The Gist

The Populists Cannot Win

Slate columnist and Harvard lecturer Yascha Mounk on what we can learn from the rise of populism in Europe.

France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Wednesday in Amiens, France.

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Slate columnist and Harvard University lecturer Yascha Mounk is worried about liberal democracy. He says Marine Le Pen’s second-place finish in France isn’t a cause for relief—it’s a sign she’s closer to power than ever. “It’s easy to be right about the problems, it’s difficult to be right about the solutions, and there the populists have nothing to offer,” says Mounk. He writes the Good Fight column.

Plus, Mike translates the Pope’s speech and annotates the Trump administration’s income tax reform plan.

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