Pepper Culpepper

It’s like forecasting the weather by looking out the window.

@alphaville.ft.com for the win today on French bonds

As markets wobble, how’s this for a dog’s breakfast?

Today, a judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for misleading users on data privacy and a range of other statements that a jury deemed deceptive (and willfully so). Last month I broke down the jury's determinations on each of the questions posed to it:

I’m shocked, shocked.

Fun panel today at Cheltenham Literature Festival: Boom Time for Billionaires. Great moderation by Manveen Rana and fun to engage with Nick Chater about his excellent book It’s on You. #CheltLitFest

@tejparikh.ft.com argues that the public gives big companies a bad rap despite their being motors of innovation and productivity growth. The public sees big companies swallow small ones to avoid competition and pour huge sums into lobbying to protect themselves. Does the public lack a balanced view?

It is undeniable that we are likely to see dramatic regulatory change is post-disaster when AI labs are culpable. That's how regulation often happens. Super-interesting interview by @cwarzel.bsky.social with Zack Korman on cybersecurity and the answers lying in plain sight.

AI companies, not agents go rogue. AI companies produce models and services. AI companies are responsible for their own products. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Are there questions that make you dumb enough to be disqualified as a serious pollster?

Enjoyed talking to John Torpey on the International Horizons podcast about public opinion and its relation to the climactic scene from the movie Network: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”.

It was good to chat with Chris Caurla from @deutschewelle.dw.com about whether the tide is turning on billionaires and big corporations in politics. A lot of different opinions in the comments.

We Can’t Know Our A.I. Future if We Don’t Study It www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/o...

Almost 80% of Britain’s rising fiscal costs will come from ageing by 2075, dwarfing the pressures from defence spending, net zero and lower migration. We should rebalance taxes away from work and towards wealth, says @benansell.bsky.social. Read more here: www.ippr.org/articles/tax...

✊Can populism be a force for good? @pculpepper.bsky.social and @taekulee.bsky.social argue that it can! 👇

I was delighted to speak with Tavis Smiley today on his KBLA 1580 radio show about when populism can be good and what these primary victories suggest about the rich vein of public opinion around broader issues of economic populism, not just DSA affiliation. Our conversation is from 1.06.15-1.59.30.

I wrote this because most journalists facing this pressure can’t. The paper we count on to check authoritarianism spiked an investigation into the Democratic Party because the party’s lawyers threatened to sue. Holding authoritarians accountable starts with holding your own side accountable.

I’m shocked, shocked #billionairebacklash

Over the past year, Sam Berger, Sophie Jacobson, and I have been thinking about how a federal rebuilding must center power-shifting, building civil society power for democracy. In @donmoyn.bsky.social's Substack we wrote up our lessons; we're excited to share what we're learning! 1/

Beach reading for political junkies 👍

“There’s the people who want OpenAI and Anthropic to own everything, and then there’s everybody else, including customers.”

OpenAI to merge with Hugging Face. New concern to be called Skynet.

👇

Ironic that Spain, which famously doesn’t spend enough on defence, won the World Cup by only letting in a single goal all tournament.

A forensic review of how the bottom fell out for Starmer - really worth your time. My reading of the polls is that the Winter Fuel Payment cut is a major flashpoint, bigger than thought at the time and than other crisis moments (Mandelson, riots, farmers, island of strangers, Polanski, Gaza).

Looks like we might need a social media ban for parents.

Enjoyed talking with Joy LaClaire on Forthright Radio about the role of political elites vs fossil fuel companies in shaping American public opinion, among other things.

As both a democracy defender and a practical pessimist, it is clear that I am no fun at parties. @soumayakeynes.ft.com trenchant analysis of the identity politics of billionaire taxes.

Comedy gold on the SpaceX business model 🤣🤣🤣. Coming soon to a pension plan someone you love depends on.

Rebuild Local News’ Matt Pearce is trying to help journalists and lawmakers speak the same language www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/rebu...

This may be the wake-up call we’ve been waiting for.

I had the pleasure of speaking on @andyluttrell.bsky.social's fantastic podcast, Opinion Science.🎙️ We discuss my book on moral rhetoric & studies of morality in political science and psychology more generally. Andy's podcast is a fabulous source for learning and entertainment. I highly recommend! 👏

It’s not exactly Profiles in Courage is it? Good on @guychazan.bsky.social and @financialtimes.com for putting things on perspective.

Interesting discussion about responsibility and accountability of elites at the Rencontres Économiques, in which I argued that we on the panel were also part of the elite and thus the problem. I may have mentioned good populism as well. #reaix

At the Rencontres Économiques in Aix, where we finished today with Kyle Eastwood (double bass) and his band playing an homage to the music in his dad’s films. Imagine telling Dirty Harry you think it’s not bedtime.‘You’ve gotta ask yourself a question. Do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?’ #reaix

My friend, mentor and former boss Gus O’Donnell & I wrote a piece for The House magazine on the us of WhatsApp etc in government. Don’t expect everyone to agree with it but we hope you find it at least interesting and thought provoking www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

So President Trump is a free trader after all.

The magic of markets

The job of the media is to report news so that people can know what’s going on. FT and others leading with the $500 mn figure on crypto tokens while Reuters leading with $1.4 bn total income last year. Both staggering, but the varying of numbers like this makes it hard for the public to focus on.

🚨 NEW: "Donald Trump ​reported more than $1.4 billion in income from ‌his family’s crypto ventures last year, showing how he now earns most of his income from digital assets ​that have benefited from his policies" Tom Bergin and Koh Gui Qing for @reuters.com

Pepper Culpepper says good populism can save democracy democracyparadox.com/2026/06/24/p... @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social Fellow @pculpepper.bsky.social appeared on this episode of Democracy Paradox podcast

Who are the crypto bros? The amazing Izaura Solipa crunched the data. Short answer: Crypto bros share the same privileged traits, educational credentials, and institutional access that characterize elites in 'traditional' Wall Street segments. Just out in SER: academic.oup.com/ser/advance-...

How should regulation balance considerations of efficiency and what citizens in a democracy want? What's the biggest problem in the US today -- the concentration of economic power or over-regulation? Justin Kempf and I debate these questions on the latest episode of Democracy Paradox. 👇

This month saw the launch of The Porter Square Review of Books. The store’s booksellers and writers-in-residence have begun publishing weekly book reviews on its website. www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/book...

Today we launch the new version of The PopuList! The PopuList provides an overview of far-left, far-right and populist parties in 31 European countries from 1989 until 1 May 2026. Explore the new website here: popu-list.org