for "doing a pretty good job." Biden has signed a more significant set of bipartisan bills — on infrastructure, semiconductors, gun violence, the electoral process and more — than any president in decades. My editors recently asked me to make sense of this conundrum: A polarized country in which bipartisanship has somehow become normal. To do so, I spoke with Congress members from both parties, as well as Biden administration officials and outside experts. I emerged from the project believing that the U.S. was indeed a polarized country in many ways — but less polarized than people sometimes think. Sources: U.S. House of Representatives; U.S. Senate | Excludes those who voted "Present" or those who did not vote. | By Ashley Wu On many high-profile issues, especially connected to economics, most Americans share a basic set of views. They favor both capitalism and government intervention to address the free market's shortcomings. Most Americans worry that big business has become too powerful. Most are skeptical of both free trade and high levels of immigration. Most are worried about China's rise and its increasing assertiveness. I describe this emerging consensus as neopopulism. For a quarter-century after the end of the Cold War, policymakers operated under a different consensus, known alternately as neoliberalism or the Washington Consensus. It held that market capitalism, left largely to its own devices, would bring prosperity to the U.S. and freedom to the rest of the world. Most Americans were always skeptical of the core components of the Washington Consensus. They worried about a world in which national borders meant less, and goods, capital and people could all move more freely. As it turned out, they were right to worry: Neoliberalism failed to deliver on many of its promises. Incomes for most Americans have grown slowly, and China and Russia have moved away from liberal democracy. Neopopulism is a response to these developments and to public opinion. To different degrees, both Democrats and Republicans — both Biden and Donald Trump — have adopted it. "There are new problems in the world, and a consensus is emerging about what those problems are," Oren Cass, who runs a conservative think tank, told me. Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, has put it this way: "The center of gravity itself is moving, and this is a good thing." The title of a recent book by the historian Gary Gerstle also captures the change: "The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order." In the essay that I've written, I trace the history of these ideas and describe where neopopulism may go from here. I also talk about the potential excesses of populism and some threats to the recent period of bipartisanship. You can find the article here — and you can leave a comment if you have thoughts. I look forward to hearing what you have to say and plan to reply to some of your comments later today. ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Iran President Ebrahim Raisi Vahid Salemi/Associated Press Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, died in a helicopter crash, state news media reported. The country's foreign minister also died. Their helicopter crashed in a rugged, mountainous area. Search and rescue teams combed dense forest through rain and fog for hours. There were no survivors. Raisi, a hard-line Shiite cleric, was a protégé of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, will serve as acting president. He must hold an election within 50 days. For Iran, the crash comes at a difficult time: The country faces economic challenges and tension with Israel. War in Ukraine Halyna Semibratska, 101, right, and her daughter Iryna Malyk, 72. Emile Ducke for The New York Times. A small group of older Ukrainians are reliving memories of German occupation during World War II. The Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion over the weekend. His victory lifted morale at home. Asia Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te, was sworn in today. He said he would strengthen ties with the West and resist threats from China. On Chinese social media, young women who appear to be Russian say they support China. They are deepfakes. More International News Gazans are fleeing Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, as Israel pursues a new offensive there. The Congolese army said it had foiled a coup attempt that involved three Americans. Over the weekend, comet fragments exploded over the skies of Portugal and Spain. See videos. Elections President Biden  Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times Biden asked the graduating class of Morehouse College, and by extension Black voters, for their support. Age is a big topic in the presidential election. But it isn't in the Senate, where few have raised concerns about two octogenarians — Bernie Sanders and Angus King — running for another term. What threat does A.I. pose for the election? The Times customized chatbots to be conservative or liberal. See how they spread disinformation. Business Disneyland character workers in California voted to unionize. A Senate inquiry found that BMW imported cars to the U.S. tied to forced labor in China. As traditional congregations shrink, religious organizations offer money and training to aspiring church founders, The Wall Street Journal reports. Other Big Stories Shawna Brady with a photo of her son, Tre'Von Dickson. Sylvia Jarrus for The New York Times Columbus, Ohio, had only about 100 homicides a year. A pandemic surge in gun violence has changed things. Every year, tens of millions of farm animals travel across state lines in conditions that can facilitate the spread of disease. More than 60 years ago, Edward Dwight was chosen to be the first Black astronaut, but he was passed over to go to space. On Sunday, he finally made it on a Blue Origin flight. The Northern Lights could return today to Scotland and Northern Ireland. There is a slight chance of visibility across parts of Alaska and northern Canada. Opinions Trust in American higher education is at a low. To revive it, universities should educate students on how to be citizens, Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Harun Küçük write. Marijuana's reclassification as a less-addictive drug won't end the harm that's come from its criminalization. The U.S. has to legalize it, Maia Szalavitz writes. Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discuss Senator Robert Menendez and the latest election polls. Here are columns by David French on the Trump trial, and Ezra Klein on Biden's bad election news. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS A quick hello. George Etheredge for The New York Times The animals missed you, too: Prospect Park Zoo will soon reopen months after it suffered rain damage. A Times reporter went for a visit. Coffee table book: Take a walk through the Hamptons with a photographer and her iPhone. Ask Vanessa: "Is there an alternative to the little black dress?" Metropolitan Diary: No cooler? No problem. Lives Lived: Moorhead Kennedy Jr., a foreign service officer, was one of 52 hostages seized in Iran and held for 444 days. He later challenged the U.S. government to reshape its diplomacy with the Islamic world. He died at 93. SPORTS N.B.A.: The Minnesota Timberwolves, in the biggest comeback in Game 7 history, defeated the Denver Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference finals. The Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2014. Golf: Xander Schauffele, after a career of close calls, finally won his first major tournament at the P.G.A. Championship. NASCAR: The drivers Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into a fistfight after a wreck on the second lap of the All-Star Race. ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS In Dakar, Senegal. Annika Hammerschlag for The New York Times The Oscar-nominated movie "Io Capitano" follows two young cousins from Senegal — Seydou and Moussa — as they attempt to migrate to Europe. Along the way, they encounter smugglers, armed robbers and the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean. The film's crew and director have screened it at several places across Senegal, including at youth centers and schools. One viewer at a screening, 18-year-old Barra Gassama, became teary-eyed while watching the movie. His brother died a decade ago trying to make it to Spain. "This reminds me so much of him," he said. More on culture Swifties Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York Times Is Taylor Swift more popular than the Beatles or Michael Jackson were? See the results of a test. Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, apologized on social media after CNN published a video of him from 2016 striking and dragging Cassie, his girlfriend at the time. The artist Kehinde Wiley, known for his 2018 portrait of Barack Obama, denied claims of sexual assault made by another artist. The spring art sales at auction houses like Christie's suggested that minimalism may be out and surrealism is in. Read more takeaways. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times Make a coconut-miso salmon curry in less than 30 minutes. Embrace solitude. Improve your bread baking. Give a useful housewarming gift. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were immobilize and mobilize. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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